Kim Romine Gray - Art: ARTIST - Thoughts about the title, + a couple of sketches

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Thoughts on the Title of "Artist"

Sometimes I wince when the word ARTIST is attached to my name. My gut feeling about the word? There are those who would disagree, and, If I'm an artist then so are you.

Regarding the title of artist, I measure by words that came to me in a dream about my art a few years ago:
"The value is not the perfection of technique. Perfection of feeling, that is the true gift."
The words may not make sense to others, but the words were enlightening to me.

I reflect on why I am so hesitant to claim the title of artist, and I know it stems from a specific painting class with a specific art instructor during my college days.
I admired the instructor's art work, and the way he helped his students grow in skills. I took several of his classes; basics, drawing, printing, and painting, and I deeply respected his knowledge of the art world. I also drew back in fear when he would tag students with labels that indicated whether or not they would "make it" as an artist. Telling selected students during class project critiques,
"You are not an artist, you are just a draftsman,"
or,
"You are not an artist. You are a just a designer."
He just as well could have been walking through the room whacking ALL of us on the knuckles with a ruler. Any one of us could be the next student labeled.
Was he trying to save us the pain of failure?
Was he weeding out the weak ones?

My label came during a painting class.
His point that day? To emphasize "What Art Really Is."
He put my work up next to the work of a student who had missed many classes, appeared stoned when he did attend, and whose favorite subjects involved gore and disgust.
The instructor's comment's were along the lines of,
"Real art is unforgettable. Real art has impact and makes you stop and look. Real Art makes you feel something strongly."
I definitely felt something strongly looking at my fellow student's painting. White background with one simple image of pink panties, blood dripping from the crotch.
I don't recall the piece I had painted that the instructor used for comparison, which only serves to validate the teacher's point. However, this lesson was lost to me for a long time due to the instructors continued rant about what art really is, ...proclaiming how exceptional the panties were, how engaging that work was, and how he "Didn't know what drug (my fellow student) was on, but that he wanted some!!!"
Then he ended his rant with,
"___ IS AN ARTIST!!!" (My fellow student)
"Kim is just an illustrator."
Me, not an artist??? Me, JUST and Illustrator???
I was deflated. And up 'til then, I thought illustrators were artists too.

It was a path altering day for me. First questioning my skills, then questioning my talent, then questioning my career choice. My 19 year old emotions felt; "If That is what art is, if I have to prompt extreme disgust or horror, then I'm not sure I want any of it." ...Lesson lost with my new label.
I resolved the issue in my mind by accepting, "Okay. I may not be an artist, but I can be a darn good illustrator."
Today I understand the instructor's lesson in a way I couldn't as a sensitive teen, "Art touches something inside that is hard to assign words."
I would not go so far as to claim who is an artist and who is not, although I know what I like, and have my thoughts on why some art is more embraced than others.
Marketing being one of those thoughts, but I'll save this topic for another time, ... maybe.
Oh, and I do see Illustrators as artists too.

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I like that the following linked program was playing on tv behind me as I wrote this days blog.

From CBS, Sunday Morning July 4, 2010 program
Lucas and Spielberg on Norman Rockwell
How One of the Most Successful Painters of Americana Influenced Two of the Most Successful American Filmmakers

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/04/sunday/main6645543.shtml

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From the sketch journal ... Just sketches