“The real
master has no tools at all, only a limitless capacity to improvise with what is
to hand.”
So what you ask is a Polymath? A Polymath is someone who knows a lot about
many different things – think Renaissance Man (or Woman). Or maybe jack of all trades. In a world which is becoming ever more
specialized, whether it’s your doctor or your college professor, isn’t it nice
to think that as an artist YOU can become a polymath simply by stretching your
wings? If you’ve said to yourself, “I’d
like to try other media but I’d better stick to the one I’m comfortable with, “
you are denying yourself the opportunity to grow and develop as an artist. Trying different media does not mean you have
to ignore the one you’re most invested in because what you’ll find is that each
one you explore “informs” all the others.
If you learn to use color in pastels, you can use the same palettes in
oils. If you learn to draw really well,
you’ll paint better because of it.
Making manipulated papers for collage teaches you about mixed media for
painting. You get the idea. And don’t worry about spending tons of money
to try new techniques look at the tools around you. What can you do with a twig, chopstick, lemon
juice, a candle, baby wipes, cotton balls, your kids’ crayons – the list is
endless – the tools at hand. So come on,
think like Picasso who worked in oils, collaged, sculpted in wood, clay, wax
and metals, designed sets and costumes for a ballet and even wrote poetry (when
he was 53 years old). Improvise and become
an artistic polymath!! And if that’s not
enough, you can add a new word to your vocabulary. Please comment -- What's the most unusual item you've used to make art?
