art or food?
One(hah!) more question.
As an artist who has spent many a craft fair watching customers hem and haw, decide not to buy an artpiece(something that could add beauty and inspiration to their lives for years to come) and then wander by carelessly stuffing their faces with overpriced fairfood (that lasts only as long as the indigestion)I have often wondered:
1. What do you need to see in an artwork that would impell you to choose it over yummies for your tummy?
So many people have come into my booth and just given me so much admiration and appreciation. It's a wonderful feeling and I'm glad that my art speaks to folks, but few are those who actually see the beauty and make the choice to spend their money and take it home with them. Those precious few always make my day.
2. What kind of art would you actually part with your hard-earned dollars for?
3. What do you want art to do for you?
I put a lot of my heart, soul, emotions and experiences into my sculptures, they kind of tell my story, but I like to let people experience them for themselves and make up their own stories. It's always fun for me to see people find themselves in my creations.
4. Do you like to be told about an artwork, or do you like it to be open to your own interpretation?
OK, that's definately enough, before my one more question turns into ten. I guess I'd better go back and number 'em for ya.
Comments
rzan, your guestbloggin' kicks ass :) some great entries here! which is great to see after i failed daniel miserably when i was sposed to look after the place last time he went to buddha camp. sigh.
Posted by: shauny | August 29, 2002 6:09 AM
Thanks Shauny,
I'm enjoying myself. See, you have your own busy, enormously popular blog to run, I, on the other hand, pretty much just have my journals and poetry notebooks frequented only by me myself and I. Sigh...
It's fun to have an audience, albeit someone elses!
Posted by: rzan | August 29, 2002 10:28 AM
It's psychology. Art is viewed as a luxury, everyone can rationalize a food purchase, however frivolous.
I think it helps to have some smaller pieces available for prices that don't trip most peoples' "expense alarms." People like small luxuries so they can pamper themselves a little bit and not feel too extravagant.
I look for art that plays a role in creating a sacramental environment in my home. It must contribute toward my family's vision of home as a domestic church. But then us religious folks are weird that way.
I make sculpture from junk. I run into problems with peoples' reactions like "Heck, I could have made that myself." To which I say (to myself) "Maybe, but I came up with the idea." I've had people stand in front of me at a show and discuss how they could go right home and gather some stuff snd make similar works for themselves. It never occurred to them that that might be a form of theft or at least not something to discuss *right in front of the artists' face*. Geez.
People want to buy a certain amount of "stuff" for a certain amount of money. They don't want to buy an idea. Which explains why people don't see taking my ideas as stealing -- ideas have little value.
But now I'm kvetching and not answering your question. What was the question again?
Posted by: Cody | August 29, 2002 10:57 AM
1. Totally different funds. The Fair Food Fund is for food I only eat once a year. I would never cook that stuff yet it tastes so good in that setting. The Other Spending Fund. At fairs I look for the things the hawkers are touting. The magic cloth guaranteed to pick up spills with one pass, the chopper that makes the perfect salsa, and the ever popular ginsu knife.
2. I think fairs in the midwest are different than other places. A couple of years ago I went to a festival in the Hudson Bay area of NY. There they had artisans booths the likes of which the midwest has never seen. If I saw displays like they had I would probably have a different set of standards for my fair money.
3&4. I definitely want to hear the artists story about a given piece. That can only enrich my own interpretation and feelings for the piece. I like art to help me connect with something; a spiritual experience, romance, "la gente". To add depth to my life. To give my home a sense of peace and well-being. Or utilitarian art. Pieces that double as family serving pieces, a double blessing.
Yes, I like your guestblogging too.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 29, 2002 12:25 PM
WHOOPS! That was me.
Posted by: Karen | August 29, 2002 12:27 PM
Thanks for your well spoken answers.
I like the idea of home as a sacramental place as well as the thought that my art could add depth and peace to someones life experience.
A little kvetching is OK too.
Posted by: rzan | August 29, 2002 10:49 PM