Research Day

I've had a cold that has really put a halt on my work for about 3 days. I felt much better day though so I decided to go to the local library and do some research. I've been narrowing in on the artists and things that influence me the most. I've tried to think in terms of both contemporary influences and influences that have already made their mark in art history. Artist's such as Meggs, Greg Gossel, Shepard Fairey and the collective FAILE have really been shaping my ideas about the kind of art I want to create. All of these artist have come to prominence  in the computer age and are all still working. As such, they have been fairly easy to follow on the internet threw their websites, art&culture magazine blogs, flickr and even the news sometimes.

  Looking back into the height of pop art for influences however, I realized nothing was going to beat a good book with lots of commentary and high quality prints of the artists work. I set out today hoping to find a book on Robert Rauschenburg, I was hoping that knowing more about his 'combines' would help me with the layers of collage, paint, marker, tea stains and pencil that I've been building up as the base for my most recent pieces. I also wanted to find a book on Cy Twombly who's graffiti style scrawling across canvas might also shed some insight on the calligraphic aspects I'm incorporating. Of course the library didn't have books on either, so I went with what was available and read a book on Jasper Jones and another on Andy Warhol while I was there. I checked out Superman Vol. 1 and The Spirit Vol. 1 before leaving. So all in all I think it was a productive day of researching.

I have some questions I'm working through in my art, if you have an opinion I'd love to hear it:

What do you think of destruction as a form of creation?

What do you think of public art?

How far should public art go?

Is our society overloaded with imagery/messages?

Can we collectively have a conversation with the imagery we face every day or is it a strictly one way conversation?

Can you and I have individual conversations with the imagery we face every day or is it a strictly one way conversation?

How do you feel about appropriating images?

Is it better for your art to be specific to your particular views, beliefs, feels, experiences or just things a broad audience will appreciate?