Ah, the term abstract expressionist… it comes with so many negative connotations. It’s origins date back to the psychedelic 60’s when depressed experimentalists decided that if they splash paint onto a canvas that it becomes art. Henry Geldzahler of course was the one who legitimized the left-wing art of the 60’s.. but now abstract expressionism is so taboo. Artists who paint lovely portraits or still life frown upon the useless idea of blending colors and calling it the art… after all they blend colors to get ready for their art. Of course my work is the opposite of depressing, rather it is bright and fun.. something that seems to have been lost.
The abstract expressionist is at the bottom of the barrel in the world of fine art. However lets take the idea that art is an aesthetic beauty that enraptures an onlooker into a world never experienced before (a little cheesy, yes). If that’s true, then abstract expressionism should be #1! Now I’ve only been at this a couple months but it is safe to say that I could be in a gallery with all the sales that have been made. Yet every gallery is apprehensive about me.
So no gallery wants to waste their time on a new artist with no real possibility of a sale. Why not!? This is what the art revolution of the 60’s was about! Putting up work from unknowns. Turns out those unknowns work is now worth millions.
Reality Check: I’m in CT. Perhaps galleries aren’t my thing anyways. I am making plenty of sales elsewhere and my client list growing exponentially. Galleries take a huge % of sales. Galleries are artistically genre biased. Perhaps if a gallery does come calling I can tell them that I’m not interested. In the future I hope to re-open the scene of artists being able to be seen, not lost amongst the countless creatives now inhabiting the net, trying to get their myspace page with pictures of their work seen. Where is the Thomas Kinkade of open galleries? The galleries in the malls should be of original local works… not prints of one of thousands.
The next time you look at your wall with your print remember that a computer inked that onto the page. As for me, you will never see prints of my work, you will only have something original, something real, and something true without the huge price tag.
