With this blog I hope to explore the journey of an artist and my perception of the importance of art to society. Please stay tuned as I launch this blog and fine tune it along the way.
First is a link to my online gallery www.artbyinglis.com
The gallery was mostly designed by myself as I wanted it to be a little different from the average website. Most online advice for art site design, which I chose to ignore, said to keep it simple and avoid flash animations. So my home page is a flash animation and the galleries are flash templates. The site is a bit complex and the designers had some problems with getting it functional. I probably got a little bit too cranky before the final version was launched.
My primary goal was to have a site that was itself an evolving work of art. I am already working on ideas for more flash art, which willl eventually become a gallery in itself. As an eclectic artist, I knew there needed to be lots of space for more images and room for editing, hence the flash templates. Overall, I feel satisfied with the results and have received much positive feedback from you all. Many thanks.
So, what does it mean to be an artist in these times of shrinking budgets, expenditure cutbacks, diminished funding? One way to look at it is to follow the “fear thread”, which will inform you about layoffs at Christie’s, about galleries selling their collections to raise money, etc. These news bites are misleading, because they focus on the material, rather than the esthetic, value of art. There are more artists out there today, painting, drawing, printing than ever before! Just look at the number of art websites…..staggeringly wonderful. We are all finding new ways of expression and just beginning to tap into our multiple muses. Even the Rockband-ers and U-Tube-ers, the MySpace-ers, Facebook-ers and Flikr-ers are potential artists, emerging from their shells.
Digital artists are unlocking new doors to tomorrows art, and they will not go away. An interesting anecdote: Two years ago I approached a local, prosperous looking, gallery with some of my work and the owner said, disdainfully, “I am not the least bit interested in digital art!” This gallery has since disappeared, while many new online galleries are launching and flourishing. I am seeing more articles and blogs stating that all artists, analog and digital, need to have an online presence now.
At this point I would like to make an artist’s statement: “I believe that art is the lifeblood of civilization and will continue to paint until am I no longer able, with a goal of bringing some beauty into other’s lives and giving expression to a more transcendant view of life and reality.”
Finally for today, here is my latest finished work, titled simply Gingko Robe 7 Enjoy, download, alter, print or recycle it as you please. Just don’t resell it.
Nature personified.
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