Zion Art Exhibition

Update: I didn't post this in time, sorry.

This exhibit closes soon but I really enjoyed it so I want to share that if you're in the area you should check it out. I didn't love every piece but there were a lot of really great works and I was reminded of the things that I want to be as an artist and what I want to bring to my art. It's a good reminder and motivator for me to make art a priority in my life. I just started a new full time job and making art is giing to be more challenging but it's soo important to me.

I had an art filled weekend, I checked out the exhibits at the MOA, this was my favorite. Then we hit up the Springville Museum of Art, this was a fun and informative exhibit.
It's good to be visiting art exhibits again, I haven't done that enough recently. Here's to being better going forward.

More Museums

I was able to visit two of my local museums a few days ago and it was great. The Springville Museum had a variety of exhibits but the one I was most intrigued by was Fahimeh Amiri's miniatures, she learned the tradition and technique when she was a child, they are fascinating.

I also returned home to my alma mater and visited the MOA. They have a stunning exhibit, Treasures of British Art 1400-2000. I was thrilled to see paintings dating from the renaissance and of such famous subjects as the Tudors. I highly recommend checking it out!

Important words on the arts

Today I was fortunate to come across this speech which was given at Brigham Young University (my alma mater) in February 1976 by the recently departed President Boyd K. Packer. I read the speech and now I feel like I need to go back and study it over and over again. My faith is very important to me both as a person and as an artist and though my art is currently not overly representational, I try to instill my beliefs into my art.
I have yet to "make it" in the art world, I'm still in what is technically the starving artist phase, meaning I've only sold one painting so far. I feel that I was guided to study art, I was incredibly fortunate to be able to study with Wulf Barsch and other wonderful teacher/artists; it can be discouraging to still not be where I would hope to be. I wonder if I'm doing the right thing and if I'm working hard enough at what I do, honing my skills or squandering my education and talent.
I don't want to be famous but I aspire to be a great artist, for my art to have the impact and influence that some of my art heroes have had, Durer, da Vinci, etc. both with secular and spiritual art. I hope that by studying this speech and working and reevaluating where I'm at, I can come closer to my hopes, dreams and goals.
You should read it too, there are some great things said.

Creativity

Recently the president of Pixar, Ed Catmull spoke at my alma mater. I wasn't able to attend but I read the news release. It sounds like it was a really great speech. In the speech Catmull said that "Creativity is about solving problems." and warning there's a possible rant here. I think that quote is absolutely true. I know a lot of science/math type people and they're always talking about the importance of math for problem solving skills, and I'm sure that's true (I believe in these conversations I was questioning the actual use and practicality of higher maths for most people) but I always argued that I had problem solving skills and math is not the author of them. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that while math and science are great, I'm really sick of them being touted like they're the only virtues while the arts get side lined. The arts have such great power and creativity is useful to everyone! Anyway read the article, it's a good one!

Power of art

When I was in school I bought a book on Albrecht Durer, I like Durer's work and I thought not much more of it than that. I noticed something about this book though, I often looked through it, studying Durer's work and admiring it, eventually I noticed that times when I unhappy etc. and happened to flip through this book, I found my mood would improve by the time I had looked through the book and the images of Durer's work.
Art is powerful, it has the power to make our lives better, or I suppose worse if used incorrectly, art has power.

Skill versus "expression"

I read this article the other day and it's really been making me think. The article is about "de-skilling" in art education, I'm having a hard time summing up what they mean by de-skilling but the article really does explain it well.
I believe there are lots of fantastic art educators out there, I've been lucky enough to learn with some of them, but there are also lack luster art educators.
My first year of college, studying art there were many class debates on the definition of art, long and heated debates that never got anywhere. It was very discouraging, how many subjects do you know that can't clearly define themselves?
My turning point was a professor who had a clear, simple definition that rang true with me: art is craftsmanship plus inspiration.
Craftsmanship! there we go, a lack of craftsmanship! Or a lack of appreciation for craftsmanship, that's what they mean when they say de-skilling. I had some classes that were so much less about learning the skill of the class, as they were about learning or perfecting art skills, as they were about expressing oneself, I got my only 'c' in college in such a class. (I will admit that I was out of my element in the class and had no previous experience in the medium, but I did put real effort in and completed all my assignments.)
Getting back to topic, while one's style of art may not be academic realism, how could it possibly be a set back to have more knowledge of art and more skills? Picasso, Monet, etc. all studied academic methods before landing upon their various styles.
I don't know if I got this all out in the way I wanted but if nothing else I hope people will read the article and think about the issue.

Museums

I've had two museum trips in the last two days, which is awesome...not that I think about it I actually was at a third but it wasn't actually to see art (they're in between exhibits etc. more on that later perhaps). Anyway I really want to encourage anyone who hasn't yet gone to this exhibit, to do so because it's really great. I had the chance to go to a symposium on the exhibit last Friday and it was cool to learn more about the exhibit, the pieces themselves and the artists. Anyway see the exhibit, don't forget to make your reservation and bring your ticket with you.
If you can't make it there then think about downloading the free app that goes along with the exhibit, it'll be almost like you could go...except for the awesome being there part.
Anyway, go and do!