Us Artists, Man, We're All Crazy

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be one of those zombies that walks along the city streets every day with their coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other, trekking the same path from home to work, from work to home, living the same routine, thinking the same thoughts day after day. There's more to me than that. I'm right brained. I have an artist's soul. I'm complicated. And maybe a little crazy.

But show me an artist who wasn't bat shit crazy.

Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889

I could start listing off names of creative geniuses who were intense, passionate, but troubled people who struggled daily with their thoughts and emotions, but this is no art history lesson. The artist-- and not just the visual artist but also the poet, the musician, etc-- sees everything, and feels something about everything. He sees the world both in its specific details, and as it functions as a whole. While the city-strolling zombie may often see only what lies in front of it through its rose coloured glasses, the artist sees the world in high definition, and with countless perspectives all at once.

Emily Carr, Tree in Autumn

I think that is why a lot of artists are so melancholy and sentimental, because they see the world in all of its natural beauty and its ugliness. Who else, aside from maybe a wide-eyed child, notices the myriad of colours in a pigeons plumage? Who else drives through the countryside and admires the perfect composition of its landscape, and the way the setting sun bathes everything in gold? Who else even cares?

It becomes frustrating at times, the feeling that no one else sees the world the way you do. You feel like no one can sympathize with the way your mind works. That's bs, quite frankly. Of course there are others out there that see the same things you see, and feel the same way about them that you do, yet it is hard to remember that sometimes when you are caught up within your own little world.

It is important for an individual to acknowledge their highs and lows. And not only to acknowledge them, but to embrace them, to work with them. I truly believe that there would be no masterpieces if it weren't for this process of introspection. Think of your favourite song, and I don't mean the one about bitchez and hoes and shots of Patrone that you rock out to in the club, but the one that strikes down to your very core and gives you the chills. Think about where the artist was and how they were feeling when they wrote that song. That's what I'm talking about here.

Snapshot of my sketchbook and artist journal

I try to embrace both my highs and my lows. To be honest, my best work comes from when I'm feeling pretty close to rock bottom. I channel all of my positive or negative energy through my hand to whatever I'm holding (be it pen, pencil, brush, whatever) and let it go. I always have a sketchbook within reach. And I write, a lot. I keep an artist's journal (pictured here), a private journal, and this blog. It is important to me to put my thoughts down on paper, especially in this world where almost all communication is electronic.

The bat-shit-crazy part of me needs to be using an inky pen when I'm writing. I need to feel the ink gliding onto the paper. Having only a ball point pen on hand would ruin my day.

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On a random note...

Last week I was having one of those days and went to a parc nearby to relax for a bit. I had a nice view of the skyline, the sun was setting, the weather was gorgeous.

I was plopped down on the grass, listening to some music and drawing in my sketchbook, when I turned around and three foxes were right behind me. They were sneaking up on me, scoping me out.

I wonder how close they would have gotten if I hadn't turned around. That spooked them, so they scampered off and resumed their play by the edge of the field. 


My creative flow was ruined, but at least I  had the opportunity to snap a photo and take some videos:

 

Foxes in Verdun #1

Foxes in Verdun #2

The C-word

Are you following A Portrait of Visual Arts in Canada? If you aren't already, you should. I enjoy seeing new Canadian artists showcased and arts-related news in their blog. A recent post focused on an artwork that was censored by Facebook:

According to the blog, this artwork by Canadian artist Gregory Colbert "was removed by Facebook authorities as being 'pornographic'." There was a bit of an uproar in the media, and I am sure all over the web-verse, over the censorship of this image and others from Facebook.

I have mixed feelings on the issue.

Censorship has been a hot topic for, well, forever. Who has the right to deem content "inappropriate" to be viewed by the general public? What an outrageous thought that someone can name themselves king of the world, and tell us what artwork we can and cannot see.

But,

Although I am against censorship in general, you have to be realistic here. Facebook has the right to approve all of the content on its site. It is their website, and it is a free service-- so if you want to use that site to display your artwork for all the world to see (ahem, for free), you should play by their rules.  And Facebook has always had a zero-tolerance policy for nudity.

I have not seen proof that Facebook has called this image "pornographic." According to the article linked by the blog, Facebook responded to complaints stating:

"...we will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep away material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity." 

Seems straight-forward enough. Yet apparently, there is also a question regarding whether or not this image contains nudity. Uh, well, I see a nipple, so yes my friends, by definition this image is indeed an artistic nude.

In my eyes it is beautiful, I love this image. It should be seen, as a matter of fact I would buy a print and put it in my home. But if Facebook doesn't want it on their site, they have reason to take it down. It is their domain, they make the rules. Facebook's expectations are clearly stated when one uploads photos, and you know what.. Facebook is great for a lot of things but its main purpose is not to serve as an art gallery. If you want your artwork to be seen, and not tampered with, put it on an art image hosting site.

That concludes my opinion. I would appreciate hearing others on the matter. I would like to see more from both sides. I am open-minded; perhaps my opinion could be swayed. I think this issue would make for an interesting debate. I will have to remember this for when I am teaching art in the classroom.

Copied from UConversation: Leaving the University Bubble

Due to popular demand from people who do not have an account with Uconversation.com I have copied my latest contribution for your reading pleasure: 

 Leaving the University Bubble | Uconversation

In the spring of my graduation year, 2010, amongst the business of formals, art shows, and final assignments, I also had the task of deciding what university I would be attending in the fall for my Bachelor of Education programme. I had been accepted into two Teacher’s Colleges in Ontario: University of Ottawa and the University of Western Ontario.

Ottawa is only a short drive from Quebec, something I could easily do if I wanted to go back home to the Eastern Townships for the weekend. Western is in London, an eleven hour drive. Ottawa seemed like a good choice for the mere convenience of it, but was I really going to choose this school because it was closer? I forced myself to step back and carefully consider what I was looking for in a university, and ultimately chose Bishop’s sister school, Western. I still like to think it was the school colours of purple and white that made it a done deal in my mind.

I packed my life in my tiny little sports car, and drove halfway across the world (or so it felt like) to a city where I knew only one person, a fellow BU student. She introduced me to London and helped me find a place to live. Then she moved to Vienna, Austria, a week later. I was alone.

London was the biggest challenge I have yet encountered in my short little life. I was in a completely new city and I didn’t know a soul, apart from my new roommates—two girls from France, a Master’s student from Vancouver, and luckily a fellow Teacher’s College student from Toronto.

I had a hard time adjusting. Although I am extremely outgoing and never find it hard to make friends, I nevertheless suffered from extreme loneliness and homesickness. I missed my family and close friends back in Quebec, and spent countless hours on Skype. I was devastated to miss out on Homecoming, Halloween, and other epic holidays at my alma mater. I even missed listening to French radio, and pleaded with my landlord to get RDS so I could at least have the comfort of watching Canadiens games on TV.

I knew going into it that being so far from home would be a challenge, but I embraced it, tears and all. It was hard, but it was worth it. And I learned, so much, so fast, about myself and about people in general. By November I acknowledged to have spun a 360 from where I was in September. I wrote in my journal:

Finally, I am getting a better idea of where I want to be.. one year from now, five years from now, ten years from now.... I am getting more in tune with myself and what I want from my life. That's the biggest part, I think. I know what relationships I want, I know where I want to be, I have my goals set out in front of me.

After eight months of living in London, I overcame personal hardships and emerged a stronger, more confident person. I grew more as a person and made deeper connections with people than I had in four years at BU. If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing. My advice to anyone looking at making a similar life change is to embrace this new opportunity with an open mind.

Don’t turn down an opportunity because it is intimidating; take that jump instead of running away from it. Most importantly, go beyond your comfort zone and really test your limits. The farther you push yourself, the more you will gain from it.

Let the Creative Juices Flow

Koi, conte on paper @salain_art

We [artists] shouldn't be so serious all the time. Then it stops being fun. It is good to go back to the good old days where you were sitting in a high school classroom and paying way more attention to what's going on the margins of your notebook than the teacher.

Sorry to my Math and Science teachers who never managed to hold my attention for more than a few fleeting moments between masterpieces on blue lined paper.

I try to remember to bring my sketchbook everywhere I go. And, I don't know if other artists are crazy about not letting anyone make a single mark in their sketchbooks, but I enjoy letting others draw in mine.

As I flip through it later I smile, remembering the time in the bar where the BU Fine Arts alumni of 20+ years drew my portrait. Yesterday we were fervently scribbling alongside a friend trying to recreate Disney characters that we used to draw hundreds of time when we were kids.

Splash Pages, conte, pen, and graphite on paper,  @salain_art @alvarezstephany @ivanmenjivar

When you're drawing just to draw, or doodling to keep your hands busy while having a conversation, its therapeutic. Your hand is free to wander all over the page and just do its thing. It flows out of you as if you turned on the tap of your creative reservoir. The best part is that everyone has one, everyone doodles, and its cool to see what things they like to do when they just let it free.

One day when I'm dead, but famous, and my sketchbooks are displayed under glass panes in art galleries, people are going to think I had some crazy case of multiple personality. I hope they do; I laugh at the thought!

Image above is a the result of me modeling (drawing and explaining my thought process) a gestural portrait of Ivan. Done in about a minute, if I remember correctly. I see the resemblance! If only I could have captured the bemused look on his face, the ??this is art?? look.

Why Starving Artists Are Starving Artists

I have been thinking lately, that starving artists wouldn't be starving artists if we weren't, well, artists.

I feel like this is why many of the best artists in history only became famous after their tragic untimely deaths. Because look at what defines an artist. Artists are passionate, often intense, and most would likely admit to being somewhat crazy.

Those who can make a living from art are those who are driven and focused enough to work beyond their moods and emotions. They can work 40 hours a week, or more, like it is their full time job. Thus they are more productive, and odds are higher that some good work and monetary rewards will come of that.

The rest, the majority of us (myself included), can't be forced to create. We succumb to our moods or our other whims far too easily. And admit it, fellow artists, we are quite moody. I look back at the great visionaries of the past and realize they too were oft troubled. Van Gogh. Pollock. Warhol. This is just brushing the tip of the iceberg of the many artists who probably would not have been so amazing if they weren't such nuts (and that's putting it nicely, I try to keep my content Rated G).

I often go weeks without painting, sometimes because I just can't stand to look at it anymore. Being so emotionally involved in your work is like being in a really intense relationship, and sometimes you need to step back and take a breather. Sometimes those breathers last longer than a 5 minute smoke break. Sometimes a creative block will last for months. And sometimes when that creative flow is ebbed, you can't, you really can't, do anything about it.

That's why we're all starving artists. We can't help it. It is the way our minds think differently, and like a mad genius it is our success and it is our downfall.

In the public eye

There are two kinds of artists. Those who live in the eye of society and strive to be in the spotlight, and those who hide in the shadows and turn out their work like big magnificent surprises for the world to see. What kind of an artist do I want to be? My idol Jackson Pollock went nuts because of being in the public eye so much. He just wanted people to leave him alone and just let him do his thing.Yet many contemporary artists thrive on the attention.

This realization comes in the initial moments following the release of my contribution for UConversation Media.

KONY 2012 and the power of propaganda in social media

I wanted to take a time-out from talking about art....

...And share something that has been circulating all over the world, and has been the topic of much discussion: the KONY 2012 campaign. Essentially, this campaign, launched by the organization Invisible Children Inc., “...aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.” In 2005, Kony was indicted as a international criminal with charges against him for crimes against humanity. For the last three decades he has been amassing an army known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa, based out of Uganda. He has been known for abducting and arming tens of thousands of children to make up a big portion of his army.

KONY 2012 is a 30-minute film done by American filmmaker Jason Russell. The central message aims to make Kony infamous, to call for international support against him, to ask supporters to contact lawmakers and megacelebrities that he calls “culture-makers” alike and insist that they use their power to increase support for the capture and arrest of Joseph Kony. Invisible Children believes that popular opinion and mass action will make a difference in the outcome of this war.

This is all very interesting, as KONY 2012 raises thoughts and questions in my mind that strangely are not related to the crisis in Uganda at all..

Reinventing myself into who I always was and just didn't realize it..

Hey y'all I thought I'd post what I'm working on right now. My studio at the moment consists of an easel sitting in my living room. Actually the easel is currently collapsed, as lately I've been in the mood to paint while sitting cross-legged on the floor (whatever works, right?).

I'm rising from a little slump in my creative flow. Over the summer-fall months I was so frustrated because I didn't have a clear "vision" and had a bit of an identity crisis in terms of defining my style and brand as an artist. When I did come up with some good ideas I was either unmotivated to start, or I didn't have the means to execute them-- i.e. being to poor to purchase the giant canvases that I would require.

But as the first snows fell over the lovely city of Montreal, thus condemning me to a few months of being antisocial and cooped up in my apartment in order to avoid the awful weather, I decided to hell with needing a plan and that I would just paint. I didn't think about it, I just took out my supplies, and winged it. I painted what I felt. I let the colours mingle on the canvas and just kind of do their own thing. I remembered what painting was all about for me.

Needless to say, I've rediscovered myself as an artist. I've given up on the ideas I've had in my head of pop-art-deco and social commentary, for now at least. I realized my strengths in the work I've produced over the last few years and expanded them into a style. And, finally, I'm happy.

A lot of people ask me why I would post work that isn't finished. I say, why not? I don't care, I don't guard my work like its a big secret. This way, no matter where I am, if I get the itch I can log onto the net and ponder over the pics at least.

The only thing I do ask is that you reserve your comments and constructive critique for yourselves. Nothing annoys me more than people trying to read into my rough work and try to tell me where I should go with it... as if I don't already know? Alrighty, thanks for stopping by!

For the record, these three paintings will all be for sale. They are only about 18x22" so I won't be pricing them too high. If you're interested just send me an email at salain87@gmail.com.

Left: currently untitled, just started it. Center: Angst 99% finished piece. Right: Beautiful Disaster in the works.