I remember the first thrill I got from the seedling of a thought, "Maybe I can do this; maybe I can be an artist!"
Van Gogh said that he would dream at night about painting, then get up and paint his dream. I dreamed about
painting to. I longed to to be an illustrator, sculptor or painter. The problem lied with when I got up, I could not paint my dream!
I spent many years in frustration. Yes, I had turned a waterfall purple and that was cool... but was it real art? Could I do it again?
"Seasoned" was my first piece of art that I considered to have real potential. It was late winter of 2009, the kids had gone to bed and, David, to play basketball with the ward. I had nothing to do!
For several years (about 4) I had been taking pictures of ordinary yet, to me, beautiful things. I sat down at the computer and began to browse the images... there was something there, I knew it! I stopped on a photo of a simple fall leaf on the sparkling white snow. I loved the contrast of the orange on the brilliant white. I loved the delicate, yet intricate, features of that fallen leaf. It was more than what it seamed. It had lived it's life, it was "seasoned" and it had a story to tell!
I remembered the waterfall and contemplated... "I wonder" 4 hours whizzed by; David came home, stinky and wet. I will never forget how he stopped in his tracks and admired that piece of art I had just made in awe! Only hours before, he had walked by the same leaf without a second thought. This is the effect I wanted to have on people. This was art!
View "Seasoned"at:
http://www.meloniepacker.com/Photography/My-Gallery/11642051_hxp3F#!i=790035976&k=FuzYz
(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)
Showing posts with label value of art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label value of art. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Happy Day
After a long wait, and many excruciating hours of work, I got to open up my first package of published copies of Joy Found in the Simple Things! That is a great feeling!
A little history: The idea for this book came in December of 2008. I worked as diligently as I could, with 3 kids, up until May of this year; taking pictures in places ranging from Denver to San Diego and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Weeding through thousands of photos, I worked on the best of them creating 45 pieces of art that would make up the soul of the book. In May I began compiling (and recompiling) the book, writing the heart, designing the cover... In July we submitted to a publisher and in October we became our own!
It turned out to be a beautiful book, thanks to all those who helped, and I have been so excited to share it! We gave away 5 copies the first day we got it and sold 6. I'd say that's a pretty good start! I feel relieved to have it done, almost the way you feel after a long labor; but when you create something beautiful to add to this world you can't help but feel joy!
(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)
A little history: The idea for this book came in December of 2008. I worked as diligently as I could, with 3 kids, up until May of this year; taking pictures in places ranging from Denver to San Diego and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Weeding through thousands of photos, I worked on the best of them creating 45 pieces of art that would make up the soul of the book. In May I began compiling (and recompiling) the book, writing the heart, designing the cover... In July we submitted to a publisher and in October we became our own!
It turned out to be a beautiful book, thanks to all those who helped, and I have been so excited to share it! We gave away 5 copies the first day we got it and sold 6. I'd say that's a pretty good start! I feel relieved to have it done, almost the way you feel after a long labor; but when you create something beautiful to add to this world you can't help but feel joy!
(check out my work at http://www.meloniepacker.com)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Fired!
On April 1st, 1876,Vincent van Gogh was fired from his job as an art dealer... He was resentful about the fact that art was being treated as a commodity; and his customers were apparently made very aware!
Does anyone really know what the word "commodity" means? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? I had no idea that "commodity" actually implies something that has become generic. You might purchase a commodity at Nordstrom or Walmart and get the exact same thing! The demand may have sky-rocketed (good) but the value of the product is made next to nothing when you can purchase it anywhere; as fast as you can pull out some "plastic"! (bad)
More and more, fine art and craftsmanship are being replaced by mass "cookie-cutter" type reproductions made possible by modern machines and robotics. I suggest that artistic value is being diminished as the masses themselves are being industrialized! We are rushed through schools that train us to think alike and follow protocol... We become drones as we lose are divinity in the search for the bigger, better and more.
Think back to 1st grade when we were told to "color within the lines". If we were asked to draw a flower, we were corrected when it didn't match the expected. As children of God, we have the awesome ability to create; and the right to be unique! Our ancestors created beautiful sculptures, paintings, carvings, weavings and architectural designs. I crave to admire the great attention to detail in such pieces, don't you? I enjoy the grand beauty of an old building or hand-carved furniture in which so much thought went. (As well as blood, sweat and tears!)
Today, in the place of elegant palaces, tower elusive sky-scrapers. The most art many of us will see on a daily basis is the latest iPhone design or the new packaging on your bottle of Coke. Maybe some of us are fortunate enough to have an art-appreciating boss who had framed prints placed around the office but how often are they admired? Perhaps they need to be updated?
As an artist I have found that one of my very biggest struggles, thus far, has been the pricing of my art. I feel that putting a value on a piece is akin to putting a label of worth on myself. Was Van Gogh right? Is art a commodity? And what of photography when the photos are so easily reproduced?
"How is anyone supposed to do this?" I wonder as I struggle to find the balance between a price that is a generic fit amongst the other commodities or an ambitious value that no one else respects.
All my life; I, myself, put off my artistic calling because I was trained to believe it was not valued!
However, I have come to believe my art is special and that makes it so. You can find a unique personality in it; and, even though it is photography, that gives it value. Forethought, time, attention, skill in the craft... all give worth to something.
As I have grown as a person, I now realize the value of the present moment. It is most precious. I have found meaningful value in my art because it brings me to the present. Anything that makes you aware of the moment is a heaven-sent miracle and should be treated as sacred. Children, marital relationships, nature, good food, and art are all sacred!
What more great a cause can I be part of?! ...Now that's value!
(come visit me at http://www.meloniepacker.com)
Does anyone really know what the word "commodity" means? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? I had no idea that "commodity" actually implies something that has become generic. You might purchase a commodity at Nordstrom or Walmart and get the exact same thing! The demand may have sky-rocketed (good) but the value of the product is made next to nothing when you can purchase it anywhere; as fast as you can pull out some "plastic"! (bad)
More and more, fine art and craftsmanship are being replaced by mass "cookie-cutter" type reproductions made possible by modern machines and robotics. I suggest that artistic value is being diminished as the masses themselves are being industrialized! We are rushed through schools that train us to think alike and follow protocol... We become drones as we lose are divinity in the search for the bigger, better and more.
Think back to 1st grade when we were told to "color within the lines". If we were asked to draw a flower, we were corrected when it didn't match the expected. As children of God, we have the awesome ability to create; and the right to be unique! Our ancestors created beautiful sculptures, paintings, carvings, weavings and architectural designs. I crave to admire the great attention to detail in such pieces, don't you? I enjoy the grand beauty of an old building or hand-carved furniture in which so much thought went. (As well as blood, sweat and tears!)
Today, in the place of elegant palaces, tower elusive sky-scrapers. The most art many of us will see on a daily basis is the latest iPhone design or the new packaging on your bottle of Coke. Maybe some of us are fortunate enough to have an art-appreciating boss who had framed prints placed around the office but how often are they admired? Perhaps they need to be updated?
As an artist I have found that one of my very biggest struggles, thus far, has been the pricing of my art. I feel that putting a value on a piece is akin to putting a label of worth on myself. Was Van Gogh right? Is art a commodity? And what of photography when the photos are so easily reproduced?
"How is anyone supposed to do this?" I wonder as I struggle to find the balance between a price that is a generic fit amongst the other commodities or an ambitious value that no one else respects.
All my life; I, myself, put off my artistic calling because I was trained to believe it was not valued!
However, I have come to believe my art is special and that makes it so. You can find a unique personality in it; and, even though it is photography, that gives it value. Forethought, time, attention, skill in the craft... all give worth to something.
As I have grown as a person, I now realize the value of the present moment. It is most precious. I have found meaningful value in my art because it brings me to the present. Anything that makes you aware of the moment is a heaven-sent miracle and should be treated as sacred. Children, marital relationships, nature, good food, and art are all sacred!
What more great a cause can I be part of?! ...Now that's value!
(come visit me at http://www.meloniepacker.com)
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