Kitschy Crazy Shit
Some time ago, there was a contractor in my apartment and since I couldn’t be there at the time, a friend was showing him the work to be done. At some point during the visit to my apartment/studio, he exclaimed, “There is some crazy shit in here!”
I learned of this later and laughed. I then began calling my art ‘crazy shit’…which fellow crazy shit-loving friends got a kick out of.
I’ve also heard my work described as “so cooool” (several syllables in that word somehow) by someone my age. Good fun.
Some months later, I enjoyed being at a gallery show where two of my pieces were on display, and I overheard some things I’m still getting a kick out of.
I was there talking with someone who fell in love with one of the pieces, which of course is lovely fun. After we finished up, I was taking my own time looking at works in the gallery by other artists and overheard an older rather pompous self-important-sounding man and his two companions (who could barely get a word in edgewise) go around the gallery looking at and commenting on the art.
Of course I decided to be a fly on the wall, and see if they’d discuss my work at all. Well, goodness, did they …well, it was mostly him. One companion said something like, “Oh my, what do you think of these?”.
“Anubis: Life is Eternal”, and “Night Heron (Blue/purple)” were the pieces I had in the show. How I wish I could have recorded the entire exchange, but among the things I overheard (again, 90% from him) were: “In bad taste”, “Kitschy”, “Bold”, “The artist must be Egyptian” (seriously, he did say that!!), “Well executed”, “I like it” and then - back to “Kitschy” and “In bad taste” and “I like it” !?!
And me? I LOVED it!
I think perhaps the works left him flummoxed. Certainly it was the most lively and expressive words I’d overheard him say in the gallery as they went around. I really loved it…and this after talking with someone who loved the work. I was thrilled.
Making art is a very personal thing. What I think about while creating it, what is “behind” it, what time goes into it, what materials I use, and what it does for me on a personal, physical, or spiritual level..that’s all one part of it. To have it also cause a reaction - of any kind - in a viewer, well, that to me is icing on the cake.
So you see - I’ll not be taken aback if someone decides to say something like “Thanks, but no thanks, this shit is just too crazy and kitschy for my house” Because, yes, then obviously, it is. But I know there are crazy shit kitschy - loving people out there too, and I’ll enjoy hearing their “so cooool” in several syllables as much as I hear what the flummoxed folks express.