Do artists have a particular look to them?

[BrianWarner]

Lianne, your only problem is your own self security. Feel glad you are the way you are and be proud. Life is good.

[LMWilliams]

Originally Posted by BrianWarner

Lianne, your only problem is your own self security. Feel glad you are the way you are and be proud. Life is good.

Thank you Brian, and I am. This is more of a tongue in cheek jest at the assumptions of the passing public when it comes to what an artist looks like then a true character dissection. I find it very interesting when people are surprised I'm so 'normal' for someone who paints. I just wonder what they can see in Us that I can't see.

[La_]

i don't think artists have a particular look - we're far too diverse for that.
i know many artists and if i didn't already know they painted, i sure couldn't point them out in a line up as 'artiste' unless they were in their 'work' clothes.

for the biker dude who posted a photo of himself, no, i wouldn't visually peg you as an artist.

having been an artist for most of my life, new people are surprised to hear i'm an artist, it's not common around where i live and i've been told by many (male and female) the ongoing impression i leave is that of 'happy/hippy/peacenic/sexy/laid back/freak', not 'artist'.

la

[artyczar]

I would be an obvious choice for an artist, but that doesn't mean I purposely set out to "look" like an artist. I'm also a musician, so that might be partially part of my "problem." I have dreads, I have a full sleeve of tattoos, plus a few others, including one on my neck - which IS there on purpose for artistic reasons, want to hear that story? I will tell you anyways.

A tattoo on the neck nowadays is widely accepted, so it wound up that I "fit" fine (or have a pass) into society after all, but back when I got this tattoo, I knew of only one other female with a tattoo on her neck, and it was fake because it was in a movie. There was one other friend of mine that got one right after me, but it went onto the back of her neck under her hair. Mine is close to my throat.

I got mine to "mark" myself a renegade very much on purpose - almost to force my own self to never work another "regular" job, making myself officially a reject for any kind of bank or "acceptable" occupation. I did this on purpose to stay true to my goals.

The guy who gave me the tattoo, who was covered in them, including his head and face, gave me a "lecture" before he would tattoo me. That's how odd it was back then. He told me the responsibility it was to have one and warned me that strangers would speak to me for the rest of my life, which is true. Not something I like, by the way, but I was willing to deal.

I also dress very much like a boy. Levis, boots and a t-shirt. Sometimes I will wear a feminine shirt, but they are usually borderline hippie-ish. I recently bought a dress. It will be my 3rd over my lifetime.

I "look" like I could be an artist and/or a musician. And probably gay, which isn't too far from the truth, I have no piercings, accept in my earlobes and I often have a hard time getting earrings in there because of how infrequently I put anything in there.

As far as madness goes, I would have to qualify that beforehand and mention people like mathematicians, scientists of quantum physics, biological engineers, etc. But yes, very much so, I am mad. It's horrible! I hate it. It sometimes takes everything I have to keep it at bay. I have had some terrible episodes.

I also look youthful, but that might change soon enough because I'm high pretty much everyday on pills for my physical disabilities, which doesn't help with the "crazies!"

So I guess I'm a walking stereotype!

But I am NOT a flake, or aloof, or scatter-brained in the least. I am super professional, considerate, organized, and helpful to others. People would call me "sweet" before calling me an artist.

[Bringer]

Originally Posted by shadwell

technicly artyguys wrong !! it's a "mohawk" hairstyle i had one i also have tattoos

would you pick me out as an artist ??


my sister dresses very hippy is often drunk and is slightly mad but she no longer bothers as she is no good at it wich is odd because she was brilliant when younger

unless she just found someone elses work and has been lying for years

Well...looking at your bike I'd say you're Japanese

[Bringer]

Well Artyczar, there are only two or three places where women should tattoo.
The neck is not one of them :-)

Artist: on a vernissage is the person who looks less like one.

[Stacey]

You mean like Moi?

[opainter]

Originally Posted by Stacey

You mean like Moi?

Help me! I do!

Back to the subject of this thread ... I think that a lot of artists (and other creative people, for that matter) don't mind conforming a little less to the dominant conformisms (a new word, methinks, to add to my lexicon ...) that most everybody else slavishly adheres to. Therefore some artists will be esp. fashionable, and others (like me), will just be all that much more sloppy. C'est la vie.

[shadwell]

Originally Posted by Bringer

Well...looking at your bike I'd say you're Japanese

noooooooo !!! all i'm allowed till i take the test , ironicly i'm allowed to drive (and have ) trucks , cars up to porsche , ferrari and bently yet even afterall that experience our government doesn't think i'd be safe enough on anything bigger than a 125 cc motorcycle

thing is though if you want a reliable bike that is well engineered and will keep its value a japanese bike is the only way to go !!

[StephenC]

I've detected a greater intensity in seeing among artists. I catch them taking in their surroundings with what I'd call a proprietary gaze and it may be that they are looking at something they want to paint. This may only apply to representational artists. I think what I'm seeing is the artists in the process of taking inspiration from something they are looking at.

I think I notice this because I specialize in painting pictures of people and spend a lot of time observing faces and expressions. But I have seen no other common feature which characterizes artists. The stereotypes only apply to movies and cartoons and I have no idea how they started. What's up with the beret anyhow?

I attract a fairly consistent set of first impressions: manager(of something), ex-military, headmaster, principal and, to the boys who dated my daughter, bad news. I am none of these things, but the impressions are still the same.

[caldwell.brobeck]

That's funny Stephen, especially re. your daughter. I'm sympathetic, I have one too...But I spend a lot of time watching faces, and the biggest downside of this is that people think I am actually interested in what they are saying

[Paulafv]

I too look at interesting faces and different people, and sometimes they think I'm interested. Just looking at that odd nose or eye configuration Some artists are neat, gardeners, house proud and others are just the opposite. I'm on the scattered side, probably because I have too many supplies and try to find just the right paper or color among them. Often I paint rather than mow the lawn, and sometimes I strive to be conventional when it's expected. Just can't tell by the way someone looks or even acts.

[boomerbeach]

You must mean that faraway, distant look .. Not actually present, right-now!

[Bringer]

Originally Posted by shadwell

noooooooo !!! all i'm allowed till i take the test , ironicly i'm allowed to drive (and have ) trucks , cars up to porsche , ferrari and bently yet even afterall that experience our government doesn't think i'd be safe enough on anything bigger than a 125 cc motorcycle

thing is though if you want a reliable bike that is well engineered and will keep its value a japanese bike is the only way to go !!

Thinking Hayabusa?
Recently here in Portugal they introduced the law that permits any driver with a license to drive a motorcycle up to 125cc.
I thought about getting one, but then started thinking about the possible consequences, if you get what I mean :-)

[ARCross]

Funny, I was just thinking about this the other day...going through a bit of a style crisis. The young artists around me (i'm also young) are very hip, creative (black funky hair, lots of color and cool clothes) and I would love to look like them, but it just never seems to fit me. I was feeling kind of bad, because maybe i'm not an artist if I don't dress creative and funky. But I realized yeserday those funky types also seem to paint a similar way...abstract, lots of color, really out of the box. Just like their clothes. Kind of like it's an extension of their canvas.

Personally, I paint wildlife, nature, landscapes. There are very few abstracts I admire, although there is just as much talent and work gone into them. My clothes pretty laid back and natural: leather jacket, ponytail, jeans... somewhat similar to my paintings.

Perhaps think of your clothes as an extension of your canvas. Dress accordingly. And chances are you already do without even thinking about it. Who cares if your clothes aren't the stereotypical artist type? Is there only one type of real art? There's different ways to express yourself with clothes, just like there are different ways to express yourself with art.