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"Pebbles and Friend"R. Hurtado, 18" x 22" |
Should "Pebbles
and Friend" be included on thriftstoreart.com,
yes or no? I've finally built a home for Pebbles and Friend on the internet. This means I won't be bugging you for web space (for the painting) anymore. I'm humbly backing out of the big Pebbles vote (but I'm not admitting defeat)! It's been a lot of fun, but it just seems like time to move on. All the Thank Yous and acknowledgments are on the new site, so I won't repeat myself. Here's the NEW link to Pebbles and Friend: http://houseplant.bravehost.com/pebblesandfriend.html If you would, could you post the new Pebbles link for a few weeks and explain what's happened? I've saved all the entries and goings-on surrounding the vote, and I might include some of the viewer comments on the new site (if that's ok with you). I'll be taking new pictures of the painting, showing more detail....plus adding new stuff to the web site over time. Thanks and take care, Kurt |
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Key: *
Kurt * ThriftStoreArt.com
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Hello-
I came upon an amazing piece of TS Art and am sending you two digital photos of it for posting on your site. Is this acceptable? I really, really REALLY think this particular piece of art should be seen. I'm certain it would fit in perfectly with your format. In my humble opinion, the painting in my possession is pure transcendence on canvas.
The painting features a re-working of basic Pebbles and Bam Bam iconography. (Pebbles and Bam Bam were featured characters on the 1960s American cartoon series "The Flintsones"). Attached are 2 jpegs of an untitled painting I call "Pebbles and Friend". This is my official submission/donation to your Thrift Store Art Gallery on the Web.
- The dimensions are: 22" X 28"
- Media: acrylic and airbrush on a standard stretched canvas.
- The painting is signed "R. Hurtado" in the lower right hand corner.
- The painting is not dated. (Judging by the vivid nature of the paint, I reckon it's a fairly recent work, probably not more than a year old).
It's in real good shape. The colors leap off the canvas...I think the photo does it justice. The quasi-photo-realistic quality of the face on the left (contrasted with the cartoony image of the playful Pebbles) is what really caught my eye.
Here's the story of how I came across the painting:
I went to the Golden West Swap Meet in Huntington Beach, CA on Saturday October 27, 2001. I'd ventured out for a pleasant morning of mindless, recreational swap meet shopping. I was mainly looking for used books, records, etc... I had little intention of buying any art that morning.
As I was walking down the first row of sellers (gazing blankly at stall-after-stall of broken VCRs, busted acoustic guitars and rusty Hot Wheels) my eyes suddenly caught a vision in the distance. It was leaning against a stool, in the very front of one particular stall.
Dozens of other shoppers passed it by...but I took notice. It stood out like a shimmering oasis in the middle of this desert of typical Southern California swap meet ephemera.
Was this just a dream? Was I hallucinating? WHAT WAS THIS THING?
It was a painting. It was a painting of Pebbles from The Flintstones and an unknown girl. It was a painting of Pebbles from The Flintstones and an unknown girl sitting in a patch of dirt, in a green valley, underneath a blue cloud-filled sky and protected by a soft blanket of mountains. And the unknown girl was chiseling away at a stone wheel. And, for some reason, Pebbles was trying to get the girl's attention by grabbing her foot.
A woman was standing near the painting with a wad of cash in her hand, selling stuff.
I pointed and asked: "Is this painting for sale?"
"Nope, it's not for sale. It's my sign", she replied. (on the back of the canvas she'd written 'Any Item One Dollar' with a magic marker).
"Uh oh..It's not for sale???" I asked again.
"Nope...not for sale...it's my sign", she reiterated.
"Do you know who the person in the painting is?" I asked. "It's Pebbles" she quickly responded.
"Yeah, I know it's Pebbles...but who's the girl with the hammer?" I asked.
"Uh, I don't know", she replied and turned away (she seemed kind of shocked because I was showing a little too much interest in the painting).
"Yeah, ya know...it's a really nice painting", I advised her and turned away sadly.
I shuffled and loitered around and kept my eyes glued on the painting for a couple of minutes, while the woman sold other stuff and ignored me. I then hesitatingly took a couple of snapshots of it with my trusty Hewlett Packard digital camera (while the woman watched, which made her even more puzzled)...and then I started walking away...mumbling to myself and trying to convince myself that the photographs of the painting would have to suffice... but... but...
But for some reason (maybe Divine intervention?) the woman came to her senses and yelled, "Hey, give me five dollars and you can have it"
Joyfully, I bounded back, opened my wallet and gave her five bucks.
"I guess everything has a price...", she added as she took my money and smiled and turned to help the next customer.
Then I tucked the painting securely under my arm and strode gleefully away...happy in the knowledge that I'd (perhaps) rescued a masterpiece from an uncertain and potentially disastrous fate.
It'll be fun to get your reactions to this painting. A few of my friends have seen it, and the responses have been mixed (I'm not sure if they grasp the intrinsic beauty of artwork such as this). My girlfriend cringed when she saw it hanging on my wall, but I'm confident she'll learn to appreciate it as the years go by...true art is always triumphant!
Let me know if you'll be able to use it on your site. I hope that even though I bought it at a swap meet it still meets the qualifications for your thrift store site (??). I look forward to hearing from you regardless of your decision.
Thanks and best wishes,
Kurt Benbenek
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Kurt-
It is with the deepest regrets that I must reject your virtual submission. While the piece is quite interesting and the story behind it is fantastic, there are a few things I must take exception with, as follows:
1) While not an automatic deal breaker, the airbrush medium is problematic and does indicate that the artist was probably trained or that his work was sold commercially.
2) Again, while not a deal breaker, the piece is too new for my tastes.
3) The inclusion of the photo of the woman's head is the 3rd and final strike. I generally try to stay away from collages, photos, or "concept" art.
However, the painting still has a number of things going for it and I would definitely hang on to the piece if I were you. The subject matter is great, and while not my taste, the photo head is quite intriguing. All in all I think this piece would make a great living room conversation piece. The swap meet "birthplace" of the piece is also not a problem, and I'll bet you can find some great pieces in the future at these meets based on this painting!
I hope I have not discouraged you from submitting donations in the future, and please take some consolation in the fact that there have been quite a few other pieces I have rejected, both from paintings brought to my Thrift Art parties and from other virtual benefactors.
True art is indeed always triumphant, and I'm sure your girlfriend will come to cherish the piece in the future!!!!
Best regards,
ThriftStoreArt.com
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You're assuming that only professional artists use airbrushes. I've seen lots of amateur art on the backs of vans and on the sides of trucks and cars created by people with airbrushes... I emphasize the word "amateur". Also, many Graffiti artists use cans of spray paint to do their art (spray paint being a simple way to mimic airbrush techniques on a large scale). Do you generally consider graffiti artists to be trained or untrained? I assume that most of the work displayed on your site was created by people who had some artistic training...maybe a lot of training...maybe none. Who knows?
Who knows, indeed, whether the artist of "Pebbles.." was trained or not. However, my PREFERENCE is for work that appears to come from the hand of someone without training. I think that something magical happens when there are no outside influences to guide your hand. Back before TV and radio, more original and interesting works of art were often possible due to the lack of shared "culture" or outside conventions. Of course I want to see a painting that has some sort of logical thought process behind it, but this is very different from formal schooling. As to graffiti artist, they can be trained or untrained, but again, my PREFERENCE is for works not done in the airbrush or graffiti style.
The reason that your site appeals to me is not because you display paintings by untrained or "bad" artists. To label Thrift Store Art "unschooled" or "bad" is to miss the point entirely. This to me is an insidious form of reverse-snobbery...and if I wanted snobbery I would rather visit more legitimately "snobbish" sites.
I must take serious exception with your "reverse snobbery" comment - if I only was looking for "bad" art or was a reverse snob, I would by definition collect children's art or pieces that were completely incomprehensible. However, as I noted above, I prefer works that have been thought out before they were executed, works that are for the most part representational, and works that show some degree of competence or proficiency.
I understand that as Webmaster, you have to draw the line somewhere (no pun intended). But since the requirements of your site are completely arbitrary to begin with, why not re-examine them? Rules are made to be broken, especially in the world of art.... and especially when it comes to works of art like the type you display on your site. I know opinions mean everything to many people these days, but don't let your opinions cloud your thinking.
I'm not sure if my personal preferences are actually REQUIREMENTS or are merely arbitrary suggestions for the collection. It's more like I call 'em as I see 'em. I've certainly laid out a few guiding principals on my "Donation" page, and I would like to believe that a casual visitor to the galleries could get a sense of what would fit into the collection and what might not from these guidelines. That said, I HAVE broken some of my "hard and fast" rules, as evidenced by the inclusion of one or two black velvet paintings. I'm certainly open to an airbrush piece in the future (or even a paint-by-numbers, God forbid), it's just that I might not feel that your submission is the one! Of course it follows that pieces that fall outside the general guidelines or aesthetics of the collection will naturally be held to a higher standard. Again, a HIGHER standard for these pieces...
The painting "Pebbles and Friend" was probably done with standard brushes and an airbush....a brush is a brush is a brush. I don't see why it matters. It might have been done using some sort of finger-painting technique. Or maybe a chimpanzee did it with a blindfold on. "Picky, picky, picky" is what I say.
Jeez, again with the airbrush business.....
To assume this is a work by a professional artist is simply an assumption. Frankly, I don't know if it was done by a professional or by an amateur (and I also don't know if it was painted by an amateur in the process of becoming a professional...or if it painted by a professional in the process of losing his or her creative skills, sliding back to amateur status)
...... and with the professional/amateur stuff too!!!
The introduction to your web page states, "My standard reply when people ask what type of paintings I collect is, 'Anything old or weird'". My reply - I think the painting I've submitted qualifies as being weird... I think it's weird and intriguing, colorful and kooky...wonderful in every sense of the word.
I assume the painting is fairly recent, but I really don't know. What is the cut-off point (year-wise) for something to be considered old? Anyway, time does not seem to be a problem and here's why: We'll assume you want your web site to be still up-and-running and thriving in 5, 10, 20, 25 years... becoming more and more popular... Now stay with me on this - if you put "Pebbles and Friend" on your site now or in a few weeks, in a while it will become old...just give it a year, or five years or whatever amount of time you need to consider it old enough to display...like everything else in our Universe, it's destined to become old. Problem solved.
Yes, "Anything old or weird", but not EVERYTHING old or weird. As noted above, new painting ---> higher standard. I see where you're going with the logic about the future visitors to my site, and while I appreciate the vote of confidence that I'll still be up and running in 2026, your argument just ain't cuttin' the mustard, pal...... Were you on the debating team or something?!?
You stated, "The inclusion of the photo of the woman's head is the 3rd and final strike. I generally try to stay away from collages, photos, or 'concept' art". My reply - First of all, we're not playing baseball, we're talking about art here. Secondly, the woman's head is not a photo. It was done in a photo-realistic style... it is not a collage, it doesn't contain any photos. It's all paint, young man. Paint on a canvas, plain and simple. (I don't know what you mean by "concept" art, therefore I don't know why you want to stay away from it. Have you been reading Flash Art or the New York Times arts section? That stuff is poison).
Yes we are talking about art here, not baseball, but even baseball inherently involves a few judgment calls. Hence, my aforementioned, "I call 'em as I see 'em". Luckily (for me), I'm the umpire in this game, baby.... Point, Benbenek, on the photo/paint volley, but I'm still not convinced. You don't have to tell ME about "Flash Art" or "Art Forum", young man. I lived with a Chicago School of the Art Institute student for 4 years and I've been to plenty of gallery openings so I've heard enough pretentious artspeak to last me the rest of the decade.
I think you're turning your back on a master work...a work of peculiarity and oddball beauty! You're depriving the Internet Thrift Store Art Community and it ain't right! I protest your decision and officially ask that you re-consider. Perhaps you can show the painting to some of your friends and/or colleagues and see what they think. Or maybe you could have the actual visitors to your site vote on it. This would be a perfect way to show your true dedication to Thrift Store Art. Let the people decide. If they don't think it's worthy of display you can always delete it from your site...no harm done.
Now THIS is the best idea you've had yet - We'll leave it up to the public and let them decide. I will certainly solicit some opinions from my friends who share my general aesthetic sensibilities to see what they think. But the real kicker is if I "feature" the painting in the "News" section of my next site update and get a vote going. However, no virtual ballot stuffing on your part through family, friends, etc. Now if I could just figure out how to code those damn yes - no "radio" buttons...
MY THOUGHTS ON THRIFT STORE ART specifically and ART in general - I know this is an open-ended and vague definition of the genre, but in my opinion Thrift Store Art is art by and for the people (trained or untrained, airbrush or no airbrush, old or new). The immense and magnificent world of art is already jam-packed with definitions and classifications, genres and sub-genres and sub-sub-genres (ughh!). For me, I prefer images that are fun and entertaining, maybe a little spiritually enlightening too. Art (any art) is the last thing I need to take seriously. Thrift Store Art is basically fun...and of course there's that sense of hunting for lost treasure when one thrift store shops (can't beat that feeling). All the worn-out discussions of what's square and what's hip in the world of art are very 20th Century...this is 2001. In the final wash, all the definitions and stratifications and artsy-elitism only obscure the fact that people like what they like.
Uhhhhhhh....... you've really been thinking about this one a lot, haven't you, Beavis?
If I want serious art I'll go to one of the jillions of serious art web sites out there. I didn't think your site was that serious. I do know it's an alternative and very well done...and the art on your site is great. But I'm also painfully aware that there must be quite a bit of snobbery involved even in something as child-like and innocent as Thrift Store Art. I feel that this is not good and should be avoided at all costs.
Serious, no. Snobbery, no. Standards (e.g. preferences), yes. BTW, thanks for the compliments buried in this paragraph.
Yes, the piece is hanging in my living room now as I write this. It's the second most popular topic of conversation in my living room these days (the most popular topic in my living room these days is the ongoing political situation in Afghnaistan.... art does have its place, you know.)
No comment.
Actually, I've pretty much given up on finding anything better than "Pebbles and Friend". I feel kind of like Gautama the Buddha, when he was sitting under the Bo Tree at Gaya and finally experienced true awakening ("bodhi") - I think I've awakened to the fact that I found a really cool painting for five bucks.
Believe me, once Buddha was enlightened he would have been able to track down a lot more cool paintings if they had thrift stores back then. Look to the future, Grasshopper, not the past.
I'm not consoled...I'm heartbroken...devastated is more like it. This is very discouraging. The painting was rejected. I must face this bravely. It seems as if have no sense of what's "Thrift Store" or "Not-Thrift Store" anymore. I think I'm gonna find another hobby, because this art collecting stuff is more complicated than I thought. I will just look for other things at the swap meet on Saturday mornings from now on.
NO, NO, NO! I think you have completely missed the point! Just because I'VE rejected the painting does not mean that you cannot have a meaningful relationship with it for years to come. Who cares? Start your own website and make your own rules. Being able to force my opinions on others is one of the joys of curating the collection! Buck up, sir. My OPINION is that the painting does not quite qualify as "Thrift Store Art", but as the saying goes, "Opinions are like assholes - everybody has one and they all stink" (please excuse my French - I'm making a point here somewhere.......)
BUT I'll be comforted by the fact that when I get home, "Pebbles and Friend" will be waiting for me...yippie!!!)
As you should be.....
Thanks for considering the painting, and re-consider it if you feel like it. Keep up the good work on the web site and I'll keep checking periodically for more old and weird pieces.
Best wishes,
Kurt
Thank YOU for your continued support of my site and for your challenging comments. It's e-mails like yours that make it worth all the long hours taking photos, writing text, and coding the pages.
Best regards,
ThriftStoreArt.com
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A few days ago I wrote, "Perhaps you can show the painting to some of your friends and/or colleagues and see what they think. Or maybe you could have the actual visitors to your site vote on it. If they don't think it's worthy of display you can always delete it from your site...no harm done", to which you replied, "Now THIS is the best idea you've had yet - We'll leave it up to the public and let them decide".
My reply today - Excellent!! This is what I was
asking for. Your a fair and decent human being, sir. Let me know what
people think of pebbles and friend. Heck, you can even give my e-mail
address to anyone who's seen the painting and I'll deal with this on
a person-by-person basis.
I ask one favor of you - will you pose this
simple question to those who see the painting?:
"Should Pebbles and Friend be included on the thriftstoreart.com site, yes or no?"
Like you, I am a fair and decent person (at
least when I'm writing e-mail) and I trust that you'll handle this
situation with your usual expertise. This is all in your hands now my friend.
Let the people speak! God Bless America! And
God Bless Pebbles and Friend ! Let's roll !
Best wishes,
Kurt B.
VOTE via e-mail at _________:
(Voting closed 9/10/03)