get down wit da mash-up (or- art 2.0)

I had a moment of clarity (few and far between), during one of my geek-fests as I was engorging myself w/as much hip internet content I could feed myself. While most of us on the fringe elements of "normal" society try to shun names for categories and genres I tend to indulge in them. Most of my time spent in the Corcoran I was designated as the "appropriator"; which actually is true, and is also an integral part of the art canon. Yet as finding a completely new direction is getting increasingly more difficult, many are using existing elements as a medium to create something vaguely familiar but still altogether different and fresh. This new (not really new) genre is called "mash-up". While appropriation is still valid I feel that a good part of what I've done falls better under the mash-up category. At this point we're splitting hairs thinner than those found on my father's head (he'll kill me for that one!) Like I said, I like to categorize. If you've ever heard a mash-up of 2 artists music; the most recent and famous example would be Jay-Z and Linkin Park (suprisingly good), then you'll see where I'm going w/ this flimsy diatribe. I'm using everything that comes w/ the elements that I've stolen, combining them to my benefit. At that moment, they become more about what I've sampled, how I've placed them together, and why I have than what they were about originally.

All this has evolved to this point for me naturally. I'm constantly aware of my surroundings almost to a fault. Ask my wife about trying to have a conversation while walking down the street in the city; impossible. She'll be mid sentence about her day and I'll blurt out something about the throw-up on the side of the passing delivery truck. All this ingestion has become who I am as an artist. These are my symbols that I rely on to start and complete my paintings. For the longest time I tried to fight the urge to add these bits into my work for fear that I wouldn't be seen as an individual. Once I gave in and started to pursue this as a direction it became immediately evident that it was my skill, and my work became increasingly stronger for it.

Now I just have to put a cohesive body of work together and show it, instead of me just talking about it.

[IMAGE COMING SOON]

is grumpy an art movement?

>As w/ most of the subjects I choose to post this will be a continuing dialogue. As long as I've been doing this art "thing" the artist's statement as a component of your mature works has been shoved down my throat. During different periods in my career my feeling for this component has both waxed and waned (I can't believe I worked that into a post…). While at art school I indulged in the statement. Since I was doing more conceptual work, I think that it ultimately was necessary to have a well developed statement 'cuz there wasn't much in front of you. Joking aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the cerebral introspective nature of writing a statement.

I still write a great deal about my work, but my feeling about other artist's statements or more exactly how they're describing their work as well as what their work is about has drastically changed. I'm not sure if it's because of my hiatus from the art scene, or because my perception of art was altered post 9/11, but some people sicken me. I'm really working hard to get a handle on this since I've been so trained, but I'm having varying levels of success. On one hand I know like myself that you make art for a reason, and whatever the reason may be, it is essential to you and that's all that matters. But I'm having trouble w/ statements that are so focused on something that seems insignificant (to me of course), narrow minded and ridiculously self-serving that it gives the impression that they're living in some fantasy world, unaware of their surroundings. You do notice that I clarified that it's my opinion and that is it. I have to be able to see that the artist may be using their art and their focus as a way of dealing w/ something quite significant. There's always another way that you have to look at something, and I guess that's maturity for you. I was happier when I just spouted my mouth off and dealt w/ the consequences later.

It's obvious that I'm struggling w/ my own art, so this is more than likely a mirror of that struggle in that I feel that my work isn't as "high" as I was taught to produce at the Corcoran. Regardless, it is the work I'm producing (or not), and I have to go w/ it.

de boat be sailin' mon!

The most recent ARTnews (February, 2006) is the spark behind this post. They have a great article on the top 10 trends in contemporary art. I like lists; they're interesting to read, and argue over when you don't agree. But this isn't the reason behind the post, so screw off if you're "above" numerical lists, this isn't for you! I'm interested that they've included street inspired art showing that it's definitely gaining ground in the artistic mainstream. This is near to my heart as much of my art has been flavored, or shown the influence of graffiti and the related. Problem is, I've continuously faltered to achieve a sustained body of work since graduating from the Corcoran; which means I haven't shown anything outside of people seeing my work in my own home. I can't help but to feel as though I'm missing the boat on this movement, and that my work will no longer stand out as it once did. That being said, I can't let these thoughts prevent me from producing work and progressing from the point I'm at now.

While I enjoy much of the street styled art that I've seen, I don't think that it should be strictly focused on just different variations of graffiti and such. I honestly think that there needs to be a healthy understanding of art history, and in the context that such art exists. Graffiti is beautiful in it's inherent visual nature, but is hindered by a concept that is much maligned and misunderstood by the general art public.

Now, if you're one of those, "F@%k art history, f@%k concepts, f@&k the public, and f@%k you toy...", then this obviously isn't for you, and you can stay on your writers forums and play gangster there. Toy is a graffiti culture term for nOObs, newbies, or new unskilled writers. Unfortunately it's usually most quickly used by toys themselves so they can sound gangster. This is a stance usually taken by those "keeping it real"; vowing never to take graff from the streets to the gallery. Now while that allegiance is commendable, it is only to a point. Most writers mature and if they stick w/ graff evolve it into another venture; while those that continue to keep it real, end up telling stories about their jail-terms.

Until recently, most graffiti (I've seen) painted under the guise of fine art has been nothing but a cleaner/simpler version of their street work. Very few artists have pushed what graffiti could be on the fine art front. For it to be accepted into the canon of art as a legitimate movement, there has to be more to it than a commodity or even worse a skilled craft to be replicated on demand. Those that have pushed that boundary (that I'm aware of) would be artists like Barry McGee (TWIST), Shepard Fairey (OBEY), Stephen Powers (ESPO), Brian Donelly (KAWS), FUTURA (site moving), and Doze Green, among many others. All these artists understand and practice true graff culture but have seen the light, producing true multi-dimensional works of modern art. While I may not always be interested in what it is they're trying to convey, the work still resonates unlike any other at the moment.

Being truly the lowest of the "low arts"; having evolved from the street level and still being highly illegal; the inherent cliché of it's grittiness and what I feel is desperation, are the catalysts for that resonation. Good God that was a loaded sentece! You can tell I went to art school. Pretention so nice!

new header

Ahh, customization...a sure sign that you don't like anything given to you. That may not be the case, but it just didn't seem right not to at least learn how to hack things up, and make them mine. I'm not exactly happy w/ the image quality, but I needed something quick. I'm sure I'll keep hacking at these sites as I learn HTML better. Regardless, I'm pretty excited by the outcome!

the new deal

I’m starting this blog to give a voice to ArtBoredom.com, which is going to be a serious work in process; as well as taking some of the burden off of my other blog, Coffee Induced Stupor. This blog will be dedicated to all things art/design/web. My server for Artboredom.com, (mt)mediatemple, does offer blogspace, but that’ll obviously cost me more. I’ll provide updates to the parent site through here as I learn to program. More fun for internet!