“paintings An Endangered Species In The Art World”
Artists worldwide have a growing fear the epidemic is everywhere and they see what was talked about in the Bible thousands of years ago running out of control. In Psalm 115:6 It says: “They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;” Today we have a global society chatting words and more words that are beyond understanding with their primary focuses on “self, money and greed”. It’s “Twit babble “, where individuals are more interested in seeing their own branding than writing anything meaningful. To the artists that side of the disparity pale in comparison to the second part, “eyes, but they cannot see.
Artists have been gifted a talent and yet they are all different, especially we painters. Each of us have our own little things that makes us just a little bit different from the next palette, brush or digital pen person. That’s why painters who commit forgery get caught. That personal thing which makes you; you as a “painter” is unique and most of us spend a life time trying to find it. We “Painters” are a unique breed of snowflakes. We are “players”, “coaches”, “referees”, “score keepers”, and “fans” all in one. Some sell hotdogs and some sell peanuts and just about all of us are exhibiting works for sale. Most think; some I’m sad to say don’t. Most of us plan and practice; a lot of us not enough. We hem and we haw; we give and they take. We worry and we fret. We are in a constant state of trying to achieve perfection in an imperfect science. It’s sort of like golf. Like golf as well, we are always tinkering with our game, a change here and a change there, and we don’t play in sand well either. Thankfully we seem to always have a good eraser, sheet of paper, or gesso. Most of us are alone without being alone. We validate by our own thoughts and by our own judgments, and truth be known they don’t need to be affirmed by a sale. Most of all you can see the passion and personality as well as the struggle in all of our works as we live out through them. Even if most aren’t making a decent living working their craft. For painters, it’s about our struggles in expressions, our loves and a whole bunch more.
Our worry is that today is worse than ever before. Our worry is that the self defacing, self absorbing, self oriented society can no longer “see”. It has no time for it and it won’t make time. Demands for personal attention are far beyond any generation before. The global society is so enthralled with gadgetry, filling every empty spot in their head with the newest tune, and with what is next for me that it has forgotten family, friends, vows, promises, foundational beliefs and most of all time. Stuff has filled every moment of every schedule. Truth, passion, tears have worked their way from hearts to branded tattoos on all parts of the body.
What does all this mean? It means the few who look and listen and actually “see” are becoming endangered. This means the messages and the passions and positive effects on all aspects of one’s life gained from acquiring paintings, beautiful, meaningful, heart-stopping paintings, are moving with the polar bear to be an endangered species.
Please, please, please say it”ain’t” so! But, don’t use the babble of today; prove it!
Douglas Auld
Copyright MMIX Douglas Auld, all rights reserved
