The 3 C's of Making Art

The "3 C's" isn't my concept; It's from artist and educator Ron Pokrasso. 

I took a monotype workshop from Ron last year (blog entry here) and was going through my notes again and came across the 3 C's. The 3 C's are really important concepts for any kind of artist (Musicians too), so I thought I would share. 

Ron Pokrasso's 3 C's

1. Craftsmanship
2. Content
3. Composition

1. Craftsmanship.
Craftsmanship is learned. This is how well you can draw, paint, register plates, mix colors, keep your paper free of ink smudges, or hit a drum. It's about technique and honing your craft. Excellent craftsmanship will not make you a great artist but the ease in which you do it will make it easier to become a better artist. Craftsmanship requires discipline and awareness on both a micro and macro level. Craftsmanship can be taught and learned in a classroom but often takes years to really "get" it. Don't let less than stellar craftsmanship hold you back from your Content though since it's often the last of the C's to come forth. 

2. Content
This is who you are. They way you express yourself. What's inside you- your personal vision. Don't worry about what you are "saying" in your work- just put it out there. Oddly enough, it's not the most important of the C's. 


3. Composition
This is what engages the viewer. An art or musical piece will fail if the composition isn't there. Composition trumps the other two C's. "Love" will not make your art better, composition will. Composition can be learned. 


The interesting thing about the 3 C's is that each must be present in order to make a great piece of art. 

A great example of the 3 C's in context is the work of Arizona artist Rose Cabat. There is a retrospective of her work at the Tucson Museum of Art through September- she turned 100 years old this year. Here is another article about her work here. 
She is truly a force of nature. 
~Reb

From http://shard3.1stdibs.us.com/archivesE/upload/8201/1812/8201_1344119503_2.jpg, 6-25-14