Tuesday, April 25, 2006

I likes what I likes

A huge part of the development of my current body of work has been a process of stripping away layers of affectation that got stuck to my art as I learned to present myself as a sophisticated person. Part of appearing sophisticated was embodied, it seemed to me, by restraining or negating the visual pleasures that I had always had, and that everybody else had had (at least before they got an art education). The result of all this stripping away is that I make art that I'm pretty sure I would have liked as a kid and that I still like as an adult. I may be wrong about everyone else having the same taste for bright colors that I had right out of the womb, but I tell you what, I sure did.

I liked bright colors and funk, which is another taste that I secretly feel that all people have to make an effort to overcome. People who don't like funk had better have a good excuse, if you ask me (which they don't). Anyways, I found this video clip today. I loved this thing when I was five, and I love it now. I think a version of this, drawn by Marcel Dzama and colored by me, would be about the best art ever. The soundtrack would stay, of course.

In other news, my Senior Seminar students gave their artist's talks today, and I'm so proud of them. They were smart and honest and brave and engaged- awesome. They're having a show soon, and will be sending out invitations any minute now, so if you get one, go!

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