Art Seekers

The art class was fascinating. It was a spring day after lunch in the early 1980’s. Our two-week class was taking place in a large studio on the fifth floor of an older renovated brick building. The building was on the perimeter of the downtown area in a large Texas City. It was one of the few older buildings that had not yet been torn down. The generous studio windows covered two walls. They reached to the ceiling and provided us a panoramic view of the main downtown skyline and beyond. Off to the far right we could see the long string of skinny, tall, glass kaleidoscope buildings that stood like dominoes along the miles and miles of the newest and fastest freeway.

The professor was from Greece and was giving a discourse about the visual effects and impact art and architecture not only has on the individual but society as a whole. The question; were we aware of the affects that various shapes subconsciously or consciously have on individual psyches? And a reminder that it is the individuals that make up a society.

“For example”, he said, “Look, look at your erectile buildings they are rectangular like your paper money and some are phallic shaped! Insinuating masculine dominance. Many are in the sharpened shape of knives and swords… weapons, don’t you see? They are pointed and angular at the top and some are literally emphasized by being built very narrow in depth. The same shapes as iron forged medieval swords used by the armies of the Aristocracy and Bishops. Your architecture reveals where your heart resides.” He paused so we could discern and absorb the solemn pronouncements he was speaking.

“Those glass facade buildings glare back in your face just like the mirror reflections of a Knight’s battle armor. The sharp building edges allow no place for the mind to wander. To enjoy respite and slow down to rest! The mind slides and just zips right off the edge…somewhat of a suicide maneuver off a cliff…no place to go, nothing to hold on to!” he emphasized. “Just trying to survive, isn’t that how some people feel today? Just trying to survive.”

All of the class was gazing through the studio’s spacious windows at the landscape of projectiles formed of metal and cement that made me think of graveyards where giants were buried by a society of long ago. The professor summed up with this statement. “A severe architecture breeds a savage society!”

What do you think of this observation? What effects does architecture have on you? Do you think seeing a knife shape erected in the sky stirs up fight or flight instincts? Are men more prone to primal urgings to attack or defend than women? Have the crime rates decreased or increased in your community or in our country? We have all the latest in autos, electronic gadgets, appliances and the list goes on. But have we developed an existence that allows work, love, play, and eating, socializing, family duties and time to think and develop our interests? Are we really taking time to create and build a positive
reality for humankind?

Val Jean

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Since my artistic expression and livelihood has been in the visual realm as an oil painter and sculptor, I will speak of experiences
and observations concerning artists and galleries.The Writers Guild of Canada, and the Writers Guild of Great Britain support the on going “writers strike” by the Writers Guild of America. Hooray for them! I can only envy wishing that visual artists would get off the “starving artists” syndrome and began to truly value their own Intellectual Property and stop being jerked around by some galleries. Oh the dream of a Union where artists stick together refusing to accommodate less than accommodating galleries.

Recently I received a “woe is me” e-mail relating an all-too-familiar story; a gallery owner left town without paying artists for sold work. As the word got around, the ensconced artists began flocking and fluttering around the locked gallery door similar to poor pitiful birds whose egg-laden nest had been destroyed. Some artwork was gone, the rest hanging inside out of reach and no hope of retrieving it. No monies for payment left behind. Piteously an artist called the police. Obviously nothing they could do. The gallery owner was rumored to have moved several states away. Most artists cannot afford to acquire the services of an out of state attorney must less pay for one in their own state. I might add we are located in a Western state. By the way, the gallery building rent was several months overdue. Most artists don’t seem to know or want to face the facts that the rental debts to the landlords and other debts are paid first. The bankruptcy courts regard art consignments as part of the gallery’s inventory. The artist is left on the bottom of the payout list. Believe me all monies will be used up before it ever reaches
the artist…the tax representative is also there with claims. Unfortunately I speak from experience.

Numbers of artists have had artwork to just “disappear” from gallery walls or sculptures “walk out” the door with no compensation to the artists. Suppose the owner dies? What happens then artists? How does your work survive a fire?

Many artists have not a clue as to the fact they are in a real business for themselves. It means getting square with the State Tax office from the get go! Getting a business CRS number in this state allows one to collect taxes and pay taxes. Then the next “biggie” most all ignore is the Non-Transferable Taxation Certificate. The individual gallery is supposed to give each consignment artist a copy of the gallery’s business NTTC so that the artist does not have to choke up the sales tax (7% to 8%) on sold paintings just in case the gallery absconds or doesn’t pay the sales taxes they have or have not collected. The artists in general don’t seem to get it…they are responsible…the state is going to get “claimed taxes” from one hide or another. Once in a while a state tax inspector lands on a gallery bringing tax records and compares what has been paid against the gallery’s
books. It can get ugly.

This gallery racket has been going on for a long time. People with some money deciding to start a business, hey why not an art gallery business? All I need is a few months rent and let the artists bring their work. You know, built it and they will come! I will not need a contract only a verbal and casual paper of consignment. All those artists are so anxious to “show” their work they will do anything…rend their clothes…beg and do anything I ask…to get hung! I have a few slight of hand ideas to put more money in my pocket. I can always call an artist and say, “Look so-and-so I have a collector, speaking in a low, rather urgent voice tone, she loves your painting and she wants another artist’s painting but she wants 10% off…all the
galleries are giving 10% off on the purchase of two paintings! Otherwise she will walk and we’ll miss a sale!” And the artist feeling pushed into a corner will relent.

But in reality the collector was only interested in my work. But one day as happen to me, I ran into the lady who bought that particular painting…at a café she overheard my name and came over introducing herself. As we chatted and she was telling me how much she loved the painting, I asked her which other painting she had purchased…she looked surprised and said “none.” I tactfully asked about the 10% discount…jokingly stating we have to watch those scoundrels in the gallery. She did not receive a 10% discount it was not even discussed. So the owner pocketed an extra 10%. Most artists will never know the truth. About six weeks later there was a fire at that gallery…but whoops the gallery owner didn’t tell the artists that he had cancelled his
insurance for all work except his own artifacts and collections for re-sale.

Lots of artists regard one another as severe competition if not on the verge of being an enemy. For instance, an artist upon hearing of an artist’s work newly hung in a gallery will go to that gallery. Casually stroll in browse around and then speak to the gallery clerk or owner…it goes something like this, “Oh I see you are showing “so and so’s” work. I suppose that artist has to quit selling out of her/his studio.” No more need be said. That is the death toll for the gallery and artist’s budding relationship. If the owner questions, all the better, it is the beginnings of nervous mistrust for the new hanging artist. The artist’s exit may go like this, “Oh I’m so sorry I’ve spoken out of turn.” Then takes leave knowing full well the damage has been done. Next time the hanging artist goes into the gallery his/her paintings are stacked and told the gallery has decided their work won’t sell for them. Or the artist gets a phone call “come get your work” the artist is bewildered and confused and innocent of the inferred crime.
This is the saga of one artist trying to eradicate the imagined competition of another local artist. Admittedly, this is a very small community compared to New York City. I believe a Visual Artists Union would encourage artists to have more respect for one another and work for the good of all artists…what do you think? A few years ago some galleries endorsed a locally published article revealing the reluctance of hanging local artists because they suspected secret selling from studios…they didn’t trust local artists.

I was just reading about the better galleries in NYC; the owners and agents are considered dealers. The preferred way into a good gallery is that an artist acquaintance recommends another artist. To be invited in to review work is the professional way. Here poor artists traipse up and down the two main gallery areas carrying wares like carpetbaggers of past…reducing themselves to beggars thereby submitting themselves to unfair percentages and consignment agreements. Not realizing placing their art under those circumstances is comparable to bringing grandma’s old hoe and hat to a consignment junk store…anything can happen!

Since art is a big part of the tourist economy in this town, I submit that a reduced price rate for advertisement in the Reporter (for example) be offered to artists for two weeks the end of January or the first two weeks of February. Each artist would be limited to two art piece photos. It would be for artists looking for professional representation. The interested galleries could then contact the artists they are interested in and have a real sit to and discuss real representation, contracts, consignments, percentages and publicity. How is the gallery going to represent and sell the work? Or are they going to hire a cheap wage gallery sitting person just to keep the doors open…something like fishing in a cold wind? We need more
professionalism in the galleries just as we do with artists themselves. The artists need to grow up and quit behaving like “mommy” is hanging a 1st grade scribble on the refrigerator… thrilled beyond common sense.

Most artists without question just accept the 50% take of sales the galleries impose upon them. I encourage artists to research the origin of galleries taking ½ of your work. Check out the history of SOHO galleries investment contracts with artists included a studio, a materials allowance and enough cash to get by on, that justified the 50/50 split. Take time to look up the Peter Halley decision. (Credit; Do Artists Need a Union? Google search). Nevertheless, galleries are not willing to come down off the 50/50 split and then have the “marbles” to ask the artists for several hundreds or thousands for “publicity.”

And while we’re at it…for heaven’s sake…wake up artists! What about some kind of royalty rights?
Maybe artists’ union could lobby for legislation that would give artists a percentage of the purchase price every time their work is sold at public auction or through a public gallery. The auction houses get 20+ percent commission from the buyer, plus another commission from the seller. Don’t tell me there isn’t room for a percentage to the artist and her/his heirs. In every other creative field, when someone makes money selling your original creation; novel, song, cartoon, movie, etc, you get a royalty. But not visual artists. I am asking aloud why not? If you are creating your own work it is intellectual property! (Credit: Lisa Hunter).

Please look into CARFAC originated in France. It is available in Canada. (Credit; grovecanada, blog)

Creativity is necessary for a full human existence. Art is necessary…it does have value to the spirit of mankind. It lifts us up, makes up laugh, makes us appreciative of beauty and brings us to soar in imagination…God knows it helps humanity not to turn completely barbaric. When art does imitate the horrific, perhaps it will encourage us to be the opposite and become a more balanced people. Look at countries who don’t appreciate art; will not allow paintings and destroys all artifacts even in other countries…do you want to live there?

Yours truly, Val Jean

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Within minutes digital artists can place “21st century man” in heaven:

or cast him into hell, just by exercising a few keystrokes as opposed to thousands of brush strokes:

The ease of use, the ever growing power provided by hardware and software development and the drive for increased productivity are propelling the advancement of the Digital Arts at a monumental pace. Within two decades we have gone from slapping a little ball around and playing “PacMan” on crude computers to full length digital movies, both animated and realistic. The digital arts now pervade ever increasing sectors of our lives as individuals, challenging our economic livelihoods, cultural moral fabrics and international relations.

As with any tool, the digital arts can be used for “good” and “bad”. I could just as easily dynamically update this page with the “porn picture of the day” or with the “bible verse of the day”. Some even argue that the proliferation of pornography over the Internet is a component of the Moslem distain for the Western culture.

Whatever your opinions are, digital art technology is going to continue “forward” at an ever increasing pace. There is an old saying:

“Wherever there’s money, there’s time”. (unknown)

Modifying that for the 21st century it should read:

“Wherever there’s money, there’s time, hardware and software”. (Ken Webster)

These facts are behind news stories we see in the media every day. Chain stores are dropping film development services. Disney is producing more animated movies. Large digital arts (gaming) companies are merging for mega-dollars. The time savings and resultant cost benefit in advertising and entertainment media contributes to our continued march toward more productivity.

Just this week it was announced for the first time in decades that health organizations have lowered the life expectancy of Americans due to the current high level of obesity (30%) in our children. How much of that is due to setting around absorbed in computer games? Digital art companies are producing extreme games where warriors prove themselves, join up in platoons and do war with other factions in real time, against other players on-line. For some, that is extremely addictive entertainment. Can we blame the digital arts for making our kids fat, when beginning at at early age, we depend on those technologies as electronic baby-sitters?

Can we blame the digital arts for robbing traditional artists of their income since we can laser sculpt 3 dimensional objects and digitally reproduce texture on canvas? It seems like a 10 sided coin. The strongest prevailing argument by and for traditional artists seems to be the “Zen” quality and the intrinsic value in the originality of a “hand made” object, and indeed there is that element. This time of year, when I am cold, I love to snuggle up under a beautiful multi-colored afghan my wife made for me. It’s “one of a kind”, it keeps me warm in the winter, it’s brightly colored and full of “cheer” on cold, dark, gloomy days and best of all, I know it was made with love, warming my soul every time I use it. You just can’t buy that in a department store. If this aspect of appreciation weren’t still present, Sotheby’s and Christie’s would be out of business as well as every antique dealer on the planet.

Differing views are often based on “economies of scale”, especially where the general public is concerned. As the digital arts close the gap between the perception of “machine made” and “hand made” for many, does that infringe on the value of hand made originals or enhance their value? Even though Christie’s International recently held the second largest auction in art history during questionable economic times, it was deemed as unsuccessful due to the fact that the total revenue was near the bottom of the projected monetary envelope.

What if the “digital original” is a “hand made original” occupying a space of it’s own? Is that possible? What value does it retain? Are digital originals “hand made” with just a different set of brushes (electronic)? Those questions are easily answered, or are they? Will “Blue-Ray” win out over competition as the preferred DVD technology?

Below we have included an image of a milestone digitally created traditional “Still Life” by Gilles Tran:

This image was created by Gilles Tran with POV-Ray 3.6 using Radiosity. The glasses, ashtray and pitcher were modeled with Rhino3D and the dice with Cinema 4D.

If you would like to view this image in closer detail or want it for wallpaper, you can down load it from us in 3 different sizes:
Glasses - 800×600 - (154Kb)
Glasses - 1024×768 - (227Kb)
Glasses - 2048×1536 - (635Kb)

Western History is ripe with visionaries envisioning the “Digital Revolution” as far back as when computers less powerful than we have on our desktops took up large rooms and hummed with glowing vacuum tubes. James Bond’s 1963 Aston Martin DB5 featured in several films: Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale had an onboard navigation system strikingly similar to current day GPS navigational systems many of us have in our cars. His didn’t even speak to him in a digitized voice though. Another popular 60’s character; Batman had a red mobile phone on the console of his Batmobile long before mobile phones became a reality.

Digital Art is only a couple decades old, but it has changed the world we live in dramatically. Everyone has had to adjust from individuals to multi-national corporations.

Many artists have had issues dealing with the changes the Digital Revolution has ushered in. Have you?

Ken

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What is Creativity? How does the Creative Process work? Can it be enhanced, forced, manipulated, structured or restructured? What do the terms “Right Brained”, “Left Brained” and “Centered” really mean? What drives us to become artists, writers, performers and engineers?

Where does Creativity come from?

What have others said about creativity?..and what do their musings mean?

Picasso:

“I copied paintings at the beginning so I wouldn’t have to copy later on.”

Picasso seemed to accept as fact that our own creativity can be enhanced by observing the creativity of others. This would seem to indicate that Picasso viewed creativity as maturing through a learning process as opposed to being genetically inherent.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Italian Renaissance artist:

“A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.”

Michelangelo is recognized as being “gifted” well beyond what most “artists” can hope attain in a lifetime, even with the more advanced tools we have at “hand”. In some circles he is labled as “Gnostic”. He certainly seemed to have felt the need to draw a distinction between the source of creativity and it’s matriculation or realization.

Nikos Kazantzakis (1885-1957), Greek novelist:

“What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams.”

Are we creativity machines? We do seem to create something, no matter how hard we try, or don’t.

Charles Darwin, “The Origin of the Species”:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.”

Darwin seems to indicate that creativity is so inherent in our nature, existance and world, that it occupies a position of a dominant force. Is creativity fed to all species by energy from the “plasma state” of the mass elements we are composed of?

Come to think of it, I do have an uncut Rotweiller that gets real creative about getting out of the yard if there is a bitch in heat within 2 miles.

Anna Freud, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, 1946

“Creative minds have been known to survive any sort of bad training.”

Albert Einstein:

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

Both Anna Freud and Albert Einstein seem to refer to opposition that many creative people encounter along their path. These conflicts can come from within and from the outside. It seems as if the left brain and right brain can battle for dominance sometimes. Battles between the factions seem to abound all around us; creative vs intellectual, the art community vs the scientific community. Ultra creative people seem to scare everyone around at times. Creative engineers even draw ire from jealous collegues. Gifted and Creative children often grow up misunderstood and become rebelous without proper nuturing of their creative spirit.

People that are gifted both intellectually and creatively, can live a dichotic lonely and unproductive lifestyle until they bridge the gap by reconciling the confusion.

While you are thinking about creativity, here are a couple good reference websites on creativity:
The International Center For Studies In Creativity
7 Stages of The Creative Process
Creativity & Innovation in Science & Technology
The American Creativity Association

Let’s work together here to understand creativity, what it is, and how to nourish it. If we can better understand this elemental tool within our existance, we all stand a better chance of not only survival, but are looking at better probabilities of success in our personal and business lives.

Ken

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Every artist struggles with Marketing and Sales at some time. This “Art Seekers” Blog Category is intendend for anyone interested in discussing Art Marketing & Sales, current events, methods, marketing and sales techniques, who’s selling and who isn’t and why.

The news media likes to sensationalize major Art events such as the recent lack of a bid for Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” :

Southeby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Auction results totaled $269.7 million, well under the presale low estimate of $355.6 million and just half the high estimate of $494.2 million.

Christie’s International Impressionist and Modern Art Auction totaled $395 million, in the lower half of its presale estimated range of $349 million to $487 million.

Almost immediately “Art Market Doomsayers” came out tying those 2 “Dissapointing” art auctions to percieved faltering economic conditions, even though Christie’s had just conducted the second largest art auction ever held.

Then came the news of a record sales price for a Faberge Egg, fetching $18.5 million.

As an experienced marketer, its hard to determine anything by looking at market extremes, especially through macroscopic or microscopic lenses. Should we draw conclusions from the upper end of the Art Market? Should we all bow down and concede to the injured housing market, assuming that art sales is “dead on the vine”?

Christie’s resumes contemporary art auctions on Nov. 12, auctioning art from the estate of dealer Allan Stone. It will be interesting, but what will it tell us?

Let’s work together here for a more holistic approach to Art Marketing and Sales. There’s room for all of us to benefit. What’s real and what’s not, in art marketing and sales? Sometimes it’s its hard for even the “pros” to know.

Ken

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Welcome to the “Art Seekers” Art Blog.

“Art Seekers” is a brand new art blog designed in, around, by and for the art community. It takes a while to develop a meaningful and informative blog for any community so we are inviting you to sign up and join us.

We are currently looking for Authors, Contributors and Subscribers. We encourage contributors to join in. If you would like to become an author, please contact us .

Authors who contribute meaningful articles will become eligable for a dedicated Author’s Page on the blog.

Ken

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