Now This I Like

This article is a review of the work of Joan Snyder which is currently on display at the Jewish Museum.

I have not had a great deal of experience with her work, but I've got to say that this is the kind that I like. On many levels too.

I like that it means something. That each stroke, color, texture is placed mindfully... For me, her reasons are her own. It is enough for me that she has them. According to the article she tends to give a lot of personal information. Personally, I don't need that.. as a viewer what I like to do is look and experience.. the background information isn't really necessary. But good for her for sharing! Seriously. I HATE when people know my business. I'd rather have the meaning and put it in, but keep my story to myself and let others take, or not, as they see fit. As far as I'm concerned no one needs to know my tooth story to enjoy my work. But she does and that's awesome.

I also like the sensuality of this genre of work. I can look at paintings like this for HOURS... Just getting lost in the paint and color. There is just so much to look at. Maybe that's why the story isn't so important to me. And I like to paint this way as well.. I can still remember the day when I was shown how to do it without using lots of fresh paint. It's one of those memories up there with the other life moments like graduation and births.

So everyone go to NYC and see this. Hopefully I will when I'm there this month. But if you can't make it, go to an art museum anyway. You owe it to yourself.

Creative Community

I came across this article in the NY Times the other day, and it got me thinking about the concept of community and how that contributes to creativity. The article is about the archivist of the Lower East Side and a book that has been made of the photos he has taken over the past 30-odd years. They are pictures of the people and events that make a community, in this case a neighborhood.

A point is made that the creativity, the thing that made the Lower East Side a place for artists of all kinds to have ideas has kind of gone by the wayside to make room for condos and bars for college kids from the suburbs to feel comfortable in. It's weird, because I'll bet the reason a lot of people bought the condos in the first place is so they can be near the art.. to be there when the creativity happens. But it dosen't work that way. At least not in my experience. The first thing that happens to me when someone wants to watch me paint or make art is that I can't make it anymore. What I need to make the art is taken away. Maybe that's why there isn't a lot of research about artists and creativity in the creativity literature: the act of studying destroys the object of the study.

It's just something to think about... And a good article as well.

Purpose of Art

It's interesting that Western Art isn't usually looked at as "spiritual", despite the fact that there is a very rich tradition of eccleiastic art that has lasted for centuries. This article from the NY Times last Sat discusses this. Maybe it's because the artwork in question is religious and one of it's functions was to instruct those who could not read. Or maybe it's because we don't know how to read the symbolism anymore. There was a time when everyone knew what light through a window pane meant.. Not now, unless you study Renaissance Art. It's almost easier to look at the art of another culture and have a spiritual experience because it's so different and therefore harder to take for granted.

This is on my mind lately for a couple of reasons. One of my areas of interests is aesthetics as a cultural definition of creativity. So WHY something is painted is almost more important than how.. I realize I'm oversimplifying. I'm thinking out loud and these are half formed thoughts.

But it's art painted as a vehicle for healing that I'm thinking of at the moment. Every culture does something along these lines in one way or another. I've started painting again for that very reason... I've been going through something rather large... And it's time to paint it out.

More on this later... Here's hoping I can post regularly again soon.