Rob Hay and Lessons in Being Prepared

I probably maybe should have done this a long time ago, but I went to school for a bit with Rob.  Hopefully he won't mind me talking about him.  I don't agree with him on politics, but I would rate him as one of the smartest men I have met in my life.  He was in the graduate painting program at Marywood while I was in the printmaking.  He was one of the older ones there, but it also gave him more insight than some of us.  He went through various phases in his life.  I knew him as a staid bankerish looking guy, but I guess he went through a spiked dog collar phase.  Anyways his first try at a MFA program he said he really didn't care about anything.  He knew they were coming to fail him for his candidacy review, so he waited until they were there and about to open their mouths to critique him to tell them "I dropped out this morning, get the fuck out."  He then went on to get a MA.  He obtained his MFA from Marywood. 


Anyways Rob was also a boy scout, and he took the lesson of being prepared to heart.  Just as we were about to finish up and graduate Rob was informed that the school had lost his transcripts, and he had to get them official sealed transcripts within a very limited amount of time.  Otherwise he would have to stay another semester.  Amazingly he had sealed official transcripts in the glove compartment of his truck, which was a very good thing as I don't know if he had had to request transcripts from his old schools if they would have gotten there in time.  A little lesson in being prepared.


This is a link to examples of his work.


https://www.artsy.net/artist/rob-hay

Jose Trujillo

Speaking of buying art this is my newest acquisition.  It is by Jose Trujillo.  I found him on ebay; he seems very prolific.

  He sets his auctions quite low, although expect to get into a bidding war.  I tried to get two other pieces, but was outbid.  He has 100 percent positive feedback.  He has an excellent sense of color, and he has good brushwork.  Granted I am not a painter, but his brush work is loose not tight.  This is something I struggle with sometimes.  Iwould describe looseness as being sort of an ease or confidence in the brushwork.  Being tight can lead to distortions.  Tricks to help combat this is initially start out holding the brush on its far distal end from the brush end.  Good brushes are long for a reason.  I've read Gainsborough had a 7 foot long brush for this purpose.  I've also had a professor recommend standing when drawing or painting because it inreases your range of motion.  At any rate his work is quite affordable, and I am quite sure it is a real painting (not the tricks I talked about in On buying art).  I can really smell the oil paint on it.  I would have to say that part of what fascinates me out Jose Trujillo's work is how he simplifies and breaks down his landscapes into color. 

9 In Hand Press 2018 Print Exchange

Hopefully I can keep focused and complete this one, but 9 In Hand Press has put out their call for entry for the 2018 print exchange.


http://www.9inhandpress.com/print-exchange-2018.html

On Buying Art

Awhile back I read a little article on collecting art.  I think the best point the article made was that you don't need to be super rich to collect art, and a collection is technically more than one piece.  Although then the article went into what sizes you should buy.  I also saw a Better Homes and Gardens article where they said people should be buying more modern art to bring vitality to their homes.   I guess this is all well and good.  In my mind the main rule is buy what you like, and don't worry about investment value.  After all if it is going to be hanging on your wall it should be something you enjoy.  Most of the art I buy tends to be smaller.  It accomodates my budget and small apartment.  Other thoughts on buying art.  I would be wary of buying big name artists on ebay, or there are some on etsy too.  There are a lot of knock offs out there, if you are going to spend a lot of money you should be sure.  There are a lot of fake Chagal prints out there for instance.  I doubt most could afford a Corot, but he was a bit of a trickster too.  To help out his struggling artist friends he would sign their paintings for them.  Then they could go off and sell their Corot more easily and for more money.  Unfortunately today when these paintings surface they do not retain their value.  Part of why I like to buy from living artists.  I will not lie when I heard that an artist I bought from had a Milwaukee PBS special done on them I was pretty happy.  In my mind that is more rewarding than spending a lot of money on a fake big name.  Although that said living artists can be tricksters too.  I have heard of artists at fairs faking their painting ability by having photos printed on canvas, and then painting over with clear varnishes to make it look painting.  This in my mind could also cross over to less realistic art.  Many artists sell giclee prints, or printed canvas reproductions of their work.  This is all well and good but they should be upfront about it.  I could see someone doing brush work on a canvas reproduction and selling it as original.  A lot of the printed canvas ones I have seen have a plastic quality to them.

Tattoos

I've been thinking about this a bit lately.  At the opening for the Banned exhibit the thing that really struck me was that pretty much all of the attendees were older; I think maybe I saw one younger guy.  It bothered me at first, but I've thought on it some more.  I said in a previous post that I thought Contemporary art was more about experience than ownership.  I think tattoos are a perfect example of this.  I don't think that interest in art has really faded, more that it has shifted.  I looked a bit online for articles about tattooing and art.  Most were a debate about is it an art, or looking at the cultural history.  I guess I am more interested in the commercial aspect of all this.  What I mean is that a lot of the time people buy art not only for the enjoyment of it, but also as an investment.  A guy I went to grad school with said he had had people who had purchased work from him get in his face.  They wanted to know what he was up to, and why he was not exhibiting.  His work was more of an investment to them.  I have had this a little bit too.  The thing that is of interest to me about tattoos is that people pay to have them done, but there is no potential for reselling them.  They are from an investment point of view valueless.  So maybe tattoo culture is a little bit purer art appreciation.

Yeah Autozone!

Thoughts on Guns

I have schizophrenia and I do not own a gun.  I am more than happy to give up my rights to own one.  I know what really bad is like for me, and I am very glad that I did not have access to a gun then.  I don't think people always appreciate the anger level that can happen with this disease.  Most people have a hard time with comprehending that when I am really bad I hear them constantly.  No privacy no matter what I am doing.  As angry as I was though I never took it out on another human being.  I broke things, and I took it out on myself.  Really the main part of why I don't own a gun is because I would probably use it on myself.  I have had a Republican guy (mom would term him a shooter) at work argue with me about this, which I do not understand.  He says I seem normal, and tells me my experience was not that bad.  Inspite of me showing him the scars on my arm.  He was also not around me when I was fully unmedicated.  I don't get why you would push guns on people like me.
 
       That guy my Mom would classify as shooter.  Mom says there are two types of gun people.  Hunters and shooters.  Hunters understand that guns are tools used to kill.  They use these tools to feed their families, and they don't need assault weapons or machine guns to do it.  Those would only ruin the meat.  Mom's idea of a good hunter was grandpa.  She said she was always amazed because she would examine the deer he brought back.  Every single one only had one shot in them through the heart.  My Grandpa and great uncles had the policy of only shoot if you are one hundred percent sure you can make the shot.  A good hunter does not allow an animal to suffer. Shooters on the other hand are more childlike, they view guns as toys.  Most shooters I know tend to look down on hunters because they kill things.  My Mom has the opposite view of the shooters; hunters are to be respected and shooters should be reviled.  After all the Sandy Hook guy was a shooter prior to his rampage, not a hunter.

I've been looking around on ebay at art.  Kind of the interesting thing to me is that it seems like maybe landscape art does way better than nudes.  Although a lot of the nudes were bad.  I don't think I saw any bids on the nudes actually.  Also saw quite a few gay oriented pieces, actually most of the male nudes did have "gay interest" as a descripter.  Nothing wrong with the gay part, but they should really do a better job on the art.  Someone should introduce them to Mapplethorpe and composition.         Figure drawing is such a maligned thing.  As professor Joel told us humans are at once attracted and repelled by the human body.  I love it though.  I have gotten some nasty reactions.  One guy imagined a porno shoot.  I also know a female artist whose husband will not allow her to work off of male models.  For me that would be the end of the relationship.  I don't think most people realize that female artists in the past were not permitted to work off of live models.  That is for sure on male models, but I also seem to recall hearing they couldn't even work off other women.  Actually even viewing female nudes.  The cliche of the artist drawing back the curtains on their work has it's origins in curtains that would be placed on nudes to hide them from the women and children.  Goya's paintings of the nude maja and clothed maja sort of ran along those lines.  Originally the nude maja hung behind the painting of the clothed maja.  The clothed maja painting was attached to a pulley system that with the flip of a switch would move that painting away to reveal the nude.  That situation had more to do with hiding the nude from the Spanish Inquisition.  Unfortunately the Inquisition did find it, and Goya had to go before them for it.                                            Due to work I have not been able to go to figure drawing sessions like I used to.  What strikes me when I have is how predominatly male the artists are.  One time the guy who organizes it was stoked because there were two female artists who showed up to draw.

Knitting

These days my great preoccupation has been knitting.  It relaxes me.  I am embarking on a new pattern full of challenges.

                                                  The pattern is from Kate Atherley's Custom Socks: knit to fit your feet.  It is a toe-up pattern, I am usually a cuff-down girl.  They are knee highs, which gives some fit challenges.  Years ago I tried making a pair of knee-highs without a pattern and without any idea of negative ease.  They totally wouldn't stay up.                                                            Atherley came up with how to do sizing by having people from all over send her their foot and ankle measurements.  She found that circumference of the ball of the foot was pretty much the same as the circumference of the ankle.  Prior to her book I don't ever remember seeing these sizes listed on patterns.  In my case I have long skinny feet; the ball of my foot is smaller than my ankle.  So that comes out to the fourth size on this pattern, but I have big I guess I have big calves, it was not listed as a size option.  So I guess it remains to be seen if I can figure this out.  This is as far as I have gotten.