The weather has been improving and it has been nice spending time at the studio without having to see my breath. I am currently working on some pieces to potentially show at the Shanghai Expo 2010 as a representative from Grenada. You can see more about the expo here: http://en.expo2010.cn/
I heard back from SMU that they prefer I not pursue my MFA degree with them. While disappointing I am not devastated. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The application process for art is subjective depending on the preferences of the reviewers. Not only is painting the most popular program but I work mainly with the figure which is a bit of an “F” word in the art world. People either love it or hate it. It’s either a refreshing reprisal of a classical subject which is timeless and relevant or it is seen as a passe expression and the automaton subject of art schools.
2. I have a certain perspective on art that is born from my experience as an entrepreneur, my upbringing in the Caribbean, my interaction with art and artists of the Caribbean, and my liberal arts education. This perspective is difficult to conform into the American art school conversation. For the most part I am much more interested in the communicative aspect of art as opposed to the long running inside conversation of art talking about art. (Let me know if you would like to hear more about this, this point is beyond the scope of this blog). I have felt the pressure from some of the classes I’ve taken to work harder on being “painterly” and asking questions about line, form, composition and color in a way that hasn’t been done before. Fair enough – but to me if you are not using these elements to communicate a message outside of itself, then you are engaging in artistic self stimulation.
3. I have been enjoying improving my technique (so as to better communicate my message), and I have been gaining momentum over the past few years in my art career. The main reason for an MFA is to teach, which I would like to do. I would especially like to teach art in Grenada from a West Indian artistic perspective. I do not need an MFA, however, to become a better artist. I can network with more mature artists and I can view and read about art in order to better myself. I can continue exhibiting my work and look for new arenas for my art.
4. With my liberal arts education, I can easily go from one field to the other. My plan B is to embrace my entrepreneurial leanings and pursue an M.S. degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Texas at Dallas. Not only would this degree enable me to run my current businesses better but that I could help others start and run their own businesses. I could also have the option to teach. Perhaps one of the projects in the future would be to start an art school in Grenada
5. I really enjoy working on my own in my own studio. I enjoy the opportunity to explore and experiment on my own time. It can be very wearying to be critiqued at every turn or to adjust your style to placate an instructor.
So that’s where I’m at for right now! If you would like to come visit me at the studio let me know!