November 12, 2010

Presenting the atelier of Sir M. Thackston Addie, visionary painter.

Crap.
I went to the art supply store and busted my piggy bank buying some Montana spray paints that were on sale (impulse purchase) along with tiny canvases, panels, and boards. Goal: Make some Cash and Carry paintings this holiday season. I loathe trying to make something with my, let's make something sellable and affordable, cap on. Art shouldn't be about trying to figure out what someone else will buy and for how much. So there I was trying to make blithe little paintings that someone might want to stuff in a stocking and I'm getting more and more anti-paint all the time until finally I'm like, screw it, I don't want to make little holiday paintings; I hate little holiday paintings; I'd rather poke my eye out than make little holiday paintings, and furthermore, I don't even know how to make nice holiday paintings. I am going to make a limited edition of crappy little ugly paintings that make me feel good and sell them for $50 until December 31st, and maybe someone with refined taste for the inexplicably confounding will get lucky this holiday season.
The atelier of M. Thackston Addie, b. Atlanta, Georgia, 1691. 
Sir M. Thackston Addie championed good crap over palatable crap, as seen here in a rare studio daguerreotype. 

4 comments:

Carla said...

I'm battling day job realities. Today the reality seems more determined to exert itself. I probably need that.

Elaine Mari said...

I just finished a "for money" commission that nearly killed me. I hate it when I don't like what I'm doing, wonder why that is? Unnatural don't you think?

Good for you.

Glad I fit into your "someone with refined taste for the inexplicably confounding". When I saw that painting, I said, F#@k it, I'm gonna do what I want. I'm going to hang it in the corner of my studio for inspiration.

M.A.H. said...

There's something very liberating about working under this particular alter ego. It's inspiring for me, too. That, "be true to yourself" thing is so right on.

Anonymous said...

yes, I can see how it could be liberaating. i have thought of it in the past and am thinking about it again now that i see what you've done with it.

true to yourself, true to yourself, true to yourself. there's a good mantra.

It's over.

Nov 7, 2020. Tears of joy and relief. It's been unreal and I'm ready to get back to a sense of normalcy. The desert has been tough.