Superheroes???

[evaldart]

Without belaboring the obvious fact that we all NEED Art to live like we need air, water and cheeseburgers, What ELSE in an artists life gets some attention - serving the bigger purpose of passing, as empowered as possible, through the bafflings of existence.

Are there pleasures and fulfillings that equal or surpass those we experience through creative application? Or, because we are artists, are we limited in our ability to obtain fulfillings that are not related to our work?

Are we complete because we are artists or are we INcomplete because we are artists?

Are we superheroes or are we handicapped?

[jOe~]

Are we superheroes or are we handicapped? We're not super heroes as a class. How many artists get the Noble peace prize??? We're just another stranger on the bus.

[suburbanartists]

The 2 biggest differences i see between Artists and normal people is the way they visually see things, and their openess to new ideas.

I still remeber when my painting teacher taught me how to look at the corner of the room. It's Not just white walls. Look at it. See the many different shades of gray as the light goes deeper into the corner. Then take this same approach to everything else your eye sees. Trees & flowers soon become shapes and shades of colors and are no longer even thought of as what they really are. Your artist eye breaks down everything in its path into packets of visual information. When i stopped painting my eyes started turning back into seeing thing semi normally once again but can still turn on the artist vision if needed.

The openess and willingness to experiment pretty much goes with out saying.

Are we super heroes? Only in are own minds.

[evaldart]

Of course I ask because it feels like both. There are shudders of omnipotence that lead me to believe I'm the only one who has "it" figured out. This occurs randomly, usually attached to the fever of making something.

And Subs comment about seeing things differently, each eye a consuming black hole crushing optical information, condensing it, eating it, storing it...for what? Why does a regular steel bridge in my periphery have to distract me, interupting a conversation, momentarily disabling my participation in present affairs (like a conversation with the wife)? Kinda screwed-up. Huh.

Maybe artists do not posess exaggerated perceptive abilities at all - just alternately developed ones. And maybe thats not a good thing. All the time.
So can you turn it on and off so a ball game with your kid does not dissolve into a diversion such as the admiring of the baseball pummeled chain link fence?

[StevenW]

Definately superheroes, only super ninny's win the Nobel Peace prize. :)

[jOe~]

Maybe artists do not posess exaggerated perceptive abilities at all - just alternately developed ones ... So can you turn it on and off Yeah here is a perfect example. This piece of kinked up fencing grid like material is asking me, taunting me to be used in a larger piece because of its attributes. I give it a chance to express itself. But it starts mumbling silly things, that aren't funny and it doesn't even look quite right. So I have to tell it to shut up because it's not up too snuff--its just not kinky enough for my brand of humor. Then I "turn it off". I say, "You have wasted enough of my time. You are not worthy. You have now become meaningless garbage". It gets kicked into the trash pile. My evening will be enjoyed in "off" position. No more fantasies about kinky fencing.

[evaldart]

"...able to turn piles of meaningless garbage into high art with his bare hands!" Sounds like a superhero to me. And if your not doing it with your own bare hands...maybe it aint high art. Whatever that is.

[StevenW]

Well right, you're on to something there.. The fence can ask questions, but without a hero it will always just be another fence.

[jOe~]

The fence can ask questions, but without a hero it will always just be another fence.Nah, its just what all humans do. They see, hear and talk to things that aren't really there. When the things talk back people call that meaning. Then the arguments start. The trick is all in clever, persuasive or pretty arguments and how loud you can get people to clap. Watch tv. Those humans are always clapping, even at themselves. Get them to clap all over the world and you might be called a superhero, or genius. But artists ain't nuttin special because even dogs at the Westminster dog show get huge applause and so do circus clowns.

[StevenW]

Nah, its just what all humans do. They see, hear and talk to things that aren't really there. (personification) When the things talk back people call that meaning. (or psychosis) Then the arguments start. The trick is all in clever, persuasive or pretty arguments and how loud you can get people to clap. Watch tv. Those humans are always clapping, even at themselves. (yup, yup) Get them to clap all over the world and you might be called a superhero, or genius. But artists ain't nuttin special because even dogs at the Westminster dog show get huge applause and so do circus clowns.

Well, so do artists.. If I get myself to clap I'm amazed and if I get someone else to clap even more so.

[grommet]

Somebody's gotta do it. It takes a special person to forego the rational world and create something new. So either you're a Tesla-type character, or you're an artist-type character, or some other character. You're in pretty good company, but it's your job to be a bit crazy. If you don't do it, they may hire some accountant to do your job. That would be 20 kinds of hell. The feeling of omnipotence just gets you over the bad spots where you missed the home run or similar wonder. Take pictures. If you miss the one they think is important, you can at least show what you thought was special about them for that moment you paid attention. Make sure to take a moment to pay attention.

[Aaron Schroeder]

Most people make a living functioning as team players. Teams are seldom thought of as superheroes.

When I think of superheroes, I think of individuals that possess powers that enable them to complete tasks that more often than not require the collective efforts of a team.

At some point in my formative development I abandon the idea of attempting to emmulate comic book heroes ( I was one of those kids who played superman by running and jumping around in my underware with a towel/cape around my neck ) and shifted my attention to emmulating real world super people. Team players never captured my attention.........instead I found myself interested in people who seemed able to do extrordinary things all by themselves.

Artist/designer/craftsmen may just be another stranger on the bus............but if you follow them off the bus and into their secret domain and observe their activities, you'll see them do things that ordinary people just don't do. You'll see them taking on difficult tasks that stretch, strengthen and expand their body and mind. You'll see them proceeding into uncharted territory, claiming new ground in the human experience. You'll see them defy, define and refine common sense. You'll see them do incredible things all by themselves.

Heroes are associated with actions and events that involve self sacrifice. Selfless suicide on behalf of the collective. Artist aren't obvious heroes like firefighters,policemen and soldiers but they do make sacrifices. No nation that I know of has erected a monument to the unknown artist but many artist have laid down their lives to the greater good regardless. Artists' save lives allday.......everyday ..........they give many a solid, real, objective reason to live. Take away the art and life sucks.

Are artist superheroes ? ..............

A number of artist saved my life...............like they through themselves on a grenade............they don't know it........I hope they don't know it..............but their efforts made all the difference between my life and death.

My superheroes are artist.

[evaldart]

Damn good post Aaron, got me startin' the day feeling like Captain Marvel.

[cheesepaws]

I fear we are too egocentric a breed to be selfless enough to qualify as "super heroes". Of course we are gods - so it's not all that bad.

PS: For those of you who DO think of yourself as a superheroes - PLEASE - for safety sake - don't weld in your spandex! :D

[evaldart]

Cheesepaws, you mean your suit isn't flame-retardant?...also, you got to get some of that EXTRA-STRENGTH Scotch-Guard that repels reality. :D

[EJB]

Great analogy of Superhero/Artist. Possession of a unique skill or talent that separates someone from the masses is sure to trigger personal introspection about fitting into society. While we may seek to develop or even capitalize on those talents it is ultimately the thing that can lead to isolation and misunderstanding by those who have no interest in questioning their own actions. The greatest of Superheros have moments of conflict, social awkwardness and self doubt. In times of crisis a true Superhero overcomes adversity, the evil nemesis and the ever present encounter with the one element that makes them weak (Superman had Kryptonite, I have Doughnuts).
I think most artists don't fall into the category of the slick X-Men, Superman type of Superhero but perhaps more like THE MYSTERY MEN by Bob Burden. Mystery Men was made into a movie (1999) starring Ben Stiller, William Macy, etc. While I identify more with The Shoveler, I was disappointed that Bondo Man did not make it into the movie.
As I fly from place to place making the Art World a safer place to live, some may call me a hero, some an artist, others just say I'm a guy with a hammer and a welder. I'm okay with all of the above.

P.S.- Does this cape make me look fat?

[Aaron Schroeder]

I spent a portion of my day....... today.........thinking about my super powers.

Kind of had to stretch my definition of "super" and " Power". I sorta made a list :

Great strength.........not really.

Super intellegence........read my post.....that's out.

Killer moves.........if sweeping and cleaning is killer ......then ...I'm awesome.

Lightning fast.........slugs every where are astonished.

Paranormal powers..............I seem to do better when I'm wearing a Para gloves and a para pants.

About all I was able to to take pride in............is my ability to slow myself down to the speed of tools and materials............waite.........speed myself up to the speed of tools and materials.

When I'm handy.........I'm good on the throttle. I have good throttle control. I have super trigger......and........foot pedal control. Or something like that.

Saving lives, making stuff...........all in a days work.

[tonofelephant]

Part of being a super hero is a little like Batman the Dark Avenger. He fought crime some of the time but was "normal", if Bruce Wayne can be called normal. Kind of a Jeykel/Hyde character.

Most of the time Batman would be without a mask doing the normal human being thing. This includes sweeping floors (metaphorically), etc to make his living. When time for decisive action came he went to the Bat Cave (sound like a studio?), chose his crime fighting weapons (chisels, tig welder, etc.) make some basic decisions, charted his destiny for the evening (design decisions) and went out and made it happen. Sound like an artist or sculptor?

There are some weird parallels. But for me, it is off to the Stone Car to go to Gotham City (DC not NYC) to deliver a commission. I will have my super hero tights on, in my mind, ready to help the client today with settling up on the current commission and making the sale for another commission. In my mind that is the definition of a super-hero, making and bringing home the bacon when it counts to the ones you love. You know it is true when your loved ones see you bringing home another check from a wierdo profession. It can almost make your Mom forgive you for not becoming a team player in an office cubicle.

The sign of a true super hero is one that can spin an order from out of thin air, then transform a heap of material - steel, stone, clay - into a marvelous creation, and then get paid paid for it. Then you can become the envy of not only little boys but society at large. That is a super hero.

Now where is that cod-piece?

Carl

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[cooljamesx1]

even superheros need day jobs.

[jOe~]

My kid used to think I was a superhero. But now she just turned 14. Need I say more? She knows I'm mortal--I won't join her in the mosh pit. A couple weeks ago she passed her rock'n roll rite of initiation with flying colors. She was the only kid that was picked up by the crowd and tossed on stage. To prove it was no fluke, it happened twice. Fearlessly flying above the crowd in a sea of hands, getting closest to the Source, she felt like a superhero.

[ironman]

Hi,
I don't think we're super heroes or even heroes but just lucky to be in that group of the luckiest SOB's on the planet. People who know what their passion is and are following it every day of their lives.
We are so lucky to have that!
I feel blessed to be able to work in my studio 7 days a week, to eat, breath and sleep ART. To dream sculptures. To work hard, knowing full well that I may not make any money from my labor but do it anyway because I MUST.
Most people don't have a clue and either run around chasing their tails or get involved in some escapist activity that keeps them occupied so as not to remind them of the empty lives they lead. "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Have a great day,
Jeff

[jOe~]

I so agree Jeff. Unitl people look at me with the same wonderment, amazement and adoration that my dog bestows upon me, I'm only a mere mortal.

[grommet]

Joe, hate to burst your bubble, but he just wants snausages. If it helps, you can have your family wear those glasses with the twirling eyes on them.

[jOe~]

glasses with the twirling eyes on them. You making fun of my thick glasses, now? If you lived closer young lady, I cram those snauages up your nostrils!! And maybe put a couple in your ears. Yeah, and make you eat a couple too! No respect for an old man and his loving companion.

[grommet]

Nope, I have my own coke bottles. Those glasses from the novelty store for hypnotizing people. Look into my eyes... And never touch my ears unless you have a death wish.

[evaldart]

X-Ray specs...what a band.
X-ray vision, heat vision, seeing into the future or around corners...unique optical abilities definitely make you a superhero. We have that. Squinting, questioning, determined, brow-beating, dust-drenched, estimating, regarding eyes. Leave the Bette Davis and crying ones for the painters.

[jOe~]

Now you're really making me feel inadequate. I use magnifiers inside my welding helmet.:o

[evaldart]

So you actually SEE you welds? Hell, I have perfect vision but I been goin by feel for years on account of my cheapo Jackson shields spend most of their time on the floor collecting slag. I pick em up now and then so my eyelids dont swell from the UVs.

And my houndog claimed my leathers long ago, he'd tear my arm off if I ever tried to pull them out from under him.

Doing things the way no one else would...the superheros way.

[jOe~]

So you actually SEE you welds?Heck no. The cheapo helmet won't flip down so I just gotta be able to point the gun in the right direction before I squirt the metal out. See the welds? Heck, if I didn't have the big E on the eye chart memorized I'd totally fail the vision test. You say leathers? Is that some kind of prophylactic, or biker garb? Never used one. I wear SWEAT shirts all the time. The real holey ones are saved for summer and the newer ones for winter, with the older ones underneath. I may be a blind non superhero, but I ain't no pencil neck, pocket protector wearing mamma's boy.

[Mr. Malloy]

What are snauages anyway? I Never thought that anyone viewed artists as Super at all (except me, and a few other artists). In fact, I have seen it as a handicap! I have a verry hard time separating my work (art) from all of my life. I am creative in everything i do and show it because I could never be "clean-shaven-and-order-taking" for work and sculpture is something that I MUST do. for example, my car becomes a sculpture and, to some degree my clothes, In a serious situation like talking to a cop or a job interview, etc. I see it as a performance art piece I am doing. Hence, Lots of people like my style but society at large does not. It seems people with all the money and power to not like that I refuse to toe-the-line. But life is more fun finding bosses that like what I do and finding people who encourage art in my life. So no regrets.
I know that this is material for another thread but have you seen the December issue of ArtNews? I recomend doing what I do, go to the library and looking at it. the artical "Object Overruled" Discusses my sculpture technique. I have never seen it done by anyone else in the professional arena. some call it "junk art" I remind them that no one said that to Duchamp and Tinguely; two masters that inspire me to no end. I say inspire but I will clarify that I in no way copy styles. I know that we all are influenced by the greats but I resent people saying that by looking at it I will not get my own ideas. Quite the opposite! I believe.

[Mr. Malloy]

This keeps happening to me; At the end of page one (1). I post a reply to Joes commentary with gromment. and when I hit post It ends up at the end of the last page so it looks like it don't make sense!
I am trying to get glasses because my eyes are getting so bad but whenever I get them I will not wear them, first of all I break and loose things constantly, secondly, I can not stand having a tunnel to see through. I value the side view of periferal vision that the rims of glasses block and I can only see what right in front of me. I can't stand it. My welds are not seen, I try but I can t see anything but the bright light through the lense so I often go crooked. Also the lense is always fogged and pretty scratched. If i sound like I am complaining, it may be...

[jOe~]

If i sound like I am complaining, it may be...Its ok...in high school I promised myself three things: 1. never let your life become a career 2. no suits and ties 3. take risks and be yourself....(can't be anybody else without getting locked up).

[grommet]

What are snauages anyway?
sausage-like dog treats.

[Merlion]

. I value the side view of periferal vision that the rims of glasses block and I can only see what right in front of me. I can't stand it. My welds are not seen, I try but I can t see anything but the bright light through the lense so I often go crooked. Also the lense is always fogged and pretty scratched. ...
I have lost of peripheral vision on my right hand side when means I bump into people in crowded places. Also I have double vision. This means I effective use only one eye and I cannot do welding and soldering because I cannot position the rod tip at an accurate distance, which is critical. On these problems, I treat them as my life's reality, and go forward with my life and my art.

Are you talking about the lens of your glasses? Fogging and scratching can be changed. Change the glasses.

The problems that can be changed, change them. What really cannot be change, accept them. What you're not sure if they can be changed, put in the effort to find out.

[Merlion]

Are we complete because we are artists or are we INcomplete because we are artists?

Are we superheroes or are we handicapped?
Eveldart, I don't really see the point of these soul searching.

We are artists because we love it. If we don't, we would have gone on to do something else. Right?

[evaldart]

Well, I like to have my cake and eat it too. I want people to leave me alone and let me do whatever the hell I want in my studio, regardless of the fact that no one is asking for my product...while I contribute to the betterment of my own personal growth I may NOT be contributing to the betterment of humanity, like the gas-pumper or the mailman.

AND, I want everyone to think I'm important when I shut the art switch off. Let me be one of them so I can eat one of their cheeseburgers, ride one of their rollercoasters or burn some of their oil in the name of fun and coziness. I want both.

But I get these opposing wants all screwed-up together and fuel the art when I should be fueling the body, reach for a hammer when I should be passing the pork-chops, admire the 12" galvanized pipe on the highway sign instead of reading it to make the right exit...and on and on.

Everyone would be happier if I just had a set of clothing that was not soiled by the art...so it wasn't such a distraction and annoyance. But if I'm soiled inside then the clothing, the covering, the costume will never work anyway will it?

Persevering through these afflictions requires a superhuman...something.

The soul is an unruly tennant way behind on the rent, but he won't get his deposit back - cause the buildings gonna burn down with him inside, its why he's afraid to sleep.

[jOe~]

Eveldart, I don't really see the point of these soul searching.

We are artists because we love it. If we don't, we would have gone on to do something else. Right?Wrong. If you are an artist to your very core, not just a dilettante, there there is nothing else. And if you do something else, you pay and pay and pay until you go back to the job you were meant to do. If you don't understand soul searching, there is no explanation that will make sense--you'd have to search your soul to understand it.

[Mr. Malloy]

Absolutely Eval,

But I get these opposing wants all screwed-up together and fuel the art when I should be fueling the body, reach for a hammer when I should be passing the pork-chops, admire the 12" galvanized pipe on the highway sign instead of reading it to make the right exit...and on and on.

Everyone would be happier if I just had a set of clothing that was not soiled by the art...so it wasn't such a distraction and annoyance. But if I'm soiled inside then the clothing, the covering, the costume will never work anyway will it?

I find myself looking at the potential uses of steel I-beams and admiring the welds done on a public railing etc. I want people to think well of me but I also want them to leave me alone. Joe, you are right! how can I deny what must be done. Art is not a choice, for me it is something that happens with me, to some degree, all the time. I begine wundering, how can I do this? Things like sleep and clean clothes, good food take time but alow me to function better as a maker of things. I have kids too. Eval, you know that gig right? how many you have? I remember the picture of your boy when you sent in photos of that cool tricycle.

[evaldart]

I got two Malloy, 8 and three. (The boy on the Bigwheel was actually my friends nephew). I'm sure I'm as much trouble as the kids for my superhero wife, she'd love to send me off to school too, to get a break...but I'm schooled out, over educated, trying to get dumber and dumber, let the body take over, auto pilot, fantasies floating frivolously while the welders are blazing.

[StevenW]

RE: Dumber and dumber and auto-pilot and so forth.. I wonder sometimes if a free-associative kind of sculpture is perhaps the most difficult to master. No plan, no course set, no agenda, just the material and what you project upon it freehand. Starting with a single curve and then building on that through process and method. Is that flying blind or on auto-pilot? Perhaps its about using the greatest asset we possess, our own ignorance, for it is that which asks the most questions.

It's snowing pretty heavily outside, perfect time to grab a rock and some Christmas cookies and get busy. :)

Where the hell is my mask and cape?

[jOe~]

Perhaps its about using the greatest asset we possess, our own ignorance, for it is that which asks the most questions.Ignorance it ain't. Substitute intuition. Listening to the inner voice, the subtle urges, promptings, and getting in the flow, the moment, the Zen like thing. Letting it happen without the internal blocks, doubts, inhibitions, and self critics. Consider how musicians improvise. Saw John Mayer the other night on the PBS Austin show. No one can think or plan ahead that fast,let alone with that much expression and innovation, not even SRV or Hendrix. I'm still dumb founded. Its magic. Its a miracle. Its freekin un real.

[StevenW]

Sure, intuition works. :)

[jOe~]

Benazir Bhutto. She is a SUPERHERO. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benazir-bhutto/why-im-returning-to-paki_b_62792.html

[Aaron Schroeder]

Any and all real superheroes know that embracing the label is hubris.

With great powers........comes great responsibility...........who wants that?

Any and all who struggle with any kind of power know that it comes at great cost. A blessing and a curse are often one and the same.

Whatever talent I may have..........I am humbled by it. It takes away as much as it gives.

I am so glad that there are people so much more able than me........out there. What little I do is more than enough.............making stuff, making people happy........it's hard work........not glamorous in the least bit.

I gotta keep a low profile.

[evaldart]

Whatever talent I may have..........I am humbled by it. It takes away as much as it gives.

Aaron, you underestimate your powers.

HMMMM. Talent. Leaping tall buildings, seeing through walls and concocting "something" from "nothing" seems like much more than talent. Talent is merely aptitude...for violinists, jewelry makers and salesmen. Superheroic efforts in the arts succeed spectacularly despite talent. In fact, it could be that our talents prevent us from ever donning the mask or wearing the cape or soaring the heights of human possibilities. Working within the area of your predisposed aptitude is perhaps the easiest thing you can do...so it is imperative that you make it as difficult as possible for yourself...and great things only come from accepting impossible challenges with courage and determination. Your failures will be more rewarding than the screaming successes of the "talented" ones.

[StevenW]

I agree that to remain tucked away safely within the boundaries of one's own capabilities or "talents" can lead to a life of production and repetitious manufacture. In that sense one may fail to fulfill their utmost potential by an unwillingness to push their limits and take risks. This could be leading a life of "quiet desperation" as much as any desk bound cubicle worker alluded to by Jeff. In that sense also, some of the "best", may in fact fail the most often. Those "failures" however, can also result in success's beyond the sandbox scope of the "talented ones" simply by virtue of their uncompromising yearning for the sublime. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but that's where the fight is.

[Mr. Malloy]

Good point Stephen. I have to hand it to Joe though; Ignorance it ain't. Substitute intuition. Listening to the inner voice, the subtle urges, promptings, and getting in the flow, the moment, the Zen like thing. Letting it happen without the internal blocks, doubts, inhibitions, and self critics.
I have found the most power for me, in creative tasks, lies in the place before thought. before, words anyway. In a flow. When that happens I am not "knowingly controlling" outcome. and it all comes out great. better than I know I was able to make. Ring any bells?

[Mr. Malloy]

You're right Joe about Bhutto. Thanks for the link. Does your politics ever interfere with your art? I know it does for me at times. in a very indirect way. I have some great casts from art school that I was told were too political. And yet that also can be argued, is in the eye of the beholder right? I like your posts and want to know where to go for supplies in Eastern WA. I am mostly looking for shut down mills; old factories; and the like to scavenge from. abandoned train stations are great.

[jOe~]

Malloy, there are no shut down anything to get scrap. You have to buy it from the yards and they won't let you in to the big piles unless you have a working relationship (bribe) with the foreman. They are afraid of idiots who think they are superheros climbing around 30' piles of teetering metal and getting hurt. The state safety guys watching them closely. Two scrap yards in town and only one can I sneak into. Like I said there is an admission price, a narrow window of opportunity to reduce the chance of getting caught, and I dress like the workers--same hard hat etc..

[grommet]

You need to stake out or create some world-class potholes. I bet you'd get more exhaust systems & hubcaps than you could use all year. :rolleyes:

My cape is at the laundromat & my sole super-power today seems to be the ability to compost. My only hope is that this means fertile soil for the imagination.

[evaldart]

Malloy, there are no shut down anything to get scrap. You have to buy it from the yards and they won't let you in to the big piles unless you have a working relationship (bribe) with the foreman. They are afraid of idiots who think they are superheros climbing around 30' piles of teetering metal and getting hurt. The state safety guys watching them closely. Two scrap yards in town and only one can I sneak into. Like I said there is an admission price, a narrow window of opportunity to reduce the chance of getting caught, and I dress like the workers--same hard hat etc..

Joes right, relationships with the scrap guys have to be nurtured. Dont expect them to welcome you...be humble and amusing, with cash. Start small, perhaps an old chain or a wheel hub. Sometimes you just stop by to say hello. Since I left the city a few years ago it has taken three years but I now have the relationships I need. The scrap guys call me on the phone when they see something they think I might like, I patch their trucks back together for trade. But I still have to PAY for the good stuff...by the pound. And scrap aint cheap these days...you do the best you can. A drug addict with a flatbed is your worst enemy - he'll beat you to the good stuff everytime.

[allenring]

There is but a single requirement, a sole ingredient, a counter point; balanced, mirrored and quite the opposite; needed for the very creation and continued existence of the super hero - the super villain. Continuance is not possible, existence entirety unnecessary, unless an evil doer of equal or superior strength, and less than or inferior character, happens upon the scene to give our super hero a reason to BE.

But if the artist is the super hero who then plays the part of the dread super villain? Does not the artist struggle against all manner of obstacles, every form of darkness, intent on thwarting his quest to thrust beauty upon the world? And is not this heroes journey undertaken alone, sans nourishment, warmth and companionship as the artist tames fire, water, earth and air; commanding the very elements of nature to do his bidding?

As the super hero artist stands steadfastly alone upon the alter of his work bench in the sacred temple of his studio, who then is the necessary villain? Behold, I say unto you the villain is at hand and knows his opponent well, having fought countless battles over dark sleepless nights, and through bright sun lit days. Lurking, always ready to parry a true thrust, eager to sew doubt, to injure and tare down; to torment the soul of our hero.

Defeats come often, victories are hard won and the scars of justices triumph are not forgot. The struggle goes on, the battle is joined, their is no retreat, for the villain lies within.

[StevenW]

Heh, that ain't bad Allen, I was thinking walmart or the plumbers union or Hillary Clinton or something. :rolleyes:

[evaldart]

Yeah, nice work Allen...breathin in those fumes in poorly ventilated spaces again can bring out the right kind of thinking.

Villians indeed. But aside from all the hooded, sinister metaphors that are taunting and torturing us from inside... those formidable scapegoats and pranksters that would have us doing everything else BUT act upon our creative whims - there are other art killers to be constantly vanquished:

There is Gravity, wrecker of welds, fasteners and adhesives. He will undo your good deeds as fast as they can be gloriously performed.

Then you have Time Bandit. He will rush you through sensitive processes, hammer you with deadlines, chip away unceasingly at your very existence...and then hand it all over to gravity for another beating.

Holly Hobby, seductive vixen. She'll have you going to coin conventions, wasting valuable material building birdhouses, customizing your vehicle or whiling away days and nights in tented prison camps, mesmerized by a fire and the crackling of improper fuelings: marshmallows and hot dogs.

And all those "friends and family". They are the trusted deceivers, conspiring with a worldwide network of strangers whose only mission is to obstacle you at every course. That guy who cut you off on the freeway, that child in desperate need of assistance with his "homework", the counterperson at Wendys who "accidentally" forgot to issue your order to the kitchen (and all the evil ones in front of you in every line or queu)...an entire population warring, diseasing, preaching and heating up the atmosphere all so you will make a little less art. YOU CANNOT BE PREPARED ENOUGH FOR BATTLE WITH THESE EVILDOERS. YOU CANNOT BE TOO PARANOID.

[grommet]

But if the artist is the super hero who then plays the part of the dread super villain? Does not the artist struggle against all manner of obstacles, every form of darkness, intent on thwarting his quest to thrust beauty upon the world?
All very true. Demon, muse or one & the same? Is your goal really to insinuate yourself, your art, into the lives of others, or are you there for the rush of riding the clash of waves of villain and superhero?
Truth now, this will not go on your resume'.

[jOe~]

A story recounted by Gary Zurav.

This is a beautiful story a Sioux friend told me: The Creator gathered all of creation and said, "I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realization that they create their own reality." The eagle said, "Give it to me, I will take to the moon." The Creator said, "No. One day they will go there and find it." The salmon said, "I will hide it on the bottom of the ocean." "No. They will go there too". The buffalo said, "I will bury it on the great plains." The Creator said, "They will cut into the skin of the earth and find it even there." Then Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth, and who has no physical eyes but see with spiritual eyes, said: "Put it inside them."

And the Creator said, "It is done."

[evaldart]

A story recounted by Gary Zurav.

This is a beautiful story a Sioux friend told me: The Creator gathered all of creation and said, "I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realization that they create their own reality." The eagle said, "Give it to me, I will take to the moon." The Creator said, "No. One day they will go there and find it." The salmon said, "I will hide it on the bottom of the ocean." "No. They will go there too". The buffalo said, "I will bury it on the great plains." The Creator said, "They will cut into the skin of the earth and find it even there." Then Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth, and who has no physical eyes but see with spiritual eyes, said: "Put it inside them."

And the Creator said, "It is done."

Makes sense to me.

[allenring]

Gads, I try to bring you clods a little class and I get compt to Walmart, the plumbers union, and accused of sniffing fumes. OK maybe all of that is true, but where is the love?:o

I'll tell you what Holly Hobby is a seductive mistress, a constant companion. Thank god she is the quiet type or I'd be in real trouble with the wife. Last night I was supposed to be writing an article on collecting art when along came my bud Bob the "Blog" and I would up typing in my missive. Bob has a great band, the "Internet Connection" that I spend a lot of time listening too, mainly because their chief vocalist, Satellite Dish plays the meanest TV you have ever seen.

Yeah JOesquiggle, I got the fact that we create every aspect of our own reality a long time ago. However what I realized just a few years back is that life is best lived as an art form. There are no rules, no absolutes, just a few rough guidelines and a couple of deadlines. The rest is up to us; to imagine and create, limited only by the demons we gave birth to and nurture inside.

And grommet I have to admit I seem to thrive on the drama of the internal villain vs. the Super Hero, it is the stuff of Hollywood brought home in high def with surround sound, and we get to play all the parts! Really, what else it there? I would argue that we are all addicted to the drama, what other reason, save indifference can their be for the fact that we keep doing this decade after decade?

[allenring]

I really was trying to work on that article when old Bob the "Blog" came back and grabbed me saying "you know gromment asked a good question, how can you sit here and not shoot back and answer?

What is the other vital characteristic of a super-hero? He or she must be misunderstood and at some time in their career be ridiculed by those that count.

That is why I think important art is perpetrated, forced on the public. Rammed down their throats kicking and screaming all the way. It is an act of intellectual violence, not a kind genital expression of beauty.

After centuries of the old masters accurately depicting the epic struggles of man with a high degree of skill do you think a patron of the arts went to Vincent and said "hay I would like you to paint a landscape using blobs of paint that don't really look like anything we have ever seen." Did a collector go to Pablo and say, "hay, acid has not been invented yet but you're a strange guy, could you paint a two dimensional rendition of a four dimensional image of a woman as observed by viewer traveling at nearly the speed of light?"

"Yo, Salvidore, yeah you, I'm trying to loose weight, could you do me a painting of food that Ill hang in my kitchen and do it so that I will loose my appetite every time I see it?

Nope, the artist as super hero is misunderstood and ridiculed until he uses his super powers to overcome all obstacles and vanish his foes, so that he can save the day, be cheered by the masses, get the girl or guy, and live happily ever after, until the next villain appears on the horizon.

[grommet]

...act of intellectual violence, not a kind genital expression of beauty.
Freudian slip, or intentional intellectual rape? Villain and... villain?

[underfoot]

super villain ???

how about
THE CRITIC
he has the ability to be one up on the sculptor
without tampering with the work,
He can show that it was really him that should have
made the work, if he had the time and since he hadnt he is glad that
someone else has,
although obviously it could have been done better.

[Mr. Malloy]

Yes, I know that trick. I find that What I "find" stimulates what can be made. I do not go looking for a certain shape etc. I go looking with a completely open mind. What do I see when I look at that bent up old pipe in the gutter? I might see something come out of it when I see some nuts and bolts accross town in the street. and go home and put it all together in a certain way. Or combine it with someting else? Always looking. Constantly open. my goal is to be in flux at every moment. Bending meanings of words from conversations and visual ideas. But how can I do that cheaply? and without wasting time?