Sometimes it's nice to find paintings in places I wouldn't expect. It inspires me to think differently about venue, space, mark making and colour. I really love the random marks and painting on the bottom garage- made by kids? with painted over graffiti and faded zebras...
Two major commercial art galleries in Vancouver have closed their doors. It's caused a bit of a ripple of speculation among artists about reasons that are beyond just the economy, or the personal reasons of the gallery owners. Some say the amount of art fundraisers in Vancouver at this time have changed how people buy art. That people feel better about buying art when they are supporting a greater cause. Perhaps without realizing it, what seems like a win/win for an art collector, has the potential to be a lose/lose for both the galleries that support artists, and the artists themselves.
It's been interesting to think this through over the past few days and just to wonder about how art markets around the world have been changing. Two fairly recent films I've watched about contemporary art were The Great Contemporary Art Bubble by Ben Lewis and Exit through the Gift Shop by Banksy. Both had me really thinking about contemporary art, it's relevance, it's value, and purpose. I find the art market rather intimidating, perhaps this is why I make more ceramics then paintings, but also very intriguing.
