Passion of the Craft

(He’s passionate & cares about his craft).

The last blog post. Treat alert! What’s even more of a treat? only the fact that this weeks readings and lecture guest were hands down my absolute favorite. Perfect way to end the Artist Experience. 

At first I was actually extremely concerned when Donal Morgan started speaking. Judging purely on appearance, he seemed rather dull (no offense, but he did show up holding a coffee mug and a tucked in shirt). I was also slightly confused when he started his slide show, it didn’t register right away that he was showing his influences and not his own work at first. But after about 10 minutes, I realized this was the most legit (too legit to quit) artist I’ve heard in this class. I could directly relate to what he was articulating. My favorite thing, besides his actual work, was the fact that I could directly connect his work to what he showed for his influences. 

I hadn’t realized until this class that I really, really hate hidden meanings. I like to able to make the connection, without a load of background information and critical thinking. By all means, we need that kind of work in the world...I just don’t like it. Personal choice. 

Also, his sense of humor was right along the lines of what mine is. So that helped. Plus, his work was extra interesting because it dealt with Oregon and nature... and what kind of Oregonian doesn’t love nature? There isn’t an Oregonian that doesn’t love nature. They simply don’t exist. 

The readings dealt with Leo Castelli, a famous ‘enlightened’ art dealer. He was m favorite, hands down, cards on the table. He was so real, so down to earth.  He was talking about the Whitney show in 1993 and said ““..but most of them had absolutely no aesthetic qualities--which a work of art must, after all, have. It can’t just be purely based on some kind of idea that the artist may have about the present times and world”

Bingo! Bango! Bongo! He said what I’ve been feeling this whole term. With much of the art we looked at, or just art I’ve seen recently, I feel like it’s almost trying too hard. Its trying to convey too many political opinions or personal feelings. Leo Castelli, has a very real view on the art world. He spoke about the art world moving through trends and seamlessly flowing from one movement to the other. He finally realized that he was falling out of the trends, art was being taken out of museums and into the community and into the streets. Also, a new movement of artists emerged, they where more interested in the fame and becoming celebrities than the actual craft.  But he continues to live and work with CONFIDENCE. Confidence is key!

My last thoughts on Leo were his thoughts on the direction art is headed in now, “and now we are, i think, out of it, and art is struggling again to do something meaningful”...

For my visual response was a piece Andy Warhol did of Leo, I thought it was fitting. 

And hey, why not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAoVj0-bZkI

This is just for fun.

The Keeper of the Ordinary

Barbara Kishenblatt-Gimblett, what a name. What a gal. She was the focus of Suzi Galibiks interview for this weeks readings, and what a star she is. Barbara described herself as a “curator of vernacular arts”. Naturally I was first confused on what this meant, so I went ahead and looked up ‘vernacular’ (the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region) and then ‘curator’ to get the most technically meaning (a keeper or custodian of a museum). What a unique way of describing oneself! The keeper of the ordinary. Sounds so professional. Actually it reminds me of some tribe, living untouched by civilization, keeping the ways of the original humans. Or something ridiculous like that, very scared, very important. 

Anyways, that’s enough of a side-note. Let’s get down to business.

She touched on topics that have been discussed throughout the whole book, I found her ideologies very approachable to new-comers. Or at least the way she talked about her position and feelings about the art world where non-aggressive. Which was appreciated. Too many times in this book I have felt that idea were thrown at me. It was like a brick in the face. Speaking of which. Tannaz. Whoa. What a interesting individual. I don’t think I have ever met or heard a more random artist. I honestly didn’t get it, any of it. She would show a piece and say that it came from like 28 different influences, which makes sense, we draw on multiple experiences and visions to create. But the things she pulled out had no connection and made absolutely no sense. First it was a test tube, then she read a poem, then it looked like robots and then were tulips in cinderblocks. It was like jumping trains, but each train was a new idea and they where going different directions. I tried to follow, guess I just couldn’t make the jump. Not today at least. 

But I don’t want to criticize her work. Its like what Barbara said, “I don’t have to like everything I see in order to find it worthwhile. Liking it is not a measure of worth, of value”. Tannaz’s work had a great amount of careful thought and care poured into it. And for that I appreciate it. But I will say this, the main problem I had with her work was that it couldn’t  fully be understood simply by looking at it. She had so many random and intricate influences. It was actually became very frustrating because I couldn’t see the connections. That’s why I looked her work up on the Oregon website, I loved what I saw. This might be partly because I was taking it at face value, and not trying to analyze and pick out exactly what idea she is trying to put across. So, I guess I do enjoy her work, just not the explanations that came with it. 

Back to Barbara. (I liked her) ((I’m just going to talk about things I found interesting in the reading)) She had this idea that we need to scrap distinctions and start all over again. She said this when asked if gardens where for aesthetic pleasure or for food production...I liked this because its back to the basics that everything is beautiful and we need to go back to appreciating, essentially, everything in the earth.. She also touched on the ‘art of living which she explained gives value to form. I took that as it gives us as humans value. Neato.

Visual Response. For some reason two images kept popping up into my head during lecture today, 1. Monet’s haystack sunset series ( no idea why, but it happened) and 2. Kanye West, this was mainly because I felt that Tannaz had a slight ego,. I felt like I was being talked at, not to during lecture. So Kanye seemed fitting, you know what they say, Kanye’s almost as big as Kanye thinks he is. Yup, that’s all I got. 

Miro Got Hops

The process. Its all about the process. It helps just further understand the meaning and effort of a piece. It can also explain the whole peace... Its like watching a race you don’t really understand what it means to win, unless you watch the athletes during the race.  Seeing sweat cascading down their faces, rib cages heaving in and out as they breathe and push their bodies to the peak of physical exhaustion. Unless you can observe this happen, the journey to the win. Not only the win, but anyone that crosses that finish line.  Its amazing. Its beautiful. Its an art.

I feel like this is a direct connection to the style of art that Terri Warpinski creates. Her layering style on photographers was extremely beautiful, but in most of them, I’m afraid to say that I wasn’t able to see the work she’d applied to the surface. But once she pointed it out, the photos started popping off the screen with texture and life. 

Terri also had an interesting statement that her favorite tool was an eraser. This was such an interesting thought to me because it speaks a great deal about her art. She is not trying to add pieces into the already chaotic art world, but instead she is drawing on influences from nature and already existing structures to create her work. Her photographs are things people have seen and know about, but with her own unique and creative approach these photos are transformed into masterpieces.

Her statement about erasers also struck me because I feel the polar opposite about erasers. I hate them. I draw in pen, always. I like the idea that even if you make a line/shape/mark that you didn’t intend, it turns into a little game of transforming the piece around that. Its like my mother always told me (she’s an art teacher) “there are no mistakes in art”. This is the reason she never gives her student erasers, because there are no mistakes. I think this is a beautiful and clever philosophy.

As far as the readings go for this week, I was kind of confused. Not about the material... But more the main point. I felt like Richard Shusterman was scatter brained and all over the place. At first I thought he was arguing that art and life need to be in union and be more integrated, but then the very next paragraph is claiming the exact opposite. That art should be seen as a process. He stated “ what you’re doing us producing an object through special kill, but not through you essential character.” (254)... I had some problems with this, from a previous blog I expressed that I judge art not only on the final product, but also the artist as a whole. It helps me understand what they were trying to get across. Much like Terri’s work, I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about her work without her passion and concern with what the pictures meant. 

Anyways. I wasn’t too moved or motivated by anything in lecture or the readings this week... so for my visual response I picked Joan Miro... Not really for any particular reason other than the fact that he is my absolute favorite. I love everything about his work and his style. He is one of my main influences in art. Hands down a GEM. 

This one's a real treat, some crafted air Jordan shoes inspired by Miro. Gotta love em.

Change, it's not just something in your pocket.

Guerilla Girls: self-proclaimed art conscience of the art. Out to make Feminism sexy, funny and positive. 

First off, how on earth did I not know about the Guerrilla Girls! They are my kind of people. Angry anonymous artists. Well, they are not exactly my kind of people, but I can definitely appreciate their work, and what they stand for. Their basic stance is to integrate women into the ‘system’. This system is dominated by white males in all fields of the art world (museums, sellers, other artist, etc.). They are also fighting for lasting changes towards equality with issues in both racism and gender. 

I find that I often have problems with artists who are too forward with their messages, that’s partly why I had such a hard time with Suzi Gablik. She came off very pessimistic and dead set on this idea that we’re in an apocalyptic era. Way too much negativity (it’s bad for the complexion)...Anyways, the approach that Guerilla Girls are taking is very encouraging to me, one of them said this during the interview; “the whole point of out anonymity is that we don’t use the Guerrilla Girls to further our own careers... we focus on issues and not on our specific careers...that way we speak for more people” (215). This is powerful noninvasive/unifying tactic because they are able to address problems within an extremely difficult and influential system with tasteful humor. The posters they design are harmless, but make very clear points about the discrimination that's occurring within museums and the art world in general. 

They attack the head honchos of the art world. These are the mind and voices that are most influential on society and the way that culture thinks. It only takes one tree to start forest. It only takes one voice for change. Another issue they address is the idea of a ‘change of heart’. This is a very long and subtle process, and they approach it was realistic goals. That’s probably why I like the idea of this group so much, they have goals, but they aren’t demanding. They understand that an entire system can’t be changed over night. Its all about small victories. 

To totally switch sides of the spectrum, Mary Jane Jacobs. Taking it to the people!. She is an outside of the box type of gal. But I still found her quite enjoyable. She experienced, for years, what it was like to be on the inside of those white walls. She found that it was not enough for her, or society, for that matter. I loved her ideas of art forming communities. That social interaction would draw people together and perhaps start a movement of some kind. Or maybe I am just hoping that some sort of movement would emerge. Anyways,. another thing that I liked were her thoughts on why certain pieces make it into museums... because they are “in”. Its in the museum because its what’s ‘hot’. These are the most pointless pieces to me, they are not timeless, they are only relevant to the time and issues of that day. Anyways. Mary Jane, totally winner in my book. 

Visual Response:

I have no idea why, but Friedensreich Hundertwasser kept popping into my head. This guy is absolutely nuts. He’s a freak. And I love it. Its almost obnoxious how ‘out there’ he is. I thought of him mainly because he knew how to take his art to the next level. He decorated buildings, people couldn’t escape his work... not they would want to, but all the same. I guess I connected the idea of displaying art on massive levels to the public... which loosely applies to the art that Mary Jane and the Guerilla Girls do/did.

Jacob Lawrence.

American Heros

What a couple of gems we had this week. Treats all around! First off reading about Coco Fusco and her bizarre and challenging tactics in approaching art. Plus mister Ron Graff in the flesh! That man is oozing with personality and spunk, which for me personally is really what I needed from this class...I found myself extremely  discouraged and slightly threatened from the readings and guest artist last week. But all that aside, because this week I get to talk about those little beams of light. Yes!

I think one of the main reasons I loved hearing Ron Graff’s story was because it was so...unnatural, if you will. His story went against every typical ‘child born artist’, who never had any doubt in their mind that they were artists and created masterpieces from the time they could open their eyes (gag me). True art takes work, some people might be more inclined (God bless em), but it still takes work. A lot of it. 

Just the fact that he started out on a rough path, having to choose between the Navy or prison at such a young age. On top of this, it sounded like he was genuinely clueless when it came to art. He reminisced on the story of painting his first live model and not knowing where to start (he started on the nipple). I admired his ability in time management and studio discipline. He applied himself wholeheartedly to every new skill set he experimented with. Not to mention he was even willing to step over that line of what was considered to be his well established style. Grant it, he might have burned the paintings afterwards.... he still did them, he gets fun points for that. Lots of them. Basically he was just a breathe of fresh air for me. An extremely talented artist, who was extremely down to earth... Just like Coco Fusco!

Coco Fusco, what a hidden secret! At first I was like, “oh, great another extremist whose a diehard environmentalist”, but SURPRISE! She an extremely legit artist who can express her views without 1) forcing them on to you or 2) making you feel like a horrible person (she’s a winner in my book). She had a very interesting point dealing with how we look on our lives; she stated that we need to share BOTH pessimistic and optimistic views. This is such a simple idea, but I think we often get so caught up on being on side A (the world is ending tomorrow) or side B (we’re invincible)... sometimes I feel like there isn’t a happy in between, but there is. Neato. 

“For myself, I like to think of a productive relationship to society and to creating cultures as being back-and-forth kind of movement between going out into the world and learning about people, places and situations, and then going back and reflecting on them in the work that I do” (332) I pulled this quote out because I thought it hit the jackpot. I feel like this theory/practice can be implemented to art. I feel like this is how I make art, I dwell on experiences I have had in the real world...and then I generally abstract them... Regardless, I was thoroughly entertained this week. 

Visual Response:

This week I picked Jacob Lawrence’s work. I love everything about him. Anyways, I chose his work because when I was a youngster my Momma & I went to the Settle Art museum to one of his exhibits. There they had his paintings, obviously, but they also had the tools he worked with. They where simple, hand made and extremely humble. My mom cried because she was so touched at the beautiful pieces he could create with so little. I have always remembered this because, here was this amazing artist, but he lived & created with such simplicity. It just reminded me of the artists this week. 

Charlie Brouwer

Old School

Hilton Kramer. What a guy. No, but seriously. I actually found much of what he said to be in accordance with what I personally feel about the direction art is heading in today. We don’t agree on all of the issues addressed, but a good chunk of it. Plus he is what I would consider a Grandpa; totally old school & stubborn. But you know what? Will Ferrell starred in a movie called Old School, it was delightful. Point of that... being old school isn’t always bad. 

The first concept that I identified with was linking moral life to art. Or as Kramer put it, “living up to one’s highest abilities”. This is the idea of not just taking art at face value for its aesthetic appeal, but also taking into account the artists lifestyle. This includes relationships, his/her attitude, morals and over all experiences in life. After all, if art is meant to be an outward expression of the artist...wouldn’t a little background information help us  further understand the artist and their work?  Kramer used Picasso (scumbag) as an example. This doesn’t under-mind his work in anyway, I happen to think its beautiful. But, I suppose I feel its important to have a back story with art, it helps me identify, connect and have a greater appreciation for what I’m looking at. 

 

For example, Jack Ryan came into class this week and shared his work with us. It was interesting to say the least...I was personally quite confused with most of it. The sound wave/deafening experiment was, in short, horrible. (Not art). He just wanted to see if we could hear...Well, I could before class... Anyways, we then saw his film”Blue Skies, There She Blows”. I didn’t actually get what I was looking at, I didn’t see the humor in it; it was just a youtube video. I won’t even get started on the Maalox Infinity piece...or the videos. Actually, I will. I hated all of them, especially ‘Salt’. That was just creepy & confusing, I even had a “wft?” moment in class. 

Okay, so here is my point; clearly I do not appreciate Jack Ryan’s work, but upon hearing his life and all of the bizarre experiences he’s been through (being a commercial fisherman, living in a crime scene aka Alaska, teaching in New York etc.) I had a whole new appreciation for what he was presenting. It didn’t matter that I had no appeal to it whatsoever. Obviously not everyone is going to consider the same things art, but there is a big difference in writing something off, and at least having an appreciation for the craftsmanship and dedication that was put into a piece.

My visual response this week is work done by Charlie Brouwer. To many his work simply appears as ladders in random arrangements, which technically, is what it is. But it is his reasoning for using ladders that makes me love his work. He is a rather spiritual guy, so the ladders are symbols of reaching upwards, to a higher understanding.

The Rainstrom & The River Are My Brothers.

Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds are an excellent example of going to the extreme. Some people hug trees, wear tye-dye & braid hemp to show their environmental side, but this couple  sold/destroyed  essentially everything they owned and immersed themselves into the wild. Pure, raw nature. What a pair of little champions. 

I think what they did was courageous to say the least. It takes serious dedication to abandon your your belongings, one of which was their refrigerator. (I personally love cheese and ice cream, Im never leaving my baby fridge). But just because I refuse to leave my fridge does not mean I don’t agree with the ideas they expressed; my personal favorite was that the world needs to heal itself. Because as humans, with out toxic lifestyles and egos have put our environment on a fast track to a full blown apocalypse. Ops. 

Anyways, Rachel & Rob were simply trying to make lifestyle changes and go back to the basics; to stop separating themselves from separation and connect with the real world. They found that art was an isolator, and as artists they were living for their art and not living life as an art form. This is a very beautiful idea to me. Its put life into perspective, that we shouldn’t be waiting for those oh so ‘special’ moments in life, but instead realize that they are all special. (heart warming, isn’t it?)

From an ecological stand point, if the human race died off the world wouldn’t change that much, it would probably repair itself and start over. This proves that we are not the center; it’s not all about us. We are just some small part in a giant machine. Rob & Rachel decided to take radical steps in decentering themselves and  started focusing and immersing themselves into the current world around them. They gained a new point of view on life as well as empathy for the world, just like Pocahontas! Treat alert! Moral of the story, be like Pocahontas. K, see ya later... Kidding.

Eco-Artist Colin Ives came to speak to us on Tuesday. He was very interesting guy... He seemed to be practicing art ‘for a cause’ in a much more reasonable/practical way. Although, I did not find his work practically captivating, I thought the ideas were very innovative and have a high potential in bringing awareness to the general public about “urban wildlife” and other environmental issues.

I think we need more people like Colin Ives, in the way that he is trying to help. He is bringing knowledge and awareness by putting himself in the middle of conflict, instead of removing himself entirely. Rob & Rachel may be having the time of their lives, but it isn’t helping anyone here in the real world. 

Colors of the Wind

What Is Art?

What a nice question. Well, so far we’ve learned that art can be anything from a performance artist being shot in the arm (Chris Burden), an evolutionary survival tool, an object that anyone calls ‘special’, a ‘fishnet’ sculpture, to something as simple as a painting in a gallery. I can’t say that I wholeheartedly agree or identify with any one of one those ideas, but perhaps a combination of them. Art to me is an abstract form of what words cannot express. It is an outlet of emotion one exerts into something physical.

I feel that in today’s society, we are desperate to find & apply some profound significance to every aspect of our lives. The idea that nothing is as it seems The same idea is being applied to art. Art might be this ‘innate urge’ that’s laced within our bones & pumping through our veins. An urge that makes us create these masterpieces that reflect our culture & feelings & political conflicts blah blah blah... Or it might just be art... Art for art sake... I definitely think there can be art, just for the hell of it. It doesn’t always have to be complicated. 

I like Suzi Gablik’s idea of shifting art from a visual literature to a conversation. I think this is beautiful concept that can lead to expansion of art and unity. But does this shift have to reflect every current global issue? does it always have to have a hidden meaning that makes you read between the lines? No. For me, I think sometimes there really isn’t anything between those lines. They are just lines. So stop looking. 

This whole concept of hidden messages is why I had problems with the reading this week, along with the art we looked at. It was interesting, sure, but the satires? the cloaked political expressions? the underlying anger? Yeah, not for me. Call me a traditionalist or naive, but I like happy & uncomplicated. I mean, I’m glad this art exist, but I don’t care for it. Sorry, I’ll just stick to my happy-go-lucky, carefree attitude.