Fur In The Paint

So last night was the final episode to the reality art competition show. Honestly it was far more interesting than all the other episodes combined. It was nice to see the artists being able to create their own art, instead of trying to make it fit some sort of crazy challenge.

Miles’s (aka OCD guy) show revolved around some cellular phone photos taken from a white castle surveillance video. Then he added pixellation and enlarged to a point where they become abstract patterns. He displayed artwork from beginning to end of this process. Kinda his usual schtick of creating a simple pattern through a very complex set of steps. He tried to sell it by personalizing the work, telling a story about a homeless person who froze to death 3 days after he photographed him. This is tragic, but it was not what the work was about despite the one judge making that leap for Miles saying it was. Miles’s work here was like all his work in the past. It was about process. There’s nothing at all wrong with that until you try to sell it as something else. Like something about humanity and death. Despite the usual favoritism for Miles’s work, he was at the bottom of the three for ranking at the end of the exhibit.

Peregrin’s show was set with a carnival theme complete with sideshow. She created a lot of wax figures, heads, frames and horses. She used some Breyer models to cast some horses which is definitely questionable and I’m sure Breyer would take serious offense at. Her showing was both light hearted and bizarre. Her premiere piece was a photo of a taxidermy of twin unborn fawns. Again this strikes me that she wasn’t actually creating by doing this, but the judges ate it all up. They thought her fabulous and much like in previous shows when they threw accolades at her . . . well, I just can’t grasp why. Apparently her art is way about my intellectual level.

Abdi’s show was set around figures of himself. He did life sized sculpturess of figures and placed them on the floor, and paintings and altered photos on the walls. It was quite impressive.

I have felt like this guy is genius. He took on the various challenges and for the most part created unique and wonderful art that was all over the map. Meaning painting, drawing and sculpture, all done really well. One of the judges clearly does not like him and said as much during the show (paraphrasing) “I threw everything at this guy to get him off the show” But in the end he’ the guy that won.

And I’m thrilled because it reaffirms that the system still kinda works despite all the “smarter than thou” airs and floating around on the show.

Congratulations Abid! Now if only they’d create one more episode showing his solo exhibition at the Boston Museum Of Art. That would really be TV worth watching.

For previous commentary on the past episodes see below.
Lessons I’ve learned (so far) from that Work Of Art Reality Show: Part 1
Lessons I’ve learned (so far) from that Work Of Art Reality Show: Part 2
Lessons I’ve learned (so far) from that Work Of Art Reality Show: Part 3

I meant to post this earlier but it has been yet another loooong day. And tonight was my all time favorite reality show Project Runway, which is how all these other creative reality shows like Top Chef, Shear Genius and this one got started. If it weren’t for PR huge success there would be no Work Of Art. Mind you, WOA is no PR.

And I took my crop circle photos today and if I have time before I run off to the event tomorrow morning I’ll post them. Otherwise it will be first thing I do when I get back.

If you want to catch up on Part 1 and 2 of this series just click on the links below.
Lessons I’ve Learned (so far) from that Work Of Art Reality Show: Part 1
Lessons I’ve Learned (so far) from that Work Of Art Reality Show: Part 2

Week 7: This weeks challenge was to create artwork that is reflective of your artistic influence in childhood. Surprisingly this was really difficult for everyone. The piece that won was . . . well I didn’t get it as great art. But then that’s kinda the theme for me and this show.

Lesson Learned: Same as on a previous weeks challenge, create a good enough story and you can sell the idea as art.

Week 8: Another team challenge where they were assigned a theme and had to collaborate, each making their own work as one half of the whole. Male/Female, Order/Chaos and Heaven/Hell. Okay I already didn’t like OCD guy and now he’s really starting to annoy me. I’m sure he thinks he’s being clever or whatever but still. Unfortunately the judges love him. And somehow (divine intervention perhaps) stripper girl pulls Male/Female with Miles (aka OCD guy) So guess what she does? Yeah, I know right.

Lesson Learned: It’s Porn if it’s a photo of a naked woman pleasuring herself. But it’s art if she paints over the photo. Or maybe they’re both art. Or maybe they’re both Porn. Or maybe it makes absolutely no difference if the judging panel is all male and then it’s all a winner. (oh for craps sake!)

Note: So my snarky attitude about stripper girl is softening a bit. I gotta kinda wonder if once she leaves the bubble that she’s currently living in she’ll regret exposing herself this way in public. Not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well.

The judges commented (and by commented I mean mocked) that she had issues. And while I agree I think them holding that 1 million dollar carrot in front of her, rewarding her stripping for every challenge as being a bit twisted. It like berating a hooker for her lifestyle choice after you paid her for services rendered.

Week 9: The challenge is to be inspired by nature. Most everyone gets excited by this challenge but poor stripper girl is completely lost. It’s cold and rainy and she’s just not in the mood to get naked in the woods. So after hours she shoots herself in the bath tub. I think she planned on superimposing herself on a nature photo or something the the other contestants oppose it’s use since it wasn’t done during studio time. (well yeah, duh)

Abdi does a seriously awesome self portrait using crushed stone from the park, charcoal and a pigment binder. I am so hoping he wins the competition just like he won this challenge. He’s been my favorite from the start. Miles does his usual BS and wins judges approval.

Lesson Learned: To be a great artist you need to be more than a one trick pony. (yeah it takes one to know one . . . meaning me. I’m like so how would I represent Heaven? Unicorns cavorting in a field?) Okay back to the show. Stripper girl gets sent home for her forlorn lake photos. I’m guessing putting herself in the water nude would have meant she could have stayed.

NEXT SHOW is the finale. I’m rooting for Abdi but somehow I think it will be Miles.

Warning: This one seems snarkier than normal so if you’re not in the mood hum a happy tune and skip it. Tomorrow (late tomorrow) hopefully I’ll have a new painting started for the demonstration I’m giving this weekend at the Side Street Gallery in Okiboji.

So I’m still watching the Work Of Art reality competition series. Sadly I think the artists themselves are becoming characatures of what most people think of as artists. They do have a couple of folks who have real talent but most of the rest are relying on a persona. It’s hard to explain but they just sorta stop being real and start becoming the tortured artist or the woman who complains about feeling violated and victimized by men’s desires and yet had a boob job (really bigguns) and gets nude for nearly every challenge.

Week 3: This week’s challenge was to create shocking art. You know like the Piss Christ by Andres Serrano. (Who BTW was also a guest judge) Not surprisingly most fell back on using sex as shocking which oddly enough is kinda one of the things most of us are really getting used to in mainstream life. I mean they use sex to sell everything from cars to brown rice. So really not so much shocking as just a little disgusting and totally pedestrian.

Lesson Learned: Apparently no matter what the challenge, taking nude photos of yourself in the bathroom IS the answer. Yeah I know it didn’t work all the other times but this time it did. So maybe the real lesson is to keep with it it until “it” succeeds.

Week 4: The challenge this week was take a drive in an Audi and use it for inspiration for your art. Um . . . really?

Lesson Learned: Big corporate sponsors get their own challenge dedicated to them. Nothing is really free in this world.

Week 5: This challenge was to create public art. The remaining 8 contestants (I hesitate to use the word artists) split into 2 teams and create a piece of work to go into a public setting. The *untrained guy pretty much got mauled by stripper girl and OCD guy (or as characterized on the show as the cool kids and the loner.) So no real surprise they tossed him out as the go home guy for this week.

Lesson Learned: Though your personality may be fierce you insecurity will make you vulnerable, especially when surrounded by wolves. Wolves always pick off the weak.

Note: I referred to him as untrained instead of self-taught because as self-taught he would have had to have developed an artistic voice. This guy was totally lost. He had an urge to create but had no real idea how to go about it. Hopefully this experience didn’t totally ruin art for him and he will still seek to express himself through art.

So I’ve been watching the Work Of Art reality competition series and for the most part enjoying it. I tend to roll my eyes a bit at the judges from time to time but I’m really enjoying the show on the whole. After the second week I realized there could be some actual artist life lessons to be learned here. So for the benefit of those who aren’t or can’t watch, here they are.

Week 1. was a portrait challenge where the artists had to do portraits of each other. I must say I was impressed with many of the artist’s work.

THE LESSON: When asked for a portrait don’t create a wall paper design.

Week 2. The premise for this challenge was to create ART from an electronics garbage dump. Old computers and miscellaneous stuffs. While I thought some work was interesting. What intrigued me the most was those who had an extensive story to go with their art, did well. Even if what they were selling was bookended between two concrete anuses the size of bean bag chairs. (true story)

THE LESSON: If you create a good and believable story you can sell just about anything as art.

Week 3. The most recent challenge was to create a book cover for one of six classic novels. The novel for each artist was assigned through drawing tubes of paint. This seemed like it would have been a real fun challenge to do.The winner actually got their cover on the book.

THE LESSON: This episode has two.
1. While sex sells it doesn’t necessarily impress the judges (especially for a Jane Austen cover.)
2. If you can’t work under someone else’s parameter and consider yourself above making commercial work, then don’t join a reality art competition show.

SO the event was . . . okay. Weather I think played the largest part in moderate sales. Saturday it rained heavily in the morning and then remained ominous all day. There was tornado watch, flash flood watch and severe thunderstorm watch (with chance of damaging winds and hail) all day. And the skies . . . well they kinda looked like they’d open up at any moment. They didn’t. But they looked like they wanted too. That evening the storms resumed and there was some tornado activity in the area to boot. Sunday was sunny and lovely and the sales were triple that of Saturday. All in all rather mediocre.

Hard to imagine that I used to do events even earlier than this one. The word on the street was the three shows that were running prior weekends were rained on or out.

Sorry no pix this time around. Forgot to charge the camera batteries. (totally kicking myself)

Work Of Art
SO did anyone manage to watch the new art reality show?

I did despite it running until 11pm. Though I’m usually up that late I usually doing something more productive than watching tv. Still it was better than I had expected and will continue to watch. The commercials made it look a little stupid but the first competition was doing portraits of their fellow contestants. Most of the work was surprisingly good.

Anyway would love to hear you’re thoughts on it.

As a big BRAVO fan of shows like Project Runway and Top Chef I was kinda thrilled to see they’ve expanded out into a art competition version of these two popular artsy fartsy programs. I’m not sure how something like this could even work but will be curious to see if it does. The Next Great Artist by Bravo will be airing Wednesday June 9th.

According to the Bravo TV Blog they describe their show as follows:

Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches, will team with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (”Top Chef,” “Project Runway”) and Eli Holzman, to produce (The Next Great Artist) an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists. “American Artist” (Note: This was it’s working title and has since been changed to “Work Of Art: The Next Great Artist”) will bring together twelve aspiring artists to compete for a gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national tour. In each episode, contestants will create unique works of art highlighting art’s role in everyday life, while they compete and create in a range of disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography and industrial design (to name a few). In working beyond their preferred mediums, artists will have to adapt quickly to changes in order to succeed. Completed works of art will be appraised by a panel of top art world figures including fellow artists, gallerists, collectors, curators and critics. The finalists’ work will be showcased in a nation-wide museum tour.

Okay I am not a big fan of Thomas Kinkade, he’s a little surgery sweet for me but I can definitely see the appeal. Much like Terry Redlin he presents a magical perfect view of what people would like to have as a reality. You look at the work and it makes you feel good. Which is definitely a great aspiration in life.

I know a lot of working artists who mock both of these guys, but the fact that they are millionaires and have such a huge following usually keeps me from joining in. I gotta respect anybody who can sell hundreds of thousands of images.

So when I found out (you know during my convalescence) that the Lifetime channel is doing another show about an artist (the first being the Georgia O’keeffe movie) I thought I’d again share.

The program first airs Saturday the 19th at 8pm central. Though I’m sure it will be run again at least once. I don’t know if it’s gonna be good or not but the Kinkade blog, is promoting it. (Yeah I’m sure Tom is actually taking time out of his million dollar life for blogging.) But I guess it still is an endorsement of some kind.

Oops! You’d think if I were writing a post about her (and linking it) I’d spell O’keeffe correctly, wouldn’t you?

Artistic Life Lesson Learned The Hard Way
I (or more accurately my style of work in watercolor pencil ) often (as in several times a year) gets compared to Bev Doolittle. And to be honest, it does bear some resemblances. Most people think the resemblance has to do with my emulating her work because I like her. I think Bev is a great artist who created a genre’ that made her a millionaire and a household name for anyone in the print business. (definitely something to aspire to) But no, she is not one of my hero’s. Not even a little.

No Hidden Images - 21 x 23
Water Color Pencil on 140# Arches Hot Press

I have never been flattered by this comparison, though it is so clearly meant to be a compliment because of an experience early in my art career.

Long before I knew much of anything about the contemporary artists of the time. (You know back when I was all about animal health for a living and lived in a bubble.) (A much smaller bubble than I do now) I did a rearing paint horse based on a high school classmates horse in watercolor pencil. (that’s how long, long ago it was) Even at that time we did an art fair every once in awhile. And people would come running over excitedly in droves, because they thought the painting was a Bev Doolittle. Upon realization that is wasn’t, they promptly left the booth (without looking about further) hugely disappointed.

Alternate title that I rejected because it was . . . too silly, slanderous . . . basically untrue.

How Famous “Hidden Images” Artist Bev Doolittle Slapped The Innocence Right Out Of Me.

Now imagine that is you, and that happens over and over again. Trust me it’s an ego crusher. Nothing could have drilled into me more, the importance of finding my own voice. (Sad thing is, that was/is my voice.)

The painting had a title (which I no longer remember) that I later changed to “No Hidden Images” as a tongue in cheek poke to Doolittle. Fortunately the painting sold quickly. But as a result I didn’t do another paint horse for years. And I still haven’t done one in the lovely chestnut and white combination.

What’s surprising to me that people still occasionally see a resemblance in my work.

Which kinda brings me to the point of this post.
One a rare occasion (about once every year) someone says they see a little Georgia O’keefe in my work. Now for me, that’s a compliment. I love O’keefe, both her work and her personal life. So imagine my excitement when I learned there is going to be a movie about the life of Georgia O’keefe on the Lifetime channel, Sept. 19th.

We of course are going to be gone but hopefully I’ll remember to crank up the VCR to record it. (Yeah, I know. I am still living in the stone age. TiVo is completely beyond my grasp.)

Okay. this is the last of this kind of post. I promise (I think.) I mean really, what has this to do with art anyway? Here’s the thing. I find behavior fascinating. Whether it be human or animal. So these simple techniques to change the fundamental way a person thinks about himself is very intriguing to me. A person can alter physiology just by changing the thought patterns. Cool!

And confidence and motivational techniques can be applied to other aspects to ones life. Say for instance, getting into the studio to paint, or tackling that really challenging painting that has been calling to you.

Week 4 Super Charge Your Metabolism
This episode dealt with using the visualization techniques to create happy feelings with motivation. Any exercise is good, so park farther away and walk, take the stairs instead of elevator. That sort of thing.

The visualization is the same as last weeks. Picture a happy moment while squeezing your right hand thumb and middle finger together. Picture a time when you felt motivated, you took a leap of faith and followed through successfully. Use many memories. Try to envision it as fully as possible. “See what you saw, feel what you felt, hear what you heard.” Then whenever you need a little motivational pick me up, just squeeze your thumb and middle finger together.

Week 5 Your Perfect Body
Again deals with the visualizations. This time, to improve your self confidence. Simple changes in the way you think can have dramatic changes in the way you fell.

A couple of different techniques to try.
*Think of a physically perfect person. Someone who is the icon of beauty. Now picture yourself stepping into them. Being them. Feeling what it is like to be them.
*Picture someone who loves you. Feel the love they have for you. Step into them and see yourself through their eyes.
*Extend one arm and picture holding a ball. Now think of all the negative things you think about yourself. Whatever parts of you you dislike. Let them flow down your arm and into the ball. Then just brush the ball away like it was dust.
*When you hear that inner monologue saying nasty things in your head. Try picturing the voice speaking in a silly voice. It is hard to take whatever it says too seriously when it sounds like Daffy Duck.
*Look into the mirror and say “I accept myself”

See my previous post on Paul McKenna’s I Can Make You Thin

Well, Okay. I can’t make you thin, but Paul McKenna claims he can. It is all about reprogramming the way you think about food, through simple techniques. I must admit, I find the whole concept fascinating. And while I have been experimenting with week one’s plan, which is to eat consciously, I have not followed all the rules for it.

Week 2 Emotional Eating
The premise is that most overweight people eat to satisfy some emotional need, whether it be boredom, loneliness, or sadness. (I tend to over eat when really happy. Go figure.)

So the next time you have a craving for food, that is not hunger based, you can try this technique. It involves tapping pressure points on the body, while doing left brain and right brain activity. It rewires the brain, so to speak, to alleviate the desire to eat.

Tap under the eye several times, followed by the collar bone, then under the eye again. Tap inside, side of wrist, then back of wrist.

While tapping back of wrist, close your eyes, then open them. Look down and to the right, followed by down and to the left. Roll eyes 360 degrees to the right, and then to the left. Keep tapping. Hum a tune. Count to 5 then hum a tune again. Tap under the eye and back to the collar bone.

Assess you desire for food. The number of taps isn’t crucial, nor is the order of things correct. It is the activity itself which works.

Week 3 Busting Your Cravings
If you have a weakness for some favorite unhealthy food, this visualization technique might help. The premise for this is, the body doesn’t differentiate between a vivid fabricated image and a real experience.

So picture in your head your most disliked food. The thing that starts a gag reflex at the thought of it. (for me its peas, When I was a child I actually vomited during lunch when my mom forced me to eat peas. It was the last time she did it, though.)

Close your eyes and visualize eating them. Do the action of sticking your fork into the plate lifting it to your mouth, then chew. At the same time squeeze your left thumb and index finger together. Continue squeezing your fingers together until the exercise ends. Now add to this, whatever manner of revolting stuff you wish. He suggested hair clippings from a barbershop, spittoon juice or worms. Continue to put your fork in and eat. Then add your desired food, say chocolate for instance. When you are completely grossed out, you may stop. Asses your craving. The next time you have a craving for this food, simply press together your left hand thumb and index finger. Your visualized experience will remind the body of the disgusted feelings you experienced during the exercise.

The good thing about this, is you can do the same thing for energy or happiness. Visualize a wonderful experience you had, remember and feel the feelings. Draw upon many memories if you wish. While doing this, squeeze your right hand thumb and index finger together. Next time you need a boost or an emotional pick me up just squeeze those same fingers together. Cool!
For more information on Paul Mckenna or his program visit http://tlc.com/thin

See my post on weeks 4 and 5 of I Can Make You Thin