ART BLOG: The MIST

I remember seeing Jamie Fox speak about "The Mist" during an Oprah interview. He told of how when he wasn't famous, people didn't think much of him at all. Women told him he wasn't attractive and he had bad teeth, etc. Then after his acclaim for his performance in "Ray", he suddenly became handsome and desirable. Women would tell him how hot he was. He called this the MIST. It was as if someone sprayed him with a glitter of favor, he became popular and approved. This is what media and social opinion does to all of us.

I have thought about this concept since hearing him speak. I had a light bulb moment. I had a revelation. I started thinking about artists who are celebrated. I even equated the MIST with local art scenes. It is so much about popularity and social "butterflyism". It isn't so much what you do. I have seen a whole lot of crappy art created by celebrated artists. It is more about who you are and how people perceive you. You have to have the MIST.

I am sure many of you have gone to an art show and thought "My work is just as good as this artist or that artist. Why are they getting all this notice." It has to do with who you know or who likes you. If an art advocate has power, it might benefit you if they touch you with the sparkling spray of anointment.

Sometimes it is just a matter of being a part of a certain community at a certain point in time. Being in the right place at the right moment helps loads. Also, you have to be out there and part of the social scene. That is how you get people to collect your art. If you have a big personality, fit the mold of what they perceive as an "art star", and are a part of the social art scene, you might gain the MIST.

I saw this article about studio visits. It was written by Walter Robinson, former editor-in-chief of Artnet. This guy has connections! However, even he has had interesting moments trying to get noticed, let alone obtain the glorious favor of curators and collectors. He is seeking the MIST. I too wish someone could spray me with good favor. Yet in my heart of hearts, I know I am not social enough. I don't want to play the social game. It never was and never will be part of my being.
I am screwed. LOL

DeKooning sitting in his studio

Click the pic to read about Walter's studio visits. It is enlightening.

ART BLOG: Hegemonic Zeitgeist

Definition of HEGEMONY
1. influence or authority over others : domination
2. : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group

Years ago, I knew a school security officer who went on a crusade to make sure all the staff parked correctly. He sent emails and memos warning school staff about parking procedures. He wanted everyone to know it was against the rules to park your car so that the front end was facing out of the parking space. In other words, NO PARKING backwards! According to him, the was a security issue. Oh..........OK.............whatever. I wondered why he wasn't concerned about the real important issues of school security.

It seems things and a lot of people are like this now. Everybody needs to assert their own brand of "bossism" on whomever will listen. We all have jobs. We all have certain responsibilities. I have encountered so many who are at such a loss and feel so powerless, they tend to overstate the little power they have. Consequently, we hear overstated demands and power monger requests. It is their last ditch efforts to feel important or relevant.

We are all guilty of this to a degree. I know I freak out when students put brushes upside down in the brush cup. In fact, students laugh at me at times because I go on and on about putting markers in the PENCIL drawer. Yet, there is more to this story.

I recently had a discussion with an art gallery owner. It was obvious to me he didn't know what he was talking about. However, I kept my mouth shut because he had some kind of weird power. He has a gallery. I don't. Therefore, I was mum. He rejected me after it was all over. Actually, I was relieved. I felt bad midway through the process. I knew all this was not for me. I knew he didn't understand my work. I knew, I didn't respect his gallery work. It was all good and ended as it should. I felt GOOD about the rejection! The thing that made me think twice was this POWER issue. He said "NO". That was the power he had. In other words with all the things going on in the world, he used her piddley power to reject me. I equate that same gesture with the kid who works at Burger King and told me I couldn't have a second salad dressing with my salad. It seems we have all fallen into a trap. I see a hegemonic zeitgeist. We, our societal pulse, longs for some kind of control. We want our own power even if it is menial and petty.
We need to STOP.

We all have power. I just hope we use it well.
STOP the negativity and avoid using your little bits of control to alienate people.
If we all do this, the world will be a better and a much happier place.

Art Blog: Pure Creativity

Before I say anything, I would like you to look at this work. What do you think? Do you have ideas about the artist? The work?

This week, I viewed a documentary titled "MAKE". This film documents the works of a few outsider artists. One artist in the movie is Judith Scott(1943-2005). Born with Down Syndrome and rendered deaf after suffering Scarlet Fever during infancy, she lived with her family until age 7. As was the custom of the time, she was put in an institution around 1950. Also, she had a twin sister, Joyce.

Joyce endured emotional pain being separated from her twin, Judith. Finally in 1986, Joyce became Judith's legal guardian and took her home to live with her family. Joyce enrolled Judith in day care facility for the disabled called "Creative Growth". It was quickly discovered Judith was not a painter. She had no interest 2D art. However, she started collecting objects from the studio and began wrapping and knotting. The works above are just a few of the hundreds she made over the last years of her life.

The reason I wanted to write about Judith's work is because I am fascinated by the fact she didn't call herself an artist. She didn't really know what art is. She just had the compulsion to create. She had a ongoing creative obsession. If you have the opportunity to see the film "MAKE", you will see she is very self driven and possessive of her art works. She was not being guided to do the work. It was her work.

We know so little about our brains and creativity. We all have notions of what it is to be creative. We all have our opinions about who is or who is not an artist. However, people like Judith are here to remind us of how we know so little about real art or the seeds of creative process. Her work has given me new thoughts and ideas about motivation and my own inner longing to MAKE art. This is Judith Scott, the artist.

Click to go to the "MAKE" website to view the trailer of this documentary.

Art Blog: Young Artist / Old Artist

These days, I am surrounded by young artists. Some are very young. Once again, I am teaching college age students. Some of them have unbelievable talent and untapped skill. Also, they are full of wonder and enthusiasm. They are like sponges wanting to know who, how, what, why, and when as it pertains to anything ART. Sometimes, I will be looking at their young faces as I show them an artist's work or a new technique. Their reactions are so fresh and full of excitement. I remember when I was like that.

It isn't that art has become mundane or uninteresting for me. I think my flames of creative desire have burned down to sparkling embers which continue to glow. I will admit it takes something special to make the burn jump and spark into fire. On a recent trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, there was a little flash.

As I walked gallery to gallery, I started realizing that I have seen tens of thousands of works of art in my life. Between artist's studios, galleries, and museums, the number of works I have viewed could never be counted. I started thinking about getting older and how my taste and interests in art have changed over time. Like most artists, I have my own art history that is reflected with each decade.

When I was in high school, I would pour over encyclopedic, art history books. You know the kind. I would peruse pulp, art history volumes which summed up art history in 200 pages. I teethed my way through antiquities to modern art. I remember being in love with the Impressionists. I especially loved Renoir. Those puffy soft brush strokes and rosy colors fit in with my romanticized vision of being an artist.

My first years in college, I became interested in all things Monet. His use of color and concern for light were fascinating to me. I would look at works like his haystacks and Rouen Cathedral for hours. I understood what it was like to view the works of a master.

In later college days, conceptual and minimal art was all the rage. It wasn't for me. I found myself going to the Detroit Institute of arts and hanging around with the primitives. The raw energy and pureness of intent was so real to me. This art was human and emotive. Maybe this interest came as a backlash to the cerebral art of the '70s. I wanted to see the "hand of the artist" (not a formula or work by assistants). To this day, all primitive art speaks to me.

As I turned the corner at the museum, this tiny piece caught my eye and brought a smile. It brought back a sweet memory. Years ago, I was in an artist's NY studio. He had a piece by some artist from the Ashcan School hanging over his bed. I can't remember whose work it was, but I remember staring at this piece and asking him about it. He said it was an original and it had been a gift. After seeing that piece, I became enthralled with all art ashcan.

CLICK PHOTO FOR LARGER VIEW

In recent years, my interest in raw, human art has transformed into loving naive and outsider art. Actually, this interest dates back to the same time I loved Monet. My professor at the time, David Barr, turned me onto both genres of art history. To this day, I excitedly flip the pages of Raw Visions Magazine. It was there, I was introduced to the work of Mary Proctor. When I saw this piece at the museum I was reminded that excitement for art was still there in my heart.

There is a yin/yang to whether you are a young, enthusiastic artist or seasoned creator. Those days of bright eyes are wonderful. However when you are able to count your art years, it is joyous too.

Art Blog: Just get it DONE

Every artist knows what it is like to be alone. I mean really alone. Studio time is solitary. We can go hours and days without speaking to anyone as we hunch over our potentially brilliant creations. During these times, it is easy to get inside our own heads. The tape is running constantly. Not only are we thinking about what color to use next or whether to use wood or canvas, we also let our minds drift into the areas of what will be the response to this work? How will it be received? Will this piece lead to the next or will it be a onetime wonder? What? Why? How? Where? When?

Blah, blah, blah. Shhhhhh.... There are times when you want your mind to just STOP! This is why I like this Warhol quote so much. I can hear Andy's squeaky voice mouthing the words. "Just get it done!" "Let other's decide..." In other words, we are not in it at that point. Our work as artists is about making the art. Once it is done, our job is to make more. Let the art go out into the Universe and others can take it or leave it. It isn't about us anymore.

Yesterday, I was browsing Facebook and Karen Keimig Warner put up a link to an artist, Daniel Essig. He is a sculptor and maker of handmade books. I went to the link and I was blown away. His work is pure beauty. As I shuffled through all the photos in his portfolio, I was taken aback. The work is raw, natural, and amazing. The thought came to me that some of this work is not for everyone. I mean, unless you have a certain kind of art "eye", you might think some of this work is wonky or weird. Obviously, Daniel doesn't care about that kind of judgment. He just keeps making art. HIS ART. As artists we are alone in the studio, but thankfully we are still connected to each other via the internet and community. We need to embrace each other and share our commonalities. We should cheer each other on because we know what we do is good and right.
So just get it done.

Seeing this handmade book sculpture took my breath away.
"While they are deciding, make even more art!" says Mr. Warhol.
It looks like this is what Daniel Essig does.
Bravo to him!!
Click photo to see more of Mr. Essig's wonderful works.

Art Blog: Is your ART relevant?

I think one of the reasons I am sinking my soul into my day job is because I have come to a point in which all my art efforts have become inert. I spent the last year making, hawking, and marketing until the point I am almost blue. No deals. Nothing. Nada. Silence.

I have dealt with rejection for over 40 years, but this is ridiculous. In fact, this doesn't even resemble rejection. What I am experiencing is total indifference. This is worse! I started thinking about the idea of the contemporary relevance of my work. I could stand before you while showing any one of my series and could spiel out the relevance and tell you why my work is current and important. The problem is that isn't really possible. My work is here. You are there. Also, I don't really believe in explaining anything.

I have spoken about MARGARET a number of times. She is 82 years old (83 next week). She is like my imaginary mentor. I look to her and her videos and think "I want to be like her in twenty years!". She just got back from India after spending time with the Siddis quilters. She learned the techniques and has produced a body of work. Now, she is trying to market them or at least find a venue to show the work. She hasn't had great response yet and she tells of her frustration in this video. I totally "get it". I too am amazed at the idea of non-response. It rocks you to the core of your being.

I agree with Margaret (atree3). There is a moat or a bridge (?) between the making of the art and the marketing of the art. Like Margaret, I love the process of the making. I love the alone time. I love the quiet. However, the marketing part is like the Tower of Babel to me. There is all kinds of chitter, chatter, and noise, followed by a deafening silence. This is OK though. I know Margaret's work is incredible. I know what I do is right and true. We are both on one side of the BRIDGE.
Come join us.

Click on photo to hear some atree3 brilliance!

Art Blog: NOW WHAT?

If I have accomplished anything, it is to be honest about my art life. You see artists online singing the glories of being an artist. This is true; there is a great side. We get to express ourselves, produce work we love, and share our thoughts and feelings with others. That can be glorious. For new artists it is bright and shiny. It can seem like a disco ball of life. Just saying the words "I am an artist" can be titillating and so much fun. Chests puff up and long for pounding after this grandiose proclamation. There is some kind of heroic and austere notion about that label: ARTIST

However, it is very different after years and years and decades and decades. You suddenly STOP for a moment and need to take a relook. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? What is the point? What NOW?
I am going through this stage now. I have a great history. I have many, many wonderful art experiences. I have had success. I am entering into my last years now. I figure if I am lucky, I have twenty years left. So I am in a position of asking "What now?" I have done and experienced so much ART LIFE, I have what I call "Been there, done that" syndrome. In other words, I see young artists showing their work and being so excited. They sell a painting and they are so jazzed. Well, I have shown and sold many paintings in my art life.

That feeling isn't all that exciting anymore. I have worked in the studio for thousands of days. I have worked alone as a tribute to my craft. I have sat in galleries for hours and paid my dues. I have experienced the feelings of others loving my work and I appreciated their notice. That part has been all good, but what NOW?

I need to find something to get me excited about my art life. I have had the germ of an idea for years floating around in my mind. I have always wanted to take art "on the road". This is one of those bucket list things that just seems to never get crossed off the list. It just stays there on the crumpled paper with streaks of graphite almost obscuring the meager words. "Art Gallery on Wheels".

Well, it is time for me to start thinking about my bucket list items and figure out a way to cross them off my art life list. I saw this post today about Axle Art Gallery. I love it. I want it. I want to do that. Just this simple slide show gave me a new lease on life. I have a new goal now. I just have to figure out how to do it. It may take time, but time is all I have now.

I want that feeling of being proud of my art life.
I want to pound my chest one more time.