Commercial vs. Conceptual

Friday, August 6, 2010

I was asked to be part of an article for Sculpture Review Magazine about ceramic artists - and of course I was delighted. The woman who is writing it is Ellen B. Cutler. - check her out - she’s awesome (www.ellenbcutler.com). But before we talked on the phone she sent me a questionnaire - as she did with the other artists. Some of the questions were general and some were artist specific - all of them were incredibly thought-provoking and relevant and made me want to answer and know her. One of them sparked the last blog entry. I realize I do so much better with questions than just talking.

It was interesting that she KNEW I loved Manuel Neri,

Artist Manuel Neri

and she KNEW that I was a California artist - we talked about this on the phone after she received my written answers-something about the light and relationship to nature. We talked about the TV show The Next Great Artist, which I have now been watching religiously. I find it fascinating - although the ‘artspeak’ kind of drives me nuts sometimes. I must admit I am envious of the time of making art in a bubble - nothing else - tons of dialogue and diverse perspectives - but I also wouldn’t go back to that time in my life for the world. Read Ellen’s blog about it. It’s FABULOUS. One of the things I have dealt with a lot in my life is the commerce vs. conceptual artist and the struggles and how well each one succeeds depending on their “training ” and how they think.

I have had to do a lot of commercial work in my life, and am grateful for it. At one time I hid it, as a FINE artist. But it honed my skills, bought my kilns, allowed me to be my own patron as my collector base grew, and taught me the difference between my craft and my art. I likened it to playing scales as a pianist. I am not apologetic for it any more. I’ve never had to wait tables - I’ve always sculpted for a living - that’s saying something!