So what is it? I suppose craftsmanship is using materials well, in a particular way, to best achieve a result you desire.
Why do you want it? Because in this racket of making things, we DO desire certain outcomes. The problem is sometimes at the start of an initiative we are really unclear about what we want, because after all we are making unique things and so by definition we proceed without a rule book, and sometimes even without much of a plan or outline.
So, some trial and error is needed to try materials and processes out to test effects, and over time, we can visualize what types of skills we need to make an artifact in a desired way.
I knew I wanted these miniatures to be gem-like…as sweet and well-made as I could make them, without going nuts on materials. I wanted them to feel wonderful in the hand. And I wanted them to look lovely on the wall, either singly or in groups…. framed or unframed. So, from the video you can see that I fuss over them quite a bit. The particulars of craftsmanship are determined by the specific desire.
These small things are odd. First, they are small. What the hell kind of serious artist makes small things? …and on top of that…what kind of idiot would make such a low-class thing as a fridge magnet, and then even market them as such? And at a low price that makes them almost not worth making? Total moron. Yeah…but there is something delicious about oddities and incongruities.
And yet I love making these things. And oddly, I bet 50 years down the line, they are the things of mine that are most likely to survive. They are small and likely to withstand the zombie apocalypse, 2nd US civil war, or AI takeover. When we are smelly and living in ditches, we will still need art, to remind us that there is a beauty and nobility in being human. So you will be able to whip out one of my small magnet images from your torn and stained pocket to gaze at it wistfully while you fall asleep in the cold dirt.
A bit over the top, but you get my drift…. :) Economic times are tough, even desperate, for a lot of people, and they seem to be getting even tougher. So making small well-made things that can be moved and relocated easily seems to fit with the uncertainty that marks this time period.
I want these things to be lovingly made and able to withstand the normal wear-and-tear of life.
You have to think about how the artifacts you make might stand the test of time. This doesn’t have to be grandiose or needlessly complicated. You’ll figure out what issues of craftsmanship you will need to attend to to achieve the results you desire.
And so I love taking the time to go through all these little time-consuming methodical steps…..even though the images that go on these panels are rather quickly done and somewhat impetuous.
I alternate……Sometimes I make a pencil drawing from the front seat of my car, and sometimes it’s a gouache painting.
And sometimes they are acrylic paintings or collages made in studio…either representational or abstract…and all of these varieties get glued to these small panels.
As always, all my new things get listed daily to my two sites:
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