Monday, October 6, 2014

......and then he said "This Art Stinks...."



I actually heard someone say "This art stinks", as I was walking around an art fair once! My first reaction was to think, what kind of a person would actually say that out loud?  Some people......

Now this happened a long time ago, but it always bothered me. My best rational was to simply consider this guy's comment rude and ignorant, and put it down to buffoonery.

However, as I get older, I try harder to find the positive in things whenever I can. So I got to thinking.....

Smell is our most powerful sense in terms of instant memory recall. A simple whiff of a fragrance can instantly make you remember someone from many years past. The smell of freshly turned earth might make you think about the time when you were a kid and you spent the summer on a farm. Maybe the smell of cotton candy takes you back to spending time at the fair when you were a kid. Smell is incredible in its ability to transport us back in time. Sometimes even back to our very earliest childhood memories.

Smell does the same thing that I attempt to do with my art. I try to create works that whisk you back to another wonderful time or place in your life.

Maybe if you were to look at something like "Four Fishermen" and it might make you think about sitting and talking with someone special, all night long, under the moon light, while listening to the melody of the waves gently lapping on the shore. The things you both talked about. The secrets shared that night....




Or maybe "White Rose" makes you remember how your grandmother loved to spend so much time in her garden tending her beautiful flowers. They were so important to her and she was always proud to cut one off for you to take home......




These are powerful and incredibly important connections in our lives that we need to hold on to. I have long believed that when we recognize these connections, we understand the the importance of art in our lives.This is nothing new. It goes all the way back to the drawings on cave walls thousands of years ago. It was their way of saying "I was here and this is what my life was about...."

I believe as a species, we subconsciously know that we need to preserve this thread of connection.
There are so many memories that can be treasured and relived with just a glance, or the gentle waft of an aroma so long missed.

If art is in the eye of the beholder, does that mean smell is in the nose of the beholder?

So, maybe my art stinks too. If it means that my work has added to someone's life by establishing a lasting connection between the past and the present. If so, I guess that's not so bad....

Maybe the guy who made that comment so long ago was really just paying a
compliment to the artist after all. Nah... he was just being a jerk!

I would be very interested to hear what my art does for you. How does it connect with you?


Did You Get Your Catalog Yet?

I have noticed that many people have downloaded the new 100 page catalog that contains over 200 of my works in it. For those that have gone through it, I would love to know if having all the pricing and sizes in it is helpful. Or, is there some way I can make it better? Please let me know.

Also, please feel to share it with anyone who might also enjoy going through it.

For those that have not had a chance to download it yet, you can do so by clicking the link below.

That's all for now folks. Call or drop in at any time and let me help you make a connection!

Most sincerely,

Kenneth
 


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The Kenneth Lane Smith Gallery
Jordan Village, ON
905-562-0068

1-866-211-9799

Web:http://www.kennethlanesmithgallery.com
Download our new 100 page catalog containing over 200 limited edition, fine art photographic artworks on canvas