Who's opinionated?
It seems to me that people are a lot more reticent about expressing their opinion than they used to be. I was always taught that an opinion was the product of a thorough thought process. After you looked at both sides and thought something through what you end up with is an opinion. Once you have an opinion you should be free to express it with out being called opionated. So when one is asked to give a critique or opinion of someones work we should fell free to do so honestly and freely. To do so honestly and freely as well as intelligently should then be accepted as a gift. A gift like this is the kindest thing one can do for another artist. Now if you can't do it intelligently and out of kindness then you probably deserve to be called opionated.
When I was in my early forties I was walking through the Grand Central Galleries with Sergei Bongart when I told him how much I liked the still life he had in the show. He said, "so what is wrong with other painting, yeh?" I got very defensive and immediately told him I didn't say anything was wrong with the other piece. I was 20 years his junior and as good a friends as we were I wasn't about to be caught being judgemental about his work in any way. Even though he had just critiqued my painting a few minutes earlier.
Sergei squared himself up in front of me stepped forward and stuck his right index finger almost on my nose and said, "So Beel, that is what is wrong with American artists, yeh, you don't talk to each other. When someone asks for your opinion about their painting you must tell truth?"
Suddenly I realized just how serious he was so I looked at his painting of two Russian peasant women with floral scarves on their heads, and said, "I feel like I've received a half dozen invitations to a party and when I arrive I find it's all over." He asked what I meant by that and I told him that my eye was driven from several areas in the painting each time to the faces and each time I was disappointed that the faces were no more finished than the rest of the painting.
"So thank you, I knew something was wrong." From that day on I realized how important an opinion is and above all what a great gift it is. A gift for all to who ask that is, you don't just hand them out at will.
Normally I beg off giving critiques when a piece is in a show or a sculpture is cast in bronze because how are you going to fix it? However if pressed I will because it is for the future of art that we do it in the first place.
Quite often I will ask laymen their opinion of my work, their thoughts are valid too, just consider where they may be coming from and know that their opinion will be colored by their specific background. Many times I have gone out of my way to have jockeys look at my horses, or a vet, or the horse shoer. They all see through their own lenses. At the same time do not necessarily change everything to suit them you have to reach a balance to find your own truth. Remember to a hammer salesmen everything looks like a nail.
Wm. F. Reese
When I was in my early forties I was walking through the Grand Central Galleries with Sergei Bongart when I told him how much I liked the still life he had in the show. He said, "so what is wrong with other painting, yeh?" I got very defensive and immediately told him I didn't say anything was wrong with the other piece. I was 20 years his junior and as good a friends as we were I wasn't about to be caught being judgemental about his work in any way. Even though he had just critiqued my painting a few minutes earlier.
Sergei squared himself up in front of me stepped forward and stuck his right index finger almost on my nose and said, "So Beel, that is what is wrong with American artists, yeh, you don't talk to each other. When someone asks for your opinion about their painting you must tell truth?"
Suddenly I realized just how serious he was so I looked at his painting of two Russian peasant women with floral scarves on their heads, and said, "I feel like I've received a half dozen invitations to a party and when I arrive I find it's all over." He asked what I meant by that and I told him that my eye was driven from several areas in the painting each time to the faces and each time I was disappointed that the faces were no more finished than the rest of the painting.
"So thank you, I knew something was wrong." From that day on I realized how important an opinion is and above all what a great gift it is. A gift for all to who ask that is, you don't just hand them out at will.
Normally I beg off giving critiques when a piece is in a show or a sculpture is cast in bronze because how are you going to fix it? However if pressed I will because it is for the future of art that we do it in the first place.
Quite often I will ask laymen their opinion of my work, their thoughts are valid too, just consider where they may be coming from and know that their opinion will be colored by their specific background. Many times I have gone out of my way to have jockeys look at my horses, or a vet, or the horse shoer. They all see through their own lenses. At the same time do not necessarily change everything to suit them you have to reach a balance to find your own truth. Remember to a hammer salesmen everything looks like a nail.
Wm. F. Reese
Thank you, Mr. Reese for you "opinion" on giving opinions. A very valid point
you've made! An opinion should be a gift-given...either positive or negative, it should be honest. As the recipient of such a "gift" I will endevour to say "Thank you"...and assume it was gieven with respect--from now on!
VERY respectfully,
Carol Carpenter
Walla Walla, WA
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Carol
Thanks for the feed back. The sooner we learn what a gift honest criticism can be the faster we learn. On the other hand don't give dishonest criticism a second thought, dismiss it immediately. By the way you live in a very beautiful part of our state.
Wm. F. Reese
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William,I agree. Something that I've found and I'm most sure you have to, is that a lot of artist who ask for an opinion usually are looking for praise, and then when I something other than that, well lets just say I don't get asked again. Unless this person is truly looking for growth. There is a old Quote that is fitting for this. "If the truth hurts let it."
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Joe
I know this to be true however after 40 plus years of handing out very tough critiques I don't get many who are willing to ask that aren't prepared for a constructive yet uncomfortable experience. I used to warn them that if they were looking for praise then they should call their mother she would probably love to hear from them any way. After so many years I've gotten to where I can tell the difference by the work and the attitude and questions they ask.
I critique other's work the same way I critique my own during the process of painting. That is to look mostly for things that aren't working. I start my paintings in a strong and direct way and then proceed to beat the mistakes out of it. The difference in talking about a students work is I also look for flaws in their thinking or reasoning, the order in which they are making decisions, and what exersizes they might use to work on their weaknesses. False praise should be against the law because it is so harmful. (and yes I know about the first amendment and I wouldn't think of making it a law) People who are falsely praised and indulged end up wasting big chunks of their lives doing something other than what they might be really good at.
The great American illustrator Harvey Dunn said, "All young artists should be discouraged because the bad ones should be and the good ones won't be." I would probably never attempt to purposely discourage anyone but I will always be honest and if this becomes discouraging then so be it.
"If the truth hurts let it." That's good thanks.
Wm. F. Reese
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Hi Bill,
Recently I have been hearing about the economical woes that we are in and all the talk of an unavoidable depression. I could not help but wonder what this has done to painters in the past through other such times. How in your opinion did this affect painters in the past and how will it affect us now if at all? I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter.
Thanks,
Jerry
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Hi Jerry,
I am certainly no expert when it comes to economics or seeing into the future, but what I do know is for every mile of road there's two miles of ditch. As landscape painters we all know that between every mountain range there's a lot of flat land. Beyond that all I can tell you what I've seen during my life.
I quit my day job as a sign painter during a time of an unemployment level of 20 or 21% in Washington State. The Boeing Co had lost the Super Sonic Transport project, Congress had pulled the plug on the whole project and suddenly 100,000 Boeing workers in Seattle lost their jobs and before you knew it 21% of the work force was in the unemployment line. Should a job come up most were so over qualified that no one would hire them. So you can imagine just how crazy my friends thought I was when I quit my job to paint pictures for a living. I was so young and dumb that I just said that meant nearly 80% were still working. It's true ignorance is bliss. I had $3500 saved and we could manage on $400 a month so we could last nine months if nothing sold.
Looking back nearly 40 years now I've seen good times come and go, so that I've come to realize that during good times art is the last segment of the economy to thrive and the first to dive when it slows down. During good times you can barely produce it fast enough and during slow times it piles up around your ears. The lesson I've learned is this: first try to build up a cash savings account of at least enough to live for 6 months a year is even better. Second don't slow down just because things aren't selling, continue to produce from your heart the sales will come. The next time sales get real good don't spend it all, it is amazing how a savings account can give you the freedom and independence to paint what you want.
When I started my career there really wasn't an art business so every place you would turn was unchartered water, by the late 70's you couldn't make it fast enough. Paintings could literally be sold over the phone. When Reagan became President interest rates on savings was over 20% so drastic measures had to be taken and US economics went through a lot of changes so art was nearly impossible to sell for about four years.
When the oil prices dropped to the low teens per barrell it also had a big effect on art since Texas oil money had been driving the art market along with many others. Later on the Savings and loan debacle had a big effect on the art market.
I was raised in an agricultural background so it always seemed natural to me to save during good times and live off of your savings during slow times and to keep raising crops through good and bad times. Above all make the process of learning and painting the real pay off and the money the bonus.
Wm. F. Reese
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