hi--
i'm a new member...haven't actually posted much yet though.
just some thoughts on the subject of "rustic", "naive", or
"innocent" art.
i'm thinking that design/composition is either well done or not..
choices of materials and the way it is put together (craft) needs
to be skillfully done to create a "well made book" or to begin any
art. this hopefully is the basis or point of departure of an
"artists' book". the next step -- whether you use leather, paper,
metals, wood or car tires and/or any other idiosyncratic materials
is, again, how it's put together + your intent. you can create
pages that are manipulated by folding or by sewing other materials
together or even welded together these are some of the elements
that will define whether it appears chaotic, rustic, elegant or
traditional the artist needs to bring their sensibility to that
particular book and go with their ideas and what the materials
dictate to create a unified book. while the art/craft of book
binding has a rich history, the book form has found a new "life" as
"artists' books". many ideas adopted by artists and used in their
art...is received by purists as bastardizing something sacred while
it should be embraced as a new approach to an old idea.
i know i started with a very traditional background in binding
books and have adopted those basic, traditional ideas, and brought
them to a different level by challenging the boundaries of the
form. with the use of materials such as copper,brass, steel and
fiberglass with paper i've been able to create very unified "books"
as well as making a piece of art. it may help to think of it as a
journey -- the idea of "book" takes an artist + their sensibility +
his/her level of expertise + their intent.
so to master what it is you call rustic...you need to work with
materials you know and understand and be open to the limitations a
material has, as well as challenge these limitations or your idea
and be open to solve another problem to make the piece work -- you
have to give something up to get something.
just another point of view...
best of luck,
victoria kniering
pleiades press
On Jan 1, 2008, at 12:52 PM, Kathleen Garness wrote:
There are many POVs of course on this, but Kate's comment reminds
me of my days at the Art Institute where the critiques were
unnecessarily blisteringly cruel and unhelpful. I remember young
artists in tears after such daily sessions. An abuse of power on
the part of the instructor and the fellow students was my
considered opinion. Of course there were those who would say 'if
you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen' but I felt that
everyone there paid their tuition and so had an equal right to
respect and understanding of their approach. What was also
interesting was that the instructors would say "don't copy/imitate
what I do but if you didn't you'd flunk the class... : / We
quickly learned to articulate our reasons why we took a particular
approach and also developed rhinoceros hide... A friend who
studied at the neighboring campus of the University of Illinois
experienced pretty much the same thing.
Having standards with examples and discussion about them is
important. When that doesn't happen, isn't that a disservice to
the student?
Kathy G
On Jan 1, 2008, at 5:40 AM, Kate Hanson wrote:
Sort of reminds me of my studio mate's first critique as an MFA
candidate.
The professor came in, looked at her drawing and asked, "Did you
draw that
badly on purpose?"
Every Day Is a New Beginning
"The friendships we develop determine the quality of our own
souls" Joan Chittister, OSB
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