Still Life with Card (1999)
oil on canvas 26 x 28 inches
Janice Nowinski
Let me start off saying, I know very little about painting and still life paintings. I went into this lecture not knowing what to expect. Though I could not relate to the painting aspect of her lecture I began to relate to other parts of her life that helped contribute to her painting career. Someone in the audience asked her if she grew up wanting to be an artist and she promptly said, "No!!" When she was about to graduate high school she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do- but she knew she didn't want to go to college. And I can relate to that right now- I am finishing up the first semester for my senior year and I have no idea what I want to do- I thought I wanted to go to grad school but that has recently changed- at this point I know I don't know what I want to do- other than not go to grad school. She explained how her path eventually lead her to more schooling and how she received her MFA from Yale University.
I was blown away on how long it took to complete her paintings. She showed one slide of a still life that she considered her "first mature still life after grad school" and how it took 3 years! I had no idea how much work and time went into that piece- but it made me appreciate her work a lot more!
Another tactic she mentioned in her creative process was- she starts with any idea and as she continues with the project she gets another idea and starts painting that- it was a tactic Picasso was known for. I can really relate because when I start a photo project I might have a direction but as I start- that idea an direction often changes- so it is nice to know even great artists like Picasso didn't always know exactly where they were going with their work.
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