This is NOT my work...The Eight Worst Things About the Art World

Described as the link between Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst is Jeff Koons work...vinyl toy represented in a metal sculpture.

Damien Hirst Two parrots with grotesque baby

Tracey Emins Friendship, one of the only remaining early works. She destroyed the others. 

I want to start with this statement.  I started this blog to show how I am developing my skills as a visual artist.
I don't necessarily care about making a statement in everything I draw or paint at this point. And that's why I include a variety of subjects here.  Eventually as I move forward I will show more focus on specific topics. 

For some reason I woke up this morning, read the article The Eight Worst Things about the Art World  
and decided to blog about the state of "high Art". 

First,  my thanks to a real artist Candace Bohannon. She along with her husband Julio Reyes (and other fine representational artists ) has inspired me.  She posted the above link because representational artists get little respect in the world of "high Art".  So I began to look at the many current artists who have gained notoriety.  I don't want to harp on this too long because there are enough people doing that already.  So why should I even give these artists (Koons, Emin, Hirst) mention in my blog much less post pictures of their work?  They certainly don't need any more exposure.  I was reluctant to do so, but decided I have come this far with my "research" and people deserve to see what I am referring to.  It's not that I hate everything they do, I just don't think they're true artists. Since I define visual artists as those who can paint, draw, sculpt or photograph  with at least a modicum of skill and vision.  In fact, well, they can't and don't.
And I guess that's the very point that they make.  Art is not necessarily about skill or mastery.  It's  about expression.  I get it.   But at what point does expression become the only criteria for being widely accepted as an artist.
If you want to hear an Art critics view of this sort of art, I have the interview with Camille Paglia here too. I can't say that she's mentioned these artists directly, but these names have popped up in the conversation around the topic.

 I wanted to see Tracy Emins earlier work (above) so I could possibly see how she finally came to the conclusion that putting her dirty bed on display is art.
I found Damien Hirsts painting so I could show how he paints, if in fact that is his painting and not simply one that he directed.  I honestly don't know..
Jeff Koons uses expensive materials to make replicas of cheap objects.  Like balloon toys.  Well crafted huge and colorful. 



I know this is not a complete picture, and I've only scratched the surface.  I don't have enough time to do more.Again, my personal goal is to develop my skills to a degree that I feel comfortable asking people to accept what I present as art and not just an idea. 
Camille Paglia describes her affinity for "Genius" George Lucas in this interview...."the long finale of Revenge of the Sith is the most powerful and the most significant work of art in any genre including literature in the last 30 years". 
I'm not yet prepared to comment on that statement, but she does include statements like "...there is a Monolithic Orthodoxy (I take that to mean blind faith) that dictates in the art world that I feel is not in the best interest of art."  This I can fully agree with.  See the examples of art by Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Tracy Emin.
One final note.  I might have mentioned before why I don't post many pictures of other artists work on my blog.  I also refrain from posting photographs of the work I do.  I don't like to do this because of the possible "let down" of someone seeing something I have posted, then realizing that it is either a photograph, or something I didn't do.  That's why I put the statement "This is NOT my work.." in the title of this post.  In fact, in my very first post here I had the photo first and my painting below it.  I got a comment of "WOW" by someone not realizing the first was a photo. Then the inevitable letdown of "but the painting is really good too".   I'm confident that those who hit the links to Candace and Julio will not be let down.
I've spent too much time on this days blog,  so I apologize if it ends up poorly constructed, but I have no more time to correct it now.