ARTedu

Discuss CURIOSITY and it's importance to artists, viewers of art, as a subject of art? What happens with it, without it? What might it look like? Can curiosity be a bad thing? Is it sometimes best to just leave questions unasked and stones unturned? Develop your own talking points. Try this but substituting another subject for visual arts.

T4T
Discuss COURAGE and it's importance to artists, viewers of art, as a subject of art? What happens with it, without it? What might it look like? Is there a meaningful distinction between physical and intellectual courage? Develop your own talking points. Try this but substituting another subject for visual arts.

T4T
Discuss patience and it's importance to artists, viewers of art, as a subject of art? What happens with it, without it? What might it look like? Develop your own talking points. Try this but substituting another subject for visual arts.

I was up at 4am this morning and have been pretty productive.
One of the things I have /made' is another track that fits under my RTK01 moniker, an ambient saunter through Rick Deckard's Los Angeles of 2019. I wanted to see exactly how easy it is for someone with a basic knowledge of computers and composition to 'make' one of those sleep aid pieces. It is very easy. It sits nicely with the first one. Mary (was a metaphor). This premiers at 6pm tonight Bangkok time, please join me if you are so inclined.

APPROACHING TERMINUS This is intended to aid sleep, concentration or those specific times when you need to believe that Blade Runner is real. This music is mostly made with AI ma...

On July 15th I left Beijing and arrived in Phnom Penh like a child arrives in school on their first day. Four days later I was in Siem Reap, my now adopted home. On August 22nd I posted for the first time on my new FB business page for my Visual Arts education consultancy, aRTedu. I had spent the previous month finding an apartment and turning it into a home, extending my visa (very easy to do here, just takes a little time), and opening a bank account. Oh, and building a website, which involves everything you need to know about building a website that I didn't know. Which was everything. Still, unencumbered by what has been, I ploughed on and imagined what could be. And finishing my brochure in terms of content, offerings and design. And establishing my YouTube business channel. And designing a business card. And making a series of educational videos about the language of art (yet to be released). And finalising my outreach email to go to schools who might be interested in my services. Why am I rambling on lie this? Because I have reached a point where I have to step back and look at what I have done and make sure that it doesn't resemble a downhill drunken cheese-wheel chase in Gloucestershire. I have dreams about these things, you know. So, yeah, it feels a bit like I need to zoom out (when in doubt) and ask myself questions about the way I am going about this because currently I am spending around 12 hours a day on the computer, working. The timing is auspicious, as my Chinese friends would have it; it is mid-Autumn festival, time to think about what has gone before, encumbered or otherwise, and consider how to move forward whilst respecting the past. So, I am getting on a coach and heading to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam to meet up with the illustrious Lennox Meldrum to watch a band or two (COCC, Skeleton Goode) and drink a beer or two as well as taking stock of progress made and mapping out what is next. Suffice to say there will be no new posts until October 1st at the earliest which is when I will be back in sleepy Siem Reap and ready to rumble again. Thank you all for your support, advice and encouragement so far, it is truly appreciated. If you are holidaying, travel safely and enjoy the time you have to be with those you love. See you in October. 中秋快乐! Zhōng qiū kuài lè!

23-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #10
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork;
Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt

Rich in black and white,�
elegance in every fold—�
time halts for their gaze.

My thought is that chat clawed back some of it’s earlier glory here; I mean it’s a bit straight on but yes, the stillness of the scene is echoed in the very formal style adopted by the Master in this no-doubt highly lucrative commission.
Here’s my effort

Opulence downplayed
Exalted skin, lace and gold
Privy gaze no more
Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image Source https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/stories/10-things/story/10-things-about-marten-oopjen

20-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #9
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork:
Wasserschlangen II by Gustav Klimt

Gold serpents entwine,�
lovers float in dreamlike streams—�
kissed by endless light.

My thought is that again, chat gpt is avoiding anything of a sensitive nature. But this is an art site. Imagine if artists and art students were self-censoring to the extent that they could not mention sexuality or talk about it’s place in art. Crikey, that sounds like a dreadful place where we might not be allowed to discuss genocides, drug epidemics or manufactured pandemics. Can you imagine? I know I can’t, it’s just too, too far from the real world where we are encouraged…..sorry, got a bit carried away.

Here’s my version

Luxury and time
Embrace beyond rapprochement
Golden and sublime

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image source here https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/Gustav-Klimt/16158/Water-Serpents-II-(girlfriends).html

19-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #8
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork;
No 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko

Silent fields of breath,�
colors hum like whispered thoughts—�
depths unseen unfold.

My thought is that with Rothko being my favorite abstract painter by a large margin, chat was always going to come up short on this one, it would only be a case of how much it annoyed me.

Congrats for picking out ‘fields’, colours’ and ‘unseen’, chat, not bad. Whispered thoughts humming, though? Really? My guess would be that they would, erm, whisper. But maybe that’s just me. Rest easy Mr Rothko, I made a better one

Tragedy and doom
Ether speaks in haze and hue
We are here, inside

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image source here https://www.markrothko.org/no-6-violet-green-and-red/

18-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #7
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork:
The Shot Marylins by Andy Warhol

Gunshot and bright hues,�
fame fractured in pop echoes—
icons never fade.
My thought is that maybe chat got took a break after the Rembrandt because this is a bit better.
You know the story? A performance artist (called pranksters on YouTube these days) visited the Factory (Warhol’s studio hangout) and asked if she could shoot the new works. Warhol, thinking she meant with a camera said yes, ended up with four works with bullet holes in and a future money maker. He banned the woman with the gun.
My version

Bold, bright, cold and dead
Words put a price on her head
Factory girl is no more

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image source here https://news.masterworksfineart.com/2019/11/26/andy-warhols-shot-marilyns

Designing a business card whilst listening to this absolute masterpiece one more time. Have a great Tuesday, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (50th Anniversary) [2023 Remaster] {Full Album} Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals 2018 Remix – Dolby Atmos’ on Blu-ray out now: https://PinkFloyd.lnk.to/AnimalsBluRayCollector’s Edition of The Dark Side Of The Moon on...

17-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #6
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork:
The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt

Banner raised with pride,�
light against a shadowed past—�
a hero stands tall.

My thought is that chat gpt was getting tired and was wondering how it could annoy me for asking it to write ten Haiku poems.
Here’s my effort:

Painter of himself
Pomp and pride and arms for gold
Chiaroscuro

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image source here

The Standard Bearer (Rembrandt, 1636) - Wikipedia The Standard Bearer is a three-quarter-length self-portrait by Rembrandt formerly in the Paris collection of Elie de Rothschild, and purchased by the Rijksmuseum for 175 million euros with assistance from the Dutch state and Vereniging Rembrandt in 2021. It was painted on the occasion of the artist'...

16-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #5
Welcome back. Nice weekend?

I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork: Number 17A by Jackson Po***ck

Splattered dreams take flight,�
lines like thunder in the void—�
a dance of wild storms.

My thought is that this was always going to be one of the weakest and most obvious takes on offer. The language model needs to insert a new rule, if Po***ck is mentioned DO NOT use the word splattered. I suggest they expand their thesaurus. Flung, flecked, ripped, shocked, plastered, plundered, even ‘puked’ would work better than splattered. Nothing says ‘my kid could do that’ better than saying ‘splattered’ in relation to a Po***ck painting does. This is more like adolescent poetry. Shame!

Tell me what you think in the comments.
Image source here https://www.jackson-pollock.org/number-17a.jsp

13-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #4
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork: Nafea Faa Ipoipo by Paul Gauguin

Tahiti’s soft sun,�brown skin glows in love's stillness—�island whispers warm.
My thought is that chatgpt has picked up on why Gaugin stayed in Tahiti but in a very simplistic way (I know, it’s only a 7 syllable line), instead of perhaps addressing the controversial nature of his interests. Maybe chatgpt algorithm has a failsafe switch that keeps it away from slightly risky subjects? Other than that, the mentions of sun, softness, warm whispers do enough to put you in the painting a little more than you would be if viewing in a London gallery in February.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

See you next week

Image source here https://news.artnet.com/market/paul-gauguin-painting-sells-for-record-300-million-to-qatar-museums-in-private-sale-245817

12-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #3
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork: The Card Players by Paul Cezanne

Hands hold still secrets,�silent wagers passed through gaze—�life dealt in small turns.
My thought is that: I really like this one, it has a real atmosphere of suspense, the almost tangible tension of a card game. That final line is killer, connecting chance, choices and our life’s journey.

Tell me what you think in the comments.
Image source here: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435868

Thought for Today: Remembrance
No article today. Just love.

10-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism #2
I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for the following artwork: Interchange by Willem de Kooning

Colors collide fast,�
abstract cities take their shape—�
chaos breathes as art.

My thought is that chat gpt has done it’s web crawl well; de Kooning was working towards total abstraction from 1948 and by the time Interchange was made, he was making paintings representing the New York communities in which he moved, he was painting buildings and the mass of the communities themselves. I don’t think ‘Interchange’ is particularly chaotic in comparison to other works, I might have used the word ‘corporeal’ to replace ‘chaos breathes as’ for my syllables simply because de Kooning’s use of paint to emulate texture is very ‘flesh-like’.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

Image source here: https://www.willem-de-kooning.org/interchange.jsp

09-09-24 Thought for Today: Minimalism

I asked chatgpt to write a Haiku poem for each the following artworks; Salvator Mundi by Leonardo de Vinci, Interchange by Willem de Kooning, The Card Players by Paul Cezanne, Nafea Faa Ipoipo by Paul Gauguin, Number 17A by Jackson Po***ck, The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt, The Shot Marylins by Andy Warhol, No 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko, Wasserschlangen II by Gustav Klimt and Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt

Here is number 1: Salvator Mundi by Leonardo de Vinci

In quiet fingers,
a world balanced in His grasp—
timeless mercy shines.

My thought is that this is actually pretty good. Not sure I am along for the ride about using the word grasp. I think that as a minimalistic, poetic way of saying in words what cannot be said in words, I approve.

Tell me what you think in the comments.

https://salvatormundirevisited.com/History-of-the-Salvator-Mundi
https://artincontext.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Salvator-Mundi-by-Leonardo-da-Vinci.jpg
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/haiku-or-hokku

Thought for Today 08-09-24 Time is not relative
During the last 6 days I have done so much that each day is becoming a bit of a blur.
On Monday I visited a local business consultant just to find out the ins/outs/pros/cons of registering my business in Cambodia (I am already registered in Hong Kong). I wanted to know the law, tax implications, paperwork and costs involved, that sort of thing. I walked out after 45 minutes having started the process of registration because it is easy, inexpensive and straight-forward. So now of course I need a physical location from which to operate my business. If I want to work with clients such as schools, teachers and students, if I want to help schools bring students to Cambodia for CAS/Arts trips here, a one bedroom apartment above a coffee shop will not cut the mustard as a meeting venue. So, yesterday I spent a good three hours cycling around Siem Reap looking for the kind of place an agent would never spot or think of. I will get there but it is time consuming and energy sapping. All of this led to me thinking, can I write a Thought for Today every single day? Including weekends? Should they really be as long as they are? Do people really have the time to read all of this? Am I accidentally putting them off by writing too many long articles? Maybe I should be a little more aware of the value of scarcity when posting. Ah, the powers of reflective practice.
So from now on Thought for Today will be weekdays only and they will be much shorter to preserve my sanity an hopefully get more views.
Have a great Sunday folks :-)

07-09-24:
From the horses mouth: why primary source information is best
Art 21 stands out as an exceptional resource for art educators due to its use of primary source interviews with contemporary artists. Through intimate and insightful conversations, teachers gain direct access to the artists' thought processes, creative practices, and experiences, which they can bring into the classroom to inspire students. These interviews provide a unique, first-hand perspective that goes beyond traditional textbook learning, helping students understand the complexities of artistic creation.

Art21’s documentary-style videos allow students to see artists in their studios, giving a genuine glimpse into the environment where art is made. This exposure not only enriches students' understanding of various art forms but also humanizes the artists, making their work more relatable and accessible. By showcasing a diverse range of voices and styles, Art21 encourages students to explore their own creativity while reflecting on the broader cultural and social contexts that influence art today.

For teachers, Art21 is more than just a collection of videos—it's a dynamic educational tool that brings contemporary art to life in a way that engages and inspires.

well, this is a little awkward
apparently my e-mail submission buttons are not working at the moment so please feel free to send me a message here with your request so that we can speak directly. In the meantime I will put on my IT Crowd hat and try and fix my website.
Apologies and please bear with me

04-09-24 Tidying up Art: in the spirit of Yin Yang
If I can promote randomness and accidents (and I can, I did, yesterday) then I can also propose total organization where no accidents are allowed. It’s not an about-face, it’s certainly not post-modern (ick) and it’s absolutely a fab thought experiment to vacillate between these two approaches, mental gymnastics, if you will.
Ursus Wehrli presented at TED in 2006 and it’s still funny, informative and thought provoking. Get your students to watch it together. It’s an especially good workout for ESL/EAL students, possibly a great opportunity to work with an ESL/EAL professionals in your school, the reason being he speaks English very quickly and has a distinct Swiss German accent. I would advise accessing the transcript on YouTube and doing some prep with the kids first.
Essentially he takes some classic modern (and some not-so-modern) paintings and approaches them all as if what they really need is a good old tidying up. He is charmingly irreverent and points the stick of mockery at himself overly zealous organisers too, so fair’s fair. The Keith Haring Spare Parts Shop is a fabulous idea, I would shop there. It’s also a good litmus test for artists to find out if they are too precious about their heroes. If you think what he does to Vincent van Goh’s The Bedroom, (1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam) is taking it too far, you might need to take a personal mental health day.
https://archive.artic.edu/van-gogh-bedrooms/chair
https://www.ted.com/talks/ursus_wehrli_tidying_up_art?subtitle=en

My art tips go straight to reels every morning at 08:00am UTC+6 (Universal Coordinated Time) until Britain changes the nature of time on October 27th (this year). My Quotes will still appear here on my landing page. By the way, YouTube has had some kind of breakdown and is telling me I have reached an upload limit today (nothing uploaded....) so I cannot update my artedu channel there. For more interesting tidbits on British Summer Time (oxymoron?) have a look here https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/greenwich-mean-time-gmt

I have a personal connection to Greenwich Mean Time. Let me know in the comments what you think it is.

What is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - and why does it matter? The Royal Observatory Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). But what is GMT and why is it so important? What does GMT mean? Greenwich Mean Time is the yearly average (or ‘mean’) of the time each day when the Sun crosses the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.  Essen...