Today's thoughts

Artists speak in a visual language which includes: color, line, shape, texture, surface, space, lightness and darkness. As artists we incorporate the elements of balance, movement and unity to further define our work. Art is a visual narration.

Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes... Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an explosion into unknown areas. (Arshile Gorky)

The artist journey

cbenda

When I paint, the ocean roars. Others merely paddle in their bath. (Salvador Dali)

My whole life has been spent walking by the side of a bottomless chasm, jumping from stone to stone. Sometimes I try to leave my narrow path and join the swirling mainstream of life, but I always find myself drawn inexorably back towards the chasm's edge, and there I shall walk until the day I finally fall into the abyss. (Edvard Munch)

And I said, 'Well, who cares? I'd rather do it and see what it's all about.' I don't want the safe way. The safe way limits you. (Louise Nevelson)

portrait of the lake from all directions

cbenda

BEST Advice

Guston

Studio Ghosts: When you're in the studio painting, there are a lot of people in there with you - your teachers, friends, painters from history, critics... and one by one if you're really painting, they walk out. And if you're really painting YOU walk out. (Philip Guston)

Advice

Degas



The secret is to follow the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something different from them. (Edgar Degas)

David Hockney

It is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work. (David Hockney)

evolution of an artist

What does this mean.? I google it and came upon this article.
I need to get a clear notion of what i think but for now read on.

Evolution of the Artist

by Annabell Shark
(her first paragraph)

Trying to impress someone in New York City by saying that you are an artist has become almost laughable. Being an artist in this society carries with it the connotations of irresponsibility, laziness, adolescent romanticism, parasitism, and a pervasive lack of funds. Only by showing in a well-known gallery and selling your work for sizable sums, will you rise above the social stigma the word "artist" elicits. But up until the l9th century quite the opposite was true: artists were, from prehistoric times onward, not only considered vital to society, they were once functionally the purveyors of magic powers and essential conduits of religious indoctrination. By the l500s, as European society was exploding with cataclysmic changes brought on by the Renaissance, certain artists had risen to positions of great nobility. Today’s disparagement of the artist is a modern phenomenon. Perhaps it need not be so.
and her last.....Many in the 19th century were disgusted and disillusioned with this turn of events (only in the present has this relationship between art and money become pervasively acceptable, most remarkably by the artists themselves!). What then developed from the disillusionment with bourgeois moral values and the commodification of art was a new element in society: the Bohemians — the disillusioned, disgruntled, idealistic artists and writers who insisted on maintaining their own vision, most often at the expense of physical survival. Despite their deeply felt antagonism to the bourgeoisie, Karl Marx referred to them.
complete article can be found at
http://www.slowart.com/articles/evolution.htm

Hats off to the buyers of Art

Hats off  to those who buy Art.

For those who are considering it:

Buy Art. Buy art now.  Buy art because it is good for America. Buy art because it is good for the economy. Buy art because it fosters creativity.  Buy art because when you do you support the arts, you support individuals who live in your community and make communities a richer place.

Recently, I attended an art fair. The art fair was located in a quaint town on the water with lots of local and regional artists whose work was on display. The booths were diverse as was the art. There were wood carvers, jewelers, photographers, painters, weavers, widget makers, wooden toy makers, and more. The town was hopping; there were street vendors, musicians and food booths. It was something to do on the weekend. It was a place to meet friends, browse cool stuff, shop and enjoy the day. It is important to remember that these venues which are all across the nation; in towns and cities, rural communities and summer resorts, are dependent on having something to see. Without the artists and the performers that special something that enhances a community would be missing.  

So remember the next time you need to buy a gift, want  a new piece of jewelry or are decorating your home,  visit your community art center, look for a local artist, or visit an  art fair and BUY ART.  Remember when you find an artist whose work you like but may not be able to  afford, contact them, they may have a variety of pieces in a variety of prices and it is always nice to hear from the audience.