The Gravity of Play

…the focus on studying and exploring one artist at a time, and taking inspiration from their art has made this week’s art making feel almost effortless. I am someone who thrives when I have clear goals and the tasks are broken down into simple steps. Can you relate?

As I deepen my study and commitment to learning by “stepping into the shoes” of a Great Artist, I have motivation, I feel relieved and I am experiencing so much freedom and finding new ideas for painting on surfaces. CIRCLES-DOTS-SPOTS.

I am painting dots of all sizes, colors and shapes on: clay structures, up-cycled trays from thrift stores, butter dishes, salt and pepper shakers and cardboard packing pieces. WHAT A BLAST!

Creating Functional Art inspired by Yayoi Kusama

This week’s prompt in Great Artist’s Footsteps was to experiment with making art with dots. Each time I painted or drew some dots, I thought about the great artist Yayoi Kusama who lives in a psychiatric hospital in Tokyo where she checked herself back in 1977.

“I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art,” and she added “I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live.”

I think about her pain, passion and fight to live as I paint this week.

Today, my own visual art process regulates my mood, it grounds and uplifts me. I am committed to “de-complicating” my art making life. I have “pick up anytime” art making projects in various unfinished stages littered around my house. In this way, I don’t have to set up a studio space- it’s out (making my husband crazy with the mess) all the time.

I feel so much release and joy in walking in the footsteps of another artist, I love feeling the connection of their humanness along with trying to soak up a little of their genius.

Friends: Try this: see where the doing-ness of dots/circles/spots can take you.

Draw, paint, doodle, garden with circles in mind, design a cake with dots, or even just photograph some circle images. The specificity of making and seeing dots is transformative and FUN! See if you can walk a few minutes in the artist’s shoes and feel what she might feel when she creates circles and dots.

Below: I found white ceramic butter plates and salt and pepper shakers. Using craft paint (from Michaels), I painted circles after finding the “just right” color yellow. SO MUCH WHIMSY! I’ll need to seal the items with varnish at the end.

A tray that I’ve repainted 3x (didn’t like the colors).

(one variation below - its fun to paint over things)

I love the packing materials that come with items sometimes more than the item. Above- a cardboard flower shape that came with leather placemats. I am first painting (Below) a layer of gesso on the cardboard, then add color base - then DOTS!

Give it a try -see where creating dots can take you!

davidzwirner art gallery by Yayoi Kusama