The Art Sangha

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the evening with my dear friend and fellow visionary artist Randal Roberts at his studio in Oakland, CA. Aside from being one of my favorite psychedelic painters, Randal qualifies as one of my favorite human beings in general and is always an inspiring companion to hold space with.

Randal continued work on one of his trademark paisley paintings, this one a commission for a friend, and I applied the first layer of oil paint on a new self portrait that I am working on.

Randal at the canvas

I'm trying to use the classical method of indirect flemish oil painting, utilizing new techniques and skills I have been learning in my part time classes at the Sadie Valeri Atelier in San Francisco. This is the first layer of many, and the first underpainting in a succession of three. It is an application of Burnt Umber only, and is called open grisaille. I am trying to be considerate of each separate feature of the face (making sure the nose holds genuine form as a nose when scrutinized, for example) whilst maintaining consistency and control of the values of the whole image. My vision for this particular self portrait is to create something that is rooted in classical aesthetic while remaining subtly psychedelic. The painting is 11x14, slightly smaller than life size.

I greatly enjoy the company of other artists in my studio, or to join others in theirs. Through this I have not only nurtured great friendships but have also learned much about art and the individual routines and practices of each artist. It has been a solution to a question I have often pondered, which is how can I achieve the level of skill I want as an artist, and still have a social life? 

There is no doubt that nearly all of the greatest artists I admire are as skilled as they are because they live the life of a reclusive hermit, and create art constantly. It's a reflection of the pop-psychology concept of the ten thousand hours rule. You need to put in thousands of hours of practice in order to become master of any discipline. But for someone like myself who loves people, and wants to balance my discipline in art with healthy relationships, the prospect of spending days, weeks, or months on end without any social contact is not appealing. 

And so I introduce the Art Sangha. In this way artists can get together, hang out, and make art. It keeps each of us focused on our task of making art, we learn from each other, and inspire each other with our company. 

Here's a picture of me painting with Emma Watkinson in the Wizard's Tower at the Goddess Temple in Boulder Creek, CA, the incredible home retreat of visionary artist Penny Slinger, widow of philosopher and writer Christopher Hills. 

I have also made art in the homes and studios of many different artists as I've traveled, and it teaches you to consolidate your resources to bare essentials and to channel creativity in any environment. Live painting is another phenomenon that negates the stereotype of the artist as hermit, but that is a topic for another article at a later date. 

If anyone has any thoughts about being an artist while maintaining a healthy social life, I would love to hear it. Comment below. 

Love,

Jake Kobrin

http://www.kobrinart.com/

https://facebook.com/jkobrinart 

Why You Should Support Your Favorite Artists

Why You Should Support Your Favorite Artists 
by Jake Kobrin 

When one embarks upon the path of becoming an artist, they know that they weigh the difficulties of supporting themselves against the passion for making art. To artists this isn’t a question even worth indulging. To give up making art would be for many the near equivalent of ceasing to exist. Painters don’t paint because they want to, they paint because they HAVE to.

But unfortunately the realities of the world, specifically the need for resources, often limit artists regardless of how strong their dedication and fruitful their potential. Artists need to make money to survive, and often the art alone doesn’t cut it. Artists may receive an outpour of support from a thousand people on facebook and yet not receive a single cent for their labor. And making art is hard. Not only does it often require hundreds of hours of dedicated focus to realize a vision, but there are few other occupations that routinely call the self worth of the professional into question. But with each artwork, the artist is stripping themselves bare and opening up to the criticism of something that may feel more like a part of themselves than something they made. Making art is hard work, money can be dangerously hard to come by, and the lack of success can drive the artist into a discouraged or depressed state.

And so many quit. Or many get another job. But the problem with the “day job” scenario is that people become shackled to the other job, becoming far too dependant on it for their well being, and they may end up never being able to realize their full potential as artists. Many others engage in grey area or straight up illegal ways of making money because it can be an easy way to make a buck. But the same risk falls for that as well. Artists get lazy when they can make an easy living doing something illegal, and they may abandon their art altogether due to financial security of their other occupation. And besides, it can be spiritually corrupting.

So for people like myself, who DON’T have a day job and don’t want to get one, it can be really challenging to cope with the difficulties of pursuing art as a full time career. Money can be sparse, and it can be discouraging to realize that you haven’t made a dime in a whole month. But to have to abandon the artwork for another career would be heresy, regardless of how difficult it becomes. Art is my entire life. I dedicate every waking moment to the practice and study (and shameless geekery) of making art. And I don’t only do it for myself.

Art is important. Art shapes culture. Art inspires. The artist holds in their hands the power to shape the imagination and perspective of the viewer. One can take refuge in its beauty, or a painting could provide a revelation that the viewer has been searching tirelessly for. Art shows not tells, it can communicate to the viewer in deeper ways than words ever could. Art provides an essential record of our world cultures, and can unlock archetypes and messages buried deep in our species’ collective unconscious.

We love art, and know inherently the value it holds to our society. That’s why I’m asking for your support. I speak on behalf of the entire art community when I ask for you to PLEASE support the artists you admire. To watch artists stop making art because they can’t support themselves would be too great of a tragedy. As much as a share or a like is appreciated, also consider buying a print, or even buying an original. If you own an original artwork you own something can NEVER be reproduced, and may exist in your family for generations and generations. Art is magical, and a tiny image on a glowing screen can never take away the energetic impact of a painting in your home. Art is worth supporting.