Marilyn – Richmond, Virginia

This week’s Chick Story spotlights an interesting, new area of visual arts called Techno-Impressionism.  The Artist’s Muse, his wife Marilyn, has inspired us Chicks, too, with the importance of creating from within, independent of the feedback and approval of others.

How does one search for one’s muse if one is already a muse? My guess is one turns inward. I’m an Artist’s Muse; my artist is Tony Karp. We’re embarked on a journey called Techno–Impressionism. It’s an interesting journey as Tony’s art is art of the future. This sometimes makes it subject to misunderstanding and even dislike.

Feedback and encouragement come in small doses with long periods of silence in between. I suspect that this is not unusual when one creates something new and different from what most people are used to.

How do we keep going you ask? Tony often quotes the I Ching which says the superior man is governed from within, the inferior man is governed by law. Tony makes art that pleases him (my opinion sometimes holds some weight), and strives to make art that is interesting.

Tony is driven by logic, I’m driven by common sense. He sees his creation in his mind’s eye before he creates it, I just start anywhere, and as I go along, I begin to see its shape and form. Between us we can both get close and step back. We’re inner directed. We have confidence in what we create. We do what is interesting to us. It is a trap to create to please your grownups. It will stop the flow – the thing that gives you that idea, the thing that propels you to create. The message here is have confidence in yourself and your work and create what pleases you.

Being our own masters leads to having fun and trying lots of different things. Sometimes we walk away and then go back to something. After having given it a rest, we sometimes realize that it is really quite good. As the guy used to say, we’re the deciders.

When I asked Tony how many images is he managing in his albums, he said around 70,000. (Each one created by him.) But only 10,000 are in his primary body of work. This huge number of images is the result of his playing and trying lots of different things. He has built a workflow that’s very organized and provides the control needed to process so many images in many different ways. Tony Karp’s art is displayed in our museum galleries, in both our blogs (his and mine) and in his journal, in print and now in our art books. Tony is totally free to create and yet has total control over the output. It’s an interesting and powerful combination. This blending of art and the control provided by technology is the foundation upon which his work is built. The work is both interesting and unique.

We encourage you to think outside the box, try lots of different things, display your creative endeavors and don’t wait for them to be perfect. Give your creativity a chance to evolve using lots and lots of iterations. A Broadway show isn’t perfect after just one rehearsal; it takes lots and lots of practice.

Around here we refer to the creative process as being in the flow, that moment in time when you start creating and it just seems to flow from you effortlessly. Sometimes it is hard to get to the point, but when you’re in it, it feels great. Believe in yourself. Your confidence informs your creativity. It brings out the best in you.

We admit that we do have a secret weapon, and that is our love. It sustains us during those times when there is no feedback. It provides the fuel that keeps us going. What we’re doing is so incredibly interesting, and we know in our hearts that we’re creating a path to the future. What an interesting way to live.

To take a peek at what the Karps are currently working on, zoom in on this sample image from their upcoming book, which is sure to provide many interesting visions of art in the future.