From paddbear:“Someone looks at your art. They don’t have any background in art at all–they are what you might call “unsophisticated”. They use phrases like “It is nice. ” or “I like the way it makes me feel.” It is mostly a gut reaction–they may not be able to articulate it any better. They’re sincere, but the comments are kind of unfocussed. What’s your reaction? Does their reaction mean anything to you?”
I’m more than pleased that they are willing to look at it and think about it. When people who don’t think of themselves as art insiders look at my work I usually suggest that they ask the question “What does this remind me of?” Usually if they take the time to follow the chains of associations, they find that they’ve “gotten it”. And what they have to say is always intriguing. The reaction of everyone who looks at what I do means something to me. I only find myself frustrated by people who refuse to look at all, or feel that they can’t express any opinion because supposedly they aren’t informed enough. The truth is that there is going to be a lot of art that they don’t like just like there’s a lot of pop music they won’t like. It’s fine to have an opinion.
Feel free to ask me anything for the remiander fo the month. If you want to ask in private head over to this entry.
Leave a Reply +