Ill start with Chris Mars. He is an awesome and talented artist. I was fortunate enough to see a show of his at the eerie,pa. art museum last year. MArs' imagery comes off as being very eerie, and having stepped out of my car to see a man in a wheelchair almost get hit by a car upon my arrival,and after that i had a talk with a distraught homeless man i was in the perfect atmosphere to reflect on these paintings. Mars work includes mostly oil paintings, but also videos,different techniques to drawings,and some sculpture. He was in the band The Replacements back in the day,but has more actively been pursuing his visual art. Noticing injustices in society especially towards those who have been silenced with terms and categories such as,schizo,ugly,crazy,monster,etc. he seems to recognize the feelings of all, and provide a voice. My favorite painting of his is called A cleansing at Blue Bay. it illustrates my upbringing pretty well. but i'd like to share an image that means alot to me personally because he drew it for me.
The grove minister is a man who stands in the oak grove and recites Bible stories,and his own lessons and incite for us students. He is often ridiculed and hardly appreciated. I appreciate him though, and probably in a different way than he expects. It is not his message that strikes me as fascinating but his discipline and dedication to spreading the message he feels to be important. As artists we have a message to spread, and i think few of us are as dedicated as he was. i don't see him out there much anymore but he has a spot on the hill where he paces,and grass wont grow there it is so worn down. If the Bible was still a popular message for art,and performance art was as respected whenever the Bible was, this guy would have something on his hands, naturally,not because it was forced. So for what it counts i think theres a lesson there, about dedication and sticking to your message feelings even if your put down for it. If a crit gets offensive rather helpful,and people think your peices are shit, at least they're meaningful to you.
On the same note and for the same reasons im sharing Hua Chi. Hua Chi is a buddhist monk who is around 70 years old now, and he prayed standing in the same spot for 30 years. He stood there for most of the day everyday, and now has footprints worn into the wood. Personally i think praying for most of your day is a waste of time. That is my opinion, and that is how i would feel about it if i did something like that. I think though that his footprints show how disciplined he is and dedicated to what he does, and if i made art the way he prays i wouldnt be in class with all of you,and i would have alot of work to show for it.
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