JmcD Art Blog ~ 2020 Update
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Welcome, and thank you for finding time to visit the JmcD Art Blog.
Now seem's good a time as any to dedicate some more energy to it's pages. No doubt you've become maybe sick and tired of hearing of THE major event of 2020 sweeping (or indeed having swept ) the world at your time of reading, and it seems time and again that when things are at their most darkest we again remind ourselves of the good and lasting things in life that make it most enjoyable and worthwhile, and so we turn to the Arts among humanities greatest achievements of expression to numb the pain and transport us away, if only for a while.Distractions galore!
Y'know, speaking of distractions, in today's world now more than ever the list to suite all tastes and temperaments exist in a variety of often extensively mind boggling mediums. |
| In a world of infinite choice, our choices can become finite |
If you are at all familiar with my work, again I welcome your attention and interest and hope it brings you some joy to admire and appreciate, if only for a moment, if you've liked my work to want to hang some on your wall, doubly appreciative.
So, back to the post at hand.
The list of distractions available to us in the form of Blockbuster movies, endless streaming of television shows on Netflix, Game shows, Reality shows and on and on, coupled with the rabbit hole of the online world and video sites like Youtube as well as online window shopping to suite all interests especially on Ebay and Amazon are more than we could ask for.
However, if not diligent we can become swallowed up by the noise and lost for days if not weeks, months and years, indeed a way of life for many in this sea of distraction and part of this lifestyle has seen damage done to the average attention span.
One platform this brings to mind is Twitter, which despite being a cleverly concise way for a person to get their point across, encourages the cause of short attention spans suited to a world of fast paced infotainment and skimming of the surface.
The Scientific evidence does exist stating proof positive that the average attention span has dropped over the past decade and continues to do so with the rise of the internet.
The Place of the Artist today
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| The debate for the place of Art is a constant one |
Indeed, it's estimated the average tolerance threshold for allowing a web page to load has decreased while the average estimated page loading speed has been increased with more efficient web technologies over the past decade to meet the demand.
Personally, I'm convinced of this direct correlation between attention span, the exponential rise of technology in our lives driving our fundamental attitudes and behaviours, and their application to all aspects of our lives, with Art being no exception.
Modern Art from the beginning of the 20th Century 'till the present day has seen a sharp decline in focus on Academic and Fine Art styles and practices, both of which take time, diligence, skill and above all patience to master and perfect. While a rise in Abstract, ism's and shock value forms of Art grew quickly that were focused on being conceptually driven, rapid and loose in execution with minimal skill or technique required.
Indeed what else did Andy Warhol call his own studio, but a factory.
Art historians and practitioners of these styles and others may disagree and argue that the rise in Modern Art was a shaking off of the past restrictions of the Academic gate keepers, most famously done by the Impressionists and their wrestling with the Louvre's rejections, and although pushing boundaries and breaking moulds can bring new, fresh and exciting results, noting in life is gained without some loses.
The break from tradition as we've seen by now didn't end with Impressionism and indeed Post Impressionism. Again, personally speaking I'm not much of a fan of modern Art, particularly for some of the substantial loses it has caused, something we'll pick up on again soon.
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| Image source relatably.com |
Personal journey and reflections
Ever since my Teens from which my passion and love of Art and painting grew, I like many others first found the Impressionists.
They were accessible, fresh, painterly, vibrant and varied. Then with Vincent Van Gogh and a favourite of mine, Paul Gauguin given a further joy to emulate, but as time went on and my knowledge and interests grew outside of Impressionism and Post Impressionism, I began to look back into history to the great Italian Renaissance and later European Old Masters, the English Watercolour tradition schools and a number of Painters throughout the Victorian and Edwardian eras and realised what a wealth of tradition and excellence were being discarded, often so trivially.
Oddly enough it is my fascination for Art Forgers that made me gain fresh appreciation and perspective of late for Art Academia and tradition through the lives and work of Eric Hebborn and Ken Perenyi two of the greatest forgers of Old Masters among notable schools of Art. I'd highly recommend learning about them, having lead fascinating lives.
My personal feelings toward Modern Art reflect heavily in my new found appreciation for Fine Art and what could be considered good art, although ever subjective to taste and argument among the educated and speculative on the matter, will be something I'll leave to expound upon another day.
So what is a Modern Day Artist?
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| The working Artist today are faced with many challenges, but also many opportunities |
Aside from the association to the label of 'Modern Art' and it's stylings. A working Artist in modern day terms regardless of style must become a one-man-band if to survive in today's climate.
Gone are the days it seems that one can achieve success as some form of full time Artist or Artisan by way of the main street (refer to above rant on distractions )
If you're a painter in figurative or Impressionistic style painting simply for the joy of painting and the exploration and development of one's technique and process then spare yourself looking for any sort of government grants. If one's painting, potting or sculptural ambitions don't involve some grand, taboo or seemingly social justice message, you will only find closed doors. Again this relates to my personal distain for the Modern Art scene, any form of government grants appear reserved only for those of an apparent social justice function. The old saying of Art for Art's sake it seems is ever interpretive.
Possibilities and Challenges
The online world has opened both a world of possibilities and challenges. Although real world representation and exposure still have their uses, good old fashioned word-of-mouth is still perhaps the cheapest and most often effective form of exposure to gaining fans and sales of ones work. It is the day's of being at the mercy of the Gallery that have gone by the wayside. How Galleries have come to cope with this change in the modern climate is another story, and one that correlates again to the Modern Art scene.
The Artist today must have substantial marketing and advertising savvy and keep atop of trends and technologies, they must build a brand and focus their attention on a select number of platforms (see previous post for my recommended choice of Print on Demand platforms ) of which will need research to see which will fit their particular style. Are you more a Fine Artist, Impressionistic or Illustrative or Abstract?
There is no shortage of both free and paid advice on how to self market online, as well as an often overwhelming choice of platforms to promote ones self on, again focus is the key.
Find and experiment what works for you and discard the rest: Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
Those of the big names such as Blue Thumb for those in Australia and New Zealand and Saatchi Art for more international exposure are good serious platforms for the Figurative to Abstract range of working Painters to sell original works.
Looking Ahead
In my previous post having launched this Blog I outlined plans to post among other things works of inspiration, both about Artists as well as individual works.
As well as this I will be posting regularly on any practical tips and advice I've come to find on my own journey in both Artistic practice and self promotion.
There will be product and tool reviews, and opinions thrown in for good measure.
I'll also be indulging in some self reflection and criticism of my own work. No Artist is ever really comfortable in doing this but it can prove useful, for both our sakes let's hope.
Above all I will endeavour to make both useful and worthwhile of your time the enterprising of this blog.
In the next Post
Featured in my next post will see the beginning of a series titled: 'Learning from the Masters' as a deep dive into some Fine Artists of today and yesteryear, as we take a look at some of their most valuable and insightful career highlights and successes to learn and gain inspiration from.
Finally, I'll be sharing my own recent transition from working in Oils to Watercolours and how interesting and educational that is becoming in the process.
Until then, see you on the next one.
Jay
My website ~
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