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Finding your voice and style is a part of your artistic journey and it is not easy. I know what I want to say, what I like. I also know what I want to express and how I would like people to feel when they look at my art.
This is a post that is kind of my road map to understand what drives me, what I am more attracted to, and what elements I want to commonly use to express myself.
When I think about finding my voice and style i think about...
There is a lot of information on the Internet about how to find your voice and style as an artist. Youtube videos, podcasts, blog posts... I guess all artists are trying to share what has worked for them, and I am non-stop feeding from their advice to use it for my personal growth as an artist.
There is a piece of advice that really got me. It was on a video from Milan Art Institute, I will leave it here so you can check it if you want:
To make a very summarized explanation of the main descriptions, Dimitra and Jake define the next topics:
STYLE is more visual, and it is a combination of PERSONAL AESTHETIC + TASTE + PROCESS.
VOICE is more insightful, it is your why, why you make art, and what do you want to express...
PROCESS is how you make your source, your materials, how you lay down your paint...
PERSONAL AESTHETIC is what you find beautiful, it is kind of your Pinterest board.
TASTE - it is kind of your aesthetic but it can evolve, it is like your aesthetic evolution.
So, when I think about finding my voice and style I think I have to define these points, make them my own, and have them clear in my mind and present while working
Let's go for style and taste
I start this exercise by going to my own Pinterest board and looking at what images I do beautiful and normally safe.
I find here a romantic-vintage style, with nude and earthy tones and some violet. Also, I can say I like a more natural look and also silvester plants and flowers like lavender or daisies.
After that, I go check thr artists that I like and I make this selection:
I used as examples some of the artworks I would definitely hang at home. They are from Rita Vicari, Tahlia Stanton, Dimitra Milan, Caroline Wendelin and Victoria Park.
and some more about the process
I like starting with charcoal or markers to set the initial sketch. I normally use a projector, but sometimes I don't have it that handy and I don't.
After that, I normally throw some inks or watery transparent acrylics. Sometimes, I also use spray paint.
If I do collage, I do it then or before this last step.
Then, I use acrylic paint, first transparent and then more opaque. This way, I can set more visually the image I am going to paint.
If I do golden leaf, I do it then. Also, if I apply any kind of modeling paste.
And now, I go for oils. Sometimes oil pastels first.
Let's go for voice
For the voice, I will use my artist statement:
My art has been my way of sharing with the world my particular point of view, what I see as beautiful, and what lies in my mind. Through a mixed media process that I normally like to crown with oil painting, I put on paper, panels, or canvas all my thoughts. Both painting and writing are my medicines for everything that goes on in my life.
There are a few things that inspire my paintings. The main ones are women because I know there is a different strength within us that makes us all unique and special and worth exploring and knowing more about. I speak about being positive in a world that sometimes makes it difficult, about having in mind what really matters and believing in oneself. Also, I feel inspired by those places that have a place in my heart, such as British Columbia, New York, or Barcelona. Lastly, I would say colors inspire me, as I can give them a lot of meanings I may be inventing and I love doing that.
My conclusion
I think that, while I have a clear aesthetic, I end up liking so many different things, and this goes a lot with my mood.
What I do end up figuring out is that I am more inclined to like light colors or plain white as my main background.
I need nude and whites, as well as many more neutrals than I normally use. I need more atmospheric sense and more magic in my paintings, I want to give them more natural tones and lower a little bit the contrast. I also think that I like bigger canvases to paint on, more like the one I am using right now which is 70x100cm. I think there are some things I need to keep working on while planning the painting, such as diminishing the darkness and setting much more neutral colors, but I am happy with the painting I am working on now, with the elements and colors I have used and how I have applied the paint.
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