Bored Again

FULL CIRCLE

When I was young ( 3)  a neighbour invited me to dance naked on his chicken coop.
His mother noticed and screamed bloody murder at him, as if we were commiting a crime.
I used to have dreams( age 9) of Playboy magazines that were under my bed. When I awoke, there were none. Just a dream.
When I was in the 7th Grade, I saw a small art book of Modigliani's paintings of women, with and without clothes. I stole the book, and began to imitate its pictures of human beings.
When I was in high school, I was doodling nudes in Geography class. The teacher took my scrawls to the Office, and tried to get me in trouble. I got detentions, but my art teacher defended my 'case', and took me to her life drawing classes on Tuesday nights. In retrospect, very few people have ever done so much for me, so lovingly, so freely.

When I was on Facebook, tonight, I read a "warning"- that I, ( my art), had offended someone and that they had removed my offensive image(s). Apparently some of it was not suitable for the generic family use of Facebookers with children, or maybe religious fanatics. I removed my entire selection of shared images ( paintings) because if I do not, others may also complain about whatever they will, ( big noses, naked toes...) and I would be helpless to defend my art, since the complainants are anonymous, and Facebook does have its rules- which I overlooked, since I beheld many nude images that have not been censored. C'est ca. So what.

It is when some moron comes into my own house ( rental apartment, actually) and charges me with some anti-human offence that such censorship becomes truly problematic. The error was mine in imagining that Facebook would allow me to share my art without compromise. Facebook is in the numbers business, and will do what ever it takes to have ridiculous amounts of people habituated to its 'pages'. It pretends to care that your friends be actually people that you know, but can ill afford to really sustain such an illusion. It wants as much traffic as it can get. It does not want me to offend its touchy populace with unpopular truths.
But back to my problem of seeing beauty and amazement in the human form. Michaelangelo saw it. Hugh Hefner capitalized on it. And God invented it.
Many of us Stuckists allow ourselves to use/apply the human form as a means of self-expression. (Joe Machine is a great example of this.) This is what dancers do, and this is what some painters do.
There are places that do not deny me the priviledge of sharing my art work, per se, as is, online.
Facebook is not one of them.

This is my painting of a Naked Frog. It was born as an egg, I guess, but eventually became a 'naked' frog. I'm not sure what it is about human beings, that finds its own species ugly or digusting or perverse or obscene, but it is clear enough that most species on earth don't share this problem amongst themselves.
In the scripture of some people, a statement is made in which "they knew that they were naked". I wonder where that concept came from? Some haberdasher.

Art- A Medium of Fellowship

I am not "first and foremost" a Stuckist. Prior to any of that, I am a person who needs to draw and paint and share the results.
I seem to have trouble doing the sharing part. I have presented lots of my work online, amidst the safety of near anonymity and the general distances that computerland provides. But some people do respond to things I have mae, and it means that the life I represented in them has touched another person- and this is most important for me.
The adage no man is an island is about as true as anything ever said by a human being. Not only are none of us islands, but even God, or especially God, is not an island. Most people rely on words and gestures and acts to functionally assert that I am not alone. We get what is called 'feedbak' from others, feedback that touches us with the assurance that we are not alone. There are philosophies that try to say that we are indeed alone, that everything is in one's head- that the whole universe is a figment of my imagination, and that when I 'die', I turn into dust. Can you imagine the sense of desolation that must 'inspire' such  thought of utter alienation? Of course, along with the inherent sense of alienation, there is the absurd addendum that the promoter of such  philosophy insists upon his/her own autonomy, such as it is- a kingdom of only one!
Making and sharing art is far removed from such thinking. We paint to show another what we see and or dream. We do it to absolve ourselves of the illusory remoteness that can occur while we spend our time on this earth.
As a result of the personal computer, the internet and all, it readily becomes clear that there are millions of artists, and that many of them are 'better' than I will ever, in this lifetime, be. I cannot use this as an excuse to be a poor visual communicator. Afterall, communication is my goal, not supremacy.
The community of Stuckists has given me a sense of community that my own small Canadian town has not. In London, in England, there are so many functions and showings, and celebrations and protests that adequately display the sense of friendship that can and does exist among this particular art community. It refreshes and inspires me, in spite of my geographical remoteness.
It is a thing of beauty for me to think that the origins of Stuckism were so freely expressd, with humour, wit and devotion. I actually used to wonder where some people 'got off' writing something so audacious as a " Manifesto". Now I see that even I could write a manifesto.

There are no restraints upon what you may do as an artist that do not come from preposterous sources. You may elect to acquiesce to those who would constrain your works, or you may turn away from their pretense and sing your song, say your piece, and paint your paradise.

"Terra Incognita"

A lady bought this painting. We were having tea some months later, and I referred to an incident 14 years earlier, in which someone had saved me from much misery by providing me with brown paper bags! I used them to carry my writing and drawings, since my cardboard box was wilted and falling apart. (I was "homeless" then.) She had seen me on the sidewalk in distress, and went well out of her way to rescue me from my dilema. Upon hearing my story, this lady said, " That was me!" and indeed it had been! She recounted the conversation that we had had that day, thousands of miles to the east, in Montreal. As it turned out, I did well to have reduced her cost price by $600. Her good will was worth ever penny to my, then, oppressed psyche. Art for me is a religio-spiritual function without which I would be lost. Thank you to Tonnar for saving me twice: once in 1977, with brown paper bags, and once in 1991 with her decision to buy my typically-overlooked art.
Amen

FREEDOM: The Stuckist Manifesto: Lines 1, 2 and 3

STUCKISM IS...

1. Against conceptualism, hedonism and the cult of the ego-artist.
2. Stuckism is the quest for authenticity. By removing the mask of cleverness and admitting where we are, the Stuckist allows him/herself uncensored expression.
3. Painting is the medium of self-discovery. It engages the person fully with a process of action, emotion, thought and vision, revealing all of these with intimate and unforgiving breadth and detail."

In the 'calendar' above, I have shown 28 faces of myself- painted off -and on over years in White Rock. Self portraits are not necesarily expressions of egoity. They are not likely manifestations of egolessness either. I include them here as a symbol of a form of 'pregnancy' that a single artist lives with in the absence of a spouse, a partner, a wife! An artist is forever capable of 'giving birth' to an art work, but while living alone, there is as much pregnancy as there is offspring. Eventually, every now and then, we push out another painting... but WHO is there- to receive it, to enjoy it, to honour or even love it? Surely we do not paint for ourselves alone?
I 'lived with myself'  during of the time they were painted. I remained unmarried until I was nearly 50 years old! I was a real handful, let me assure you. I have since become married, and I share the strife... with my wife.
In the absence of my wife, I had a lot of ideas that I thought were etched in stone. In the presence of my wife, I have found Stuckism, and for whatever reasons, somehow, Charles and Billy ( Thomson and Childish) put together words that announce the obvious: words of conscience, uncommon sense and love... love of Art. 'Art' simply is not defined because It is not done yet- it has not been finished and thus defies definiton. It will always defy definition, and will never be done, so long as a human has digits, eyes and an imagination. Art is so often "projection", a term used by psychologists to indicate the creation or fancification that humans will...because they can, and because they want to. The above three excerpts from The Stuckist Manifesto allude to the function that art has in an artist's life. I agree that an artist may try to be an expert, but is most often not; that an artist may strive for excellence, but is not constrained by a lack of it; that an artist so often aspires to a self-awareness ( self-discovery), and through painting, finds a medium, an 'associate', in this otherwise 'independent' pursuit. To my knowledge, words have never successfully expressed the heavenly fulfillment that happens when a sincere artist devoutly paints. It is no super-human feat to be a 'sincere' artist. All it requires is authenticity and candor which the Manifesto offers up as a worthy alternative to one's being 'masked', presumably in attempts to hide that which is...the very antithesis of self-expression. If it should happen that, by painting what seems to be so, one paints what is ultimately not, some truth has been exposed thereby. 
I must tell you that I suspect many artists are less than candid, that they have prescriptions and formulae for their 'works'. I cannot prove this- it could only ever really be "confessed" by the perpetrators of such art that has a "purpose" other than 'free-responsible' expression. Many painters paint for money. Many painters assume that there is no other reason to paint! How else can we account for the fact that so many artists forever seek to be selling their art? Why, were it a labour of love, would they ever want to be without it?
There is a point beyond food and shelter, that allows an artist to 'keep' his and her work without a 'need' to sell it, still being able to show and share it whilst assuring it the best in its "providence".
A sold art work may be said to be a shared art work- unless it has been over-priced to satisfy someobody's idea of an "optimal" marketing efficiency. ( There is no doubt that the more that is paid, the more that someone has forfeited... that the higher the cost of an art work, the more the number of its potential buyers is limited, preferring an elite or supremely well-endowed "patronage".)
Artists must be free to sing their song and be welcomed to sing the various songs their diverse emotional and sociological situations inspire. Anything less than this will falsify humanity's expressions of humanity's days. This kind raw or true or free artist  is compatiable with Stuckism, needn't heed the diminutive invitations of elitism in the "art world", which contrive to turn 'art' into gold. When gold is the criteria of art, gold can only be the medium of art.
"Art" remains undefined because artists continue to paint, carve and sing.
But let's realize that self-expression, by any means, has never been a competition, except to those who judge and measure, hearld or condemn that which they themselves cannot ( or will not) create.
There is freedom in art- let's not whore it out to the highest bidder, and then lose it by deeming it a mere 'product'.
Life is Spiritual and deserves at least a few honest reporters its nuances.
Stuckists do not need to follow a tradition, nor invent one, but we reserve the right to honour what is good, what works, what invites developement, and what communicates.

My study after Vermeer's "Lacemaker".

Hanging on Mom's wall in the old folks home.

A TASTE OF STUCKISM

http://www.stuckism.com/GFDL/PhotosStuckismGalleryShows.html

At the above link there is a good page of photographs which show some early "Stuckist" activity.
It took me a while to figure out that there is no " kind" or " sort"of painting that is, or isn't " Stuckist Art".
A funny thing about art are movements and waves and trends- which have nothing to do with " my" creativity.
When I encountered talk of Stuckism, I expected it to be another moronic "tidal wave" of self-important art philosophy, but it was not. It was, though, a resistance, a reaction, to some of the stuff I simply hate. I had become tired of walking into art galleries and seeing feelingless 'things' that I was supposed to 'understand' and regard as art. There is no law against nonsense in 'art'- quite the contrary: a long standing invitation exists in which artists are invited to dare and to display things that may be 'deep', or depthless, but which say so little about anything whatsoever that one may only assume that they themselves are missing some point. To ask about it is to be willing, then, to sound like a fool. I would walk away unhappy. "I guess I just don't understand art".
Stuckism, through the words and activities of Charles Thomson and his friends, other Stuckists, has announced and said what should never have had to be said. But it needed to be said, and has been clearly communicated via Stuckism Manifestos, protests, interviews and art shows.
People who want to paint, who like to paint and portray images, no longer need to be intimidated by hyper-contemporay 'art', or by past masters of art. Just as no children being born are redundant, neither are the incentives of people with brushes. Others may say, "It's been done before"- and give you names- but Stuckism is freedom to do it, "again" knowing  my emotions and ideas are never redundant- and if they are, they must need to be.
Painting is what's important to Stuckists, come what may. There is joy in communicationg through pictures, and no matter what 'advances' in culture have occurred, this has not changed. And it is not likely to- ever!
The image below is something I made a while back of Sir Nicolas Serota. I have never met the man. I have never been to 'his' Gallery, the famous Tate Art Gallery in London, England. I have read that he has ideas that are not in sync with Stuckism. As it happens, he has inadvertantly provided fodder for Stuckist rebellion. He may be a very nice fellow.

Mr. Charles Thomson- A brief view of Stuckism

STUCKISM IN 20 SECONDS
1999-
by Charles Thomson

"Stuckism is a radical and controversial art group that was co-founded in 1999 by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish (who left in 2001) along with eleven other artists. The name was derived by Thomson from an insult to Childish from his ex-girlfriend, Brit artist Tracey Emin, who had told him that his art was ‘Stuck’. Stuckists are pro-contemporary figurative painting with ideas and anti-conceptual art, mainly because of its lack of concepts. Stuckists have regularly demonstrated dressed as clowns against the Turner Prize. Several Stuckist Manifestos have been issued. One of them Remodernism inaugurates a renewal of spiritual values for art, culture and society to replace the emptiness of current Postmodernism. The web site www.stuckism.com has disseminated these ideas, and in five years Stuckism has grown to an international art movement with over eighty groups round the world." C.T. 

Above is a painting of Charles that I made a while after finding Stuckism. I have yet to meet him, but remain grateful for, and mystified by, him.

WHITE ROCK, B.C. and STUCKISM

The only place you are likely to hear tell of STUCKISM in White Rock ( B.C., Canada) is at my place. The only other place, so far, is on a computer screen, where such things as Facebook's Stuckism Group may be appearing. Or, someone may see http://www.stuckism.com/, 'broadcasted' from London, England by Charles Thomson and others who are glad and dedicated Stuckists. There are many Stuckist Groups or 'associations' around the world, from Tehran to Western Australia to Florida. Many of these have websites, whose Links can be found at the Stuckism.com website.
But all around the world, Stuckists are cropping up, in response to this loose and creative organization, because all over the world, people of sensibility are most chagrinned with the nonsense that has paraded for decades as cutting edge, avante-garde " Art". Many of such people find consolation and inspiration in STUCKISM as it's been announced by BILLY CHILDISH (an ex-Stuckist) and CHARLES THOMSON, a persisent-as-hell Stuckist.
In this picture below, my need to paint is indicated by its original titile, "24 Opportunities to Paint". You may think it's strange, but sometimes an artist wonders what to paint, and for whom. Some of us in White Rock have had a hard time 'showing' our art. Many of us all over the world have had such troubles- but in the mean time, I made this picture, never having heard of Stuckism. Now I know that, thanks to the original Stuckists and the hundreds of current ones, people manage to organize Stuckist Shows in the name of STUCKISM, and with the support of their fellows, present their loves, their whims, their art for others to see- inspite of commercialism that dominates and perverts "the Art World".
If you are intersted in Stuckism or want to be come an " official" STUCKIST, feel very free to contact the home of Stuckism at http://www.stuckism.com/