Time and Place
Hey, there sports fans, Al here with the latest:
Well as it turns out, yet another move of a physical means has once again transpired and this kid, this lone artist has once again transported himself to a new/old home. I feel like a member of a Star Ship that has transported down to the surface a planet that I was stationed on and have come back on a new mission. I feel that way every time I step out the door of the house onto the porch and look around. I have moved back into the same old neighborhood, the same ol’ house and friendly roommate, and the same old bedroom that I once had where so many of my ideas burst forth. And with moving into this very familiar area I am visited upon by old habits.
Habits rolling in like wearing a well-worn pair of shoes but with one major change, the looming pandemic. It has left its thumbprint over everything familiar. Old places that I used to roost at, bars where I used to draw are no longer a situation that I can do.
That deal is over.
It's cutting into my business as far as commission go. How does this all relate to art you may say? A great deal, actually as I stopped in at a local bar. As I was chumming around with a few people over a pint the curator of one of my first shows happened to be in and we started talking. Prints might be the way to go along with magnet hangers to hold them up as opposed to frames for the original scratchboard pieces. There was even talk about the small nameplates that are posted with each image with a caveat of “original available” for sale. This could be a new way of looking at selling work. Not everybody has the disposable income that they once had. Shows really how fragile we all are in a situation that shuts down the world.
There is hope that artwork will continue. In an old familiar area, surrounded by old friends who have supported me for a long time. And after all, this has happened new works keep getting created. Once done, they’ll be ready for sale. That is the best one could hope for.
BUT there is one thing during the year that has come around which is one of those dates that I wait for- INKTOBER!
Now of course the beginning of this if memory serves I got involved with it in 2015. Most of the time it has been an interesting event to be a part of. Seeing what I take as a literal word and turn it into something visual. Of course, someone I know had to point out that there was an infringement issue on the use of “inktober” as a brand to another artist that created something very similar to a lot of the same ideas of what creates for the artists. This also comes up when so many people have been polarized by current events in the world. I looked into this a bit and found that the problems exist. What I came back with after reading the article was this: Every artist, every musician gets “ripped off every day”. Is this right? Hell no it isn’t, but people have been doing for years. And it ain’t gonna stop either. Will I stop using the prompts? Maybe. We’ll see. I do know that there are people who during October do post a new image once a day but aren’t using any pre-determined prompts to help an artist generate new imagery. SO there you have it a new move, change, and a place to breathe a little easier.