Do I Create One Masterpiece - Or Lots Of Little Works?

Fish Songbird Home in Rocky Mountain Juniper and walnut

It is time to talk about art, creativity and some of the decisions needed to constantly balance creation and business.

On the rare occasions when I create something that virtually sings, friends and family will suggest, “Why don’t you make fifteen or twenty of these? It will really give your gallery a wonderful statement.” Invariably they will be talking about a sculpture that took several months to create.

Some artists make small inexpensive work. Some artists only do grand major pieces. I have always been caught in the middle. I must confess I am a slow creator. Most people think that creating art is similar to making fast food. Pop those puppies out as fast as possible and you will get rich. For some craft persons that actually is how they operate and I am in awe (of course they are almost never rewarded with the “rich” part). To pull this off it takes repetition and the creativity takes a very back seat.

Having never broken into the big time I have always needed small and inexpensive pieces of art to pay the daily bills. The majority of my customers are not wealthy. Smaller work or reproductions are a way someone who appreciates what I do can afford to both support me and to take something home to enjoy.

However, I am obsessed with creating major, life size and monumental works. Why bother with a work of art unless it can be the very best I can do?  My very best requires uniqueness, visual movement, manipulating my mediums to the max and great attention to detail. Creating a work with the above elements takes a huge amount of creative thought, experimental time where an idea may hit a wall of impossibility and large amounts of time, money and attention to details. For these works I must charge at least a reasonable sum and quite often quite a lot (sometimes simply to make minimum wage).

So you see my quandary. If I work months or years on a piece, there will be no time to make the quicker more sell-able works. If I make the smaller pieces I stand a greater chance of enough sales to pay some bills, but have no time to create the works I love and that really move the passions within the viewer.

Doing both is my only logical answer. The smaller works must be the best I can do within the work’s limitations too - so – there is never enough work finished in one place at one time.

As an artist I must be true to self. I must continue to love what I do.  Now I must find the time to pull it all off.

"Entessence" 15' x 10' x 6' Rocky Mountain Juniper

Losing The Media And Therefore The American People

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” John F. Kennedy

Progressives lost this past election obviously for several reasons. One major reason I believe is Progressives do not have enough avenues of communication to the American public. The Conservatives and teabaggers have those avenues.

On a national level Rupert Murdoch has placed Fox News so it can be seen by almost anyone with a TV. Rush Limbaugh is syndicated on AM stations just about every where there is AM reception. Many other rightwing commentators can be heard just about everywhere and most anytime. Rush can be listened to in every home, every workplace and in every car.

I live in a rural canyon, so am sure I am missing some Progressive options, but in general since Air America went out of business in January of this year Progressive radio options are spotty. Thom Hartmann and Ed Schultz seem to be the two remaining who stand out.

Looking at television the situation is even worse. Progressives have MSNBC, The Daily Show, to a lesser degree NPR and even lesser degree HBO with Bill Maher. None of these can be accessed in a base package for either cable or satellite. NPR and The Daily Show can be accessed on the second tier; MSNBC on the third tier; Bill Maher on the fifth tier. In short, if you can not afford advanced programming, most of what Progressives say, the reasons for Progressive legislation and any rebuttals to rightwing psycho talk, propaganda and outright lies are never heard. That’s a lot of the country’s populace.

Most of the nation’s newspapers are owned and operated by the rightwing. The New York Times and the Washington Post are a few exceptions. Tiny Independent magazines and news papers scattered throughout the country are trying but are also only reaching a small fraction of the populace.

Internet content can be confusing to even those of us who are somewhat computer savvy and question the accuracy of what we read. Millions fall for every word the rightwing propaganda machine spews out and is passed on from duped reader to duped reader.  

My recommendation is for Progressive leadership at the local, regional and national levels  to look to finding ways to alleviate this serious threat to our democracy- programmed political ignorance.

A New Beginning

Friday I attended an Executive Board meeting with the Fremont County Democrats. Now as you might already know we just got whumped in this past midterm election even though we fielded the best ever slate of candidates. Our candidates are well known in the county and in the entire region. Two of them, Gloria Stultz and Jeri Fry have been literally heroes in the community numerous times. Jeri Fry was instrumental in keeping Fremont County and Canon City from becoming a nuclear waste dump. Both women were key figures in getting Cotter uranium mill shut down because it was killing people, wildlife, environments and aquifers.  Gloria who was seeking a State Senate office that included 9 counties ran the most dedicated, complete and enthusiastic campaign I have ever seen short of a major national figure.

Anyway everyone was thumped and as you can imagine the meeting was bitter sweet. We knew we had given it everything,  yet still had not prevailed (I exempt myself from the everything part as I spent the entire campaign involved in my own battle with prostrate cancer and was only a marginal contributor).   There were hugs and tears, but no recriminations. As the meeting progressed, even though we realized we can not win elections in a county of 70% teabaggers a feeling of positive empowerment filled us. What else could we do?

Now this situation is a lot like the time when we were fighting the teabaggers up at Deer Mountain for control of the fire district and our canyon communities. When everything was against us and all was about lost we took a different tact, changed course, split from the existing district and formed our own. It was not easy and it took money and time but we were victorious.

This time we realized we must get our message out better. Fremont County has one ultra rightwing newspaper and one ultra rightwing radio station. We have no real way to share Progressive values, and no real way to explain Progressive legislation, nor a way to counter teabagger lies.  Finally at this meeting, the leadership jumped on an idea I have been floating around them for about a year. We are going to attempt to start a community radio station. We will be looking to Salida’s KHEN for early guidance.

I’ll let you know how this plays out.

WHOOPEE! I AM AN OFFICIAL BLOGGER

Hello my friends,
This is my very first blog entry. Through this medium I hope to share my life, creativity, activism and thoughts with you. Most people are probably a little more single focused than me, but hey you won't get bored. At least I won't.

This is the first day after the Mid-term elections. We only just found out that Senator Bennet was elected to another six years in the US Senate. It gives us hope for the future after a devastating election night where our close friends who were running for office, honored incumbents and highly qualified and energized Progressive candidates on local, state and national elections were mostly going down in metaphoric flames to --Tea Partiers?

It hurts to watch people who have impeccable credentials who are tested leaders, dedicated to working to improving our civilization losing to largely unqualified extremists dedicated to sending our civilization back sixty or more years. It fills us with dismay watching huge right wing corporations literally buying the new leadership of our nation.

The deed is done. The question now is where do we go from here?

As you probably already know, six months ago I discovered I had  prostate cancer. We did not have health insurance due to trumped up pre-existing conditions.  During the always frustrating and sometimes terrifying ordeal of trying to get the particular surgeon and surgery I so desperately needed , Kay and I dedicated a substantial amount of what ever future I have to helping  in any way possible improving our shattered healthcare system.

Obamacare is a start. It has already saved my life through the new pre-existing condition insurance funded by the Feds and administered here in Colorado by Rocky Mountain Health Care and a program called "Getting US Covered". Through them I was able to become insured and was able to receive life saving surgery just four weeks ago. But where do we go now? We have had a life changing experience, but do not yet know how to use our new found knowledge of the medical system that is capable of "level one care for all" but that only provides that level of care to some and sends others home to die.

If any of you who read this have any ideas, suggestions or useful experiences please share them with us.