R.I.P. Andrew Wyeth

Hi everyone:

Blogging music today: Def Jam's 10th Anniversary Box Set. This is one of only a couple of box sets I own, and I never get tired of it. Arguably the best collection of rap music ever compiled, by the world's most influential rap label. Public Enemy, LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys - the list goes on and on.

Well, the title of this post gives away the topic of today's blog entry. As many of you probably already know, Andrew Wyeth died on January 16th. Being from PA, the news made it to many of the media outlets, and I happened to catch an interview this week on NPR with the art critic for the New Yorker and an independent curator who worked on one of Wyeth's last shows. A debate ensued - one that has been going for a long time regarding his work, and I began to see a lot of parallels between his work and mine.

Admittedly, Wyeth wasn't one of those artists that I studied heavily during my career. I don't remember touching on him at all in art school and I never really gave him much of a thought. But then, I saw "Christina's World" in person, and I was completely blown away. The haunting nature of the work, the longing, the elongated limbs and exaggerated perspective - it is truly a remarkable piece - in my view, one of the greatest non-abstract paintings by an American artist of the 20th century.

The debate on Wyeth apparently has always been about how he shamelessly promoted himself and catered to his established audience with his familiar themes of rural living and the tough, hard-fought life of "ordinary" middle-class, working Americans. He was oftentimes viewed as conservative when anti-establishment was all the rage, and even voted Republican on occasion, much to the chagrin of other more liberal artists.

Seems to me that what people fail to realize is that he really was more "anti-establishment" than many of his contemporaries. He engaged in what many other folks though of as "realism", but his work could hardly be considered realistic in the traditional sense. In "Christina's World", he manipulated the landscape, figure, mood - breaking the conventions of realism to create a deliberate, personalized interpretation. He was his own man, not allowing himself to be swept up in trends he didn't find meaningful or attractive.

The part of the interview that really struck me was when a contemporary painter called in and basically said that Wyeth did nothing to advance the history of art. He wasn't on the forefront of anything, was arguably antiquated, and because he didn't work with contemporary, cutting- edge themes, he shouldn't be revered. In other words, it was a rant from a contemporary artist who hasn't gotten the attention he thinks he deserves and believes that only work readily identifiable as "cutting edge" (presumably in terms of thematics and medium) is worthy of mention.

The independent curator responded that while he may not have been addressing "sexy" contemporary ideas, all of his work was heavily influenced by themes with which we can all identify. Family, relationships, loss - crucial concepts to our very being. He kept kept returning to Maine and to PA for his inspiration and content - not because he was stuck in a rut his whole life, but because the connection he had with these places and the people in them is what energized his work.

For those of you who know my work, this probably sounds a little familiar to you. I definitely wouldn't call my work "realism", but I work with many of the same themes that Wyeth did. Loss, family, personal relationships and how they are connected to certain places, scenes and objects is at the core of my work. And let me tell you - I consider myself a contemporary artist and I think these themes will ALWAYS be valid. To me, the best of Wyeth's work accomplishes the rare feat of feeling both personal and universal at the same time.

So, Mr. Caller, if you're reading this, maybe you should try accomplishing that in YOUR studio. You may have a better shot at that fame you so desperately crave.

More to come next week...have a great weekend everyone!


-Marc

Distraction Jackson

Hi everyone:

I hope all of you are managing to stay warm. Definitely a bit on the chilly side lately - my Uncle was telling me that the last time he saw weather this cold was during Army basic training in the Rocky Mountains back in the '50's. He's told me all kinds of stories about it - guys eating snow, passing out along the trail, going to bed at 4:00 pm because it was too cold to do anything else, etc.

Blogging music today is "The Boss." Seeing him perform "The Rising" at the Inauguration on Saturday truly put the whole thing in perspective for me. Bruce, an acoustic guitar and a huge choir behind him - can it really get better than that?

So, as the title indicates, I want to talk about distractions. Not the "I'll worry about the laundry after American Idol" variety - something a little more valid than that (though admittedly, I'm a big Idol fan). I promised myself that I would focus on creating new work, not entering exhibitions, seeking out new representation, etc. After all, you need a cohesive body of current, kick-ass work to go out and promote with. But, I find myself being tempted by other things. I want to find that next perfect gallery/rep, and I'm getting impatient. I have no idea how long it will take to complete this "makeover" of my work, and I'm not sure I want to wait to explore until then. I guess this is something I'll just have to struggle with - perhaps a little "cheating" is ok, but as artists, it is really easy to do ourselves a disservice by promoting prematurely. I have to try and remember that and not fall into that trap.

I want to start shooting some new work this week or next week. I'll keep everyone posted. I've got this one spot I've been meaning to photograph for a long time now, but just haven't had the chance. I'm thinking the current snow on the ground might enhance things a bit - we'll see.

That's all for now. Stay warm in your igloos, and for those of you in California, keep your comments to yourself!


-Marc

Calibration Situation

Howdy!

Happy 2009 everyone! I hope you all had a festive holiday - hopefully we'll all have plenty of things to celebrate in the coming year.

I woke up with a cold this morning, so my brain is not exactly at functioning at peak level right now. But, I thought I would say hello, and maybe complain a little bit about something...(big shocker, I know)

So, I've come to realize that my laptop, where I do most of my image work (particularly related to the www.sirinsky.com site) displays color balance differently than every other computer on earth. Don't ask me why - I absolutely have no idea, but it's driving me nuts. The website can look perfect on my laptop, but it looks way off on most other comps. I've looked at the site on both Macs and PCs, and although they of course vary a little, it is certainly within the realm of acceptability. My specific laptop is clearly the problem.

That being said, I don't want to fully calibrate it because the majority of the people looking at the site will be viewing it on a monitor that isn't truly calibrated. But, I need to figure out something. I'll probably just need to find a machine that I can use as my "base" and adjust the color on my laptop to match it. We'll see. I spent hours this weekend adjusting the color on most of the images so they look good on at least my desktop at home. Hopefully, the site looks good to everyone else as well. If something seems goofy, let me know - always nice to have the feedback.

Other than that, not a whole lot of news. Show in Easton comes down next weekend and I was told by the gallery staff that the feedback was very positive. Not quite as good as a sale, but I'll take it!

Well, we're due to get an ice storm here, so I'm off to do a preemptive salt, etc. More soon...


-Marc

Broadsided and Broadened

Hey all:

Before I begin my all-important post for today (how's that for self-indulgent?), I owe a huge apology to Ara Lucia. I've mentioned her in a bunch of postings - she's been a crucial part of my artistic development. Well, somehow we got our signals crossed and she didn't know about the blog until she happened upon it during a web search. I told her how sorry I was, but Ara, if you're reading this, sorry again - you know you rock!

Speaking of Ara rocking - her new website is up, and y'all need to check it out. I sent a link to a video a few months back showing the "behind the scenes" scoop on the photo shoot she directed. But, the new website is great, the images from that shoot are super-cool, and she simply kicks ass. Check it out: http://www.aralucia.org/

Final piece of business - blogging music is Sugar. One of Bob Mould's wondrous creations from the 1990's - pure guitar-driven rock with great songwriting. Who could ask for more?

Ok, now that all of that's out of the way, I promised y'all something. I seem to recall saying that I would have some new images before the new year. So, I decided to shock and awe and give you 2 of them! How's that for over-achieving?

The funny thing is that they've been ready for a while, but I didn't really know it. Let me explain.

So, I'm all hot and heavy on this new watercolor-looking process I've been doing. And, I've been focusing on the water series pretty seriously. The problem is that when I get going on a style and theme, I tend to block out everything else. I find I get too distracted with other image- making prospects if I don't focus in one area at a time.

Well, that's all well and good, but sometimes when you do that, you miss some things. Sometimes, those things are pretty important.

See, one of the issues with the new style I'm doing is that only certain kinds of imagery actually work for it. Images that are mostly mid-tones without much contrast, tonal range, etc. don't work as well. So, I've eliminated a lot of images along the way. Many of them sucked to begin with, so no real loss - I had just hoped that maybe something magical would happen during the process. But, I had a few images that I really liked on their own that simply weren't working.

Last night, I spent some time working on the abstract image of the wave you see here. I was really excited about it, but after 10-15 attempts, it was clear it wasn't happening. Some prints looked ok, but it seemed like the power of the photo was completely sucked out by the process. My wife saw the image and didn't have much of a reaction. But, she saw the "original" photo on my screen and said, "Wow, I really like that!" And I said..."That's it!" Why should every image in a body of work have to be created exactly the same way? Using some images as is, without the full "process" being employed will work very nicely I think - these two new ones being prime examples. I think they still have some painterly qualities and they certainly fit into the theme. They make sense with the others - and I'm amazed about how this simple moment broadened the horizon for what this series can be. As an aside, the other shot posted here (which I'm calling "Beacon" for now) was actually another view of the "Buoy" photo on my website, but it didn't work as well during the process. On it's own, I'm pretty happy with it.

It's worth noting here that when I say "as is," that's a bit of a misnomer. All it really means is that the final step in the process is missing. The print-making process I'm using actually has 4-5 steps to it, so when you look at it that way, the image has still been through the ringer.

These two images are also now posted to my website: http://www.sirinsky.com/ I made a couple other changes to the site as well, and if you visit often, you'll probably notice. Not a major face lift or anything - just a little variety for the new year.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009. Until next year...

-Marc

Feeding Time

Hello everyone:

I'm guessing that if you're in New England, you're probably not reading this right now, due to the lovely ice storm you guys got as an early holiday present. How nice! Hope you guys are ok!

Blogging music today - Bad Religion Live at the Paladium. Right now, the song playing is "Fuck Armageddon, This is Hell." Damn, those guys still rock!!

Well, in my last post, I mentioned that I was in a new exhibition out here in PA. I went to the opening, not knowing what to expect - it was snowing/sleeting, the roads were icy, and some asshole was honking at me because I was going "too slow". Apologies that I didn't feel like slamming into something that night - but apparently he didn't care, since he tailed me for 2 miles and then when I parked, he made sure to slow down so I could see his middle finger. I've got a lot of ideas on what he can do with that finger, but I won't get into that now...

So, I didn't exactly walk into the opening in the greatest mood. But, actually, it was a very enjoyable evening. The gallery was packed with a very diverse crowd, drinks were flowing (perfect for driving on icy roads of course), and the show was actually quite good. I even liked how they hung my work - which I can't say very often. I made some great connections, got some good feedback, and topped off the evening with some sashimi and a glass of cold, unfiltered sake. Why can't all evenings end that way? Because I'd go broke, that's why!

Anyway, I'm having this problem that at first was surprising to me, but the more I think about it and analyze it, it makes sense. When I was "downsized" from my "job" recently, I had thought that while I was looking for a new gig, I be able to take the free time and create some great new art. Well, what I didn't realize is:

a. I have equal or less free time than I had before - because my childcare duties have increased, I'm in physical therapy for my knee and I'm looking for a new job almost every waking hour.

b. I don't feel creative right now - mainly because my fine art feeds off my success at "work."


The first point makes a lot of sense, and it was purely a miscalculation on my part. But the second part of this was very surprising to me. Obviously, one's state of mind is an important part of the creative process, but I didn't realize how much one career fed on the other. I learned early on to keep my commercial side and fine art side very separate (which is why I'm not a commercial photographer, etc.) - but I didn't fully understand the connection between the two until now.

I spoke with Ara (see earlier post) and I explained this to her, and she wasn't at all surprised. I usually know myself pretty well, but I guess on occasion, we all miss something.

I have one piece waiting to be made (about 1/2 way done) and then it will likely be time for me to start a new project. I have a very grandiose idea that I might share with you later, but it is going to take a long time to complete and planning for it could be pretty labor intensive. I have to snap myself out of this funk first - but writing about it is the first step I think.

Tomorrow is also the 1 year anniversary of my Mom's passing, and those of you who know me well understand that my relationship with her was...well...complicated. But, it's a rough time for me right now overall - which amplifies things. Also, I just found out a good friend of mine's mother is in the hospital, stricken with the same illness my Mom had. The coincidence in terms of timing, the illness itself, and the similarities in personalities between the two women is really uncanny. Best wishes for a speedy recovery...! (not calling her out by name, because the news is still very fresh).

Anyway, that's what I have for now. I'll post the new piece when it's done and I'll keep sharing news as it becomes available.

Winter is officially here - stay warm!


-Marc

Delayed Gratification

Hi Everyone:

Well, it's been a month (to the day) since my last post - so I thought it was time for me to pop in and say hello. Blogging music today is Bloc Party - their new album called "Intimacy". Good stuff - better than their last album, but not quite as good as their first one.

Now, before you start yelling at me, I have a few reasons for the delay. I won't take up the whole post with them - but the two main reasons are:

1. My company joined the ranks of the other major media companies and laid-off over 10% of their staff - including the Managing Art Director (who ran the dept), a very talented Senior Designer and myself. In other words, they are now operating without a true department head or a photo editor and have to put out their entire book list with 5 designers. In a way, I may have been one of the lucky ones (I had been looking to leave anyway). But, if anyone has inside knowledge of an open full-time Photo Director/Editor, Photo Producer, Art Buyer, or Image Rights and Licensing gig - let me know! Links to jobs on Mediabistro and HotJobs are nice and all, but I've been job-searching full-time the past few weeks and have probably seen everything from the "usual suspects."

2. I had knee surgery a week ago and have been hooped-up on all kinds of goofinthal. Granted, a blog post in that state would have been fun - but I wanted to tone it down a little so I didn't have a narcoleptic episode in the middle of a sentence. I've also had a steady flow of out-of-town family in to help- so it's been a bit chaotic.

See, told you I had good excuses. My time has been occupied with job-searching and hardcore narcotics (not to mention some extended child duties). But, it's time to get back to art...

Apparently, I'm going to be in a show opening next Saturday. It's at the gallery I mentioned in my previous post - out here in Easton, PA. I figured, why not? Also, the submission process was unlike anything I had ever heard before. The gallery has a short list of folks they call when they have a big, un-themed group show. Anyone who wants to then drops off their most recent work at the gallery - all in one night. The work is then curated from there, and whatever fits is kept for the show. If you don't get a call, your work is in and if you do, you pick up your work.

At first, I was a bit stymied by this methodology - every other gallery I have ever worked with who does open calls asks for JPEG's or slides and then if you're selected, you deliver the work a few weeks before the show. The whole thing seemed strange to me - and everyone I mentioned it to also thought it was weird.

But, on the night I dropped off the work, I realized why the gallery does it this way. It brings lots of artists together to look at each others work - BEFORE the show is actually curated and finished. The artists get to meet each other, get a preview of each other's work - and even view pieces that might be edited-out before the show is actually hung. And for a gallery that prides itself on being an anchor for a particular community, this model makes a lot of sense. It was actually a very enjoyable evening - I could have stayed 5 minutes if I wanted to, but actually was there almost 2 hours looking at work and meeting people. Good times!

I'm also supposed to be in a show at the end of February at Flatfile in Chicago. But, I have no idea which work they want - I know the show is called SEPIA - so all the work is...yep, you guessed it - sepia-toned, or sepia-looking! I should probably check in with them though.

I know I really need to make a couple new pieces. You'd think unemployment would allow me some free-time, but lately, I've actually been as busy, if not busier than I was when I was working. Also, now that my knee is all jacked-up, it's gonna be even harder, since the process I use requires a lot of standing, leaning, etc. But, I'll make this promise - I will have at least 1 new piece before the holidays. Well, let's call it goal rather than a promise, but it's one that I think is certainly achievable.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey, Turkducken, Tofurky, etc. I'm on the mend now, so more to come soon...

-Marc

No Means No

Hi everyone:

Well, after some turmoil at "work" and some chaos at home, I though it was time to escape for a while and cozy-up with a nice, hot cup of Blog. Blogging music today is...nothing... unless you count the extremely annoying sound of the vacuum cleaner at the coffee shop I'm at. That's what I get for leaving my headphones at home.

Anyway, I still haven't gotten to another printing session yet - but I do know which image I plan to try out first. Lots of business-related day trips recently and I just need a night when things are calm to give this one a shot. We'll see.

So, in my last blog, I kinda lambasted the idea of making something out of my scrap prints. And in general, I still do feel that way, but I'm starting to think about keeping the first couple prints that aren't quite there (but close) and labeling them as artist's proofs. The ones that clearly suck are getting ditched- but maybe an artist's proof or two wouldn't be a terrible idea. Sometimes they have an interesting look and there could be some inherent value there, since they'll look very different from the rest of the edition. We'll see - gotta think about it some more.

On the gallery/exhibition front, I had something happen recently that I thought could be good to discuss tonight. A while ago, a friend of mine hooked me up with a gallery director in TN - and we talked about my participation in an upcoming show. I was booked for other shows at the time and the gallery's schedule hadn't been finalized, but the discussion went on for a few months. Then, the director contacted me again and indicated that the gallery was changing its business model from a traditional artist/gallery relationship (with a standard commission percentage) to one where the artist pays a flat fee, in essence "renting" the space, with a significantly lower commission. Basically, I said thanks, but no thanks - indicating that I wasn't interested in a "pay to show" arrangement at this point in my career. But I told them to keep me posted on developments at the gallery, etc.

Well, the gallery closed (big surprise) and the director became a partner in another space. That space then contacted me 2 weeks ago, indicating that they "received my submission" (which of course they didn't - I never sent them one), and that they had space available for a show...in NOVEMBER! And of course, the agreement asked for a flat fee to cover promotion, postcards, etc. And I literally copied the response I sent the last go-around and sent it again.

This goes back to something I touched on in an earlier post: I didn't want to come off as a snob here - but I wanted to be honest. Everyone gets to a point in their career (whatever career i may be) where there are things they simply will no longer agree to. Mine are the following, and have been for quite some time:

-Paying someone to show my work. I know lots of galleries, especially new ones, have trouble making ends meet- but a 50% commission on artwork sold should be good enough. And besides, with an upfront fee and lower commission, where's the incentive for a gallery or rep to sell work?

-Install my own work. It's a good thing to know how to do when you're first starting out, but the days of me taking time off of work to paint gallery walls, light and hang my own work are long over. Some might argue that you have more control over how your work is shown when you hang it yourself, but honestly, I don't have the time or energy for it.

-No coffee shop shows. I enacted this policy many years ago - and I'm glad I did. Some work looks, shows and sells very well in that setting - but mine doesn't, and besides, you generally have to hang it yourself. Historically for me - a lot of effort for very little gain.

I may not be ready for my retrospective at MOMA, but I know what my goals are and I've been showing long enough where I feel I can say no to some things. And, better that than to agree to something and be sorry you did later - which has happened to me many times over the years.

Quick business note: The PACA "Art Buyer's" panel I mentioned in a previous blog entry happened on Saturday, and overall, it was a very positive experience. Met some cool people and saw some folks I hadn't seen in a while. Myself and the other members of the panel seemed to have a good chemistry and the audience was very complimentary afterwards. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Heading back to NYC tomorrow for the annual Picturehouse conference. That makes 3 NYC trips in 3 weeks. Makes for some long days, but I always manage to squeeze in a good meal.

That's all I've got for now. Hopefully the next time we chat I'll have some work to share.

-Marc