Tuesday, February 14, 2006

My Letter to the Men

I wrote this note to the men because there was this huge snowstorm and I couldn't come out and next Monday is a national holiday--- so here's what i wrote them:

Because I can't come this week or next- Here are some thoughts about what we discussed last time that I wanted to share.

Regarding Bush's comments about not wanting to do something that "is not my bag," I have decided that I completely reject the idea that you don't need to do new things because you've found what you love. I think as long as you have the opportunity to learn something new, it will always improve your work. If your goal is to be the best artist you can possibly be, then I think its important to be as educated as possible about other ways of making art and to really delve into experiences outside of art that can inspire your work. Artists who have really changed history, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, or John Baldessari, could never have made this work had they not been investigating things outside of what they were "good at." Da Vinci was constantly challenging his own work and that is partly why he was not just an artist, but an inventor and a scientist.

I don't think I would have ever learned how to make sculpture if I had not tried it, and after doing it I learned that it was my bag. Another example is Juan's performance and Jay Taylor's collages.

With regard to the 10 drawing assignment- and Juan's response to it, I did not ask anyone to make a performance I said create 10 drawings without using a pen or pencil. I made clear to not tell you what to do. I instead made a restriction so that you might invent your own solution to the problem. If you look up the word drawing in the dictionary, ( I assume someone has done this already) you find a variety of definitions. The art definition is just one way to think about this. I am still expecting to see more "drawings" when I come back and two weeks is a lot of time to develop something. This also makes me think about a few months back, when Jay took an assignment and turned it on its head, surprising us with his use of found objects.

The least successful artists to me, are those whose work reflects no investigation, curiosity or imagination regardless of how refined their skill is. It is not my interest to just focus on drawing skills because that is only one small part of making art and I started the class thinking that this was what I should teach, because I had no idea what to expect in the institution itself and drawing is the safest thing to really enter a class with. However, what you taught me very soon after was that you were much more advanced and could really grapple with more sophisticated ideas and that many of you already had cultivated drawing styles and were learning from each other the same principles that I was bringing in. I imagine that there may be those among you who have skills much beyond mine in this regard.

I understand that it may be a time issue- that you'd rather be working on the art that you want to do but this is why there is a class- set aside from everything else. When class ends, you have the things that I brought you and you have all of your time to continue making the work you are making. I also encourage you to make the assignments your own. Don't give me what you think I want. These assignments are designed so that you can do what you want with them. Some of the best work comes when you challenge my assignments as Juan did- and as Blal pointed out, accurately, in his assessment of me- if you try, then I am interested. If you don't try at all then there is nothing for me to respond to one way or another- and I feel like it is in your own best interest to take advantage of my willingness to respond to your work when I am there.

I am glad that Bush brought up the discussion about my not saying "I don't like that" because I want to be very clear about this. I am not coming to class in order for you to show me something that I will or won't like. This is why I usually leave my opinions out of it. I find it irritating and dishonest to try to make art that seeks approval in this way. It is much harder to be truthful to ones own inspiration and make work from what drives you than it is to try to figure out what will make other people happy. I do think that there is a place for this type of thought in things like cards or graphic work, but when you are making your own art, you have the freedom to make the work that you want and to be convinced of its own value yourself and I hope that you can exploit this because it is the greatest thing about art and if you don't use it than it is a missed opportunity.

And secondly, if you really want to know what I like and don't like, you can simply pay attention to my demeanor because I don't conceal what I do and don't like. It must have been quite obvious that I liked Juan's performance. Regardless, what is good about Bush bringing this up is that it made me want to express that I think its important You to figure out what you like and WHY you like it. Again, good art never comes from seeking approval- you must figure out what you like and don't like and not try to impress others. I think the weakest of artwork comes from this place of hoping for acceptance and the strongest comes from the artist who is willing to take the risk to do what they envision regardless of whether it will be liked or not. Some people will like your work and some won't. This is always the case.

I have seen many things that are executed properly, and have all the "right elements" of design, composition, skill, color, and have left me feeling completely uninspired. I also "like" things for a variety of reasons. I think it is very possible to like something doesn't follow any of the "rules" and generally I am more inclined toward art that challenges rather than conforms, but that is a personal preference and someone else may have a completely different opinion.

From now on in any of our critiques if you say, "I like that." Or " I don't like that" you must back it up. It makes you a more sensitive viewer to understand your own taste. I think also that it was a very good comment that Juan made last time to express the difference between the type of expression of taste that you have when buying an item at a store versus critiquing someone's work in a class.

I want to describe to you a work of art that I myself experienced. When you walk into the room you are aware of a big blue square above your head. You start to look at this square for a little while and then notice a cloud drift by and then a bird, and then you notice the square start to change shade a little bit. You realize that the room is very cold and the air feels much different than in any of the other rooms. The artist, James Turrell made this piece by cutting out the ceiling in the room.

I write now because I was reminded of the experience I had because there was an interview with James Turrell on the radio because a science teacher brought his students in to see the piece, and when asked why he taught his students art he said that scientists have something to learn from the way artists observe the world.