My Bare Opinion. No Sugarcoating.

What does the internet mean to you?


To me, the internet is a resource for information, a means of communication, and also a means of entertainment. Practically anything you can think of, or anything you have questions about, anything you want to buy, all exist in some form or are answered by someone somewhere. However; the internet has also created problems for humanity. I feel it is slowly consuming people and creating a parallel and antisocial code of public behavior. Despite all the "connectivity" and "networking" we do, we are actually regressing into a state of awkward isolation. More and more, people are hiding behind their cell phones and facebook accounts, and no longer interacting naturally in the physical world. The widespread availability of corrupting material builds - in younger people - a foundation of false standards and ideals. (Think pornography) Informal internet speech and anonymity over virtual mediums provide for derogatory, deconstructive and reckless verbal interaction (Think YouTube). If one were to judge the state of our world by online comments alone, we would appear to be one hell of a pathetic, ignorant and violent race. Perhaps doomed. And there is also the issue of crime. Our economy - almost everything in our lives - is based primarily now upon virtual databases and internet transactions; when these systems are compromised by criminals, or when these systems fail or collapse, chaos ensues. The internet is the greatest and the worst tool of our time.


How do you think artists use the internet?


(With a computer?) I believe artists use the internet as a means to promote themselves, both for financial purposes and for recognition. How else would one exhibit his work everywhere in the world simultaneously, and practically for free?



Kinuko Y. Craft
Tim Hildebrandt
Thomas Cole - The Voyage of Life


There is something eerie about the High Renaissance styles of [oil] painting. This is something I've began trying to imitate in my own painting. I like how Kinuko Y. Craft mixes motifs of fantasy with the old styles of painting.


As far as Hildebrandt, I don't know what else to say other than: these are the worlds I wish I could live in. Besides incredible use of light and feelings of immersion, there are often overtones of power or sexual attraction.



I suppose this doesn't exactly apply, being that this artist painted these more than a hundred years before the internet was invented, but I had to include Thomas Cole because of his series called The Voyage of Life. I stumbled upon the original paintings in a museum in Utica. I was walking home, away from one of the worst days of my life, and I figured I had nothing to lose by checking out the museum (at least I'd get out of the cold). I believe this series of 4 6-footers was what inspired me to pursue oil painting in the first place. This is absolute mastery... as far as symbolism and composition; how could you ask for more?

Childhood: Exiting the womb, guided by an angel into the world - your mother. A dawn - the beginning. Beauty - innocence. A vast expanse out of sight - infinite possibility. Joy and expectation.

Youth: Setting off on your own - the world is yours. Dreams of success; ideas of an afterlife. Excitement.

Manhood: Tumult. Fear. Uncertainty. A setting sun - loss of hope. More whispers of extraworldly forces. Weathered.

Old Age: The inevitable end. Timeless. A new hope of immortal life. The cycle is complete.