Upgrading this blog while rediscovering unfinished Witty Art

Currently, I am busy with a proper upgrade of this Witty Art Blog. As in: removing bad quality pictures and replacing with perhaps not the best ones, but at least better ones, updating and expanding the Series and Singles pages in particular, as I was also lagging behind with posting previously unpublished artwork.

You now can check the following updated pages:

Singles:
Witty Art Singles, Part 2 (2015-2016)

Series:
Witty Art Series, Part 2 (2015-2016)
Witty Art Series, Part 1 (2011-2014) 

To me, the good thing about an upgrading process like this, is it makes me go through all my files again, rediscovering a whole bunch of stuff I myself had more or less forgotten about. That is especially the case with the work I was working on when I had to move out of my home and my studio, during the summer of 2015. During that very turbulent time, I basically store away all my artwork in boxes and containers, making sure it was stored safely at the home of a good and trusted friend, untill I'd be able to move into either a new home or at least, a new studio to work in.

But with most of my work stored away and more or less unaccessible to me, I lost track of some stuff I had been working on. But by going through all my files on my harddisk, looking for and sorting better quality pictures or enhancing them digitally, I also stumbled across many photographs I'd taken of work shortly before I had to leave my old studio. Amongst these pictures were many of works-in-progress, like the ones I am publishing on this blogpost.

Looking at many of these files, actually meant a big motivational boost for me. It's not that I really had forgotten about them, it's more that I saw the progress I was making at that time, and as my art developed even further over this last year, I can't wait to start working on this now almost two year old works again!

Works, that are undoubtedly waiting patiently for their time to come.

Well, they don't have to wait that much any longer - as the really, really good new is ...  I will definitely be able to move into a brandnew creative studio over the coming weeks. A new place to work in, to draw, paint, create with whatever means and materials I feel like. A place, where Witty Art can and will be created.

A move, that will also mark a new creative collaboration as well! I will elaborate more on that in a later stage - but for those of you who cannot contain their curiosity, it's got everything to do with the new workplace & projectspace of Studio PuRRR!

Please keep an eye on this blog for more detailed information coming up SOON!

 

Brandnew fresh previews of brandnew Witty Art Singles!

Apart from working on several older and new(er) Witty Art Series, such as ''One Step Forward (How Many Steps Back?'' and the most recent additions to ''EarthRocks & MoonSwings'', I've been also busy creating new Witty Art Singles: artwork that are no part of a specific themed series or featuring a fixed main ''lead character'' in it. Which does not mean they are not somehow bound by underlying themes and threads, they most certainly are - but in a far more 'loose' way than is the case with my series.

So, I actually have a huge volume of work not published here on this blog before, though I showcased some previews on my Instagram feed. I now feel it's about time to share some out here, as well. Well, some previews, that is.

What I am most pleased with, is the development of my artwork. Yes, it's still definitely signature ''Witty Art'', so still definitely me all over, but I can also see a certain artistic growth over time. I hasten to add, for me ''growth'' does not necessarily mean ''growing up'' or ''maturing''. To me, ''growth'' here means the deepening of my work, as more and more layers get exposed, more and more layers seem to be added as well. As in: often I still don't know what awaits me when I start drawing and the final outcome often still surprises me.

So, I honestly hope, that by keeping on drawing, I will keep on surprising myself and therefore, I hope I keep on surprising you, the viewers, too.

The adventure that is art, and in this case, Witty Art, my art, coninues. And I could not wish for more than for you all to join me on this beautiful adventure! 

If you wish, you are free to explore older Singles from the years 2011-2014 and from 2015 up till now.


 

Special commission: EarthRocks & MoonSwings are still rocking away!

 
This week I am working a very special commission, for a very special occasion. A special request, coming from a good friend, who displayed a great deal of interest in my series ''EarthRocks & MoonSwings'', which I started a couple of years ago. To be precise, in the years in 2012-2013 and I had not been working on this particular series since that time. If you like, this is the blogpost in which I introduced them to the world.

There are quite a few people out there who happen to own a piece of this series, basically a tale of an unconditional friendship, an unbreakable bond between Little Earth & Little Moon, formed when they were young, way back when their galaxy was young too - and not one that far, far, far away. A happy and caring duo, who are always there for each other, no matter how Rocky the Road and whatever Mood will Swing... You see, there is a little hidden corner in the dystopian World of Witty Art that you might call a happy, carefree place. It's there where Little Moon & Little Moon play, walk, dance and have fun together. For as long as EarthRocks & MoonSwings, everything's gonna be just fine ... ;-)

So, I created a couple of new ones, 11 in total. These new additions are a bit bigger than the ones from the first batch from 2012-2013. Those all measured 10x 15 cm and these new ones are each about the size of an A5. I used the same materials as back then, starting with graphite pencil just to sketch the initial outlay and then progressing with black indian ink and then adding watercolours.

Though perhaps not as intense or not as heavy as my other work, I found great pleasure in making these drawings, it was almost like I rediscovered this happy loving couple and it was good fun coming up with their little adventures and bringing them onto the paper.

Makes me wonder, perhaps I should introduce them to 'Lost Bear', who wanders alone on the furthest edges of the outer universe of Witty Art. Guess that would make a very interesting, if not confronting combination.

Now, does that sound as if there might be something like a little story coming up? Or a couple of stories, perhaps, a book even? ...

Who knows? Who wants to know? If you do, than feel free to follow me here on this blog or on my Instagram account!

Witty Art is definitely NOT about living in a solid playground

So, this time last year, I was in the middle of a very unsettling time for me, as I had to sell my house and embarked on a journey into the unknown, living the life of, as I started calling it, a 21st century city nomad. By that I mean not someone who's not really homeless as in living on the streets (which I am eternally glad for, because that is a hard, harsh life that I do NOT wish for anyone to happen at anytime), but still someone who does not have a place of her own to live in. Like, some kind of 'home hoppper' or 'pop up resident'. Or whatever fancy term you'd like to use for it.

By Summer 2015, I'd created tons of Witty Art, bascially driven by the fear of not being able to draw or create art for a long, long time to come. You see, losing my house not only meant losing my home, the roof over my head, but also my studio, the birthplace of so much Witty Art. So indeed I feared a long period of creative drought would set in.

Luckily for me, that hasn't happened, really. If anything, quite the opposite. Thanks to the support and care of people very close to me, who realised that, without my art, without being to able to create my art, I am just half the woman I am. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but it's true. To me, creating Witty Art is an urge. A matter of being alive and awake or being alive and virtually dead inside. So, I kept drawing, in my Witty Art Book 'My Life In Limbo', but also started working on new series, rediscovering basic materials such as pencil and charcoal, and discovering other ways of expressing myself.

The result has been many new Series and Singles over the last 12 months or so. As well as a couple of great opportunities to showcase my work. So, instead of drought there was a wave of inspiration and of new creations appearing and re-appearing.

But, while archiving the digital images of all the stuff created last summer, shortly before having to leave my home, I realised that I just hadn't shared much of the art I created during the final days spent in that house. Because I kept drawing as long as I could, untill I had to even pack up all my art, sending them off into a safe storage untill I would be able to work in a proper studio again.

So, here are some of the drawings I was working on last year, around this very time. I have to admit, I was even a bit scared of having to look at them again as I feared they'd reveal too much of my personal feelings and emotions at that time. But, it turns out it's not all that bad. 

Let's just say that the world, my world, is still NO solid playground, but then again, it never really was. And ultimately, I am kind of okay with that. Because if indeed that had been the case, I doubt if there ever would have been such a thing as Witty Art.

New series: 'Pin Bear Wizard' is not a very happy lil' fella ...

Here's a series I worked on last summer, small-sized drawings about a not-so-happy lil' fella and his ever-present (scape)goatshaped shadow, of which I myself am not entirely sure whether he (or she, for that matter) brings good or evil to PinBear's life. All that there is to say for now: poor little PinBear often seems to be in a lot of pain but whether that's pain being inflicted upon him by others or by himself .. that, remains the question.

At this point, I haven't got a clue in which direction this series, and thus PinBear's future and that of his shadow, will head. As usually is the case with all my art work made in series, 'their story' will unfold (or perhaps not at all) as the pencil finds its way on an empty piece of paper.

In this blogpost, you can see a selection of four of the current series, now comprising 11 drawings, all of which I will put online on the Witty Art Originals - Series page.

Another nice thing to share with you all, is that there actually exists footage of ''the making of' PinBear'', as illustrated by the picture below.

This picture and many more were taken by photographer Tienke Huisman/Beeldvlinder for her photoseries called ''Making Art'' about artists at work. You can see more pictures of PinBear being ''born'' here.

* disclaimer * ;-) 
And oh, one more thing though .. for those of you who may not understand: I am in NO way a promotor of inflicting any form of physical pain upon any other living being in real life, and that does include soft toys as well (okay, with the exception of Barbies, as I hate them with a vengeance). Guess what I tried to depict is an already scarred creature's neverending inner pain. 

Again, feel free to leave your feedback, either below or via email. 

Interactive Witty Art Project: What's Your Great Human Statement?

Today, I'd like to share with you this preview of a series I've been working on for a while. By ''working on'', I mean: working on-it-on-and-off. It's called a ''A Great Human'' and as you can see, it features this very lively female character, declaring ''she was born a great human and she's ready to ... '' well, she's more than ready and up for a lot of stuff, as this series will show you.

'A Great Human', as she's simply called, is a creature born free. Free from bagage such as expectations from others, or worse, limitations set by others. Free from pressure put on her by society. Free from labels, free to chose from life whatever it brings to her or whatever she sets out to explore and discover. Free and not being forced to proof yourself to anyone else but yourself.

It started off with me drawing and adding a few lines of what ''A Great Human'' was born to do:

I was born a Great Human and I'm here to.. 
... Rock Your World
... Make You Dance!
... Kick Your Ass!

(yes, I was in a pretty fiesty but cheerful mood at the time)

But, to give it that extra ''human touch'', I decided to go interactive with this one. So, I asked input from other people, both men and women, initially in my private and professional network, but soon afterwards actively asking for input from strangers. What would your Great Human say by way of ''Declaration of A Great Humankind?'' Their input, their ''human statement'' as it were, would provide the inspiration for what each individual ''Great Human'' would look like in each and every individual drawing.

I simply asked people to finish of the line I had used for my first drawings: 
I Was Born A Great Human .. and I'm here to 

.. to which they could submit, well, anything they felt like. The next step was me visualising their statement, using the '''Great Human'' character I'd come up with.This way, all the input provided by others would help contribute towards or even determine the content of each image I'd draw. 

So, when asked, the first people to submit their ''Great Human Statement'': 

I Was Born A Great Human .. and I'm here to 
... Convince You
... Show I Care
... Control 
... Stay 
... Inspire
... Love
... Conquer The World
... Share
... Bring You Some Joy

And then people really got creative: 

I Am A Great Human .. and I'm here to
... Breed Some More 
... Be The Best And Ignore All The Rest 
... Move People 
... Be Your Shadow 
... Hold My Ground 
... Flirt & Roll
... Spread Kindness
... See, The Great And The Small 
... Benefit Other Beings
... Confuse And Innovate!
... Figure Out What I Want 
... Just Me
... Be A Mother 
... Deviate
... Make A Difference
... Make A Mess
... Wonder .. 
... Live AND Die In a Great Way Too

Well, the list goes on, but so far, all this I have turned into ''Great Human Drawings'', of which I now have posted a couple of previews online. As I have a bit more time, I will dedicate a special page on this blog to the whole series, which has become a bit of a project in itself, as I have plans to showcase the whole series both on- and offline. And to organise a bit of stuff around it, keeping people involved. Perhaps organise an (online) election of the best or the most original or most inspiring ''Great Humans''. Or the most hilarious, for that matter. Will keep you all posted on the what, when, where and how.

But, ofcourse, now I am curious. What would YOUR Great Human say to the world? Let me know and share your ''Great Human Statement'' with me and the world and let me turn your statement into a part of Witty Art!

It's simple, as you should know by now. Just finish this one sentence. With whatever you feel like and come up with. However funny, witty, inspiring, beautiful, sad, provocative, well whatever. I will use almost all of your input, well, with one exception: no HATERS and HATRED allowed, so any racist/homophobic/xenophobic/etc. content will to exactly there where it should go, there where the sun doesn't dare to shine (e.g. up the hater's a***, if you know what I mean). 

I WAS BORN A GREAT HUMAN .. and I'm here to: 

You submit your ''Great Human Statement'' underneath this blogpost or send it to me via email or Facebook.

I am looking forward to all your comments, remarks, additions or even questions! 

Witty Art onderwerp voor fotoserie 'Making Art' van Beeldvlinder!

Een tijdje terug was fotografe Tienke Huisman / Beeldvlinder te gast bij mij in TWC's eigen pop up galerie Sint Maria's Gallery, toen nog op de eerste, en inmiddels alweer verlaten, locatie in de Rotterdamse Sint Mariastraat. Dit bezoek was in het kader van Tienke's project 'Making Art': een visueel inkijkje bij kunstenaars in hun atelier, terwijl ze aan het werk zijn. Zo legde Tienke een fase vast in het ontstaansproces van de nieuwe Witty Art serie 'Pin Bear Wizard'.

Dit initiatief van Beeldvlinder om kunstenaars en hun atelier vast te leggen spreekt mij enorm aan. Een atelier, een werkplek, tijdelijk, wisselend of vast, is vaak, bewust of onbewust, van invloed op het werk dat kunstenaars maken. Die invloed is soms groot, dan weer klein, maar altijd aanwezig. De fysieke ruimte van een atelier bepaalt ook wat je wel of niet kunt doen, groot werk maken of juist klein, deel je het met anderen of werk je er alleen, mag je er lawaai maken, werken met machines of weer niet?

Al die factoren zijn van grote invloed op wat voor werk je maakt, hoe je het maakt, het onstaan van je werk. Daarom is het zo interessant dat Tienke Huisman in deze fotoserie kunstenaars als het ware ‘vangt’ in die omgeving, tijdens het creatieproces.

Een erg leuk project om aan mee te doen! Klik hier voor meer informatie over het project 'Making Art'.