THE BURDEN OF EXPRESSION

What place does art have in the world?

BY KIERAN DANG

Physical art has been a staple of modern and past cultures as a means of entertainment for the masses in the form of a simple canvas with intricately woven lines and colors structured to form a beautiful image. The process that many artists use to create these works of art can vary wildly, from the type of brush they use to the type of canvas they paint on. As a whole, these different components of an artist’s style culminate in their unique ways of creating and interpreting art.

Marc Burkhardt has worked in the art industry for over 30 years for notable companies such as TIME, Amazon, Gucci, and other high-profile companies. During an interview, Marc disclosed the many different struggles and joys that come with art, as well as why he chose art in the first place.

“I have never met a kid who doesn’t want to draw. But some of them don’t stop. And I was one of them. So I think I was always doing this. I don’t even know that there was anything that motivated me to do so, and yet, nothing has motivated me to stop doing it.” Marc spoke of his early motivations.

The creative process as it happens to vary from artist to artist is a very particular topic, as depending on the individual, their process can seem significantly different from one another, although one idea remains consistent throughout. That being said, editing is a major part of the overall way an artist makes their work. Being able to go back and revise a thought also helps the artist let their thoughts continue to flow from the creation to the changes being made.

The process of editing can be explained and done in many different ways. For example, one artist may go over previous edits made to their work while another may remove parts of their work completely; through these different methods, artists are able to improve and diversify their work.

We see this heavily expressed in another form of art, which is digital art, where the ability to erase and recreate any aspect of your art is at your fingertips with the help of one or two digital programs. With the proper skill and knowledge, you can edit practically anything to fit your intended design, given enough time.

And it’s with this emergence of new technologies such as AI-generated art and these new ways to create art digitally that the future of physical art seems uncertain, as the ability to create highly detailed art at will may be the thing that makes artists obsolete. However, when questioned about this fate, Brendan Shea seemed relatively unworried about this new dilemma.

“I think physical painting will always exist. For example, in the 1980s and even before the 1980s, a lot of people thought that painting was dead, that there was a new era of art, and that paintings were too limited. And then, when photography became a thing, it was the same type of talk. Why would paintings exist anymore if we can just photograph the world around us?”

Brendan is currently a part-time artist in Austin, TX, and overall has mixed feelings about the new wave of art.

“I think time and time again, painting is proven to be an activity that humans enjoy. So I don’t think it’s just going to disappear because new technologies are emerging.”

In the past year, painting employment has risen over 3% and still seems to be on a steady path of growth as more people begin to take up the profession due to the recent events of COVID-19, which forced people to take on a more sedentary lifestyle, opening up more artistic opportunities for a lot of people at home.

With this rise in new artists, however, comes the understandable problem of not knowing where to start, especially when it comes to finding your path on the way to starting a professional art career.

“I think one thing is trying to build a network of other creative people, like, you can’t make art in a vacuum, you need to be speaking with people about your work and talking to people about their work. It just helps you generate ideas,” says Shea.

Aside from the need to talk to others, artists also need to make sure to constantly produce art at a relatively high rate to maintain relevance in their respective communities. Because of this need to always look for new ideas to stay ahead of the curve, it’s not surprising that some artists face the challenge most do when working excessive amounts: burnout.

“I think the reality for a lot of artists today is that they have an art practice, but they also have to have a day job as it’s very rare for an artist to be able to make a living solely off of their work. So for me, I work my day job. And then I go to the studio after work to make my paintings. So physically, that is exhausting, but then also getting to the studio sometimes makes you feel like you’re already really tired. So it’s just getting yourself into the practice of showing up every day, which is important for me.” said Shea.

Currently, Shea is managing a part-time studio alongside his day job as a passive form of income, although the disappointing reality for most artists is the fact that surviving off of their art alone simply isn’t enough. With the rising popularity of painting and the increasingly exclusive nature of the art world, it can seem ever harder to find a big break for many artists.

Of the several artists we in- terviewed, they all seemed to share a similar sentiment when it came to making it big in the art world. That being said, in order to really get yourself out there, you have to start by building a network of your own.

“I would say for the person to, immerse themselves in the kind of art they’re interested in just by being a part of the community; if possible, go to events, get to meet people in person, and take part in shows or whatever activities they can do to really become fully immersed in it, and then just stay persistent with it,” commented Dawn Okoro, a local Houston artist.

When it comes to networking, the promotion of your own material and the observation of others were big talking points among the interviewees, as the general consensus was that, in order to be known, you had to make yourself known. And with the ever changing landscape of art it’s also important to stay on top of the current trends and popular themes.

“And the creative process, especially within painting, is a lot of borrowing and a lot of simultaneous invention with people making similar moves with their paintings at the same time. Like, a few years back, a lot of people were doing drop shadows and that was a really big thing.” commented Shea.

In many different pieces of art we can see traces of past works reflecting in more modern pieces as with every work of art there will be some sort of past influence that can be referenced in a final product. Some like to think of this concept as the death of originality in that every aspect or style of art has been done before. This loss of originality, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the constant recycling of material and ideas can come to be a way for artists to collaboratively explore different concepts and designs for their work.

“I’m inspired a lot by fashion photography, especially the images that I saw in magazines when I was growing up. A lot of that aesthetic sticks with me still. Like a lot of, say Versace ads, or Calvin Klein. It’s things like that take a lot of inspiration and how I pose my figures and, and do the compositions.” said Okoro on the topic of inspiration. Okoro’s compositions largely consist of a very vibrant style of art, as well as the fashion photography-esque style she mentioned in her interview. Since we know what types of art inspired her specific type of works we can really begin to grasp how impactful outside influences can be on one’s personal artistic choices.

The overall message of one’s artwork can also vary with the differences in the artist’s worldview and influences in general alongside their artistic choices. While many may attempt to convey a deeper meaning sometimes all that needs to be understood is a surface level appearance and reaction that the artist is trying to generate.

“I think it’s important to have a purpose or a concept, I guess, you describe it, you know, as being behind a piece. So I’m not just going to do a still life for a landscape, it’s there, there’s some symbolic story behind it. That said, I think it’s really important to sort of let an image live on its own.” This idea, while letting the artist get creative with how they convey their message on their own, also provides the viewer with the creative liberty to interpret the art in a way that resonates with them on a personal level as opposed to viewing art in a 2 dimensional way through only one perspective.

As a whole though, art is a fascinating form of human expression and creativity as it has continued to stand the test of time and evolve with us as a civilization.

“It’s important to have a purpose or a or a concept, I guess, you describe it, you know, as being behind a piece. So I’m not just not just going to do is still live for a landscape, it’s there, there’s some symbolic story behind it. That said, I think it’s really important to sort of let an image live on its own.”

-Marc Burkhardt`

While the evolution of art as a medium has created a diverse community and workforce, the reality of it is that the number of people who are able and or allowed to make it in such an exclusive space is limited to an extreme extent. In spite of that fact, art as a medium is extremely rewarding as a hobby and job for many who partake in it with the amount of freedom it provides the artist and the endless possibilities that stem from putting lines on a canvas.