[Fwd: Re: First gallery ' experience']

From: A.E. Graves ^lt;aeg@aegraves.com>
Date: 02/13/06-05:21:12 PM Z
Message-id: <43F11468.4000004@aegraves.com>

davidhatton@totalise.co.uk wrote:
> I disagree with those who say that 'it is the image that is important not the way it's created'.

Do disagree! (That's not quite what I was saying.) I know process is
important to me, but not to everyone who sees my work.

Also, in my VERY humble opinion, a technically great alt print of an
aesthetically GREAT image is better than a technically great alt print
of an aesthetically BAD image any day of the week. In that respect,
process isn't THE single most important thing.

> Isn't the craft inherent in the aesthetic? Is a giclee
> print of an oil painting the same as the original. I don't think so. Both are beautiful processes but serve an entirely differant purpose.

Painting is a fun parallel to draw, because my painter friends don't
explain the chemical composition of their paints (or explain the oil vs.
acrylic debates) when they show their work to non-painters. It does not
come up in conversation: it just goes on the label as a one word
description above the price. The materials they choose _define_ the
appearance of their work, but it's not they way they introduce it, and
it's not the way the work is judged.

It _is_ possible to like (or love!) photos without knowing WITH
CERTAINTY which process was used to print it.

> Why pursue differing methods of creating art if the process isn't important.

You'll have to work that one out for yourself! :-) I'm teasing: I know
this is rhetorical.

But I'll answer anyway: I find that exploring alt processes expands my
toolbox for expressing myself dramatically. More than that, it's fun to
experiment, and I'm learning a helluva lot. But it's not ALL process.
  I notice that all the vandykes piling up downstairs do NOT necessarily
go together just because they're (novice-level, muddy) vandykes, because
their subjects are too different. Their vandyke-ness is important, but
it's turning out not to be their SOLE defining characteristic.

Your mileage may vary.

Elizabeth
Received on Mon Feb 13 17:21:28 2006

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