“A picture tells a thousand words”, but which words do they speak?

Elena Parashko’s haunting painting of a marooned ship in a drought-devastated landscape was recently selected as a finalist in ANL Maritime Art Prize in Melbourne and then snapped up on the opening night. Elena, who leads a week at Daku next September, describes how she arrived at the idea.

Paintings not only work on a visual level, they also target the intellect and emotion of the viewer. A painting is an artist’s voice that carries their message into the world. But it’s not just a one way form of communication. The viewer also brings their unique personality and lifetime of experience to each artwork they engage with and this strongly influences their interpretation of the inherent message in the work.

As an artist, I am passionate about the creative process and the influence my work has on others. My observations, values and ideals are infused into each piece I craft but I also allow viewers to interact with my paintings and draw their own conclusions. I may pose questions through imagery but I do not dictate what response the viewer should have to it.

My painting, “Ever Changing Times”, was a fun on a technical level as I experimented with paint and mediums to create a parched earth effect. But delving beneath the surface, I also wanted to create a powerful painting that reflected current concerns about the impact of climate change on our environment. I did this by exploring an apparent contradiction in imagery. A ship sailing through the desert makes the viewer stop and think on a number of levels. “Ever Changing Times” was entered as a seascape in the ANL Maritime Art Prize in Melbourne, Australia – a bold move to enter a painting with no sea into a maritime art competition. But it must have struck a chord with the judges as it was selected as a finalist.

Proceeds from sales of paintings go to support Mission to Seafarers Victoria.

Elena comes to Daku from 1 – 8 September 2012 to teach a week entitled: Evoking the Elements : Tropical Seascapes and Landscapes.

Elena Parashko, who comes to Daku to teach a week of Seascape painting in August, is a regular contributor to a number of art magazines. In this article she reflects on the need to sometimes step back and give yourself a break.

Being Kind to Yourself

In every artist’s life there are times when it is difficult to focus and actually create art. When this happens, take time out to reflect on your experiences, thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself. Recognize if you are just procrastinating, whether life’s everyday problems are getting in the way of creating or if you have a real crisis to deal with. Then you will know if you need to hold yourself accountable to your goals and just get on with the work or if you need to be kind to yourself and resolve major issues first.

There are 3 main reasons why you may find it difficult to concentrate on being creative:

1. Procrastination
Even if we have very clear goals and know what must be done to achieve them, sometimes we will do almost anything else to avoid starting. This self defeating behaviour may be caused by a fear of the blank canvas – for 10 strategies to deal with this see my online article “Overcoming the Fear of the Blank Canvas.” Maybe you are procrastinating because you have not yet established a disciplined work ethic. Then devise a routine that fits the demands of your life. Perhaps you are not inspired by the work. Then look at the piece in a new way and find a challenge in it that will motivate you. If you have a fear of rejection, then accept that “No” is not personal and comes with the territory in the arts. If you are being distracted by other people or obligations, then give your artwork the priority it deserves by placing it above other demands and not just fitting it in if there is time left over. If you are not sure how to proceed with a project; then ask questions, do some research and find out where to begin. If you realize you cannot meet a goal, don’t beat yourself up about it and not even start. Just change the parameters of the goal to make it achievable. The best cure for procrastination is to get started in whatever way you can. Once immersed in the creative process, the rest will take care of itself.

2. Life’s problems
Everyone has problems to deal with. These may range from annoying distractions to more complicated issues that require your time and attention. While resolving problems, keep them in perspective and don’t use them as an excuse not to work. Art doesn’t just have a therapeutic effect on the viewer; it can be the best medicine for the artist as well. Creating can act as a release valve to externalise internal conflict and stress. Initially you may have to go with the creative flow and let what ever is inside express itself rather than trying to create what was planned. Experiencing and dealing with problems is a normal part of life. As such they can actually inspire artwork with universal themes.

3. Crisis
When a real crisis hits you, then be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to temporarily put your artwork on hold if you need to. You may feel physically exhausted, emotionally drained or so depleted of resources that you have nothing left to give to an artwork. Forcing yourself to paint under these circumstances can be counter productive. You will not produce your best work and may even be using it as an escape to avoid dealing with serious issues in your life that need to be addressed. Self imposed work pressures may be enough to push you over the edge from a state of coping to feeling completely overwhelmed. If you have a physical or mental health crisis, your first priority is to get yourself well and give your body and mind time to rest and recover. If you have an emotional crisis, then allow yourself time to go through the grieving process. If you are facing a social crisis, then deal with that personal relationship or be there to support a loved one. If you are struggling through a financial crisis, then make it a priority to do what is required to support yourself.

When you have a passion for art, it can never be lost. The creative spirit will find a way to express itself in one form or another as you are able. All these challenges will require you to draw upon strength and resources you never imagined you had. And when the crisis is over, returning to your art may be a very important part of the healing process.

“Being Kind to Yourself” by Elena Parashko as published in Professional Artist Magazine
www.ProfessionalArtistMag.com

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View details of Elena’s upcoming Seascapes and Landscapes Painting Retreat at Daku Resort in August this year.
Elena Parashko is an artist, teacher and writer based in Sydney, Australia. Her artwork can be viewed at www.elenaparashko.com and she can be reached at info@elenaparashko.com

Time to mark some recent successes for two of our art teachers.

Botanical art teacher Leonie Norton has just seen her marvellous book Women of Flowers: Botanical Art in Australia from the 1830s to the 1960s go into its second printing barely 18 months after being published – a considerable achievement. Leonie Norton herself, who is one of our regular teachers at Daku Resort, is one of Australia’s leading botanical artists and an international botanical art tutor.

Her next course at Daku runs from August 27 – September 3 – Botanical Art and Holiday Sketching

Leonie explores the lives and talents of the women who produced these wonderful pictures – women who were often denied any other artistic outlets and who consequently turned their energies into these beautiful drawings and paintings. Botanical art has long been dominated by women and often dismissed as no more than a nice hobby by the art world. She reminds us that ‘female’ art has great and enduring merit, and her book is a testimony to the artists of that world.

And it’s just a lovely book, one of the publications that the National Library of Australia does so well. Full of pictures drawn from its archives, the reproductions are clear and generous and the text is well-laid out and a pleasure to follow.

The book is available at the National Library’s book store and can be purchased by phone (02) 6262 1424 or internet http://shop.nla.gov.au for $34.95. It is also available at many book shops throughout Australia.

Elena Parashko took out the first prize in seascapes at the Royal Canberra Agricultural Show with her painting “Dare to be Different”. It’s a striking oil painting that focuses on a tiny detail of life by the sea: the snails and the trails they leave in the sand. Not a drop of ocean to be seen – and yet you can still feel the ebb and flow of the tide in the background.

Elena’s next course in Fiji runs from 13 – 20 August – Seascapes and Landscapes

Last week Elena Parashko lead a group of artists at Daku Resort. Karen (attending her second art and painting retreat at Daku) writes below:

“This is my second time to Daku Resort to combine some learning with pleasure. I left with some concern as to whether the memories I had retained so vividly from last visit in September 2009 would actually set me up for a disappointment as my benchmark was already set so high.

Painting on the beach

Keni and Raj greeted me back to the ‘family’ as if I had returned home. And part of the Tadulala family we were, from the minute we arrived until it was time to leave. Mereoni made sure that we were well fed and combined Western, Asian and traditional Fijian food to ensure that we did not go hungry. It was delicious and healthy. Who’d of thought that seaweed could taste so good – really! The entertainment provided by the Tadulala children was presented with genuine warmth and an eagerness to please. The accommodation was very clean with bucketfuls of charm.

Despite my initial concerns, I was all the more pleasantly surprised when this trip was even better than the last.

Another day hard at work

Elena Parashko was our art teacher for this course and her teaching skills and ability transformed us all (she had 10 eager students of differing abilities) into artists with greater skills and far more confidence than when we arrived. It surely helped that the pick of locations would be the envy of anyone – paintbrush in hand or not. If the weather chose to spring a tropical storm upon us we also had the new purpose built Yoga Shala to set up our easels and paint away.

In the beautiful Yoga Shala

While there we had the pleasure of meeting another group who were there to appreciate classical music under the guidance of Mike Smith. Mike so very clearly loved his subject matter that he has inspired me to explore this music genre further.

So now it seems that I have presented myself with a real problem now that I have set my benchmark even higher. A challenge I shall gladly rise up to and return again in 2011.

Thank you Daku for being a little piece of paradise.

Karen McAllister

Tony and Demo with my painting