thursday

Reintroduction to Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon in his studio circa 1977

( thank you to the Artist and Studio website- http://artistandstudio.tumblr.com/)

I discovered this image online tonight.

At first I was amused and saved it to my photos on my phone to show to those who think that my studio is messy. 

But then I began to reacquaint myself with this brilliant mans dark work. It's haunting and sometimes disturbing to me. 

I stumbled upon these quotes by him-

"The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly, a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure; it’s a little like making love, the physical act of love."

"My painting is a representation of life, my own life above all, which has been very difficult. So perhaps my painting is very violent, but this is natural to me."

"The men I painted were all in extreme situations, and the scream is a transcription of their pain. "

His obituary in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/29/arts/francis-bacon-82-artist-of-the-macabre-dies.html?smid=pl-share

Interview

There is a wonderful man named Michael Corbin (artbookguy) who regularly posts online interviews with artists in his website and is a source of support for artists and inspiration to viewers.

I was honored to do an interview with him. To read it, go here:

http://artbookguy.com/erica-brown-the-degradation-of-manmade-things_621.html

To see his wonderful site, go here:

http://artbookguy.com/

Going down in history

I am a lover of art history. (though I'm ashamed to admit since baby, etc, I have not been as dedicated to my studies as I used to be.)

A large part of what interests me in studying artists of the past is their life stories and how they correlate with the evolution of their work. 

That "real" aspect of the person who created a body of work... 

I find it utterly inspiring. 

Perhaps this factors into how I conduct myself more than I realize. 

I aim to support myself and my family with my art career while I'm still kicking,  but If my artwork at some point becomes popular after my death- (as is common for visual artists)  how would my story read? Of course I can only control some aspects of my life's story. But I certainly wouldn't want to be known to toot my own horn, sell out for what was immediately successful/popular or in any way create things that are not from my heart or have business practices which are morally questionable.

These are standards that I believe I would stand by anyway, but knowing that someday my viewers might have only these stories with which to relate to my art, further arms my conscience.

Rittenhouse

I had the good fortune of being one of the artists at the 82nd Rittenhouse Fine Art Show last weekend. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart to all of those who came out to support me. 

Perhaps you stumbled upon my booth and I had a great conversation with you and invited you for a studio visit...

I hope you contact me because it was wonderful to meet you.

It is those kind of interactions that reignite  the drive for me to continue doing this. 

Thank you.

 

Abandoned

I am continually inspired by abandoned homes and factories in my area. Indeed, all around me in this town I see it daily...

Nature slowly reclaiming man made structures... the persistent decay that weather takes on surfaces... Roots of trees (which have been around long before us) silently dismantling pavement and brick...

As you can imagine the photos on this link were a feast for my eyes...
http://www.dailyfunlists.com/33-amazing-abandoned-places-in-the-world/

There is a great book that I keep in my studio-
"American Ruins" by, Arthur Drooker
I highly recommend it.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who came out to my studio this weekend! It was a wonderful experience for me and that is because you came.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support!

To my fellow studio tour artists- great job! I wish I could have visited your spaces.

And now to prepare for the next event- the Rittenhouse fine arts festival on June 7,8 and 9.
(If you go, please come visit me? I'll be at booth #35)