I've been giving a lot of thought about Richard Notkin's work.  (If you missed previous posts, Richard Notkin is a nationally acclaimed ceramic artist)  I talked about his four inch tea pots and the amount of time invested in each piece.  From there I began looking at his influences, Japanese Ceramics.  He has collected over 100 Japanese teapots of a particular form.  That's been his inspiration and the springboard for his ongoing teapot collections.

He has the ingenuity to keep creating teapots and each is unique.  The series' he creates are thoughtful, whimsical and believe it or not they can actually pour tea.  How is it that he doesn't get bored?  I believe that when you are having a love affair with your art, boredom isn't part of the equation.  Just like any other love relationship, the more time you spend with the person, the more you find out about them.  In this case, he learns about the medium and his own soul. 

Over time Notkin has utilized different anchors for his series.  He took the form of a human heart and has made over 55 pieces with hearts.  He expands them and morphs them based on how he believes the heart is used.  Could you or would you make 55 pieces using the same point of inspiration and have them still look unique both to you and the collector?  That's the work of a master. 

Look outside your medium at artists who have longevity and ask yourself Why?  When you follow their path of development, you'll often see that there is just as much work done on the art as within the artist's soul.  There is a progression both in artistic development and personal development, like a puppy growing in to it's paws.

Seek these artists out and begin a dialogue.  Whether or not they become a mentor is inconsequential because a simple slide show/lecture can fulfill your need to know.

Going deep...
Greg

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