A gloomy and hazy Tuesday to you!
The weather has not been so fine here the last few days but that is ok by me. I am still recovering from my 3 1/2 day stint in the hospital for an infection (lesson learned: pain=warning from your body).
Anyway, unfortunately, because I am still recovering I haven't had a lot of time to devote to finding new great artworks or anything like that. However, I am still pondering the whole idea of what makes art great and I have a few more thoughtful quotes to share by the some person (tweets by Image Journal during a seminar given by Andy Crouch).
An ecosystem is a living system that channels energy in order to create abundance - Andy Crouch
Perhaps this doesn't seem like it directly relates to art but I would argue that it does. Art has to do with energy and abundance.
a piano teacher told me I couldn't play Beethoven b/c I hadn't suffered enough. Said to try again at age 40. - Andy Crouch And it also is connected to suffering of some kind. This may be where the melancholic artist comes in?
I think part of the reason I'm struggling so much with this blog is I'm not being myself. I think art is good and beautiful but can also show the struggle of creation and pain and longing (there is some beauty in that too I guess). Art is not perfect and what I want for art is not perfect.
Since I am still struggling with so much of my vision, I think I am going to go back to doing short reviews of artworks. It will expose more artwork and help me grow as a writer as well as define more clearly where I see this going.
Until next time (which will have an artwork)...
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
What is Art?
Happy Tuesday!
I have been having a rough week or so--I have been extremely under the weather but I am finally recovering I hope.
Last week, at the end of my blog, I talked about wishing that art meant something. I have put a few quotations below on what people think art is (or isn't for that matter). Maybe there are people out there who have different ideas about art than I do (that is guaranteed). In the spirit of the political debates, let's debate what we think art is. I'm sure this will be a very spirited discussion!!
A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.
Oscar Wilde
An artist is somebody who produces things that people don't need to have.
Andy Warhol
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
Pablo Picasso
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
Aristotle
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.
Georgia O'Keeffe
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.
Abraham Lincoln
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.
Henry Ward Beecher
Do you agree? Disagree?
Until next time...
I have been having a rough week or so--I have been extremely under the weather but I am finally recovering I hope.
Last week, at the end of my blog, I talked about wishing that art meant something. I have put a few quotations below on what people think art is (or isn't for that matter). Maybe there are people out there who have different ideas about art than I do (that is guaranteed). In the spirit of the political debates, let's debate what we think art is. I'm sure this will be a very spirited discussion!!
A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.
Oscar Wilde
An artist is somebody who produces things that people don't need to have.
Andy Warhol
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
Pablo Picasso
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
Aristotle
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.
Georgia O'Keeffe
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.
Abraham Lincoln
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.
Henry Ward Beecher
Do you agree? Disagree?
Until next time...
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Democratization of Art-Good?
Although I do feel that there are some downfalls to the democratization of art, there are obvious good things about it too!
In the late 1800's and in the early 1900's, French salons became a big thing. I am not speaking of gatherings of people together to share art or music and refine intellectual ideas. I am speaking to the large exhibitions where artworks where shown. It was a recent collection of paintings, and possibly drawings, that were chosen by the Academy.
In those French salons, it was possible that great artists were left out because they did not conform to the ideas of the Academy. I think this could also be said of museums today. Although there are many different art museums (contemporary, modern, etc) there is so much art that is not shown (some of it has to do with space, etc).
However, some of it also has to do with who and what is influencing art. The thoughts and philosophies of the day influence what art is seen and considered good. I am truly interested and love contemporary art. But, the kind of contemporary art I long to see if almost never at a contemporary art museum. Sad, right?
Who decides what is considered "good art" anyway?
Technology and the internet have opened the doors to have more people express and promote their artistic talents and ambitions. Also, you no longer need to go to a large gallery or public/private museum to view amazing works, you can just view them on your computer (while there is still something to be said about seeing a work of art in person, it is amazing to have access to so many masterpieces). There are many forums where one can view amazing contemporary and, for me, digital artworks.
I am tired of art that is a commentary of itself. I want something with substance. I want art that means something. Although that is probably a topic for another day.
Until next time...
In the late 1800's and in the early 1900's, French salons became a big thing. I am not speaking of gatherings of people together to share art or music and refine intellectual ideas. I am speaking to the large exhibitions where artworks where shown. It was a recent collection of paintings, and possibly drawings, that were chosen by the Academy.
In those French salons, it was possible that great artists were left out because they did not conform to the ideas of the Academy. I think this could also be said of museums today. Although there are many different art museums (contemporary, modern, etc) there is so much art that is not shown (some of it has to do with space, etc).
However, some of it also has to do with who and what is influencing art. The thoughts and philosophies of the day influence what art is seen and considered good. I am truly interested and love contemporary art. But, the kind of contemporary art I long to see if almost never at a contemporary art museum. Sad, right?
Who decides what is considered "good art" anyway?
Technology and the internet have opened the doors to have more people express and promote their artistic talents and ambitions. Also, you no longer need to go to a large gallery or public/private museum to view amazing works, you can just view them on your computer (while there is still something to be said about seeing a work of art in person, it is amazing to have access to so many masterpieces). There are many forums where one can view amazing contemporary and, for me, digital artworks.
I am tired of art that is a commentary of itself. I want something with substance. I want art that means something. Although that is probably a topic for another day.
Until next time...
Friday, October 5, 2012
Five Things Friday--Twittering Away
Happy Friday all!
It has been an exciting week to say the least. First, C and I gave up watching TV during the week. It's amazing how much more time we've had (although I still haven't been able to blog...where does the time go?) and how much cleaner our house is. Second, I finally decided to sign up for a Twitter account and I have discovered what everyone was raving about! It is so nice to get so much "news" at a glance (especially since I'm following so many different things).
So here are five areas where I found twitter to be helpful and an example of who I am following.
1) I wanted to stay on top of different opportunities within my profession (just a side note that I currently love my job but it doesn't hurt to be prepared to know when life may change). I am admin in my "real" life and I am constantly trying to better myself--learning more technologies, better ways to manage time, how to be a leader, etc. A few people I am following are @JuliePerrine, founder of All Things Admin and @IAAP, the professional organization I belong to.
2) I work in the health care industry so I wanted to stay on top of some breaking technologies and how that is affecting my field. I am following @DailyNewsGW, the tweets for Genome Web Daily, an update on different genomic and other life science news. So far this has not been specifically helpful but it may be because I don't always understand all the terminology.
3) I want to stay on top of art, especially digital art so I am following @deviantART and a few others. Obviously, this is not the end all be all list but it is helpful when I don't have a lot of time.
4) Since I am trying to start a nonprofit, I found a few people to follow who can provide lots of insights such as @nonprofitorgs
5) And lastly, remember I said that I love my kindle, there are TONS of tweets about free kindle books like @TheeReaderCafe.
That is the end of this adventure into birdland but I would appreciate any tips for this twittering newbie.
How do you decide who to follow? What are you tips? How many people is too many?
Until next time...
It has been an exciting week to say the least. First, C and I gave up watching TV during the week. It's amazing how much more time we've had (although I still haven't been able to blog...where does the time go?) and how much cleaner our house is. Second, I finally decided to sign up for a Twitter account and I have discovered what everyone was raving about! It is so nice to get so much "news" at a glance (especially since I'm following so many different things).
So here are five areas where I found twitter to be helpful and an example of who I am following.
1) I wanted to stay on top of different opportunities within my profession (just a side note that I currently love my job but it doesn't hurt to be prepared to know when life may change). I am admin in my "real" life and I am constantly trying to better myself--learning more technologies, better ways to manage time, how to be a leader, etc. A few people I am following are @JuliePerrine, founder of All Things Admin and @IAAP, the professional organization I belong to.
2) I work in the health care industry so I wanted to stay on top of some breaking technologies and how that is affecting my field. I am following @DailyNewsGW, the tweets for Genome Web Daily, an update on different genomic and other life science news. So far this has not been specifically helpful but it may be because I don't always understand all the terminology.
 |
3) I want to stay on top of art, especially digital art so I am following @deviantART and a few others. Obviously, this is not the end all be all list but it is helpful when I don't have a lot of time.
4) Since I am trying to start a nonprofit, I found a few people to follow who can provide lots of insights such as @nonprofitorgs
5) And lastly, remember I said that I love my kindle, there are TONS of tweets about free kindle books like @TheeReaderCafe.
That is the end of this adventure into birdland but I would appreciate any tips for this twittering newbie.
How do you decide who to follow? What are you tips? How many people is too many?
Until next time...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Five Things Friday-Fav Blog Edition
This week has been a little crazy which is why my post is a little delinquent. C and I cleaned our house, mostly our one closet, for upwards of 10 hours (T-E-N people!). It looks amazing and we can actually walk into our closet-no small feat let me tell you. Have you ever read the book "Throw Out 50 Things"? Me neither but I like the idea. I can tell you for certain that I threw out at least 50 things. We have 4 bags + 1 overflowing box of Goodwill donations in addition to about 4 bags of trash. Can you believe that? I felt like we were the most excessive people in the world today. It's so freeing to get rid of things (Let's just forget that we made that Target run to get more items to put in our closets). What remains to be seen is if we can keep it as neat as it is today. I feel like most things have a home-the first rule of organizing-so the odds are in our favor!
Anyway, so for this week's edition of "Five Things Friday," I thought I would share some blogs that I follow regularly to stay up on art but also other things that I like.
1) Arts Journal Daily Art News-- a good overview of major things happening in all areas of art (visual, music, theater, etc) pulled from many other sources.
2) Digital Art News - a new find but there seems to be a lot of interesting news bits that will keep me updated on the world of art!
3) Skinny Taste - yummy recipes that are easy to follow with nice photographs so you know what things will look like! I use her recipes almost exclusively. Everything is tasty although somethings can be a little too much work.
4) Pennychic - Cute styles on a budget. Good ideas for working in a professional office which is always helpful. I want to look professional but my own age and this has some very cost effective ideas. Some would not be appropriate for where I work but it's easy enough to glance through.
5) Ruminate Magazine Blog - I don't actually subscribe to the print magazine (this is a recent find for me) but I really enjoy the blog articles about different writers and different aspects of art. It has a Christian perspective but it's also very real about what art should be (not just fluffy stuff people).
Thanks for reading. The end.
Anyway, so for this week's edition of "Five Things Friday," I thought I would share some blogs that I follow regularly to stay up on art but also other things that I like.
1) Arts Journal Daily Art News-- a good overview of major things happening in all areas of art (visual, music, theater, etc) pulled from many other sources.
2) Digital Art News - a new find but there seems to be a lot of interesting news bits that will keep me updated on the world of art!
3) Skinny Taste - yummy recipes that are easy to follow with nice photographs so you know what things will look like! I use her recipes almost exclusively. Everything is tasty although somethings can be a little too much work.
4) Pennychic - Cute styles on a budget. Good ideas for working in a professional office which is always helpful. I want to look professional but my own age and this has some very cost effective ideas. Some would not be appropriate for where I work but it's easy enough to glance through.
5) Ruminate Magazine Blog - I don't actually subscribe to the print magazine (this is a recent find for me) but I really enjoy the blog articles about different writers and different aspects of art. It has a Christian perspective but it's also very real about what art should be (not just fluffy stuff people).
Thanks for reading. The end.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Democratization of Art-Bad?
Today while surfing the web for some interesting art news, I came across a New York Times article about photography (I was unable to find that article again, otherwise I would link it). The author argued that with the invention/popularity of camera phones, one of two things would happen to photography:
1) the field of photography would become more sophisticated and people would have an even better eye and appreciation for it
2) there would be such an ocean of photography, that the good and the bad would all get jumbled together and there would be no real way to tell what was good (the real down fall of this is that the profession as a whole becomes obsolete)
The author's further argument was that how do you decipher if something is good when a few thousand of your Facebook friends "like" every picture you post for one reason or another (the face you are making, the outfit you're wearing, because it's black and white, etc).
I think this is true not just in photography but in digital art as a whole. Perhaps the question is not "how do you know if something is good" but "how do you find what is good."
I enjoy looking at digital art but my dilemma is that I continually come across mediocre artworks posted by artists themselves on forums. Because there is no standard system or ranking of how good the artwork is I get to look through everything. EVERYTHING. FOR HOURS.
I think digital art (photography could be counted amongst this) is at a crossroads: either there needs to be some body/group curating, managing the mountain of art this is created or, to paraphrase a Disney movie, when everything's good, nothing is.
There are so many amazing artists out there, it is a shame that more people cannot find and view their works.
To find out more abut the artist below, link to original artwork here
1) the field of photography would become more sophisticated and people would have an even better eye and appreciation for it
2) there would be such an ocean of photography, that the good and the bad would all get jumbled together and there would be no real way to tell what was good (the real down fall of this is that the profession as a whole becomes obsolete)
The author's further argument was that how do you decipher if something is good when a few thousand of your Facebook friends "like" every picture you post for one reason or another (the face you are making, the outfit you're wearing, because it's black and white, etc).
I think this is true not just in photography but in digital art as a whole. Perhaps the question is not "how do you know if something is good" but "how do you find what is good."
I enjoy looking at digital art but my dilemma is that I continually come across mediocre artworks posted by artists themselves on forums. Because there is no standard system or ranking of how good the artwork is I get to look through everything. EVERYTHING. FOR HOURS.
I think digital art (photography could be counted amongst this) is at a crossroads: either there needs to be some body/group curating, managing the mountain of art this is created or, to paraphrase a Disney movie, when everything's good, nothing is.
There are so many amazing artists out there, it is a shame that more people cannot find and view their works.
To find out more abut the artist below, link to original artwork here
 | |||
| Jeanne D'arc by Sheng Yuan |
Friday, September 14, 2012
Five Things Friday-Learn about Me!
When I was inspired by my friend A to start blogging again, I came up with a great and easy way to blog more than once a century. I'm calling it (drumroll, please....!)....."Five Things Friday". It's an easy way for me to blog about something on my mind, about cool art, something I've read, etc.
So, today's edition of "Five Things Friday" is a way for me to introduce myself and tell you something about me. Previously, this didn't seem important when I was only critiquing art but now it seems more important so you will be reading blogs about me and my life.
Let's begin!!!
1) I have been married to my husband (I am going to call him C in my blog) for a little over a year. This August, we celebrated 3 years of knowing each other. It's hard to imagine our lives before we met :)
2) I am a ravenous bibliophile (book lover)! I love going to the library or bookstore and wandering for hours. I generally pick up a wide variety of books that I plan on reading but usually read about 1/10 of them (are you noticing a theme here?). My newest love is my Kindle. Do not fear, book lovers, I still love real books but it is so handy to be able to read everywhere or even in the dark!
3) I love to multitask but I also think this makes me a little ADD. At work, I usually have about 5 windows open and in the middle of an email I will think of something else that I should be doing. I am getting better at not multitasking.
4) C and I live in the suburbs of Chicago. I genuinely enjoy living in the suburbs even though I never have before. I lived in Chicago for 1 year and the parking situation in the winter was enough to make me want to move (plus, I was getting married!)
5) My dream (and I want C to help too) is to have a digital art gallery which host (surprise!) 2D and 3D art. I am working towards this project although it seems too big for me. Thankfully, it seems like a lot of doors are opening so we will see what the future holds.
This concludes this edition of "Five Things Friday". I hope you enjoyed it (or at least weren't bored to death). Have a great weekend!
So, today's edition of "Five Things Friday" is a way for me to introduce myself and tell you something about me. Previously, this didn't seem important when I was only critiquing art but now it seems more important so you will be reading blogs about me and my life.
Let's begin!!!
1) I have been married to my husband (I am going to call him C in my blog) for a little over a year. This August, we celebrated 3 years of knowing each other. It's hard to imagine our lives before we met :)
2) I am a ravenous bibliophile (book lover)! I love going to the library or bookstore and wandering for hours. I generally pick up a wide variety of books that I plan on reading but usually read about 1/10 of them (are you noticing a theme here?). My newest love is my Kindle. Do not fear, book lovers, I still love real books but it is so handy to be able to read everywhere or even in the dark!
3) I love to multitask but I also think this makes me a little ADD. At work, I usually have about 5 windows open and in the middle of an email I will think of something else that I should be doing. I am getting better at not multitasking.
4) C and I live in the suburbs of Chicago. I genuinely enjoy living in the suburbs even though I never have before. I lived in Chicago for 1 year and the parking situation in the winter was enough to make me want to move (plus, I was getting married!)
5) My dream (and I want C to help too) is to have a digital art gallery which host (surprise!) 2D and 3D art. I am working towards this project although it seems too big for me. Thankfully, it seems like a lot of doors are opening so we will see what the future holds.
This concludes this edition of "Five Things Friday". I hope you enjoyed it (or at least weren't bored to death). Have a great weekend!
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