I’m grateful I have been paid to make art. I’m sure to count my blessings; or is it the blessing I count on? At times I question the necessity of commerce. I like it when I’m making money from art, as opposed to making art for money. Some gigs are about hiring you as an individual, but others are just interested in filling a spot. I say no to jobs I don’t agree with, yet I’m still grateful when people express an interest in my work.

Earlier in my art practice I was offered a proposal to illustrate a billboard for the biggest soft drink company in the world. You know the one. I felt like I could see a little devil on my shoulder saying, “If you don’t do this, someone else will anyway.” The payment was $50,000, which is more money than I have ever come close to. The ad had to include some slogan about happiness, depict a bunch of cars in a traffic jam, and convey the idea that drinking a bottle of soda would help you forget about your troubles. The company wanted to target highways in developing countries. I decided to have a try, rationalizing that I could use the money to fund Islands Fold, a free artist residency I was operating with my wife.

I soon realized the project wasn’t going to support my story as an artist. The company just wanted a hired hand to create exactly what they wanted, but they didn’t totally know what they wanted. It’s a weird position any freelancer can relate to. In the end I didn’t finalize the job. I couldn’t figure out a way to separate myself and consider it as a straight illustration gig. That, or I was unable to bend to corporate control.

I understand people’s motivation when the money is that good. Michelangelo was backed by the church. Alexander Calder painted a BMW. Artists get corporate sponsorships, and I’m not naïve as to why this is. I recently read an article of Werner Herzog referencing a German proverb: “The Devil always shits on the biggest heap.” It’s funny, but seems so true.

Compatibles, Ink on Paper, 2012
Inside Look, Ink on Paper, Digital Color, 2012

People make their own choices and deserve the rewards they work hard for. Money does make big projects happen. A rocket to the moon isn’t financed on high fives. Money can help artists better themselves, their family, the community, or help support a cause or charity. It’s not so much the money I take into question, but more so the companies that provide the money. Cadillac has sponsored street art projects, but it just makes me think of Wall Street. I support artists getting paid for doing what they love to do, and maybe I’d rather see artists signing on for projects funded by such companies, as opposed to making $10 an hour working for them on the floor. It’s all so personal and everyone has different circumstances.

I grew up listening to Bob Dylan. Seeing his ad for Cadillac doesn’t stop me from loving his lyrics and music. Challenges arise when separating the art from the artist, especially when the art is personally meaningful. It’s the disconnect between the artist and their commercialized version that bums me out.

I think art may be getting more appreciation and exposure, but it’s becoming undervalued and homogenized because of it.

This push and pull is nothing new to anyone in the arts. We all play this game in some way. While most get destroyed by it, some define themselves with it. I don’t feel arrogant in saying I’ve defined myself in it, but I do admit insecurity in redefining it. Redefining it is so important if one wants to have longevity in the arts. This is another reason why I’m currently on a vacation from art-making. It’s been five weeks and I haven’t made a thing. Nothing, except taking a few photos on my phone. It feels good to take this break. I feel like I’ll get back to it with fresh eyes. To move forward by looking back.

I do think a lot about the purpose and meaning of art. Even if art means nothing it still means something. My wife and I went to the new Douglas Coupland exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. It knocked my socks off. It was brilliant. I investigated every inch of that show and loved how obvious and accessible it was to me. I didn’t need to be too perplexed by it. I enjoy that.

Obviously it’s nice to be exposed to abstract ideas. Much of my art plays in that realm, but I think it takes a lot to perfect visual communication. I once read that a hallucination is something only an individual can see, and a vision is something others can see. There are some significant artists making great strides in redefining reality; or they’re people creating incredible illusions. I wouldn’t be into art if it wasn’t for such individuals and movements. I appreciate that an artist like Marina Abramović can push boundaries with the human experience. Christo wraps up an island. Andy Goldsworthy builds beautiful sculptures with sticks and stones. Burners burn at Burning Man. It’s all so remarkable, but sometimes I just want a break from the human expression in art.

Night Drive, Ink on Paper, Digital Color, 2014

I spend a lot of time admiring art, and I guess I need a vacation from looking at it as well. When I spend time in nature, it expresses an art-form that moves me like no other. I know there are no rules in art, because it’s about liberation, not control. Discipline and practice creates great art too. I do however see that man-made art can be very exclusive. Nature’s art seems more inclusive, but hey, humans are nature, plastic is nature, everything is natural. It’s all relative. I think of the comic George Carlin when I express such things.

I do wonder how art is being used to distract and condition people. Screens and devices are very prominent these days. It will be interesting to see if we’ll continue to rejoice or reject such things. In 1984, William Gibson wrote in Neuromancer, “Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation.” I grew up in the pre-internet, pre-smart-phone generation, so I feel compelled to comment on such topics. I was drawing on a ferryboat a few months ago, and a boy started showing interest. He then got out his iPad and showed me how he makes super hero characters with an app that lets the user choose body parts, colors, capes, etc. It was cool to see this kid using this device creatively, but it seemed like the device was getting in the way of direct imagination. It’s like the tool is becoming the conductor. I don’t want to close myself from tools that can help create amazing things, but I do favor straight pen to paper. It’s a combination that continues to stand the test of time.

Plant Scroll
Ink on Canvas
2009