[Jewelry making - Article 00150] - Re: [Orchid] Conceptual Jewelry

[John Donivan]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

>     I have worked with typewriter keys, and now work with keys from
>     computer keyboards 

    I want to be clear about my comments about objects, first. I have
    zero objection to someone who takes typewriter keys, for example, and
    uses them as a kernel for something. My objection is to those who
    simply pick them up, pin them to a wall and say, "Look what I did."
    Second, although this is a fascinating thread, to me - I greatly
    enjoy everyone's thoughts here - I'll point out that the discussion
    of "Is jewelry art?" no more has an answer than it ever has over the
    centuries. I'm not trying to stifle it, just be aware if you've
    forgotten. To me, saying "Jewelry is not art." is true and not true.
    At times it is, but mostly it's not art, it's design. I am an artist,
    yes, but I consider my jewelry side to be as a "designer". That's
    what many people object to in contemporary art - it has degraded from
    art into merely design. If one gets a canvas and draws an artistic
    line down the middle, or two, and accompanies it with some breathless
    artspeak about "The Division of Space" - that is design, not really
    art. I'm not presuming to define it, but most people consider art to
    be a deeper thing than dividing space up - interior designers divide
    space up every day. Finally, to swing into an entirely new direction,
    and mostly for the students out there, I want to open up the subject
    of. I wouldn't say that the concept of "The Starving Artist" is a
    myth, because I've done it myself. It is, though, usually someone who
    isn't very good at at and should do something else, or someone trying
    to find their legs, as in my case. Art is not a glorious shrine, art
    is a career path. Everybody in the world needs to make money, even if
    that money is actually trade or something. Van Gogh never sold a
    painting in his life (true), but it's not because he didn't try.
    Paloma Picasso bought a stake in Tiffany's with her inheritance,
    Dali's estate was in the tens of millions. Art, unless you are a
    hobbyist, is simply a profession like any other, and that's not, not,
    not to say that art has to be "commercial". So, for those of you/us
    who want to make a living at art, how does that work? Craftsmanship.
    If you want to be a guitarist, first you get a guitar and learn how
    to play it, THEN you worry about the self-expression part. And the
    same goes for jewelry, painting, or whatever. Art is turning the
    mundane into something profound. If you get a piece of bread and glue
    it to a wall with some skillful gallery mounting (I've seen it),
    people will walk by it and say "Look at that!" But likely you'll go
    home hungry. If you paint or sculpt that piece of bread, apply color,
    maybe some abstraction, then you are saying, "This is my VISION of a
    piece of bread". And that is Art at it's fullest. 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________