Alaskan Artist Blog - Elise Tomlinson

Replies: 9 Comments

on Friday, September 2nd, Kasia said

I understand you so much! I would not consider myself "Debbie Downer", but I like to be serious. (Not always, but often) If there's too much small talk all around me I get angry. I want to talk about Art not art....and people don't understand. My boyfriend doesnt understand and he knows me in a lot of differnt ways that, ya know, other people do. When I start talkin' about life, future of the world, he opens his eyes widely, 'cause he can't get a thing of what i'm saying.
Sure I like to be total freak sometimes and wonder how Jennifer Aniston is dealing with her divorce from that jerk Brad Pitt, but I need to remember what's beneath the surface...
:)
And the movie I have seen lately? hm..... "The Maltese Falcon" I guess..
.
P. S. Can't you do a permanent show at home? a gallery? Is that possible?

on Friday, September 2nd, Elise said

I guess if you're serious all the time you risk losing your audience!

And really, I have zero interest in the lives of celebrities. I don't envy them or think they're cool or wonder what it's like to be them. I basically wish them no ill will but what do I care if two people I will never meet break up or not? Ya know?

But if you go to the grocery store and every magazine has their pictures and all the gorey details plastered on the cover... I mean, it's unavoidable.

When I was in graduate school a friend and I had a contest to see who could watch every film on the American Film Institututes "Top 100" list first: http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies.aspx

The Maltese Falcon was number 23. I think I won that bet...still, I don't consider actually watching films as a waste of time. It's one of my favorite things to do actually. I just don't care about the personal lives of the actors. As far as I'm concerned I'd rather think of them as the characters they play.

Knowing what a freak Tom Cruise has turned out to be is making it hard for me to enjoy his films.

on Friday, September 2nd, Elise said

Oh, and I was planning on setting up a home gallery at one time (forgot about that thanks for the reminder) but I'd have to buy tract lighting and I'm not sure how that falls into the whole anti-consumerism thing either.

and speaking of money, I have to go pick up my check from the gallery!

on Friday, September 2nd, Anna said

Your an amazing artist and I'm sure you'll go far. I know this sounds crazy but i'm actually jealous. :doze: it sounds dumb i bet...but whenever i feel like someones art it better than mine i get like dpressed..usually thats my motivation to get better...i just feel like i suck sometimes even though everyone tries desperatley to convince me im great...anyways sorry if i bother you...please email me sometimes! Maybe you could give me some tips! Id really appreciate it-
Thanks, Anna

on Friday, September 2nd, lilchikkie331@yahoo.com">Anna said

Also...when every artist gets in theyre modes before creating...whats your mode? I think most artists feel seperated from everyone else...Always looking deeper into things that i cant describe in words...thats how i am anyways...sorry for talkin so much- please email me sometime! thanks alot-
anna

on Friday, September 2nd, Elise said

Thanks for the compliment Anna! I'm *always* comparing myself to other artists that I fear are much better than I am ...it's something we really shouldn’t do, I don't think it's productive. Artists do work that is always different and that's what makes it special. I'm sure your work is really wonderful; if you have all those people telling you then you should feel great and listen to what they're saying!

Anyway, I've been having a crap day so your post has lifted my spirits. I just keep watching all the hurricane coverage plus a student from the university where I work died in a car crash and everything has been feeling so bleak lately. I haven't felt like painting at all, and painting is like an anti-depressant for me. So here I am, an artist without my drug of choice!

Anyway, I don't know what my "mode" is exactly. I know I have to have a clean house and studio and lots and lots of clean brushes before I get started but once I get started I let the place get trashed. I need a certain amount of time to allow myself to not paint so that new ideas and images can kind of hang out and gestate for awhile.

Then, at some point I'll have a very strong sense that I know exactly what I want to do, I'll see it in my mind and that's when I know I should start right away and then the whole world disappears behind me and I can just paint and paint and paint and not sleep and feel so amazing...

I have to remember that, when I get it my slumps (like now) because the muse has never, in my entire life, completely deserted me. And even though a lot of the paintings in this past show didn't sell that well, I shouldn't let it influence my work because sales are not that important in the end. (though nothing is as great as selling a painting!)

on Saturday, September 3rd, greg said

That's interesting ... I haven't developed any real pre-creative mode as yet, but I do notice that I do need - like you say Elise - a clean organized place first, then hell with it once I get going! I thought the cleaning was more like a distracting excuse to not get going - and I can come up with a million excuses not to paint.

I wish I had your comfort level with the medium. I admire anyone who can sustain a productive "zone." For me painting is actually a painful exercise, especially at the start of a project, but I think it gets better the more I get familiar with the process. I used to be quite fastidious with not getting paint on me or things but now I get a bit more loose a sloppy and it's freeing to do that.

Sorry to hear about that car crash - did you know the student?

How was the movie?

How about a daylit home gallery with sky lights (at least you dont live in cloud city Ketchikan!)?

on Saturday, September 3rd, Elise said

Painting *can* be painful, it has been for me too in the past. I think it has been more frustration than anything...having an idea so perfectly realized in my mind and not having the technical ability to manifest it.

I still have that from time to time, or I have a piece that's going really well and then inexplicably goes south and I can never get it to look right again. That is *really* frustrating.

But I still feel like those fishing bumper stickers...something like, "the worse day of painting beats the best day at work"...although, making art *is* work, just not the same.

blah.

Oh, and we might not be *as* bad as Ketchikan, but it can be pretty damn bad here. In July there was only 1 day where there were clear skies!

Oh, and I wasn't friends with the student but I made chit chat with her many times over the years because she was one of the main cashiers at our book store. She was such a sweet girl. It has really affected me more than I thought it would, considering that I wasn't close to her. I can't stop thinking about it.
:(

on Saturday, September 3rd, new age said

I understand completely.

09/02/2005: "Seen any good movies?"