Author: MaryGwyn
Artist-Art Educator-Art in Healthcare
Weekend Inspiration–Looking to Each Other
“You can look anywhere and find inspiration.” Frank Gehry (from The Painter’s Keys)
Dry spells, days without inspiration, lack of incentive can happen at anytime to any artist. You show up at the studio, sit in front of an empty canvas or paper and nothing happens. Nothing is working. You looked to all your usual sources of inspiration and still nothing. So what now? You can give up and walk away or you can look to your fellow artists.
Stories are everywhere of artists who worked in groups. The Impressionists were noted for it. Monet and Renoir occasionally painted the same subjects. Picasso and Braque explored cubism together. The tales of artists gathering together in Paris cafes and bars are well known. The Abstract Expressionists frequently met in New York at various locations. Artists are gathering today. Are you one of them?
Gathering with fellow artists today does not necessarily mean physically meeting in a restaurant or studio. Artopia Magazine suggests, “Following artists on social media is a great source for finding inspiration on many levels.” Taking the time to “like” other artists on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, read artist’s blogs and check out artists websites are all ways to gather with other artists in today’s internet world. Artists are doing amazing things all over the world. All it takes is a couple of clicks to enter a world of inspiration from fellow artists.
Indiemade.com suggests joining a local art group and if you don’t have one, start one. Find a group of other artists and make plans to meet together. You can choose to take a meal together regularly just to discuss art in general. You could meet together for some Plein Air painting. Another possibility is potluck once a month rotating at each other’s studios. Find your fellow local artists and make a plan.
When you are blanking out on inspiration, look around at other artists and see what they are up to. If you find your fellow artist also in a blank place maybe you can inspire each other. And if not, you can always commiserate with one another until new sources of inspiration can be found. Nobody stays dry forever. Companionship during the dry times may help move the dryness on down the road.
Colorful Fridays–Incredible Inedible Yellow Reds
“There is no blue without yellow and orange.” Vincent Van Gogh (from Brainyquote)
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters preferred heavy applications of opaque paints. Among the favored paints of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists were the cadmium family of yellows, reds and oranges. The cadmiums make rich, strong dominant colors in any painting. Fears of toxicity with the cadmiums have limited their use for many artists. However, some minor precautions will prevent the harmful effects of the cadmiums allowing artists to make use of these paints without concern.
The cadmiums are toxic only if you eat them or inhale them. Chances of toxicity through the skin are limited but you probably wouldn’t want to paint yourself with them either. One source says a potential point of toxicity is smoking with cadmium paint on your fingers. The paint absorbs into the cigarette facilitating inhaling the paint into the lungs where it becomes carcinogenic. Best not smoke and paint at the same time. (Well, best not smoke at all but who’s lecturing!) If mixing dry paint pigments, wear an appropriate mask. If you are concerned with the toxicity, paint with colors labeled “hue” as in cadmium yellow hue. These are entirely free of the cadmium toxins. Listed below are links to safety sites with more information.
Taking proper precautions with the cadmiums will enable their use in myriad ways. Gary Bolyer on his website lists two important points to success with the cadmiums. First use only Cadmium Yellow Light and Cadmium Red Light. Secondly, refrain from mixing the cadmiums with white. Mixing with white will result in chalky, diluted colors. (Follow the link to Boyler’s site for more success with the cadmiums). Gamblin says cadmium yellow was preferred by Claude Monet because of its higher chroma and its greater purity of color. There is more at Gamblin’s site, as well.
Rumor has it that Vincent Van Gogh’s problems were the result of the use of the cadmiums. According to the rumor, Vincent had a habit of holding his cadmium paint saturated brushes in his mouth. So if you don’t want to go off the deep end and cut your ear off, keep the cadmiums out of your mouth. Don’t smoke them either. Otherwise, you can enjoy the regular use of these beautifully rich opaque reds, yellows and oranges profusely in all your paintings.
Safety links:
Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Les Alyscamps” with lots of yellows, reds and oranges!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to All!!
The Plight of the Impudent Thief–UPDATE
The Plight of the Impudent Thief
A 24 million dollar loss in the art world has been replaced in the news by a one billion dollar find. Just weeks ago, the art world was lamenting the theft and probable burning of seven works of art from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam. Now comes a new report of the German find of over 1400 artworks in an apartment owned by an eighty year old man. The pain of loss is overcome by the joy of the new find. But the antics of the theft ringleader are quite entertaining. And insulting.
The Romanian ringleader of the art heist gang first attempted to have his trial moved from Romania to the Netherlands in hopes of a more lenient sentence. His bargaining chip was the promise to reveal the location of the art in exchange for the trial move. However, his loving mother may have nixed that plan when in an attempt to save her son, she stated she had burned them in her stove. The ashes in her stove have been confiscated and are being analyzed. She, apparently, didn’t have enough sense to get rid of the ashes, too. Forensic capabilities may have uncovered evidence that proves she did, in fact, burn the art in spite of a latter retraction.
When the trial move was denied, the ringleader’s next trick was to claim the museum had been complicit in the theft to benefit from an insurance claim. Or perhaps, it was the owner of the collection who was complicit. “Somebody”, claimed the thief, made the heist possible so “somebody” could get the insurance money. “Somebody” or “anybody” but the thief is responsible for the thief’s actions. He is certainly not responsible. He’s a good boy. Just ask his mother.
And if that wasn’t enough, he continued to add insult to injury. When the insurance claim idea was denied, he then threatened to sue the Museum, claiming it was the museum’s fault he stole the works because the museum’s security was not sufficient to prevent his theft. Essentially saying, “Its your fault I stole from you because you were not strong enough to stop me.” The sound of heads shaking can be heard. One wonders who is paying the lawyers to file this claim?
However, the pain of the theft was deeply felt by the art community and compounded by the continued brazenness of the ringleader. But all is not lost! The stolen Matisse and Picasso artworks were replaced in the heart of the art community by the newly found Matisse and Picasso artworks. The German find is many times larger than the Dutch theft. Will the thieving ringleader or his loving mother take credit for the find? Who cares? His fifteen minutes are over. Hope that Romanian prison food is tasty.
Note: The thief’s name has purposely been withheld in compliance with the fifteen minute rule.
The Dutch Heist and the German Find have been covered extensively by The Guardian. Read more here and here.
The Scotsman, the BBC, The Claims Journal, CNN, the New Yorker and more have all written about various aspects of the theft and trial. Follow the links for more on this intriguing story.
Update and a second fifteen minutes: The Ringleader and one of his accomplices have been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison. The ringleader’s mother is also soon to stand trial for her role in the possible destruction of the art. Hopefully, she will see a similar sentence. Couldn’t happen to a nicer family! Unfortunately, mom’s trial will add another fifteen minutes of fame to this thieving bunch.
The sentencing has been covered extensively. For more go to the following links:
Critical Distinctions
“The Distinctions of fine art bore me to death.” Maurice Sendak (from Brainyquote)
The debate has raged on and on over Fine Art versus Illustration. Is illustration fine art? Is fine art, illustration? Many a late night conversation among art students has debated this question. The snobbery on each side is rather humorous. Each believes his/her choice is the more worthy art. Blog posts abound on the topic. Will the question ever be answered? How will we sleep at night until we know the answer?
The lines cross so frequently it can make a body dizzy. This piece is fine art. That one is illustration. This work of fine art is also illustration. And this illustration is actually fine art. Some say illustration is in magazines and fine art is on gallery walls. But fine art also appears in magazines and illustration can be found in galleries. Maybe someone should put out a directional book so that viewers can identify which is which. The Complete Guide to Discerning Fine Art from Illustration would quickly become a best seller. The question then is who is going to write it? We can’t have a fine arts professional making the decision on illustration and vice versa. I can feel my head spinning!
What if the fine artists and the illustrators got together and decided they were really all the same group? An artist is an artist is an artist no matter what your chosen medium or place of commerce. It’s all one big happy family. Fine artists and illustrators are one in the same. The critics would be totally confused. They wouldn’t know who to criticize and who to ignore.
All could be harmony until the graphic designers hear about it and want to get in on the game. Since no one has settled the debate about whether graphic design is fine art or illustration or neither, they will have to join the family, too or that might set the debate spinning again. Perhaps it is best to just ignore the debate. Artists focus on art leaving the question of who’s who to the critics. Sorting it out gives the critics something to do and it is always better to keep them occupied. They get into trouble otherwise.
What Influence?
“Blessed is the influence of one true loving human soul on another.” George Elliot (from The Painter’s Keys)
A new book has recently been published reportedly naming the most influential art and artists of the last twenty years. The writer has singled out 100 artists to name as the top 100. If these are the most influential artists, then what does it say for us? What does it say for art? Judging from the list, it appears the art world still hangs onto the artists who can make the biggest political statement of some sort. It’s all about the statement.
Writing for Real Clear Arts in the Arts Journal blog, Judith Dobrzynski says of the book’s author, “It takes a lot of nerve, and the willingness to be wrong, incredibly wrong, to write the book that Kelly Grovier published in the U.S. this month (and in September in the U.K.).” The point is perhaps more to why he chose the art and artists he did and on what basis did he make his decisions? A number of the artists on the list are known more for their controversial statements than for their artistic skill.
Of course the list includes the much-heralded street artist, Banksy. Looking at Banksy’s many works on the walls, buildings and cars of New York City, one sees whimsical statements and cute figures. Lost in the moment are the owners of the properties that have been defaced and who must now pay to have the work removed. And what of he glorification of graffiti? Graffiti has damaged and defaced many beautiful, old and precious buildings. Is Banksy glorifying the destruction of other people’s property? Or is it okay to disrespect others in the name of art?
To many people, art is for beauty, for touching souls, for uplifting spirits. Making art that reaches into the heart and sparks a deep emotion is a wonderful thing. To stand in a room full of the all- encompassing powerful energy of beautiful works of art is a deeply moving experience. What does it say about us to be influenced more by a person who defaces the property of his fellow humans over the artist who strives to create a thing of beauty to share with others? Hopefully, Kelly Grovier is wrong in his choices.
Movie Madness
“Question what you see.” Rene Magritte
Surrealism followed Dada in the early twentieth century art movements. Where Dada made very little sense to the average viewer, Surrealism created abject confusion. But in the confusion of Surrealism was a kind of understanding. People generally recognized the confusion of dreams. Surrealism gave a name to that confusion. In dream discussions, people could talk with confidence about the “surreal dream” they had last night. Dada made very few inroads into the general population. Surrealism became a household name.
The teachings of Sigmund Freud were slowly gaining in popularity in the time period between World War I and World War II. Analyzing dreams became all the rage. The Paris art scene was home to the new surrealist visual artists and the surrealist poets. Spanish artist, Salvador Dali and Belgian artist Rene Magritte, led the surrealist artists early on and are likely the best known to this day, of the Surrealist Artists. Perhaps the movie industry is responsible for the continued popularity of the Surrealists.
Alfred Hitchcock brought the work of Dali into film and thus into the minds of the general population. The Hitchcock film, Spellbound with Gregory Peck featured a dreamscape sequence designed by Dali. Hitchcock, always on top of popular culture, created a masterpiece based on the trend of dream analysis. Hitchcock’s later film, Veritgo, featured surreal sequences, as well, though not designed by Dali. Veritgo recently surpassed Citizen Kane as the most popular film of all time. (My favorite is still The Birds).
Magritte’s work was less about dreams and more about questioning ways of looking at things. His painting, The Son of Man, owes a more recent surge in popularity to the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Pierce Brosnan and his co-conspirators, dressed as The Son of Man, escape undetected with stolen artwork. Men in bowler hats appear everywhere creating confusion with a bit of whimsy. Flashmobs in the bowler hats have also been trendy, as of late, inspired by the scene in the movie.
Without these movies to highlight the Surrealists, would their work have faded into history in the same way the Dada Movement did? Both movements were difficult to understand by the average person. Dada was just plain madness. Surrealism had the madness of dreams to grasp onto. Movies made the Surrealists’ madness comprehensible. And in the case of Magritte, the madness was light and whimsical, but madness all the same.
For more on the Surrealists:
New York’s Museum of Modern Art has a new exhibit of Rene Magritte’s work. The exhibit is titled, “The Mystery of the Ordinary.” CBS Sunday Morning featured the exhibit’s curator, Anne Umland talking about the exhibit here. The Huffington Post has a feature article on Dali’s dream sequence in Spellbound here.
Sunday Slideshow–Backyard Butterfly Theatre Company
Backyard Butterfly Theatre Company
During the hot summer days, the butterflies in the backyard got bored and decided to put on a few theatre productions to entertain the caretaker of the backyard. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was the first production. That was because the Monarch felt he could only play a part worthy of his regal-ness. The others gave in this time. For the next production, they may not be so willing to let him dictate the choice. We’ll see.
Weekend Inspiration–Watering the Drought
“The best cure for a dry spell is simply to keep at it. Good things are happening, soon to be revealed.” Eleanor Blair (from The Painter’s Keys)
Those first thoughts of panic when you find yourself in a dry spell can take over and consume you. What if you are never inspired again? What if this is it? Your artistic life is toast! You’re done. All the art in your soul has dried up and you will have to find something else to do. The love of your life has walked out the door. The cold hand of panic is about to get a firm grip on your throat. Everything you do is dry, dry, dry! You can go to the nearest bar and get stone cold drunk or you can sit down and take a deep breath. While taking that deep breath, check out what others suggest. Or wait until the hangover is over, then check out these suggestions.
Graham Mathews has several suggestions in an article for Artpromotivate. Number six on his list is to experiment with a different style or medium. Following this recommendation frequently leads to new discoveries that can change the course of your entire artistic direction. How many artists have you read about whose experiments in times of drought have resulted in the biggest breakthroughs of their career? If something is not working, that is usually a signal from the artist within that you are not listening. Trying something unfamiliar forces the outer artist to stop and pay attention to the inner one. A new direction can’t be put on automatic. It requires an effort on the part of the artist.
Another technique for breaking a dry spell is to return to original inspiration. PsychCentral.com has a blog post on creative block. Author Margarita Tartakovsky suggests stashing away anything that inspires you. Tartakovsky says tucking away interesting thoughts, quotations, films, ideas that strike your fancy can be a source for watering the drought. My favorite thing to do is collect images from magazines. I’ll tear out anything that even remotely looks interesting and put it in an inspirational images folder. Over the years, I have ended up with a number of folders. Sometimes I get a laugh from wondering why I chose certain images. But it causes me to rethink why I found those images inspirational in the first place.
Not giving in to panic is the best first step to getting through dry spells. Once you make that decision, trying some new things could be fun. It may keep you out of the bar. At the very least it will occupy your hands so they don’t continue moving up toward your neck region. While the hands are occupied, your inspirational wells are free to start working again. Once the wells are working, the water will start flowing. But if all else fails, you can try a rain dance. You never know. It may open up a new career for you as a dancer.