Skip to main content

Day 3~ 30 days of blog lovin'

Hello beautiful friends...hope your weekend is filled with good things as ours comes to an end here in Australia ....

I have to be honest I don't really feel like blogging right now
but the deal is I just have to show up
right?
every day for thirty days and see what comes?

You see I started the day off on a weird note
heading over to support a fellow artist on FB by liking her page
and finding a painting there
obviously...um..."inspired" by one of mine.

It reminded me of the stories I have heard about fashion designers where smaller labels attend the big runways shows (NOT saying I'm a big runway show!) and blatantly steal designs, changing three small things; a collar, a button, a hemline....and in the changing of three things apparently it becomes a "new" design, legally!

and to tell you the truth
I don't know how I feel about it except it made me feel a bit "icky"
I've always been a thousand shades of grey person, have even been accused of being a fence-sitter because I always try to see all sides of a situation.....

I guess the main thing I want to say is its okay to be inspired by other artists, excited by new things you have learned, even to use their paintings as a learning tool to try to figure out colours or techniques or even process!

But I just don't think its okay to put those "experimental" paintings out in the public arena, for sale, especially if they are recognisable as being painted directly from another artists painting...

That's all I'm going to say on it for now because I'm tired and I don't want to rant

and besides I have a lot to be grateful for this weekend
so let me take a breath and refocus.....

I am so grateful for



Sienna getting her 'L"s and taking her out to learn to drive a manual! I had  an automatic when Santana was learning. So this weekend Santana was down and we had the wonderful idea that we should all go for a lesson together...stressful, hilarious, probably wont do it again...but no tears ♥

 Grateful for my mum that adopted me when her younger sister (other mum♥) couldn't cope.... right about the time this photo was taken. Thank you mums for my life ♥

 grateful to know that the answer is inside me always and inside YOU too....you just have to get quiet enough to hear it.....(having fun making these little rock owls)

 grateful that Santana came down this weekend to work for me, overhaul my filing "systems" ( shes a virgo, much better than me at that stuff!) and help stem my overwhelm...love you sweetie xo

 grateful that little kitty Luna came for a visit too. Santana went and rescued her from the pound a few weeks ago so now they visit together and Luna LOVES the little fishies just as much as our kitties do :)

 grateful to be able to spend the day working on tutorials

 for my upcoming book ( due for release mid 2014)


and grateful that I've finally reached a point in my life where I can put my hair in a Princess Leia do, listen to the protests of my girls, "Mum! You are not going out like that!"..."I wont get out of the car with you"....Please go in the bathroom and change it right now!"

AND SMILE..........

much love to you all
i feel better now ♥





Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for sharing beautiful one...I know all about your opening words, the "icki"ness. There is a huge difference between "being inspired" and "blatantly taking"....but you know what? all the words and images that follow do make it all better, for me as well. XO
Mum 2 said…
And I am grateful to have such a beautiful person in my life Love You Mum 2
Unknown said…
I appreciate your post so much Tracy! It's so easy to see all those influenced by Flora, but I am always bothered when I see work that looked so much like "hers". There is such a fine line sometimes by being influenced and actually copying another's work. I think it is like you and Flora have said, you have to do the work until you find your own style before you put it out there to sell. It's OK if was initially influenced and inspired by another artist, but now it is something recognizable as "yous".
I so loved how you shared in 21 secrets your journal that had pics from artist who inspired you and you studied and figured out what it was you connected to. Well now I'm ranting, but I do think it's a sensitive subject that does need to be addressed.
Marrianna said…
I very much appreciate your post today (yesterday in Australia). Thank you so much. And thank you for sharing your beautiful Australia light in your work and in your family photographs. I'm wishing you great peace and joy in your daily blog posting. I might give it a try sometime. It takes time, planning, and dedication. Great for you. Your daughters are lovely. And your Leia photo from Star Wars? Why, it is simply marvelous, dahling, simply marvelous.
bellefrogworks said…
It is an amazing and wonderful thing to be consciously grateful rather than unhappy (which seems to come to me more naturally!) I'm glad you posted even when you didn't want to - I know you've blessed many with this post!
jodi said…
I'm sorry for your copy cat! :(. That IS icky! You have such a beautiful style that speaks to my soul. You also have a sweet spirit. I'm glad your girls are there to make you smile.
Thank you for sharing of yourself. <3
Anonymous said…
No artist should treat another artist the way way you did...how hurtful....surely you learned from lots and incorporated them into your style....shame on you calling her a copy cat....everyone copies what they see!
Rebeca Trevino said…
hi tracy
i read your post early this morning, and was saddened that it was weird for you. but i was reminded of a blog post i read 2 or 3 years ago, on this very topic. and i wanted to share it with you. . .

it took me a couple of tries, but i finally found it. it is written by michael demeng, someone whose work is admired by and has inspired many artists, myself included. michael also teaches workshops, both in the US and abroad. (i am sure you know of him)

here is the link:
http://michaeldemeng.blogspot.com/2010/04/artistic-timeline.html?m=1

i hope you enjoy reading it. i did, and i still am reminded of what i learned from this posting several times each week.

i too, occasionally teach workshops (assemblage, collage, altered art) and i am thrilled when i see the work of one of my students, novice or established artist, that might be similar to something i made, but on closer inspection, i can see that it is truly their own, because they have taken what they liked about what i do, and made it their own.

i hope you don't mind my sharing this with you, but because it has helped me so much, i thought you would appreciate it as well.

BTW i very much enjoyed reading about the many things you have to be grateful for, an excellent reminder for all of us.
my best to you.
Deb said…
Oh Tracy, I don't think you have been at all hurtful in posting your feelings about seeing a "copycat" artist out there. I'm guessing this was done by someone who has just started "doing art" and wasn't confident enough to acknowledge how inspired they are by your work and too naive to think that they could get away with it. Of course we learn from looking at other artist's work. That's not the issue. The issue is about not being honest about where the inspiration has come from. I think part of the problem, is that the internet makes people feel like they want to be part of the action and they don't have the patience to be a learner for a while.
With love and support xx
Sue said…
Ugh Tracy - I know that feeling... not mad exactly... just something in the pit of your stomach that says what you're seeing is "not right"! It's one of the reasons I recently quit teaching and selling patterns... too many copiers out there... they turn from customers into competitors -- and I just need to get back to my HAPPY art and (sad to say) quit teaching my competitors how to copy me. It IS frustrating. But we need to be happy - and just do US!

P.S. That "change 3 things" or the "change a certain percentage" rumor/practice, is illegal under US Copyright Laws, those would be "derivative works" from the original... but you have to be willing to PAY to enforce your copyright...