Art and Society

Art, Society, and our place in it: Where do you fit in?
I won't be answering any questions today but rather sending more out into the world for us to ponder and in turn ask each of ourselves so that maybe one by one we can bring art back into society's broader appreciation.

"ART plays no clear role in our culture.
ARTISTS have little direct contact with their audience.
ARTMAKING is indulged, but rarely rewarded."

These are the larger issues that Ted Orland feels artists today face. So the question becomes, How do we change that?

"....there was a time (and not all that long ago) when artists were employed to make new art every week-art that addressed the deepest issues of life and death and spirituality. We have nothing like that today-and it makes you wonder: how would art and artists be received today if we made work that spoke for the community rather than to the community?"
As much as I don't necessarily feel that every piece of art has to "stand" for something, I will say that artists that speak for a community do tend to stand out more and get more praise and critical acclaim. Think of rappers that bring certain atrocities to light or artists who paint murals about the environment, etc.
So what to do if I really just want to bring beauty to your world and not hash out every outrage of our society? I have lived in darkness and don't want to go back there!

Ted goes on to discuss being productive and making art vs. believing the myth of creative genius and natural talent. He discusses the "creative process" and how getting better means making a lot of art; ".....having a working command of the creative process-that is, all those elements that lead to the making of art-is truly essential"

"...................take comfort in all those small steps"

"If you develop productive working patterns and learn from the work itself along the way, you will always be on the path toward making the best work you can."

"The common ground shared by artists who make continuing progress in their work is that they have committed themselves to working on the things that really matter to them."
"So what (if anything) does all this mean for you?....................................stay at work on the things that are really important to you, and you will reach your potential as an artist"

Two weeks ago I received the second rejection of a book proposal. I Love the designs within the book and so does everyone else who has seen them. Still the job isn't getting done somewhere along the way. The knee-jerk reaction is to have a pity party about how it isn't any good---STOP! They are good-great, in fact- and I need to "stay at work" on this path. The universe around me is pushing me in this direction as well through no nonsense friends and a supportive husband and multiple paths that I can traverse down until I get the desired outcome.

Society does not need to dictate to us about our art, but does this bring us back to 'speaking to the community' with our art?
We are in charge of our own destinies though and can be successful with our art with lots of hard work. Weren't we all raised to believe that if you worked hard enough, you could attain your goals? First we must know what the goals are though and so I challenge each of you to choose one very large and one very small goal to work toward. Place a completion date of December 31st, 2010 for the small goal and December 31st, 2011 for the large goal and make it work!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME:)

I realize it may not be proper to tell everyone how much I love my birthday but I don't care. Women diminish so many things in our lives because it isn't ladylike to sing our praises....it isn't humble to want the spotlight.

Sorry....I do want the spotlight and I enjoy having one day a year where attention is paid to me and gifts given to me. While we are at it, I love winning ribbons and making money from my art. There I said it out loud and I firmly believe there are many others just like me. I may not be very good at taking compliments (they make me very uncomfortable) but when I know they are sincere, I glow on the inside.

The first gifts to arrive were a wonderful new Flip video camera from my dear husband (look for video tutorials in my future:) and my copy of the QNN dvd for new members.

I was given this complimentary copy because when you join, I am one of the sponsors of free patterns this year and there are many other wonderful gift ideas as well.

My next fun gift was from my daughter...An Evening with John Barrowman. He is the heart throb from the BBC Torchwood series. He has an amazing voice and sings cheesy love songs and disco tunes on this dvd....so much fun and very easy on the eyes:)

Because life is not all sunshine, my rejected book proposal came back to me next. It was bittersweet- unhappy it was rejected but happy to have my project (babies) back.

My mother always sends me something fun and unexpected and this year was no different. Mom is a master knitter and I love scarves so this year....

a box of Potato chip scarves. How fun are they? Just swirls of fuzziness:)

Then to top that.........

A vegan 100% silk scarf that is so light and lace-like I am a bit hesitant to wear it. It is fragile and wonderful and I can't wait to wear it:) This is my first bit of silk and now it is time to go shopping to find the perfect blouse to wear it with!

Thank you to my friends who sent cards and facebook well wishes. I am very happy to be here another year and feel loved.

Making Sense of Art

IS THIS ART?

Today's chapter begs the age old question, What is Art? I love the photo above and feel it has artistic qualities but don't know if I would call it art. It is my photo and I love the hazy look of it along with the glow of the buildings coming to light as darkness starts to fall. I didn't think about all that as I took the photo, I just loved the feel of it all.

Again Ted compares the animals to us, ".....constructing a robin's nest also requires an active effort. If I dismiss the bird's efforts as "nest-building", then why should Frank Lloyd Wright's efforts to that same end be accorded some privileged status as "architecture"? OK, robin's efforts are instinctive, while Wright's are the product of conscious reasoning, but should that make any difference?" So, should it? Wen commented yesterday, "I think spider webs are artistic but I think the spider uses them to catch his dinner." I too think animals are artistic...they are just oblivious to it. Are we artists because we make the art intuitively or because we have the reasoning and the words to describe what we do?

My comment on Katharine's blog yesterday:

I am finding the comparisons between the animal world and the human world very interesting. I think that many animals are artistic just oblivious to the art they create since they do it out of necessity (instinct).When we as artists create because we have to, it is called intuition and Ted states this is closely related. We also have the words to describe what is art to us and the emotions to feel the art we view. I don't necessarily think that the emotions have to be deep societal statements...sometimes the beauty of a moment frozen in time is enough to render someone speechless and everyone's moments/memories are different.

There are many books written on the subject of 'what is art?' and it has been discussed to death on many forums. I think every artist needs to define this for their own work vs. letting the world define their work for them. You can't let everyone be your critic. This isn't to say you shouldn't be aware of what the art world is doing so you know how you do or don't fit in-just don't let that define you.

This is all great positive self-talk for myself as I sit here today awaiting the return of my rejected book proposal. Dear friends took me out last Friday morning to 'set me straight' so to speak. They didn't conjole and say it would all be ok. Instead they gave sound constructive advice on moving forward and I was gently chided for my negative thinking. Not ones to give empty compliments, they stated my talents and told me to continue doing the work I love and everything would come in time. Impatient me still wants to yell, WHEN????.

The theme of that morning continued throughout the weekend with conversations with my husband, discussions on radio programs, and horoscopes (though normally taken with a grain of salt suddenly sounded prophetic).

I deem what I do art. Even the most traditional quilt that I have painstakingly assembled by hand over weeks/months is art due to my view of design and the imprint of my soul in every stitch.

In describing gardens, Ted says, "the most prevalent role of the garden today is simply to provide its maker with a small oasis of peace and privacy- a refuge from an increasingly harsh world." Shouldn't that be what art does for each of us whether you make it or admire it?

Making Sense of the World

I follow an artist named Katharine A. Cartwright and she has started a new book that I actually own titled, "THE VIEW From the Studio Door" by Ted Orland. This time I thought I would read along and take part in the comment discussions that happen on her blog.

This is the view out of my studio at present due to a combination of storms that hit North Carolina a week and a half ago. It is slowly getting better and I don't mind the view....I have waterfront property:)

Back to the book... In the first chapter, Making Sense of the World, Ted asks lots of questions. "What are we actually doing when we make art?" There is a lot of talk about why we make art and animals don't, what the deep need to make art is doing for us, etc. That isn't what I was intrigued by:

There is a story about a man that goes on a walk with a mushroom hunter. That example really drove home the sense of how what I see differs from what you see. The mushroom hunter saw the paths and hiding places of mushrooms where the man saw a tangled mess of moss and pine needles.
We all have a common sense of the sky being blue, grass being green, etc. but not all people are fascinated by the clouds in the sky or the weeds amongst the grass the way I am or maybe you are.

Ted talks of the mental map we are all making second by second as our brains choose which pieces to keep and which pieces to put to the background.
"The process of being unfolds as an endlessly overlapping succession of most-plausible-pictures. We become who we are by virtue of the choices we make-consciously or otherwise-about which parts belong to the story, and which parts can be left out."
Today when you go to your art, which pieces will you choose to include into your vision of the world around you???

Seagrove, NC

Well I did my part this weekend to support local artists:) As I have said before, my husband is in the USCG and this is our last year in NC. Whenever the last year of a duty station comes around, we start making a list of places/things we would like to see/do before we leave. We never know if we will get back to this area again.

This weekend we headed to Seagrove, NC. known for it's pottery. There are approximately 32 potters in a 10 mile radius. On the 4 hour trip to Seagrove we went through Fayetteville, NC. where there is a lovely quilt shop, Quilt N' Tiques on Anderson St. in the downtown. We also drove through the adorable town of Cameron which is full of antique shops and not much else. If you are looking for high quality antiques, this is the place to go.

We had a pretty good lunch at the Jugtown Cafe in Seagrove where we planned our attack:) There was no way to see them all so a stop into the North Carolina Pottery Center really helped to narrow down the choices. There is a section there that has samplings of the various potters so you can go to the ones that are to your tastes. Also in the center there is the history of NC pottery and lots of displays.This candle holder is one of my finds from Smith Pottery. I wanted lots of things but tried to be practical in my purchasing. The design on this is very subdued compared to some of the pieces there with beautiful Tree of Life designs. They had 3 different Bridal Registry sign ups displayed.

We went to Fat Beagle Pottery just for the name. Sadly no beagle to play with; I do miss my Schmoopy. There I found this sweet leaf dish. It is not very big...maybe good for a serving spoon.

At O'Quinn Pottery I found this business card holder. I am pretty sure they are using the scraps from other pieces to create this (cutting waste-great) and I just love the stamping in it and the deep earthy color. Great little $6 find.
There shop is in a 100 year old cabin that is very rickety but adorable. Most of the shops were very old feeling and out in these beautiful country settings. I was very envious.

My favorite that we went to was Ray Pottery. I would totally redo my kitchen in all of their dishware. This simple crock will probably hold my coffee and I am thinking of buying matching coffee mugs in the future. This is one of the few potters with a site. Even so I was impressed with the organization of the potters in the area. The center really helps and they have all advertised in a beautiful fold out map with their addresses and locations so you can spend a day driving out in the country from shop to shop. I dreamt out loud about textile artists taking over a town like this and becoming a destination. I am not sure how they all make a living but the diversity of design helps.

When we stopped at the Ben Owen Studio, you could walk out to the kilns in the back and they were so impressive. I took many pictures of these for possible screening images.
For our overnight extravagance, we stayed at a B&B named the Duck Smith House. The pictures on their site do it more justice than my pictures. I loved all the bead board and the old fireplaces and that gorgeous man on the couch (22 years worth:).The sisters who own it are very friendly and we fortunately had the place to ourselves so we enjoyed sitting out in the fancy living room to watch Eureka friday night. After an extremely comfortable night's sleep, we drank coffee from the mugs that Ray Pottery makes and they fit the hand wonderfully. Breakfast was stuffed French Toast-yummm:) Thank you again, Barbara and Suzanne!

These next pictures are of the outbuildings on the B&B property and give a good semblance of what some of the pottery studios looked like.

This is the Pisgah Covered Bridge. Lots of photos were taken of the rock supports.

Here is another picture of a butterfly that seemed to taunt me everytime I stopped to take photos. I would get excited and just as the button was about to be pressed, flutter flutter flutter away. I did manage to get 2 decent pics (out of about 20) and that will have to do.

Antique Treasures

Yesterday while my daughter and I were out for the day (soooo much fun!), one of the things we did was go to a new antique shop in town. It is in a great old home that really gives you that treasure hunting feeling: The Blue Gardenia Antique Company. There were so many beautiful items organized into little nooks.
Before I even entered the shop I found this geometric textile printing block. It might just decorate my shelves but how cool??

Then while we were inside, my daughter found the best one which definately looks like work I would do only in applique. I had to have them both and now I do:) I am lucky to have it too since the owner almost kept it because she likes them so much. There may be more for my collection too....

Tiffany, one of the owners, showed me another one that she had (not for sale)that was carved out of a log and it was gorgeous. The log had a honey pecan color and it had been inked in teal....very striking together.

You just never know what you will find and where.

Does Mass Produced or Assembly Line art still have meaning?

I have been neglecting all my reading over the last few months while working on other projects so it felt great to curl up with a few of my magazines and catch up this past weekend.
As I read through the June Issue of Art Calendar, two articles made opposing statements about the current art scene and something that has bothered me in the past. In the article "The Measure of Success" there is a quote from critic Roberta Smith about the recent exhibitions in New York Museums, "....were all part of a big-box chain featuring only one brand...What's missing is art that seems made by one person out of intense personal necessity, often by hand." I turn the page to the next article, "Less is More at the 2010 Whitney Biennial" and here the writer, Fred B. Adelson, states; "The days when artists fashioned an installation of scattered pieces directly in the gallery or had their work fabricated by outside specialists now seems passe or overly extravagant; the making of art is again measured by the direct manipulation of medium. As a result many pieces possess distinctly tactile surfaces or have expressive gestural markings."
I whole-heartedly agree that art should be made by the artist's hand. There has been recent discussion on one of my lists about apprentices, etc. and I do realize that they are important. What I don't appreciate are the artists that have become so "important" and sought after that they have a hired team of artists working for them who ACTUALLY do the work. If I had the money to buy some of the artwork I really like, I would want to know that the artist ACTUALLY painted, sculpted, etc. the piece him/herself. I would hate to think that I paid a lot of money for work that JDArtist did from a rough sketch from the actual artist.

Art isn't suppose to be about 'big business' is it? Doesn't the value in art come from knowing that this very talented person created this vision by hand? Wouldn't that equate to art being less valuable if created en mass by a company of employees?

How many times has an art discussion been about the meaning and feeling behind a particular piece. The question then becomes, does that meaning change if the artist who felt it/envisioned it didn't do the work?

I don't have the ultimate answer to this but I feel the frustration of many fellow artists. I find it difficult to watch some not-so-talented artists rake in millions of dollars due to great marketing vs. talent and then know that they didn't even actually make the work. Some will chalk this up to sour grapes and I am sure that I glow green some days; but more importantly I feel that the art world is succumbing to the same problem that is hurting our country in so many ways...Commercialism. I had hoped that art would be safe from this due to the intensely personal beginnings of most artwork from deep within the artist's soul and heart.