Eco-art! It's the approach that matters.

Colin Ives seemed like a very kind man which made me immediately comfortable and open to hearing him out about his artwork.

Right now what I'm learning in all my art classes seems to be connecting to form a unifying concept that I'm still struggling to grasp within my own practice. Subtlety. An artist does not have to scream every opinion they have. They can delicately and gracefully present something to the viewer and allow them to come to their own opinion about the subject. This relates to more than just art practice. This relates to how an artist, or just a person, interacts during their daily life. I am a very forward and forceful person. If I want something I will do everything within my power to get what I want. If I have a strong opinion about something, I will push my views on others in a way that is probably very overwhelming. I always saw this as a good thing. If you feel passionate about something, talk about it passionately! But what Colin made me consider was that speaking out of passion and raw emotion may not be the best way to get your idea across to viewers. This is a problem that I saw within the reading for this week. Tact should be considered in the approach.

This concept reminded me of an artist that I'm currently studying in my drawing class, Pierre Bonnard. Particularly in his drawings, he is very delicate with all of his marks. At first glance, his drawings may seem childish and flat, but at deeper consideration you can understand the true skill and vision behind this mans work. My teacher asked me to draw in the style of this artist and I had a very difficult time! I was so used thinking about drawing in the typical Western sense. My drawings had a foreground, mid ground and background. Shadow and value contrast, with the focal point being the figure if one is involved. In Bonnard's work, he allows the viewer to be a part of the atmosphere created in the drawing. He welcomes you into the environment, but doesn't force your eye where to look. It is a very gentle approach that doesn't put so much pressure on the viewer.  There is a respectable, gentle grace to this that I see Colin has been able to grasp within his work as well.

Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947)

Le Parc Monceau
Etching on laid paper with Arches watermark, 1937. 

Signed in the plate. Edition 500. 

13 x 10-1/4 inches.

P.S. Does the artist have a responsibility? No. The artist doesn't individually have a responsibility within their art. You can create whatever you want! Because of this, art is responsible for talking about things not discussed anywhere else. The lack of responsibility is what leads to this. Absurdity at it's finest! How can you not love it?