Why should a hobby artist care about the colour theory? Well, any knowledge that contributes to your toolbox is helpful and expands your possibilities.
In this article, I explain the difference between the colours on your screen and those of paint. I talk about Johannes Itten’s colour theory and give some tips about resources.
A colour theory for hobby artists is in my view just as important as for professional artists. Hopefully, it will increase your enthusiasm for your hobby.
In the last quarter of 1969, aged 16, I went to Art school to become a teacher in visual arts and crafts. At that time I did not read any national or international newspapers, my parents were subscribed to the local newspaper.
The turbulent 1968 and the artistic expressions of that time had passed me by completely unnoticed. The academy became a pressure cooker of historical insight and political awareness.
I was lucky that my art history and art appreciation teachers were very enthusiastic and were really good at transferring their enthusiasm to their students. Not just on visual artists in the 1960s of course, but on art history in general.
Most tourists visit Amsterdam or the Randstad region when they go to the Netherlands. There is nothing wrong with that because both the city and the area have a lot to show.
Personally, I don’t like crowds much myself, so when I still lived in the Netherlands I usually went to other parts of the country.
I have always found the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller Museum worth visiting. In every season, although we were longer inside the museum in the winter and spent more time outdoors in the summer.
Art sometimes has an elitist character. Artists are partly the cause of this – yes, guilty, me too at times *blushing* – by stating that the public does not understand our art and thus creating an unnecessary distance.
Self-proclaimed art lovers are partly the cause of this by being haughty and feeling they stand above the masses. While of course, everyone can enjoy art. And don’t worry: not all art needs to be understood or even liked.
In my (free) eBook “How to get the most out of a visit to the museum” I give tips to enjoy art, but museums usually require an entrance fee.
So how can you enjoy art for free?
Until 2016 I was a ceramicist. Nowadays I still consider myself an artist but I no longer have a kiln and work in other materials and other forms of art.
My ceramics was focused mainly on sculptural and abstract forms.
On previous occasions, I wrote about my photography. And made several How-To-articles about ceramics, but here I want to introduce you to my abstract ceramics*.
* Abstract means it’s not recognizable as a real or figurative subject
The biggest advantage of clay is that it is a flexible material as long as it is not fired. The downside is that the lifespan is short in some cases.
Sometimes such a short lifespan is the intention. In this article, I want to show the power of making a ceramic memorial, which was not supposed to last long.
An artist’s clear reasoning for allowing their work to be temporary can add an extra level of significance to their work.
In 20 Ideas on how to make money after retirement on another website, I offered some possibilities to earn extra cash. But what if you have no idea how and where to start to make money from your hobby? I’ll give you some ideas here.
One of the most important conditions is that you are creative in coming up with possibilities.
“But I’m not creative at all,” I hear you say. Well, that’s the first thought you should let go of. Everyone is creative, for the simple reason that you are not born with it and can develop it.
In an adaptation of Edison’s quote:
“Creativity is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”.
People today are living longer than they were a few centuries ago because of improved hygiene. But if you wash your hands and body too often, you run the risk of actually weakening your immune system. Exaggerating is never good.
Artists have to clean greasy hands a lot. And since the pandemic, we wash our hands even more than before.
In addition to being bad for the environment, many products are harmful to our skin as well.
One of the painters I really admire is Cy Twombly. Ever since my art education he is one of my favorites. This trial of mine doesn’t come near his work, but I do like trying.