My style of art (for now at least, I reserve the right to totally change my mind)
Hi y’all! Me again. I shared the journey of how we got to this place (artist, website, battling and sometimes winning against imposter syndrome) in the last post How we ended up here and thought it would be fun to tell you more about my current (as I state in the title, for now, I reserve the right to change my mind and everything about everything) style of art and painting.
The first few months of painting in Jacksonville Beach during 2020, I was trying everything - I painted watercolors and acrylics, on plant pots and on canvases. What I loved about this time, and try to maintain now two years later, was the total creativity and experimentation. I painted whatever I was in the mood for and curious about. If you’ve been here for a while (not on the website, that’s brand new, but on Instagram or in my life in general), you probably know that some of those pieces and experiments stuck, and some flopped (also still trying two years later to be okay with the flops). But it was so fun trying new things, seeing what spoke to me, and what spoke to you! Two main styles emerged as fan favorites - thick painted texture and minimal silhouettes.
I’m going to say it again so that if you’re reading this in five years and my style of art is different you can’t get mad at me - I reserve the right to change my mind and everything about everything. This doesn’t apply to just art by the way, but everything in my life. I’d like to think I’m a much better version of myself now than I was five years ago, let’s hope I can say the same thing in five years, about both art and life.
I have so many ideas and definitely get distracted by new mediums and methods (I have a studio full of supplies to prove it), but I’ve really been trying as an artist and businesswoman (only a little flinch when I typed that, take that, imposter syndrome) to release pieces that are consistent and cohesive with one another and with my style. I think part of this is calculated risk - I already know these have done well with customers, so it’s less terrifying to list them for sale. But I think it also allows me to focus on a few things (or few styles, or mediums) at a time, working slowly to hone my style as an artist.
Okay clearly I get distracted by all things, not just new mediums. So again, two main styles have emerged, and you’ll find these two styles currently all over my website (unless you’re reading this in five years and then who knows).
Thick painted textures - One of my college roommates (hi SEB) bought and renovated her first home in South Carolina and asked for a commissioned painted canvas for her en suite. We went back and forth with some inspiration photos, but she basically gave me creative liberty. So I experimented with a painted canvas, with acrylic paint applied in thick layers, in different colors. She loved it (or that’s what she told me, I’ll text to confirm it’s still hanging in her bathroom), and when I posted a photo of it, others liked it too! Another friend reached out (hi CPW) and requested a commissioned piece (ironically for her en suite too, just realized that, can some past customers write in and let me know if all my art hangs in bathrooms?), in a similar style, but an all-neutral color scheme. This was right up my alley - I love a neutral style, in art, in home, in clothes, all of it. I think part of this is I don’t know how to do color well, but we’re working on it (in art, in home, and in clothes). The neutral piece I painted ended up being a big hit, and variations of that original painting are now in the homes of lots of friends and customers! You’ll find similar styles in my original collection on the website as well - They’re all named Rian (more on that below) and each varies slightly, as I’m a human and hand-painted them, but they all have similar texture and neutral shades. I’m so grateful for the two friends that led me to this style of painting, as so much of my work currently incorporates neutral shades + texture. I’ve found that even in my home, which remains pretty neutral in color palette, incorporating texture in art and fabrics adds interest and coziness where color might work for others. I continue to experiment with texture, and recently added some color to a special commission (purple and green, I know, a huge step for me), so who knows where we’ll go from here (leaving a lot of room for myself, as you can tell by the post title and many disclaimers).
The second style that has emerged over the past few years is minimal abstract silhouettes. One of my younger sisters (hi KSB) wanted some simple pieces to decorate her room, preferably on a less expensive medium so that they were in-budget and could be shipped affordably to New Hampshire. We exchanged some inspiration photos, and three simple and minimal silhouettes (black acrylic paint on white watercolor paper) were created. I found that these were a popular style, so I created more silhouettes, over the years, in three different styles:
The original silhouettes - Six silhouettes, each of a single subject. I originally described each one as “feminine” and gave them women’s names, but I realized over time that the most popular designs were those that weren’t interpreted as a specific gender, which was really freaking cool. So I’ve been more intentional about how I describe these silhouettes, avoiding language that is as inclusive as I try to be, in art and in life.
The Enamorado silhouettes - Six silhouettes, each of two subjects. Another brainstormed name for this collection was “His & Hers” but the world is a whole lot bigger than that simple combination and we love all the love here at Allie Babcock Art, so I went with “Enamorado” which is a Spanish adjective for in love, romantic; or a noun for lover, romantic partner. We had similar findings with this collection - some of the most popular designs were those that weren’t interpreted as gendered, which again confirmed we were reaching awesome freaking people on the World Wide Web.
The Bebe silhouettes - Six silhouettes, each of two or three subjects. Created because we are just in that phase of adulthood where so many of our people are creating life or bringing new life into their families and we wanted something sweet to celebrate that! And yes, the collection name was Moira-Rose- & Schitt’s-Creek-inspired, we encourage you to use that pronunciation.
Of these three collections, I had quite a few silhouette styles (18 to be exact). When I created my website, I chose my favorites from each collection, resulting in 5 silhouette designs. This is a style that I’ve really enjoyed, designing a very Florida “Banana leaf” silhouette, as well as many personalized commission silhouettes.
You’ll notice many of my favorite paintings and styles have come from ideas and commissions for women that I love. For that reason, I named each original canvas piece in my first website launch collection after women in my life! I thought it was a fitting way to show appreciation for the support and creativity they’ve shown over the years to get me to this point. If your name is not currently on the website, sit tight, I have a lot of years of painting in me. If your name is on the website and you don’t like the painting named after you, I love you and please keep that information to yourself.
As you’ll see on my website, the majority of my pieces are abstract - I have gotten requests over the years to paint very specific things, often from a photograph, and while I’ve often attempted it, I’m rarely happy with the final result. I like the flexibility to create something that does not always come from a photograph, because there’s no right or wrong answer, so I can’t criticize myself as much over the final result. I think this gives me more creative freedom and liberty as the artist, but it also gives collectors the freedom to interpret an abstract piece in a million different ways - the same piece can serve a completely different purpose and tell a different story to different people.
Disclaimer in case you’ve skimmed: I reserve the right to change my mind and everything about everything. I’ve enjoyed finding my style in these paintings over the years and look forward to seeing how my abilities, preferences, and style continue to evolve over the coming years. If you find me here in five years painting something completely different from everything I’ve just described: I’ve warned you, let me be.
Thanks for being here and supporting/bearing with me! I appreciate you.
