Bits About Critique

I've been thinking about critique a bit lately. In my experience, a really meaty, helpful, insightful, honest critique is rare. There are lots of reasons why critiques are not always as productive as they could be. That's mostly ok. It's a complicated thing. What's most important is that an artist learns to critique her own work and her own process and learns and grows with each new work.

Kristin wrote about critique on the 8 That Create blog. She has lots of good thoughts.

I also LOVE this video from The Art Assignment video series on You Tube. (I've written about The Art Assignment before.)

I have just two small things to share that I've learned to use in critiques over the years.

One is something I say if I'm viewing/critiquing a piece of art. If there is an element of the work that I find perplexing, I say "Tell me about ______." For instance, if the artist has included a red shape with sharp edges that doesn't seem to fit with the other shapes or lines within the piece, I might say "Tell me about the red shape here." Her response may explain why it doesn't seem to fit. Maybe it wasn't supposed to fit. Or her response might indicate that she didn't have a real plan or sense for how it fit with everything else. Ideally her response helps her -- and everyone else listening -- determine if it's an area that could be improved. Or it simply gets everyone to look at the work slightly differently and we learn from that new persepctive.

The second thing is something I ask if I'm having my work critiqued. Often when discussing art with like-minded, caring friends, they don't want to say anything critical. So, I say "Tell me one thing that seems out of place or misguided in this piece." Then they are forced to think of something they might wish I'd done differently. It doesn't feel critical. They've already told me they love the piece. (I may also love it.) But, even the smallest suggestion that the blue rectangle is too big or a particular fabric looks old fashioned -- or whatever -- helps me see the piece differently and consider how I might improve the design process the next time around. Or if I lovelovelove the same thing someone else says they are confused by, I can learn to verbalize and explain why I chose to design it the way I did.

Here's my piece, Neighborhood, which some of my friends suggest has a blue rectangle that is too big. They may be right.

Art Assignment: Off

I love the new Art Assignment. You know The Art Assignment, right?

The Art Assignment is a weekly video series produced by PBS Digital Studios, hosted by curator Sarah Urist Green and author/vlogger John Green. We take you around the U.S. to meet artists and solicit assignments from them that we can all complete. Watch our videos and then post your responses with #theartassignment.

The most current assignment is called Off. You can watch the excellent video introducing the assignment here. You'll also learn a bit of art history, meet a cool artist, get inspired to think about things differently and see John and Sarah Green in the snow.

I hope you'll watch the video to get the whole concept behind the assignment otherwise you won't really get it, but here's my contribution.

Pink blooms, leaves, sky.

Front door with forsythia wreath.

Lantern and tin bird.

Studio table and design wall.

I am most inspired by what Lauren Zoll had to say about being off. Feeling off. Turning off.

"When something is off, it can still have the potential to be productive, to do something different. When you're off, other ideas might come to you... and those are important moments to have."