my first attempt at an alisa burke-style flower painting
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i've fallen in love with a painter i've discovered online, a san diego-based artist named alisa burke. i have an artsy crush on alisa and stalk her blog every day. when she posts new pages from her sketchbook i feel sick with jealousy, because if i had unlimited artistic talent and could paint what ever i want, alisa's tropical flowers, complex paisley patterns and sea shell studies - rendered in brilliant watercolours - are exactly what i'd paint.
alisa also happens to be stunningly gorgeous, has a handsome husband and a darling newborn daughter, and an enviable sense of style. plenty to be jealous about there [although i myself have a handsome boyfriend and i don't really want a baby] but it's alisa's art that makes me chew my nails.
she isn't even stingy about her sharing her talent! she runs an online watercolour painting course, and once the whole crazy christmas thing is over i'm going to sign up for it.
meanwhile, i've decided i can use my jealousy in a positive way - as a source of motivation. alisa is always emphasising the need to practise, practise, practise in order to improve your painting ... and that's what i'm doing. i try to paint a little every day, even if it's just a single collage paper. every time i do i learn a little more.
i've also been attempting to paint flowers in her style [see pictures above]. my paintings are nowhere near as good as hers but of course she's been painting for years while i've been painting for a couple of months. i keep reminding myself of that when ever i'm tempted to yell FAIL! at some thing i've painted.
i don't want to be a carbon copy of alisa burke, but i do hope that one day i can paint some thing i love as much as her paintings. better get practising ...
6 comments:
I totally get the green eyed monster about certain artists too! And I find imitating how they make marks or use colour really helps develop my own style without ending up just copying. I love Alisa Burke's work too - I look forward to seeing what comes of you doing her class. :)
Tara! Another artist I admire! Thank you for your encouraging comments - it's a relief to know an artist such as yourself still suffers from the green-eyed monster.
I'm looking forward to Alisa's course - it will be interesting to see how that might affect my painting.
Yeah - i know where you're coming from. I aspire to music and art but inevitably my stuff put up alongside anyone else's always fails to make the mould
I hope you enjoy the course - its great to learn from another artist, but important to still keep your own "voice" if you know what i mean?
Thanks Hungry Pixies - I think there's always some one "better" than ourselves, isn't there? And I know what you mean about keeping my own voice. As I said in my post, I don't want to be a carbon copy of her but I do hope to learn some new skills. Watercolours can be a difficult medium!
I love Alisa's work too and she inspires me alot.
That's a great sketch you've done, especially as you say you've only been doing it for a few months. You will find your own style and just keep practising like you are doing. Never feel your work isn't up to par and compare yourself to other artists as you are you and have your own style, which looks fab by the way.
Thanks for popping over to my blog, and it's great to meet you.
Helen x
Hi Helen, thanks so much for your comment. It's lovely to get such encouragement!
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