©Jaimee Todd
Last week someone asked me on Twitter if I had any new paintings up. I explained that I hadn’t worked on any paintings since my inkblots, but I’ve been spending most of my time working on my photography. I felt a little guilty about this since I’ve been painting long before I got into photography…well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I remember fooling around with a little Kodak point and shoot thingie back when I was a kid but that wasn’t often. I also felt guilty because when I was taking my watercolor classes, the instructors always emphasized the importance every single day. I honestly don’t know how to fit it into my schedule these days but it sure is a lot easier to be able to grab Lulu and roam around and shoot.
I was also feeling guilt pangs after reading a few posts around the internet by some artists who wondered aloud if it was wise for an artist to have so many different outlets because it made them a “jack of all trades, master of none”. One such writer mused that if an artist is gearing himself/herself towards mastery, he/she really must have a focused, singular approach to their craft.
I asked around to fellow artists and was relieved and happy to hear that many other artists disagree. Generally, the people I’ve talked to believe that sometimes you have to have different outlets to prevent burnout in one arena or that having other disciplines can actually benefit the other. Personally, I think my years spent planning and working on composition in my paintings have helped me develop an eye for photograhy. Conversely, I also believe my photography practice has helped me appreciate the technical aspects of painting, as well as color, contrast, and movement.
So with that said, I’m going to continue my foray into photography while I’ll likely return to painting when the weather gets cold. I noticed that I shot a lot less last year once the winter chill really set in.
In the meantime, you can check out one of my most recent photographs that I took while at a summer carnival in Montauk.
