So, more about being an artist. One cool thing, that just came to me, is that people are interested in your life. Not just everyone has a profession like that. "Hmmm, the guy's a bookkeeper. I wonder what he's like at home? Does he have, like, mad mathematic skills?". I started this blog with the intention of explaining the different parts of art, the terminology, stuff like that. How to discuss art. Just how full of sh*t most of the art world phonies are. But first, I would like to address some questions I received in response to a Facebook post. In no particular order. They're all good, valid questions.
First question: "How do you pull the ideas?" I'm not sure about this one. I'm guessing (wouldn't want to assume) it's about how I pull the idea from the inspiration. I guess it depends on the inspiration. If I'm inspired by an emotion, I typically put paint on canvas while channeling that emotion. I look at the shapes, the colors, look for images in the chaos (like art Rorschach), then gradually work on accenting them and bringing them out. It ends up like this:
Or like this:
This one is "Make A Choice". It was kicked off Pinterest and banned from Facebook ads for being inappropriate. I'm not sure if it's because of the man with his hand resting on his fist, or because they think the face on the left looks like a breast. I like to think that's the reason, so I can refer to it as "The Nose Boob" painting. I really enjoy painting all of these. Some don't turn out well (good?) and I never show anyone. All fun to paint though.
Many of the questions asked about inspiration and the creative spark. I once read something to the effect of "an artist sets out to create when the pain of creating is overcome by the pain of not creating". I think that sums it up, at least for me. I do work a habit of painting, at least a bit, and drawing, at least a Zen doodle, every day. I draw Those Guys every day that I work. I find it helps me creatively and emotionally. I like to keep my art supplies at the ready for when the spark strikes. My friend Dan Shandy once told me (about learning to play guitar) "If you keep it out of the case and ready to play, you'll be more likely to play when you get inspired." I've found that applies to a lot of different things in life, for me it's drawing and painting. I'm not sure I could point out anything specific that inspires me. It's usually something visual, although good music really gets me going. I'm not sure if that even came close to answering any of those questions. Sorry. Here's a painting:
"What's more inspirational for artists, the heavy or the light, the positive or the negative, the good or the bad?" Wow, that's a good one. Both ends of the spectrum are very inspiring. Maybe it's just the whole "out of my comfort zone" thing, but highs and lows get me creating. I'm inclined to say the highs are better in the long run, simply because when I'm down, being creative gets rid of the bad mojo, which lessens the misery. When I'm riding high the creation of new works keeps me riding that wave for a longer time. My thoughts that are the positives produce more good works, but the negatives can produce some great works, just fewer of them at a time. Here's some examples:
This one is called "Lizards". I was unemployed and living in Cleveland. I got a letter in the mail saying I had been approved for a credit card and it included a check for $3,500 dollars I could deposit in my bank account. Free money! I know what you're thinking, but we artists are seat of the pants fliers, devil may care rapscallions who never worry about tomorrow. Besides, who gives that much money to someone who's unemployed? I laughed heartily and grabbed my brushes and a canvas. When I laid this one out it started as dollar signs ($$) that morphed in to the reptilian creatures you see before you. Now, the other end of the scale:
I had been dating a you lady for over two years. I was informed one day that my services were no longer required. Ouch. Wow. That hurt. Even though I was really more musician than artist at that time in my life, I had a flash of inspiration. I grabbed brushes and canvas (see now why I like to keep them handy?) and knocked this out. Just like I pictured it in my mind. That was in my geometric period. While I was in college. I took an acrylic painting class. the instructor (Lane Fabrick, the man who inspired my love of color and my mastery of color mixing). He told us that our grade would be based on our production. 4 paintings=D, 5 paintings=C, 6=D, of course 7 would bring you a big fat A. I ran with a series based on a project from my Color & Composition class. Geometric pyramid shapes with shading based on the colors moving around the color wheel, rather than harsh black shadows (you know, like I earn my bread and butter with now). Long story short, I painted 23 paintings for that class. My niece took that same class almost twenty years later and told me that a picture of one of those paintings was included in the opening day slide show, along with the story of the most prolific artist to ever grace the campus of Southeast Missouri State.* Here's one of my geo paintings:
I told you that to tell you this. I premixed my paints for these. Plenty of every color and every shade necessary, stored in 35mm film canisters. I had a template for the pyramids ( this is from later in the series, when it was more cube than pyramid). I could knock out two paintings a day easy. ( I was working strictly 36"x24" at the time). So, the semester ends. I get my A and ever lasting glory. After the breakup I mentioned earlier, I needed art therapy. I had a big canvas I was given (ironically, by the woman who dumped me), probably five feet by six feet or so. I sat in my basement studio, music on, feeling unwanted, working through the pain. I put the canvas up against the wall, sat on a footstool in front of it, and took each film canister and dipped a brush in it and applied it to various parts of the canvas. I probably had at least a couple dozen shades of paint. (some day in the future, someone will sit down in front of that painting and calculate the number of different colors, likely in pursuit of some crazy, egghead art degree). It took days. Hours at a time. Open, dip, spread, dip, spread, repeat until empty. It made me feel worlds better. It also gave me this masterpiece that hangs over my bed.:
The picture doesn't do it justice. I've had that for over thirty five years and haven't taken a good picture of it. What's wrong with me?
So, that's what I got this week. I'll be back. Tell me what you wanna know.
*So, it was also at this time I was taking a Drawing I class from Bill Chamberlain. He was a huge influence on me. Always pushing me to go darker in my drawings. We had a project where he would take a picture of a student, print it at about 12"x8", cut it in to smaller squares, which he passed out to the class. We each did a drawing of what was on our square on a big sheet of paper, likely 36"x24", or what ever the nearest sketch pad size is. I was chosen to be the student who had his picture taken. When we all brought in our drawings Mr. Chamberlain took them out to the hallway and assembled them on the wall. BAM!! A picture of my face, eight feet tall. For the next few months people would stop me on campus and ask "Aren't you the face on the art room wall?" *huge, million dollar smile* "Why, yes I am". But, do you think Donnie Dumbass kept those drawings. Nope. It never occurred to me. I regret that. A lot. A portrait to match the size of my ego. Damn.
If I made you laugh, feel free to kick me a five spot:
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