"Inspiring Glimmers"-Dotting things up!

Written By Beth Tisthammer

Learning, Painting and up-cycling inspired by Yayoi Kusama

This week’s “Eclectic Artist Glimmer” focus is on the imaginative and remarkable world of Yayoi Kusama and her world of dots…

Yayoi Kusama has been an inspiration to me for many years -she is now 96 yrs old and continues to share her artistic vision for the world to experience.

Kusama has been creating art for over 80 years. Her work is bold, exciting and continues to change. She Paints, Sculpts, Writes and uses Film and Photography to express her art. She creates interesting installations, makes unique performance art, and she works with Fashion. She is such a great role model for all of us who are reaching for a long and interesting artistic life. Her colors are rich and saturated and the patterns of her dots seem to move -like the vibrations of life.It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Despite lifelong struggles with mental health, Kusama has used art as both a sanctuary and a form of expression, living voluntarily in a psychiatric hospital since the 1970s while continuing to make art. Her openness about her mental health challenges have been a gift to others who struggle and remind us that art making is everything good: beautiful, meditative and healing.

Personally, I have learned important insights about myself and my art making from her art and life. As a woman artist- It’s important for me to comprehend the love, tenacity and commitment she pours into her artistic vision. Everytime I draw a dot- I think of her and I smile feeling connected to her work. Her art gives me energy and motivation. Kusama’s quotes below sum up many of her themes and the value she sees from her Art:

  • “I wanted to start a revolution, using art to build the sort of society I myself envisioned.”

  • “My life is a dot lost among thousands of other dots.”

  • “With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions of stars.”

  • “By obliterating one's individual self, one returns to the infinite universe.”

Which quote above jumps out at you? For me, I love “obliterating one's individual self, one returns to the infinite universe.” I can’t look at her work now without feeling this idea - I am transported and feel both infiniteness and aloneness.

ART MAKING PROMPT:

Step 1: 

  • Find a used Candlestick -or a tallish stable object to upcycle that is interesting to you. I love garage sales and thrift shops….I found this quirky but super cool metal asymmetrical candle stick (super cheap at a thrift store on sale even!

  • Imagine adding clay and paint.

  • Check to make sure it is sturdy and it can hold the weight of clay embellishments.

  • Turn the object around, see what you can envision.

Step 2: Sketch out some shapes/ideas for the up cycling    

  • I started immediately having the idea of this becoming a flower with stems and the center being the candle with wick par

  • I wanted the shapes of the petals to be asymmetrical- bent and angled to articulate the interesting lines in the original candlestick

    Step 3. Air Clay Building

  • Take some air dry clay (I love this brand- Sculpd) and make a ball

  • Using a roller (or your hand) roll out a flat sheet (about 1/8 inch thick)

  • Lightly outline petal shapes (I wanted uneven petals)

  • Cut out the individual petals and attach to the candlestick

  • Attach all the petals to create the full flower

  • Using tiny amounts of water, some cardboard and tape for supporting the clay in place - begin shaping and experimenting with the overall shape and design

  • Bend, look and enjoy this process

  • Reinforce any thin joint areas and smooth out rough areas

Step 4.  ALLOW TO DRY OVERNIGHT UNCOVERED

Step 5. Start Painting!

(Use any medium flow -acrylic paints- inexpensive craft paints work well)

  • On a separate piece of paper or your sketchbook, try out a base color and explore accent color

  • combinations -keep the colors simple!

  • Start painting first layer this part is so rewarding)

Determine if you want to add some lights or darker version of you colors

WHEN the Paint is DRY…

  • Add some POSCA acrylic marker-dots  (loved feeling connected to Kusama like this)

    Step 6. VARNISH/SEAL 

  • outdoors or in a well ventilated area apply a coat of polyurethane. I used "satin finish", but it is also available in gloss and matte..

    Viola!

Beth Tisthammer
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