Into The Fire

Meet Etsy Artist Alannah Naber of Sutturn Designs

2008-02-28T15:23:00.001-08:00

Alannah and I have know each other for a couple of years. We often crossed paths while visiting FlameTree Glass in Roswell GA. Alannah visits to purchase artisan beads made by Maureen McRorie, while I shop for glass supplies. Her two adorable boys quickly nestle into the couch to watch DVD’s while their mother shops. Over time we became acquainted, and I have become an admirer of her work.

One thing that always stands out, as I watched her scrutinize the artisan beads, is the precision of her eye. Subtleties in color and design which have gone unnoticed by most people, are always detected and analyzed. Alannah spends a great deal of time examining each piece of glass. Her visions are always very precise, and until she finds the lampwork and the accents to complete her vision, the piece remains unfinished.

After completing the piece Alannah puts the creation through tests to make sure it will hang the way she expects, and that it is durable. Alannah calls her creations “Garbage Necklaces” for the eclectic blend of materials and colors, but these beautiful creations are far from trash!

“I have been an artist all my life, but I have found my passion in jewelry making. To be able to combine different materials and metals in such a way to highlight or compliment the beautiful work of a lampwork artist gives me great pleasure and satisfaction! In fact, I feel that the lampwork beads sometimes talk to me and guide my selection in complimentary bead and metal choice. Some lampwork beads have remained in my cache for over 6 months because the necklace for each has not been designed in my head yet.”

Alannah is a talented artist, her work is available in her new Etsy Store: Suttern Designs or her website SutternDesigns.com

Please Help My Friend Help Her Child

2008-02-18T07:09:00.001-08:00

I have a friend that needs your help to help her daughter.

Last week she was given a diagnosis and a treatment plan. These are her own words:

" Just wanted to share that my daughter finally has an official diagnosis for her speech delays. She has something called Childhood Apraxia of Speech. A fairly rare diagnosis, it is a neuroprocessing disorder. She understands and comprehends everything you tell her, but her brain cannot recall the "files" necessary to form muscle movements to respond back to you. She has a hard time establishing neural pathways to her facial muscles to form words. She just had another evaluation on the Rossetti scale(standard speech evaluation). At 21 months of age her receptive language- what she understands- is that of a 27-30 month old child, with some skills posting at 30-33 months. Her expressive language-what she can communicate is that of a 3-6 month old child. She borders on 6-9 months and has one skill at 15 months. She has major holes in her speech patterns. Just major lapses. She is extremely frustrated( I know I would be), but her long term prognosis is good. She will not grow out of this, she will have to have speech therapy 2-3 times a week for the next couple of years, is being taught sign language and will continue with occupational therapy 1x a week. I will do therapy with her every day at home as the speech therapist teaches me new activities and exercises. WE don't know what the future holds for our dear girl-will be a long road, for sure. But I wanted you to know why my participation comes in bursts. When she isn't buried in doctors and therapy I am here-trying to find a creative outlet and do my glass....... If you have read all of this, bless you. Thanks for everything- Laura"

So as you can imagine, the family was quite relieved to have a diagnosis, and a treatment plan. But then today we get this news:

"Keelin was denied for upcoming occupational therapy as her condition is "congenital" and not due to an accident or surgery. We will be paying out of pocket for upcoming therapy that she HAS to have. I can't not do this for her. I am sick, sick, sick. "

So, what am I asking of you all. Laura has drastically discounted her work to raise funds. Nobody is asking for a handout. Just purchase one or more of here beautiful pendants and you have done a little girl a world of good. Laura's glass work is beautiful! To purchase one of the these art pendants at $11.00 is amazing. I own one of Laura's pieces, and I can't tell you enough of how beautiful it is. But more importantly, you can help a little girl get the therapy she needs. Laura is fighting the insurance company. Please visit Laura's Store: Talisman Art Glass

If you would like to learn more about this disorder please visit: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

Thank you for your help. Hopefully Laura can get the insurance company to come around, until then every sale counts towards getting this little girl the help she needs.

thank you all!
Michael

A Taste Sensation you shouldn’t Miss!

2008-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Culinary arts are a form of art that tends to be ignored. The job of art is to satisfies the mind, spirit, and senses. The culinary arts are capable of satisfying all of our senses, and our mind and belly better than any art that I know of. That is why I wanted to share the culinary skills of Etsy artisan Back Yard Bakery .
I have experienced three different items from Vicki’s wonderful etsy store. The Worlds Finest Fudge Sauce, Cranberry Pear Anise Sauce (not currently offered) and the Poppyseed Rum Cake.
The Worlds Finest Fudge Sauce is true to its name, rich creamy chocolate fudge Sauce that is truly a chocoholics dream! I don’t care for Cranberry, Pear or Anise, but Vicky managed to create a combination that I loved. Subtle light flavors that combine to create the most delectable taste sensation!

Finally Back Yard Bakery’s piece de la resistance is the Poppy Seed Rum Cake! Again, I don’t typically care for Poppyseed. But this cake is amazing. It is the best Rum Cake I have ever tasted. It is worth twice its price. I will be ordering one of these for every special occasion from this point forward. Truly amazing.
A little about the Artist:
I asked for a small Blurb From Backyardbakery and I think she summed herself up quite nicely.
“I used to have a bakery in a mountain town and it was the happiest time of my life. I am 51 now. Ever since then, I extract great joy in pleasing people’s palates. I look for recipes and always altar them based on my gut feeling and make them fabulous or at least I try. Many of my recipes are altered ones that I find. One of my most famous cookie recipes came from the neighbor of my childhood and she always fed me these cookies with milk. My fudge sauce recipe is again from an old woman passing it along. The rum cake recipe will remain a secret. It has its own mystique wouldn't you say. Unbelievably good!!!! One doesn't care where that one came from, they just want more of it. I decided that whatever I do from now on as far as earning money, it has to bring me joy first and foremost and bring joy to others.”
I can’t say it any better than this! Please visit Vicki at her store http://www.backyardbaker.etsy.com
Tell her Protégé Sent you!

Vote for Me!

2008-02-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Etsy Street team I belong too had a little challenge. Hearts. And one of the artists decided it would be fun to put together a little contest to see who's heart the Etsian liked best. So we put together an official contest. All you have to do is be a registered Etsy User (not an Etsy user click here) Make your pick from the blog, and send a "convo" (etsy version of private message) to the user Etsy Glass Artists . Click on the link that says "contact EtsyGlassArtists"

Three people will be selected at Random from the voters, and those lucky three get their pick of one of the hearts absolutely free.

Some of my favorites an mine:

I am featured in a Blog

2008-01-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, Just a quick note to let you know that I have been featured in the Art of Craft Blog and in their myspace blog. They have a store on etsy. My favorite items are their bears! I am very excited to be featured by them!

Kitsch and the Art of selling

2008-01-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was attending the gallery opening of artist Charles Ott, one of my beloved art teachers. I could not help but notice most of the paintings, prints, and drawings that were selling, although very good, were not his best. His true brilliance still hung on the wall. I had to ask him, “Why?”

“Michael, you have to paint a lot of unicorns to make any money in the art world. After all, the kitsch is what people want to buy. If your lucky, every once in a while someone buys your art. In the meantime, produce a lot of butterflies and mushrooms.” Charlie smiled as he added up his sales.

Kitsch, cliché, current fad, producing art that falls in these categories is what pays the bills. Thomas Kinkaid and his paintings are some of the best examples of modern day kitsch. His popularity has waned, but the public loved his superficial paintings. In fact we all love kitsch. I have a huge collection of Hallmark ornaments, which are tacky, mass produced pieces of over-priced plastic. I love them. They make me smile. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” (I had to squeeze in another cliché)

“The absence of kitsch makes life unbearable”—Friedensreich Hundertwasser

“Art for art’s sake,” Is yet another cliché in the art world. In other words, art produced for profit or gain is an abomination, for art should only be created for the love of creation. Michael Angelo hated the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was the biggest financer of art in his century, so Michael Angelo had to paint and sculpt images that he would prefer not to. So did this make him a sell out? Does this make his work less significant?

Or is it our job as artists to take the kitsch and turn it into art? My good friend Lance, owner of Flametree glass, makes the most beautiful borosilicate dragons, fairies, mermaids, and medieval knights that I have ever seen. Depictions of this type are considered kitsch. However, he creates them with so much flair and personality that they have a presence. When do our creations move from kitsch to art?

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy Warhol

Regardless, of the public perception of our work, each artist has strong emotions to selling their work.

For myself, I have never been able to sell a painting, quilt, doll or sculpture. It is not because nobody was interested, but because I am too attached to them. Instead, they are either in storage, or I give them as gifts. But it is easier that way. Now with lampwork, for the first year I hoarded every bead I made. I was not willing to give them away, throw them away, or sell them. It didn’t matter how horrible they were or how beautiful, I had to keep each and everyone.

As each bead came out of the annealer, I would compulsively string them up on to long cords of jute. When the cord contained about 6 feet of beads, I would tie it off hung them from the post of my 4 poster bead. As time went by the posts became completely obscured by string after string of beads hanging from the posts. Rolling over at night caused such a clatter that you didn’t dare move.

It wasn’t until I walked into a bead store to buy supplies for Carl that the owner of the shop asked if I was making beads too. I pulled 4 or 5 beads out of my pocket. The other women in the store went nuts. All my beads sold except one. This one bead was not going to go anywhere! It was mine. Kathy the store owner took my bead and strung it up into a necklace for me right then and there! Since then I have been selling my work. I realize now, that it wasn’t the letting go, it was the fear of rejection.

What if nobody wanted my work? What if people were only buying it to be nice? Those fears still live on, but they are easier to push back now. But I think it is those fears that will continue to push me on from here. As far as kitsch goes, have you seen my flowers?

Putting it Out There.

2007-11-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

In life we struggle to hang on to things we cherish. A childhood pet's collar, a deceased loved ones favorite chair, a wedding gown, a cheap souvenir of a favorite vacation— these are just a sampling of items that we surround ourselves with. Artists, especially have trouble letting go of their work.

The investment of time, experience, vision, creativity, and skill create a powerful attachment for the artist. This isn’t an easy attachment to break. Most of my work through the years has become gifts, simply because it is easier to part with them in this way than it is to subject myself to the ferocious world of the open market. It isn’t the work that's being subjected it is the creator. We are afraid of what the world says about the work, which for an artist is an extension of the self. Fear of criticism, and the process of letting go block us from selling our work. Yet it is the sell of the work that enables the next work.

Nadejda, painter and photographer does a wonderful job of illustrating the attachment:

“You work so hard on a piece and it is literally born out of your imagination and onto canvas - you already know it's there on canvas as you create it, it just happens to be using you as a vehicle because it wants to exist! That's how I feel. I think I need to start thinking more about my IDEAS being like children, rather than actual physical paintings, manifestations of those ideas. I need to be less attached to the actual paintings, because the ideas will always stay with me.”

The Sacred Scarab

Harlequin Beetle

Visit Nadejda’s shop: Ocelot Eyes Art

And for more of her work visit her blog

Some feel that selling their work is a perversion of the work. Production of art, for the sake of capitalism, is destroying art. The open market leads to creation based on profit, rather than on vision and self expression. Michael Svoboda interviews Dennis Earl Fehr on NPR. The article entitled Art education, Capitalism and Censorship. The transcript in its entirety.

“Van Gogh's Purple Irises sold for $54,000,000—we will never see that painting again. The owner can't risk showing it. It has disappeared from our heritage, except for slides and so on. Curiously, some members of the art community seem favorably impressed by this event. I call it a tragedy—capitalism run amuck!”

So actively selling your work, is that contributing to the downfall of art due to capitalism? Others are angered that if their art survives that it will only have value after their death. Again, capitalism falls into play here, due to supply and demand. A dead artist is not going to produce more art, so their art becomes more valuable.

The open market, leaves the artist vulnerable to direct criticisms. Regardless if it is a critical write-up of your work, or an art and craft show attendee making insensitive comments, it is difficult to take.

“Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” ~Andy Warhol

So negative or positive, you are eliciting a response. What you do with that response is up to you. Carol of Glass Cat Stained Glass, likes to turn the negative responses into a positive by using that moment to educate the public in her art.

"In order to sell my work, it is my job to educate the public." ~ Carol of Glass Cat

Over the Rainbow

Black and Turquoise Abstract Pin

Education is key to understanding art. There is a large movement in art to talk about art. People are not talking enough about art. To get the public interest and support you have to talk about it. How can the public get excited about our work if we can't take the time to invest in the potential buyer?

Geeta, of Geeta75 writes about what it means to her to sell here work. Her attitude should be an inspiration to us all.

“When a creation of mine goes out the door, a small piece of me goes with it. At times it is difficult, especially if I was extra proud of that particular piece. But at the same time, I am spreading a little bit of me all over the country, and who wouldn't want that?”

Ice Princess

If we are not grieving the loss, we may be feeling guilt due to capital gain. This is a confusing position to be in. Why do we do this to ourselves? If the rest of the business world felt this way about their products we would still be washing our handmade clothes on a rock. As artists we need to work at taking pride in our work, celebrating its sale, and educate the public. Let's share ourselves with the world and talk about art!

Until next time!

Michael

Inspiration ~ The Elusive Challenge

2007-10-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Inspiration

One of the most elusive pieces of the creative process is inspiration. Why won't that darn Muse visit me today! I have spent hours staring at my supplies waiting for the spark. Sometimes the spark doesn't appear until I do something to make it strike. I find that inspiration comes to me best when I am working. If I haven't got any idea at all, I start doing something. Sometimes it is merely to clean the studio, but eventually something will spark. A pattern in the debris on the floor, two rods of color laying side by side, or a rejected bead forgotten under the bench may trigger that illusive spark.

”The seed of your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece. Such imperfections (or mistakes, if you’re feeling particularly depressed about them today) are your guides -- valuable, reliable, objective, non-judgmental guides -- to matters you need to reconsider or develop further.” -- David Bayles and Ted Orland.

I have asked a few artists to describe the creative inspiration experience. Lets see what they have to say. (click on images to see more of an Item)

Amy Westover in her interview for Etsy Glass Artists says this about inspiration:

There are many inspiring factors for my work. I love to look at modern design in architecture, furniture and lighting. I can watch how light falls onto a couch and get inspired for a glass piece I am working on! I will be walking down the sidewalk noticing geometric patterns of lines or cracks formed by nature and weather and be inspired for a glass piece! There is no end to the place and things that I draw inspiration from. (for the complete interview visit: Etsy Glass Artists Featured Artist )

Amy Westover is a fused glass artist from Boise, Idaho. Visit her Etsy store at http://Sincerely.etsy.com

Freeway Lights Glass Plate Set

Marcy Lamberson of StudioMarcy writes:

My inspiration comes from all around me. When I see something that amuses me, my brain automatically thinks about it in bead form- and analyzes it as to whether it would be a bead. It can be as easy as a child's toy at the store, or actual people and their features.

When I need some inspiration, I often go to the fabric store. All those luscious colors, patterns and designs. It gives me ideas of what colors look great together as well as what percentage of each amount to give an overall feeling.

Carmen the Flamenco Dancing Gorilla lampwork glass focal bead

Kristy Kempinger of ChickadeeBeads

The colors, textures and shapes of nature greatly influence my designs and challenge me to try to reach beyond the traditional techniques used in lampworking. Flipping through magazines, browsing through floral photos on Flickr and walking through the woods with my kids sparks my creativity if I'm in a rut.

Unfurling Flower - Artisan Lampwork Glass Pendant

Carl Andrews of Flamekist Beads has quite a bit to say about getting around a block:

When I end up with Artist’s Block, I find myself focusing on the Block instead of trying to get around it. And more often than not, the harder you think about the Block, the stronger and bigger it gets! So to get my mind off the Block and back on track I try a few things:

1. I have a shelf full of books on glass. I’ll take one down (usually “1000 Glass Beads”) and open it up to a page at random. One shot is all I’ll allow myself. On those two pages I’ll find several color palettes, patterns, and shapes to inspire me.

2. Do you have a photo editing program on your computer? Open up a photo and invert the colors to create a negative image. You’ll be surprised with the colors you end up with!

3. When all else fails, go monochromatic! I frequently fall back on an all-blue color palette when stuck for something better.

4. Pick colors at random. I’ll stand in front of my rack of glass rods, close my eyes, and pick three colors. More often than not they’ll look terrible together, LOL, but I’ll use them together anyway. In the process of using them I’ll think of something that would work better and that’s what I’m looking for!

5. For this next one you’ll need a radio and a friend. Turn on the radio and one person starts working at the start of the first song. When the song ends, stop immediately! There’s no “Just a second” or “I’m almost done”. Hand the project over to the friend and they continue. You have no control over what they do to your work! When their song ends it’s your turn again. Keep going back and forth as long as you like. I did this once at a guild meeting and there were some impressive beads made!

6. Challenge a friend! You and a friend choose a deadline and a color palette (or shape, or pattern, or whatever). It’s not a contest to see whose best, but rather to see what you each come up with. I did this one with Michael (Protégé on Etsy) and our beads looked so good together that we made a necklace and earring set and gave them to a friend of ours. I’m sure he can dig up a photo to show you the end result.

It’s all too easy to get stuck working in a narrow range (certain colors, a particular shape, a given number, etc.) and after a while you forget that there’s anything outside of that range. It’s like being in a box for too long. After a while you forget that the outside even exists. These exercises help me to remember that there are other colors out there, that other shapes exist, that it’s ok to make a giant set of beads instead of just a few.

Don’t be afraid to open that box back up and take a step outside. Even if you don’t like it, at least you can say that you did it!

Moons and Stars - Lampwork necklace, bracelet and earrings

This is the necklace myself and Carl created that he references in #6. Right click and select view image for a closer look.

Wow Carl! That is a lot of information! Thank you to Amy, Marcy, Kristy and Carl. Your work is beautiful and I know your information will help me as I stumble through the creative process! I would love to hear more from the readers! Please post comments and ideas!

Happy Halloween!

Michael

Finding a Voice.... Is it speaking in a language I can understand?

2007-10-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

When we think of voice, we think communication. So when they say, "you must find your own voice," they are telling us we need to find what it is we are trying to communicate. Is voice an emotion, an idea, an aesthetic? If you ever watch Project Runway they are always talking about "point of view." Is voice something that finds us, or is it something that we must seek out?

My high school art teacher told me that it isn't art if it doesn't convey a new perspective. In other words you must give the viewer a new approach to the subject. She would say, "Paint a flower, but it better show a flower in a way that nobody has ever thought about a flower before, or it is just a flower."

Georgia O'Keeffe painted flowers. Did she have a voice? Absolutely. O'Keeffe found it amusing that the world saw her work as sexual. She claims her intent was never sexual, but I think everyone can agree that her landscapes, flowers, abstracts all convey a powerful sexual energy. Georgia O'Keeffe was a founder of the Feminist movement, and her art reflects a powerful female energy that had never been seen on canvas before.

Because Georgia O'Keeffe wasn't trying to paint sexy flowers, but only trying to paint things as she saw them, is the "voice" something the artist can hear? And if we try to hard, does our voice become stronger than the art that we produce?

Fountain, by Marcel Duchamp, took the art world by storm. Fountain was a massed produced porcelain urinal entered into an art show in 1917. The concept was "Everything is art," a popular concept in the early 20th century. As Duchamp took his whimsical approach to explore the idea, "what is art?" The piece was "lost" at the show and never recovered. Today Fountain stands as a pinnacle to anyone who dares to explore their voice and art.

"“There has to be a certain enigma in it, which does not immediately catch the eye”" - M. C. Escher

So what is the puzzle? Can it be found in a single work, or is it the accumulation of work that solves the puzzle?

So lets look at a few Etsian Artists and see if we can hear their voice.

These Paintings, Beer Garden and The Buildings Neared The Beach, is by fellow Etsian DaraArt. A ribbon of ideas weave through their work, structure, harmony, and tranquility. Is this the message the artist wants to give? Maybe there is beauty in structure?

Another Etsy artist that goes by the name Artsy spells out the meaning of his work in his profile. Take a few moments to contemplate the work and then read their profile to find the artist intention.

So where is my voice? I look back on all the work I have done in my lifetime and for me they really reflect my life. Earlier they were all about diversity, tolerance, acceptance. Later they became new beginnings, and escape. So what am I trying to say now? I don't know, maybe you can tell me.

What Is In A Name?

2007-10-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

My last blog brought up the question, how does a name affect how the viewer sees the art? Often times the viewer looks to the title to help them understand what they are seeing.

Sometimes it is simple.
When you look at Van Gogh's paintings, the title is simply what is portrayed. "Sunflowers" is a painting of Sunflowers, and last I checked it was the top selling piece of art in history. "Starry Night" is a sky filled with stars. The name also suggests a romantic idea, but in the end it is simply descriptive.

I was recently visiting the Salvador Dali Museum in Florida. The interesting thing about Dali, is his titles are sometimes just as surreal as the paintings themselves. "Eggs on a Plate Without the Plate." The title is just as confusing as the image. Titles like this encourage further investigation or thought concerning the item, but is there a time when the title actually discourages the viewer from further contemplation?

I read an article on naming conventions for art, and they say to keep it simple. If it is an abstract, call it "Study in Blue." I say, can you wake me when it is over. Yes, sometimes it isn't anything more than a Study in Blue. Giving it that title tells the viewer that the art has no relevance, and if they felt something they are wrong, because it is just a "STUDY IN BLUE."

I often finish a bead, or bead set and I think, "Ahh man, I have to come up with another name." The old standby of using the seasonal names is such a snore. So what do you do? Well in the case of my partner Flamekist AKA Carl Andrews, he went for what i feel is the worst choice. He gave the bead the first name that popped into his head. "Stagnant Pond."

Now when you hear the name "Stagnant Pond" what ideas does it bring up in your mind? For me it suggests a sickly green oxygen deprived body of water that probably smells of decay and death. After changing the name to "Green Waters" this beautiful bead sold. Prior it wasn't getting any attention at all!

Another favorite artist friend of mine sells on Etsy with the name, XOHandworks. XO sells finished items. The naming convention is kept simple. Below is an item simply titled "Scrabble Letter X Pendant." (I own "Scrabble letter Q Pendant", and I love it!) But is there any other name for this? I really don't think so. Simply stated, fabulous idea.

Scottish Painter Suzanne Woolcott who sells under the name gorjuss, has a beautiful style. The painting title "They Love Me Not" has a huge impact on the perception of the image. The sweet game of plucking flower petals to determine if your crush loves you too, has a different implication when the image is that of a young Asian child with piles of flower petals. This may not be the artists intention, only my interpretation, but the title, and color choices suggests the pain of Chinese girls rejected by their birth families and culture simply due to gender. I would love to discuss this image further with the artist. Better yet, I would love to own this Painting!

Ahh, just more to ponder! Maybe I need to spend more time thinking about names. Maybe I should retitle this and it might sell! It is called Violet Dreams.

Art or Craft?

2007-09-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

Why is a blog such a hard thing? I have the ideas, but then I become intimidated when it comes to putting it on cyber paper. I am not an expert, and many of you will find it impossible to not tell me why I am not an expert. This is my personal reflection, my intention is to invoke thought.

I like to ponder the Idea of craft and art. When is craft art and when is art craft?

There are many good articles on the subject online:

What is Art? What is an Artist

http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/artartists.html

Leo Tolstoy had his theories on the subject. His essay, What is Art continues to be relevant today.

This topic has been explored for centuries, and I am sure will continue.

I myself have been exploring art for as long as I can remember. I have won awards for drawings and paintings, I have been published twice, and I have had pieces touring the country. I have worked with just about any medium you can imagine. I have loved some, and I have found some restricting.

I frequently have crossed the blurred line of "Art" and "Craft," and I have found that I can happily wallow on either side. Satisfying my urge to create has been my goal my entire life. But I keep finding myself standing in the fog between "Art" and "Craft"

I recently joined an online community Etsy: "Your Place to Buy and Sell things Handmade." Etsy doesn't try and decide what is art, it seems it can't even define "Handmade." And the heated arguments that erupt in the Etsy forums in regards to the idea are disquieting. As I drift through the thousands of items on Etsy I think about the ideas. "Is this Art?" "Is this original?" " Is the craftsmanship there?" But in the end, does it matter? If the item intrigues me, does it matter if there are thousands of them out there? I think what is more important to me is did the person use the medium to express themselves in a way that when I come into contact with the item can I experience it too?

OK, what is "It?" Is "It" an emotion, and idea, a physical reaction? For the most part for me, does it give me an escape? Can I look, or feel the item and find myself lost in it?

OK, you all now think I am crazy. But that is ok. Lets look at some examples. I am not passing judgment on either of these pieces. I love both of these. So please don't think for a minute that my ponderings are a reflection of opinion.

(click on the image to visit the etsy store for the item. These are not my items.)

This Photograph by Madelaine is entitled "Tragic"

This image causes my mind to drift. It is easy to see this image as it is titled. But what more can it represent? I see it more as "loss." Loss of dreams, loss of love, loss of desire, loss of innocence, loss of beauty, and maybe just Lost. Yet Tragic or Loss this photo has an intrinsic appeal to the darker portions of our souls. It makes you "feel." You may not like the feeling, but you can't deny that it is there. And because this invokes deep feeling, does that make it less desirable? Shouldn't art make you feel something?

This photograph has no function other than art. You view it, or experience it only. This isn't a "pretty" image. So does that discredit it? So can this item can be considered art by the classical approach to "What is Art." If you took this image and put it on a tee-shirt does the image itself remains art. Photography has long been considered art. So in itself does this make it art because it is a photograph?

This Locket is from the Etsy member Cade titled "Selene".

This is a vintage locket in which she has attached her original "moonphace." The personification of celestial objects is as old as mankind. So no, this idea isn't original, but neither is dead ballerinas. Kade's depiction of the moon evokes care, sympathy, concern, a longing. The image being placed on a vintage locket introduces mystery and intrigue to the image. This is a classic image. Does that make it Cliché? And if it is Cliché, does that make it less desirable? Or is it cliché because it is so desirable?

Is it Art? It has a utilitarian purpose. Its meant for personal adornment, as would an article of clothing. It is a tool, if you will, that serves another purpose. So does this fail the litmis test of what is art. It is supposed to be pretty, and it is. So does that discredit it? Many would consider this craft? Is it? It is made using a technique many of us used as children for craft time. Does that trap this piece into being craft, no matter the skill and vision used to create it?

Well my mind drifts as I ponder. I would like to hear you opinions. But please remember there are real people behind the items above, and I am NOT encouraging an attack on the items or the artists. Attack my ideas if you like, but I will not get involved in any flaming.

Have a wonderful day all!

Michael

A New Start

2007-09-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This is my first Blog on this site. I have been blogging on MySpace and Ebay. But I have decided I wanted to move out to bigger and better. So here I am.

Well Carl and I haven't been doing much on ebay. We have been very active on Etsy. Etsy is a site for handmade goods. We have been doing well on there. It will take some time to establish ourselves.

So Carl http://flamekist.etsy.com

Michael http://protege.etsy.com

We have both been busy at the torch. We have a show coming up in October that we have been focused on. It is a Gay version of Dragon-Con. So we have been busy with rainbow beads. I am getting really tired of the colors.... But that is what will sell.
We will be taking a lot of other items as well, but I think it will be the rainbow colors that will sell best.

Justin has dropped out of school..... I know.... He is working part-time. So at least he is out of the house some. The job has seemed to expand his world a little. I hope so. I really would like him to develop some friends and get a life! I really would like him to start dating, and just have friends. But what can I do? I couldn't even keep him in school......

Well it is late and I just wanted to get something on here before the night was over. Check out Etsy.

Michael