Fluid Art
As an artist who is used to making a tube of paint last around a year, I first stumbled upon ‘Fluid Art’ or ‘Paint Pouring’ purely by accident – on YouTube! Who knew there were pockets of people around the globe who immersed themselves in paint! (not quite literally but hay, I have seen the odd picture of individuals pouring paint over their hands at least!) And as the words ‘Paint Pouring’ suggest thats exactly what happens, paint is mixed with various ingredients (just like a cake recipe) layered in a cup and flung, poured, twirled or blown onto various sizes and shapes of surfaces. I quickly realised that one tube of paint was more likely to last 2 to 3 paintings and no more!
I instantly became hooked and found myself stepping onto a ‘yellow brick road’, not knowing who or what challenge was going to jump out and surprise me next! Watching various people like Courtney Hoelscher, MelyD, and Molly’s Artistry on Youtube, was mesmerising, often producing amazing contemporary pieces of art which were totally unique.
Experts have a knack of making the complex look very simple and through shear determination (at times gritted teeth), I began to use my knowledge of colour theory, composition and artistic skill to produce totally unique pieces of art that I was quite proud of! Through this website, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram I aim to showcase not only my work but those who have influenced me on this journey and in-turn inspire those of you out there to either have a go yourself, or appreciate contemporary art in a new light.
There exists many techniques in the world of fluid art, from the simple ‘flip cup’ to complex ring pours and swipes. New techniques emerge regularly from The Barista Pour to The Colander Pour, it is quite literately endless. But for this little post and basic introduction, my work has and will continue to evolve. My head is always thinking about my next painting, from which colours I’m going to use, to which technique and what size canvas my 5′ 2″ frame can tackle!
My paintings showcase various techniques from dutch pours to swipes and range from large triptych’s to tiny 4″ tiles all of which can be viewed in my portfolio or purchased from my on-line shop. If you would like to talk about a commission piece please fill in the contact form and I will be happy to contact you to discuss further.
An Interview with Cathleen Ozmore
I have never met Cathleen Ozmore in person, I’m in the UK, she is in The USA and our backgrounds are very different. However we both stumbled upon fluid art around the same time and became friends through YouTube, discovering that we both have a great appreciation for Courtney Hoelscher and both became instantly hooked on the ‘swipe’ technique.
It’s my intention over the coming months to interview those artists who have influenced me, delve a little deeper than what you see on screen and find out what makes them tick. Cathleen very kindly agreed, in turn I hope you will be influenced as I was and can identify with her journey through fluid art.
How did you get into fluid art and did you paint before?
I retired from my Landscaping company of 30 years in 2019. I worked very long days. I had a difficult time going from a 60 hour work weeks to having not much to do. I needed some way to express my creative juices. I found a video on YouTube from Courtney Hoelscher. Watched it then watched it again. I was overjoyed with the possibilities. “I can do this” I told myself. I have always been an admirer of Abstract Art. So I started to practice and play and experiment. Each time learning and growing. This was in December of 2019. So many possibilities, I was hooked!
Who and what are your influences?
What: my need for a way to express all those creative juices I had inside me Who: Courtney Hoelscher, Elyse Fournier, most abstract impressionist.
Whats integral to you as an artist?
Making beautiful art my friend. Watching those paints come to life in front of my eyes. The endless possibilities. The first pour I ever did was Christmas 2018. I wanted to make my own Christmas ornaments. I remember pouring the paint on the glass ball and being mesmerised, watching it move and evolve as I twisted that ornament around. I thought “ Oh my” what if I did this on a canvas. That was before I even knew Acrylic Pouring was a thing.
How would you answer those critics that say ‘Fluid Art isn’t real Art’ or ‘there isn’t a great deal of skill needed’?
Well this is a easy but hard question for me. Something that happened last weekend. I stopped into a gallery on a lovely little town near my home. A friend suggested I display my art there. The gallery supports and promotes local artists so I introduced myself to the women behind the counter. I asked her questions about how I go about displaying my art in the lovely gallery. I then showed her several photos of my work, she was so excited and was filled with praise! Then she asked if I was doing brush work or palette knife with my acrylic paints. I smiled and said “sometimes I use a palette knife but mostly it’s acrylic pouring”. She stepped back and looked at me with a surprised look, the look like “I’m not sure that’s real art”! I was then asked to submit my photos for approval. Ten minutes before, she was ready to clear a large space on the wall for my paintings. Yes I am sensitive about it. I am truly not sure why. I have a good friend who I recently moved close to me here in my Happy Place, we met him and his lovely lady for dinner a few weeks ago, she is a talented landscape artist and showed me several photos of her paintings. I did not show her any of mine, on the ride home my Rick asked me why. I was not able to answer. Maybe because it came so easy to me, maybe because I wasn’t schooled as a fine artist. Maybe it’s because Acrylic Pouring has been criticised and considered “Not Real Art” I just don’t know the answer yet.