What is the most important thing we should be teaching our kids? In school, they learn to read and write (at least I hope they still teach that in school) as well as a host of other useful things. At home, they’re supposed to learn proper manners and behaviour. And in this process of teaching them, we establish a lot of rules which the kids have to follow, and if we’re doing the job right, not following the rules brings about some negative consequences. Good system, right?

But are we teaching our children to think for themselves? Instead of teaching them to conform and to follow rules, should we not be teaching them to think independently, to question authority, and to form their own opinions, to learn how to make decisions and to live with the consequences of those decisions.

Sounds like chaos, doesn’t it? Letting kids make their own choices and decisions. That would require us to give our children a strong base of information and to teach them how to evaluate that information. Then we would have to trust them to make reasonable, responsible decisions. I know what I’m saying, I know how much work that would be and what an immense commitment it would take on the part of parents and teachers. But doesn’t it sound like a worthy goal? We should at the very least, try to aim for that goal, at least to some degree. Would a world with fewer rules and more responsibility, not be a better world?

When I was raising my children, I knew that what I wanted was for them to grow up self confident, well-adjusted, happy with who they were, able to navigate the difficult roads of life and to find their way. Self-confident, self-sufficient, responsible, kind and loving. That’s what I wanted for them. If I was doing it again today, my goals would be the same. I might be wiser about the whole thing, but my goals for them would be unchanged.

“Let the views of others educate and inform you, but let your decisions be a product of your own conclusions.”   (Jim Rohn)

Comments always welcome.

Suzette

•The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (shark in formaldehyde);
•Mother and Child Divided (a cow and a calf sliced in half in formaldehyde);
•The Martyrdom of Saint James the Lesser, (medical objects in a glass cabinet with blood (?) dripping down the glass panels).

Hirst is also known for his paintings, such as his ‘Butterfly Paintings’ (actual butterflies suspended in paint) or Amazing Revelations, where he arranged thousands of butterfly wings in a mandala-like pattern. Other paintings he is known for are his ’spin’ paintings, made on a spinning circular surface, and ’spot’ paintings, which are rows of randomly-coloured circles.

WhiteCube.Com says that "Hirst explores the uncertainty at the core of human experience; love, life, death, loyalty and betrayal through unexpected and unconventional media.... His works recast fundamental questions concerning the meaning of life and the fragility of biological existence." (really?? dead animals in fluid, butterflies in paint, spots on a canvas??? Is it me, or is this crazy?? and where is the Art??)

Here’s another bit of information about his animals in formaldehyde: after a few years, the animals actually start to rot and have to be replaced. So another shark has to be found, or another cow and calf have to be killed and sliced in half to replace the rotting ones.

So, here I am, a small time painter, who loves to sell the occasional painting, and wonders why it is so difficult to attract viewers and buyers at shows, to gain just a bit of interest and enthusiasm from the general population which seems far more interested in hockey or football than paintings, or sculptures, or carvings. And then I read a story like this where the man puts dead animals in liquid and displays them in public and who last year sold one of his works for 50 million pounds (about a hundred million dollars).

Well, I guess we don’t live in the same world. In my world, you need to learn some real skills, you need to practice and practice and practice, and if you work hard and persevere, and if you’re a bit lucky, then maybe, just maybe, you will one day be able to produce some decent work, and if you’re luckier still, you might be able to sell a few of them for a few hundred dollars. Definitely not living in the same world.

You can see pictures of Hirst’s works ’here’.

For more information, check out ’Wikipedia’,   or ’White Cube’.

Your comments on this or any other topic, are always welcome.

“Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?” (comedian George Gobel)

Suzette

Today, I’d like to talk about the artist statement. There seems to be a lot of confusion between a biography, a CV (curriculum vitae), and an artist statement. Furthermore, how do you make your biography, or artist statement, interesting and readable.

I have read some artist statements that were nothing but gobbledygook; ’artspeak’ as I like to call it. The words were proper words, the sentences were properly constructed, but I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what the heck they were talking about. They came across as pretentious and meaningless. Those kinds of statements do nothing to endear artists to the general population; just the opposite, they create an elitist rarified atmosphere where the average person does not feel welcome. Not exactly what one wants to achieve with their statement.

First of all, let’s talk about the difference between the statement and the biography. The main difference is this: the biography is about the artist, the statement is about the work.

BIOGRAPHY
The biography sets out where the artist is from, the educational background, exhibitions, affiliations, awards, and so on. This can include why you paint and what you hope to achieve, in a general way. The biography should be a one or two-page document. It should be short and concise, but informative and up-to-date. Details of your childhood experiences with art are not really relevant. Do talk about what led you to paint (or whatever your art form is), but keep it current and interesting, and please, use regular, ordinary language.

CV
The CV is an expanded biography. It can be the same as your biography but with more details of your various exhibitions, publications, collections, etc. It is more like a resume and should be more business-like in format and appearance, making use of point-form lists where appropriate.

ARTIST STATEMENT
The artist statement is about the work. It can be a general-purpose statement that relates to all your work, or it can be a specific-purpose statement that relates only to part of your work. For example, if you are applying for a show at a gallery, you would be presenting a specific body of work, so for that purpose, the statement would pertain only to this specific body of work. Your artist statement should set out why you produce the work, what led you to making this work, what the work means or represents, and how it is relevant to viewers, or to society as a whole.

COMBINED STATEMENT
For most of us, however, the most versatile and convenient way to impart our information is to combine both the biography and the statement. In other words, talk about both yourself and your work. This combined statement however should remain short and to the point. Again, keep it current and interesting, and hopefully informative and meaningful. Also, update your statement often. Change it all the time. That will keep it from getting stagnant and obsolete.

"Art is more than a product of your efforts – it should be about feeling, life, attitude, soul." (Sergei Bongart)

Your comments are always welcome.

Suzette