This is the first of a series of blogs from and about the diverse group of Living from Art members exhibiting at Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham, from 25 - 29 October.
Martyn Dymott is one of the founding members of Living fromArt. You may have seen his work previously at PAC, in sixteen Gallery, the Gardens Gallery and in many group exhibitions with Junction 8 around Gloucestershire. You may love his landscapes or have been captivated by his portraits, but here he shares why, for the moment anyway, he has 'Gone Digital'
'In 2021 I made the decision to move my creative painting forward by seeking ways to differentiate my work from the other artists around me.
Differentiation – the action of differentiating or distinguishing between two or more things or people.......
For some years I painted traditional portraits and landscapes in acrylics, developing my own style, but I was still part of a large pool of talented artists. I sold my paintings and they contributed to the growth in my exhibition opportunities and helped build a following on social media, but I often found myself in competition with better artists painting the same subjects and every day I felt less creative energy and a little stuck with my audience’s expectations of what I should be painting.
So I took a step to restore my urge to create.
Inspired by two major exhibitions by David Hockney RA which featured his iPad digital paintings I bought a less expensive tablet and started to sketch. Then I started to paint. Then I started to create.
I also did something else I had never done before, I started to paint abstracts.
During 2022 I have only shown digital paintings in an effort to introduce the medium to my audience and to refine my approach to using all of the tools within my painting software: watercolours, oils, pastels, chalks, sponges , sprays, air brushes, rollers..... I could go on.
What have I gained? Minimal sales at present, but now I am enjoying being creative and I especially enjoy the reaction from my audience when they try to understand the painting method and the resulting painting.
I’m still exhibiting with lots of very talented artists, but now I know that I’m also a creative artist whose work can be distinguished from everyone else.
Will this to lead to recognition within the international art world? I very much doubt it, but it doesn’t matter because I’m actually enjoying the process of being creative now, and I know it’s my art.
M.
PS. I’ll still venture out to paint plein air but that’s just for fun now.
This is called 'This could be where light is born' Do come and see all Martyn's Digital work at our exhibition in October. I'll be sharing when each artist will be there, ready to talk to you about their work and share their process.
Check out his website www.martyndymott.art or follow him on Instagram , facebook and on linked in - martyndymottart
I hope you all enjoy as much as I do getting to know the stories behind these local artists
Anna
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