Yah, so pretty much. Not that I'm really surprised but my supporters have steadily been wandering away. I can pretty much count them on one hand now. And I suppose that's to be expected. The things that interest me don't seem to seem to interest much of anyone else. Which makes me a hipster according to friends. It's not that I go out of my way to like things that are odd or obscure. In fact, I get most of my inspiration from animation which is a mass medium, right? Cartoons. What's more wide spread than that? Oh well. I can only draw like me. And if I'm one of only three or four people to look at and like my stuff, guess that's the way it has to be.
5 comments:
I understand how you feel. Not sure if you remember, or even knew, but i used to do gallery shows of my pen and ink drawings. One show all my stuff was in a drawer, not even on a wall but the papers and critics found them and put images of them in the papers as well as gave me nice write ups. How many did I sell? Zero. Same thing with my photographer shows. Even now I get either "what made you draw/photograph that?" or "Are you getting paid to do that?" Like my own tastes and pleasure of doing things should not be enough. I get tired of explaining there is more to doing art than "making a million dollars" which face it, no one does. But if you don't do it you'll go insane so you better keep it up!
That's the thing; I'm not even up to the point of looking for money, I just want people to look at the stuff. I'd be thrilled if they liked it as well. Didn't know you did gallery shows of the drawings, I just remember really liking them, especially that one you did of Pat. Even now, you're doing some really nice work. You're right, though. I have to keep making it. -I- like looking at it and making it makes me happy. I just wish for the other stuff.
I did a bunch of shows, I hated it, being the anti-social creep I am. I sent a woman friend in fake moustache to say she was me for one opening. I also did open studios for many years with my ex at our wareham street studio... man that was HELL. Toby would end the day in tears often after hearing the comments of our "guests". Since I am so entrenched in realism, man times I am told I am not a "real" artist or creative or worse that my drawings are the result of photoshop filters. That hurts, especially since I can put up to 40 hours drawing every detail. I'd really like to draw and photograph people again but I don't have the nerve to ask anyone to pose and deal with how disappointed they are when they see the finished piece. But i keep doing it and filming most of it way in file folders and my portfolio!
Well, those are the words of the ignorant, right? Though you'd probably rather work from real life, it's worth it to ask folks to send photos to work from. I know I've made paintings that way, or hell just use random stuff from the web! I've done that, too. In fact, I've had a series sitting, waiting for me to paint that are still from movies and tv shows of character actors (they have the best faces). No one else might like them (though actually someone did) but you never know! I know you can draw. And it's not fake. PS does not mean you can magically make art from nothing.
I probably should use other people's photos just to practice but I hate that. That might just be the reaction I get to all the negative stuff about my work though. I want it to be "all me" so no one can say otherwise. I did do that series from Metropolis using frames I selected from the film, so maybe I'm not totally beyond hope.
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