old country house blog

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – CAN DIY GO TOO FAR ???




“bridesmaids”
20″ x 20″
Original Painting


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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I love Pinterest.
I love all the pretty pictures and getting ideas…
..and seeing my ideas
appreciated by others…
It makes me happy.

The other day…I had an interesting experience…while poking around on Pinterest
I saw a painting of mine…pinned
and that made me happy…and then 

I saw written…
in the comment section….
“DIY”.

Hmmm, I thought. 
“Is someone referring to my painting as a DIY?”
I mean…I guess it is….I did do it myself…
or are they saying…
 “someday, when I have more time..I want to DIY this.”

…..what did it mean?…..

We have gotten so good at doing things for ourselves….
in the interest of saving money, and time,
for the joy and satisfaction it brings….
Is Everything is now…
DIY-Able…? 



There is the question of 
ART
starting with
 HOW we DEFINE ART?
….is that a subjective definition? 
Is ART off limits? 
I mean, obviously…blatant copying is off limits…
…. what is the difference between being inspired…
and when does it go too far? 
How much is too much? and should I be more careful?
But I LOVE to share my Paintings.
and have I not myself been inspired to create…to do it myself….
by other artists…so many other artists?
Whom I admire?

Lots of Questions…
what are your thoughts?


XO


11 thoughts on “FOOD FOR THOUGHT – CAN DIY GO TOO FAR ???

  1. This is my pet peeve! I am not an artist but when I see my favorite ones pinned on pinterest with a tag that read DIY, I want to scream! People don’t realize how hard painting is! It takes a lot of skill and I’d love to see them try to replicate it! That’s my rant for the day:)

  2. There’s a big difference between DIY’able and DIY{try’able} and it seems many folks are learning that as it isn’t uncommon to read a post about a failed (often pinterest) attempt to replicate a project. If someone has the talent to create comparable art to yours then a pin with “diy” for that person could really be inspiration to pick up a paint brush and produce. More realistically I think a diy attempt will help inform most of us to the cost, time, and talent needed to create a quality piece and be better able to appreciate the next example they fall in love with, and perhaps decide to buy instead of try, or simply admire from a distance. I really do hope the diy pin comment you ran across was more of a question for the individual as in “could I diy something like this?” rather than a description / assessment of your painting.

  3. In no way shape or form could I ever “DIY” a painting like yours. Ever.

    Perhaps whomever pinned it actually has that sort of talent or thinks they have that sort of talent and were inspired, in which case, you should feel flattered. I can see where the first painting in this post someone could think they could do something like that. At first glance, it does seem like something you could possibly copy. But that excludes the knowledge of different mediums used in creating art, scale & composition.

  4. Oh Leslie. What those poor Pinterest pinners do not realize is they will NEVER be able to achieve the beautiful art you create. Never. They will soon learn and hopefully email you for a painting of their favorite pet 😉

    Adam and I truly adore the painting of Colden you did for us. He is on a shelf in our dining room so every time we turn the corner, the bright blue and red painting sticks out to us, we LOVE it. You can see some photos of it here:http://www.littlethingsbringsmiles.com/2012/07/our-dining-room-one-year-in-source-list.html

    Thank you again for creating such lovely art. No matter how hard people try to DIY, they are not you and only you can create your original paintings 🙂

    Be encouraged!

  5. Katie, Thank you and I do feel encouraged…the whole thing more just made me ponder the bigger picture.

    Okay your house looks amazing! May I use some of these photos for my blog??the painting looks perfect, and I love the whole vibe of the room!

    I am so glad you dropped me a note!! xoxo

  6. I come from such a DIY background that when I first lived on my own I had a hard time learning to call a plumber or appliance repair person. (My dad could weld a part for the dryer, why can’t you, dear?) As a beginning artist I bought many decorative painting books and happily reproduced the painting projects. As I’ve grown as an artist, become much more sophisticated and aware of intellectual property rights and issues, I only do original art and I’ve also come to value original art by other artists. Years ago I may have thought “I love this picture. I can’t afford it. Maybe I can duplicate it.” That may be what the Pinners are thinking.

    Your wonderful art is clean, deceptively simple looking and very, very original. A popular artist can set trends and inspire others to produce works that are similar in style and sometimes outright ripoffs. (Think Andy Warhol – I put paper flowers in a soup can and put them on my table in college but it didn’t make me an artist.)

    I’d love to see your work so well known that you become a trend setter – with all the problems in the “big picture” that may bring.

  7. I have a fine art degree, work as a graphic designer and, yes, I have pinned art and labeled it DIY because I have no extra money to buy original art! I think of as inspiration not a copy, plus I’m not planning to sell said DIY. I have lots of friend with no money and a little or a lot of talent that do the same thing!

    1. I whole heartedly can relate and in fact…I myself pin things all the time, to help myself remember, when I have time…something that inspires me…Actually, long before Pinterest…when I kept a folder full of magazine photos in a drawer in my desk…it was my desire to have Art on my walls, and personal gifts to give that fueled my passion for painting…and then later, way later, I got paid for my work. Keep pinning! My Post truly was a “food for thought” post..no real conclusions, really just threw it out there to see what people were thinking. Sometimes I just think about things and want to know what others are thinking…and I am so glad you shared your thoughts!!!

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