artmutt

Playing Around

2012-01-13T18:24:00.002+09:00

While continuing to experiment with acrylics, teaching drawing classes at UMUC has inspired me to revisit some more traditional techniques and subjects. I hate to admit I'm a bit rusty, but that's a good lesson for my students: consistent practice = better results!

One-quarter finished...?

2010-10-04T18:41:00.005+09:00

It's looking better, but I'm still struggling with the new medium and the smaller scale.

So Far, So-So

2010-09-03T12:16:00.005+09:00

Here is the new painting, my first journey into acrylics. The beginning is the same process I was using before: after the drawing, which I sealed with PVA size, I painted some washes with acrylic.

After that I would usually switch to oils for the rest of the painting. So, here is the piece with the first few layers of paint. I'm not used to the consistency, or the short drying time (although I bought a kind which supposedly dries slower), and the dry color is rather flat. It is what it is.

Name In Progress: "Afternoon on the Nambu Line"

2010-08-04T22:38:00.004+09:00

This is the sketch for a new painting which will be as large as my drafting table, which is all the space I currently have. I am already worried about the relatively small scale, because I tend to tighten up when painting less than XL. Also worried about the switch to acrylics, which I haven't bought yet. Not really sure where to start there- colors I can figure out; cadmium yellow, red, and an ultramarine blue, plus the old standby titanium white should do to start. Anything extra depends on budget. I have a feeling that, like everything else in Tokyo, art supplies cost a small fortune. But aside from colors and brushes, what mediums do I need? I still want to do the glazing techniques I was using before with oils, and mediums will be important for that, not just water. Water! It sounds so weird. Maybe I will open a bottle of turpentine while I work just so the smell is familiar.
Anyway, if I can successfully find the right supplies (i.e. read the packaging without spending 2 hours in the aisle with a dictionary) I will be on the way to recovering- finally- from my painting hiatus. To take such a long break, and then to switch to an unfamiliar method and materials... yeah, I'm nervous. But I'm excited about the subject for this piece. Gambarimasu!

It's been a long time!

2010-05-12T17:14:00.003+09:00

That's an understatement. I have been sporadically drawing since moving to Yokohama, but still haven't set up a painting studio. It's been tough to not have the ability to paint, and I'm trying to find a suitable studio space. In the meantime, my drawings have gone back to some unfinished, underexplored formats. This one revisits some things I tried a few years ago, but this time on a weird new type of paper called Yupo. Yupo is made of plastic; it can handle mediums which other paper can't, and responds differently to similar techniques. Here I used a watercolor wash, with some salt resist for texture. On top of that is a mix of ink, wax pencil, and erasure.

Thank you all for your patience! I'll try to post more regularly from now on...

Work in progress- or lack thereof

2008-07-13T13:12:00.004+09:00

Recurring elements in my paintings lately involve Infrastructure, Information, and Interaction. I’ve been attempting to apply these ideas with a contemporary viewpoint. The infrastructure of manmade objects like vending machines, trash cans, and phone poles contrasts with the role of nature in urban settings. The information conveyed by signs and advertisements, and the information concealed by shadowy figures. Interaction between characters in the composition- and with virtual personae, represented by some digital device. As these themes continue to reveal the experiences and contradictions of modern existence, my guide through this exploration is the cartoon.

"Road to Nowhere"

2008-02-04T11:58:00.001+09:00

untitled painting almost done, originally uploaded by suelu23.

This painting is almost dry finally- by which I mean it should be totally dry in a few weeks. It took over a month for the last glaze to dry to the touch so I could start bringing back the drawing in places. That was one plus about living in Phoenix, was the speedy drying time! Anyway, now that I can put the final drawing down, I am not sure it needs as much as I thought. I do it in wax pencil and can erase it with turpentine easily, so I'm just going to play with it until it looks right. Or until I give up and start a new piece.
p.s. what do y'all think of that title? I've had trouble coming up with one for this piece.

Patient Painting

2007-11-26T12:38:00.000+09:00

Untitled work in progress
When you lay down thin washes of paint, letting each coat dry before applying the next, you get optic mixing of colors which has a more luminous quality than straight mixing of wet paint. That's the theory at least. I had almost forgotten about glazing, having not used it since Painting 100. But it started to creep into my work during the thesis as a way to create cast shadows. In this new piece, I decided to embrace it entirely- after looking it up to make sure I was doing it right.

You can see in the close-up how the colors come through and mix visually. So far there is a wash of viridian green, alizarin crimson, and ultramarine blue. This still isn't finished... I will do at least 2 more glazes in some areas. In this cold weather, it can take 2 weeks for the paint to dry between coats. I'm trying to start another work while I'm waiting!

Thesis Show Opening Photos!

2007-07-25T11:50:00.000+09:00

View a photo slideshow of the opening and the works here.
And look! I finally figured out how to post a video!

NEON!!!

2007-07-15T13:05:00.000+09:00

The neon finally gets lit up. I did most of the assembly, but didn't get to bend the tubes of glass (the fun part!) They're 6 feet tall with metal signposts and concrete bases. Shown here set up in my thesis show, which I will have more pictures of later...

Thesis: DADA

2007-06-26T12:56:00.000+09:00

EXCERPT:
In my own (thesis) work, I have chosen to embrace technology only to a limited extent; in part, because I hate working on a computer all day (and I can’t even imagine having someone else paint for me) and also because I feel that the artist’s touch is indeed one of the things which gives art its ultimate raison d’être. This reasoning was especially important when representing the man-made objects in the paintings. For example, when I wanted to draw train tracks or a fence with straight lines, I deliberately avoided the use of rulers. My hope was that by “eyeballing it” the final result would be an industrial-inspired pattern which had subtle variations, as opposed to the perfection which is the default for things made by machines. I tried, by intentionally limiting tools and techniques which could lead to perfect reproduction, to show the viewer a world as only an artist could create it. To use a computer, in particular, one would have to program in any imperfections- an extra step necessary to force the machine into an awkward and unnatural state. Art, on the other hand, should celebrate the fact that it is fully liberated from the need to reproduce with exactitude.

I think the title of this piece will be www.artmutt.blogspot.com, since it says that on the DADA sign. The circle of merchandising is complete! As for the painting, it's almost done.

Rules For Everyone (Minna no ruuru)

2007-06-20T11:39:00.001+09:00

Rules For Everyone (Minna no ruuru), originally uploaded by suelu23.

I think this one is finally done. As usual, I'm not happy with all of it, but anything else I do will make it worse. (That, by the way, is how an artist knows when a piece is "done!")

Teaser

2007-06-06T11:17:00.001+09:00

New thesis work. As of yet, untitled and less than half finished. This is a close-up of one section.

RULES FOR EVERYONE! (みんなのルール)

2007-05-25T10:21:00.000+09:00

This one is almost finished... or so I thought. Lately it's been giving me a hard time (horrible mistakes not pictured...)

外人　 (The Foreigner)

2007-05-20T11:35:00.001+09:00

Gaijin (The Foreigner), originally uploaded by suelu23.

Gaijin (The Foreigner)
None of the animal characters seem connected to eachother; that is, they are involved in their own separate activities and not interacting other than to be on the same street at the same time. Except for their unanimous gaze towards the human in the corner. This unabashed interest separates them from the stranger in their midst.
I've done cell phones in the last few works. I think the portrayals of technology will become more ambiguous. Instead of cell phones, non-specific electronic gadgets. The "rules" signs are getting more abstract, too. My next one will have a sign on the trash can which says "No trash only." To me it sounds like a bad Japanese translation, but it's meant to just be ambiguous English.
I really like the shadowy foreground in this one. I'm not doing it in the one I just started, but I think I'll work it in to the next one. I like the evocative, poetic quality of the shadow space. Also it allows me to do more modeling without overpainting. At my last two crits, people really responded to the sketched parts of the pieces, but if the whole thing were like that it wouldn't stand out, or be able to hold its own. I like the combination of various treatments in one work, everything from bare paper to thick impasto.

"Sono Mirai wa Ima"

2007-03-19T11:41:00.001+09:00

"Sono Mirai wa Ima", originally uploaded by suelu23.

After some glazing and some drawing, this one is as done as it's gonna get. There are things that bug me, but I want to get on with the new one. More on that later!
By the way, "Sono mirai wa ima" means "That future is now." Mirai is the word written on the green banner.

"Colorful Characters" Solo Show Opens!!!

2007-03-14T00:42:00.000+09:00

Show opening photos on Flickr

Virtual video tour on YouTube

2007-03-05T14:33:00.000+09:00

1. buildings bland and boring. cookie-cutter. boxy. generic. could be homes or offices.
2. shadowy figures in front moving into or out of frame.
3. vending machines represent consumer culture. overabundance of choices. disposable materialism. overindulgence.
4. cell phones: texting or listening, not usually talking. (talking is more rude.) represents a disconnect from one's immediate surroundings; more interest in individual affairs (=subculture) than real life.
5. RULES. Negative but vague. Nanny state; Big Brother. Coerced safety.
6. man-made patterns: street markings, architectural, etc.
7. no attachment to characters other than as tools to tell the story.

drawing & acrylic washes.

first layer of oils.

I have to just add that I love that guy's hair so far and hope I don't fuck it up!

From the Winter Studio

2007-02-20T14:08:00.000+09:00

A small study for what will be a larger painting. It's another quasi-Nippon street scene, with a human- an outsider. At this stage it has no oil paint on it yet, just the drawing and acrylic wash...

...and I just really like this fox from the larger work I'm still finishing up. What kind of messages would a fox have in his voicemail?

Excerpt from a letter to Barbara Grossman

2007-01-17T14:23:00.000+09:00

Referring to the previous post:
Dear Barbara,
As usual you are so observant. The foliage looks different because it is watercolor, and my intention was to paint over it in places (actually I was visualizing these neon-pink rings somehow) but now I think… it will get some drawing on top of it with white grease pencil. Also drawing in some other places, like the bicycle which you probably can’t even see! The white shape on the road is the Japanese for “STOP.” So it had to be there- I actually placed the green flag last when I did the composition. And moved it a few times. I was worried this composition is too obviously a triangle, but maybe it’s ok. Maybe the little circles everywhere counteract it.
So, here’s a new one, VERY early along. Only the first layer of paint with the main shapes blocked in, but I like this one so far. All these characters in the recent works are coming right from my sketchbook without modification. Wanna know how spoiled some of us artists have become? I wasn’t sure what color to make the snake in the lower corner, so I took a picture of the whole painting and Photoshopped different colors in until I decided on the teal. It took about 15 minutes. To think artists of yore would actually have had to just pick something. But that teal may change still...

No Title Yet- In Progress Still But Mostly Done

2007-01-15T14:11:00.000+09:00

The things that are important in this painting: cell phones, signs with rules on them, the trash can that's not for trash. It's too cliched for me to say "I'm developing an artistic vocabulary" but these certainly are the images repeating themselves in my work lately. They all remind me of Japan. For those who are curious, the green banner says "Future."

mixed media oil on paper, 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 feet

Merry Xmas!

2006-12-26T14:46:00.000+09:00

sono-mirai-wa-ima-1
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

This new painting has nothing to do with Christmas actually. Here it is shown with the drawing and some watercolor, sealed, with acrylic washes on top. Ready for oil paint! I am so happy about having time to paint again, although it was really cold with all the windows open today. Maybe it's finally winter after all! Fa la la!

Nobumasa Takahashi Draws

2006-11-23T11:35:00.000+09:00

This was just so cool.

いただきます！

2006-11-06T14:17:00.000+09:00

The space in this one doesn't interest me as much as the last one I did. Or maybe it's not the space- I think it's because there's only one character. It's easier for me to have a narrative if there's a definite setting, and even easier if there is an interaction. I sort of have that going on between the red dude and the fork, but it's not there yet. If I have no story, I lose interest before I can finish painting, and I think it's time for things to get more complicated again...

Sneak Peek

2006-10-17T11:29:00.000+09:00

This one's about 28" x 21", oil on paper. The red one is the PVA-sealed drawing with alizarin crimson acrylic ground, and the other one shows the first layer of oil paint. Barbara, that lamp in the foreground is just for you!

Post to Class Blog

2006-10-09T10:53:00.000+09:00

I spent today at the glass studio, making Christmas balls to sell at an upcoming festival. While they offer a great profit margin, more than a few glassblowers are driven away from making ornaments because of the mindless repetition involved. I find, however, it can be a great time to think. And what I thought about today was selling art.
The reason Christmas balls are my best-selling item is that I can make them quickly, and therefore keep them inexpensive. Anybody who wants a little art in their home can afford one. If some rich idiot wanted to pay $5 million for one of my paintings, I’d take it! But I am more interested in finding a way to make painting accessible to as many people as possible.
This idea about Cheap Art isn’t a new one for me, nor did it come from my glassblowing experience. The biggest influence seen in my paintings is from cartooning. Comic and manga artists, and animators, spend an enormous amount of time on their work. But after the work is reproduced in its final form, it’s sold cheap. I am using forms that developed as a result of the constraints of these industries, but in a medium which doesn’t lend itself so easily to mass production. The painter Takashi Murakami tried to tackle this issue in various ways. He collaborates with other artists and craftspeople (a big aspect of animation and glassblowing too) and created a system for making his paintings which he even calls a “factory.” He sells everything from vending-machine figurines to multi-million dollar sculptures. But his form of Dadaism has yet to prove its sustainability. He himself has publicly worried about losing credibility in the fine art world. His idea, I guess, is to sell the cheap trinkets while keeping the interest of the big buyers. I like Murakami’s assessment of the art market, but am not entirely satisfied with his methods for shaking it up.
To this end I have been doing a few oil paintings on sealed paper. I can certainly sell a large work on paper for less than one of equal size on canvas. And more importantly, I’m discovering it’s a really fun way to work. The paint flows more easily on this surface- it behaves more like ink when thinned with turpentine, and the paper isn’t as absorbent as gessoed canvas. I’m working from sketches and trying to keep my compositions simple for now.

Untitled

2006-10-04T13:56:00.000+09:00

blue rabbit in progress
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

I was gonna post 3 inprogress works this time, but I decided that the other 2, being struggles on top of things I wish weren't there, sucked. This one, however, I really like so far. It's oil on sealed paper with drawing.

Yes No Maybe

2006-09-19T10:19:00.000+09:00

cadmium-orange-dog
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

Done from random musings in my sketchbook. I think this one's pretty funny. Hope you enjoy it!

Cadmium Orange Bear

2006-09-11T13:03:00.000+09:00

Is it a circus or a renaissance fest? Is he buying a ticket or escaping? It's a pretty color anyway.
oil on canvas, 18" x 23"

The Cyclone Fan Brush Technique

2006-09-05T12:03:00.000+09:00

Nothing good could come of my posting any recent attempts at painting this week, so here's a sketch instead.

The End of Summer

2006-08-27T02:45:00.000+09:00

This first one is called "I Got It!" and is about 4'x4'. It was covered with all kinds of other cartoon animals and landscape until the very end of the summer semester- then it got totally painted over, except for the house and fence in the middle. So the paint is really thick and textured.

This one isn't finished yet- I don't think. I drew in China marker right on the canvas before sizing it and painting, so the drawing is still there, which I like. It's about 2 1/2'x3'.

Three Nineteen-Inch Squares

2006-08-17T13:35:00.000+09:00

Art Purification, Refining and Processing Unit and Bottler

2006-08-10T13:36:00.000+09:00

This refining and bottling unit provides maximum efficiency and consistency for manufacturing art. Simply add equal amounts of criticism, theory, history, and a bit of personal data, and switch on the unit. In a few hours you will have Grade C or better, perfectly uniform art. Complies with all government specifications and emissions standards.
CAUTION: always use proper safety equipment when operating the unit.

Untitled

2006-07-28T14:59:00.000+09:00

I haven't been able to get my camera to download my pics, so I can't post the recent artwork some of you were waiting for. To keep you occupied, here are some photos from Japan.

Monster Truck Rally

2006-07-11T13:22:00.000+09:00

I so wish my old Ford LTD could have ended its life crushed under this truck.

Talent vs. Bullshit

2006-06-30T13:39:00.000+09:00

Tonight I am going to pose a question to which I am sure, that by the end of this post, I will have provided no answer. I have a feeling it’s one of those with no real answer. So here are my current musings on the subject.
Which is more essential in the success of an artist, the talent and its execution, or the ability to write an acceptable justification for its public display? In other words, is quality or theory more important?
Art, throughout its history, has not always required an explanation. Its background and context as recorded by the artist himself became important to future generations of scholars, to be sure. But with the context, style, etc. often decided by the patron, an artist was not usually expected to justify their work in writing or speech.
Certainly since the Impressionists’ time, artists have in a sense relied on theory for the success of their art. The advent of the photograph had something to do with this. As art became liberated from record-keeping, it faced the challenge of having to exist for its own sake. Some of it did this without the need for further testimony. And some of it used the assistance of theories- philosophical, socio-political, formalistic, and psychological for example. Dada, Minimalism, Expressionism, and Surrealism, for example. I would even argue that some artists would not be in our history books at all if they hadn’t been able to verbally persuade audiences of the worth of their creation.
Prior to reading “The Spiral Jetty” (1972, written by the artist himself, Robert Smithson) I didn’t really feel one way or the other about his work, or Earth Art in general. It can often be awe-inspiring in its own element, ludicrously out of place in a museum, and totally unimpressive in a picture. Perhaps this leads to excessive theorizing as a means to arm the artist against critics, or perhaps Smithson is just full of himself. Would his work now be less well-known without his explanation? While I’m sure it’s actually impressive, my opinion of it has to be based on the pictures I’ve seen, and the accounts of those who have seen it in person, and the artist’s explanation. Because, like most of us, I haven’t been there. And I don’t think it looks all that great in a photo. Therefore, when it comes to Spiral Jetty, justification in writing becomes integral to the legacy of the piece.
Not to mention the fact, of course (lest our heads get too big,) that an artwork is just a thing, and like any other, can have its physical presence destroyed.
It seems rare now that artists can get by without verbally promoting their work. Even an anti-theorist like Basquiat articulated what his work “meant.” You may be reluctant to do this, or perhaps the work can’t sustain itself otherwise. But if you don’t do it yourself, you have to find someone else to do it for you. I don’t think “Fine Art” can compete for people’s attention by just being pretty anymore. And if we’re not trying to get people’s attention, all the theories in the world won’t justify the space our art takes up.

Art Review- MOT Tokyo- Exhibit of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain

2006-05-15T11:02:00.000+09:00

This was the last art exhibit I saw before leaving Japan, and it was a great note to finish my tour on. The show contained works by well-recognized artists as well as current darling students. It was a large selection, sprawling around two floors and a courtyard. And unlike most of the exhibits in Japan, where light is kept low to prevent damage to the works, it was lit in the same bright manner as the Fondation’s home in Paris. I was permitted to get very close to several of the works, also a welcome change from other shows I’d seen in Japan. The works were arranged so as to not direct the viewer into finding a theme, but to force them to examine each piece individually.

The first piece you see upon entering is the bead-covered “Backyard” by Liza Lou. Here is reconstructed, to scale, a typical suburban American summer scene. Replete with lawn mower, barbecue, food-laden picnic table, clothesline, tree and flowers, it glistens in its own sunlight. While the shimmering eye-candy of the beads meshes well with the pop-culture imagery, it is the attention to detail that makes this piece work. My only distraction from the believability of this shiny utopia was the over-stylization of the flowers.

The viewer then walks around and into several large sculptures, including blown glass and bead constructions by Jean-Michel Othoniel, which displayed more skill in their assembly than in the techniques of glassblowing utilized. I’m not sure if the artist himself is also the gaffer. The little chapel by Alessandro Mendini (and his chair at the entrance to the exhibit) were at once too obvious and too obscure. Too much art theory or something. The bronze-and-porcelain orange trees by Marc Couturier were not quite visually interesting enough to survive without their explanation card.

Turning the corner one runs smack into the enormous “In Bed” by Ron Mueck. This ultra-realistic giant portrait of a woman lost in her own melancholy thoughts was very powerful. First one is amazed by the realism of the reproduction; the large scale makes this minute detail, impeccably rendered, extremely unnerving. And in examining the details, one finally comes to the eyes, where it is always the most difficult to achieve that believability. Then, the viewer becomes fully absorbed with empathy for the musing woman, as the eyes are found to hold the same life-like quality as the rest of the figure. This piece was certainly a crowd favorite.

Continuing upstairs, you pass by two paintings from up-and-coming student Erina Matsui. They are well-painted and amusing, but she needs to lose the accoutrements (one has an object attached to the canvas, the other a plate of plastic food placed in front of the work) or better integrate them with the works. They are amateurish and unnecessary as they are.

Next is the maze of Tony Oursler eyeball projections. Regardless of what one thinks about his work, it’s still pretty disconcerting walking through a field of giant video eyeballs. This serves as an introduction to the exhibit’s plethora of video, animation, film and slide shows. One which stood out was the very touching slideshow “Cui Cui” by Rinko Kawauchi. Cui cui is the Japanese onomatopoeia for sparrows chirping, and the work consisted of a similar noise played while viewing slides relating to daily family life. The photographs were beautiful and the overall effect was sweet without being too sentimental. The 8-screen display by Raymond Depardon took a “slice of life” approach to transportation hubs around the world in various cultures.
But my personal favorite was the animation “Stereoscope” by William Kentridge. His work is always composed of many layers of imagery, literally and abstractly. His process allows for layers of drawing residues on the film, and his stories are layers of meaning which intrigue and provoke.

Alain Séchas adds a touch of humor to the show with his two sculptures, one a cartoonish man with a very large head, the other a group of skeletons painting portraits all titled “Dad.” The Polaroid installation by Daido Moriyama gives a different take on seeing into the artist’s studio.
Before leaving the show, you finally meet the piece which had tantalized you from upstairs as you walked past. The tendril of live plant and all kind of everyday objects led downstairs to the bulk of Sarah Sze’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” This sprawling work conjures up images of nature, organic growth and seasons. Made from bent aluminum ladders, Ziploc containers, soil, cotton balls, paintbrushes, etc., it invites the viewer to a close examination, which I surprisingly was permitted. This sums up the way this show was presented. The art spoke for itself, and was displayed in such a way as to give the audience the best type of experience possible for each piece. From what I understand of the goals of the Fondation Cartier, they should be proud of this exhibit.

Genbaku (原爆)

2006-05-08T06:56:00.000+09:00

Genbaku is the Japanese word for the A-bomb. These studies are 18"x24" in pastels.

Hiroshima

2006-04-23T10:15:00.000+09:00

Last Monday I left Takatsuki and took the shinkansen to Hiroshima. On the way I stopped by Takarazuka (I think) to see the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. Totally worth the side trip. He's the guy who drew Astro Boy and many other very popular cartoons, and is considered the father of Japanese anime. They had displayed hundreds of his drawings, which were absolutely gorgeous.
When I arrived in Hiroshima, I took the streetcar as per the directions I had been given from the World Friendship Center, a house run by a non-profit anti-war organization. I had all my luggage, and needed to find which way was south. I guess I looked like I needed help! And that's how I met the young girl who introduced me to some of the nicest people I've ever met. After getting to my accomodations, I met her at the Spanish restaurant owned by her friend. Coincidentally, the other guest at the Friendship Center, an Aussie, had also found these people and was already there! The next night, we were invited to dinner by the restaurant owner, and it turned out to be an elaborate birthday party at her friend's restaurant. We were not permitted to pay for any of this, despite our objections. In the course of this, I met an artist who the next day took me to the museum at his expense. The Japanese are incredibly polite and will often pay for things, but these people were beyond anything I've ever encountered.
I had gone to Hiroshima like most gaijin, looking to make some sort of pilgrimage and atone for the horror inflicted on that city by my country. But when I got there I saw this would be not only impossible, but unnecessary. I went to the Peace Park, and saw many people honoring the dead, but also saw children running around, old men playing board games, and people picknicking. The most serious-looking folks were all foreigners. I suppose if you lived in a place with such a terrible past, by now you would have no choice but to move on. Of course, the people of Hiroshima will never forget their past. But I hear that in Japan there is gaining momentum for increased use of the Self-Defense Forces, changing the pacifist clause in the constitution, and some are even calling for Japan to develop its own nuclear weapons. I'm sure the Japanese are concerned about North Korea, but to many inside and outside Japan, this is unthinkable. We can't forget the horror of Hiroshima's past. Even as the present-day city is a beautiful, bustling port with ordinary citizens living ordinary lives, art museums and parks, ramen shops and shopping arcades, in the midst of this normalcy, the Peace Park and the A-Bomb Dome are a constant reminder for the world of the horrible stupidity of war. We need to honor the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the best way to do so is by insuring that such tragedies are never repeated. The people I met in Hiroshima in no way harbored any resentment towards Americans because of what had happened. So there is no need for us to feel guilty on their account. Instead we should feel guilt because we continue to keep nuclear weapons and make war all over the world. Discontinuing these policies would be the best way to atone for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Pillows

2006-04-15T23:59:00.000+09:00

Today in Osaka I got to see the band I'm somewhat obsessed with, The Pillows. The show was sold out, but fortunately scalpers work the same in Japan as in the states. I paid an arm and a leg, but I wouldn't have missed this show for anything. And it was great! No opening acts, but they did 3 encores. The mosh pit was good- like the Tokyo subway at rush hour but jumping. But different mosh manners than other shows I've seen- the girls especially were very aggressive! I wish my Japanese was better so I had understood what they said between songs, but all in all a great show.

Kyoto and Nara

2006-04-14T21:40:00.000+09:00

Actually, I'm in Tokyo now, but spent the week seeing Kyoto- contemporary art, temples, and ancient Asian art- and Nara- deer and the giant Buddha temple. My tutor Mari's family have been showing me wonderful Japanese hospitality. Yesterday I went with her Mom to a local bath which had an electric pool- yes, it's just what it sounds like. I didn't have the nerve to try takoyaki, the regional delicacy of griddle-cooked octopus and dough balls. I don't like octopus, but they look so good! I changed my plans for this weekend and now I'm going back to Osaka tomorrow, so maybe I'll have some then. Between Osaka/Kyoto and Tokyo you ride on the shinkansen- the train that goes 200 miles per hour. It actually doesn't seem that fast, but you can tell it's faster than a regular train for sure! Well that's it for now.

Black Eggs and Mount Fuji

2006-04-09T21:36:00.000+09:00

Back in Shinjuku- Tokyo- after two days in Hakone at ryokans- Japanese-style inns. Hakone is touristy, but country, with beautiful rugged mountains and lots of cedars and also a volcanic dome. Which is where the sulfur mines are and the black eggs are made. Boiled in the hot springs, they turn black on the outside. Other than that, like a hard-boiled egg. Also had wasabi ice cream, which is pretty much like you'd imagine! The ryokans Manami and I stayed at each had onsen- baths, one natural hot spring, one not. But I liked the fake one better because it had a sauna too. The food was great, but way too much for me to eat all at once, and the schedule is very rigid considering how much you pay to stay there. We took a cable car across the mountain to get to the volcano, and as we crested the top, suddenly Mount Fuji appeared, and wow, it's incredible. The mountains we were in were already bigger than in North Carolina, but Fuji even at its distance dwarfed them all. After that, we came back to the city and went to the Ninja Restaurant for dinner with Manami's friend. It was expensive, but the price included some great entertainment, and the Ninja theme was done to perfection except that the music was the worst kind of elevator pop crap! Now I'm at a manga cafe, where you can rent manga and stay all night and obviously use the net. I have an hour to kill until I can check in at a capsule hotel (which also has a sauna!) and I just ran into a guy from San Fransisco, so we're gonna go out for a drink. And this cigarette smoke is killing me, so that's all for now. Sayounara!

More From Japan

2006-04-01T11:23:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I spent viewing the gorgeous cherry blossoms and shopping in Shinjuku. Then I met Manami for a movie which was so crowded we had to sit on the floor in the very front. Also had my first experience of the sardine-can trains- I never thought that many people could fit in a space that size. The day before, I had gone to an open-air museum in a nearby park with my Aunt Michelle and her 3 little kids. They wanted to go to Dennys for dinner so we did, but if we go out today I really need to get some sushi. The onigiri rice balls are good, but I havent had real sushi yet. Its a little cold here so I bought a sweatshirt that says something about it still being ok to import beef, and has cute cows on it. Also did karaoke the other night- this couple I met wanted to do "Stand By Me" so how could I say no? And the apostrophe on this keyboard isnt working anymore. And, my sister Kiki is pregnant, on a totally different note! But now Im off to somewhere...

Hey Look!

2006-03-30T07:49:00.000+09:00

Blogger works in Japan! But, the site is all in Japanese. At least I finally found the apostrophe on this keyboard! Well, anyway, I thought I'd write a quick post while my hair dries. Yes, I'm here and heading out to explore and get coffee. Got in last night but pretty much just passed out. I got up at 6am, believe it or not- of course my body thinks it was 4pm. Works for me! The weather looks to be great today. I met a nice woman and her son yesterday, maybe we'll meet up later, and going over to my aunt's at lunchtime. So, that's it for now- I'll have more of interest when I've been out a bit. Sayounara!

Grab Bag Of Silly Miscellany

2006-03-20T06:05:00.000+09:00

This is probably the last set of work I'll post before I go to Japan next week. They're all pastel drawings, 18" x 24", except for the pink rabbit which is an oil, 11" x 14".

Art Will Eat Itself

2006-03-11T14:19:00.000+09:00

This post refers indirectly to the following two links. One is the site for the artwork in an exhibit called “School Days,” which in their own words, “includes works in widely diverse styles representing the best of the graduate programs at Columbia, Hunter and Yale.” The exhibit is currently up in NYC, the self-proclaimed heart of the Art World, for my readers who don’t follow these things. The other is our current MFA student exhibit, “The Best of Western,” up at a gallery in Lenoir, NC, a passionate-but-tiny arts community in the mountains. I haven’t seen most of these works in person, and the New York JPEGs in particular are possibly the lowest quality I’ve seen.

The following review of “School Days” is what got me started: “The work all looked very accomplished. No amateurish pratfalls here, nor any big risks taken.” (Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, February 27, 2006, pg. 31) when one of our profs posted it and the link in an email.

This quote meshes with my general opinion about the state of fine art in this country. Many (not all) of these works, and too much of what I see elsewhere, are beautifully executed and substantially empty. Especially coming from students, I expected a bit more envelope-pushing, outside-of-box-thinking, punk-rock-“in-your-face-fine-art-world!” attitude. I guess that word sums up what I feel is missing from a lot of art right now- attitude.

Now, I don’t expect that every artist needs to feel, as I do, that a primary responsibility of our profession is exposing humanity to its own buried truths and stimulating societal progress. It is certainly valid to be primarily concerned with light, or color, or form; art is object, it’s only an image whose power and meaning can be lost with the passing of generations. But if it doesn’t speak to at least the artist’s own generation, it is mere decoration. And too much of what I see in fine art today has at best, a tiny voice, crying out not even in the wilderness where someone might hear it and amplify it, but cooing to its closest friends from within the confines of its closet. No one cares about self-discovery, unless it relates to the human condition as a whole. And why should we? Finding your inner whatever is between you and your therapist.

Harsh! I know. I admit I am very biased by my Dadaist tendencies and firm belief in the equality of commercial art with fine. I have high expectations for art, and don’t usually achieve them in my own either. But, what really bothers me is this: you know how pundits keep talking about how Hollywood is “out of touch with middle America” and they’re a “liberal elite” who entertain only themselves? Well, I think you see where I’m going with this. The fine art world often seems to me like a world removed from anything but itself.

Ask people in this country to name a contemporary artist, and I’d bet my student loans that half of them would say Thomas Kinkade and the other half wouldn’t be able to name anyone. Is this because Americans are stupid and uncultured? Partially. But it’s also because fine art tends to be elitist. By the art world’s definition, it’s the opposite of commercial art, which to serve its purpose has to be accessible. Museums and galleries and schools do all they can to reel in the general public, so where does this elitism come from? It comes from artists who create while comparing theirs to other art, while trying to one-up other artists, while planning their own little artistic coup. No one cares about that shit except other artists!! People outside of the fine arts who see your work don’t care if it pushes the boundaries of space and medium and challenges the history of art.

I’m not saying don’t do those things, but why does so much art STOP at that? Why can’t art be all that AND have something to say? As long as fine artists purposely try to avoid joining the non-art conversation, fine art will continue to lose its relevance.

Fighting An Insurgency

2006-02-20T06:29:00.001+09:00

Fighting An Insurgency
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

oil on canvas
36" x 48"
2006
probably finished.

Spreading Freedom And Democracy All Over The World

2006-02-20T06:29:00.000+09:00

Spreading Freedom And Democracy All Over The World
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

oil on canvas
48" x 36"
2006
mostly finished.

Chaos Never Died

2006-01-08T10:44:00.000+09:00

chaos-never-died
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

I’ve been thinking about what Dan Jocz was getting at with his chaos/order assignment. I definitely tend to be in control of my work. I don’t try to do this- in fact, part of the reason I didn’t do sketches for paintings for years is that I was trying to achieve spontaneity, chaos. But my natural tendency is to be in charge of my art.
This is not to say that I don’t allow accidents to stay in a finished piece. In “War of Hearts and Minds,” notice the line of the bat. Its axis is broken by the hands, and where it comes out the other side, it doesn’t line up. I didn’t really plan that, but I like the way it worked with the other contours in the piece. So when it happened, I tried to leave it alone. But in this same work, I spent days and many layers of paint moving the outline of the rabbit until I felt it worked right with the edges and negative shapes.
The drawing, as yet untitled, of the liberator bear crushing Baghdad (note to self: possible title for drawing: “Liberator Bear Crushes Baghdad”) displays my most anal level of control over my composition and media application. This piece had more studies for it than any other in recent memory. And since I’m now painting a similar theme, I guess this itself was just a study. In the painting now, I’m still at a very early stage. How do I add that sense of unbridled naturalness? The fact that I want to “add” it is probably not a good place to start from! It helps that I’ve drawn this damn bear so many times now. And it helps to be using a medium which easily allows both for errors, and their concealment. But already I’ve let more paint get onto the edges than I’d envisioned. At the time I did it, it was because I felt it needed to be there. But I can’t undo that- can’t return to blank white canvas. I’ll somehow have to make it work. The image in my head will have to adapt to what the painting itself is doing.

iraq war drawing

2006-01-06T12:29:00.000+09:00

iraq drawing
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

anyone got any title suggestions? something about "liberation." this is 18"x24", india ink & gouache.

Winning the War of Hearts and Minds

2005-10-16T07:50:00.000+09:00

Winning the War of Hearts and Minds
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

Well, I think this piece is pretty much done- at least for now, as I hope it will be dry in time for a show at the end of this month! After sketching several different expressions, I decided the blank face said it better. Does the rabbit hitting itself in the head with a bat represent a war supporter? An anti-Bush peace demonstrator? An Iraqi? (Or is he about to hit someone else?) I felt a facial expression would give away the answer, so don't try and ask me which one it is- I wanted ambiguity. It will be displayed with this (or similar) audio track.

Hooray!

2005-08-08T11:22:00.000+09:00

I made it through the first semester! I can't wait to get back to my own kitchen and bathroom. Not to mention air conditioning. Although there were many annoyances, it was a good start to my re-education, mostly because of the visiting artists and the other students. Also, thanks to the good people at the Toe River Arts Council (especially Greg Stella, despite his affection for the Penguins, and Denise Cook, our local flutist) I will be receiving a scholarship of $665 for the next term! Yay! So now, I have to start the independent study part of my courses. The interesting thing will be setting up a website- or rather, finding someone to do it for me. I hope the local community college can help with that. And I hope to convince the school to let me take Japanese as a correspondence course. Well, that's it for now! I'll be back at my phone sometime the end of this week, for those of you who don't IM. Later!
p.s. why is October so far away?

Icarus

2005-07-30T13:32:00.000+09:00

Here's my newest piece. It's 6'x3' and is the one in our show at the Wedge Gallery in Asheville, which is only up for a week. It's about Icarus, and safety equipment. Don't try this at home- I don't want to get sued.

If this is heaven…

2005-07-09T11:31:00.000+09:00

I’ll watch movies in hell, or at least purgatory. Today was our movie-watching marathon with artist/jeweler Dan Jocz, by which I mean we had to watch 3 of the following 4 titles: The Princess and the Warrior, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Days of Heaven, and Heaven. Of these, I skipped McCabe, only because it was one of the rare absolutely beautiful days we’ve had this summer, and I had to go biking.

Well, the idea of watching all these films is that we also have to listen to John Coltrane and read a book, and by the end of August write how these things all tied together. I know that if I don’t put down my thoughts on these movies now, I’ll have forgotten them by, well, this weekend, let alone in 1 ½ months. Truth be told, I’ve never been prone to liking dramas, and these were all just too slow for me. I also found that the characters, and especially the odd romances between the leads in all these films, were not engaging or even believable. And in Days of Heaven, I was absolutely groaning at the obviousness and overplayed cuteness of the little-girl-with-the-funny-accent narrator. Of the three, Heaven was the most enjoyable, and The Princess and the Warrior was watchable (except for the street tracheotomy scene,) but none of them would I watch again.

So, I am admittedly very picky about movies (and everything else,) but aside from that, what did these films have in common? Well, the lead characters were all likable criminals. People who, although you question their judgment, you (sorta) trust their hearts. Their romances were all based on circumstantial meetings which could be seen as strong coincidence or karmic intervention, depending on your take. They were all fated to doom from the start, yet oddly enough, they ended well (if you call life on the lam well) in 2 of the 3 cases. There was, to me, a sense in these films that the director was trying to say: if you are a good person, or bad for a good reason, then falling in love can somehow redeem you. Sometimes a movie can pull this off (Bonnie and Clyde) but it didn’t work for me here. Maybe the characters were all a little too relativistic- too easily willing to yield common human values while selfishly pursuing their romances. Yeah, that’s it- that’s what bugged me about these films. I mean, I don’t really like dramas or romance films, but it wasn’t that- it was this moral relativism. Not that I even remotely mind a non-black-and-white view of the world, but these films didn’t have the strength in their characters that can make it work (like in Bonnie and Clyde.) It also didn’t help that the characters showed very little remorse for their actions, and when they did, they mostly still got away with it in the end, without having to sacrifice much- the primary losses they faced were of those around them dying, while they themselves lived on.

Well, I hope this is enough to jog my memory when I have to write about these films again next month. Because I’m not re-watching them; although maybe I should watch McCabe and Mrs. Miller; since no one else liked it, I probably would.

By the way, I am aware that the links above give all these films glowing reviews, but that don't mean they're right! Look what they said about Ed Wood- oh, wait, that's not a good example.

Criticizing critiques

2005-07-01T13:27:00.000+09:00

Well, I think this will probably end up as the most rambly of my entries for this blog assignment. As everyone here in the WCU Master’s Program knows, it’s been a long exhausting week. So I think instead of a mini-essay like usual, I’d like to express my thoughts on critiques and their usefulness.

I have a pen pal (yes people still write letters) in Japan who is also a student, and I was trying to explain to her what a critique was, since it’s, as far as I know, unique to the art school world. I realized, in attempting to explain using non-technical terms she’d understand, that most of my description was negative. Yet I do feel that critiques are an integral and important part of art school. I’ve learned a lot about my work, how to talk about it, how it relates to other art and to the viewer… and I’ve learned how to talk about other people’s work, not to mention learning formal art terms- so is it just that critiques are difficult like an exam, and that’s why they can be so exhausting? I think as any artist who’s been through one knows there’s a much deeper issue than that. I don’t know any artist who doesn’t feel that their work is a part of their soul, an idea to which they gave birth, an extension of their own existence. Criticism will come, but it can be crushing to hear it about something so personal. Even compliments can be tough, as they can steer an artist into a sense of security- which brings me to another point.

Today in our group crits a mention was made several times of “being on an edge” in one way or another. This phrase has several connotations, and I think that in art, one edge exists between security and unknowing. Yes, great art is part instinct. Art can be mimicked by learning, but the good stuff has some intangible quality that can never be taught. So good critiques can foster a sense of security in ones direction- can teach us to trust our instincts even; but in my experience, real breakthroughs usually only come when one is entirely uncomfortable, when one is pushed to the limit of their understanding and endurance. So in some ways, bad critiques can be better than good ones…

I suppose what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Maybe that’s a depressing thought on its face, but in art, you have to be strong to stay on that edge. And the edge is where it all happens.

Welcome to the jungle…

2005-06-30T11:33:00.000+09:00

I found the interview with Squeak Carnwath interesting, and her views on life after an M.F.A. were especially poignant in light of an article released by the AP this week.

To sum up both, if you don’t feel like reading the links, Carnwath claims that many people with M.F.A.s stop making art a few years after leaving school because they didn’t realize how difficult a lifestyle it is, and they aren’t willing to make so many sacrifices. The AP article, in the Christian Science Monitor where I read it, was titled, “Are Young Workers the ‘I’m Entitled’ Generation?” Its author discusses why many bosses are frustrated at hiring young workers, who increasingly demand benefits and flexibility normally given to only veteran employees, and who aren’t willing to do grunt work.

I suppose these phenomena are probably related. But it surprises me that art, which has always been a difficult career to find success in, would even attract people not willing to make a commitment to hard work in the first place. My guess is that if you asked the professors in M.F.A. programs which students would become practicing artists upon graduating, they would pick the ones that they saw as hard-working, committed to their art, and willing to accept adversity in exchange for creativity- not necessarily the most talented students.

I remember several conversations with a friend of mine, my “rich patron.” He chose a degree in engineering, and enjoys his job sometimes, but is more often frustrated by it. He makes what I consider to be a ton of money. He knows how poor I’ve been since moving to North Carolina and becoming self-employed. He also knows that my art is more important to me than making money. But he asks me, “how can you be happy being that poor?” Well, of course I’m not. Yet when it crosses my mind that maybe I should do something else for a living, I don’t really even give it much consideration. I know it sounds corny, like I’m some starry-eyed idealist, but I just can’t do anything else.

We’ve all heard ad nauseum that you have to suffer to create. I’m not sure this is a truism so much as it is a minor comfort for artists. But considering the number of M.F.A. recipients who seem to think it doesn’t apply to them, maybe it should be inscribed on every graduate’s diploma.

References? Pooh.

2005-06-29T11:54:00.000+09:00

“References are unavoidable, whatever kind of painter you are. That is, at once, painting's strength and a frightening limitation; it is, in a nutshell, painting's difficulty.” -The Guardian, June 28, 2005

I think this is true, and I do not think it is specific to painting, or even art.

Having been painting in my apartment for years and not really showing my work, I have had some difficulty hearing other people describe my art in terms of who it reminds them of, or other artists they think I should like. While the latter can be fantastic, the former can be fatal. For example, today I started on a new direction in a new piece. While I was absorbed in my painting and my new CD, the custodian came in, and couldn’t resist interrupting. “Is that Winnie-the Pooh, or something?” he said, totally innocent of the fact that I absolutely loathe Disney (I doubt he meant Milne’s drawings) to the point where I believe that said corporation is the Anti-Christ of the animation world. Now I am left with the dilemma: do I leave the offending bear (which really, if you know cartoons, looks nothing like Disney’s perversion of Pooh, except in the fact that it is a cartoon bear), or do I try and modify or remove it to erase the memory of its perceived (by some) similarity to something I hate? I mean, if I really wanted to paint Winnie-the-Fucking-Pooh, you’d know it without having to ask what it was!

Sorry, it was just an innocent comment, but I really hate Disney.

The problem is, it won’t stop with cartoon bears. It’s all been done, so they say. There’s nothing new left in visual art, short of creating new media. (I’m sure the same things are said to writers, musicians, and others.) The references to other works of art will come, no matter who you are or how you paint. But what do they know? Who died and made them Elvis? Do we tell scientists to stop their work because it’s all been done? Duh! Why is it assumed that art is different- somehow limited by human imagination where other endeavors are not? Is it possible that something so personal and universal, and inherently creative, could run out of ideas?

Anyway, my point is, of course everything will remind some people of something else. It’s partly the way our brains work, making associations to help our decision-making survival skills. Artists should, for the most part, ignore these observations and continue with their own discoveries, or even better: if possible, artists should turn such comments on their heads and use them to their own advantage. Unless they actually like Disney.

“Mystery Art Theater 3000”

2005-06-28T14:42:00.000+09:00

If All The Vermeers of New York was video art, I admit I’d probably display it in a cardboard box in my attic. But while I don’t have the same issues with display as video artists do, it is part of the process of making and selling art of any medium.

Like most things in art, there are no set rules when it comes to presentation, but there is a lot of custom and some expectations. As undergraduates we learn words like “archival,” “museum-quality,” “permanent/fugitive,” etc. There are thousands of artists over thousands of years for us to learn from. Professional artists today can ignore these things, but it is necessary to be aware of them.

Collectors also have expectations when they purchase art, although these may vary depending on the person and the medium. In my glass, for example, I must be concerned with the “fit” of colors to the clear glass- I’ve had to write to a gallery and offer to exchange glasses they’d bought because a few months after I made them, I learned that the yellow didn’t fit, potentially causing hairline cracks in the glass. In this situation, while it was an honest mistake on my part, I took full responsibility. The main issue when dealing with a situation like this is reputation. When I sell a piece, if I am aware of any potential problems down the line, I disclose this to the buyer beforehand. I had a friend commission a painting on which I tried an experimental technique, so I felt it only right to warn him of possible implications years, or even decades from now. (See image below: "Golden Ratio," 2001, oil on canvas with paper and ink.)

The same logic applies to display issues. If a work needs special, non-intuitive care in display, most artists will be sure to explain this to a collector or gallery. Most of my paintings are self-explanatory, but sometimes glass is not: for example, hand-blown glass is soft, and not meant for the dishwasher. It’s best to make people aware of things like this before they come back to your studio wanting a refund!

In all, artists are the most familiar with their techniques and processes. They are the most capable party to deal with individual collectors and work out details of display and care. As such, they need to address anything they are aware of, whether it is during the making of the piece or after.

This Modern World

2005-06-26T03:06:00.000+09:00

The thing I found interesting after reading the interviews with Jacqueline Ehlis and Joy Garnett was the similarities in their motivations but differences in their conclusions. Both, it seems, are concerned with the state of the modern world- the media culture in particular. But Ehlis responds to this by insisting on abstraction as the only valid recourse, while Garnett chooses to co-opt the media’s images.

Ehlis apparently feels that the “information age” has led to a society where everyone, even artists, are trying to dictate what people should think, and her justification for painting abstractly is a conscious decision to not dictate to the viewer what they should see. I suppose, from my point of view, that this is the only reasonable justification for abstract art. But if you didn’t know her reasoning, it would just be shapes and colors on a canvas, enjoyable perhaps, but never working beyond the level of emotional response to visual stimuli at best and decoration at worst. So her justification, or to use her own word, her rhetoric, is an important part of the works, even as she tries to avoid it.

Garnett, on the other hand, chooses to use the over-saturation of media images available in print, TV and the internet and paint them directly, mostly unaltered from what I can tell. Some of these works can be quite powerful, but it seems this is more dependent on the original image than on Garnett’s handling of it. I admire her strategy more than Ehlis’s in theory, but would rather have seen more of her own subjectivity imbued in the work, either by combining images, changing colors, or some other artistic license.

In all I feel that these artists are both dealing with digital culture, but in very opposite ways, one by disregarding and the other by embracing. I suppose that this will be an issue for all artists now, as it is increasingly impossible to avoid reliance on technology. I feel this discourse will ultimately benefit the art world.

Turning Japanese?

2005-06-24T13:50:00.000+09:00

Scholars outside Japan have begun to take anime seriously because they say it serves as a window onto deeper trends. "I would more accurately call the phenomenon the emergence of an art movement or way of thinking and viewing the world," says Marjorie Manifold, assistant professor of art education at Indiana University, "just as Impressionism presented a new way for artists, musicians, and philosophers to view the world at the turn of the 19th to 20th century."
Source: The Christian Science Monitor, June 24, 2005

As a lifelong fan of Japanese animation (anime) and recent fan of Japanese comics (manga), I have always been convinced of the validity of this art form. But it is only recently, as my generation of TV viewers and video game players enters adulthood and the popularity of this art enters mainstream culture that the media start to ponder questions like this. If it is true that anime represents a new art movement, how does this affect traditional art forms like painting?

Anime is of course a genre of animation. Manga is essentially a genre of comic books. Both comics and animation have been around long enough to have proven their worth as media capable of yielding legitimate artistic expression, so that’s not really the issue. What is drawing the attention of reporters and observers is the way anime and manga have become popular with so many different people all over the world. Especially considering the fact that Japanese culture is notoriously homogenous and even xenophobic, it is notable that these basically indigenous art forms draw the adoration of such diverse audiences.

Is this transcendence of cultural boundaries part of what makes for a successful art movement? Certainly. Enduring art speaks to something eternal, some fundamental human condition. The popularity of anime and manga are absolutely related to their ability to tap into deep human passions. Manga and anime, by definition, tell a story. Painting doesn’t have this restriction, and consequently sometimes becomes a vehicle for self-absorption. If you’re telling a story, you have to relate it to the audience- they enter your world, but you must make it accessible. Painting often is accused of being elitist, and I feel it is partly because of a sometime lack of concern for this public aspect of art.

So, as the professor quoted above states, is this art form a “new way of viewing the world?” I can only conjecture on her logic, as the article did not elaborate. But I can tell you that these arts are not only becoming more and more popular, but they have already begun to influence American pop culture (and what other culture have we got, really). It has even started to seep into fine art with the emergence of kawaii paintings. Some of the more overt examples will surely be trends that disappear with changing tastes, but the way that anime and manga delve into universal human truths and questions has the potential to agitate the fine art world.

I added an image to this post of my current favorite manga, XXXholic by CLAMP, a group of four women who have become the most popular manga artists in the U.S. Below is a link to their official site, but it's mostly in Japanese.

Starving Artists, Inc.

2005-06-21T13:58:00.000+09:00

In reference to:
“In the series art:21 that we watched today in class, some artists discussed their underlying motivations for turning to art as a career. Write an explanation of what kind of decision making process got you to your current point of studying art and participating in an M.F.A. program.”

I came across this most recent post on January Blog with a coincidentally (or not?) similar theme: the writer asks, “What, pray tell, is the point of graduate school?” Well, for me, I guess I wasn’t actually so concerned with the point when I decided to go.

As the aforementioned blogger illuminates, there are lots of reasons for pursuing an M.F.A. Perhaps galleries will pay you more attention. You have the opportunity of teaching at the college level if you so choose. I would add to this that an M.F.A. enhances a grant or artist-in-residence application. So there are certainly professional considerations involved. Many artists feel that somehow even thinking about these things is selling out, but unless you have a rich patron, get over yourself and face reality, or expect to paint in your closet and wait to get lucky.

I’m not saying that one absolutely can’t be successful without a Master’s. But recent studies have shown that most people without a college degree are no longer able to achieve middle-class economic status (unlike previous generations.) If it’s that much tougher for other Americans now, why would art be any different? In fact, art is notoriously harder to make a living in; so why not seek all the help you can get? And it’s not just financial- as I noted in a previous post, art is very much about making connections- “networking.” Being in school is a great place to do that. (How many of our visiting artists here at WCU had previous connections with the school in some way?) And of course, I’ve not even mentioned that schools are for learning (!) and how could that possibly be bad for someone who wants to make the most of their talent and hone their skills and message?

There’s nothing wrong with taking full advantage of the opportunities and privileges before you. All these things, among other, more personal issues, crossed my mind when I decided to go back to school. But, as I said before, I wasn’t as concerned with the point. Really, I just got to a place where I realized that the real world sucks. I’ve always liked school- and if I didn’t go back now, I probably wouldn’t have a more convenient time to go. This isn’t to say that I don’t think grad school will help advance my career- I hope to God it does!- but I’m honestly just really glad to be back.

Art as a catalyst for change

2005-06-20T12:25:00.000+09:00

I found this on the “Bare And Bitter Sleep” blog Carolyn linked to. This is an excerpt, but the whole discussion was interesting (see link below.)

“I still think that if you want to create tangible change in the world, art is an incredibly inefficient way to do that. Art is good for a lot of things--revelation, meditation, self-reflection, communication of ideas, documentation, enlightenment, etc., etc.,--political change is not one of the things it's good at. For that, better to go with direct action, like voting or bombing something.
I guess I'm saying that it's totally legitimate for us as artists to understand our art as part of some larger resistance or subversion, but I think it's grandiose of us to think that some painting we hang in a gallery is going to end poverty or bring down corporate greed.”

Posted by: MAZE on Tue, 6/7/05 | 10:47 PM

While I agree that immediate results can be achieved by “voting or bombing,” I disagree that art is inefficient at changing human culture. It just doesn’t use the same methods as other types of revolution. Sure, it’s unlikely that George W. Bush will see a painting that will change his mind about global warming or the so-called war on terror and cause our government to alter its practices, but this does not mean that art is ineffective at political change. There are many, many people besides those in power who see and are affected by art. Among them: voters, teachers, journalists, activists, small business owners, children, and countless others, all of whom in ways small and large impact our local communities and the world. A work of art and its meaning may simmer in the sub conscience of a society until it is acted upon. Art may add depth and clarity of purpose to a movement already festering. Who would argue that film, television, and news media don’t shape our perception and world understanding? If a powerful painting were seen by as many people, why would it be any different?

Certainly, it’s a stretch to point to one single work of art as having changed the world. Nor can one point to any one single event or person as having accomplished that. The root of all change is a (grass-roots) movement: monotheism, democracy, industrialization, environmentalism; the list throughout history is immense. All of these have art as an integral part, directly or not, because art is a part of all human endeavors. The blogger quoted above admits this, but still counts art as an ineffective tool. But what inspires these movements? Often, a work of art (here I use art in the broad sense) provides a rallying point for a diverse set of views; a specific and simple image around which ideas can coalesce.

Those in power, the decision-makers, much as we hate to admit it, are there by our acquiescence. We are the ones with the real power; even though it’s easy to feel helpless in this complex, impersonal society, we are only as helpless as we allow ourselves to be. If an artist wants to stir up change, but decides art can’t be an effective medium, then it won’t be. I think the real issue today is not “Can art change the world?” but “How can my art be heard in an over-saturated culture?” But if I knew the answer to that, I’d be rich.

"Electoral Map" in progress

2005-06-20T06:39:00.000+09:00

"Electoral Map" in progress
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

Trying to brainstorm what to write for my next blog entry, and thought I should use some more of my Flickr bandwidth. We are all familiar with the context of this painting, and realize that seeing a complex situation presented as two opposing colors is oversimplification in the least. By choosing this now familiar image of the country, I was trying more to record an event in our culture’s evolution than to analyze what that event means. I’ll have another four years to do that.

On art and the internet

2005-06-17T13:09:00.000+09:00

Well, let me say that this is a very interesting and complex topic, and by the end of this writing I’m sure I won’t come to a conclusion. I have some thoughts on this of course, but like many issues on the non-creating side of art, I have conflicting feelings.

As someone whose paintings have been mostly out of the gallery scene (a self-inflicted wound, I admit- I just haven’t tried) I am sort of happy just by the fact that the internet provides such a potentially large audience. When I was a freshman in college, I had a piece published on the back cover (poster-size) of our school arts magazine. During the next couple of months, I learned that a lot of students had not only seen and enjoyed this painting, but had even hung a copy of it in their rooms. I was extremely flattered the first time I walked into some unknown person’s living space and saw my work hanging on the wall. I didn’t receive any money for that, of course, and I never sold the piece, but I could care less.

The internet provides some of the same advantages and pitfalls. I would love it if everyone in the world could have a copy of my work for free. (Of course, the internet can never match the experience of an original painting on many levels, but it’s possible to provide a format that, while inferior, is still highly enjoyable. And the technology’s only going to get better.) Along with increased accessibility comes the issue of actually making a living. I could charge people money to see or download my art off the net. But am I loosing money by letting them have it free? No, I’m just not making as much as I could- I can still sell the original, which doesn’t compare to the internet image.

Now, as for copycats and copyrights. My favorite example of this is “Calvin & Hobbes.” We’ve all seen it, and the stupid pissing Calvin car decals (I’ve even seen here in the South a praying Calvin at the foot of a cross). In its heyday, when the comic strip started getting ripped off, what did Bill Watterson, the creator and copyright owner, do about these unlicensed products? He refused to enforce the copyright, but also decided to stop producing the strip. How is that a good reaction to that situation? Not only do the people making money off illegitimate reproductions continue to this day to make money, but the fans and potential new fans are left in the void. Bill Watterson didn’t lose money from these thefts of his art, but they were insulting. So he just quit. I guess my point is, his art was the real thing- no amount of knock-offs could change that. If stupid people want to put some dumb sticker on their car, as long as you still make a living, who cares?

And so, you can see my ambiguity here. I want to make a respectable living, but I want my art to be accessible to a lot of people, rich and poor. The following link leads to a copy of “The Cheap Art Manifesto,” which I have owned for years. It comes from the Bread & Puppet Theater, based in Glover, Vermont. I have always respected it, and am still trying to reconcile its utopian message with real life. Food for thought, to be sure.

Self-confidence self-help

2005-06-15T13:22:00.000+09:00

I am assuming that the original topic of this forum was this post by Mat Gleason: "I think socializing is as important to an artist's success as anything, but having good art will get you further than someone who makes lousy art but is an excellent schmoozer." I would like to expand on this thought and respond to a few of the other comments in the forum.
Humans are social creatures, and we all must learn to interact with eachother to a greater or lesser extent in our careers. An artist, unlike some in other professions, has the luxury of choosing the degree and type of interaction for the most part. It's possible, for example, to hire someone to market your work. However, this is not always sufficient; in many instances, there is just no substitute for the artist's presence. An example from my own experience is with selling glass. I have been involved in many events (studio tours, festivals, etc.) where people come expecting to buy. But sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Having the artist engage the potential customer can make or break a sale. Often this consists of "schmooze" talk: "Oh, I noticed your shirt- I grew up near there" or "Have you ever seen glassblowing before?" Sure, anyone who has worked in sales will groan (I've gotten so practiced I actually recite the same phrases most times) but it works. People like someone who is friendly and offers them information to go with their purchase. It gives them a face and a story to put on their art.
Of course, gallery schmoozing is not quite the same as trying to make a sale. But the same principle applies. If one feels a personal connection with the artist- can remember a conversation, or something you two had in common- one is more likely to think positively of the artist, which obviously never hurts. Artists who say they don't like to talk to people or don't think it's important should learn otherwise. When I did my first studio tour I was terrified of talking to the customers. But you realize very soon after your first sale that it's incredibly easy. There's a pattern to what people want to hear from an artist, and I'm not saying you can just bullshit and manipulate them. (Well, you usually can, but it's possible to tell the truth and still have the same effect.) If you feel you're not a "people person" you just need to practice it more. Just because you have a fear doesn't mean you're obligated to be a slave to it. Everyone can overcome insecurity in their own way, and every artist should. Ask yourself this: if you are afraid to talk to people about your work, is it because you're afraid of rejection or a bad review? In short, do you have misgivings about your work? If you had the confidence to make the work in the first place, why should you be afraid of what people will say about it?
And so, my point is this: it is more important to have good work than to be a good talker. But there's no reason an artist can't do both with a little practice.

did it work?

2005-06-15T11:57:00.000+09:00

Can you see the link?

Commercial creativity/ Creative commercialism

2005-06-13T13:22:00.000+09:00

Well, this is a subject that I've been contemplating for most of my artistic life, and I thought a blog would be the perfect format for discussing it, since I haven't arrived at a solution. At issue is the complex relationship between the creative side of art- the pure act of making a piece, struggling with a medium and subject, and finally giving birth to something unique; and the business side of art- namely, the fact that artists must usually sell their work to survive.
Aside from the lucky (?) few who have rich patrons or trust funds, most professional artists struggle to survive economically and often are professional something-elses as well as artists. While this notion of the starving artist is historically romanticized, as someone who's been one paycheck away from starvation for several years, I can say that it certainly gets old after a while. Now, I'm not complaining- this is the life I've chosen and the tradeoffs are worth it. But everyone wants financial stability. I've watched the married couple I blow glass for- in their sixties- struggle through 3 very difficult years, when the sales which had been reliable for decades suddenly dried up with the limping economy. The last few years have been hard for a lot of artists, actually. We are in a very fickle career. Like an actor who finds themselves in the gutter after several blockbusters, artists rely on the whims and tastes of the public.
So what is an artist to do- especially one just starting on a career path? I was at a critical decision point last year. I knew I could- with loans- open up a glass studio. I could make a stable income for the rest of my life churning out Christmas balls and other production ware- or, I could go back to school. The latter would by no means guarantee financial stability. And the former would be boring, but not intolerable. So, my decision is now obvious, but my career path is still open. Will I become a studio painter? Or will economics force me to supplement this income with another source?
All artists are faced with this dilemma eventually. They all solve it in various ways; some by teaching, or mass-producing pieces, or any number of other things. Often young students consider these things as "selling out." This is absolutely incorrect (Thomas Kinkade notwithstanding.) In the world we inhabit, everyone must make money for a living, or rely on the kindness of others. No amount of money will taint an artist's soul if that soul is cherished and respected by its host. It is a fine balance between pure creation of art and production for survival. But it can be done. The question remains, how?

The center of the art universe

2005-06-10T00:57:00.000+09:00

A question often arises in the world of contemporary art, "Is New York still the place where artists' careers are made or broken? Does an artist have to live in the city, or at least frequent the many galleries and museums there in order to stay on top of the art scene in America (and by extension, the world)? Is New York City, in effect, the center of the art universe?"
I propose that a more relevant question would be, "Does the art universe need a center?"
Most of us know, and budding artists quickly learn, that networking among peers is essential to establishing and maintaining a career in art. This usually meant going to galleries and museums of contemporary art, visiting other artists' studios, trying to get work assisting artists, joining trade groups, etc. But, while there is no substitute for meeting someone face to face, I would argue that it is becoming more and more acceptable to establish a working relationship with someone you've never met. It is not only the advent of the internet and cell phones that has pushed this trend, but simple demographics as well. There are just more people, and not all of them can, or choose to, live in cities like New York. It is also quite feasible for an artist to travel wherever they need to be- even an international flight is relatively easy to manage.
But it is not just the artist who needs to make connections in the community. What of the collectors- the support of whom the artist cannot survive without? There is an expectation that if you want to find and buy art from someone "up and coming," or at the peak of their career, you will seek them out in New York. If someone doesn't show in New York, they are nobodies- or, as is common with folk art here in the South, they are labeled "outsider art." There has been a presumption that an artist can't realize national or international fame without the stepping stone of NYC. This may have been based in reality at one point, but to continue this belief is delusional isolationism.
Yes, New York's art scene is still extremely relevant, and most artists who gain widespread recognition will have their work shown in its galleries at some point. But it is no longer a de facto precondition for success. Much more important is for an artist to take advantage of the resources in their own community. Networking can happen anywhere there are other people with an interest in art. There are galleries, museums, arts councils, and schools everywhere, and if someone is willing to take an active role in their community, connections will be made. It may happen more slowly than in New York City. It may mean more frequent travel as an artist's career outgrows that locale. It may eventually lead to New York City. But a successful art career can find nourishment anywhere the artist is willing to work at it.

Genetic Engineering

2005-05-19T13:55:00.000+09:00

Genetic Engineering LoRes
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

This was painted the year Dolly the sheep was introduced to the world. The stylization is taken from the illustrations found in codices used by the Mixtec, Aztec, and others. The wires I used to symbolize the flow of neural energy that produces consciousness, but they also evoke images of Dr. Frankenstein's monster, and the hubris that can impact ethical decisions in science.

Eagle Medicine

2005-04-29T11:36:00.000+09:00

Eagle Medicine
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

Eagle Medicine. I wanted to do a painting about an eagle shaman, and had the idea to try suspending the canvas in a dreamcatcher-like wreath. It wasnât until I went to paint it that I realized Iâd never seen a shaman, and had only a general idea of what one looked like. So I decided to attempt to capture the motion of the dance instead, as an eagle spirit descends into the shaman. The brush technique in this piece is one I definitely want to explore again. I would like to revisit the character of line I use here while refining the color palette. In this piece I discovered that colors can be incidental in defining a shape if the gesture is foremost, but in my first attempt with this technique, the colors got a bit muddy.

Into All Truth

2005-04-29T11:30:00.000+09:00

Into All Truth
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

Into All Truth. This painting is about the action of the Holy Spirit in human life. I wanted to give a feeling of uplifting thought, of spiritual ascension; and also to evoke a sort of gut happiness in the viewer. With this in mind, I kept the image simple and chose a bold, bright palette. I wanted to present an easily recognizable image so that the result is more emotional than intellectual, more revelation than theology.

St. Nicholas

2005-04-26T13:14:00.000+09:00

St. Nicholas
Originally uploaded by suelu23.

18. Saint Nicholas Diptych. In attempting to contrast the holy nature of Christmas with the secular commercialism of Xmas, I drew on many sources. The composition of the top two panels, the symbolism of gestures and ornaments such as halos, the use of gold leaf and pictorial treatment are all found in traditional early Christian icons and altarpieces. I have used black to outline shapes, reminiscent of Medieval stained glass windows. And of course there are the usual representatives of the commercial side. Iâve always felt irony and humor are very effective ways to communicate complex ideas, and tried to do that here.

artmutt

Playing Around

One-quarter finished...?

So Far, So-So

Name In Progress: "Afternoon on the Nambu Line"

It's been a long time!

Work in progress- or lack thereof

"Road to Nowhere"

Patient Painting

Thesis Show Opening Photos!

NEON!!!

Thesis: DADA

Rules For Everyone (Minna no ruuru)

Teaser

RULES FOR EVERYONE! (みんなのルール)

外人 (The Foreigner)

"Sono Mirai wa Ima"

"Colorful Characters" Solo Show Opens!!!

From the Winter Studio

Excerpt from a letter to Barbara Grossman

No Title Yet- In Progress Still But Mostly Done

Merry Xmas!

Nobumasa Takahashi Draws

いただきます！

Sneak Peek

Post to Class Blog

Untitled

Yes No Maybe

Cadmium Orange Bear

The Cyclone Fan Brush Technique

The End of Summer

Three Nineteen-Inch Squares

Art Purification, Refining and Processing Unit and Bottler

Untitled

Monster Truck Rally

Talent vs. Bullshit

Art Review- MOT Tokyo- Exhibit of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain

Genbaku (原爆)

Hiroshima

The Pillows

Kyoto and Nara

Black Eggs and Mount Fuji

More From Japan

Hey Look!

Grab Bag Of Silly Miscellany

Art Will Eat Itself

Fighting An Insurgency

Spreading Freedom And Democracy All Over The World

Chaos Never Died

iraq war drawing

Winning the War of Hearts and Minds

Hooray!

Icarus

If this is heaven…

Criticizing critiques

Welcome to the jungle…

References? Pooh.

“Mystery Art Theater 3000”

This Modern World

Turning Japanese?

Starving Artists, Inc.

Art as a catalyst for change

"Electoral Map" in progress

On art and the internet

Self-confidence self-help

did it work?

Commercial creativity/ Creative commercialism

The center of the art universe

Genetic Engineering

Eagle Medicine

Into All Truth

St. Nicholas

外人　 (The Foreigner)