This is the view out my studio window this morning:
Tomorrow, it's back to work for me after a week-long vacation. I'd like to say I'm going to make the best of this beautiful day, but it'll probably involve staying indoors....especially since today's plans have changed. Unfortunately, Holly's come down with the same flu-like illness the rest of us had all month, so it looks like I won't be doing the 2 hour drive to visit her after all. (Feel better, doll!)I've got more to do inside the house today than out (it's freezing cold, anyway). Maybe I'll actually get my homework done so I don't have to stress out on Monday night. I've also decided to try having a sale in my Etsy shop. I know I said I was going to ignore my shop for a while, but a little attention won't kill me. Starting today, big plush characters will be $5 off and all prints will be $3 off. The sale could be a week long, it could be all month long - we'll see how it goes. I just felt like I wanted to mix it up a bit.
I may not be going on a road trip today, but my hubby has given me the consolation prize of a trip with him to Barnes and Nobles after he gets out of work this evening. The two of us are huge bookworms and we both have gift certificates burning holes in our pockets. Anyone have any reading recommendations?Since my brain has been on books today, I remembered one my mother gave me quite some time ago called "Affirmations for Artists" by Eric Maisel. It's full of great quotes from other writers, artists, and musicians. I decided to post a quote today. (That is, a quote from the book....aside from the other one I already posted.) Maybe it'll be a regular thing...I don't know. I do love a good quote. Anyway, here you go:
"Art is an idea. It is not enough to draw, paint, and sculpt. An artist should be able to think." -Gurdon Woods
I try to explain this to non-artists all the time. You know when you're at a museum and someone scoffs at a painting saying, "I could do that!" or worse, "My five year old could do that!" Well, guess what? At the time that painting was done, no one had done it. Sometimes, it's not the actual art as much as the concept behind it that was so revolutionary. Making art in a new and controversial way broke down walls that had been up for hundreds of years. That is why that piece is hanging up in the museum.
I remember my first illustration course in my major. It was the final critique for the semester, and the guy was tough. At the time, my drawing skills weren't quite living up to the strength of my concepts. I remember my professor telling me, "Your concepts are strong. Some people are strong in technique, but their concepts are weak. Those who don't think on a conceptual level can't really change that fact. It's better to be where you are - you can always work on improving your technical skills." That's always stuck with me.
I think good art should have a strong idea and should make you think. But then again, I'm an illustrator. Our goals are a little bit different from those of a fine artist. After all, it's our job to get a message across or tell a story. Maybe that's why I think the way I do. But I'm still a sucker for fine art with a strong concept. I love it even more when the materials used in a piece are married to the idea. Here's an example - I was at the Armory Show last year in NYC when I saw this piece:
"The Abduction From the Seraglio," a woven rug by Cristi Pogacean. She used the stereotype of the Persian carpet, the title of a Mozart opera (which features Westernized representations of Turkish music), and a now all-too-familiar Middle Eastern hostage scene (with the hooded terrorists pointing giant guns at their victims) to express her point. It disturbed me, but was also probably my favorite piece at the show.
Anyway, time to get off my soapbox. I've got stuff to do today! Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. I hope it's as sunny and lovely in your part of the world as it is here. (o;
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