Outside In

I am an artist.  An outsider artist, to be specific.  I didn’t ask for this title; I’m not particularly proud of it; it’s not really any sort of accomplishment.

 

So, does this mean that I make “Outsider Art”?  I don’t think so.  But then, I don’t see a hell of a lot of etching when I flip through the periodicals (as a printmaker, there’s always a little thrill in coming across another artist who shares your medium – I pity the painted, who cannot possibly share that sentiment).  Stylistically, I’m almost certain I don’t do outsider art.  I never set out to shock the audience, nor do I make any attempts to be subversive to the mainstream.  I’m not making a commentary of the state of art, or of modern culture, for that matter.

 

Photo Etching of my own graffiti - About as close as I get to Outsider Art

I simply create art that pleases me (and hopefully pleases others enough to pay money for it).  My art is by no means boring, but the argument could be made that it isn’t by definition edgy.

 

So, we’re in agreement.  I am an outsider artist that does not create outsider art.  There seem to be some irreconcilable differences here.

 

Outsider art is all the things that I’ve described above.  But there are mainstream artists, famous in their respective spheres, who create all those things.  I suppose they are outsider artists in the same way that one who paints abstract expressionism is an abstract expressionist.

 

But there is another kind of outsider artist – the more populous category – that simply holds the distinction of working in relative obscurity.  This is where I fit in.  Sure, I am far more well-known than when I blew into town two years ago, and I’ve shown art in both juried and open shows in town.  And I’ve sold art.  And I’ve collaborated with other artists.  And I’ve taught and demonstrated my craft in public forums.  But not one of these accomplishments gets me into the insiders’ club.

 

To reach that point, the rules haven’t changed since the Renaissance.  Not really.  To get inside in the art world – to truly be accepted – the artist still needs a patron.  Patrons can come in several forms:  They can be gallery owners or curators who “discover” the artist and bring them into commercial viability by showing their art in their galleries.  They can be benefactors – wealthy people who simply enjoy an artist’s work, purchase it, and name drop that artist to all their wealthy friends and business connections.  They can be individuals, organizations, or businesses.  They are, bottom line, the credible source that tells the world that this is an artist worth noticing.

 

They are good people.  They’re willing to put their name on the line for another person’s benefit.  But there aren’t as many of them as there are struggling artists, to be sure.

 

Workin' the circuit.

And, some artists wouldn’t want them if they were offered.  Often times, the independent spirit of your average artist chafes at the thought of being ingratiated to another person, and potentially being expected to allow that person’s influence to steer their work.

 

So, those artist either pass on the offer of patronage, or create art that they know will be viewed by the mainstream art world as “too avant-garde” or shocking to attract any patronage.  These are the true outsider artists.

 

I’m just a guy who hasn’t made it.  Not yet.

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