Heavy Metal Band Gojira Hits Hard at Extinction Crisis
It is not every day that I listen to heavy metal. I usually play Renaissance or Baroque music quietly in the background when I am painting. Sometimes even Gregorian chants. It is all part of creating an ambiance within which I can channel thoughts clearly into my work. I find that a quiet, calm, even […]
Art for Arts Sake or Art for Our Sake?
I started a movement. It is called the Art for Our Sake movement. I started this campaign for a couple reasons. First, there is an important role for artists to play right now. The world is facing a lot of very big challenges. Second, I think we need to clear the air about “art for […]
Entering the World of NFT Blockchain Art
I admit it. I have Beeple envy. Say what? For those of you who missed the news cycle in early May, Beeple is the digital artist whose digital work sold at Christie’s for $69 million. This caught many people who had not been following the world of crypto art by surprise. I was one of […]
Art for Our Sake— Space Art Promotes Space Exploration
The Art for Our Sake movement takes the position that in this time of exceptional world crises, artists can and should be a powerful force pointing the way toward solutions. One of the problems associated with the movement, however, is that not everyone agrees on the direction humanity proceeds in. That is obvious since we […]
From my library: In defense of John Gurche
I recently came across an article in “Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution” by Ryan Campbell and others entitled “Visual Depictions of Our Evolutionary Past: A Broad Case Study Concerning the Need for Quantitative Methods of Soft Tissue Reconstruction and Art-Science Collaborations.” The article is about the need for artists to use more rigorous methods when […]
What Is Conceptual Realism?
Wondering what it means when art is called conceptual realism? In this video, I explain the idea and provide some examples of artists doing this sort of work.
Art for Our Sake–Conceptual realism meets extinction art
The idea that we need to replace the paradigm of Art for Art’s Sake with Art for Our Sake is one that, fortunately, resonates with some artists today. Tasmanian artist, Lucienne Rickard, is one of those. She recently provided a great example with her project “Extinction Studies,” a performance art piece prepared for the Tasmanian […]
It Is Time for “Art for Our Sake”—Part One
Have you ever visited an art museum or gallery and found yourself wondering what you are looking at? Have you thought that perhaps some art has lost its way? Then you might want to read on. One of the reasons you are reacting to the art in this way is that you live in an […]
It Is Time for “Art for Our Sake”—Part Two
The art world paradigm of art for art’s sake was inseparable from the birth of modern art. Purpose and narrative in art gave way to expressions of inner emotions, experimentation with materials and abstraction. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that it was accompanied by a conscious attack on classical art by artists and writers. […]
From My Library: An Amazing Book on Color and Light for Artists
From My Library An Amazing Book on Color and Light for Artists Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney As I was reviewing drawing assignments submitted by my animal anatomy students I realized that many of them shared the same weakness—light and color. I told these students, as I have […]
