Solid Ground: Foundation for Art and Politics

Making art is like running for office.  In an academic environment, young artists will pursue certain avenues in their artwork that work well, while others lead to less effective solutions.  They choose different media, different techniques, different content.  Sometimes that change is slow, other times it seems like students are bringing something completely different to each group critique in just a matter of weeks over the course of one semester.  They have constantly changing ideas.  On the surface, it appears that they are scrambling to come up with the next BIG idea, or they're just trying to find something in their art that is satisfying, if only to them alone.  And they come under scrutiny for it.  Art students have to stand in front of their peers and professors and explain these dramatic changes.  They have to defend choices they're making.

Why are you using glaze instead of paint in ceramics?  Why are you consistently making your canvases 5 feet by 5 feet when they could be 5 x 5 inches?  Why did you choose this color over that one?  There's a disconnect between what the work is saying and what you're saying about the work.  Why are there so many different things to look at here?  Why isn't there more?

Some students crush under this kind of pressure, never finding their voice as an artist.  Others thrive, standing up for their decisions as they further refine their technique and increase their ability to articulate their BIG ideas.  This comes to mind when looking at the current political race.  The Republican nominee has a history of creating and identifying with a kind of policy that seems counter to his current platform (while governor of MA he supported gun control, abortion, tackling climate change, and required health care).  Now, running for president, he seems to have reversed his tactic on nearly all of those issues.  It's hard to tell if this is because of circumstances - maybe he has the freedom outside of a liberal state like MA to change and be the politician he wants to be - maybe he is under the influence of the party for which he represents.

Regardless, it seems akin to the group critique situation.  Some artists collapse under the weight of too much advice.  Professors hound them about the thing they should be doing instead of letting them figure it out on their own.  It's hard to blame the teacher for that; sometimes there is only so much time in a semester.  But experience being any kind of judge will tell you that the artist who finally gets a firm grasp on a direction is the one that moves forward.

After watching the RNC keynote speech by Chris Christie last night and comparing that with some of the other speeches of the night, it seems like the folks in the Republican party were explaining why the party is strong (or their own accomplishments were great) but not why Mr. Romney was strong (or great).  They mentioned things like leadership.  Perhaps it is time for Mr. Romney to finish absorbing the input from his party's advisers and start leading it.  If he hopes to become the leader of our country, perhaps he should start by taking a stand within his own party.  To see that kind of firm grounding and steadfast commitment to the platform may in fact change the tide.  Or reveal to the viewers (voters) the kind of art (policy) they don't want to hang on their walls (Oval walls at that) come November.

Etsy, Banksies, Regretsy

The day has come for me try an Etsy shop.  It's been a long time coming, getting an online sales presence.  With this, I hope to make my parent's proud and answer the long asked question, "Where can I buy your stuff when you never live near me?"

I must confess, I'm pretty proud of the first batch of piggies making it into the shop.  I've been working with low fire clay and trying all kinds of different surface techniques.  It's been pretty fun.  And now shoppers can enjoy the fruits of my labors.  If the pickins look slim, don't worry, more are on their way.

So here is the link to the shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/Banksies.  About the title.  Other than sounding ridiculously cute, I'm making a little homage to a British street artist, Banksy.  I really like the "work" of this unknown person who remains faceless to the world (literally if you watch Exit Through the Gift Shop, a highly recommended documentary about the money involved in street art).  Really probing stuff that features social or political satire that is both intelligent and darkly hilarious.  So right up my alley.  Here are a couple of examples.  I love the tongue in cheek humor of it all.  At some point I'd like to get a little more action like this on the p-banks.  The way that I make them right now, there is endless opportunity to try different things.

And I'm thinking about incorporating this pointed stuff with the surface techniques of this guy: Bede Clark.  Bede, who is not faceless, did a workshop with the Kansas City Clay Guild recently.  During that time, he and I shared our enthusiasm for well-worked surfaces.  Bede has been making pots for almost 40 years, but likt most of us, he occasionally deviates to create large earthenware tiles and plates that he paints with oxide washes, stains, slips, and glazes.  The surfaces are always unique and have a warm well-worn texture to them.  These types of surfaces may be a great pairing for those graffiti styles on buildings and walls that street artists like Banksy use for their canvases.

So speaking of Etsy...  Have you heard about Regretsy.com yet?  In my probing questions to friends who have already been using Etsy's platform for years, they turned me on to this alternative site.  It's incredibly non-PC and quite funny in that way.  You'll find absurd posts that link to ACTUAL products sold on Etsy.  Looks like everybody's trying make a little cash these days.  At this point, it is unclear to me if I would want to see one of my piggies end up Regretsy or not.  We shall see.