What Else I've Been Doing....

I sure hope this insistent need to explore new territory is some sort of an artistic virtue, rather than a sign of a complete inability to focus...  In any case, it turns out that I love painting textiles, and I adore silk scarves, but spending 8 hours a day droning away at seed stitch for 50 cents an hour was not especially fulfilling.  (Though I learned a lot in the process, and I do have plans to add silk to the yarn line up in the near future.)  Hence these:

The deadline for deciding whether to include these in my submission for ArtWalk is tomorrow (actually they have just extended it to Friday, so I now have a few more days to obsess).  And I am torn, because while I think instinct has served me well to date in terms of basic colour sense, I fear it is inexcusably audacious/naive/just plain stupid to display an actual painted design in public without a Fine Arts degree.  Or at least some sort of formal training.  Or maybe I should do this for a couple of years before I show anyone.  Please be honest here - I don't want to make a fool of myself in public.  (But sort of kind about it at the same time, so Rob doesn't have to suffer too badly put up with any more than he already is.)

Comments

[Jenn]

They are beautiful!I think that you should submit them....and then sell me one of them ;-)

But honestly, I would submit them in a heart beat!

[Gillian]

I love your scarves. Do submit them.

[Ronni]

You should totally submit those. Phoooey on Art degrees. An Art Degree is clearly not a requirement to produce beautiful things if you haven't got one so clearly they don't really matter in that way. Those scarves are gorgeous and, I predict, will sell like hotcakes.

[Cindy in Oregon]

They are gorgeous! I love the designs and color combinations. Art degree or no, submit them. I'm sure they'll sell very quickly!

[Pam]

They're lovely. No art degree needed to see that ;-)

[bellamoden]

I would totally buy the last one. RIGHT NOW. Please, more! MORE!

[Paula]

Don't be silly. The scarves are lovely and totally saleable. And as Ronni said so well, an art degree is not a prerequisite to produce beautiful things. If you saw a beautiful hand-painted scarf that you loved enough to open your wallet for, would you ask if the artist had a degree?

[Netter]

I think they're lovely and an art degree is not a prerequisite for being able to make beautiful things.

[martha in mobile]

They are lovely; the mandala-ish designs float beautifully across the soft colors, and make them feel both timeless and up to date.

I say keep knitting scarves, but as samples to sell your beautiful yarn. You could put a price tag on your scarves that reflects some of your effort (like $1.00/hour) so customers will understand what a great deal your yarn is (and how much they will save by purchasing your yarn)!

[Colleen]

1. do you really think the people who buy beautiful things know wether the person who created it has an art degree?
2. they are just beautiful, no matter. people will buy beautiful things
3. selling any on your web site?
4. little knight pattern ready yet? just nagging
5. maybe you could get a team of knitters to "work" for you. I'd do it for yarn!

[--Deb]

Well, they ARE gorgeous . . . though I suppose I can see that it might get tedious after a while. But ... so pretty!

[LeighB in ATL]

Don't let doubt or insecurity derail your good instincts. I'm sure that the scarves you'll make in a year or two will look different from the ones you make now, but I think the ones you've shown are lovely and why not see what the response is to them? Best of luck to you!

[Rhonda]

I love them. Especially the yellow scarf with the red design. It reminds me of a henna design. Beautiful!

[Lee]

They are beautiful. Submit them! I would buy several.

[Charity]

Ruth, they're really lovely. I would totally include them, and when you do, hold your head up! I was just wondering last night how the submission process was going - only a few more days until it's over! :0)

[loribird]

I was a Creative Writing major during part of my time in college; the professor wanted to know why I was going to school instead of submitting my writing somewhere. You don't need a degree to prove you can make good art, you need good art to do that.
My own opinion? I love the scarves. The golden one in particular catches my eye. Yes, many people could paint silk scarves. It is *your* color sense and design that makes them unique and, yes, quite saleable.

[LaurieM]

They are totally worthy of being displayed! Some who have an art degree will never be able to create something so lovely. I think an art degree may even interfere in the spontaneity of the creative process.

[Cookie]

They are beautiful, Ruth. There is nothing wrong with being a natural and not having formal training when it comes to art. Why not show them and see what happens?

[Gwyndolyn O'Shaughnessy]

I have a bachelor's degree in psychology, which I use primarily to outwit my cat. I am not medically qualified to tell people whether or not they're breathing ... and yet I love my career as a research coordinator at two major medical centers in Seattle.

College degree(s) may or may not support a person's marketable skills ... but education is not a prerequisite for ability. You have The Eye; you don't need permission from a university to sell your artistry.

Best of luck with the submission process!

[Tina]

I think they are beautiful. You should definitely enter!

[elan]

An art degree gives you knowledge about the history of art, techniques and theory, if you don't have the creative spark it can't give you that. You've got the spark, don't sweat the degree, nobody has asked me about my design qualifications.

[Kathleen C.]

As the spouse of a parson with an MFA in Art, and the owner of an MFA in an art related field myself, I say...
A degree is a meaningless piece of paper. Unless you want to teach at the university level. Then it is a meaningless piece of paper that allows you to be hired.
Training is good... I have nothing against obtaining some training in design and aesthetics, and plain old drawing skill. But an artistic sensibilty comes from within. An eye for color and pattern, and the passion to create... no degree can give you that. And you already have it.
I think these are lovely. I especially like the first and the third. In the first one I really like the mix of the smaller patterns with the larger central motif. In the third one, the same, plus your color shifts in the background are wonderful.

[Kathleen C.]

Oops! I am married to a "person" not a "parson". Not that there's anything wrong with being married to a parson. Even one with a degree in art...

[naomi]

I love the yellow one. You should definitely include these...

[Jennifer Morgan]

Beautiful, stunning, and definitely art! I will join the chorus that says to submit these. And I would be tempted to buy them more than I would a knitted scarf, because they are something that's not within the realm of my own expertise.