This pass two weeks there is been attack to photographers in Art Fair Reviews (Facebook Group). This coming from photographers and others.
I really like to collect pottery but when I start seeing what my friends Chad Jerzak, Adam Egenolf and Thomas Harris do to produce the work they do and what entitle I appreciated a bit more. Each one of them has a unique style. More interesting was to learned how much the equipment cost to produce the work.
Wood working is something that enjoy since I am kid but never took as career. I took photography because I never been good with story telling but I found that with my photography I can communicate my feelings, desires, emotions and explore my insecurities. Every time I take a picture I am dealing with one those. Started in black and white and move to color. I learned that subject matter will determinate if the image will be in color or black and white. I started with with film and did not change to digital format until 2014. I have all my stupid reasons but I decide to get with the modern age.
I good camera and computer + software is not economical. Space in my place in premium. Search different alternatives and came with a system that work good for me. I take the pictures, go home, select the image that i like, open the raw files and bring to life, prepare the file for my lab and two days later I get my large pieces and start framing them.
For the galleries none of images go pass an edition of 25 of the image. For the art fair it goes to 250. This limited me to not produce commercial merchandise that devalue my work. I put effort and care in my work. I had a dream when came to Chicago to study photography in 1992. I am living my dream. I am proud of living my dream. I work hard for my dream.
If you do not consider this process not fine art artistic is nothing I can do to change your mind.
For those that do not understand why photography or digital art is fine art and feel to the need to keep attacking this mediums I will suggest to work in craft forget about us. We live in capitalism society and jurors are the buyers not the artists. Your attacks are no any more insulting than when an idiot said to painter my kind can put strips colors together and make that. Or my kid can cut images from other outlets in create a colleague.
If you think we have it easier than you you need to in field trip with few of us. We had been force a set rules that some people consider not fair because other medium can not do it. This story get old very fast. Those metal prints devalue the craft the answer is most likely, those canvas prints do that also and my images can pass as painting if start producing in canvas but feel that wrong and devalue the craft. Those the technology has devalue the craft yes it had done it. Those technology make our craft easier and your not that is not the photographers, digital artists etc. Painter now can paint in iPad pro and print the pieces in canvas, water color paper or any other paper media. Maybe instead of attacking you should consider learning more about the new out lets give you.
I found myself trying understand what is wrong with artists. I friend told you will think the art fairs artist will be closer group of people but instead they work against each other. It is hard to find artist that help each other. There is no reason to put somebody down to make you feel superior. If you want to know how america will be great again is by learning to understand and help each other and not putting limits and walls.
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Connie, I miss you, too. It was a great ride together.
I shoot great pictures. But I don't sell them. Because, I have created a niche in another art form that works best for me. I can totally relate, because I work with cut paper, in mosaic form, and constantly hear the "My kid did that in first grade," and..."I should try this at home, it looks easy." I have heard the diss against photographers of "Oh, they're selling the same photo 450 times, so it's not original." I have heard, "must be nice just to get more prints made for a show rather than paint a new canvas...." It's hard out there for photographers, and as an artist myself, I feel the struggles. I have several photographer friends who have explored printing on canvas, printing on metals, printing on metallic papers, etc. just to create something "new" that someone hasn't seen. I respect any artist who puts their visions out there for sale.
Oooh, Sandy! I miss hanging out with you ;)
C Z, I've used that line about a customer bringing me a piece and showing it to me. The classic was the woman who openly admitted that she wanted to photograph my work so she could take it home and copy it. Really?! I told she'd be happier if she followed her own path (but I really wanted to take her out into the parking lot and slap her silly!)
Most people realize that metal prints are mostly done by labs. That photographer are promoting drop ship and never see the prints. Basically he orders the print and get deliver to the customer which implies that he never saw the product. That could be a very smart way to do business but I can see why people are upset about this development.
People are upset about photographers using canvas prints because the bring down the prices of the paintings because some photographs in canvas look amazing.
The problem is not who prints what. It is how the photographers are adopting new ways to make their life easier and do not see how it degrades the value of the craft. What about if people express what you really feel and do not play games. I can only speak for myself and can tell you that each pieces comes back to me and sign and number by hand and then it is place in display.
If anyone thinks that photography medium is easier your are welcome to join us.
The reality is we should worry about our body of work. I do not have enough time to posting stuff in Facebook or reading because I need to care of business and create new work. When I am at the shows I walk away of my booth to stretch my bad knees is the only time I glance somebody else work. I really do not have time and energy to waste at the shows other than make sales. I do not care about buy and sale because if the show produce money I will come back.
I know that artists think that the shows are dying and not produce like 15 years ago. I promise you that problem is not world, it is artists cutting corners and presenting crap. Not keeping the display looking great and clean. Our presentation in general has gone down the tubes and same token the income. Maybe we should worry how to present my work and worry about creating great work than been concern about what joe and jane blow is doing down there. Those concerns really paid your bills.
Great point, Vera -- Roseanne was an eye opener. She probably sounds great in the shower though.
Bari, did you really say Steven DeSanto? Haven't heard that name for a long time ... a friend of ours who did shows for quite awhile. So sweet to hear him mentioned.
Bryan, that argument -- black and white vs color seems to be gone these days. Who even remembers black and white? But as a photographer you know photography's medium is light, and what a great way to honor that in black and white.
Oscar, I believe some of your angst is what other exhibitors have to say about photography. I've heard this said also, but also painters used to be chided if they sold "reproductions", "prints" (remember that old dpi imagery argument?) and whether they should be allowed in shows. Then there were the potters who were disparaged because they used "ram pressers" to make their pots. Then there were the wood guys who were in trouble because they used laser tools to create their work. Oh. how about when the bead stores started springing up and jewelers had to defend themselves if they had any purchased elements in their work, let alone the "bead stringers." Then the "printmakers" have pretty much gone away because of the introduction of "giclees", used by many, many 2 D artists.
I do hear from people who love to shoot and want to know the best shows to sell their travel photography, or who want to turn their love for photography into paying for itself. I've seen photographers who have done that and the ones that lasted soon learned to create original images and not postcards if they wanted to make it in this business.
Photography has been the bastard stepchild of the art field. Photographers have even debated if it was an art. Ansel Adams said that William Eggleston's show in New York shouldn't been shown because color is for amatuers.
People have a perception that photography is easy since everyone has a camera.
One of my responses to someone who criticizes some of my processed photo prints as not being real photos nor art is to show them a photo of a very realistic acrylic painting on masonite and ask them if they think that image is a photo and whether they consider it art. When they respond that the image is a photo and therefore not really art, I tell them that it's a painting, done by a great retired artist (Steven Desanto) and sold at an art show for $5,000. (One of the first artworks we purchased). "So now would you consider it as being art?" I ask them. People need to stop focusing so much an medium classification and just decide if the art speaks to them or not and if it does, buy it!
Artistic Elitism is nothing new. Even the early Impressionists were criticized. I saw a fabulous interview recently by Dan Rather with George Lucas. Lucas talking about his struggle to more or less remain true to his artistic vision and having felt he was not recognized as a cinamatic artist. He has always wanted to do documentaries or films that mattered vs. films that were a commercial success. Regarding Star Wars Lucas said (paraphrased), "It's not just about the cool stuff like the spaceships and weapons that made that connection with people, it's the STORY BEHIND IT. That's what nobody realized. They thought they could just go out and make movies like Star Wars with great special effects but they failed to duplicate that connection. They didn't realize it was the STORY that made the connection."
As artists, we all have a story to tell, no matter what the medium. That's what FINE ART is all about. It's not just being a craftsman although that is an important and admirable aspect in some mediums but not even completely necessary. It's the story from our heart, our experience that we tell. That story evokes an emotional response in the viewer and if they participate in that, well then they make THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION. That's it in a nutshell for me at least. Visual Artists, Actors, Musicians all put their heart out there in one form or another. If that heart is there, then it's art. It doesn't matter whether that artist pulls 10 or 250 prints from an image the message is encoded in that image as much as it was in the original.
Finally, when I hear people say, "I can do that" I would like to look at them and say, "Remember when Roseann Barr sang the National Anthem?" Give that a try (while mischievously smiling) if you feel frustrated.
I just suggest that if their son/daughter is that good they should apply to the next art fair or for inclusion in an art gallery.
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