02/20/2008 21:58:09

Hey Mtnmun,

I totally agree with you, but it is rude to critique when its not asked for.  When I say that, I am rude and do it all the time.  I think everyone does publicly or privately.  Anyway Analagus made a critique group so join up and lets spar.  I look forward to critique because it makes me think about what I've done and why I did it.

And take it easy on us "mid west corn country" folks.  There's got to be someone for coasters to fly over.

Cya,

Jon

02/20/2008 19:58:36

Thank you all for your responses.  This is exactly what I had in mind.

 

Kathy you raised some very good points.  I have felt like I have been holding back on my landscapes and every time I paint a blue sky I cringe.  I reviewed your site and was very impressed with the still life paintings with flowers.  Especially cabernet with the zebra stripe background.  The egg shells created interesting compositions that were dynamic and interesting. I was not excited by the egg shell subject matter, but I am sure you have a cool scenerio that goes with the chicken and egg theory or recycling our waste into fine art.  As a study in painting it was very successful. 

Robin, Thank you for your feedback.  If you look at the post Imade to the artist who was painting tobacco cans full of nails or old paint brushes on work benches my post was "Great technique, but boring".  He was a magnificent painter and I am sure the paintings played out well in the mid west corn country.  So I did compliment first and then "boring".  Maybe that  was a bit harsh, but  a few glasses of tasty wine fueled my comments.  Also, I did not insinuate all art on the scuttlebutt was amateur. Some is amateur and some is very professional. We can all learn from each other is my point.

 flsstormz:  Good for you reading Into Thin Air.  When you are finished read "The Climb" by Antoli Borakrief (Sp?) It is the russian guides rebuttel to Into Thin Air. 

I welcome any criticism anyone wants to make regarding my work. Kathy's post kept me thinking all day.  Damn it is exciting being an artist.  There is always something new to learn.

02/20/2008 18:04:20

I agree that comments from other artists are important.  I meet with other artists each week and we always discuss each other's work.  We respect the other's opinions and it has made us all better artists.  I also agree with Robin that negative comments should be matched with positive.  Even in work that isn't very good we can usually find something worthy of positive feedback.

02/20/2008 12:49:13

Mountain Man:

It's sad but true but it's just the nature of the world these days...people only glance at things, don't soak them in; people are over sensitive so other's don't want to over step bounds and criticize; no one lives in the moment anymore and enjoy the simple things in life and their surroundings. 

By the way, I just picked up "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer and it's absolutely astounding!

02/20/2008 09:22:53

Hi there. You raise a challenge that I brought to the blog last month - the value of constructive criticism. I think Robin (below) makes a good point about not offering criticism to another artist until it's invited. However, you've asked for intellectual stimulation and I, too, embrace that activity. So, in response to your invitation, I took a look at your gallery. In my humble opinion, your work shows originality and a fresh take on some age-old concepts. Much of your brushwork is dynamic, and the deliberate distortions are effective. My sole criticism is that you're sitting on the fence. If you're going to distort or exaggerate for effect, go all the way! Most of the time you employ local color while you distort or exaggerate the perspective. To me, that's fence sitting because local color doesn't serve the purpose of distortion, which is really an expression of opinion and mood. Blue skies? Color correct birds, flowers, and leaves? Why?? There should be a purpose for your choice and I don't see it. Additionally, the painting of randomly assorted leaves lacks a strong variety of sizes, so this yields some monotony and flattens the dimension. What about proportions? That's a whole other topic I could go on and on about: proportions of shapes, sizes, colors, sharp vs. soft edges, etc. Again, I say all this with the upmost humility because I am not the final authority on art - just a fellow artist. So, if you want to talk about this, I'm happy to do so and extend an invitation to you to critique my work. I'm "fair game!" :) Kathy

02/20/2008 05:48:55

I do not believe it is appropriate to critique artwork unless a critique is requested by the artist.

Also, not all the art on the Scuttlebutt site is amateur. It is interesting to me that you wrote this blog when I remember reading a critique written by you that was something to the tune of... "boring"! One of my teachers taught me that it is always best to give a positive comment along with a corrective comment, but of course this would only apply to a classroom setting when as students we had open ears and were there to learn.