ART IS LIKE SEX

ART ART ART. Lately that has been all I’ve been thinking about.  


I’m actually quite busy with a lot of other things that could really use my attention. I’m working on getting my visa extension (which unless you have dealt with bureaucracies in other countries you really have no idea what all that entails), I’m still learning Portuguese (an on going process), I’m working each day preparing and teaching my English classes, and the not so small detail that I’m starting my own art school/art classes, the first art school to be taught in English here, and as with any start up business, there is a lot of trial and error and hours of preparation, brainstorming, planning…


So I have a lot of productive and important stuff to be preoccupied with, yet this past weekend my mind has not  been able to escape art…
Of course there are far worse things to be preoccupied with.

Artwork by Kristen Eager Killion, for Keagar Design.
 One of the many works I was inspired by over the weekend.
Titled, "All Tied Up", Acrylic, Rubber, and Plastic on Wood,
36.6 x 78.3"

Out of all the years in college, spent with so many different art professors, one thing people could always characterize me as, without fail, was “responsive”.  If a teacher gave me advice or a suggestion for my work, I ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS did it, even the times when I knew it would make the painting worse (and at times it did), I did it anyway.  And if you are thinking it was all for an A, you would be very wrong. 

Another Artwork by Kristen Eager

In only my second painting class I ever took, the first day of class my professor, unexpectedly (although now I know that everything is to be expected when dealing with artists) asked each of us why we were there.  She was real intense about it, didn’t accept anyone’s answer, pushing farther and farther, "but WHY are you here, for what purpose, NO that answer isn't good enough I want to know WHY?!".  At the end she told everyone, that if we weren’t there to learn, then we need to "get the hell out".  And she wasn’t kidding. 

Another artwork by 

Kristen Eager. 

In that class, I produced less successful paintings, yet learned far more than many of my other classes.  In her class we were stripped down to our very basic abilities, re-learning shapes, lines, colors, forced to paint the very basics of life, like when we literally painted mounds of dirt we brought in from outside.  

THAT is the reason I did everything a professor asked. Not because I wanted an A, but because regardless of how much I admired those who held their heads held high, I was painfully aware that I was extremely naive when it came to the art world.  And regardless of who you are, as a student you are, by definition, less experienced. 

But, I have one confession…the ONE thing I never really did that teacher after teacher pressed upon all the students to do, is look at other artwork.  Now of course I’ve looked at other artwork, I don’t mean to say it never happened, but it wasn’t something I treated as a priority.  

I've always thrived in group critiques, absolutely loving to critique and discuss artwork.  I loved every art history class, debating famous artists intensions, and even tutored AP Art History. While living in Florence, I read Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, and became mesmerized by his way of seeing the world.  

A piece by artist Mark J. Nesbit.  Titled: One Hundredth
Materials: Plaster, soot, metallic elements and compounds
162.5cm x 152.5cm

And I've always loved galleries and museums, but for some reason it’s been hard for me to actually get in the car and go to them. And I never really went out of my way to look at other artist’s works online or anything of the sort.  Even though if an artist was introduced to me I absolutely loved glancing through all of their pieces.  

I’m not sure what my hesitation about this was…maybe it was a competitive thing, a fear of feeling inferior, self-absorption, or perhaps just laziness…

Who knows why.  But this weekend I began to really search out artwork.   There is a Linkedin artist group page, that I honest to god can’t remember how I became a part of, but this weekend I figured I might as well check out a few artworks.

Another piece by artist Mark J. Nesbit.
Titled: "The Road to Hell (Paved by
Good Intensions)"  Materials: plaster, ash
emulsion, metallic elements and compounds.

Soon it became addictive and I was curious as to what everyone was doing…everywhere in the world and in every medium...only wanting to see more and more.  Some strange and wonderful door opened (that hopefully won’t ever close again) that completely got me engaged and interested in all the current and modern art out there. 

Now, with the risk of sounding arrogant, which hopefully I finesse with my wording…

The fact is there is a lot of REALLY bad art out there.  

Okay I admit I didn’t try too hard to finesse that one.

It seems everyone has a view about what “bad art” is.  You have Oscar Wilde’s, rather harsh, perspective that “Bad art is a great deal worse than no art at all”.  

Or Marc Chagall, “When I am finishing a picture, I hold some god-made object up to it – a rock, a flower, the branch of a tree or my hand – as a final test.  If the painting stands up beside a thing man cannot make, he painting is authentic, if there’s a clash between the two, it’s bad art.”  

Or the very optimistic and overwhelmingly popular view that “there is no such thing as bad art.” 

Artist Ian MacLeod inspirational mixed media painting.
Titled: Composition #199, Materials: acrylic, paper,
plastic, varathane.  16" x 16"

Now, with as much respect as I give to Chagall, I think I have to agree with comedian, Scott Roeben on this one:  “Sex is like art, most of it is pretty bad, and the good stuff is out of your price range.”  Humorous but true. At least with art.

However, regardless of “good” or “bad” art, it needs to be said that I truly do believe that art is as much about the process as it is the result.  And that everyone, regardless of ability, should produce art, if nothing more, to just express himself or herself freely.  And I support and encourage any and all people to pick up a paintbrush and do anything that comes to them.

Another favorite from Ian MacLeod, 16" x 16"
Titled: Composition #188, Materials: acrylic, paper, plastic

With that said...when talking solely about the 'result' or 'product' of art...there is a lot of REALLY bad art out there.  However, contrary to Oscar Wilde's opinion, I don't see anything wrong with it.  It's just bad.  That's it.  In fact I have to completely disagree with him and stick by my previous blog post that if you want to get better you need to practice, therefore if you want to make good art you have to make bad art.  So instead motivating yourself by saying "there is no such thing as bad art," what you should be saying is, "of course there is bad art, and of course I've DONE bad art, because bad art makes good art possible."

Now, I didn't just see bad artwork, I of course liked at least some of the work I saw.  Which actually turned into a great inspiration for me.  

For a long time now I have been wanting to explore mixed media in my work, but for whatever reason (fear…insecurity…or whatever other obstacles us artists subconsciously create for ourselves) I never really felt that comfortable actually starting it. 

But yesterday morning, I did.  I just went for it.  I got out some glue and put on some cardboard and newspaper and went crazy.  Then painted over it doing whatever…and it felt good.  It’s certainly not my best work ever created (and certainly not finished), but its always difficult starting something new.  And you can’t expect it to look as good as the work you’ve been perfecting for years.  

Anyway, I don’t think it is a coincidence that I felt comfortable doing this yesterday after all the artwork I viewed over the weekend….probably connected...So, the moral of the story…ALWAYS ALWAYS listen to your teachers! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Since there is nothing WRONG with bad art, I don't see any reason I shouldn't share my first attempt at mixed media.  Only the first stage, and somewhat conventional in material use (particularly compared to the artists featured on this blog).  Who know what direction it will go in...but an experiment none the less.