I've Found My Twin

As much as I'd like to think that I'm a true original, I believe this morning I have found my doppelganger. I watched a video spot featuring Micklene Thomas via the website Life and Times Soul Kitchen. I was once told that my work was very similar to hers. Subject-wise, nothing could be truer. As her rep from Lehman Maupin Gallery talked about Thomas' work, I really felt you could just insert my name and still be describing the work. It's interesting for me because she's dealing with the same type of subject - but what struck me more was how she even looks a lot like me - tall, short hair, big....crazy! I remember seeing her work for the first time in a display window of the MOMA. Her blinged-out canvases are pretty awesome and it gives off a feeling that she really enjoys constructing them. It would be great to meet her, but I'm afraid that if we were to be in the same room at the same time, we'll cancel each other out and explode.

Mickalene Thomas
http://lifeandtimes.com/soul-kitchen

Don't Print Yourself Into A Corner

When I decided that I wanted to focus on printmaking for my art degree, I received the same comment from several of my professors - "You better start painting, because you can't make it as a printmaker". Really?

Some still see prints as being low on the artistic totem poll due to its main function of being a cost effective way to bring multiple copies to the masses who are largely too broke to buy a painting. Today, prints have been elevated to a status that can monetarily rival paintings. Yes, it is challenging to have an artistic career that is supported solely by production of prints. And yes, it is hard to command thousands of dollars for a single print, but there are some ways around that problem:

1. Make Epic Prints.
Make them huge and fill a space installation style. Start out small, like your bedroom wall, then gradually work your way up to a football field.

2. Make Only One.
Make monoprints or make only editions of 1. That alone will make it more valuable.

3. Expensive, Long and Laborious.
Take a REALLY long time to make one print and while you're at it make it as formally complicated as you can and use REALLY expensive materials whether the image warrants it or not. Do that and someone might be having this conversation in the future:
Margaret: "Wow, Dean! That is a fantastic print!"
Dean: "I know! It took the artist 47 years to make it. He used laser-cut, diamond-treated plates, flew in chemical specialists from Germany to assist with one run, buried it in the remote grounds of the Tristan de Cunha islands in order to utilize it's specific oxides for 5 years, gave it to Tom Friedman who stared at it for 1,237 hours, burned it and then used the remaining ashes for flocking."
Margaret: Amazing! (She says this as she ponders the piece in front of her - a 22" x 30" sheet of stained Rives BFK paper containing a 12" square next to a circle with an 8" diameter. Both flocked with ashes.)

I personally will always use some sort of print technique in my art practice. Whether I am painting, sculpting, molding, drawing...I think in terms of multiples and repetition and approach my projects with a printer's sensibility. It's a great time to be a printmaker. There is more artistic discourse surrounding printmaking, more artists who are known for working in other medias are making prints. There are numerous sites for printmakers and those who love prints ranging from blue-chip auction houses to DIY spots.

I do greatly appreciate all the advice given to me from past instructors warning me not to print myself into a corner. However, I'm doing more than that. I'm printing the corner, the walls, the floor and the ceiling.

Possible Contemporary Art Message T-Shirts

You've Been Saatchied
I've Been Saatchied
Koonsing
Hirst So Good
Emin-ent Drama
Yo, Bad Ass!
I'm John Currin (and you're not!)
Murakami Mama
Fair, Fi, Fo, Fum!
Who's Andy?
Smells Like Gagosian
Art Star
Doing the Ruscha Shuffle
Who arted?

I'm always open for suggestions.

Money Talks

...and bullshit walks....right into an art space if properly funded. I don't know why I felt compelled to write that. I think I'm trying to be too witty or somewhat witty too early in the morning. I am thinking about money, though, and its relationship to art. After my residency adventure, I had to look at the cruel fact glaring me in the face from my bank receipt - INSUFFICIENT FUNDS. Money and I have had a pretty antagonistic relationship over the last few years. Rarely do we see eye to eye.

Me: "I want to keep doing art type things. You know, making art, applying to shows...

Money: That's cool. Maybe I'll show up and help you out.

Me: Stop toying with me! I'm not a play thing. I have needs. The need to artistically express myself. And I need to share my work with the world!

Money: You used me to buy a house.

Me: I can't talk to you!

Money: Come on baby, don't be like that. I'm glad I was able to help you get a home. It has everything you need - your studio, bedroom, kitchen. I help you eat well. I help you travel. I make it so you can make your own work and not work as an assistant in someone's studio, making their art. I think if you just tried harder with me. You know I want what's best for you. Give me some time. You'll see (extends a hand out, holding a carrot).

Me: You're right, you're right. I'm going to try harder and not take you for granted. In the end, you always show up when I least expect it. I'm s....

Money: Shhhhh. You don't have to say it. I know.


I vowed a long time ago that I wasn't going to let money, or my lack of money keep me from getting my work seen, making my work or participating in art activities. Unfortunately, we live in a time now where everything costs money. It's hard not to give in to the mindset that the only way to start something new as an artist or arts organization is to either:

A. Come from a wealthy background or be independently wealthy
B. Be married to someone who fits the profile outlined in A.
C. Glom on to an established organization
D. All of the above

What is sparking this train of thought? Mainly A. If you are wealthy, you can do most anything. I'm not talking about morality or spirituality here. Money can't buy you true happiness and there are plenty of miserable misers walking the earth to prove it. However, money allows you to do things. Case and point, the article I read this morning highlighting Alice Walton.

Whom is Alice Walton? She is the daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. She had an investment firm between the late 80's and 90's and currently breeds horses somewhere in Texas. With an estimated net worth of 21 BILLION dollars, she is about to see her ten-year labor come to fruition. She is opening her own museum, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art located on family land in Bentonville, Arkansas. Her vision is to make the middle of America an International destination for art enthusiasts. The focus of the museum will display works by American masters from the Colonial era to the present, with the largest concentrations coming from the 19th and 20th centuries. Sounds cliche, but if that's what she likes more power to her. She has taken only one art history course in her life, but according to advisers (who are these advisers?) that have worked with her, she's a very savvy collector. If you have the means to buy million dollar artworks under advisement, you'd probably be considered art savvy as well. And, at the end of the day, according to the article, she a business woman. If a work by an artist that's on her hit list comes up privately, she'll wait to see if it comes up on auction in order to get a better deal on it (please read my previous post on auctions). John Richardson, a Picasso biographer, sees Walton as quite adventurous in not just buying the usual suspects for the museum collection, but some unknown/obscure artist works as well. For example, she acquired works by Norman Lewis, an African-American painter. I've never heard of him, so I though I'd better check him out. After looking at Lewis's work, I can't help but wonder if Richarson thinks Walton's acquisitions are adventurous because Lewis was not well known or because he was a black artist working in abstract expressionism - how odd! Maybe she just liked his work, but there's nothing in the article that indicates that.

In any case, it's admirable that she has her vision and is seeing it through. I can't help to think about my friends who are equally passionate about art and have visions for progressive art centers that would prove that we may not be on the coast, but there are plenty of art savvy people here in the land of the Good Life. If only they had the money to make it easier, and quicker, to see their labors of love through.....

A Billinaire's Eye For Art Shapes Her Singular Museum
by Carol Vogel
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/arts/design/alice-walton-on-her-crystal-bridges-museum-of-american-art.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

To Auction Or Not To Auciton

That is the question today. A friend of mine sent me this link. It's an article by arts critic Mat Gleason entitled 'The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Auctions'. This promises to be an entertaining read - at least.

Before I chime in, I thought Mr. Gleason looked familiar. Oh, yes, he is the publisher of Coagula Art Journal based in L.A. He was featured on one of the Art City videos. My first impression of Gleason was that he was completely obnoxious. During the video, he talked about how he's pissed off people to the point of having drinks thrown in his face and being punched out in a bar after a review he wrote. He says this with a definite air of pride. Well, anyone who has a tattoo of Jackson Pollock on his upper arm is asking to be punched. However, once you get past all the bravado, he is only doing something that seems to be more and more of a rarity. He's publicly speaking his opinion. Whether you agree with him or don't, the man has the balls to not only say what he thinks, he's putting down on paper. David Hickey says that today, there is no real art criticism. I agree, thus making Mat a breath of fresh, obnoxious air.

Alright so, about his thoughts on boycotting art auctions. Here are some things I agree with him on:

- Yes, the artist is not financially benefiting from their work being sold at lower than what they would initially sell the work on their own for.

- Artists are placed in a subordinate role when anyone can come along a put a price on your work which is usually going to be for less than what the artist would want.

- It's messed up that an artist can only claim the cost of materials for their work come tax time, where as someone who is blessed with being liquid, can buy your work at a bargain, have it appraised for top dollar and then right that full amount off come tax time.

Now, those are some pretty great reasons to not participate in art auctions. Now, let me talk about how I disagree with him and make some suggestions as well:

If the institution is worthy, why not donate?
Throughout the years, I have been asked to donate work to several organizations and institutions. If I feel good about them and what they do, and they treat artists professionally and respectfully, I'll happily donate some work to help their cause.


Auctions can raise your profile.
No, giving to auctions are not going to turn you into an art star by any stretch, but it does help in getting your work seen. You never know, you might snag a future patron or be invited to have your work seen in an exhibition somewhere. Think of it as a form of networking (a subject for a future post).


Don't give your best work away.
Don't give your best work away. I'm sure organizations don't want you giving them crap, but really give them something that is good example of what you do, but not something you consider your finest work. Shop your best work around for other opportunities like exhibition opportunities, residencies, etc.


Get Your Party On
Most of the time, if not all the time, artist who've donated to an organization get to attend the auction event for FREE. It's great! You get to get dressed up, visit the open bar MANY times, get your eat on at the buffet, socialize with the people of your community while being surrounded by art! Of course there are some artists who would much rather hover by their piece to see how the bidding is going. That's one way to spend the night, but really with all the eats and drinks going on....enjoy the night!


So, really to give work to an auction or not is an individual's call. And really, if you don't want to make a donation because you're sick and tired of being hit up for art and never feel like you benefit from it - just say 'no'.


Mat Gleason, 'The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Auctions'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mat-gleason/charity-art-auctions-_b_872953.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Why Worry About Getting Your Work In A Biennial When You Can Create Your Own Biennial?

Is it me or is there A LOT of gripping about the contemporary art world lately? I mean, more than usual. It seems like I am reading more and more articles about how unethical it as become, how artists are mistreated and how art isn't valued for it's content, but on it's commerce. I'll devote my musings to this topic another time. This morning, I want to share what I just watched.

I enjoyed a pretty brilliant and hilarious presentation given by artist Shea Hembrey. Heard of him? Me, neither. He gave a Tedx Talk about his project. That being how he created his own art biennial. He talked about how he grew up in a place least likely to be considered artistic (rural Arkansas) and yet more artically sophisticated than one would expect. Because he has read a lot about art and has seen plenty of art, he decided to start his own art biennial. He didn't stop just there, though. After thinking about criteria for selecting artists while keeping in mind that his biennial is an international one, he went one step further. He decided to create the artists who would participate in his biennial. He created 100 fictional artists, their bios, their statements and the work they create. For real, he made all the artwork and documented it accordingly. The result is pretty hilarious and believable.

Shea Hembrey - How I Became 100 Artists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpROaNue9GM

Self Sabotage

Last night, I streamed the movie High Art. This was a definite smart move on Ally Sheedy's part to play the character of Lucy - a photographer who apparently became a big deal, but gave it up. As she bemoaned to her future love interest Sidney, she didn't do industry work any more because it made her feel claustrophobic. That everyone was just glomming on to this thing (her work), so she made it impossible for her to continue working. In other words, self sabotage.

This made me think about how many times I've sabotaged myself when it comes to my own work. I think that at some point during anyone's career, you will lay out your own booby trap. And eventually step into it.

Check List

Today, I'm going to pick up where I left off. I want to talk about the idea of an artist check list. Although there are no real, iron-clad steps to take in order to become that internationally celebrated artist, there are some basic things that, in my opinion, you do need to accomplish. If I were to suggest a sort of check list for becoming an successful artist it would probably look something like this:

1. Define Success

What does success mean to you? Does it mean selling your work? Exhibiting in art fairs? Having your work be part of significant art collections? You can't be successful if you can't define it for yourself.

2. At Least Get A BFA

I don't care what anyone says, having studied formally can only help you. Where to get your BFA is the subject for a later post, but for now we'll just leave it at getting the BFA. Some may argue that it's not that big a deal. Who cares? Well, look at any artist's resume that is having a show in a gallery or museum. You'll see those three little letters. Why? Because it matters.

3. Make Your Work Regardless

If you continue to make your work through the good and bad times, you've doing the right thing.

4. See What's Out There

You need to take time and look at the art being made today whether in your community or globally. Again, it can only help you in your own endeavors.


It's not a long list, but I think that covers what I'd suggest. Notice how I didn't put something like 'Make Good Work'. That's because defining good work in art shifts like sand in the desert depending on who you are talking to. Which explains why some great work goes unnoticed and some inferior work gets all sorts of praise.

Seven Days and Home Sweet Home

I really hated that last post I put up. Such a downer! It's going to take a few posts to get some distance from it. Here we go.....

I've been back home a whole week now. My South American adventure complete. I made a work of art that I am very proud of and now it's time to enjoy the summer. I came back to a jungle of a yard. I have no green thumb, but have managed to keep what landscaping the previous owner put in alive since I took over. There had been a lot of rain, so everything was green and overgrown. Once the triple digit weather ceased, I got out there and started the clean-up process. I know this blog is supposed to be me talking about art type things. I'm getting to it. As I pulled out weeds and wannabe trees, I thought about the books I read while away - Seven Days in the Art World, I Bought Andy Warhol and I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon). I highly recommend each of these reads. I'll probably devote my next few posts to these books because they gave me so much to think about and I want to share my thoughts with you.

'Seven Days' is a very enlightening look at how the blue chip art market works from all sides the dealer, the artist, the auction house, the art award, the critic, studio visit and biannual exhibition. I am happy to report that after reading this book, I still want to continue my art career and make art. However, I now realize that it is extremely likely that I will NEVER make the kind of money that would allow me to live on and just make art. To make that happen and get on the radar of the untouchables that could make that happen, there are some crucial steps that need to be take:

Make strong, interesting work - check
Get art degree from prestigious art school or program - check
Continue showing work after receiving MFA - check

So far, I think I've been taking the appropriate steps to navigate my art career successfully. Now, there are some things in play that I have no control over. I made my piece a while ago with the fact that the powers that dictate and control the world of art still cater largely to young, white male artists. I'm a black woman, by the way. These days, there are more minority artists getting recognized, but when you see any given show, or look at the list of represented artists in most galleries, there are usually far more white men than any other group being supported. What are you going to do? It's the prerogative of the director/gallerist to support whoever they deem worthy. No, that's a conversation worth acknowledging, but not loosing sleep over. The crucial step I'm talking about involves pulling a Dorian Gray. A crucial step to being "successful" as an artist is to never get old.

Neither your work or YOU should age. When I think about the idea that it's the young artist that brings fresh, exciting work to the masses, I can get with that to a degree. Sure, we had the Beautiful Loosers and the YBA's, but what are the majority of these artists producing now? A few are still going strong and making bank. While most, it would seem, have burned out. Please correct me if I'm wrong. In any case, it would seem that the art controllers want what's fresh and new and that equates to artists under 30. Where does that leave old-timers like myself? I'm 41, by they way. I think this situation causes artists to become frustrated and in some cases to give up on being an artist. Some may re-invent themselves as an arts administrator of some sort (gallerist, museum director, dealer, etc.). Then, they can dictate what is good art and who gets shown and so on because even though, in the past, they may have been a young, talented artist, they may not have been a young, talented artist in the right place and at the right time. This is what I'm thinking about at the moment....and where did that huge Garter snake under my couch come from?!

Nigger

Ugly, isn't it? I almost left the country with nothing but warm fuzzies - until tonight. As Cristina and I were walking down the sidewalk tonight on our way to grab a farewell meal, we passed a couple on the sidewalk. As I walked by, the guy said under his breathe 'nigger'. Actually, it was more like nee-gare. It was pretty creepy and especially off-putting because he was the same height as me and it felt like he whispered it right into my ear. Because they were walking past us, it happened super fast and I didn't get a look at him because it was night time and really, what am I going to do - yell something back at him? That could only bring trouble.

I had to blog about this and get it out of my system so I wouldn't obsess about it so much. I was thinking about it for a good part of the meal. The challenge of it is do I let this one incident color (no pun intended!) my whole experience? Fuck no and fuck him! If anything, he just reminded me that no matter where you go, people are indeed people. You'll meet some spectacular individuals as well as the ignorant shitheads. Case and point, I've been called nigger before in the states, in my hometown and some yahoo will probably call me one in the future. What are you going to do? Haters are haters. I am glad that this happened at the end of my trip instead of the beginning. That would have been a lot more harder to deal with.

Let's end this blog on a high note, shall I? I had a wonderful time here. I got a chance to experience a different culture, met new people and most importantly, I got to make some art. No regrets here.

Eating My Way Through This Town

Last night, I had the best fusilli bolongnese on the planet....
and an appetizer called pinchos
and bread
and a nice glass of Malbec
and dulce de leche with Swiss chocolate

.....I could never live here permanently. I get HUUUUUUUGE!!