If art is simply a matter of personal taste, then what's the point of expending all of this energy? We need to discuss art. That's were its power and importance lie. A canvas hanging on the wall is just a thing. It is the discussion that it is able to elicit that makes it a "special" thing.
By the way, in my "What is Art?" thread, I never stated that art had to be "gallery approved". I did insist that a work has to be presented in order for the work to be "art".
“The reward of art is not fame or success but intoxication: that is why so many bad artists are unable to give it up.” – Cyril Connolly
“Sex is like art. Most of it is pretty bad, and the good stuff is out of your price range.” – Scott Roeben
“Life doesn’t imitate art, it imitates bad television.” – Woody Allen
But I've experienced a helluva lot of bad art - sometimes at the tip of my own brush.
There's lots of adjectives to use with art. ANNOYING art. BEMUSING art. CHAOTIC art. DECORATIVE art. EFFUSIVE art. FLAGRANT art. GRANDIOSE art. HORRIFIC art . . . Bad art hardly describes that icky feeling in the pit of your stomach as you suddenly come in contact with SOME art. Or what is shown as art.
For instance, I've never liked Mr. Soup Can's 'art' because it was as false as some of the digital art these days. I used to be a camera operator for printing - used to make negatives/positives. Used to play around with it. I know exactly how Mr. Soup Can did his "work" and it was baloney. That he ended up so rich & famous made me nuts. When so many REAL artists of REAL talent and REAL hard work were passed by. Grrrr.
There are people showing things on this website who are claiming it's art when in fact it's only photoshopped photos and not even interesting. These are bullsh*t artists, in my opinion.
But I never jump on anyone who tries out their hand at real art. People need to be more creative. It's a key to survival. And it makes the world a lot more liveable.
I have been reading magazines like Cloth, Paper, Scissors for the last few months and Art Journaling Magazine too. I have seen lots of mixed media type "art" which is based on colored pencils, gesso, glues, sparkly stuff and other cutesy-pie mediums of the type found at places like Hobby Lobby and Michael's. Before 2012 I had never even been in a "craft" store.
I started out trying to learn a little about visual journaling which I thought might interest some high school students I was mentoring at the time in art. I found myself being drawn into the rabbit's hole as it were though. One thing led to another and before you knew it I had bought ink daubers, glitter powders, little pastel ink stamp pads then clear acrylic stamps and various other crafting things. I bought metal and beads and made several earrings and a couple of rings. In short, I went a little nuts. Then I started making tiny books out of scrap bond paper and it was thrilling beyond words. Using gesso, wax paper, scrap bond paper with old tax returns and maps on the sheets and ink pads and stamps and a little bit of acrylic paint I made small books that satisfied my need to express myself. I don't consider them art - please believe me when I say they are not works of art - but I was hooked on them anyway.
last week, at 2 in the morning, I drew a simple outlined head copied from a stamp I saw online and colored and gessoed and stamped it. I uploaded it on facebook and got a huge response!!!! I was so pissed off I almost destroyed the head. I sealed it under some encaustic wax and gave it away immediately or I would have taken a torch and burned it alive.
Why? Well, it wasn't art to me. It was childish and fun but not what I would consider art. Unfortunately other people didn't see it as silly they saw it as art. I never get comments on my other art - even here on my portfolio and certainly not on facebook. Nobody buys my art and while my friends are supportive towards me they aren't crazy in love with my artwork. I have my artwork up for sale at etsy, on ebay occasionally, on redbubble, on fineartamerica, and no sales or interest. I upload a foolish drawing of a girl's head and have several people sparring over who gets it on a social networking site. To say I was conflicted was an understatement.
The eye opening revelation came after I expressed my outrage to my husband and another artist friend. My husband said it best. he asked me if I wanted to spend my life being a transmitter or a translator? As a good technician, he saw me as being a translator - someone who could accurately interpret what I saw. he felt that the head I drew, as simplistic as it was, was a transmitter kind of art. It wasn't technical prowess it was something unseen that drew people to it like moths to a flame.
I was astonished that something so (to me) mundane could have such an effect even on people who knew me and my art well. What I am learning is how to unlock being a transmitter. maybe that's they key ingredient to being "good." I don't know but I thought I would share this thought with y'all.
A bad movie for example.
In today's art world however are that is so ugly it stinks is becoming the "IT ART" of the pop scene. If it's awful it gets headlines. With this in mind the just blindfold yourself and make art if you want real financial success. The more people hate it the more your work becomes appreciated and you may become a celebrity.
With this in mind then you are free to produce crap and just see what happens!
Andy Warhol
The funny thing is, should I do a painting let's say like 'The Spear' which made headlines around the world, then all of a sudden my 'Bad' becomes all of a sudden 'Good' in the eyes of the exploiters.
To them a simple mark on a canvas would be 'Good' and 'Bad' to me.
As usual, I believe it is 'Who you know', that brings you succes in the art industry. Unfortunately, I still have not met the right 'Who'.
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