Why do artists paint?

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Why do artists paint?

Marsha: Posted on Thursday, June 09, 2011 5:27 PM

If you are an artist/painter, tell us why you paint. What is your medium and subject?

I can tell you why I paint. It is a necessity. Painting clears my mind of trivial things that steal the life away from me. Painting is also my connection to my God. I am closer to him when I think about the beautiful world he has created and paint what I see. I think a lot of people go through life without noticing all of the intricate details, color combinations and patterns that nature has for our enjoyment. One of my purposes is to point that out to others. That's why I zoom in close a lot of the time.

Painting is also therapeutic. It gave me a place to go when my world was out of control. Growing up was difficult, and only a few years ago I learned I had blocked a huge chunk of it out of my memory. I painted a lot when I was a teen. It was an escape from what was really happening. In some ways it protected me until I was able to face the abuse in a safer place.

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Laurie on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 7:58 AM

I admire all of you who are painters. It is not one of my skills. But I understand the therapeutic aspect because I get the same feeling from working with the soil and making things grow and bloom. It is a way to connect with my inner self and my God.

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	Marsha on Sunday, July 03, 2011 2:43 PM Laurie, Thank you so much for the comment! Your note took me back to my earlier gardening days. I also find it healing to breath the fresh air and smell the soil and plants.

Irma on Thursday, June 16, 2011 4:33 PM

This is nice, thanks for doing this. kudos to a great artist... irma

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	Marsha on Sunday, July 03, 2011 2:46 PM Irma, Thank you for posting a comment. Life is short, why not share each others thoughts and grow together?

Nathan on Friday, July 01, 2011 5:39 PM

I paint to communicate. I paint to find something inside myself that needs to come out. When I paint, and it turns into something compelling, I can't believe that I created it. It draws me into it. It is good for me to lose myself in "feeling" it - not to think too much about what I am doing and how, but to learn to let go, explore. When I do that, something good comes out of it that would not otherwise come out. The fear of getting it exactly right is the block, however. That is what can keep me from painting. But pushing past that is what is good for me. It's a metaphor for what I need to do more generally in the rest of my life.

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Marsha on Sunday, July 03, 2011 2:38 PM

Nathan, You are so right. A friend said once that he would peddle the bike and let God do the steering. I think about painting in two ways. One where I want to capture what I've seen that has moved me. Two, this is what I am feeling and need to express it all on the canvas. Thank you so much for your comment. I hope you find more time to paint.

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Why do artists paint?

6 Comments to Why do artists paint?:

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