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At the heart of every canvas, every sculpture, every lyric and every spoken word is the feeling and emotion that triggered each expression. How difficult it can sometimes be to create a “thing” that will truly represent that cry of the soul or a smile of the heart. It has been a while since I have truly felt the wish to express myself again in an art form. My muse seemed to long abandon me and left me with skill but no desire. It was only recently that the feeling of passion in art was reawakened.Perusing the web on a Sunday afternoon, seeking an experience that would shake up the mundane, my husband came across an event in Toronto – Art Battle. We were intrigued just by the name and decided we should find out more. Art Battle is a competitive art competition whereby artist’s names are randomly drawn to compete on stage over a 20 minute set. Each artist is provided with a canvas, and the same amount of paint and brushes. At the end of each round the audience chooses the winner of the competition and all pieces are then put up on a silent auction. The painting without a bid is then deemed for destruction (with a chainsaw – and they’re not kidding).
My interest was automatically sparked and we decided to make a date of it. The event took place on April 27th at The Great Hall and when we arrived my husband persuaded me to put my name down under the “artist” category. As much as I was intrigued by the process, the idea of being chosen to paint in front of strangers terrified me. The concept was new to me – strangers judging my artwork? I’ve only shown my work to family and friends, and lets all be honest they can lie to spare feelings! Either way, my chances were slim so although I was nervous, I was excited for what was to come. As the names were drawn from the hat, my heart began to race and my palms began to sweat, and just as I thought I was in the clear, my name was called to come up to the battlefield.
What an unbelievable experience it was. The music was pumping and my heart was thumping to the same beat. I felt invigorated, I felt alive and I felt productive. Here I was in 20 minutes producing a piece that would have taken me months in an otherwise relaxed environment. So I felt the return of my muse.
A few days later I decided to attack a half-finished canvas which had been laying dormant for the past year. I poured myself a glass of red wine, I put on some music and let my feelings pour.
Art Battle, I thank thee.
Yours,
MilanaDK
