Thoughts on Art and what it is.

Is this pastel work by me a good piece of art?

“What is Art” is a question for the ages. Many attempts have been made to define or explain what it is but none have been agreed upon. I believe a piece of art should have at least these two qualities; to communicate an idea or emotion and create an aesthetic experience for the viewer. It must have these two qualities to be  worthy of consideration as a piece of art by the artistic community. Simply saying I like it just means that you connect with the work in some way or ways, none of which may have anything to do with the mastery of the technique or medium, the preciseness of the composition, the importance or clarity of the message or its aesthetic value.  

This self portrait by Rembrandt is unquestionably a work of art and a classic one as well. It has all the qualities; mastery of technique, compositionally perfect, provides the viewer with an aesthetic experience etc.

The other portrait by Andy Warhol may not be considered to be a masterpiece like Rembrandt’s by some. However, Warhol’s portrait of Marilyn Monroe is to the arts community a masterpiece just as much as the Rembrandt piece.

 

 

 

Much has changed in my work since my last post. The pastel work has gone completely abstract or more correctly non-representational. Since renting studio space three months ago I have started large acrylic paintings again to explore pure abstraction in that medium. I have several directions in which I am investigating that lets the creative river flow even though they are quite different.

pastel on paper,17inx24 in.
$1075

This piece is one of the new pastel works

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of a new series called Direct  Drive, all these pieces had their marks made in the most direct possible way an artist can…..by using their fingers. This is not as easy as it sounds but the energy  from the works far surpasses that of a brush in some ways

Direct Blush, acrylic on board, $800

 

The work you see.

I’m glad that you are here to read about my thoughts on my work. The opportunity to present for viewing a greater variety of what you would see at an exhibition is satisfying because it offers a more complete view of where I am at or going than what you could surmise from the limited scope of work selected for an exhibition or in a juried shows. The site just came up today so there is the opportunity to share much more in the future. A Facebook page is also coming.The pastel pieces are my newest passion and they have been really liberating. The workshops at The Pastel Studio in Cambridge Ontario, http://www.pastelstudio.ca ,especially with Deborah Stewart; were a catalyst to start a new direction in my work. Not to be left unmentioned is the real help and wonderful store run by Edward.
Colour, texture and line became the focus of these new works. The brilliant hues and richness of the colours applied to the right grounds were intoxicating, okay…goofy but true. Working with a small format, 5×7 to 11×14 inches in size let me get intimate with materials and elements quickly and thoroughly in a really short time. Gone is the laborious colour mixing, wasted paint, and need for huge canvases that take up a lot of space.  See more of my work here  http://www.pastelartists.ca/gallery/terry_torra . Also I can show my photography which I will talk more about in the next post.
Your comments are appreciated

First Post

I am new to this so bear with me. Here I go, Let me know what you think of my new website. This is one of my favourite works in pastel. I have moved past this but it still remains as a benchmark in the move to abstraction in my work.

Add title and cost here