Hey Harley, hoping you and yours are well. You wondered a while back who/how many follow your ramblings here, so let me confirm that I return on a regular basis to dip into your thoughts. Excuse me for not posting regularly but I seldom have anything I feel of value to contribute or questions to ask that would add to the flow of the thread in general. So why now?
Well there a couple of reasons really. Firstly I heard a wonderful little sound bite today on the radio which was not art related in terms of painting or the visual arts but is wholly appropriate I feel and specifically regarding 'serious' art.
"Nothing is serious unless we care about the outcome"
I thought that pretty astute.
Secondly, having followed your posted thoughts and owning one of your books I have enjoyed the shared experience of the journey with you. Little by little more things have revealed themselves to me, techniques yes but more importantly vision and understanding. I have recently watched a number of interviews with established artists talking about their mentors and moments of realisation and it is such a joy to see the emotion attached to such life changing times. It is always both refreshing and reassuring to see how tradition is being carried forwards.
With regard to digital media I have some thoughts based upon experience as a musician. For the best part of 30 years I made a living as a performing musician which included owning my own studio as well as teaching and managing acts etc etc. As technology has moved onwards the domain of the top quality expensive studio has become available to anyone at home. However the studio is really just a place where the tools are kept and maybe a nice room for live sound recording. Everything you do there is under the microscope and every flaw is amplified. Sure some auto correction can be applied but it shows and without the score created by a true musician there is nothing anyway. Having said that it is these days maybe less embarressing to make a drum part on your Iphone than go out into the woods and find a hollow tree to hit. Anything that encourages a start has to be good..................
The same goes really with digital painting, unless the user has the vision it is just a tool which will show the bad and the good. In my opinion it is the ability to see and analyse accompanied with a desire to put our own spin on such a viewpoint that will always dominate regardless of media, be it digital or mud on a cave wall. Again I say welcome digital media as it could inspire or be the start for the next generation.
Whether it be music, painting, dance, film, radio, photography acting, writing, building bridges, landscape gardening ............................ we will ultimately build upon what went before hopefully by study if not then re-discovery which would seriously restrict our personal development.
So ultimately we are left to follow in the footsteps of those who went before and understand the solutions to the problems they faced and benefit from the from the successes they achieved.
Without the generosity of the artist community and its respected exponents we will go backwards very fast. So as always cheers Harley and keep throwing out those gems that just now and then which are the keys to unlocking a whole new chapter for us.
Best wishes
Gary
Linear Mode
