I recently made the remark “getting your hands dirty” to a close friend, and the response was “what does that mean?”
I took it for granted that it was a term widely used and needed no explanation. Well, I guess it does, and here it is.
It means that during your creative work as an artist, you should not be afraid to dig in and get your hands full of paint, ink, charcoal or whatever you’re using.
It also means, during this computer age, we should not be afraid to give the computer a break, and do something that involves a pencil with a lead that marks up a paper tablet not a computer tablet.
We, as consumers, are so caught up in the techno hype that we forget what it’s like to turn the page of a book or go to the library and search the shelves for a book to read. Let’s “get our hands dirty” and go to our new library and explore the many shelves of books and go to the nearest art supply store and buy a charcoal pencil and paper and “get our hands dirty.”
I must admit though, I was one of the biggest offenders in the beginning of this digital age. I would come home from working on a computer all day and not want to see a brush or canvas. “Why would I want to?” I would say to myself when I could create the same image with a stylus and Photoshop.
Later in life, I realized that there is nothing that can duplicate the feel of a canvas when your brush scrubs against it, or the accidental drip of paint that creates just the right feel.
I still use my computer when I have to, and I still respect it for what it is… a tool.
I’ve always said that this technology has allowed good artists to be better, and bad artists to be worse.
Looking back to my childhood, I can remember my late mother telling me to stay away from things that would stain my perfectly pressed shirt and pants. Stained or torn jeans were not in style in those days.
I am proud to say that 90 percent of my wardrobe has at least one paint stain, (sorry mom) it’s a new era, the mark of a true artist or a sloppy one.
Stay dirty!