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Message
Posted
Get the shotguns out, here I go again....😆
I may well be crossing my name off a lot of Christmas card lists, but at least I'm trying to be honest in saying I thought football forums produced an amazing amount of piffle and codswallop talked about as knowlege and wisdom; but I am quickly coming around to seeing art forums ( here and other places) as a very serious rival to the beautiful game (present company excepted, of course) 😉. Painting, drawing or whatever form art comes under, why not just do it instead of all this (in the words of Jane Austen) "threadbare morality" and a need to justify and explain what is basically something men and women in rabbit-skin underpants and inventing ultramirine and calling it woad, did thousands of years ago on cave walls?
Yes, I add comments to a lot of my own work, but mainly tongue-in-cheek and definitely not in seriousity (is that actually a word?, okay seriousness then)so I cringe inwardly at some of those attempting to rewrite the Rubaiyat in philosophically describing brush strokes on paper, canvas or board. Maybe it's only me in the universe that just grabs a pencil, pen, brush, floor mop or whatever and paints, but surely forums such as this are meant for fun..light-hearted at that, and sharing our daubs (and masterpieces of course, I hastily add) with like mainded souls? I'm afraid my mind is totally unlike a fair amount of mark makers in what it's all about (Alfie) .
Okay folks, that's it, rant over, back to the drawing board...😆
Posted
Just to come back to this for a minute: Whilst the clumsiest scrawl is worth doing if it's spontaneous,, I'm constantly being amazed at the number of less than Turneresque folk who class themselves as teachers and artists. I'm neither, and never claim to be, I paint for pleasure. Live and let live, and if you can make a living at it, well and good, but.....is it just me?
Posted
No Jim, it's not just you but art is so diverse now that you have to accept what is. I have to say though that there is one recent contributor to the gallery who is supposed to be an award winner and her art has left me very perplexed especially her three latest "paintings" of stick-people, and I am not talking about Lowry! In fact, looking at her surname, I thought she might not be real, but she is!!
Posted
As discussed previously, we are all artists - there is no dividing competency level - I always encourage others that if you draw or paint do not be ashamed to call yourself an artist - because that's what you are.
On the question of teachers that is a whole subject in itself. Firstly, regardless of competency level, if you are more advanced than others then you have acquired skills which you can pass on - in other words you can teach albeit that you may be limited in your teaching to a limited audience..
One of the problems with Adult Educational Centres run by the State is that some while ago it was decreed that only those with an educational certificate could teach and as a result many exceptional artists (and I know some of them) no longer continued to share their skills. Conversely many who held certificates were but were at best mediocre with few, if any, artistic skills predominated and from what I hear that continues to this day.
Of those who teach privately then it's a case of selecting someone but this is no different from picking a plumber or any tradesman or artisan. Do your homework, look for recommendations etc.
As for Turner - well I'm going to get shot down here but for me, like all the great artists of the past, he was a great artist ahead of his time and set standards which influenced all those who have since followed. However he was, in my opinion, like so many of the great artists, very much of his time, and it is interesting to note that so few artists today copy or follow his style. I am not convinced that you can, today, use Turner (or any other of the past greats) as a general yardstick against which to judge contemporary artists.
Edited
by MichaelEdwards
Posted
Just to clarify a couple of things Michael, because it's all just forum talk and not front page stuff anywhere : Firstly, I was refering soleley to this site as opposed to the art world in general ( again I stress I wasn't aiming any remarks at people here discussing, most of whom are far better painters than I am) Secondly, Turner may not be the best example for modern direction, but his skill is beyond question (at least for me) There are literally hundreds of modern artists working today you could choose from as examples. My comments were aimed at people (few, granted) who aren't honest enough to accept that they may not automatically be the next (insert any name you like) or have their work sell for big money (any money at all?) just by picking up a paintbrush. It matters not to me in the grand scheme of things really, because I have no personal axe to grind. I've been painting and drawing all my life and still consider myself a student. If they sell their goods, fair enough and good luck to them, but I won't be attending any classes by a few on site. 😆
Posted
Like Sylvia says, I did "google" her to see if she really did exist. I have read in past art magazines about how many students have left art college early, disillusioned because their tutors want to change the style of their work to reflect all this "modern" stuff. Good luck to your granddaughter, and let's hope she retains her own ideas.