We thought we would see the Broad, the new sensation in art museums in Los Angeles,  since we would be in town only a few days. We arrived at the museum around 11AM and there were two lines, one for those who had tickets and one for those without. As we did not have tickets, we followed the line around the block and asked how long the wait would be. About an hour and a half was the answer, But come back around 2 and it will much quicker. OK, that is what we would do. And so we crossed the street to LA MOCA where there was no line at all. In fact, we were delighted to discover an artist from South America named Anna Maria Maiolino. She showed  mostly small scale works on paper and also self destructing ceramic installations. The work was intimate and expressed an interest in the vulnerability of self identification in new environments. It was art on a human scale that was provocative and sensitive. We loved it. There were also the MOCA’s regular exhibitions which are better know but also of high quality. We spent the morning pleasantly occupied feeling connected to the wider world of art.

After lunch, we crossed back over the street to the Broad and found that indeed our line had shrunk  to only a few people and we marched right in. I should mention that there is concurrently a special showing of Yoi Yoi Kusama going on, you know the 90 year old Japanese artist with the pink hair that does polka dots. That is why there was such a crowd, she is  famous in the world of contemporary art. We did not attempt to see that part of the museum which required reservations. But we did go to the third floor to see the art work on display there. Everything was oversized. One Painting by Murakami was over 40 feet long. There was Jeff Koons, Anselm Keiffer, Joseph Beuys, Roy Lichtenstein, a whole room full of Rothkos and one memorable room with a table and four chairs  made out of bronze that were ten feet high. 

All in all, the Broad is about the spectacle of art. The experience was stimulating and educational. It is a remarkable building and a great showcase for contemporary art.  It is obviously an attraction for anyone wanting to be seen and not just for those wanting to look. I found myself as interested in the spectators as the objects they were looking at. There are a lot of interesting looking people out there.  I have been thinking that it is people and all their idiosyncrasies that is the underlying art. I too am a part of that art moving about on a stage as if we all are part of a theatrical production. It is fun and refreshing to see new art and new people. And I am glad that there are odd looking people going to bizarre looking shows. It means that art is not dead, only updated. It would be a challenge to fit in here but maybe it could be done. All of my interactions with people here have been positive. Honolulu feels like a mini LA with a similar feeling of “having fun in the sun”. It is the extreme commercialization of art and the sheer scale of everything that would be hardest. LA is undoubtedly on the cutting edge of culture. It is about as cosmopolitan as you can get. I like it.

Detail of Green Relief with Blue by Ellsworth Kelly www.thebroad.org/art/ellsworth-kelly/

Perhaps if we are lucky, we have lots of money and do not need to work. Or maybe we live alone and do not need to take care of anyone else. Maybe there is an ideal situation that is the perfect setup for making art. What would you do? Do you think inspiration would take you on a joy ride and you would be a great artist? The fact is art grows out of hardship and suffering. Sure, you may have all the time in the world but you would have nothing to say. This is the conundrum, either you are full of ideas and have no time or you have time and no ideas. So it is easy to let it pass because being a good artist is really, really hard.

Obviously, art does get made and many people derive great benefits from it. Making time for art is making time for yourself. And this is largely a question of need. How much do I need to do this? There will always be plenty of very good reasons to do somethings else and not many to make art. If art truly is your calling, you will make time, just like you make time tor brushing your  teeth or for finding something to eat. Chances are you will not have the luxury of getting up in morning and going to your beautiful studio and being inspired all day long. But maybe you can squeeze out an hour at 10 o’clock at night when you are dog tired and you cannot do anything else anyway.

If this is the kind of artist you are then it will make no difference what anyone else thinks about your work and you will have no difficulty in figuring our what to do with it. Art making then is a kind of obsession and for this reason you should not try to be reasonable about it. You do not really have a choice. For all of the rest of us, we just enjoy art when we get the chance and do not really go crazy about it. This is fine and the more art awareness there is in the world the better. Art work is definitely work. But unlike most jobs, art work can be fun too. This is where the passion really counts.  With enough drive, I can sustain many hours of creative work and hardly notice the time.

I tend to be my harshest critic and have a hard time allowing my work to just be. So when someone else finds fault with my work, I don’t like it but it does not affect me much. The inner voice that questions is the tough one. My best bet is to keep starting something new to just distract me long enough to let it go. Once I am onto a new track, I am OK.  To this end, I tend to have quite a number of things going on at the same time. It gives me time to get a little distance on my work and not overwork them. The idea is to always have something in the works so that I am never at a loss for what to do.

Inspiration is a gift that you need to prepare yourself for. It is magical, mystical and sublime. Being inspired is being full of spirit. In other words, be enthusiastic, get jazzed, be passionate. And share your passion with others. Although an artist needs solitude to be creative, he also depends on others to complete the link with an audience. All art is performance art, without someone seeing and participating in the thing made it is just noise in the wind. It takes others to be inspired. 

Enlighten / 10″x8″x8″ /cashew lacquer on Lychee wood

Why do we feel the need to frame what we do into categories that may have little or nothing to do with our own motives? Particularly for an artist, this pigeonholing of our work can cause real harm. Terms like painting, sculpture or printmaking give only a vague idea of medium and what is meant by abstract or realistic style? How about defining our work more philosophically?

We live our lives in clusters of moments. We are of a certain age, we livesomewhere for a time, we have certain jobs to do, we try things out, our relationships change, we are influenced by people and ideas. This is the reality of our lives. These things have nothing to do with categories. Rather, they are collections, groupings if you like of experiences.

If an artist is worth his salt, he should be looking at the big picture of his life in context, not some small minded assumptions imposed by others. I work in three dimensions because it helps me to free my work from the dictates of a frame. I paint with watercolors because this helps me to loosen up and find fluidity and rhythm. I make prints to experience the thrill of seeing a fresh impression. In all these things there is one mind at work, one person behind the art. If anything, I should be trying my best to be the best. The work will live or die on it’s own merits.

When circumstances change, it is ok to expect that our art will change too. We both create and mirror our worlds. It is our job to find a thread that we can keep picking up to remind us of where we are going. This is what art can do for you. It is not about being a painter or a sculptor but rather about making our way through life with art as a constant companion.

Imbadura

The old adage that you have only one shot to get a watercolor painting right is correct. Transparent color over transparent color usually makes mud.  But if we admit our failure, and dismiss the need to be a purist, then there are indeed many avenues open to “correcting” the painting. 

This painting was first made thirty years ago and sat in my drawer being neither good enough to sell nor bad enough to throw away. Maybe you too have some artwork like that. What was needed was a way to bring balance and dynamism into the composition.  

Soft pastel is paper friendly like watercolor.  The pastel colors are easily rubbed and blended into the paper fibers.  With the simple addition of a makeshift stencil, a range of hard and soft edges is quickly realized.  Now, we can get back to composing which really is just drawing, guiding the eye skillfully across the picture plane.  The pastel pigments blend seamlessly with the watercolor pigments.  The whites of the paper still hold the lights and now we can really lean on some dark colors to anchor the painting.  

Thirty years ago there was no internet that I was aware of and thus no way to share my work outside of galleries and shows. Now, an image can be shared around the world and it is free.  It really doesn’t matter if the work does not fit conveniently into a category like watercolor or pastel.  It is the image that counts. 

Thirty years of experience has taught me one thing, you need to have a vision in order for a vision to come true. It is like the painting needed all those years to gestate before it could be fully realized.  Now, I understand what I could not understand then. You have to draw, and draw with intense intention. Suddenly, my drawers are full of unfinished artwork when all this time I thought that there was nothing more I could do to them.  

Still life | 14×11 | Watercolor and soft pastel

So much of art making is clouded by questions. Is this really a worthy occupation, what is the meaning of what I am doing, who cares about something that has no practical application, who am I to think that my work is worth lots of money, how can I justify using up resources to make new things when even my old things sit around taking up space and with no one around that wants them and what makes me think I can succeed elsewhere when I am barely managing here? To answer in the affirmative to these and numerous other doubts and questions may seem like arrogance to some.

It is just a fact of life that we live in a materialistic society that has little time for what may seem like self-indulgence.

On the other hand, the very same artist making the exact same things could be considered somewhat of a hero. He is sticking to his guns, braving the winds of adversity, being true to his most dearly held beliefs, and fighting the good fight. This could be considered confidence, having the courage of one’s convictions, faith and stamina. Here is a man to admire not admonish.

So which man is he, the arrogant and selfish bastard, or the generous and gracious prophet? Could he be a little of both? If an artist does not make time for his creative work, which is after all selfish time spent, then he will not get much work done. If he is not introspective and questioning of himself and his world then he will not have much depth in his work either.

Maybe we are just talking about semantics, arrogance or confidence, who cares? Just be good and share your work with the world.