Life it is about expectations. As we grew we are teach what a successful life should be. We define what a successful is a person it is by how much financial wealth that person obtain. I always wonder what next idea will come that will improve ourselves. One thing that we forget is the lesson from the last financial crash. We like to blame others for our problem but I just wonder if we had learned anything in the last few years. Are still living beyond our means. It used to be that only debt we will have was our home and cars. Everything else was paid in layaway or cash.
In the pass few years in art fair business we had see things go to the sour side. We had see the fine art shows becomes festival. Shows where showcase fine art only now they had become a fine art and craft mix. With time those shows carrying craft people the vendors became more wise and start introducing imports (profit). When a line become successful, that means that line is no more fine art. Does creating a work that target a niche it means that you had soul your artistic values?
Are we in the end of the art fair era? Are the shows will be like Wells Street Art Fair? Artists get angry about the buy and sell but I did not care because it does affect me. It took me while to understand even if I am in photography why I should care about buy and sale. Why should I care if another photographer sale his 8X10 image for 25 and I sale it for 50. I should care why a ceramics artist should not sale functional art in a fine art show. I should care that fine art show should only carry jewelry that you can not find in department store or how much it cost. I should care why they ask the range of your price points at my application.
I start to notice that I want to aim higher but I can not because our market does not allow it. Our promoters are bringing in low end buyers or simply people can not afford it (wages freeze, cost living increasing, medical cost keep going up, political fights, wars, etc). I will like to charge the proper amount of money for a art piece but that means that piece will sit for months and bills keep coming. I will to get a place where I ask for x amount and people do not ask for a discount. I notice that I need to underprice because to much low end merchandise at the art fair. When I see the list of artist I wonder where the high end artist are. I walk a show and I see the same level of artist as me. I see very few artists with work that which I can own.
My expectations are so low at this point that people wonder how can you live like that. Those days where I will make work that mean something socially are gone. In these days I make work that is what I call commercial work. I believe that most photographers friends will understand what I mean and funny thing I was trying not be like you but I understand why we all became like that.
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The paycheck as an artist is the individual moment when the eyes "drink up" the sheer joy of a finished piece and a client that see's it also. No one can understand when all the components of the medium journey. Elation, energy and almost addiction to create. I am such a happier person when able to paint and find myself in conversation with people only in my mind floating off in a composition on the canvas. The support of family in the wee hours of a piece is like a gift to me, they understand I am so much a better mom and after a little time in the oils. No one really understands the compulsion to create except another artist. It is a secret creative society.
"When I am doing this I feel that I am having entirely too much fun." Pretty much sums things up.
We all must start somewhere in our journey of doing what we love to do. We strive to achieve a good balance between our own individual artistic creativeness, flow, technique, design, originality and producing something that causes someone to realize that they just have to own it. When I am doing this I feel that I am having entirely too much fun...! My only expectation is that I continually be able to do what I am really passionate about doing.
Indeed...
I've learned a lot about other mediums by doing art shows the last 20 something years. There is a difference between "craft" and "fine craft". I am in the latter group and I think people lack an appreciation for the mechanics and engineering that underlay the artistic expression of or final pieces. With 2-D work, I really look at subjects to see if the artist knows what they are painting. I see a lot of western art with saddles that are totally incorrect or things like a hoof that has a wrong proportion or angle. At one show, there was a large painting of a saddlemaker working on a saddle. I questioned the artists because several things were "wrong" in the painting: sequence of work on the saddle, tool being used, saddlemaker's position etc. I learned it was painted from a posed photo. I often wonder how long a photographer sat an waited for the bird to show up. The guys I find fascinating are the scrap steel sculptors. Where I see scrap gears and chain, they see a critter. Beyond their imagination, I am also looking at their skill as welders. There is so much to observe and learn in the wide world of art.
Heather, well said...and I totally agree.
Good point taken, totally respected. I was at a show next to a young guy who made wood brooms by hand. My first impression was very judgemental, seriously wood brooms? (Nice booth though for wood brooms.) I quickly humbled myself as I realized he was a 3rd generation broom maker with 3 children, who called once to check on the new baby. His heart was happy and positive. I was humbled to learn he was loosing his eye site, I felt awful. I have looked at our fireplace many times thinking of him wishing I had bought one. (This is how art will haunt you if you don't purchase it!)
You have some good points about buy and sell. I love it when the cellophane will blow into your booth. I use the AFI reviews so much on this site to book or not to, Nells is great for our South East. I need to be more responsible to put the reviews and pics up also in order to help fill the shows with quality artist to help snuff the buy and sell.
I never said that art is limited to one form. If I imply that I do not respect or appreciate all type of art I am sorry. Lets be honest we prefer not being next to some type of art. We all prefer one type art next to a show or at the event.
In order to be a good artist we must enjoy and respect the creation of all art forms, from past and future young artist, 2d, 3d, fiber. It is the evolution of creativity. It is from our hands we create based on current events, influences in our lives and demographics. If I dwell on how or who created I snuff my own creativity. When you have a piece of fiber art it is totally one of a kind, oils that were divided and mixed at that moment that hit the canvas, fluid watercolors marry on the paper and wood that has particular grains that the artist will bring to the surface.
When I walk a show and see any piece of art that catches my eye..I will always praise that artist for doing such a good job and love to buy art for our home. Praise fills our hearts and keeps us going. Learning to admire art vs worry about it's exsistence or comparing our art to others poisons our own creativity and the quality of our work.
It is ridiculous to think that anyone could possibly think that real art could only be 2D art. In this day and age a few of these uninformed people might still exist but they are a dying breed. There is a lot of creative and fantastic real art created in many different forms. Real art and creativity comes from within the person and definitely not from the medium.
I struggle answer some of your points so think about this:
How will you feel if an artist put a sign that said made in Austin Texas. What is the first thing comes to your mind when you see a sign like that. What happen when 2D artist stop showing master pieces because they do not see how those pieces help us or more important them. How you feel when you see a ceramic artist with bases & wall pieces and the guy or girl next to him or her is another ceramic artist showcasing only mug, plates, spoons. Christina for what I had been told and now I always wonder about wearable art did they produce it.
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