This has always been a popular question, almost as prevalent as, "What is Art?" Any intuitive answer would be that art is finished when the artist says it is. Unfortunately, this is not always clear to either the artist or the viewer. One of my old professors once gave me an interesting test for the success of the work. If you take any part out of the composition and the art still feels complete, then the artwork is probably not successful. In other words, every part of the work should be essential to the whole. Even the blank areas should be as important as the most detailed information. There is a delicate balance between figure/ ground, between detail and space, between success and failure.
The creative process is much like a balancing act. You begin with a blank canvas and add information to the composition. At some point, everything should feel balanced or complete. Then you push the creation. Make it communicate beyond that which could be ever conveyed with mere words. You have to take risks in this process. The risks will ultimately throw you off balance. At some point, the work loses its wholeness. Then your bring it back to balance, maybe with a little line here,...
If you are the creative type, at one time or another you have experienced a lack of energy to do something new. Speaking as a visual artist, this is all too prevalent of a problem. Although we think of it as problematic, it is a natural process of creative growth. Artists desire to go beyond earlier successes. This is not an easy growing pain, as it must be overcome with each passing year of your career. There are many reasons we fall into a stagnant rut. Sometimes we fear success. Sometimes we fear the lack of success. Perhaps, we are perfectionists and refuse to work unless our attempts are error free. This feeling walks hand in hand with procrastination. Have you ever noticed that the task becomes larger when we push it to tomorrow’s agenda? The reason for this is that we expect more from ourselves, because we have given ourselves the maximum amount of prep time, yet absolutely no work time.
Over the years, I have learned some tricks toward breaking through the brick wall. First, you have to convince yourself that it is not a lack of creativity that keeps you from doing your best. You still...
For those who enjoy flexible work hours and prefer a creative field of employment, the career of art professor has few rivals.The salary for an art professor is usually lower than the other university fields.The amount varies quite a bit, depending on the number of years employed, the size school and its location.To give a rough salary range for 2010-2011, Payscale.com lists an average salary for M.F.A. degreed employees at Yale University to be about 50-70K.I believe this is about 12K less in my state of Tennessee.
Generally, the art professor teaches three studio courses, usually a fundamentals course such as drawing or design, an introductory sophomore course in one’s area of expertise, and lastly, an advanced course for intermediate and senior students.This equates to twelve hours per week of actual teaching.Although this may seem like a very light work load, we must not forget to include the many hidden hours that are required of the job.Time must be spent with independent study students, graduate students, graduation committee work, personal creative research, advisement, prep time for classes, participation with social and community functions, and maintenance of...
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This entry is for artists who enjoy an obsessive relationship with process in their art making. Although many artists enjoy a range of materials, at some time they may decide on the one that best responds to their personality and purpose. My personal choice happens to be printmaking and I will discuss some of the reasons for my decision.
First, let me give a little background of what we mean by printmaking, but more specifically my area of intaglio. Essentially, intaglio means, “to carve into.” It is a process which scratches, engraves, or etches beneath the surface of a matrix. The matrix is typically a metal plate, usually copper or zinc. The plate is inked and its surface wiped clean with a special cloth called, tarlatan. The ink remaining inside the lines are printed on moist paper, resulting in the finished artwork.
At times, I share a love/hate relationship with technology. However, my love is with older technologies, like gear driven machines and printing presses. I enjoy restoring old presses and working with the fine tools of the craft. They give me heritage with the old print masters, who used basically the same techniques as today’s traditional printmakers. I like...
Which is more scary, a ghost at night or a ghost in the daylight. I am much more spooked by something unusual in the light of day. The imagination can run amok at night, bringing all our childhood monsters to play. Yet, strange occurrences during the light of day, far out weight those imaginations of the night. I suppose it has more to do with the subtle, psychological fears felt when the sun is high and the normal routines of life pervade our existence. There should be no reason for imagination to overtake us during those bright moments. However, if we notice something out the corner of our eye, some unusual movement, or some shadow that shouldn't be there, we know that our normal routine has been violated.
I saw on youtube a Japanese video of a little girl in front of a mirror. The girl turns around to face us, yet her reflection doesn't follow her movements. This is obviously a fake. However, I had thought of reflections as one of the ultimate horrors, long before this video ever aired. I used to imagine the possibility of our reflections making subtle movements that don't match our own. Real horror occurs not...[More]
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If you are the creative type, at one time or another you have experienced a lack of energy to do something new. Speaking as a visual artist, this is all too prevalent of a problem. Although we think of it as problematic, it is a natural process of creative growth. Artists desire to go beyond earlier successes. This is not an easy growing pain, as it must be overcome with each passing year of your career. There are many reasons we fall into a stagnant rut. Sometimes we fear success. Sometimes we fear the lack of success. Perhaps, we are perfectionists and refuse to work unless our attempts are error free. This feeling walks hand in hand with procrastination. Have you ever noticed that the task becomes larger when we push it to tomorrow’s agenda? The reason for this is that we expect more from ourselves, because we have given ourselves the maximum amount of prep time, yet absolutely no work time. 
This entry is for artists who enjoy an obsessive relationship with process in their art making. Although many artists enjoy a range of materials, at some time they may decide on the one that best responds to their personality and purpose. My personal choice happens to be printmaking and I will discuss some of the reasons for my decision. 