Making Time to Make Art by Debra Fitzsimmons

There are two things of primary importance for a studio artist. First, an artist must realize an individual direction. Second, an artist must make time to make art. This article shares how I work “idea time” and studio time into a busy schedule. It concludes with a discussion on my “NARROWED” series which will be featured at Agora Gallery this July, 2010.

Let Your Fingers Make One Hand

I am a full time high school art teacher, a school club sponsor, an adjunct college art education professor, and a fine arts curriculum and development consultant. I have a family, friends and personal interests. In short, I am pretty busy. But I define myself most as an active exhibiting artist. The question I’m often asked is, “Where do you find the time for your art?” I can’t answer that question as it is stated. I need to reframe it to, “Where do you find the time to develop ideas?” My answer to that is every waking minute, every day.

Zhang in his studio To encounter a Zhang Xiuzhu painting is to enter a world that openly celebrates the wonder of the human ego. His oil paintings of abstract and semi-abstract expressionism are visually stunning, beckoning the viewer to drink in the breathtaking vistas of his subjects as color masterfully intersects with form. Here, the paint is laid on thickly, with recognizable brushstrokes that only add to the sense of motion and vitality on the canvas. Each stroke hums with life, creating a symphony of hue and movement that seems to capture the very life essence of the figures he seeks to portray. One of the greatest contemporary artists in China, Zhang Xiuzhu began his career as a traditional Chinese painter. This background forms the basis for his more recent work, where his technique reflects the traditional spiritual expressions of the Chinese style most readily recognizable in the Eastern ink wash. You can see this influence in his exceptionally balanced sense of composition, where forms are carefully arranged to convey a sense of harmony and poise. But there is an energy here as well that renders his work anything but traditional. Essentially, he is able freely and naturally to transform that Eastern spirit of representation and technique into a contemporary expression that is all his own.