First, I'd like to say I agree with everyone about needing and using help/assistance on large projects. I usually have some sort of help on about half of my projects whether it be laser cutting, grinding, or just man labor for installs. This assistance, however, is in conjunction with me working along side them. Even someone being there every day directing and making decisions counts as at least a little fabrication work in my book.
Second, I don't doubt for one minute whether this person is an artist. He/she is a very talented artist. I feel however that dropping off a hand drawn rendering(worthy of framing)and a maquette to a fabrication company and discussing the project, letting them convert the drawings to CAD, letting them order and fabricate the steel, coming back to oversee a mock-up, letting them finish fabrication and painting, and then finally coming back for an install is a lot like a designer, not a sculptor. I do agree that a designer or architect could be considered an artist, but are they a sculptor? Could then a house be considered a sculpture since it could possibly evolve in the same way? Should one look upon this sculpture, "Cloud Gate", or a fantastic house with the same respect as that artist that personally sits in front of that piece of granite every day for a year? How about compared to a painting where the texture and color of every brush stroke comes into play?
.thumbnail.jpg "wetland 2")
I love all of the
I love all of the discussion.
First, I'd like to say I agree with everyone about needing and using help/assistance on large projects. I usually have some sort of help on about half of my projects whether it be laser cutting, grinding, or just man labor for installs. This assistance, however, is in conjunction with me working along side them. Even someone being there every day directing and making decisions counts as at least a little fabrication work in my book.
Second, I don't doubt for one minute whether this person is an artist. He/she is a very talented artist. I feel however that dropping off a hand drawn rendering(worthy of framing)and a maquette to a fabrication company and discussing the project, letting them convert the drawings to CAD, letting them order and fabricate the steel, coming back to oversee a mock-up, letting them finish fabrication and painting, and then finally coming back for an install is a lot like a designer, not a sculptor. I do agree that a designer or architect could be considered an artist, but are they a sculptor? Could then a house be considered a sculpture since it could possibly evolve in the same way? Should one look upon this sculpture, "Cloud Gate", or a fantastic house with the same respect as that artist that personally sits in front of that piece of granite every day for a year? How about compared to a painting where the texture and color of every brush stroke comes into play?
Does the process even matter or is art just art?
Jake