This week I had time off from my 9 to 5 and immersed myself in making while fighting a head cold. But determined to stock up for my Etsy shop and develop the idea of a decor solution for people working from home. Realised that being a lowly crafter, artist and maker has advantages for pushing the art envelope further to improve how businesses work.
Lowley crafter/artist/ maker- Comment
I created this movie while making it because I wasn’t happy with what I originally created. It didn’t meet the purpose of making working lives better or more meaningful. I ended up painting over it, doing two paintings on one board showing an underpainting with archaeological-type scratches to allow the underpainting to come through. These are the basis for the monogram collection, where my buyers can buy a single painting with their initials or purchase a combination to spell out a word.
Below are the boards and grounds that I was happier with. I like them because they started as a study of tone and texture, and then the whole reflective process made me realise how like skin they are. They show the layers of skin and the elements within the skin structure. But I noticed that I favour smooth, gently emerging changes of shades and hues in my paintings.
Modern Master (Damien Hirst) & AI Making NFT – Comment
Then I stumbled across a clip about the Beautiful Spinning paintings by Damien Hirst in collaboration with Hinn. I understand what he is trying to do. See the video below.
The high personalisation and customisation of the Hirst & Hinnes 2023 project is novel because it uses digital art and AI. It gives more power to the buyer/ collector about colour. They are pitched as reasonably priced, so there is a nod to making art more accessible (a theme from my arts management module at Uni). I think it goes beyond just that though as their approach makes art meaningful and appealing to more people than usual (but there is possibly a commercial drive for appealing to more).
I can see how the statement (creating art people will want to buy) might be horrible to hear to art purists. But I curiously get it. See previous blog. https://homeofficecharm.com/2022/09/07/considering-the-art-display-situation-is-that-so-wrong/
However what they (Hirst and Hines) don’t consider is the application of the pieces. Unsurprisingly no mention is made about how it can be used and where it can go. Only Damian says collectors will enjoy it. But I think that is rather unimaginative for artists to say collectors will enjoy. What about the why? But remember I do speak with a business school brain. So they can be forgiven for that as I have experienced being told not to even imagine the application of the art much less that meaning of it beyond your own (as an artist). Therefore the Hirst and Hines project is a bit conceptually bolder than traditional modern art pieces because it implies they are allowing the buyers to choose the colors (that might match this sofa) for instance. But what they don’t do is articulate that matching the sofa is the aim. Perhaps that’s not for Damien to do
One reason for getting paintings & wall art right for your home office decor
Still, as someone who helps leaders understand and manage their culture and cultural artefacts during my 9 to 5, I can see how some thoughtful and well placed artworks can reinforce an organisation’s culture and thus support behaviour and business success. The art you choose in the backgrounds of your web meetings and online training sessions potentially are very powerful statements about you, your team and your role in the organisation.
Organisations are at crisis with culture we need more artists to show an understanding of how their work might potentially help with changing some of the toxic, cultures we hear about in the news. The Hirst and Hines Beautiful Paintings project slightly pushes at some traditional art boundaries both conceptually and with technique, but there is still more to do.
I will say more about art fixing workplace cultures in subsequent posts. I think 🤔 the rest from my 9 to 5 has given me space to think and integrate my thoughts, ideas and practices more.
Home Office Charm 