The Problem of an Artists Inventory

What do you do with too much art? 

I've been creating for so many years now, that I constantly run into serious space issues in my studio. Our home is not small, but it is a simple fact that there is art everywhere. Art that sometimes gets damaged, art that gets lost because it gets placed where it shouldn't. 

So what do artists do when there are storage problems, especially those of who work in very small spaces? What do you do with the work when its not selling? What do you do with it when it stacks up to the point where one piece of art is destroying another because its all pressing in on each other? You've given it away, you've shoved art in friends faces to the point where people run and hide when they see you on the street because you might shove more art at them. And if you do successfully give away a great deal of it then where does it put you in terms of the value of your art?

The Forgetful Artist - Memory and Art

"There is so much I don't know. And so much I do know, if I just took the time to think about it."

I've made forgetfulness an art form. I stumbled upon the idea of actually training myself to forget techniques that I've learned. Now why on earth would I want to do that?

Its simple really. When I forget a technique and relearn it later, it returns in a different way. I do not allow a technique to take root in my head so completely that I fall into a pattern of creativity that excludes everything else.

A lot of artists learn something new and that's where they remain. They find a comfort level in repeating the same technique in slight variations over and over. I'm not putting that down. I think there are benefits to learning something and then exercising it over and over again.

I am an experimental artist in every fiber of my being. I revel in a piece of art so challenging and enigmatic that it is almost beyond my grasp to create it.

The Air Maiden (Sculpture Tutorial)

Finally we've gotten the new outdoor art space to the point where we can begin using it for projects. The first is the large piece of deadwood which will be cleaned and preserved first before becoming art. It will need a large plinth to support it, so the search will be on to create the base while working on the deadwood. 

The preservation process will take several weeks. The wood has to be tested, cleaned and anything that is too rotten will be carefully removed. The process is similar to working on bones in an archaeological dig. Along with custom made tools, I use a set of dental tools to carefully remove debris, old bugs, weed growth and the occasional cocoon, until the wood is clean and the remaining parts are strong. 

Once that is finished I will apply multiple layers of spray epoxy to preserve the erosion and grain of the wood. 

Turning Old Art Into New Art

The above piece of art was originally created 8 years ago. The contours on the piece were made by taking a discarded white sheet, dunking it in a flour/water mixture and then arranging it on the canvas to create the patterns and raised areas. Once it dried it was sprayed with a fixative to keep its shape. It measures 4 feet high by 2 feet wide.

Now here was the problem with the original piece. The contouring technique was a success and one I would use again over the years. But I did not consider the overall weight of the piece. I'd mounted it on a very heavy piece of thick plywood which made the piece nearly impossible to hang properly. So the piece was placed in storage where it remained for many years and in that time it was dented and abused and in no way appropriate for selling or displaying.

When we moved into the new studio the piece was moved and I considered just pitching it. But I hate to waste anything including my early process art.

So today I decided to take steps to do something with it. First I cleaned it thoroughly, taking off dust and debris. Then I spray painted the whole piece in a gold and copper paint. I was surprised how well it had held up despite its abuse. 

It is essential that you have faith in your own creative skills. If you fail to believe in yourself then anything you create will also lack that essential faith. This does not mean that you shouldn't challenge yourself to always do better. But don't doubt yourself. This is as much a skill as any you may acquire in your creative journey. Never forget that the your task is not to create pretty pictures but to create something that lets others glimpse the universe through your eyes.

Believe!

Conducting the Celestial Orchestra - An Artists to Authors Short Story by Libbi Rich

Artists to Authors is an exploration of the how art influences authors. Artist Grey Cross has opened his entire portfolio to any author who would like to choose a piece of art and create a short story around it. You can find more information on the project at: 

The Artist to Author Project

I. 

I watched the moon eat the sun, and I listened to the celestial orchestra.  

It wasn’t until later that I became the conductor. 

II. 

They want me to speak, but I am far too occupied. 

“Sarah, say ‘cookie,’” my mother coaxes, a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in her outstretched hand, hope and fear in her tired eyes. A cookie would be nice; I like the sweet crunch and crumble in my mouth, but the noise of it distracts me, and I must not get distracted. 

I sit and listen and move my hands, making sense of the music that fills my head. Leading the gentle waves of strings through their sad, but lovely, path among the brightness of the trilling woodwinds. 

Totems & River Boat Driftwood

This piece of driftwood has been in the studio for several years, just waiting for use in the right project. We are pretty sure that it was part of the hull of a river boat. When completed this 4 foot piece of wood will become a ceremonial totem with four faces on it. My intention is to burn the wood until black and then buff it to create a shiny black patina. I've done this with other pieces in the past and have been amazed at the depth and purity of the black. Its totally unlike black paint and well worth the several days it will take to burn it using a heat gun and buff it out. 

I don't reward sloppiness in my artists. A poorly presented piece of art says to me that the artist will never be a professional. Prove me wrong by taking pride in your presentation, whether its showing your art online, at home, or in an alleyway at a popup show. In this ever increasing world of online exposure, what people see of your art on your social media may be the only chance you get for exposure. You blow it the moment you show your art in anything but a professional manner. 

The House at the End of the Universe - An Artists to Authors Short Story by Andrew Seas

Artists to Authors is an exploration of the how art influences authors. Artist Grey Cross has opened his entire portfolio to any author who would like to choose a piece of art and create a short story around it. You can find more information on the project at: 

The Artist to Author Project

Where am I? Am I dreaming? Am I still in the virtual world of cyberspace, the neural-net?

I sat up on the dry parched Earth surrounded by dead grass and gazed up. Above me, the entire cosmos revealed its mystery, twinkling its secrets to me, the anti-universe of something that is not quite nothing—me.

I’ve had these dreams before, I thought, as I reached down and took a pinch of the dirt and let its fine dust return to the Earth. Earth? This cannot be the Earth!

Behind a rooftop, the globe upon which the only home mankind has ever written history, was now starting to rise behind the remnants of a timber house. It continued to rise, surrounded by hues of deep blues and purple, and the sparkle of a billion stars.

It Never Dies

A colleague recently said "my creativity died for awhile, but I think its coming back to life". This stuck in my mind because so many people think they lose their creativity, sometimes considered their muse. 

But the reality is that creativity never dies. Its always inherent in each and every one of us. What dies is our desire to bring it forth within ourselves. 

I consider creativity to be a force all its own. We joke and say "the force is with us" without ever realizing that its true. This transcendent ability permeates us all. Many turn their backs on it. Some only use it in small limited ways. Others consider it their life goal to make it a part of themselves in every facet of their being.

Elissa's Revenge - An Artist to Authors Short Story by Diana Whiley

Artists to Authors is an exploration of the how art influences authors. Artist Grey Cross has opened his entire portfolio to any author who would like to choose a piece of art and create a short story around it. You can find more information on the project at: 

The Artist to Author Project

     I dip the brush into black ink. Thin lines cut the whiteness of watercolour paper and it bleeds a little. The exotic scent of magnolia hits my senses. My heart races, my pupils dilate to completely cover my iris black.

 Someone’s past has been opened. Someone from my book - but who? 

  I have names and dates for their past transgressions but none ever follow a particular order. That frustrates and excites me. 

    Lavender and rosemary precedes footsteps and Lily, fellow artist walks in. She drops an envelope onto the side table. “The invitation has arrived.”

    “Good,” but I do not turn.

   

Artists. 

Take joy in the process, not just the finished work

Making Your Bones - The Cult of Personality & The Artists Reputation

Making Your Bones is an old Mafioso term for making your reputation by killing someone.

Reputation is a tricky thing. No matter how much you try to steer your reputation in a particular direction, like a stubborn cow that doesn't want to return to the barn, it will probably wander off down a totally different path. 

New artists have the idea that reputation is built from what they create and where they show their work. While those things may play into an artists reputation its really just the tip of the iceberg. 

The Inescapable Truth of Art

No matter how much we would like our work to be adored by everyone, it is an inescapable reality of the art world that every piece you create will only be embraced by a few. In fact it will most likely be hated by an equal if not greater number of people.

Art is completely and totally subjective. But for those few who do love your art will be fans for life. They are the ones that are worth creating for.

I see many artists that spend their careers trying to find that magic formula for the perfect piece of art. They waste their potential trying out different things that might be a hit with the public rather than focusing that effort inwardly. Once an artist escapes from the delusion that they can be another Da Vinci, they can get down to business creating true masterpieces that come from deep within themselves.

Streetcar Dreams - An Artist to Authors Short Story by Diana Whiley

Artists to Authors is an exploration of the how art influences authors. Artist Grey Cross has opened his entire portfolio to any author who would like to choose a piece of art and create a short story around it. You can find more information on the project at: 

The Artist to Author Project

    I walked the streets of Sydney. Dogs barked and the scent of oil, garbage and food recently cooked hit me - a pleasure and pain - a curse of memory so strong that it felt real. Like the hint of gardenia and jasmine. Heady yet fading as soon as I inhaled it.

    I ran toward the last remnant of it and was joined by others criss-crossing my path.  They reached out to me, the maker of stories.   

    I passed them coming to the area known as the rocks where old houses stood in neat preservation. Standing after the protests of the seventies. The Harbor Bridge loomed to my right, gleaming in the half light.