Sunday, May 28, 2006
Back in the 70s I revolted against the FSU fine arts program. It was the teacher`s show that was the last straw. Sure I had complained about the lack of figure drawing classes. And I was not too happy with the whole concept mind games, cutting down trees and tying yellow ribbons around them and stacking then about a gallery and talking, talking, talking about what a great and important artist you are and the B. S. flies thick.
But it was the teacher`s show. It was the flux light blue Chippendale velvet loveseat with the day grow spray paint that was the last nail. I wanted more that anything else to be an artist. I wanted to be a real artist not a con artist. I needed to be a real artist. So I coined the motto: If it`s fine art it doesn`t have to be good! and I left Florida State in my senior year and went to the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts where I was Salieri jealous of real talents like John Totleben. But I never looked back, I worked hard and I have made my living as a commercial artist for the last 30 years.
So why am I covering this ground again? I went to Trader Joe`s last Friday to buy some Tom`s toothpaste and ran right into the question of the value of fine art on the base of a street lamp next to one women`s platform sandal.
Okay that is cool. Fun even. But what is the value? The clay work is nice and I enjoyed the metal impact on the glaze. I liked finding it. It gave me a little bit of enjoyment. But the lady`s shoe has similar weight and value in the world of concept art. And for all I know was left there to make that very statement. To make me think about the very concept.
Less concept and more real art please. The object itself needs value. I`ve picked my side a long time ago. I get real joy out of animating or preserving an animation for future generations or bringing out a DVD of interviews by master artists. Or teaching a beginning animation student about timing or smear animation. For me the art and artist needs to sink or swim on the art itself. How is that for a concept? ¶ 10:12 AM
But it was the teacher`s show. It was the flux light blue Chippendale velvet loveseat with the day grow spray paint that was the last nail. I wanted more that anything else to be an artist. I wanted to be a real artist not a con artist. I needed to be a real artist. So I coined the motto: If it`s fine art it doesn`t have to be good! and I left Florida State in my senior year and went to the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts where I was Salieri jealous of real talents like John Totleben. But I never looked back, I worked hard and I have made my living as a commercial artist for the last 30 years.
So why am I covering this ground again? I went to Trader Joe`s last Friday to buy some Tom`s toothpaste and ran right into the question of the value of fine art on the base of a street lamp next to one women`s platform sandal.
Okay that is cool. Fun even. But what is the value? The clay work is nice and I enjoyed the metal impact on the glaze. I liked finding it. It gave me a little bit of enjoyment. But the lady`s shoe has similar weight and value in the world of concept art. And for all I know was left there to make that very statement. To make me think about the very concept.
Less concept and more real art please. The object itself needs value. I`ve picked my side a long time ago. I get real joy out of animating or preserving an animation for future generations or bringing out a DVD of interviews by master artists. Or teaching a beginning animation student about timing or smear animation. For me the art and artist needs to sink or swim on the art itself. How is that for a concept? ¶ 10:12 AM
