What are your thoughts about Instagram these days?
For me, it’s lost a lot of its luster in the last couple of years and, because I used to love it, I’ve been trying to put my finger on exactly why that is.

I’ve stepped back quite a bit from it since last fall, curious to see how that would feel. Mostly I wanted to figure out why I use it and what I actually get out of it. Granted, the novelty has worn off and I’ve become more protective of my time. But by and large, I’ve decided I’m aggravated by the algorithm and its effects. Obviously, I’m not the first to complain about this issue.

I’ve arrived at a point where I’m on the fence. I’m grateful for the art/artists Instagram introduces me to that I would never see otherwise (and if I’m honest, for the dog and travel videos that give me a lift after the news has fried my brain with its incessant bleakness). But on the other hand, many of the profiles I used to love to follow just don’t show up in my feed anymore. I have to remember who they were and try to seek them out, and that takes even more time, resulting in a diminishing of the sense of community that attracted me in the first place. And I haven’t even mentioned all the ads one has to wade through.

What I’m working on this week: Blue Turtleneck. First pass

So I’m curious — what are your thoughts about it all? How do you manage the time-suck? Do you find yourself taking more and more time to craft posts or stories with bells and whistles to make them more eye-catching? Have you found a way to get back to seeing the profiles you followed before the algorithm messed around with everything? And are you too feeling overrun by all the ads?

Blue Turtleneck As the paint builds up, patterns begin to emerge

Please share your thoughts. I’d like to think it’s possible to figure out a way to use Instagram again, rather than it using us.

Blue Turtleneck, The resist is removed and the painting is complete. Time to incorporate stitching

All that said, I’m much more likely to turn to Substack before Instagram these days. I particularly like that the folks who post there seem to be offering information, rather than just a show and tell. Most of what I’ve found at Substack is thought-provoking in a good way. Admittedly, it takes time to read, so I tend to concentrate on just one or two posts at a time rather than mindlessly scrolling through dozens. But I invariably come away with something meaty to think about, and I consider that a success.

Blue Turtleneck, Still far from complete, the stitching is just beginning to take shape. But even at this early stage, I think it adds a lot and I’m enjoying the way it plays off and with the background pattern.

Here are a handful of favorite artists/illustrators that I follow:

Harry Stooshinoff
Anna Wilson – A Bottle Full of Rain
Amy Allen – Palate & Palette
Eleanor Doughty – Hand to Paper
Amy Huntington – Blue Crow Studio
Lucia Leyfield – The Ink Pad

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On a completely different note:
Studio Place Arts is holding its annual “Art It Up!” silent auction to benefit SPA programs. A variety of artwork, created and donated by local artists, is on display in person at SPA but you can see the full catalog, make bids or buy outright online as well. Bidding concludes on Friday, June 5th at 4pm.
I can’t say enough good things about what SPA adds to our community, so this is a win/win opportunity to support them.

I have to wonder sometimes, who’s in charge – the artist or the art?

When I began my latest portrait, I thought I had a pretty good handle on how it would progress. Having already stitched the white background pattern (shared with you in my last post) I fully expected to layer more paint and stitching both on top of that area and within the house shape surrounding the finished portrait.

Preliminary sketches provide space to try out possibilities

Experimental practice sketches like the one above nudged me toward a rich stew of color and texture, brought to life by painting over the stitched white pattern, adding brushstrokes to mimic stitching, and finishing with another layer of colored thread embroidery.

The next 5 photos follow the progression of this portrait at various stopping points. I take these images because they give me a bit of distance after each session, allowing me to see where to go next. Plus, I’m usually so tied up in a piece during the making that it’s a treat to go back later to revisit its evolution.

It’s all well and good to have a plan, but you also have to be willing to let it go. This turned out to be a classic example of thinking I knew where the piece was headed, but ultimately the work itself had the final say.

Winter Garden 2

Once I had removed the masking from around the house shape, I had to acknowledge – despite all my plans – that the white-on-white stitching didn’t need my interference. It seemed to say everything I needed it to, just as it was. In fact, overlaying the background with more color and texture felt unnecessary and superfluous.

Winter Garden 3

Often, both the easiest and the hardest part of the process is to step away, trusting that sleeping on an issue will weed out any uncertainties and allow for deciding what will be the right call. After taking an overnight timeout I felt satisfied that my instincts were correct. Sometimes the best approach is to just get out of the way and listen to the work.

Winter Garden 4

All of this leads to two contradictory nuggets of wisdom that have proven, many times over, to be invaluable to me:

When you think a piece is finished, keep pushing deeper, and
Less is more

Of course the tricky part is figuring out which is called for, when.

One last word on the subject of portraits…I received the happy news this week that I received an Honorable Mention Award from Teravarna Art Gallery in their “6th Portrait” competition.

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Substack is quickly becoming my new favorite reading spot.
In his “10 Things Worth Sharing” newsletter on Substack this week, Austin Kleon linked to an “Open Letter To The Next Generation Of Artists“, written by jazz greats Herbie Hancock and the recently deceased Wayne Shorter. Give it a read; it will give you a lift in return.

Elizabeth Fram

Eye of the Needle

Tag Archives: Substack

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