Art of the Game

So I have recently hit an interesting point in my life in which I can see through the marketing façade of mainstream gaming. Now to be fair, I never have been a fan of the “mainstream” games that rocket into popularity thanks to their realistic graphics and immersive “whatevers.” No, for me games have always been about the adventure, story, and experience of playing…which up until very recently I didn’t realize was unusual.

For a moment I want to take you back. Back to a time before internet culture, before online video was king, and before most home phones weren’t wireless (or just someone’s cell). The year was 1995 (or maybe ’94). I was but a small impressionable child, but I saw a video game for the first time; Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo. Little did I know that experience would shape my concept of gaming for the rest of my life. Form that day at a cousin’s house; I knew that I wanted to play. Not just because it was a flashy image on a TV, but because I was drawn into the adventure of exploring a world.

Fast forward a few years, and the experience between my brother and I became about diving into interesting places in each cartridge and seeing just what new world there was to explore. For the majority of my life gaming was just that, an adventure. A one way ticket out of chores and school assignments, and into pipes, caverns, and dungeons sprawling across dozens of new worlds!

The impact that those games had on me was profound, and in many ways not something I’d fully understand until years later. It took me until college to realize that the adventures I went on as a kid, fueled my desire to “escape” into my paintings, and subsequently create stories and worlds for others to explore. In that sense, gaming for me was always about the next great journey and which princess to save next.

In the past year though I found myself invited into the world of mainstream, multiplayer games…Many of these games I have grown to adore, while others have become a nuisance. There was a time where creating a game was a passion project  for programmers, composers, and designers which manifested itself into a rich experience for the player. I think however over the past decade we may have lost that vision for what a game should be. While I by no means want to degrade the quality or skill that modern artists are utilizing to create unique characters and experiences, I have begun to question the validity of certain games as the betterment of the human experience. Recently I have chosen to quit playing a certain game, and as a result I have become more focused, productive, and motivated by doing so. Games that are designed to cause an addiction in the player to “play” rather than “experience” a game I think is causing a disconnect in the artistic experience among many young minds. If I (as a 30ish gamer and artist) can be so easily manipulated into playing for the sake of playing, then I think there is something to be said about the industry as a whole. These days artists are taking work to build a portfolio and put food on the table, but as I’m writing I have to wonder if the same artists are also “selling their souls” to the paycheck.

As an artist I’m concerned that the “art of the game” is being lost to the “art of a business.” More players, more games, more money…yeah a studio can do that, it’s their right as a business, but I GREATLY WORRY for artists that will design for a project for the money, without realizing that the product might be hurting it’s players rather than inspiring them. For me a game should inspire the player to go on an adventure, solve a problem, or just have fun, but with many mainstream games being produced I'm afraid people won't be inspired to create and just will spiral into "the game" which at the end of the day is meaningless.

The Rise Painting Parties and the Dangers of DIY

In recent years the art community has seen a rise in what you might call a “painting party.” For many small business groups, it’s the concept of a single night’s painting class in which a group of adults all paint a simple design while enjoying a bottle of wine or other beverage to relax. Thees BYOB nights have popped up all around the country and what started small has become a national phenomenon. However, with more and more people signing up for these events, I have to wonder about the long term implications of what might happen to artists and art as a whole. 

What does excite me about the opportunity these events bring to communities is how it opens new doors for many people and teaches them that they can be creative even if they have never thought of themselves as such before. In opening up new people to the world of art, it has begun to build their confidence in understanding the visual arts as well as being able to relate to artists rather than admire or gawk at them from a distance. However this understanding I believe can come at a high cost if we’re not careful. With the confidence to just paint something for yourself, these avid creators may not find the need to support and collect works from working professionals and skilled hobbyists anymore. 

Art should always feel accessible and “fun” for the creator, but this type of relaxing fun at these “painting parties,” cannot and should not take the place of fine art in our communities. In the mid 20th century there was a rise in the DIY culture for remodeling homes in suburban America. In most cases it became the norm to tackle large carpentry or interior designs to improve one’s home and lifestyle. These days hardware stores market themselves on this principle and it’s become integrated in our culture today. However out of the DIY movement came a slew of problems. Not all remodeling can be considered DIY, especially a number of electrical and plumbing projects, which have often plagued the average Do It Yourselfer and caused thousands of poorly designed and constructed homes across the country. 

So what does this have to do with painting parties? To put it simply when the visual arts are pushed into the DIY world, everyone suffers. If people reach a point where they decorate their homes with their own attempts at fine art, while at the same time moving forward with the mentality of “I can just make my own, I don’t need to buy something,” then the visual fine artist will go extinct. To limit the arts to simply something that can be done on a Friday evening for a couple hours, is to cause serious harm to the global art community and our culture as a whole. The dumbing down of painting in this case into the “party” mentality can potentially rob our society of the culture of great art; and in its place build an anarchy of DIY “arts and crafts.” 

However, this isn’t to say these party events are all bad. As I began, creating a fresh and engaged group of creative adults is something our culture is in desperate need of. The more and more people become engaged in the act of creating (in whatever form it takes), the more we will see a surge in the education and respect for the fine arts which could grow exponentially. I don’t feel that we are in either side of these extremes as of yet, however the dark side of them could easily overtake the culture not check on every now and then. As these types of businesses and events continue to flourish, it’s everyone’s responsibility not to simply limit our view of the visual fine arts. While the painting process is fun and rewarding it’s more than just something that takes a few hours while sipping on a glass of Merlot in a building that was once a pizza shop. Instead these events should be using the creative outlet to build up our desire for the beauty and aesthetics of work created by professionals and skilled hobbyists working in the field today.

5 Things I Learned From Taking A Year Off

Looking back 2017 was a rather interesting year. Cinder Block Studios as both a personal career and as a brand has gone through many changes. The largest of which was my big move into a new studio and living space. It was in late 2016 it was confirmed that I would be buying a place of my own so from the start I knew that I would be taking a break from art shows and market sales for a while, and honestly I’m really glad I did! In previous years I had built to doing about one show ever 5 or 6 weeks, with some overlap with long term exhibitions. It was an incredible high that I rode for a solid two years, but even after those two years started winding down I was starting to feel a little burnt out. I knew that I needed to step back and work on my art, and really think about my process and my products as a whole. I needed time to work on my skills, and not just be in constant promotion mode. So with the move underway by late February of 2017, I focused my energy toward straight production, and rebuilding new work habits in the new studio space.

Very quickly I was able to rediscover how much I really loved to work on new paintings. For much of 2016 and part of 2015, I had painted about half of my new inventory’s work of projects live at various shows. I do really enjoy the live painting experience, however it does involve me traveling with a limited set of colors and brushes, which often leads to some frustrating moments at these events. In addition to the limited tool set, my focus is also half in the painting and half on the show, which often hurts the quality of the work produced. So, having the time and tools I needed for a full year of paintings was such a welcomed relief. Focusing back on my own skill, technique, and style and forcing myself to push the limits of what I had made for myself in previous years was a truly rewarding experience.

Another thing I noticed was that the constant highs and lows I get from art shows are very tiring. It’s really easy to get into a slump of not wanting to work, so without the constant push to those extremes I could more easily created when I wasn’t feeling into it, and create really incredible stuff when I was!

As I mentioned already the need for constant promotion was a nice reprieve, however I would say that art marketing doesn’t stop when you’re not at shows, it merely changes. Rather than in person and one-on-one conversations with patrons, I found that the marketing concepts get broader to encompass a wider online audience. Granted I’ve been promoting my work online for years, but I did find that I was seeking out conversations online that I was used to having in person. In many ways that’s a good thing. It’s important to be able to talk to other artists about your work and theirs in a collaborative fashion. If you remain bottled up in the studio, and don’t take the time to go and talk with artists, then your work can very easily become stale. Filling your head with new ideas CAN be done online, but it shouldn’t be limited to doing so. With online interactions though I was faced with the challenge of bringing that level of interaction, engagement, and curiosity to the artist and fans of my work around the world.

A big change I made was also with my level of organization. Having the extra time on my hands away from shows let me rebuild and reorganize my inventory to make it both easier for me, and easier for others to browse through my art, and my video library. By doing show after show after show, I found that the amount of “new” work I had for each show was very small. For the few shows I did do, however, I was able to collect dozens of new works (and a few old ones) to create a much more compelling presentation. Going forward in 2018 I think it will be important to pick and choose shows in order to keep my production up, my skills sharp, and my joy of the creating process alive and thriving.

So yeah it’s been a busy past year, and I found that more than anything life gets in the way. A lot! So it really is about how much you want it. Art that is. How much do you want to make stuff? If the desire is strong enough you’ll find the time. That thought is actually what made me want to take art more seriously in college. I had less time in college than I did in high school so I had to really plan on when I painted. Now it’s the same challenge over again. Live is busy. My day job, my home, and my day to day needs keep me VERY busy, so when I paint I can escape from those things into new and unique worlds. It’s my hope that this idea of “escapism” is what my art conveys to all of you. We all have stuff we deal with everyday, so why not take at least a few minutes and escape into a fantasy world!

What about you guys? How did you grow in 2017? And what will you plan for this year (2018) to take your work to the next level?

The Pigment Database...

The Pigment Database and What I’ve learned about Hues

The more I paint and buy new paint tubes, bottles, and jars the more I have pushed to learn about paint as a whole. A number of years ago I was exploring the binders of each paint, and understanding the key differences between oils, acrylics, and watercolors. However, in recent years I have pushed to understand pigments in a more complex manner. One thing that many artists are aware of is the difference between a pure pigment paint and a “hue.” Hues are a single or multiple pigment used to replicate another pigment (such as sap green, cerulean blue, or alizarin crimson). Many hue colors, especially in acrylics, are designed to replicate a historical pigment without having the drawbacks of fugitive (or non-lightfast) colors. Artists want their paints to last and not fade over time in most cases. There are also parts of the world where certain colors are simply unavailable as they use heavy metals in their formula, the cadmiums and the cobalts are to blame here. Needless to say though many artists will chase after single pigment paints for their superior mixing capabilities and consistency across brands. It is in this brand to brand difference that learning exactly which pigments are in use in your paint becomes both cost effective for the artist as well as vital to the process when you start crossing viscosities and color lines.

So, in learning to research my colors more effectively I came across “The Pigment Database,” an online tool for cross referencing pigments, with color names, and common brands. Since discovering the database it has easily become one of my biggest companions in my weekly studio use as well as a shopping guide for future purchases.

Aside from its use in my purchases, it has also allowed me to slowly become familiar with reading the pigment codes on not just paint tubes, but on ink, markers, pastels, and a variety of other supplies. Being able to recognize color across brands, materials, and specific names I’m able to more accurately and effectively utilize color in creating different types of art.  Of course I do relate every pigment back to my acrylic colors as that is the medium I’m most familiar with, but even in doing so my understanding of each color and how it changes between medium has deepened immensely.

For a long time I also viewed a “hue” color to be inferior to a pure pigment color, and it wasn’t until the pigment database came into my workflow that I really started to change that opinion. Many artists (and I think very falsely so) see mixed pigment paints as lesser, when really it’s about the usage and skill level of each individual artist. Many hues are used in low end student grade colors which use not only a mix of pigments, but less pigment in general. These lesser paints will often have varying consistency levels, and leave paint mixes on your canvas to seem dull or washed out. However, professional tools don’t have this problem and this includes hue colors in these high end lines. Golden Acrylics’ historical colors are a great example of this. I’ve added a number of these colors to my palette in the past few years including Indian Yellow Hue and Smalt Hue. The original versions of these colors (at that time in oil paints) were not only single pigment colors, but known to be fugitive (colors that fade over time). Many of the modern mixed pigment substitutes  are much better than many artists think. While yes a color (like alizarin crimson) might mix a little different than it’s traditional counterpart, it will have a great color retention in the extended short term exposure in a gallery setting.

The one exception I’ve found to the hues would be the cadmium substitutes. These colors often have a drastically different mixing capability and are often only used by artists on a budget. However this also is in the process of changing. Liquitex recently announced a line of “cadmium free” substitutes for artists that retain the brilliant color of the regular cadmium colors without the need for the more toxic heavy metal pigment. In blind studies it has been running circles around the traditional colors, however I personally am more skeptical. For obvious reasons they are keeping their formulation under a hat for now, which leaves artists like me at an impasse. For an artist like myself who understands not just paint names but also pigments, I find it exceedingly frustrating to not be able to see the pigment codes for these paints. For a professional line of paint to not show the pigments used I feel isn’t useful to me at all. For some regions where cadmium pigments are unavailable the colors certainly have a lot to offer, but not knowing in advance if they are simple rebranded single pigments, or new hue variants I can say that waiting to try the colors would be in any artist’s best interest. I by no means want to criminalize Liquitex. I love their products, but I feel the omission of the pigment information is a misstep.

Ok, so ranting about brands aside let’s get back to the point. The Pigment Database is a wonderful resource for artists of any level. It has taught me a ton about paint, color, and where to draw the line with certain names. There’s still a lot to learn as well. As I continue to grow as an artist I’ll keep referencing the database to expand my color palette and push the limits of just what I can do with color!

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you been to the pigment database? If not, will you and how will you use it in your own process?

The Immersive Education within Art Materials

The idea behind this is actually very simple, but I often find many artists that don’t take the time to learn about their pencils, pens, paint, etc. which I find to be a massive oversight in their art education. For someone like me it was always intuitive to learn about new materials, but I’ve found over time that I am in the minority in that regard.

However, I don’t feel like it’s a “you have it or you don’t” mentality. Instead the desire to learn about your materials is something that for myself and for others I imagine develops over time. Early on in your artistic lives we just want to make art (which is very important part for sure) however you at some point will feel limited by a medium’s capabilities. At this point you can (and to some degree should at least for a time) change media, and learn more about other techniques, but again you may find yourself hitting mental walls.

So, how would one get out of such a rut? Thinking about what types of materials you use, and how you might use them more effectively I feel is where this exploration begins. Something like my choice acrylic paint for example has a lot more to it than what might be first understood. High quality acrylics are made from a polymer emulsion, water, and pigment. Lower quality paints add more fillers and water in place of more concentrated pigment loads. Then depending on the individual pigment it will determine the price of the paint, its opacity, its tint strength, and its glossiness. Then subsequently learning about pigments can allow you to start seeing the limitations as well as the limitless possibilities a single color can have. Not to mention how one pigment can be called by several names across brands, viscosities, and individual media (ie. oil, acrylic, watercolor).

While all of this may sound complex it is the core from of education that I have pursued in the past few years that has continued to drive my worth further and further. Breaking down my understanding of transparent vs. opaque acrylics as well as the subtle difference in hue between pigments is transforming my use of color and composition in every painting. Sure it’s not helping something like my line quality or rendering skills, but the understanding of what the paint can do even further than I already understand it brings about new ideas every single day.

For acrylics I’ve found that many paint manufactures take a great deal of care in showing off their products. Not only because they’re wanting you to buy them, but because for a creator of professional materials like Golden, they really care about artists creating the best work that they can. It was actually Golden’s Youtube Channel, which first introduced me to acrylic gels and mediums (a discovery that at the time transformed my work entirely). For nearly 10 years prior I just didn’t really understand my paint, but when I started putting the time in to researching it, I began to see new ideas for paintings erupting in my imagination.

For companies like Golden, Liquitex, Blick, Utrecht, Faber-Castell and many others, the promotion of new and interesting products doesn’t just sell product but it inspires artists to create something new.

If you do nothing else this week artistically, start looking into the composition, the production of, and the possibilities of your materials, and I can guarantee you’ll find new techniques and ideas right around the corner!