• Mood: chipper
• Music: "Drops of Jupiter"-- Train

Furry Art

Now that I have come back from another FC and another FC art show, it's time to report on the state of furry art. FC has one of the better art shows IMHO. I was certainly not disappointed by this year's selection. As I mentioned in my FC report, Kitty and I came away with about 6 pieces. There is a lot of talent out there and the work keeps getting better.

One of the biggest "jokes" at the art show were pieces by someone who priced their work with starting bids of $1000. If you just want to show off your work, just check the "not for sale" box. There were a few pieces by other artists that received $1000+ bids. That's one thing. But to put a $1000 minimum bid on a work is just naive. The work was of a steam train with foxes. I talked with lowen_kind about the work since he is also a train enthusiast. He too was bummed about the price and had talked to the artist about doing a commission. He was quoted a price of $3000. Hey, good luck with that! I'm sure you'll be selling artwork like crazy with prices like that.

I know I had posted before about art and this is just a re-hash. Art is a funny thing. The value of art is driven by so many other factors other than the cost of the time and materials. It is also a personal thing between both the artist and the art buyer. I could walk up on a piece and have my breath taken away while someone else could walk up and go, "Meh." Likewise an artist could crank out wonderful drawings with mechanical precision while another could put their heart and soul into a piece of perhaps lesser quality.

I guess I get wrapped around the axel when I think about the value of art. If you like something, your mind will put a price on it and you will pay it. People should still think, however, and not get caught up in the emotion when bidding. I start having a problem with Kage when he runs an auction. He's trying to get the maximum dollar amount for the artist which is not a bad thing. There are also a lot of easily manipulated people in the fandom, however, and I often wonder how many people miss a credit card payment or go without food at a con because they were pulled into paying more than they should have for a work of art. I think everyone should visit an actual art gallery to see what people are paying for art in the "real" world. In a sense it puts things in perspective, but maybe not. Someone would possibly pay $10000 for a dot painted by Picasso while a highly detailed painting of an anthro character painted by an unknown artist would be lucky if it hung in the bathroom of the gallery.

Of course the best art is the art that touches the heart or is given as a gift from the heart.