Step into my Brain
As anyone who's still left has noticed, it's been pretty quiet here. This is because I wanted this blohhhgggggg (god, the word still grates) to be about art, not about what I had for lunch or this cool new quiz I found, etc etc. 2005 was a lousy year for art, for me. No art = no talking about art = cobwebs here.
Something I admire about the online communications of Warren Ellis is that he lets you in on his thought processes a bit (not too far in, for which I am probably thankful). Now that I have a few art-related thoughts for the first time in a while, I'll follow suit.
Art-wise, I'm clearing the decks; nothing is currently for sale by me (there are El Reys at a few places in SF for sale). The big canvases and such I donated to the St. John's center for their fundraiser; the prints and stencil pictures and t-shirts, I ran out of and didn't make more. Part of this was sheer laziness, but part is restlessness and uncertainty.
The National Product show has ended and I can tell the truth: the pictures were maybe somewhat uninspired. Professionally executed, to the degree that I am able, but maybe lacking some pep. Maybe it's like playing music; I grimace at the wrong notes but no one in the audience even notices. I felt it, though.
I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I freelance non-art-stuff for a living, and since the art's been quiet, I've been wondering if I should go full-time at the day job and let the art be quiet or drift away like music did, for me (I used to play in bands, write songs, wear leather pants, etc.).
But then I get a phone call from Mark in Idaho (who I still have to call back--sorry Mark!), who made the effort to find my phone number (it's not on my site anywhere) to call and see if I have anything else for sale that's not online. And Andrew, who emailed over the holiday to know if I had anything big for sale (congrats on the presumably new, bigger apartment, Andrew)!
It seems a waste to ignore this good will and actual fans that have accumulated over the last almost-five years. "Sin to waste it," as Mama Rey says.
Age plays into this too. If I was 23, I could dabble happily, not worrying much about anything, traipsing about fancy-free and letting art fall where it may. I'm not 23. If I'm gonna keep my non-art schedule light so I ostensibly have time to do art, I should do art once in a while.
I'm thinking of getting an etching press and doing more, bigger prints. 9 x 12 or so. Apartment living is a little more conducive to printmaking than stencil paintings. Part of my shtick is having art for sale that normal people can afford, and hand-made production of multiples, or homemade mass production, whatever you call it, seems the best route to this. Giclee prints of photographs of paintings is another way, I suppose, but seems expensive to get into.
I also have a hankering to paint big (3' x 4', like) and sloppy, just for the looseness of throwing a scratchy 2" housepaint brush around.
Maybe I could scare up some illustration work. A chance meeting of snazzy illustrator Paul Howalt last Xmas, and his kind words, and a random query from an agency in Australia lead me to believe that maybe something's there, that I should see what I can do.
Anyways, there, State of the Rey address. By all means, fill up the comments with any and all advice, suggestions, and mash notes. I could use all of 'em.
Something I admire about the online communications of Warren Ellis is that he lets you in on his thought processes a bit (not too far in, for which I am probably thankful). Now that I have a few art-related thoughts for the first time in a while, I'll follow suit.
Art-wise, I'm clearing the decks; nothing is currently for sale by me (there are El Reys at a few places in SF for sale). The big canvases and such I donated to the St. John's center for their fundraiser; the prints and stencil pictures and t-shirts, I ran out of and didn't make more. Part of this was sheer laziness, but part is restlessness and uncertainty.
The National Product show has ended and I can tell the truth: the pictures were maybe somewhat uninspired. Professionally executed, to the degree that I am able, but maybe lacking some pep. Maybe it's like playing music; I grimace at the wrong notes but no one in the audience even notices. I felt it, though.
I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I freelance non-art-stuff for a living, and since the art's been quiet, I've been wondering if I should go full-time at the day job and let the art be quiet or drift away like music did, for me (I used to play in bands, write songs, wear leather pants, etc.).
But then I get a phone call from Mark in Idaho (who I still have to call back--sorry Mark!), who made the effort to find my phone number (it's not on my site anywhere) to call and see if I have anything else for sale that's not online. And Andrew, who emailed over the holiday to know if I had anything big for sale (congrats on the presumably new, bigger apartment, Andrew)!
It seems a waste to ignore this good will and actual fans that have accumulated over the last almost-five years. "Sin to waste it," as Mama Rey says.
Age plays into this too. If I was 23, I could dabble happily, not worrying much about anything, traipsing about fancy-free and letting art fall where it may. I'm not 23. If I'm gonna keep my non-art schedule light so I ostensibly have time to do art, I should do art once in a while.
I'm thinking of getting an etching press and doing more, bigger prints. 9 x 12 or so. Apartment living is a little more conducive to printmaking than stencil paintings. Part of my shtick is having art for sale that normal people can afford, and hand-made production of multiples, or homemade mass production, whatever you call it, seems the best route to this. Giclee prints of photographs of paintings is another way, I suppose, but seems expensive to get into.
I also have a hankering to paint big (3' x 4', like) and sloppy, just for the looseness of throwing a scratchy 2" housepaint brush around.
Maybe I could scare up some illustration work. A chance meeting of snazzy illustrator Paul Howalt last Xmas, and his kind words, and a random query from an agency in Australia lead me to believe that maybe something's there, that I should see what I can do.
Anyways, there, State of the Rey address. By all means, fill up the comments with any and all advice, suggestions, and mash notes. I could use all of 'em.
8 Comments:
Keep up the art! I've been thinking about buying something for awhile now, and I'd love to see new work. I like the idea of bigger prints, and art that normal people can afford is fantastic. I guess this is encouragement more than advice or suggestion, but there you go.
As a maker of art, man I hear ya -- choices about where to go with your art and such and aging and... crap, now I'm all thinking about where I'm going with what I'm doing.
As a consumer and El Rey collector -- get cranking man! I was planning on giving El Rey to a bunch of folks for the holidays. So all those people got *nothing*.
I think illustration work sounds like a great idea. Just because I like the idea of combining one's love of art with one's work. And the illustration, she is perhaps a steadier paycheck for the maturing artist?
And of course you can work on your own Guernica in the backroom late at night when you're on deadline for the DPS for Cat Fancy.
Hey El Rey,
I totally know what you're talking about... art can be a heavy albatross when your heart's not in it all the way. I've been making my entire living with art for the last few years, and sometimes that takes the fun out of it. I can't imagine going back to the day job, but at the same time, once the art becomes the day job, well, sometimes it just drags.
Thing is, your work is excellent and people do want it. I don't know that you *owe* it to anyone (yourself or the audience) to continue, but I do know that new El Rey art will make the world a happier and brighter place. And we could all use a little extra light these days.
I say look for a new challenge, or find something to get passionate about, or try a new medium. Maybe you need to do something a bit destructive or controversial or stupid just to get the pulse up? I dunno, but I'd sure hate to see you give it up. I still don't have an El Rey of my own, but I want one.
You can't stop now, by gum.
Heh, "maturing artist."
Fuzzy, don't you go blaming Xmas on me when Hickory Farms is just a phone call away.
John, wow: "new El Rey art will make the world a happier and brighter place" -- a few years ago, a good bit past the late 20s crestfallen-making "Hmm. Perhaps I will not, in fact, be a Great Man," I consoled myself with "I have hundreds of El Reys out in the world. Maybe that's my contribution, a thousand 'heh's out in the world, little micro-improvements to people's lives."
I don't know if I have the gumption to ever take a run at full-time arting, but I definitely have it set up in my head (and lifestyle) that it's a part-time job.
Thanks, all of you.
Yeah! That means my shirt's a collector's item, right?
er, maybe a vacation/road trip w/ La Reina out of SF would help with the cobwebs?
You can't stop the art; You'd miss it, and we'd miss you, too.
Follow your gut, man, and best of luck to you. I will say this: I absolutely love my little "X-Ray Spex" print and have it hanging right over my computer where I see it every day. And my El Rey Brand t-shirt will be a rag by the end of the year.
You have a great sense of humor and that comes through in your work. If art is any part of what you decide to do, it will be desirable.
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