Artist seeking....

I started this blog to put into words the experience of putting together a specific exhibit I am working on, however, that project is taking longer than expected so I am going to change the subject for a little while.

I am going to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about me and my views and thoughts of what it is I see, feel and experience in my life.  Who knows? Maybe someone out there can relate.

Find what you believe in and stand strong behind it don't let the pressure of what others think sway you.  Just remember to keep an open mind because even the best thoughts can always use a little tweeking.

We'll start with that.

BRisket Plates!!!!

The fund raising has begun!  Now if only had an army of little workers to help me.

I have started production on the smaller details of the Pride float which is in June here in San Antonio.  It gets better every year!!!  Got 3rd last year want to get 1st this year!

I have also started work on a piece that I am hoping to have autographed here in the near future.  It is a singing star who was gracious enough to autograph a piece back in 1995 in Dallas.  I am hoping she will remember and agree to lend her signature for the cause of fighting AIDS.

The back breaking work is just starting so until later.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!

Artist seeking....Always seeking.

Artist Seeking...

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!

So I am thinking of doing screenprints of some of the works that I have done.  There reason behiind it is that I think I could offer prints at a lower price than I can the originals themselves.  Now that is where the dilemma comes in.
In the art world, a hand pulled screen print is worth as much for the first as the last, screen printing affords the artist the chance to charge as  much for the first one as the last one.  In my opinion, I could believe that is true if the piece was designed to be a print, but I don't do my artwork with screenprinting in mind.  Now, that is not to say that my work doesn't translate to silkscreening, but that I do not produce my work with that medium in mind.  I feel much more confident offering the original at an honest price for the time and work that it took to produce it and still being able to offer a print at a lower price. Remembering that the medium I usually work in is precision cut paper and can take 20-30 hours to produce, sometimes  more.  As opposed to being able to pull 50 prints in 1/4 of the time.
I do want to bring to light the fact that I am not producing posters, I am just producing the same work in a different medium.  Granted the original sketches and designs are alread done and the ease in which I can silkscreen the same piece is significantly noticeable, but the pieces are still mine and worth the price.  The problem is that with today's economy I feel that I should find a way of making my work available to the everyday person.  I have always felt that everyone in every financial class should be able to definitely enjoy but also be able to afford at least some of the art that most of the world feels is unattainable due to the exhorberant prices that galleries and artists sometimes charge.
I am quite aware of the fact that there are going to be a lot of artists and dealers of art who are going to disaggree with me and how I see this, but I feel that it's mine and I can do what I want with it.  I would rather have to continue to work my 9-5 job and make my art available to those who enjoy it than to hold out asking for prices people just can't afford.  I want my work to be seen and enjoyed not just gawked at for the number of zeros in my prices. I always said that I would not be a starving artist because I work for a living, but I would rather not be an artist than to think that I thought so much of myself that I couldn't be flexible in what I charge for a talent that God gave me.  Besides I get a lot  more out having a person own a piece because they truly love it than to have someone spending great amounts of money just because they think it makes them seem like more or that they are more concerned with the financial investment of it than the thought, message or feeling I am trying to convey through my work.
Now, before I close, please do not misunderstand me I would gladly take as many millions as someone is willing to pay.  I am just trying to establish that the work may have to be it's own reward.  I am aware that it is a gift and the glory of that gift may just be in the fact that I was given it.  I am good with that. I am still blessed.  

Artist seeking...

Okay, it's time to start working on my next big project.  There are two events I am wanting to be a part of and am hoping I can pull it off with as few problems as possible.

The first has two reasons behind it, one I asked to play nicely and they denied me...so I play alone.  The second one is follow up for something I did last year, we placed but didn't win.  That's the goal this year. 

Now I am being vague in fear of jinxing something I have not yet set in stone. 

I am very glad for the contacts that I have made in the last few years because they are going to help me reach my goals.  I am also very proud of those that have succeeded in their search for happiness in what they are doing.  You know who you are. 

I have been looking for something to say something to represent.  I think I may have a few ideas but am feeling them out tentavely. 

So here's to the future and here's to being able to enlighten some of the minds around me and bring attention to the ideas of the future.

Until next time keep your fingers crossed and send some good vibes and wishes, I sure would appreciate it. 

Artist seeking...

Artist seeking...Ok, it has been a while since I posted, but to my defense I fell victim to the ever-dreaded winter cold. Yes, I know how disappointed the world is, but I am fine now. I have been thinking of what it is that I would like most to be remembered for, the subject matter of my art or the craft of the work itself. I think I would have to go with the craft of the work because of the fact that in years to come who is going to know who the people are? To be honest, there have been many times that I have done pieces that are of people we consider icons and there is always at least one person who doesn't know who the icon is. For instance, I once did a James Dean, I was in my mid 20's and had done a rendition of a very well known image of the famous actor, one that I thought everyone would be able to recognize. Ha, one of the first things out of a 20 year old's mouth was "who is that?" when I told him "It's James Dean, The Rebel without a cause..." and all I got was a blank stare, point proven. So in the end I don't really think that it would matter in the long run. Now, I do believe, however, that the techniques that I use will be more of interest. The reason why I stick to mostly black and white, why I choose to cut paper rather than just paint or draw on it and the fact that I was never formally trained nor cared to be, another thing that will stand true is that I don't fit in much into groups of artists, that would be something worth discussing.
I work better alone both in the studio and the art space. I either find myself feeling under educated about art or offended by the attitudes of the artists involved. I know that attitude can get you far, but I really think that if art is really seen as just that...art, the work should speak for itself. Of course, if you are the type of art lover who is more fascinated by the artist than the work, then at that point I think you should read the book. In which case, is the science of art actually what you see? Or is it why the artist did what he did?
I would also hope that if I am to be remembered for my work, if at all, I would want it to be for what I did with my work. Yes, of course, I would love to make lots of money and not have to work for someone else, but what I am most proud of are the people and organizations I have been able to help through the donations of work. People are always so impressed with how much you make and what kind of car you drive and whose name is on the label of the clothes you are wearing, but I would hope that at some point people would be more impressed with the compassion and understanding that we have for one another and the desire to help each other. Working towards a better and more loving existance. It's funny, we all spend our lives looking for love and waste it ignoring and stepping over others to get to the top, when instead we should pay a little more attention to what's in front of us rather than reaching for something we aren't even sure is there.
Well, until next time. May the ideas of your dreams become reality and may the love you are seeking reveal itself to you.

Artist Seeking...

Today I want to talk about disappointment.  I recently applied to be part of a city wide arts festival.  Now, this festival is a one night even and is supposed to represent the best the city has to offer.  This is the second tme I have applied.  As per the first sentence it is obvious that I was not chosen to be part of this grand scale event.  And yes, I am disappointed. 
I think the greatest part of this feeling is the opportunity missed.  This event draws in over 300,000 people in one night. What an opportunity!!!!  But alas, I will not be part of it.  I find it necessary to make it clear that I hold no ill will to those that were chosen, they are all in it just like myself.  However, I have been to the last 2 and...frankly, I wasn't very impressed.  Not because I felt I was better, but it seemed to have reflected the entire feeling of this great city.  The feeling that nothing has to be perfect or completed.  It's the attitude of, It'll do.  There were some things that I found should we say, cool. But even the best parts seemed a little rushed and not as impressive as the proposal must of seemed.  I don't feel like I could have done better, I just feel that maybe the works that were chosen weren't necessarily the best of the best. 
Having said that, I would like to make it clear, that I don't consider myself the best by a long shot.  First of all, I am not a studied artist and what I say in this blog is my own personal opinion.  Second, I am not aware of the guidelines they have to follow when it comes to choosing these artists.  Going forward I can give you an idea of my own thoughts. 
Now this event, which I am not going to name;this is not about pointing fingers or a stage to bitch, is held in a city known for food and drink. Being that is the case, the people that are attracted to this FREE event tend to be people looking for cold beer and turkey legs.  Having art to look at is just a plus.  When you have this type of audience at your disposal you have the ability to put something great out in front of the masses.  Unfortunately, alot of what has been presented at this event fall short of greatness.  In my own opinion. 
Because of this opinion, I felt that maybe I could help step up the game.  That was until for the 2nd time I was passed over.  I'm not bitter, but it does make me question my own validity.  I have always felt that my artistic talent was a God given gift and that if God planned me to have any type of life as an artist He would provide that path for me.  I have worked for nearly 3 decades to establish a style and to make a name for myself and put my work out there, so I cannot say that it doesn't make me wonder when I am judged and denied.  Am I the artist I thought I was?  Am I fooling myself into thinking that I could one day be known for producing something great?  It definetly makes me feel a little self-conscience about the fact that I have never studied art and I wonder sometimes if maybe that's my shortcoming. So where does that leave me? DISAPPOINTED!!!! 
What is my next step?  Do I stop and rethink my entire life or do I flip them the bone and keep going?  Well, I don't know about you, but I am not the kind to lay down quietly.  I have decided that I am going to take the same idea and shape it to fit a different event.  You see, a well thought out piece of work can be molded to be relevant if you know what you are doing and you trust yourself.  I have never been the kind to play well with others, I like to the lead the pack.  LOL Yes, I shed a few tears when I found out that I had not been chosen, but I think that was mostly a sigh of relief just to know the answer.  I have never been good at dealing with impending doom.
One of the things that I have learned in the almost 3 decades that I have been doing this, is that if you really believe in what you are doing then you should let nothing and no one stand in your way.  If it you are denied in one place, then maybe that's God telling you, "That's not where I need you".
So, when you find yourself down and self-doubting...Dust yourself off and remember you are capable of adapting and moving forward.  I try to look at closed doors as my clue to keep moving.  Keep moving because my reception is at the end of the hall in the Grand Ballroom!!!!
Head high, breathe, move forward.

Artist seeking...

I know it's been a while since I last sat down to offer any kind of update, so here we go.

I have been thinking about my art and what it means to me and what I wanted out of it. After spending some time thinking back to when it all began and what it meant to me then I realized a few things. 

I can remember asking God to make me an artist, to make it my passion as well as my obsession.  I asked him to allow me to do my work and share it with the world.  This was some 25 odd years ago, but I remember the conversation clearly.  Now, as I was walking along the other day taking in the beauty of the light filtering through the trees and the birds singing in the wind, I realized something.  It hit me like a ton of bricks, it was such a mind blowing realization that I could of fallen over.  I had become exactly what I had asked God to make me.  I am an artist and I am passionate about it and I do tend to concentrate almost every waking moment to the ideas and the possibilities of my art.  I have been granted what I had asked for.

The question I have is now that I am what I have asked to be, what is the return I am to offer in exchange?  I donate artwork on a regular basis helping the communities around me and offering any assistance I may be able to give.  But is it enough?  Do I now have responsibilities that I am now aware of?  Should I have a profound message that I am trying to get across to the masses?  I'm not sure.

As opportunities come up I try not to pass any of them up, not knowing when the right one at the right time will lead me to my ultimate destiny.  Of course, that means I spend a lot of energy on stressing deadlines and commitments I put on myself.  But, I wouldn't change for anything.  I only pray that I am making the choices that will lead me to happiness.

I guess only time will tell......So, until next time, hold your head up high and take a look at your life and find out if you are where you want to be. All it takes is a step in the right direction.