The only logical point for me to begin a blog about my art would be why I create art.
I have been an artist, I would say, all my life. From as early as I can recall I have loved getting messy and digging in to any material at hand to make something appealing to my family and friends. As I grew up, I began to realize how much I really enjoyed pouring all of my energy into a piece of art and seeing the results.
When I started high school, I began to realize my passion for drawing and printmaking. I began seeing the potential in the activities and interests I most enjoyed, which became the subjects of my artwork. At this point in my life, I never really thought about the age-old question of "What does this mean?" for my artwork. I just knew I wanted to create more and loved what I was doing.
I have also always had a strong passion for children. I love working with kids and watching them grow and become excited to learn. During my high school years I helped in my sister's first grade classroom. Sometimes she would even give me some time to teach a small art project. I absolutely loved seeing the creativity burst from the small minds within the room. But I also knew the other side of things. I knew what it was like to deal with crazy parents and messy administrations. I wasn't sure if I wanted to jump into that career field. However, everyone else in my life saw my potential and insisted that I become a teacher. I tried my hardest to fight this any way I could...
Which brought me to college. I started my college experience at the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver studying animation. This was the furthest career path from teaching that I could think of in the art field. Keep in mind; I rarely touched a computer for anything other than emailing and the occasional uploading of pictures. So naturally I should pick one of the most computer-intense programs out there. Sounded like the perfect plan to me!
Well, as one would rightly assume, I quickly figured out that I didn't have a future in animation. I learned that computers are complicated and I still loved children. I knew I should not have run away from my passion and my calling, the one place God had clearly defined where my life was intended to go. And so, I embraced this, sucked up my pride, and admitted to all of my faithful friends and family that I was transferring schools and studying education.
After only a year at the Art Institute, I transferred to the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design to study Art Education and Painting. This was one of the best transitions of my life. I finally felt like I was meant to be in a place where I was able to thrive in my education and learning. I was also able to find my niche in the painting world and was finally able to almost answer the question of "What does this mean?" for my artwork.
In the coming posts, I will slowly reveal how my artwork has developed as I have grown as an artist and as a Christian, as well as why I create art and what it all means to me.
Janelle
