Today's Thoughts on The Art World

     So, people ask me why I don't paint on canvas.
     I tell them I have canvases at home, but they are too big to bring on my bike.
     I actually have brought in canvases for sale at the bar where I sell my originals, but no one has bought them.  Most people can't drop $100 for a small canvas anyway, so there is no point to bring them in.  Besides, they get damaged easily when I transport them.  Works on paper can take more abuse.
     Some women I met, who said my work was better than the crap they just saw at an art show wanted to see my webpage, and I said, "What's The Point?  I'm right here!"
     I don't care much about websites.  I feel pigeon-holed by them every time I make one, and they get out-dated within a day.  Blogs work out much better for me.
     Anyhow, so there is that....those women didn't buy anything anyhow.
     I meet two kinds of people.  Those that buy, and those who talk a lot, and buy nothing.
     The third kind of person I don't meet, because they just stand and stare, and walk away even when I say hello to them.

     There was one Latino guy, and he was giving me a look.  They have a hard-on about art, you know.  It is in the blood, and in their culture, much more than the White American thing I am doing.  They are passionate, whereas a lot of white artists are soulless and clinical.
     So, he didn't say anything.  He just did his 'territorial bastard thing', and left.  No kind words from that guy.
     He probably felt I had no right to make art in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, but all I see are kids doing graffiti and a badly-drawn mural here and there.

     Then there is the problem I have of 'finished artwork'.  Basically, I sell 'unfinished artwork'.  It is done when somebody forks over cash for it.  I've taken myself out of the equation.  It is easier that way.
     I will keep on working on something, so it is a relief when somebody takes a piece off of my hands.  It means I don't have to deal with it anymore.

     I keep thinking of bringing in some of my artwork to a real gallery, but I know they will a) give me a funny look because of the paint on my pants and my disheveled appearance, and b) reject me.
     Someday I will find some woman in a power business suit with 'f-me' pumps to go into galleries to get me gigs.  That is my plan.  It should work, if my artwork is up to par.  But yeah, there is no point to represent myself.

     Oh yeah, I forgot...art galleries these days won't even look at your work unless you have a master's degree.  I don't have one, and will never get one, so screw it.

     There is one way around it, and that is if you are famous enough, and if it is guaranteed that you can make the gallery money, they don't care if you have a Master's Degree.

     I'm not a big fan of galleries taking 50-60% for each sale, anyhow.

     I would rather do the whole thing myself.

     Most people just go to art shows for the free wine and to pick up on chicks.  That is about it.

     I'm not into these stupid 'Art Walks' they have in San Francisco.  The artist and his studio becomes a zoo/freak show exhibit for older people who have nothing better to do.

     It is funny, and poignant, though, that a lot of people get into going to art exhibits and museums in their 50's and 60's.  After they raise their families, they love going to art shows, especially ones that are well-curated.  They love the audio tours, too.  I feel the love, and their interest in the subject.  But I know deep down inside that most people have never spent a full day working with a drawing pad or sketchbook.  I can't complain, though.  At least they do begin to appreciate art, and hopefully, by that age, they will have the bucks to purchase some of my art so I don't have to die, starve to death, or go homeless, and then die.

     One more thing...a friend of mine by the name of Mark Collins, pointed out all the dogs that were in the art of The Dutch Masters.  I hadn't noticed that before.  So, from now on, I am putting in more dogs in my art.

    

Yoko Ono

     I was talking to some girl who knew what she was talking about, and she said, "Yoko Ono was into making art for the people without all the art world b.s."
     "Yeah, that is pretty much true," I replied.

     I've been to a Yoko Ono show when it was at SFMOMA, and it was a really good show, but it made me think of Willy Wonka's office in the chocolate factory from the original film.

     John Lennon kind of got in the way of Yoko's art career, a lot of people have said who knew her work from before.

     I like Yoko Ono as an artist, but I don't want to hear her sing.

Regular People and The Art World

     I make and sell my art.
     I sell to people that buy my art because they like it.

     An art teacher saw my work, and he was very nice.  He said my paintings were unfinished. 
     I agreed with him, but said, "Yeah, but people like them that way."

     All I know is that there is how regular people see art, and how the art world sees art.

     Regular people cough up the cash, though, so what do I care?

     The teacher talked his smack, but didn't buy anything.

     People who talk too much usually don't buy my art. 
     If a person is talking, it usually means I won't get a sale.

     I would love to please both the critics and the public at the same time, but sometimes that is impossible.
     It is like playing an online game and making a video at the same time.  It can't be done.  It is either one or the other.

     Critics don't cough up the cash, which is one reason not to like them.  Sometimes, to be fair, they do give good advice,  but I am trying to pay rent here, dude.

More On The Subject of The Art World

     This is a blog I created just to see if people would look at it with just one entry on it.  That was not the case. 
     Obviously, this is a subject that nobody cares about.
     Yet, because I am an artist, it is my business to be up on things and events in the art world.
     In other words, it is my job.

     I only had two hits, and they were both probably from me, so I figured I might as well write some more entries.  As you know, the more popular something is, the more hits you will get.  People always look at things because other people are looking.
     Few are brave enough to look without a tour guide or an adviser.
   
     To start with, not many people care about art.  For most, it is just a big joke that you can't make money at.
     That simply is not true.
     I've been making money with my art off and on for over twenty-five years.
     Anyway...

     'The Art World' is a magical, fun place, filled with mystery, and intrigue.  It is also somewhat imaginary.  I've never been to the Art World, even though I have heard about it a lot.
     It is like heaven, but never being able to get there, because it doesn't exist.

     I guess one of my favorite stories involving the art world is this guy who worked for twenty years to try and get a show at MOMA with his huge abstract canvasses.  He finally achieved his goal, and then there was nothing left to do, so he quit making art.
     I guess during all of those years of struggle, he wanted approval from some kind of authority figure.
     Then when he saw people looking at his paintings, he figured that nobody really gave a damn anyways, and that an art career was all just an illusion.

     Another favorite story in the art world is 'three arts professionals' decided to make up an artist, and write articles about him even though he did not exist.
     He actually became a name in the art world until the people revealed that they made him up, because they could, and people fell for it, because they didn't know any better.
     People are pretty trusting of authority in this country, but the truth is that everybody is just trying to make a buck.
     Anyways...

     It makes me think how a lot of art is like your parents putting your art up on the refrigerator so everyone else in the family can see it.
     My parents never did that, but I would have liked for them to take notice about something I had drawn, and posted it up, so they could show that they were proud of me. 
     That never happened.

     Sometimes, all I have to do on a blog is just write a bunch of entries that aren't even that good, and then I get hits.
     I do try, sometimes, to write something good once in a while, so that anybody who reads my stuff, will possibly come back.  I don't want to waste people's time.  I hate going to a blog, and it completely sucks.  I have had that happen so many times that I have stopped looking at other people's blogs entirely.  I would rather read a well-written book.  I get more out of that then reading about somebody's personal crap.

     ( This entry needs work.  I'll do it when I have something more to say.  Plus, I need to urinate right now, and I can't think when I have to pee. )

     One thing I have learned, though, is I can't write and play online games at the same time.  It is one thing or another.

     Another thing I've been thinking about a lot is that I am slightly crazy.  Oh well, what can I do?  Everybody is a little crazy.  It is a part of being human.

     I've dreamed of being in 'The Art World' for years, but I haven't made it in yet.  I'm like a baseball player still trying to make it into the minor leagues, but no one will have me.  A pity.  It is a crying shame.
     However, the art world has been doing fine without me for all of these years.  So have The Mormons, but that is another story.
     I'll keep trying, though.
     I will never give up.
     I am sure when I make it in, that it will be really anti-climactic, emotionally, and everything else.
     I've had art shows before.  Not many people show up, and my sales are often low.  Nobody knows who I am is the problem, and why should they?  I have thought about this a lot.
     Another thing I have thought about is not a lot of people even have money to buy art.  That is a perennial problem.
     The only way to get around this is to appeal to the tastes of the rich, and that idea bores the 's' out of me.

     Anyway, yes, I used to fantasize about being written up in the fancy art magazines.  Then I found out that nobody reads that crap anyhow because they are busy watching sports.  That is just how America is.

    Yeah, why in hell would people in this country care about art?  They only care about sports, movies, and cars.