Why Curvism Art?
Why Curvism Art? (Written 6/7/07)
I am in the middle of several art projects: making 25 small sacred shrines, making a movie about the Green River, and making a movie about the Black River. I want to throw myself into several new art projects: a series of elliptical paintings, printing off and framing 30 to 40 elliptical photographic self portraits (of my shadow, hand, foot), plus an idea for seven sculptures, and working on my next book.
Why? Why am I still involved with making art? My studio is packed full of art that I can’t sell because nobody wants to buy it. It seems difficult to even give it away. So why do I still want to make more Curvism art when no one cares about Curvism in spite of my continuing to send out letters, books and emails trying to generate interest for Curvism in the art world? Am I still chasing after fortune and fame? Why can’t I forget about art?
Without art my life would be boring and bland; unmemorable, and unlivable. If I had not thrown myself into art I probably would have thrown my life away into something destructively exciting-like being a wall street banker or stock trader, or a politician, or a military volunteer or perhaps a cocaine/meth addict. Art at least has the possibility at times of being connected to the spiritual. Maybe that is the answer to my question as to why I continue to create art. Art is the best way I know to see, feel, hear, taste and touch the spiritual. It is through art that the spiritual reveals itself through the physical.
Curvism in Cyberspace
Curvism in Cyberspace (Written 3/13/07)
The Curvism art show at Flanders Contemporary Art gallery is over. I sold one painting. Yesterday I packed all my unsold art into my van and drove slowly out of Minneapolis during rush hour and headed home. I’m glad I don’t live in the Cities. I don’t know how people do it day in and day out. Or why. Hundreds, and thousands and millions of cars all stuck in traffic. Who can dare to doubt the human cause of global warming? The cities.
Today I unpacked my van and put all my art back into storage in my art studio. In 1992 I built my art studio above a double garage addition to my house. The art studio measured 24 feet by 26 feet. At this point in time my usable space measures about six feet by twelve feet, the rest is art storage from floor to ceiling. I’m running out of space in my studio in which to create new art in. If I can’t sell my old art why should I make any new art? Maybe I should quite making real art and start making real abstract, virtual art. With the money I will receive from the sale of my one sold painting ($900) I could buy a good digital camera and have my studio and storage in cyberspace.
I would start by making a movie of me moving all my art out of the studio, documenting each piece, and building a large tower sculpture in my back yard using all my art. Then I would set fire to it all. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust and good riddance. A tower of babel reduced to ruble in a bonfire of the vanities. Real art can burn in hell! The digital image of the art will live forever in cyberspace heaven.
