I am using this blog as a visual outlet for samples of my artwork. Comments are always welcome.
This is part of my life long interest in photography. I use a camera and other tools of the photographic process to create art. Any resemblance to real life is entirely in your imagination – and I have the pictures to prove it.
Consider this to be my visual commentary on the state of the universe.
colinaikenart 
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I liked your thoughts on Avant-Garde’s offer. Especially “Everything important and relevant about the artist is present in the work itself for all to see, any more personal information is just trivia.”
It would appear that we both feel the same way about this, I wonder how many others agree? I always strive to remove as much of my own personal character from the work in a quest to discover something that works on a more universal level. Of course, that is just my viewpoint, others will see things differently, which after all, is the point.
Hi, me and a friend have recently opened a new online gallery based around contemporary art. We really like your work and would love to have it on the site.
Here is the site:
http://www.avantgardegallery.bigcartel.com
Kind Regards,
Avant-Garde
Let me know what you have in mind
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To be on the site you have to send us picture of a piece of art you wish to sell along with a bio of yourself and links you would like to be shown. There is no sales commission but we charge 4 pounds per month: For this you will get weekly posts on instagram (It has 250 followers and growing) of your work and a post on MAGG (blog).
Hope this helps and would love you on the site,
Avant-garde
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I am very flattered by your offer and comments. I would be delighted to contribute to your gallery but I am not 100% certain about the commercial side of what you are suggesting. It could be that I’m just having a temporary down on the world of the bread head but what you see on the blog is only a very low resolution sample of the original work. I have nothing against selling, but when I sell it is because someone has asked to buy having experienced the physiological and visceral effect of the original piece. Personally, I would think that if anyone wanted to buy a piece of visual art having only seen a small lo-res sample on screen, I would be suspicious about the honesty of the process. On the other hand I would be happy for you to contradict me with facts about the number of on-line sales your site has made. I’m always happy to be contradicted by reality.
I have enjoyed using the wordpress system because of its free and open structure. The people who pay for it get their reward simply from the popularity of the blogs they host. That means there is no commercial influence on the artistic integrity of either the blogger or the reader. If the service cost money then I would require a larger bank balance and ego than I currently have access to. The work I create is simply to satisfy my own desire for artistic experimentation and not someone else’s desire for decorative home improvement.
nobody
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That is fine and I completely understand your point of view. This is fine, firstly you don’t have to sell your work on the site, it can simply almost be an advert and information about you.(An example of this is the Illestrator who also wished that their art was not to be sold on the site). We have sold 2 pieces of work so far, I know this doesn’t sound like a lot and it isn’t, but the site has only been going for approx. 3 weeks and the first week it wasn’t really fully up and running.
Avant-Garde
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Sorry if I came across a bit heavy handed but I do the whole exhibit, artist statement, sell, promote thing in real life and my interest in using the internet is a lot to do with the fact that it represents a radical departure from that traditional model.
What I really liked about your site was the idea of an online gallery curated by you and your friend based on the theme “avante garde”, where you invite artists whose work you feel fits that category. There is always a debate going on to describe an overall term for current practices in the field of visual art and you could make an interesting and visually direct contribution to that debate with your site.
My own personal view is that all art is simply a direct representation of the cultural and socio-economic environment of the artist at the time of creation. Everything important and relevant about the artist is present in the work itself for all to see, any more personal information is just trivia. I know this viewpoint differs from the current art establishment but I can’t do much about that.
So, if I’m not into selling, bios or promotion perhaps I can be of no use to you. On the other hand you are welcome to use any of my work that you like, all I would request is a reference to the wordpress blog where I am happy to let my art do all the talking that is required.
nobody
Very interesting artworks!
How very kind of you. I’ve been following your blog and the feeling is mutual
You are so right on both counts. What I enjoy so much is that I’m not trying to convince anyone about anything. I have a really great time doing what I do, whatever it is and I get the same impression from your work which manages to be both edgy and beautiful.
I am both touched and speechless, thank you.
I love what you are doing with these images. Many thanks for following dragonshades.
Thank you for your kind comment. For me, an unexpected but very welcome bonus of creating this blog has been the discovery of others who are working in an equally interesting genre. Also, as a human being it is very comforting to know that, whilst I might be crazy, at least I’m not alone.