How do artists balance the need to be original, yet have a repeatable, personal, sense of style in their work?

Many years ago, when I was studying my BA (Social Science) a lecturer would state:

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.”

This was a discussion about speech writing and delivery. The point was to be open to new influences. Be prepared for spontaneity when it arose, and to have techniques which were practiced, but adaptable.

I think the same applies to art.

Notions of Perfection and Permanence

In my art, I don’t seek perfection. I enjoy trying something new much more than perfecting something I’ve done before. To be taken seriously, I have the counter narrative in my head. I need to develop a recognisable, permanent style. This is the message in so many courses and tutorials.

In most of these lessons, I hear the message “Practice makes permanent.” I have no wish to create the same painting over and over again. Yet the marks I make, the colours I choose, come from my practice.

Experimentation vs Style

When I look back through the posts which have led up to this 50th Day, I can see both experimentation and personal style. It makes me realise, in my practice, I experiment with media, techniques and themes. Yet, there is a thread which runs through most of my work. It’s a sense of space, in both my photography and my hand painted work. Looking at the post feature images together, nothing looks out of place. Each image sits well among the others.

I’m still developing the language to describe what I create, but among the words are: expressionist, contemporary, abstract, and stark. There’s nothing cosy in my work. Nothing cute. Occasionally they’re quite confronting. I think they require thought, not just an emotional response.

That’s part of a sense of style too, I think.

In the next 50 posts I aim to explore more future directions. This will include a greater focus on textiles. I’m building a specific page for posts about my textiles. You can see it here.