en-us http://www.intensedebate.com/users/267299 Comments by David Rourke http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2007/07/22/george-inness/#IDComment40499851 Randy, Your work is beautiful. Thanks. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:15:29 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2007/07/22/george-inness/#IDComment40499851 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39654064 Chad, Perhaps the quintessential example of "transgressive" conceptual art would be the Piss Christ. I am not in any way a religious person, so it does not offend me culturally or religiously. It is deliberately offensive in a churlish manner that reminds me of an adolescent doing whatever is necessary to offend Mom and Dad. There is nothing "brave" about a transgressive work such as this--in the academic art world, it is entirely safe to offend Christians. Now if Serrano had created a Piss Mohamed, that would have been an act of bravery. Still banal, but at least brave. In terms of outsider art, I find some of it interesting and valuable. In other cases, my response tends to be that it is a shame that the artist didn't have the skill to express his or her meaning more effectively. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:16:00 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39654064 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39611886 Chad, I think we're in a similar place. I don't like banal, soulless, ugly, derivative art. That's what most conceptual art is. It also often pretends to be "transgressive" while being as safe and conventional as it is possible to be in an academic art context. If you grab some object and incorporate it into an artwork in a manner that is original and interesting, I have absolutely no problem with that. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:42:15 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39611886 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39580341 Chad, I like lots of different kinds of art. Mostly I like visual art that looks like something (i.e., representational), but not always. Finding a urinal and putting it in an art gallery was a fun joke a century ago. I see no reason to repeat the joke over and over. The repetition doesn't make it funnier or closer to being actual art. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:58:09 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39580341 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39580017 Candace, I do like some expressionist and abstract art. Most conceptual art impresses me as a bad joke. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:54:14 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/10/19/conceptual-art/#IDComment39580017 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/q-a/#IDComment39478929 Janice, If you use lots of turps, then I'd strongly encourage you to make sure you have very good ventilation. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:09:41 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/q-a/#IDComment39478929 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/about-atsh/#IDComment36730150 Aion, He sure is. I've known some who find him kind of irritating, but I like opinionated people even when I disagree with them. Thu, 1 Oct 2009 14:51:03 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/about-atsh/#IDComment36730150 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/09/14/whatever-you-do-dont-paint-from-the-heart/#IDComment35033804 Frank, I sure do. Almost anyone can make a painting their mom will put up on her wall. It's harder to make one that a stranger will pay you money for the privilege of hanging. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:52:04 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/09/14/whatever-you-do-dont-paint-from-the-heart/#IDComment35033804 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/20/73-more-convenient-than-regular-oil-paint/#IDComment34426888 Agnes, My name is David, actually. Not sure what you are asking about, as I don't suggest adding soap to paint. If you search on this site, you can find information on oil painting without solvents. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:29:10 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/20/73-more-convenient-than-regular-oil-paint/#IDComment34426888 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/07/09/oil-painting-medium/#IDComment33080799 Bryan, In small amounts, this medium doesn't seem to speed or slow drying much (the black oil has lead, which acts as a drier, but the CB dries a little slow, so it seems to be basically a wash as far as I can tell). You can warm a jar of Canada balsam in a warm water bath. I am not a big fan of alkyd mediums myself. Fri, 4 Sep 2009 01:50:55 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/07/09/oil-painting-medium/#IDComment33080799 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2008/11/01/should-children-be-protected-from-nude-art/#IDComment31699905 Anthony, Of course my wife's reaction was culturally appropriate. It's easy, however, to confuse the customs of one's tribe with natural law. The point I was trying to make in the blog post was that there have been many cultures, including Victorian England, in which it would be considered well within the proper development of humans to allow children to view nude art. I don't necessarily think that our tribe has it entirely right. Sun, 23 Aug 2009 12:40:22 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2008/11/01/should-children-be-protected-from-nude-art/#IDComment31699905 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment31644341 Tom, You're right. We're just going to disagree on this one. Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:18:35 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment31644341 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment31580483 Tom, I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time someone asks if they can cover my whole body in theatrical makeup. Not sure whether such anecdotal stories have any applicability to what happens if you get a bit of paint on the tip of a finger, however. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:22:36 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment31580483 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/08/making-gesso-part-2/#IDComment31580265 Mario, I'm afraid I have no expertise with watercolor varnishes. I'm sure with some careful internet searching, you can find better answers than I could give you. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:19:37 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/08/making-gesso-part-2/#IDComment31580265 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/07/oil-on-copper/#IDComment31580157 Bree, Not much to know if you already know how to paint in oil. You can prime it (traditionally with lead white) or just paint on it. Either way, it's an excellent surface to paint on. Too bad copper is so expensive. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:18:00 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/07/oil-on-copper/#IDComment31580157 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29833074 Tom, Haven\\\'t tried the walnut alkyd. As I mentioned to Claire, it sounds like her problem is with the paints themselves. Linseed oil is non-toxic (you can buy it in health food stores--they call it flax seed oil). Walnut oil is no more or less toxic (and also available in health food stores). Some people have a sensitivity to the smell of one or both of them. If she\\\'s not sensitive to walnut oil, then the Graham medium may work fine. If she is sensitive to it, then it will probably cause her just as many problems. Fri, 7 Aug 2009 00:46:26 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29833074 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29832116 Claire, It may be that oil paint is not going to work for you, if you have a sensitivity to the oil rather than to the materials associated with oil painting. You might want to try paints ground in walnut oil, such as those made by M. Graham, as you may find that you don't have the same sensitivity to walnut as to linseed. Other oils that paints may be ground in include poppy and safflower oil. If that just doesn't work, you could try the newer acrylic paints that have a longer open time than "traditional" acrylics. If I couldn't work in oils, I would switch to egg tempera, myself. Good luck! Fri, 7 Aug 2009 00:08:54 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29832116 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29823553 Tom, It's nice that you know a guy, but there's lots of conflicting information from reliable sources such as MSDS forms from many manufacturers, a number of books on art materials, etc. The skin's function is to prevent toxins from getting through. While it is hardly perfect at that task, comparing it to a sponge just doesn't make sense. There are chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin, of course, but those are not present in significant quantities in oil paint. That's what I've discovered from lots of research. You should, of course, make decisions on the best information you think you have. Thu, 6 Aug 2009 23:32:44 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2006/08/10/studio-safety-and-oil-painting/#IDComment29823553 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/07/09/blogversary/#IDComment28660947 Thanks, Erin. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:42:40 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/07/09/blogversary/#IDComment28660947 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2007/09/15/vermeer/#IDComment28660902 Erin, I don't like to paint on acrylic grounds, but it's not a horrible sin, either. There is not a lot of real data at this point indicating that painting on acrylic primer is an awful thing to do. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:42:03 +0000 http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2007/09/15/vermeer/#IDComment28660902