I had a crazy thought today. I was watching late night television and a commercial came on -which they do with increasing frequency of late. I’m not sure what they were selling. I usually channel hop when the commercials come on. Thank you whomever invented the “remote” control.
Anyway, there is this little boy placing small photo cards of baseball players and pictures of stadium seats and such around his room I suppose to keep fresh in his mind his sports idols.
I on the other hand had this idea that it would be wonderful if the same scenario were to happen but instead of baseball idols the boy was setting in place pictures of artists and artwork. Why don’t we see art materials in homes on television? Easels, drawing pads and pencils. Do any sitcom people paint or draw. Since I don’t watch I can’t answer but I can be sure there is void there. I did watch CHEERS and ALL IN THE FAMILY and never once did I see anyone draw or paint. Why is that do you think? Are we so devoid of any artistic interest in this country that we can’t see it on television? In daytime soap opera’s, are there any characters who paint or draw? I’m sure they can work it in somewhere in a plotline. It doesn’t have to be out front or mainstream. That would be asking too much. But can we please see someone painting or drawing or taking art classes? What about a character who is a life model? I’m sure they can get hours of laughs from a character that posed nude for artists. A male figure model would have tons of laughes I'm sure.
Media can change our thinking when it comes to gender bending, gay and straight shows, shows of women with careers and women as CEO’s and possibly women as Presidents, why can’t we show people who paint for a career? Or paint or draw just for fun?
Call me crazy. I know in my heart this will never happen. But wouldn’t it have been nice.
I don’t watch much television mainly because I find little to watch that interests me. When I do watch I’m constantly on the lookout for programs on art or artists. I don’t have to tell anyone who reads this that it’s a wasteland in that category also. Even KCET, which shows such programming, show less than I would like. I have to resort to video tapes of artists and art history.