Art Makes Us Human

 It is beyond my comprehension that some parents could possibly be offended by their middle school allowing a teacher to show a picture of Michelangelo's David in art class. I would absolutely want my child to see a picture of Michelangelo's David in or out of school. 

I believe our lives are immeasurably enriched by art. Art in all its forms, sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, music.As an artist, I have spent many wonderful hours struggling with the challenge of drawing the human form. We draw the human body because it's so difficult to do.  

One of the things that separates humans from other animals is art. We make art. We make art to explain and explore our lives and surroundings. It is a natural extension of our vision to depict the human body through art. 

I am distraught that we live in times where art and artists are banned and banished. I am immeasurably sad that our government seeks to hide art from our eyes. To ban books that might educate and entertain. What will be next. As an artist, I believe it is my calling to celebrate the humanness of us all through art. 

Gallery 500 Show

 I am currently showing one of my paintings in a group show at Gallery 500 in Daytona Beach. I have not yet been there to see the show. It is Bike Week in Daytona Beach right now, and the roads are packed. Hopefully next week I'll get there to see all the works, and to provide my own version of judging. The painting I entered is a small watercolor painting called "The Tortilleria" which literally means the tortilla shop. My reference picture was taken by me somewhere out west in Mexico. I honestly don't remember. It may have been taken in Guanajuato or possibly San Miguel de Allende. 

In this painting I wanted to show the simple shapes and dreamy colors of the region. To me, Mexico is a magical place. The rules are different, things look different, the language is different. And most of all I feel different when I'm in Mexico, somehow more at home. I am endlessly intrigued by the Mexican culture, and that is absolutely Culture and culture. With a big c and a small c. The high blown and the quirky commonplace. 

More of my Mexico series can be seen on my site - www.art-online.biz and prints are for sale on artpal.com . If you are interested in originals some of my paintings are for sale. Feel free to contact me directly. 941-237-0951 or thought the contact form on this page.

St Augustine Show - Faces & Figures

 I entered these two drawings in the Faces & Figures show at the St. Augustine Art Association. I had not shown anything in years. And, I'm very happy to show these off. Both are very recent, within the past several months.

The drawing of the old man on the right was done with colored pencils. I named him "Uncle Joe" although, in fact, I used a random photo I found online as a reference. The description: “This portrait is a tribute to all the homeless people in our great land of plenty. He could be a vet, or a man just down on his luck, or … maybe … someone’s Uncle Joe.”

The portrait of the woman, below, is called "Messy Hair" and is done completely by scribbling with ball many different colors of ball  point pens. Miss Messy's description says, " “Remember me with my bare feet and messy hair as the wild child I was.”

I disagree with the judge's choices for the winning works. While I was viewing this show, with the help and indulgence of a lovely woman named Gail who was a volunteer docent, I chose my own winners. I disqualify myself from my judging, since sour grapes is not appropriate for a grown up rational and reasonable artist. 

In my opinion as self-appointed art critic and judge, the best in show goes to Rosamond Parrish' for her pastel called, "Rosalie at Dawn". I find it elegant and sublime. Since I did not plan ahead well enough to ask permission to include any other artists' works here, I'll only include a link - @rosamond.parrish on Instagram.

My next imaginary award goes to Mary Felton for her charcoal, titled: "Honeymoon". The folds of the figure's black dress pour over the form in perfect contrast to the stark white skin tones. Lovely. See more here.

Third place award goes to Terri Clermont for her watercolor, "Kiyohime". I especially enjoyed the Oriental style. The simplicity of this piece appeals to me on many levels. I found her Facebook page which includes many more delightful works.  

 

Welcome to my Blog.

 

Welcome to my blog. I am Ruth Tick, experienced artist and writer. I'm not famous, but I have had my 15 minutes here and there throughout my life. I am more or less an introvert, and I really like it that way. I started this blog because I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the art world. I'm sure its confusing for consumers.

We live in a world where in 2019 a banana taped to a wall with duct tape sold for $120k. Why why, why? Apparently that price was paid because of all the uproar it caused. The but, “is it art?” crowd couldn't help themselves from discussing the absurdity. And rightly so.

We learn in art school, that you want your audience to have some kind of feeling about your work. The worst possible reaction is indifference. So, love it or hate it, your aesthetic is your own.

 

 

                                                            Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian