Sometime last year I did a weekend work trip to LA and got to hang out there with some fun coworkers. We did Hollywood, The Strip, Outlet malls, Fancy dining, Santa Monica pier and some zany clubs. I have to admit though that my most memorable experience from that trip was getting to see Venice Beach… Man, what an inspiring place to be…
I fell in love with the whole scene: the musicians, graffiti, fresh seafood, the carnival on the pier, the Cirque du Soleil tent, sand, THE CRAZY ECCENTRIC PEOPLE, and the artists who sell their work up and down the boardwalk. I didn’t get much time to spend there but I knew that I would one day come back because I needed more time to soak up the environment. I felt like Venice Beach was somewhere I could really learn to express myself and not feel judged, because to them I would be just another crazy!
It was here that I also got to meet a cool artist by the name of Carissa Weber. I fell in love with her weird art and bought a couple of small prints (the photos shown) and got to talk to her a little bit about working on the boardwalk. Basically, I aspired to BE her :P… The funny thing about that though is that now, over a year later, I happen upon her blog and learn that she actually struggles with the idea of being considered merely a, “street artist.” Here is someone I admire, and yet she worries that people wonder about why she isn’t showing her work in a real gallery…
Wait a second, a real gallery (a place accessible only to the minority) inferior to a street market (accessible to the masses and a place they feel comfortable approaching) is such an abstract idea. I don’t blame her though because I feel the SAME way. I sell my work at local craft fairs and markets, which I love because 1) my work is affordable to the masses and everyone can enjoy them 2) I get to talk to people freely about art instead of feeling like I need to fit my ideas into someone else’s tiny box.
Recently, however, I’ve contemplated going back to school to get my masters and so I looked at the list of requirements you need in order to be accepted: a history of art related experience such as awards, gallery exhibitions, and 15-20 images of work that fits into a cohesive theme.
Well don’t I feel like the last two years of my life were a complete waste of time lol. Time to start creating work and applying to get into “real” galleries so I can be accepted into an educational institution? Seems like a SCAM…
I just want to be an educated lady who sells her paintings on the beach… Is that too much to ask?
Check out Carissa Weber at: http://www.carissaweber.com or on FB at https://www.facebook.com/carissaweberart
xox Pony