Blog: Is competition bad for art?

Well thanks bunches Jeffrey Pergament – and here you are on my articles page. Jeffrey Pergament made a comment about a work of mine (Eagles Nest – see above) and artists competing – here is my reply to him Re competing with other artists – I just read a short bleep for a book called “The Art Of Rivalry” by Sebastian Smee. Here is a quote – pulitzer prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee details a history of modernism contingent on intimate relationships between major artists. The competitive friendships of Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, and Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon motivated them to create boundary pushing works.”

I have to agree by putting yourself out there it pushes you to think and look beyond your comfort zone. Yes it is subjective – but because all my recent work tries to have a conceptual element to it I am able to speak to those subjectivists – and it challenges me to be able to stay on the play ground and not have sand thrown in my face. So I go for it – it is my voice. Forget all the government $$$ if I let that govern what I do I would do nothing – absolutely nothing and I don’t want anything to be able to control me that much. Re the “without hands” comment about my “without hands” comment – it is all about freedom – and it is my legs which are stabilizing me then ok – I choose to have them do that – but if there is an elf holding on to my legs like some politicians might want to do – or some something else might want to do – I am not free and you will find me screaming for help and release. That goes for when someone tickles me also – such pain and definitely control.

Jeffrey Pergament also comment on putting titles on my work – so to come images and words – is one more powerful than the other. Thanks for all the inspiration Jeffrey Pergament.