objective art lover

oyama · #1 10-01-2008, 03:08 PM

hello everybody, must admit i wondered whether i should post this , but i obviously have so here goes. i have only completed a few pictures, just starting really. i haven,t done anything for a long time as i,ve been busy with other things, and much on this site in scratchboard and other mediums inspire me to come back to it, but i am an art lover, if something pleases me or touches me whatever medium, then to me it is art.RIGHT HERE WE GO. my problem if you can call it that is some of the pictures seem stand alone, as superb as they may be [almost out of context] an animal ,bird surrounded by black,they do not sit easy with the eye and i somehow wonder if this has anything to do with this medium not being accepted as serious art. You woul d usually see a lion or eagle as part of a landscape or something similar. lornas pieces are exquisite and stand alone, crias draft horse the same, diana lee how we would all love to create art like her. so many out there that deserve to grace any wall, but what are peoples percecptions of this art form.i just thought it was worth commenting on, good or bad. ithink there are many beautiful pieces out there that deserve a price tag that reflects that[not for money sake]i,m sorry if i offended anybody, i have great respect for you all, but if itgets anybody thinking well, my best wishes to everybody out there that loves art.

lorna12 · #2 10-01-2008, 03:53 PM

I am not in the least offended by your comments on scratchboard art. Art is in the eye of the beholder, not everyone likes the same things (mediums, styles, etc.) and thats a very good thing...how boring it could be. There is a lot of artwork out there that I don't understand but that doesn't make it any less art. People just need to be educated when it comes to scratch...it's not the school child's play it once was nor is it strictly for illustrations as it once was. It IS art...it IS getting recognized as such...just look at the number of awards that have been won by scratchartists in national (Cathy just won one) and international exhibitions (I have won) and there have been several others as well.

Thank you for your posting, it does get one thinking!

**Crias** · #3 10-01-2008, 04:08 PM

I think it is an interesting point and one I have pondered as I try to make my way with this medium more seriously into the art world... however there are situations where the background will look solid black in real life, such as when an object is in front of a heavy shadowed area or in light beams that illuminate select areas, however as an artist it is important to make sure that the light that we convey works realisticly with the art.

Here is an unaltered photo that I took of my mom's dog

Also some artists are working with backgrounds, so that it is not just an animal with black around it. Harold (Garbonzo) had many great works with background, as well as Carabou Hills. Sometimes even subtle backgrounds can make a real difference. Here are two of my favorites of Harold's.

Another option is zooming in on the object so that little of the background is showing. This leaves not so much a black background as enabling the black to serve as shadows. This is my personal way of eliminating a solid black background feeling on many of my works. This piece just won a top award at a national juried art show.

I have also found that in many mediums backgrounds are something that evolve as an artist exolves. Many people start out by just doing the main subject and leaving the background totally out (be it animals or people). As they become better at just the subject then they begin to concentrate on backgrounds. I feel that I am getting to the point in my art. It has lead me to explore the use of re-inking, fiberglass brushes and steel wool, sandpaper, etc to create textures. I also want to learn to use an airbrush to create backgrounds that are believable to compliment my work.

oyama · #4 10-01-2008, 04:17 PM

in case i,m about to get torn to pieces by a baying mob,i promise i,m on your side, just trying to be an outsider looking in with perhaps a small amount of knowledge

oyama · #5 10-01-2008, 04:20 PM

crias i totally agree, but not everyones artcan have the impact that yours has

oyama · #6 10-01-2008, 04:39 PM

sorry crias the picture of the two wolves should not be allowed, as this picture and others like yours stand alone and make it very difficult for others to compet e[tongue firmly in cheek in case you wasn,t sure]

lorna12 · #7 10-01-2008, 06:11 PM

Well said Cathy. I like to crop my animals close, also to let the black be the shadowy background. I have always liked black and white photography, that's why scratch appeals to me so much...it's extremely dramatic, like your dog photo.

When I did my white tiger I didn't even think of it having a background because to me, in this case, the water is an extension of the animal...I very rarely put in backgrounds, especially full backgrounds, because most times I find them unnecessary and detracting from the focal point (my opinion). Having said that....there are pieces I've done and have seen among works here, where a background totally adds to the piece and when it does, then it was necessary and it will look wonderful for it. My newest tea service has a foreground but no background because the light shines on the silver throwing everything else into deep shadow...at least that's what I intended.

oyama...no one is going to tear you apart but we will try to sway your thoughts! wink2:

Background or no background should not make a difference in whether a piece is considered and accepted as fine art. My piece that won 1st place in an international competition was a portrait with no background. (see "Joseph" in my siggy line pics or on my website)

ElizaLeahy · #8 10-03-2008, 04:54 AM

One thing that I personally (remember - personally) dislike and I have also heard art buyers say that it turns them off is floating heads. Like where an animal is done to the neck and then just given a ragged ending. If the neck goes off the side of the picture you can always say "well, the rest of the animal is just out of frame" but with a floating head you really are left with the look that the head has been torn off!

Of course, in pictures where someone has taken a doll and torn the head off....

heehee

Celticelf · #9 10-03-2008, 11:13 AM

I am missing something here. I mean I really don't quite understand the topic. I don't object to the views, just don't catch it. Art is so subjective, the artist reaches out from his center in his own language and the viewer may or may not speak the same language. I just can't see that background is a defining character in the definition of art. Background is an effect. Sometimes you want it, sometimes you don't. I sure hope no one limits their enjoyment of a piece by applying rigid criteria. The joy is in the viewing.

Diana Lee · #10 10-04-2008, 01:02 PM

Thank you Oyama. There really isn't much I can add here that hasn't already been said. I think the main reason scratchboard isn't being readily accepted is because no one knows what it is. You would be amazed how many people out there have never heard of it , When I display people tend to think it is some sort of photo manipulation. (When I display I like to stand by my piece without a name tag and listen to what people say). I use this opportunity to explain what it is.

Diana

Ltaniea · #11 10-04-2008, 05:12 PM

Three thoughts here that might further this thought:
I too have mainly experienced that people don't have a clue what scratchboard is. I've been in New Zealand for the last two years, and I have only found ONE company in the whole country that carried scratchboard, and I bought their last 2 boards at 50% off because they weren't carrying anymore. I've had my work exhibited in two places here, and like Diana, have listened to people's comments and talked to quite a few others, and have not met one person here who has ever come across it before meeting me. So I think it's more about unfamiliarity than lack of acceptance.

Second thought: I too think that art is entirely individualistic and subjective, and I have to say that the black backgrounds and "out of context-ness" is exactly what drew me to scratchboard like a magnet. I have dabbled with painting and sketching and a few other things, and NOTHING has worked for me like scratchboard. The thing that I love so much about this art is the pieces that are left undone, ...the lighted areas that fool the brain in adding the shadowed parts of the picture that you didn't actually draw, but can clearly see.

Third thought: I recently sold three pieces at an art exhibition that had over 500 entries. One of my pieces (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=483085) was sold before the artists preview night even opened. The other two were gone at the end of the first day. When we walked around and looked at everything else, mine were almost the only pieces that WEREN'T a canvassed background or a landscape, etc etc etc. It was exactly that difference that sold them I think.

So if nothing else, we help to create a context and contrast for all the other great artwork out there!! Thanks Objective Art Lover, for your comments and insights. Anything to make us think outside the square is good!

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