Many who belong to art clubs or just starting out are artists; or haven’t put in long hours/years of study with a qualified teacher, will invariably seek the advice of anyone willing to give it.  Some others, who may have taken the time or spent money on a qualified teacher, ignore or dismiss the criticism given by that teacher.  I have experienced this first hand. They just want to paint. Methods, techniques and a concepts are a minor nuisance at best.  It is easier, they say, to get someone they admire, to tell them what is wrong with their work than try and work it out in their head on their own. They remain ill-equipped to recognize the good from the bad in their work.   

Professional artists, by comparison, already know what is wrong with their work and don’t rely on outside speculation.  If they can’t figure it out by themselves, something is surely lacking in their training and/or experience.  They haven’t fully spent sufficient time necessary in realizing their inability to recognize when a piece is good, or when it needs more work.

There is an inherent problem for artists’ willing to take criticism from the horde of untalented, uninformed non painters ready and willing to give “unasked for” criticism.  

Who among us isn’t willing to say what they really think of an artist’s work?  Everyone today has an opinion, not only on art but on every subject imaginable.

Practically speaking, only after painting for many years, coupled with the experiences of failure, does one know when something is wrong with their work.  Also after many years of painting, you put aside your ego and critique your work honestly without bias.  Anyone still wanting for outside critique is fishing for compliments and doesn’t really want to hear what is seriously wrong.

Another pitfall is that when you ask for “pointers”,  they will speak from what they themselves believe to be correct and subsequently therefore it has no value to the person asking for advice in the first place.

The beauty and wonder of creating art is that it is a process of discovery; not only concerning art but also a discovery of self.  When you seek to understand the processes of paint, you also seek to understand and gain knowledge of more than yourself.  This concept may sound foreign to many but to an artist, this is at the core of making art.  When you stop asking what’s wrong and acquire the knowledge and experience to know what’s right, is when your work improves.

If you are a devotee of art or an aspiring student, here are some hints to where the problems may lie in your work. Look to composition, then, move to form, pattern, paint application, subject, value or concept. When you understand these ideas- you will have a better understanding of what is right and what is wrong with your work. You will have no need to ask for advice.

The concept  of  Immortality  is a strange idea. One reason we believe in it is simply because it is a practice we continue to propagate.  Everyone living today remembers someone; a friend or family member; so therefore, these departed people are immortal – at least temporarily.  But, temporarily does not meet the definition of immortal -- Never dying or always being remembered.  But I wonder at the importance or necessity of Immortality in general.

For instance, what purpose does it serve for the individual, while alive, wishing to be remembered? How do we know we will be remembered in the way we see ourselves? Does immortality really matter? I guess, for those who believe in such things or if it matters to them in some existential, egotistical way then you have to answer yes.  Ultimately, the one who passed has no control over how they are remembered or if they will become immortal.  If you lived a relatively honest, fruitful life and made lasting friendships, you will be remembered, at least until those you knew continue to live and remember you.

Of course, if you gained some notoriety- for whatever reason- and something was written about you, as in the case of artists where we created something of beauty; some work of literature or architecture, you might be remembered; as long as the work remains. But will future generations really be remembering you and not ultimately only the work left behind.

In the big picture, is it impossible to immortalize everyone individually? We remember groups, societies as a whole.  A “people” who came before, but not individuals per say.  We constantly unearth some new piece of the human puzzle every day and therefore immortalize the “group” of people who once lived. The individual, of course, is now lost to time. 

And how much time constitutes immortality? Per definition – always and forever. That is hard to comprehend. Nothing is forever. At least as far as I know or can comprehend. Does this mean true immortality is actually out of reach?

I know that space sciences tell us there are stars, and galaxies that have lived more years than we can calculate. There are things out there –we are told – that may live forever- be immortal. But these things are suppositions; mathematical computations, fabrications of our minds; based on human calculations. And they are talking about things – what of humans?

Human conscience/intelligence is a relatively unchartered area. Immortality may only be a human fabrication, existing only while humans exist.

Going back to the big picture, I believe it is human hubris to think we can be immortal. We can assume we are immortal until the last human dies. Without humankind, the concept of immortality does not even exist.  Without humankind why does immortality matter at all?

The concept of immortality may possibly only be an egotistical fabrication of a small element (humankind) of the universe that wishes to believe it can be immortal; the human segment of something bigger; something not knowable; something beyond our minds comprehension; something we may never be a part of; ironically- something truly immortal.