THE INVISIBLE ARTISTS

Folk Art was for many years an invisible part of the art world.   And Western Art was also nearly invisible. To my knowledge, another area almost completely ignored by the art establishment is the work of Eclectic Artists.  Museums, of course, tend to favor work validated by their peers or the public.  Understandable, since the museum that doesn't develop a brand that attracts the public will not last long.  Commercial galleries, too, have spent a great deal of time and money identifying their market.

Jason Horejs of the Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale cautions artists against approaching galleries without a consistent body of work.  Once you become known for a particular style, both galleries and the public expect to see the same style in each new work. In my opinion, Jason"s Red Dot Blog is the finest blog for artists, especially emerging artists, that I have yet found on the internet.   George Rodrique, in one of his interviews, insists that unless you develop a recognizable signature style, you have not found your true voice.  Hmm.  Yes, that guarantees you will receive more attention. I'm not sure about George's "finding your voice," but I do agree with Jason that if you expect to find representation in a successful gallery, consistency is a must.  However, in other aspects of the art world sometimes you can find a crack in the system.  When I decided I'd like to become a member of the Woodstock Artists Association in Woodstock, NY, I noted that the requirements for membership was to present a consistent body of work for jury review, or have the jury accept your work for four shows within a single year.  I chose the four show route.

Once I became conscious of the roadblocks, I wondered why I kept experimenting, changing my pallet, changing the type of image -- or no image at all.  The best answer I could come up with was that I had fallen in love with the world of visual art and wanted to taste as much of it as possible.

All that said, I sincerely hope that someday,  a gallery owner, a museum curator, a serious collector, will bring the invisible eclectic painters to light. And although I contradict myself. I agree with Jason and George.

American Folk Art

I was reminded this past week of American Folk Art which is a nearly invisible area of the art world.  My first awareness of how interesting it can be came from seeing a reproduction of Ammi Phillips' portrait of Harriet Leavens.  I believe the original is in Harvard University's collection.  My next delightful encounter with folk art was at the Smithsonian.  Two sculptures, a most fierce tiger and a daring man on a unicycle. these three paintings are the result.

Now that I'm 80 years old I find that age has slipped in a few surprises. My hands no longer do what eye and mind suggest. The solution is to simplify. Often an artist's style changes not simply with age, but because of age. Here's a couple of my latest paintings.

Vertical Landscapes

In a recent conversation with a gallery owner in Cincinnati she mentioned that no one currently is painting vertical landscapes. I tried to remember last seeing one. Naturally, I couldn't resist doing one. Later a friend mentioned that my landscape reminded him somewhat of a Chinese scroll. Darn, those Chinese thought of everything.

Painting a Series

Years ago, I recognized that I loved experimenting. Trying different things. Not surprising, my art work can best be described as eclectic. The closest thing I have come to painting a series is to return, loosely, to "View of Mombacus Mountain." from time to time. Not interested in replicating a photographic image, simply using Mombacus Mountain as a stepping off point to experiment. This is one variation.

ABSTRACT ART "Kickin Down The Cobblestones"

For me, one of the most fascinating aspects of the art world is the different interpretations artists and viewers give for the same work of art. Even more so for abstract art. I'm aware that viewers seem more likely to appreciate abstract art if they give themselves extra time to discover the appeal. So I try to remember, especially when creating abstract art, that I am requiring more effort from the viewer than I would want. Although I like to think that my work is self-evident, sometimes I miss the mark. Perhaps that's why most people prefer a descriptive title.

The title Majestic Minimalism was too pretentious. We invited the viewing public at the Pendleton Final Fridays to suggest a new name. The final choice was Modern Minimalism. Although it does not appear that many of the Pendleton artists are interested in trying their hand at this modified version of Minimalism, the idea may start them down a new and exciting path.