Art Wortd Coop

by Ben Claassen III & Kimberly Dorn
(via)

Wow, I have been away from the blog for way too long. Not only have I not had time to blog I am also missing all the blogs I usually frequent during the week. Today I will post a few pics from the trade show we just finished up last Monday. I had a great time and met some terrific people. I went home with a stack of leads, and a lot of work to do. I am getting caught up on portraits now and hope to be back to my regular life by next week.

I'm sure you know Damien Hirst's recent work, For the Love of God. Created as the most expensive contemporary art work in the world, it is valued at about 75 million euros. Hirst underlines the value of the diamonds (about 30 million), and plays on the incapacity of judging the "value" of a work by giving it huge value since the beginning.
This business move, not uncommon among the creme de la creme of contemporary artists, is brilliant, of course. You either get it, or you don't. If you go for the bluff, it automatically ceases to be a bluff. Therefore, if you criticize it for being just a silly idea, or a great idea but with a silly number of zeros next to it, or for being a shallow philosophy for the nouveau-riches, then you just don't get it. Of course. Which makes it seem critique-proof.
So far, so good.
But it gets better.

"We must buy the diamond skull for Britain" - this proclamation was made to his countrymen by Jonathan Jones, a journalist of the Guardian to keep the"most amazing artefacts ever made in this country". Jones thus encourages the British to purchase this "work of art", made by"the treasure of Great Britain" Damien Hirst, which is currently on the market for 50 million pounds. Our British friends, we are coming to rescue you! Like the cheap Polish labour well known to you, Polish artist Peter Fuss wishes to relieve the British nation from such a great expense. "For the laugh of God" by Peter Fuss will be available in the Polish car on ART CAR BOOT FAIR at a competitive price of 1000 pounds. In addition, you may also buy a limited (1000 copies) edition of signed and numbered graphics for only 1 pound each. You will not have to wait for tickets anymore to seea skull set with diamonds, and the time of watching Fuss's skull willcertainly not be limited to 5 minutes! To make his work, Peter Fuss used about 9870 pieces of glass polished and cut to look like diamonds, worth 250 pounds and spent 18 hours to complete the piece. Income from sale of Fuss's skull and its accompanying graphics is supposed to amount to 2000 pounds - this is eight times as much as the invested amount! Before the skull goes to the trade fairs to London, it can be seen inPoland, during the Modelator event in Modelarnia, which will take place on28 June.

This is great. Answering another artist is really a delicate matter (and trust me, I know how it can fail). But here, the perfect match is created. It not only lives off the other work, and lives well, gives it a wonderful ironic twist, but also manages to play on the idea of production and even on the stereotype of cheap Polish labor!
One of the best aspects of this project is that it does not stop at an idea. It is not a conceptual work. Someone actually goes and does this, speaking on the very same level as the original statement. And with a terrific sense of humor.
Peter Fuss has been making some interesting work, most of it apparently attracted to controversy. I have been watching him from afar. Some of his previous work (see, for example, his Three Billboards About Love) is poignant and intense while remaining elegant, if not "beautiful". What I like about them, and what makes me uncomfortable as well, is the state of tension between the will of changing something and the need for a distanced, often ironic look, that tends towards a critical fatalism - if I can use that term (a situation where the work does nothing in the sense of working towards an alternative to whatever it criticizes, and appears to be presenting it as a horrible but unavoidable reality).
"For the Laugh of God" has the wonderful quality of being at the same time a critique and a development, a variation on a theme. Irony does not finish its scope. But then, of course it speaks a very different language. The lightness and double-meaning (after all, it is a skull) resemble Yorick's. There is a game between kitsch, luxury and rottenness that, to me, outplays master Hirst.
I would love to buy this. Unfortunately, not only am I completely broke, but I consider this is an opportunity that has to be understood, appreciated and used by the British. So maybe a print?


More on Damien Hirst's work here, on Peter Fuss's art here, and on other Polish related artists here.

I am here:

For a synchronic look, you go here (wonderful!). For a diachronic one, you go here. (and explore the rest of the blog as well).

1.Redesigning flags according to clients' wishes.

2.Redesigning your identity in Second Life.
Notice the guy's t-shirt : "World without strangers".

Visit Art Paw at the upcoming wholesale market in Dallas.
June 22 - June 26
We will be in booth # 2618
2100 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas TX 75207

I hope you guys all have a great Father's Day. This is a shot of my Dad & Mom from the 50's. I think he looks a little like Elvis in this photo.

There are two Andy Hunag's living in the US and making great animation.

1. Andy Huang, a student of arts and animation at the University of Southern California, brings us Doll Face, a fairy-tale about... to be honest, I was so pleased with the visual aspect of the video, at first I completely missed the story. Let me give you this opportunity, too.

So, the story is, well, simple. But the doll is charming, the melancholy lightness of it, the delicate texture. Should we always ask for more?

2. Andy Huang, a graduate of communications design from Pratt University, introduces us to a world where design meets animation meets a baroque sense of humor. His is a polyphonic world, one that flies in all directions, cares not about narrative but about a certain shape, balance, impact.

Both Andys have some things in common. Their work is slick, clean, well-focused, it is not afraid of pop, of a certain type of flashiness.
On the other hand, they represent two different choices. One tends towards clean narrativity, a beginning a middle an end, (and in this order...), the other seems much closer to visual arts, chaos is welcome, Flash animation, clean powerpointy cuts, the new digital collage...
This is really a very serious issue: the consequences of each of these options are impressive. Of course, they can be combined, interpolated, tried out and thrown out at will... But there is such a thing as a body of work, career progress, or artistic development. And there is a need for storyline, for things happening that cause other things happening. Causality. And yet, from the perspective of contemporary art this seems so petty, so ridiculous, when you have all these broken, mashed up, re-redone languages... As if it weren't an issue. New playwriting? Experimental cinema? Installations? Maybe. And yet, while participating in all these experiments, while promoting them and enjoying them, I somehow still feel the deep thirst for story.

Saturday and so little to talk about. I will post a viral web video below that most of you guys have probably seen by now unless you are living under a rock. Ok, Ok I should not beat up those of you that do not eat, sleep and breath the web ... there are other things in life. IF you have not seen it do hit the play button and turn up your volume.

I wish I knew more about creating and editing video, because this would be way cool to do with dog art. There are just not enough hours in the day to learn everything I want to know. Hmmm maybe if I would quit surfing the web for 10 minutes I could pick up a book on video editing ... yea maybe.

Here are my top 5 Tips For commissioning a Pet Portrait

#1 Remember that in most cases you do not pay an artist by the hour.
Faster does not equal better.

What this means to you is that while it might seem super cool to place a rush on your project or beg and plead to have the artist create you portrait in a day or an hour (Uncle Benny's birthday is next week), when it comes to custom artwork faster is not always better. Plan your project ahead of time and allow your artist the time they need to create a masterpiece for you. This does not mean that desired delivery dates should not be discussed as most artists are usually willing to try to hit target dates on request. Here at Art Paw we do our very best to never miss a deadline, and I know several other talented artists that provide the same level of service to their clients.

#2 A question of decor, will it match the sofa?

Most artists are more than happy to work with a little color direction on your part. I am always tickled when folks send paint chips, however a simple shot of the room where the artwork will be placed can really clue me in on tastes and style. The best way to give your artist some creative elbow room is to just suggest either a "warm" palette (reds & oranges) or a "cool" palette (blues & greens).

#3 A good photograph makes all the difference ...shoot, shoot and shoot again

In the old days film and processing cost money, today the majority of my clients have digital cameras which should allow them to take a hundred or more shots if that is what it takes to get one great shot. My biggest tip on shooting digital is set that camera at your highest quality setting. High resolution files are the best. Also get up close to your pet, they should fill the frame.


#4 Choosing an artist

When I started my business back in 1998 there were very few artists on the web offering their talents. Today it seems like 100 more new names appear on-line each day. The best way to find an artist on-line is to just google around and look at portfolios. Find someone working in a style you like, and then check out their working terms. Do they offer a money back guarantee or proofing. Here at Art Paw we do both and yet I will be the first to admit that there are tons of great artists that do neither. If an artist does not offer you safety net terms and yet you love their style, I suggest you check out their length of time on-line, or customer testimonials. Do they have a professional looking site with their own domain name? If for any reason you are not comfortable dealing with someone via the web try to find an artist in your own city that you can meet with in person.


#5 Order your holiday gift giving pet portraits in the summer

Pet portraits have grown in popularity over the years and every portrait artist I know is totally swamped from November to Christmas Eve. Most artists have strict deadlines that they adhere to during the holidays. Order early and get your favorite artist's best unhurried work.

Next week I will post my top 5 tips for artists on managing their commissions.

Today we uploaded 2 new painterly projects. Rusty and Tupelo are two terrific big dogs with strong lines and pretty eyes. I am very close to being caught up for the first time all year. Yay for me. We only have a few portraits in-house to start from scratch.

This is a new version of Georgia & Pudge. I took my detailed painterly work and then abstracted it with more filters. I sort of like this one, and at least now the earlier proofing options will seem tame. This one is nice and flat & graphic. I think for canvas I prefer the more detailed painterly work, but this might be yummy on thick watercolor paper.

This weekend I found my muse at Half Price Books. When I walk into a book store I take my creative "artist brain" and my creative "business woman brain" and usually one brain will win the day and garner all of my time in their favorite department. Well Sunday I got lucky and found 2 books for each of my creative brains.

First I have to tell you about a really brilliant book for kids and adults and especially for artists. Run out and get a copy of Dr. Seuss' old book " On Beyond Zebra". I love love love this stunning book.
Here is an excerpt:
" In the places I go there are things that I see
That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.
I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!"


This thin little children's book is the best book on creativity I have ever seen. Oh and if you do not have kids it is ok to read it out loud to your dogs.

You can order a newer copy at Amazon:


The other book I just finished reading today is Seth Godin's book "Permission Marketing". I found it dry, tedious, and repetitive. With that said I would also highly recommend it. I did gain some working knowledge that I will apply to my business. The man is no Dr. Seuss ok., and business books are as a rule not as fun as a romp in the park, but if you have an open mind you can find what you need in them. I also try to check in on Seth Godin's Blog from time to time. He has some other business books that I plan to read soon, so don't let my negative comments on his writing style keep you from learning from him. This guy knows his stuff.

Georgia & Pudge are two of my new favorite Bullies. The client requested a sort of "neutral toned" Bulldog portrait to work on a nice red wall. Sounds like they really do have great taste with lots of silver, and modern warm neutral tones in their home. The image posted here is my splashy and maybe way too colorful version that I sort of did for myself. When I proof Pudge & Georgia's humans I will be sure and include some more conservative or "toned down" options as well. While I always love design notes and input from my clients I also have to just go crazy sometimes and have fun, throwing caution to the wind. They have a signed Dali print for goodness sake, my colors can not be all that bold (crossing fingers).

If you click to enlarge the detail above you will see where I have tried to get a bit messy. I used a cool splatter brush to create some fun paint texture on this piece. It is always a challenge to get loose and get messy with digital art, but when you can find your groove with it the results can be very fun. I feel like the more intentional drips and splatters I can work into a painting the more I can separate my work from more filter oriented artists. One of my favorite parts on this piece is that red splotch on the red pillow. I know, 2 adorable sweet pups and I am in love with a pillow splotch. I do also love the tiny beauty mark on Georgia's right cheek and the freckles on her left ear.

Yesterday I talked about American Bulldogs, today I want to talk about Mini Schnauzers and my most recent Aussie client Skye. Skye looks adorable chewing on that tasty bone. This commission is a surprise Birthday gift portrait for Skye's Dad. He will get to choose his favorite proof to be printed. This portrait is a good example of how a special candid photograph can turn out really great as a painterly style portrait.

I have not had the opportunity to create very many Schnauzer portraits in the past 9 years however I have done a few Mini Schnauzuers that I am quite proud of. Last month I worked on Micah ( see below)

It is odd how we go in breed cycles around here. Some months we will have several of one breed come in at the same time. Last week I worked on Casino an American Bulldog with a card themed background while Allison knocked out a really terrific Warhol inspired portrait of Thunder & Taylor. We are still fine-tuning both portraits a little this week.

American Bulldogs have long been a favorite breed of mine, I just love their strong lines and sleek muscles.

The American Bulldog is a working dog developed for catching livestock and for protecting property. There are generally considered to be two types of American Bulldog, the Johnson type and the Scott type, named after the breeders who were influential in developing them, John D. Johnson and Allen Scott. These are more commonly known as Classic or Bully type and Standard or Performance type. More from Wikipedia

We took a very brief break on Sunday and drove down to Austin. We stayed at the lovely San Jose and we hung out with Big Tommy at Barton Springs. The pics are from Monday. I figured it was about time I added a current pic of me to the web. All my pics from the bio pages are about 9 years old now, and 36 looked a lot different for me than 45.

Tommy had a blast retrieving his ball from Barton Springs. He was not a natural water dog like our Nessie, but he eventually got the hang of it.

Ok so in my last post I ended by talking about a desire to get back to working with my hands a little and create some things in 3-d. Oh what a wicked harpie technology is! Now I know what the next big visual arts thing is going to be for those that are ready to take the plunge into 3-d design work. Check out the video below to see what is possible in the world of 3-d printing and model making. What a world!!!

I still remember staring at the fax machine 15 years ago in awe at the magic of technology, and now we can create 3-d objects with the ease of using a printer and computer software. It may be a few years before the price tag is feasible for a small art studio like Art Paw, but who knows maybe pet sculptures will be our next big adventure.
You can also read a great article on 3-d printing by clicking here.