Work In Progress II

Here is the latest.

Painter and Viewer II

The importance of the relationship of painter and viewer doesn't necessarily rely on a single piece, but a body of work. If the viewer admires a body of work they believe in the painter, not just a painting. They put their investment in the painting and the painter, thus inspiring the painter. If the viewer doesn't like the work, it can inspire the painter to prove the viewer wrong. Either way the relationship is inevitable, not crucial.

Whats it worth?

The value of the a painting is often miss leading. The viewer might put a price on what they see, "Would this look good in my living room and would it give me some respect as an art collector?" Is the actual price of a painting the definition of what it's worth? Sometimes I don't think people even take it that seriously. They purchase a Thomas Kinkaid because it's the trend, even though it's a print with some extra paint thrown on it to look like an original, it will probably be worthless in 10 years or less. Or maybe they invest in an abstract expressionist painting from Costco to add a splash of color to their room, not even aware of who the artist is. These type of paintings blend into the rooms' environment and have little to say, yet alone express or add to the movement. But maybe they are after the value, and want to invest in more than just a painting. They need to be willing to take a risk and invest in something that contributes to art.

Master painters are before their time. They produce work seeking something new and different then what the typical viewer wants. They sole search and experiment. They paint because painting to them is a never ending puzzle and they are trying to find the solution. They enjoy trying to solve the puzzle, not for money or fame, but because they are inspired. These contributions and trials are what makes a painting precious and valuable before the viewers anticipation of buying it. Originality and creativity is the source that makes this true.

Work In Progress I

With this blog I wish to include works in progress. I won't reveal all my secrets and surprises because the elements of suspense including initial reaction to a piece is valuable and significant, but here are three paintings I'm currently working on. I don't know if I would call these break-through paintings, more like additions to my journey of exploration of style and expression.

Painter and Viewer

The relationship between the painter and viewer is inevitably but not crucial. Should the painter compromise creativity, style, subject matter, etc. to please the viewer? Or should the painter focus on the importance of the movement, take risks and allow the viewer to enter the uncommon? This is why taking risks to advance the movement is important. The artist is the master and without taking risks they will not achieve this status. If all the artist wants to achieve is to please the viewer, no progression will take place and therefore the artist will fail. The challenge is to advance the progression and to please the viewer without compromising. For some, compromising would be considered "selling out."

Moving On

In order for the progression to take place, in order for it to be a movement, I think we need to observe the basic fundamentals in what makes a painting successful. Subject matter and how the painting is painted are two key ingredients to the solution. Of course composition and use of color, shape, form and three dimensional elements add to the piece. But how the painting interacts with it's viewer is also very important. Although interaction is not new to painting, I think this is where painting can progress and has room to expand. It's the interaction that attracts the viewer, it draws them in and keeps them interested. Their experiences are what they remember and what makes them want more. Without exploring these basic characteristics of painting, we will continue to lack movement.

The Movement

The movement is not something to take lightly. It's valuable and important to our culture and our lifestyles. Art is a broad term and relates to everything including fashion to how our cars look. We see art everyday in merchandising, graffiti, nature, personalities, tattoos, etc. It's everywhere. Art needs to breathe and live and hopefully move forward in a progression. Can we get stuck in a rut and return to our old traditional ways of how we welcome art? I think it's possible and I believe we might just be stuck in that rut. What have we accomplished in the last 50 years as painters and artists? We look back to the past and find movements like cubism, surrealism, impressionism, minimalism, etc. Periods that shaped not only the paintings but the artists themselves and the people around them. Today we are over saturated with graffiti styles or dark disturbing subject matters to shock the viewer. We are flooded with the traditional looks of images of landscapes that take no risks and mutual ideas that only look good in a living room but adds nothing to the movement. Abstracts that add color, but no opinions to our complicated political environment. We want change, but we wouldn't know it by observing our modern art. Everyone needs to contribute and everyone does, as an artist, it's our job to emphasise and project that influence and change, enlighten the world with our reflections of our styles and fashion. Paint what people want to see or need to see, something new, something different.

First Blog

Hello, I'm Rob an artist, a painter influenced by the works of Picasso, Matisse and the period of cubism. I've been painting for over 15 years as a serious painter although I've been an artist all my life. I find painting to be therapeutic and a form of stress release. It sooths the sole and gives me the oportunity to express my feelings and opinions.

I recently saw a documentary on Georgia O'Keeffe and how art was in those times. It was very philosophical and there was such a big influence on Modern Art. Of course art should always be modern in my opinion, otherwise we are not progressing and moving forward as artists and art lovers.

I guess these are some of the things I wish to address in the future with this blog.