Useful Link-Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

No paintings this week. Still dealing with creative block and low energy! My solution this week has been to paint something other than a canvas. Therefore, I freshened up the paint on my walls. I experimented with black on some smaller accent walls. That was fun and felt a little daring. Lots more painting to do too.

Some art items that may be of interest to you from ArtDaily.org:

"MEMPHIS, TN.-The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrates Art Today with an exhibition highlighting the founders and some of the important gifts they made to the museum. Art Today, a support group of the Brooks, initiated the acquisition of contemporary art for the museum's collection.

When Art Today was founded in 1953 by Nancy Glazer, Mildred Hudson, Adele Lemm, Marjorie Liebman, and Dorothy Sturm, their goal was to promote "that which is historically significant in our time." These exceptional women were guided by their experiences as accomplished artists, teachers, and arts administrators. They worked towards educating the public about contemporary art, bringing the finest examples to Memphis through exhibitions, and acquiring important works for the museum's collection." Read full article. The photo with the article is an encaustic painting by Nancy Graves. To see a sampling of her art, click Nancy Graves.

Maybe I will have a painting to post next week...

Scroll down one entry to this week's earlier post on differentiating between folk art and outsider art. (art brut)

Useful Links: The Different Forms of Folk Art

Folk art painting is generally described as art with an almost childlike quality by artists with no formal training. It is usually free of ideas of what "should be". Therefore one might find a bird with four legs, a house that is placed or colored in a non-traditional way, much as a child might paint. It also often has a particular spirit of freedom or spontaneity and is not bound by rules of art. Many definitions of Art Brut, also known as Outsider art fit this description. However, this genre seems very often to possess a raw, psychological, chaotic quality too. And some people would say that this is an important element of Outsider art. I have also read, that in its purist form, the outsider artist is not at all concerned about selling the art or about making anything that appeals to others. Here are some links to art typically categorized as Folk Art and Art Brut (Outsider Art). See whether you see differences and similarities.

Ginger Young Gallery
Petullo Art Collection