Dialogue & Art

   
Discovering yourself through art.......

   Recently while painting some "abstract explorations" I heard an enormous amount of internal dialogue going on that I hadn't heard before.........some of this will sound a bit.....crazy, and I don't take it to seriously myself.

    This isn't some poltergeist sort of thing occurring and my mind wasn't taken over by aliens nor was I using mind altering substances.....though, that might be of help in my explorations into the abstract realms of painting. When in the creative sphere whether writing, doing visual art or designing homes I always have a sort of positive inner guide, the quite voice that helps me to make decisions, what colors and content is best, etc., but the very small voice in the back of this voice is what I heard while doing the abstracts. It is not the voice of the muse, nor the reflections of academia or anything that I can recall being fed into my brain, though of course somewhere along the path of life I may have encountered it and completely forgotten the makings of it.

    Most of the time  I do figurative or semi-figurative work, take a lot of time to do them, exercise a
great amount of detail and am unable to leave white space. The abstract explorations are quite unlike the previously mentioned, taking little time, very loose, little detail and a lot of white space. I'm forcing myself to go outside my comfort zone, to broaden my artistic horizons mostly because I've been experiencing an "artist block" for some time now and desperately wanted a breakthrough of some sort.

   For some reason, while doing these abstract explorations the little voice in back of the little voice is telling me, "what I'm doing is wrong, inconsequential, I should take more time to complete them, there is no detail and this makes the work worthless, why am I leaving so much white space and why am I not doing more conceptual work that would mean something, and on it goes". Good grief!!!! I'm curious to know if other artist have experienced these sorts of inner commentary.

   What's funny about all of this to me is the contrast of having an enormous amount of fun and freedom while hearing a very derogatory and critical inner voice....the voice behind the inner voice. My general day to day inner dialogue is quite positive and I enjoy life a great deal, yet here is this mini voice ranting and raving negative about something I'm having fun doing. Maybe some art psychoanalyst could explain all this to me and tell me what I already know such as, I'm simply crazy and maybe I should do some art therapy. Anyway, I would love to hear from other artist artist on this topic.

Scratcher Thoughts

 

Scratcher

I still like to make marks

like the fur weavers of Lascaux

Scratching a patch of hard rock

or coloring with ochre

I'm not a hunter, but......

sighting beauty aim with barb

Every mark and stroke

paid attention like G-d

This path chosen?

To scrawl and scratch

conjuring the unseen magic

Manifesting desire invisible

imitating ancestors drive

Leaving mark like dog

on fire hydrant.....

My saber tooth calls for knowing

somehow remembered, though.....

Scarcely can I say why

               William Rossoto 4/25/13

Working in the studio today on a new abstract series....more explorations than anything serious. I use the word serious because it is quite the opposite of what I'm experiencing as I do these explorations. I'm having so much fun I'm thinking that this couldn't be serious art.....whatever that is. So much of the time I carry with me the belief (how ever erroneous it may be) that a work of art can not be simple, that it requires enormous effort and if it does not then I haven't made something worthwhile....does anyone else feel the same way. Well, silly musings for the day........

Explorations & Meanings

This article is on the absurd musings of a self absorbed artist (me momentarily) in search of the unknown, a sort of holy grail quest, though certainly not as profound as finally finding the philosophers sword......or was that the philosophers stone.........  Maybe some of you have gone through the following process of thought.

Starting a new series of art work is always a challenge, the contrasting elements of academia, intuition, preconceptions and a willingness to explore the hidden realms are often overwhelming for me. In this case I'm leaving years of figurative drawing & painting in the wind and proceeding with the amorphous and ambiguous nature of abstraction. I find abstract work to be much more difficult and am trying to find a way to define my concept in a set of constructs that will communicate something of value to the viewer. When dealing with figurative art there is always the associative thread of physical reality the viewer can correspond with, and even if the work is of little conceptual value there is still something easily associated with. When dealing in the abstract realms it is like trying to explain what another planet looks and feels like without the viewer having ever been there or having seen it.

A better question to ask in all of this is, "does it matter if abstract art means anything other than a pure & true expression of the artist?" If one paints from their heart & soul is that not enough, does everything need a justifiable and intellectual reason for creation as though to substantiate the artist virility, intelligence or purpose, or the viewers reason to look at the art? Is decorative art shallow and lacking in substance? Maybe all art is simply decorative and as artist we create stories about our art to satisfy academia, intellectuals and the audience hungry for a story of interest and entertainment value. I know this isn't really true, but I do ponder what the value all of that academia training tries to inundate us with.

A few of my main premises in all that I create are:
1) Will the viewer be elevated in some way?
2) Will it allow the viewer to dream and explore new emotional or intellectual territory?
3) Does it inform the viewer in some way?
4) Am I communicating what I intended through the medium of art?
5) And lots of other questions........
I should say that these questions arise only when completely lucid, not in the act of creating.......

The main question on my mind about creating this abstract series is, can I start without a concept and work towards one? When starting with a concept, a vision, a reason to proceed and of course passion, there is still an exploration of the infinite within any given subject matter which can take years to explore and define in way that will ultimately convey what I had in mind. If I start with no concept it seems improbable that as an artist anything of value might be produced other than a possible hit and miss sort of progression.

I have so many questions about what I'm exploring right now that it seems the only thing I can do is to move forward and create work or sit still and think about it, neither of which may be of much worthy fruition. After years of working in the figurative realm I am somewhat fearful of venturing into a realm of art that may simply end up a mess, or of course I might surprise myself and end up with a series of work that has some aesthetic and conceptual value......who knows? By the way, I have also ended up with a mess even in creating figurative art, but not too often.

Well, my friends I'm on a quest to search for my own truth, one that will honestly communicate without the interference of academia, mental projections of perceived audience, fearless planting of paint on canvas and paper to hopefully express my given potential, whatever that may be...........

Keeping Sketchbooks

Recently I pulled out my dusty old sketchbooks and few of the newer ones to trace my footsteps through the world of academics to my present state of being as an artist and writer. With over thirty years of sketches, poetry and short story writing to wade through I felt excited and yet overwhelmed by the prospect of excavating my past. It's like inserting myself into a time capsule, reliving things that might be better forgotten in the fog of faulty cellular memory. At the same time I might discover some possible elucidating and beautiful moments in time. Surrendering to the unknown I opened the oldest book first containing yellowed, cracked and torn pages of figure drawings, writings of a youthful exuberant and tumultuous young mind and some things I simply can't mention here. 

Often I thought of simply throwing these books out because if anyone else ever read this stuff or saw some of the rather provocative drawings, I might be accussed as being in need of medical attention which would feel pretty embarrassing while I'm still alive. Not that I'm all that self conscious about what others think, but hey.......I really am, but not in an insecure way. I am happy to say that I did keep these journals because there is something quite elucidating and beautiful about being able to revisit yourself, not in a narcissistic way, but as a tool to learn and observe your own process of maturing emotionally, spiritually, creatively and technically. Also, it allows me to create some new ideas from older material, though most of the time I would rather let sleeping dogs snore. After a few weeks of reading and looking through old sketches I am quite happy that I decided to keep these books, which continue to propel and inspire me in numerous ways.

My suggestion to all artist and writers is to keep all your note/sketch books so that you can visit them and so that others might be able to share in your process of creation.

The Writing of Art

Art can propel you to think and reflect, to draw upon associated memories and elicit responses of humor, horror or invite mythological imagery, associate pictorial memories or simply  to find a place of peace and relaxation, but generally one does not see a story directly produced in their mind in response to visual art. Let's see if this premise holds true when examined in context to the creator of art and writing and that of the observer.

 

Do art and writing have anything in common with each other? The written word generally creates a picture in ones mind almost automatically, but can visual art directly elicit the creation of a story or a poem in an instantaneous way (like seeing the words in your mind)? Visual art can inspire one to write commentary about the art such as the aesthetics, conceptual and or historical context, but when it comes to a direct translation of visual art forming words in ones mind it seems quite a distant possibility unlike the written word automatically creating a picture in your mind, though some people may access this differently.

I've had this quandary many times about the response of the reader and that of the viewer of visual art. I create visual art and I also write poetry and short stories and have wanted to understand if there are similarities in response to either mediums as well as to question if my mind works the same way in the creation both writing and art.

A bit of my history. Upon furthering my intention to be a visual artist I set upon the academic route and attained a BFA in painting while also managing to take a few courses in writing and poetry. I am quite confident of my skills as a visual artist and have no trouble doing shows and commissions, but I tend to think of myself as a "folk writer" such as are non-academically trained artist being referred to as "folk artist". As a writer I tend to have a certain disdain for all the rules of writing and pay very little attention to Strunk and White as well as any other "supposed to do things" in the world of writing including punctuation. After thirty years of writing short stories and poetry I finally decided to bypass my fears about publishing my work and created a book of my poetry and art called, "Moments Without Time". Fortunately I have many friends that have given me positive feedback regardless of what they may really think about my poetry, and so I continue to write and contemplate what I want to do for my next book. Have no fear, there a point to made here as I wax on my insecurities about writing.

There is something about writing that I find considerably more personal and revealing about my mental and spiritual interiors than that of my visual art when presented to the general public. I can always make up a story in the aftermath of creating a work of art, a justification, making it allegorical or not, autobiographical, or purely meaningless dribble, etc., but with a poem or a short story the reader is always directly inserted into the interpretation, crawling into my printed words, creating pictures from the words, stripping me naked with every sentence read. With writing I feel vulnerable and unable to defend myself, maybe because I don't feel qualified to be writing words on a page for all to see, or maybe because writing is simply a more intimate medium than visual art, or maybe because I feel substantiated by the societal right of passage called a college degree that I have in art, but not in writing. Regardless, the creation of art and writing does have some similar and dissimilar qualities, for me each one does influence the other to some extent.  Most often I think in pictures when I write or do art, conjuring up memories or making up new mental images and concepts, but I don't generally translate a set of written words into a work of visual art. When writing I use both picture memory and word concepts to create, and I feel more like a scribe taking notation than being the originator of a poem or short story. Both mediums encompass listening to my muse and working intuitively, but I don't paint the words I hear when painting, the words are simply directing me as to color, composition, contrast, etc., a sort of complimentary set of verbal cues from my academically trained mind and my muse. Maybe this cutting a fine line between the two processes, but I see them as quite a distance apart. Onward to the point of this article.

Everyone's creative process is different, but we arrive at the same place in a work of art or a work of the written word, the finished product. What the observer or reader feels and interprets from a work of art or a piece of writing is generally as varied as the creators process of the work, and the way someone's mind functions in the process of interpretation can be verbal or imagery based. I am curious to know what your perspective and process of creation is in art and or writing.

Contributing Your Art

A few times a year I like to donate my art work to various foundations that have a worthy cause. One of the foundations called Chairise the Future lets you pick up a piece of furniture from their huge warehouse so that you make it into a work of art to be auctioned at their fundraiser. This auction raises money and provides furniture and other services for over 3,000 people every year in the Atlanta area.

I've been doing this particular donation for a few years now and I have encountered many questions from artist about giving their art away for free to fundraisers, of which I'd like to share with you.

The most often asked question is "why do all these fund raisers use the talents of artist to raise money but give the artist nothing in return" (money and or recognition). It's a loaded question with a lot of viewpoints depending on if you are a "successful artist" (in this case meaning - making a living from your art), or if you are a "struggling artist" (not making a living from your art). If you happen to be fortunate enough to thrive from your passion you generally don't have an issue with giving a few pieces of art work away every year. On the other hand if you are working a full time job in order to support your art and possibly your family as well, this is where most artist feel devalued when it comes to giving away their art. Another a salient question connected to the issue of giving art away for free is about the value/devaluation of art in our society which is a long and sticky topic to contemplate. So I'll do my best here to give some answers to the above questions and hopefully provide a perspective that might help you to see a bit of light in the tunnel of art fundraisers. 

The only fundraiser I have ever been a part of that gave a portion of the proceeds from the art sold to the artist is the Alan Avery Gallery in Atlanta. He feels that artist are worthy of receiving when they donate their art work. He told me he believes that a fundraiser should benefit everyone concerned and that it is important to not to devalue the art and the artist. He was raising money for Owen, a child in need of medical help, a very beautiful cause. I found myself contemplating his viewpoint about having value for the artist and the art. I had previously contributed for years with no expectation of a return on my art other than to benefit others. I think it is important to give and to give from your heart with no expectation of reward or attachment to a monetary outcome. However there are some considerations to be made when contributing of which I will discuss later in this article.

Recently I was talking with my friend, David Mendoza who has some valuable perspectives on doing fund raisers (he has helped to raise money, talent & sponsors for Chairise the Future). He views fund raisers such as Chairise the Future as an opportunity to make new contacts, advance your exposure as an artist, have people own great art and that all of the efforts  benefit a great cause to help people in need. Because of David's effort and several others, Chairise the Future which raises money for The Furniture Bank has been able to get a new warehouse and to continue to benefit many needy people. The upside of contributing your art is the beauty of knowing you can help many people with a small effort on your part. Community effort and the conscious intention to be of assistance to those less fortunate than ourselves is about love, altruism and the joy of giving. 

From another viewpoint, many fund raisers solicit artist to support their cause without the slightest inclination to offer recognition and or a percentage of the art they sell. It is as if artist have no value in this society that is often bereft of aestheticism, elegance, grace, wisdom and creativity. Our culture in the U.S. puts the arts on the bottom rung of life pursuits as though creativity and personal expression are of no value. On the top of the economic structure are the sciences, entrepreneurship, politics, being a CEO, etc., and reaping as much capital as possible at any cost. I have no qualm with making money or pragmatic endeavors, I simply would like to see the arts and artist recognized as a valid, important, potent and necessary part of life in our society. The arts and the artist reflect and help to create the shaping of society. It a spiritual journey many are not willing to explore because often the monetary rewards are not sufficient to provide for the everyday cost of living.

Wow.....I went on quite a tirade there and got off the subject.......sort of. Fundraisers ask artist to contribute on a regular basis because we are an easy target. There is often a belief that artist have tons of unsold artwork in their studios and that they should give it away because they can't sell it. This premise may or may not be true, but I do know that artist are often the first ones asked to donate to a worthy cause and unless a rare bird comes along such as Alan Avery who believes that artist and art have value, we will continue being the bottom of the shoe....good to step on, keeps your feet from hurting, but is rarely seen or recognized for its value.

In conclusion I believe that we (artist) should contribute to worthy causes to help others in need, but in a way I also feel that we deserve some sort of recognition and or a shared percentage of the donated art. On the other hand, the reward of giving is simply the act sharing from your heart without any expectation of being compensated. I am a bit conflicted about fundraisers and present this article as food for thought.  Aside from all this conjectural diatribe, I do hope you give your art to a good cause to help others.

Book of Poetry & Art

 

If you like to read poetry, I just self published this book of poetry with a few art works from the "Nature Series". With over thirty years of writing short stories and poetry I thought it might be interesting to present some of it in conjunction with my art, testing the waters of what it not only takes to create a book, but also to get some feedback on my writing. I don't think of myself as a word smith as might a seasoned writer, but I do enjoy painting my thoughts with words.

http://www.blurb.com/books/4001033-moments-without-time

Click on the link above and it will take you to the preview of the book. I would appreciate any commentary you may have to offer about the book.