Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with artists

(Great) lyricists who are similar to Joni Mitchell?

ethelwulf — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:46:46 -0800

Could anyone recommend me musicians-cum- poets/songwriters who are as talented as Joni Mitchell? Or artists who can generally be classified as wordsmiths; such as: Brandon Boyd (Incubus), Jason Mraz (though I much prefer his older stuff), Justin Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack), Kelley Jones (Stereophonics) etc. for example.

Thanks

Storytellers, thinkers, and musicians who are worth fully engaging with?

jsturgill — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:01:57 -0800

I believe I may suffer from a derth of artistic and intellectual heroes. Help me fix that. What artists and thinkers are worth engaging with fully as an adult? By "engaging with fully," I mean making a concerted effort to consume all of their output, several times, as well as seeking out supplementary information about them by way of interviews, criticism, documentaries, collected letters, biographies, etc. etc. For example, Kubrik and Werner Herzog and John Waters and David Lynch seem like fine contenders when it comes to film. I've seen plenty of their films but in something almost like isolation -- I don't have a grasp of their histories, their career arcs, their defining moments, their embarrassing solo albums, etc. Is it worth putting in the effort to grapple with them seriously as artists and people? Who else should be on the list?

If possible, highlight resources that are meaningful (biographies, that book on editing s/he wrote, whatever).

This sort of thing hasn't been a large part of my life in a while, mostly because so many artists do not survive a second or deeper glance... I am very much looking for substance here. Rich, meaty lives and productive outputs that actually have a chance of withstanding the test of time from an adult perspective.

Thanks.

Has copyright EVER helped the little guy?

to sir with millipedes — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 07:55:25 -0800

I am of the firm belief that the copyright system in the US is broken, and in need of great reform. But I'm wondering if anyone has examples of copyright actually helping a small artist retain control of their work and/or get compensation from their work. There are tons of examples of artists either:

a. ignoring copyright or giving their work away under creative commons and embracing their fans and reaping the whirlwind in terms of goodwill, merchandise sales, etc.

b. being sticklers on copyright and angering their fans by making their work inaccessible or by suing them.

I'm wondering if anyone has examples of artists who are pro-copyright actually finding themselves and their art protected by copyright law without raising the ire of their fanbase by using copyright protections to pursue people who are hijacking or otherwise stealing their work.

How much do successful, but not megasuccessful, musicians make?

Admiral Haddock — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:57:27 -0800

I'm curious about the real-world economics of being a musician who "made it" but is not, say, Sir Elton John or Bruce Springsteen or Jay-Z. For instance, how's James McNew, bassist of the incomparable Yo La Tengo, doing? Is Ken Bethea, guitarist for the Old 97's, comfortable? Ian Matthews, drummer for Kasabian, are you sorted for a comfortable retirement? Obviously, how well or poorly an individual artist is doing is anyone's guess, and possibly to a large extent on whether the artist has a songwriting credit and whether their catalog has been licensed for soundtracks or ads or whatever, and whether they have a bad contract with a major label vs. put stuff out themselves, etc., along with the usual financial costs (health, children, aging parents).

But I've always wondered about the day to day lives of musicians who I think are great and incredibly talented and have a fantastic body of work, but are not getting invited to the White House and don't have six mansions and their own vanity brand of tequila.

Sort of the "musical middle class"--maybe not destined to go ultra platinum, but also someone who is well past the opening-act-for-karaoke-night-at-the-local-dive stage.

Question has been with me for years ever since seeing a picture of Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth sitting on the floor of their kitchen in a really unremarkable NYC apartment.

Could your average indie darling simply retire--maybe not to luxury, but to an average "middle class" life without punching a clock--after three or four albums (particularly if not the leader of the band)?

Conjecture or personal experience are both welcome.

Need iOS help. Hope me!

Admiral Haddock — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:10:15 -0800

I've used iPhones for five years or so now, but there are a few things that bug me, and I wonder if there is a trick or preference I'm missing or a third-party app I can use or what. No interest in jailbreaking or switching phones. Specific questions inside. I've loved my iPhones, but there are a few things I'd like to be able to do. Again, no interest in jailbreaking or switching to Android, etc.

1. Autocomplete suggestions / different suffixes. If I'm tapping out a word, is there a way to nudge the autocomplete suggestion to use a different suffix? For example, say I want to type "antagonized," and when I type "antag" iOS suggests "antagonizing." Right now, I might just accept the autocomplete and then delete the "ing" and type "ed"--in this case, it's the same number of taps to accept the word and delete and retype as it is to type "onized"--but I'd rather just given the choice of word in the first place. Autocomplete will learn to suggest a word, but my complaint is not limited to my commonly used words. I get different suggestions if I misspell a word, but not for different suffixes of a partial word.

2. More than just song name on lock screen. I have a lot of music, and I don't always recognize the name of a song--I need the artist and album. Even with tracks that have album art displayed, there are times when the art doesn't help. Is there really no way to add the artist and album to the lock screen?

3. Stopping websites from asking me to download their apps. If I go to IMDB, I have to click through a splash screen that asks me to download the IMDB app. On other sites, I get a little floater at the bottom of the screen that asks me to either download their app or save them to my homescreen. Please make it stop.

4. One touch settings switches. Is there any way to put a button on my home screen to toggle attributes selected in the settings app? For instance, if I want to turn off wi-fi (which I do often due to bad wi-fi in my apartment), I have to tap settings, tap wi-fi, then tap the on/off toggle. I would love a button on my home screen that just toggles wi-fi on and off. But not just wi-fi--I'd love to be able to do this for airplane mode, different levels of brightness, etc.--I'd like this to be customizable. Any ideas?

All this is on an ATT iPhone 5 running iOS 6.01 (10A525).

How Do I Learn To Speak Artist?

scaryblackdeath — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:03:15 -0800

I will soon need cover art for a self-published book. I'd like to get something original rather than buying a stock photo. I am quite ignorant about the world of visual arts. Please teach me how to communicate what I want to an artist--and how to find one? This will be a sci-fi novel (space opera-style). I've already been pretty successful with a self-pubbed urban fantasy book, but for that I was lucky and had a photographer friend volunteer to put together my cover. I'm not sure a photo would work for this book, given that it's all set In The Future and In Spaaaace and all that.

Good covers are vital in self-publishing, so I'd like to do this right... but I'm not independently wealthy, so of course cost is an issue. I don't want to short-change an artist, but at the same time I can't afford more than a $500-$600 at the absolute most. One artist friend said that's the minimum I could expect to pay a professional artist, and that sounded realistic to me, so...

What I want seems relatively uncomplicated to me, but again, I'm not an artist; I may not be the one to make that decision. The tl;dr description would just be "a banged-up futuristic helmet," but I could naturally be more descriptive once it's actually relevant.

How do I learn the vocabulary to express what I want? I hope to get something close to what one sees on the covers of sci-fi books on the shelves at bookstores. Do I just call that a "painting?" Are there terms for level of detail or quality? I want it to look sharp, rather than going something swirly or psychedelic with lots of pastels... but how do I actually say that without sounding like a moron?

Are there places to post ads for this online? Would I save any money by looking for an artist outside the US, or is that just shitty of me?

Documentaries on Art/Artists and Innovation

zresearch — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:47:33 -0800

Please recommend some documentaries online on art, artists (of any/all kinds) and innovation (in a wider sense, perhaps especially including technological innovation and entrepreneurship) that I can show to a class. Short clips/excerpts are fine - this is for a 30 minute segment in an undergrad class that I help teach. Interviews with famous artists/innovators (e.g. Orson Welles, Jackson Pollock etc.) are fine too

Thanks very much for any tips!

Draw my mind

tavegyl — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 05:54:27 -0800

I have 3/4 of a graphic novel script in my computer. Where can I learn to draw so I can bring it onto the page? I have a graphic novel script (Persepolis rather than the Sandman) close to being done. I'd like to see it published, online or on paper.

I can't draw at all. So I see two options and would welcome Mefite insight on one or both.

1- Find someone who'd be interested to draw it. I would envision this as a collaboration rather than a commission, but since it would be on spec or for online publication, I find it hard to imagine this option is either likely or fair. If I'm wrong - how does one go about finding artists looking for scripts?

2- Learn to draw. I am in Central London. Can you recommend specific evening or weekend cartooning/ comic drawing courses for someone who failed drawing in kindergarten? I've seen some at various adult education places or art schools, eg Central St Martins. I'm looking for actual recommendations rather than links I can find for myself, please. I'm also open to suggestions for drawing rather than cartooning courses, if that seems more sensible.

My budget is about 400 pounds though obviously I'd rather spend less.

_______ 101

Yiggs — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:39:13 -0800

I love when people put together "syllabi" as introductions to obscure or prolific artists or media, that specify the "proper" order a body of work should be introduced in order to get the best experience. This was inspired by this recent comment; a similar one I remember is here. The AV Club's Gateways to Geekery feature is also quite good. Please provide me with more of this type of guide! I'm primarily interested in books, music and film/TV (genres, artists, etc.), but am also open to other subjects. (I also enjoyed Witold Gombrowicz's A Guide to Philosophy in Six Hours and Fifteen Minutes, for example.) I'm interested in both published guides like this and personal guides to people's pet interests.

Crossing over with art

divabat — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:01:35 -0800

House of Leaves and Haunted are works in two different mediums (book and album) by two different artists that deliberately accompany each other. What other examples of this are there? They can be by the same artist; I'm mostly interested in the different-artistic-mediums aspect. If they were created concurrently that would be best, but one inspired by the other could work. (I'm not counting movies based on books, that's way too general.)

How do I help my fine artist friend?

biddeford — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:04:50 -0800

I'd really like to help support my neighbor, a fine artist, in her search for commissions, management and new students. Unfortunately, outside of just helping her navigate networking sites online, I have no idea where to start. Specifics after the jump. My neighbor has been a good friend to my family during some tough times. She's a painter and sculptor who has taught and had work displayed at some prestigious galleries here in the US and abroad over the years, but over the last decade her commissions have dwindled as her output has increased. She has stacks and stacks of beautiful new work, and she's rapidly running out of room to store them all. She's had occasional interest from collectors (who were already aware of her), and she certainly has plenty of very high quality paintings to show, but I don't think she's had proper management in years and without somebody advocating for her I don't think she'll get the kind of exposure she needs to start selling consistently again. Because I do graphic work and know a lot of commercial artists, she thought I'd be able to get her some gallery 'ins' or some contacts, but it just hasn't been working out. She's sort of a classical expressionist, not a really great fit for the few people I know who buy art here.

She's also older, and very resistant to new technology. My partner & I (and several of her other friends) have been helping her get an online presence; she's on Facebook, LinkedIn and some other sites, and she has an okay (not great) portfolio website. She's having some high def video slideshows made, and she's got a book (maybe two?) that she's written, explaining her teaching philosophy and her methods. I think she could self publish these, and work them into her wider self promotion. But I'm terrible at self-promotion myself and I'm dealing with an entirely different sort of market. I think she needs gallery introductions, but which galleries? How would she go about finding a good fit for her work? Should she even be looking in this city (LA) or should she checking out other regions?

Sorry this question is so vague, but I'm at a loss here. Any artists out there with insight into this high-falutin' fine art world? Thanks in advance!

Common tactics for explaining art and portraying artists

victory_laser — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 04:26:41 -0800

Is there such a thing as meta-analysis of art literature? This question is motivated by:

1) I am a young artist who is still trying to figure out what art criticism is all about. I've started to notice different strata within art literature. For example, you have what I like to call "high criticism" (see Rosalind Krauss), and on the other hand you have works like this. Watered-down summaries of great artist's lives and works...PBS specials perhaps too sentimental to be labelled as criticism. And everything in-between. Each stratum has their own methods and cliches - each skews its subject matter in its own way.

2) I did some HCI research (wiki) in undergrad and coded a lot of qualitative responses. So, as I now read art literature and I begin to see common tactics in the way authors explain art and the accompanying narrative of artists' lives, I start to think, has anyone ever coded these? I went to SIGGCHI and saw a lot of studies where researchers do a meta-analysis of design, i.e. "how do designers design?" In fact, analyzing some aspect of the design process seems to be quite in vogue.

So who has done this for art literature? The literature is so important to how we understand art history that it seems worthwhile to try and understand it from a higher level. Of course, works of criticism will often pivot back and forth between considering the work at hand and looking at the meta level. The most interesting answers to my question may well be works that are plain old art criticism, or cultural theory. I have read bits of Adorno, Benjamin, Barthes, Foucalt, etc. and I would love to hear more about that stuff. But I am also curious about the more data-driven social sciences methodology.

Thanks.

_{Aside: there may be a relationship between the high-to-low criticism spectrum I outlined above and the degree to which it can be reduced through analysis. For example - innovative works of criticism are probably self-reflexive. TV documentaries on renaissance painting are probably not, and tend to stick to the same themes. I don't want to discount studies of the latter...in fact I'd find that really interesting.}

Is it possible to commission an artist?

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:49:23 -0800

My wife keeps a list of all the words our 1 year old has learned to say. As a present I thought it might be nice to commission an artist to make a collage of them that we could put on the wall. I'm in London, England. I have no idea how one would do this, or if it would be affordable (I'd be prepared to spend up to around a thousand pounds). Can you commission an artist - and if so, how would you find one?

Goldfinger

lalex — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:56:25 -0800

I am looking for images of a Marilyn Minter painting that I believe was called Goldfinger. My memory of this painting involves shiny gold fingernails encrusted with various jewels. For some reason, probably because I am misremembering the title of the work, I can't find any online images of the painting.

Seeking Engraver

23 — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:35:31 -0800

I'd like to find an artist to commission who specializes in work that looks like classic engravings; less something like Wondermark / Harper's illustrations and more the decorative and detail work like on an Emperor Norton note. Any recommendations, and if not, where (and how) can I look? Specifically I'd like a calling card design.

Also, I have no idea how much a reasonable amount for this is - I imagine it depends on the skill of the artist and how elaborate a design I want, but are there any starting points for figuring this out?

The Kindle Fire or the Nook Color, what's the better tablet for cartoonists??

Rosengeist — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:08:52 -0800

Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet. What's better for a cartoonist? Hello,

I am a young cartoonist and illustrator who is looking to buy a tablet. I have been told repeatedly and by several of my teachers that this is becoming a very, very important tool for someone like myself to have. Mostly because it allows an artist like myself to carry and exhibit work quickly, cleanly and professionally without needing to print copies of my work. Currently, my work is becoming more and more digitally based, and even my traditional pieces tend to get some digital enhancement.

Until very recently I had not been able to afford a tablet on my budget, but since the Nook color and Kindle fire have hit the market, I am now in a position to buy one.

This is something I would be using primarily for only a few basic things. 1.) Storing and exhibiting digital copies of my professional work. 2.) Writing and reviewing word documents (I also work on scripts a lot.) 3.) Reading ebooks and e-publications, especially pdf documents, which I often have to read for school. 4.) Light internet usage.

One thing I am also considering in this decision is the fact that this summer I will be traveling to Hong Kong for about a month and will not be able to bring my computer (or possibly even my phone) along with me. This is a school trip where I will need to be able to access emails and do light internet work. Does anyone know how well the Kindle, or the Nook work in China? Do they work their at all?

I'm quite torn between the Nook and the Kindle Fire. The Nook is cheaper, and I actually like it's general appearance and the way it feels in my hands more, but the Kindle is not so different that it bothers me. I know that the Kindle can handle Sketchbook Pro, but I'm not certain if the Nook can. That's a program I'd genuinely like to be able to use since I am doing more and more digital work. I know the Kindle can handle the materials from itunes, amazon and other major app and digital media retailers. The Nook, I'm not as certain about, it seems like it's more of a Barnes and Noble only sort of deal. If that's the case, I believe that Amazon is the stronger company which will have longer staying power, and is probably easier to access outside of the United states.

I've also considered buying a certified used 1st Gen Ipad...but I feel like it has more flashiness than I need, and that if I buy an ipad, it makes more sense to buy a newer model (Even if that's outside my budget). I could afford a used 1st gen, but not a newer model, even used.

I would also like to know how the Kindle and Nook handle stylus pens. I like sketchbook pro, but using my finger is a pain in the but for that.

Any thoughts guys? I need to purchase this tablet in the next few days because I will be attending an editor review day in the next few weeks and need to start cleaning up and fixing my portfolio for that. If anyone who reads this uses a tablet for art, or for the purposes that I'm in need of I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks so much!

I will never be Frida Kahlo .. but a girl can dream

nubianinthedesert — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:08:34 -0800

In my fantasy life, I move to a remote area of the United States (like somewhere in New Mexico), buy a small home with a garden for tomatoes and herbs, wear long dresses, buy a faithful dog for a companion, write novels and take gorgeous, brooding young men for lovers. Please recommend to me some books with characters (real or fictional) who have lived this life.

Blank-librarians

activitystory — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:39:11 -0800

Has anyone come across a Really Big List of [Author-/Poet-/Filmmaker-/Artist-/Musician-] Librarians? There are plenty of examples like Philip Larkin, Barbara Fister, Anne Spencer and probably many many others, but I'd love to be able to gather as many examples as possible to investigate where librarianship may have influenced their work.

As interested as I am in athelete-librarians, programmer-librarians, and activist-librarians, I'm mostly just interested in the arts-related ones right now.

If no list exists, maybe it's time to start one: perhaps this thread can help that along.

Identify: Younger Male Artist Killed by Mob and Woman Who Drew Decision Trees On Canvas With Pencil

shushufindi — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:17:56 -0800

Please help me identify these two visual artists: a younger male artist killed by the mob in the 1990's and a woman who drew decision trees in pencil on canvas. Younger Male Artist Killed by Mob: I remember reading about this artist in the Village Voice in the early 00's. He created large lists of things and diagrams for viewing in galleries and museums. He was killed by the mafia because an aspect of his work consisted of doing investigative journalism and depicting it visually. In the process of investigating corruption, he'd found information that made mobsters very nervous. Am I dreaming that he ever existed?

Woman Who Drew Decision Trees On Canvas With Pencil: One of the decision trees pertained to her choices about graduate school. I think her stuff was at PS1, probably in 2000 or 2001.

I've been thinking about these two folks for years, but my searching skills do not help me. Am I inventing Younger Male Artist Killed by Mob? You'd think I'd have read more about him.

Art Writing, not Fart Writing.

Sara C. — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:16:22 -0800

I'd like examples of great down-to-earth art writing. I love (visual) art. I love reading nonfiction. Help me combine the two in a way that isn't grating and pretentious.

I really like the idea of reading - and writing - about both contemporary art and art history. But so much writing on the subject is... douchey. Or overly academic, obfuscating, or simply dull.

Does anyone have recommendations?

Writing/scholarship wise, I adore just about everything Simon Schama has ever done, and remember enjoying Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling as well as Alexandra Lapierre's novel about Artemisia Gentileschi several years ago (though right now I'm looking more for non-fiction). I'm getting more into writing on music and film.

Some art loves: Caravaggio, Bernini, Vermeer, Rothko, Basquiat, Cy Twombly, Richard Serra (OK I like minimalism), Gaugin, Duchamp, Kate Beaton, Louise Bourgeois, probably others I'm not thinking about at the moment.

Outside of art/art-history subject areas, I already read lots of nonfiction about the humanities. So theoretically this is something I should like. I used to be part of a contemporary art collective in New York and am more arts literate than the average bear, but I'm not an insider by any means. Ironically, this probably is why I set the bar so high. I'm intimately familiar with all the ways the art world can be full of pretentious assholes.

I'm particularly interested in shorter forms like essays, blogs, or reporting/interviews/reviews, but books are also fine. I'd be open to biographies of artists. Humor or anything that doesn't take itself super-seriously would be appreciated. High and low culture are both fine. I'm not interested in coverage of the art market. The most important thing is that the writing itself should be compelling.

What relatively high profile celebrities, artists or entertainers have very poor websites?

davebush — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:49:50 -0800

What relatively high profile celebrities, artists or entertainers have very poor websites? By "poor", I mean graphically and/or structurally inept. I realize this can be somewhat subjective, but I'm OK with that. I want to see all sorts of bad design.

There must be a puzzle of a forest and a lake out there somewhere!

silverstatue — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:20:50 -0800

I need to find a jigsaw puzzle featuring a Hudson River School artist! Ok, for my dad's birthday in two weeks, I'd love to give him a puzzle of a painting by one of his favorite artists. He loves the Hudson River School of Art, so I'm thinking Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, or Frederic Church.

I KNOW I've seen these puzzles for sale at some point in my life, but now my google-fu is failing me. I've checked amazon, b&n, pommegranate, etc with no luck. Please help!

Here's the thing.... i HAVE found a couple puzzles by these guys but they're not what I'm looking for. It's the weirdest thing. These artists are known for painting scenes from the Hudson Valley (forests, lakes, etc) but for some reason the only puzzles I can find online are of like, the Rocky Mountains, or the Grand Canyon or ancient Rome. The closest I could find was one of Niagara Falls but... that's still not right.

Name that tune!

mittenbex — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:29:33 -0800

Help me figure out this 60s song. A few weeks ago I was listening to the 60s on 6 channel of Sirius/XM. It was a rebroadcast of the most recent Cousin Brucie program.

On his show -- unlike most other times with satelite radio -- they don't usually display the song/artist information.

I did write in to the show telling them explicitly at what point in the show the song was playing and what they discussed directly after -- but I haven't heard back yet... and it's driving me CRAZY.

From what they said after the song played, I was under the impression that the song was done by both Chuck Willis and Lavern Baker. The song was fast paced and had a lot of organ in it. I didn't get down any of the lyrics but it was definitely a male voice so this was not Lavern Baker.

For some reason... it reminded me of the 'Manah manah' muppets song. Which sounds silly I guess now that I'm typing it out?

Anyone? Please? I'm desperate -- and to be honest I can't believe I didn't turn here sooner. I have faith in the hive!

Arming Myself with Art!

lirael2008 — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:10:30 -0800

My husband admires the work of John Taylor Arms with his fine attention to detail. Is there somewhere that I can buy inexpensive copies of his prints (in other words, under $100)?

Bohemia in Despotic countries?

empath — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 06:31:09 -0800

I'm interested in books about 'underground' or 'bohemian' sub-cultures in despotic regimes. Artists, musicians, intellectuals, or even party kids or 'hippies'. I know there's a ton of these about the Soviet sphere, but I'm also interested in ones in Islamic countries or Asian countries or South America. Fiction or Non-Fiction is fine.