Tweets, Tips and Thoughts for Artists

In the past days I've been tweeting some thoughts about  art and being an artist. Some may take theses as advice and they may well be but they are reflective of simply personal artist philosophy based on my own experience.

Preparing my color palette for the week

I very rarely go into tweeter and  haven't updated my blog in months, and some of these ideas deserve a little more than 140 characters. So I'll take this opportunity to share and expand some of these thoughts a little further.

1. Somehow when I was a child, time went by slowly. Today time seems to move so fast. I paint so I can go back and slow down time for a while.  In a way I like to see painting as some kind of time machine but for the soul. Whenever I paint, there is this connection with childhood memories and play. Some can see painting as a personal therapist. When I think of painting,  The first images that come to mind are the smiling face of Bob Ross, the smell of my first crayons, my first pets and my first art encyclopedia.

2. Perhaps the hardest part of being a full time artist is keeping a healthy balance between being true to your art and making a living of art. I think there is this notion that if you paint to sell, you're a sellout and if not then you're an egocentric. I believe there should be a middle way for any artist. Let's be honest, even if we don't agree with our current capitalist system, an artist has to live. There is nothing wrong with making some compromise, but as soon as this starts to feel like a lie, then something is definitely wrong. Stay true to yourself and what you believe in. Some may argue this is pure ego, but the heart has to follow its own bliss, that's the way art is made.

3.In the beginning it's good to learn the rules & follow the book. In time you should break free, bend the rules and write your own story... If you asked me what was the most important thing in art 20 years ago I may have answered differently. At the time I felt I needed a set of rules, structure and a solid foundation. This was mostly denied to me in art school so I had to make it on my own and become my own teacher by teaching others. Time has passed and I still believe it is vital to learn from nature and the masters but I also understand not everyone has to follow the same path and in the end you choose your program and end writing your own book.

4. Being talented, creative and having great ideas are all good but without hard work, dedication and discipline your work won't get very far.. As a full time self-employed artist, I can tell you self-discipline is everything. without it I can't imagine how I would have survived this far without it. Of course that it helps if you have a special talent but with hard work and disciplined habits you can become very good at what you do and also good at time management which is crucial to marketing your art.  A creative way of thinking tends to be organic, unpredictable and even inconsistent.  One must have a  strong charioteer to rein in the horses of creativity.

5. Do not rest til you've mastered your art. If it's too easy, move on. Staying too long in safety zones eventually kills the creative spirit. I should also add that  creativity tends to thrive in challenging situations. By pushing your limits you will be much closer to discovering long hidden potential within yourself.  Something may seem difficult at first but if you don't give it a try, you'll never know.  And what may seem difficult at first, you would be surprised at how easy they really are once you've kept at it. Having determination and coming up with a good strategy plan once you've failed the first few tries is the key for success. The problem with sticking for too long on what you already know is that it becomes stagnant, boring and predictable, qualities you definitely don't want your art to be.

Me in my studio in Houston, Texas

These are just some thoughts I wanted to share but there is one I haven't shared yet and the reason why came up with this blog post to begin with.  Weeks before writing this, I've been drafting a few blog entries on more complex issues regarding art history, philosophy and aesthetics.  They will eventually be posted. But then I woke up this morning asking myself: Why do I obsess over such complicated matters? Art should be simple and its discussion shouldn't kill it/ Meanwhile a whole world of possibilities lies within me,  from which I could benefit and share with the world, just by remembering who I am and learning from my own experiences. So keep it simple, personal and close to home.  Because sometimes you don't have to go too far to discover truth in art as in life. 

Finding inspiration in the Book of Revelations

Geo Iudicium (Geo Judgment) 24" 36" Oil on panel by Patrick McGrath Muñiz  (2015)

The last judgment as well as other apocalyptic narratives found in the book of Revelations were popular themes in European Renaissance and Baroque painting. There is also a well known depiction of the last judgment on the Tarot, the Major Arcana 20. On this new interpretation titled Geo Iudidium (Geo Judgement) the four seasons are depicted as four allegorical female figures responding to climate change as the story unfolds in a vertical sequence with a heavenly group above and an earthly group below.

1.  Above them stepping on a cloud,  a representation of St. Michael the archangel raises an insecticide on his right hand (replacing of the traditional sword) and the scales on his lowered left hand carry a blue globe representing Earth and humanity . As a halo, Venus is the planet of love and beauty and Earth's twin sister turned into hell by extreme global warming. Around St. Michael, seven putti (angels) with trumpets hover across the sky.

2. A black devil falls to the Earth below.

3. A Fiery Phoenix rising from the ashes of destruction symbolizes rebirth and a renewed cycle.

4. In Alchemy the salamander although a water creature was held to be a solar creature able to consume flames and cool down any fire. It is a symbol of spiritual determination, survival and renewal.

5. From Greek Mythology, Icarus falls from the sky. In this given context, it links humanity's hubris with the devil's pride and eventual fall from glory.

6. A mother-like deity emerges from the last tree on Earth, a life sustaining symbol of hope and nurture revered by survivors below. Twelve stones enveloping the group symbolize the twelve months of the year and therefore time.  Oil refineries in a barren landscape pollute the air.

7. A reference to art history from Goya's Saturn devouring his children alludes to humanity's voracious appetite and self destructive impulse based on a misleading notion of self-preservation.

8.  Aestas (Summer) extends her orange towel while an accompanying infant points a fan towards her.

9. Ver (Spring) kneels down and releases or tries to catch the Phoenix while a green jar spills some water.

10. A masked infant below points a gun at the Phoenix. The mask is reminiscent to those worn by medieval plague doctors. The image symbolizes misguided aims and false cures.

11. Hiems (Winter) wearing a gas mask, holds a broken umbrella and funeral vase.  At the far right, in the background, a reference to The Lord of the Rings, Eye of Sauron can be seen.

12. Autumnus (Autum) covers herself from the wind next to some tree stumps and a buried toilet seat. A meteor shower falls from the sky.

The 4 serpents (four cardinal directions, elements, the material plane) in the frame symbolize the Earth's ability for renewal. The Sun and the Moon are witnesses as the consequences of humanity's mindless actions and inactions concerning the planet's wellbeing bring out the final verdict and Geo Judgment. 

Happy Shopping Days

 

Io Saturnalia (2010)

Ink and pencil on paper 9" x 12"

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

As we get closer to the winter solstice of 2015, many people across the globe get ready to celebrate the holidays.  In the West and spreading around the globe, Christmas is the supposed birth of Christ widely celebrated by modern day Christians. But the Christian tradition of celebrating Christmas on the Winter Solstice in and around December 25th has its roots in pre-Christian times. From Yule and the  ancient Egyptian cult of Horus, to the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Mythra, the winter solstice celebrations have gone through many transformations from culture to culture and throughout time.  Even though Christianity may be the predominant religion in the Americas, we live in an age of Consumerism and the obsessive pursuit of Capital. It requires an unfaltering and blind faith from part of the people to enable the current capitalist system to exist and work even if it's just in the imagination of the masses. The fiction of money and the doctrines of consumerism are made real when people believe in them, just like religion.

 

 

Hercules and the Virtues (2013)

Oil and metal leaf on panel 36" x 28"

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

In an age where any holiday becomes the perfect opportunity to sell and buy stuff in large quantities, the Christmas tradition inevitably becomes an ideal occasion to introduce new gods and new rituals to replace the old one. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the winter festivities in honor of the pagan gods still had a strong presence and significance in Roman society. Since it became nearly impossible to ban these pagan festivals, they were simply replaced by the new Christian celebration. This did not occur overnight but gradually, therefore many of the  rituals of the ancient pagan religions were adopted and are still alive in the Catholic Mass and Christmas celebration (such as the merrymaking parties, decorated trees and the family gift-giving derived from the Saturnalia in honor of the god Saturn).

 

 

The Uninvited (2013)

Oil and metal leaf on panel 36" x 28"

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

A similar phenomena is occurring right in front of our eyes gradually taking over the Christian tradition and replacing it with the sacred ritual of consumerism that holds money as the supreme one eyed, all seeing and "all can do" god. Today, the image of Coca Cola's Santa Claus, candy canes and the Macy's parade have become just some of the many consumer culture symbols associated with the Christmas season in the U.S. In Latin America, scenes of the nativity and the three kings are even more visible but they are slowly being displaced by the American symbols that act as new colonizers spreading the gospel of the consumer/capital religion.

 

 

Adoracion Capital (2014)

Oil on canvas 30" x 30""

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

The visitation of the Magi is a very well known image cherished throughout Puerto Rico, Mexico and the rest of Latin America. So are many of the icons and consumer culture elements depicted in the painting Adoración Capital. An “Old fashioned” Quaker Oats man and Aunt Jemima, well established corporate entities pose as the holy parents to a new generation of consumers driven by technology and non material goods existing in cyberspace. The protagonist child wearing a “Che Guevara” t shirt seems absorbed by the small screen, while a Burger King and a group of immigrant workers bring food and other presents. In the background scientists Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker from the Muppets suggest that the corn and other products carried by the fast food employees may have been genetically modified. Behind them a Santa pushes a shopping cart full of gifts out of a department store that uses a star as part of its logo. 

 

 

Adoracion Capital (detail)

Oil on canvas 30" x 30""

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

The four emblems around the frame represent different aspects of consumer culture: technology, food production, energy and government subsidies.  The industrial wheels on the lower left side of the composition evoke the industrial age from where our current predicament emerged.  On the lower right side, a red bag that reads “Believe” puts forward a driving creed behind the whole capitalist construction. Derived from a Catholic prayer, the text framing the composition evokes the use of text in Spanish Colonial Iconography and it reads: “Señor Capital: Que a imitacion de los magos del Norte, Vayamos tambien nosotros a adorarte en tu casa, que es templo. Y no vayamos jamas con cuentas pobres o manos vacias, Que te llevemos siempre lo major del fruto de nuestro sudor.” (“Lord Capital: That as an imitation of the Magi of the North, we shall also adore you in your house, that is a temple. And let us not go with poor accounts or empty handed and that we may always bring you the best of the fruit of our labor”. 

 

Adoracion Capital (detail)

Oil on canvas 30" x 30""

by Patrick McGrath Muñíz

 

Adoración Capital serves as a testament to our times and where we are headed in history. Symbols in time are inevitably transformed by subsequent generations and cultures evolve adopting new practices and beliefs according to the spirit of their time. The original stories told again and again eventually end up having a whole new meaning. It happened with the old pagan traditions and it is happening today with Christianity. Future historians may look back at our times as the crucial moment when the Christian Winter Solstice called "Christmas" was gradually replaced by the Capital worship Winter Solstice that may be known in the future as "Happy Shopping Days".  Of course it should also be remembered as a precarious time of Earth-plundering economics when we decided to give free rein to our voracious consumer habits, completely ignoring it's impact on our fragile ecosystem.