Back in the early eighties, while living in Vancouver, B.C.,Canada, I was involved with an Arts Co-op. Artists from all walks of life and territories had been fortuitously thrown together. Our collective of 8 artists had managed to get a source of funds to be able to create a Co-op. For the first time in my artistic career, I could create art,without having to concern myself with the daily struggles of financial survival. We had funds to sustain our individual family lives. This created an enviroment whereby the group interaction encouraged each of us to excel and grow creative exponentially.We were able to spend a great deal of time together and naturally we talked.

We would discuss and debate many topics in an effort to expand our individual knowledge base. We had lively exchanges with the subject of Pallendromes.
Kinikinik.”Kinikinik” is a word from the Anishinawbe Language that means”Something good to injest” or now commonly discribed as “herb”.Then we tried to do oxymorons. Progressive Conservative was mentioned.We all laughed at that one but one of the artists was offended.
It was shortly after that I thought up “You Are Not Alone At Being Alone” as an aside to my rambling thoughts about how we humans are in our bodies trapped seemingly by ourself in there but can never be alone what with just a thought we can be anywhere, anybody or anything.
I had a vision to create this great image using some basic designs as a starting point. I had wanted to interpret Mother Nature as a reclining female form giving birth to a river.My memories wandered to my early childhood and fondly recalled the times I had spent by the river with my grandpa Pete Kabatay. The spring fish spawn came early and we were prepared to catch as many as we could, so that we could dress and smoke the fish.Sitting on a blanket of rabbit furs, watching my uncle and grandpa fishing, I caught a glimpse of the eagle flying. The mig-ee-see ( bald headed eagle) was also fishing and flew off with a struggling golden eye fish.Up close, I saw a dragon fly skimming the surface of the water and suddenly with a slight splash, the dragon fly had a small fry fish in it’s grasp.A little while later, I looked at another dragon fly attempting to do the same thing but with a louder splash, a walleye fish swallowed it.The mist from the waterfall hung all over and I could see through the orbs of water all of this fantastic distortions of the scenes playing out.. This circle of life played out in front of me.
This piece was originally a study.I was intending to do a color version with egg tempura. Maybe someday I will.
I had also been doing fast impressionistic drawings of personalities. What I meant is that , I was doing art based on something that symbolized a particular persons identity. I had chossen to do one on the silkscreen expert of our group. His penchant for deep Christian valued sermons conflicted with the “Indian” sense that we were exploring as a group and he was out of place as the rest of us were attaining an awareness of being cultural warriors. Many a moment was spent on trying to get him to understand but his closed mindedness was very limiting. I chose to render this piece as ” The Last Supper” using his favourite theme. It essentially was a plate being thrown onto the table with peas flying off. It was simple and beautiful but rather then see the beauty , my friend chose to decline ownership and gave it back to me. Whilest admiring this art, a loud thought of inspiration came to me and I proceeded to add unto the image with the intent of this being a study for the egg tempera piece that I had envisioned.A hundred and thirty two hours later it was done.

It has been awhile since I posted here, but sometimes life overtakes even simple things like blog posting. Last week I spent a week in Buenos Aires visiting friends with my family. As we toured “La Boca”, the old port section of Buenos Aires, which is now home to street artists and tango cafes, I met Nestor Rodriquez selling his unusual paintings. My eye was first captured by the following painting which Nestor explained was his interpretation of a tsunami:

Nestor is a self-taught painter, though he has studied at several painting studios in his time. He has also participated in many collective exhibitions and competitions both within and outside of Argentina. Notably he was the director of art for “Fundacion Canada” which was an art foundation created by the Royal Bank of Canada.

Nestor has an interesting philosophy concerning his paintings that may help the viewer interpret his diverse style. According to Nestor, “The reality of aesthetics connects with the presence of different elements inside painting, and with the existence of the picture-object concept.” He equates matter with the material used in creation and explains that as an expressive element, matter is the structural unit. The following painting uses aluminum as a canvas and blends the eminating metallic reflection with the overlaid paint in order to bring forth the structure that he speaks of:

When I asked Nestor which of his paintings on display he was most proud of, he handed me this last painting which I labeled “Aluminum Dust Swirls” (above). He hopes to do a larger canvas of the subject in the future.

If you happen to pass through Buenos Aires, take a stroll through puerto Boca and say hello to Nestor Rodriquez as well as check out and purchase some of his latest works.

This sculpture was done using a hack saw blade and some stone carving tools. The rock that I selected is Italian White Alabaster which is a rock that was taken from a quarry with the utmost care. The rock has no fissures or impact zones.

In the 1^st part of Apollo’s Refraction, I outlined 3 broad categories (or processing modes) for valuing art. In part 2 of Apollo’s Refraction, I expounded upon the intuitional and emotional categories and gave a few examples. In this 3^rd part, I will tie this all together with a discussion on the third category – rationalization.

Rationalization encompasses all of the thought equations that we put together and solve for an individual art piece that we are viewing. The particular thought equations that we work through generally derive from the various perspectives (e.g. collector, artist, art dealer, art historian, art publisher, etc.) we hold and the depth of our knowledge base.

The simplest example is an uneducated art viewer looking to buy his or her first art piece. After registering an intuitional response and possibly making an emotional connection, this viewer will begin to analyze and rationalize whether they will derive sufficient value from this piece relative to the price being quoted. This rationalization process is unique to each individual and may encompass placing a value on their initial intuitional and emotional responses along with the value they derive from their knowledge base. In addition, external valuations, opinions, marketing spin and sales persuasion may be factored in during this rationalization process. In fact the list of factors that can be put into these rationalization equations is almost endless.

Now we could write a simple equation for this:

V = (w) I + (w) E + (w) R

Where V = value, w = weight (an individual’s relative weighting of the factor), I = intuition, E = emotion and R = rationalization.

But in reality, this equation oversimplifies the process each individual goes through. Also, in general the only part of this valuation process that is quantitative for an individual is when they have completed a first pass of the valuation and they compare this valuation number to their own net worth, bank balance, credit available, etc. For the most part, all of the other components and rationalization are of a qualitative nature and cannot be reduced to a precise quantitative equation. The only other thing that I will say about this valuation process is that generally we perform many passes of the process. Each time a new element is introduced (e.g. new information on an artist, an art dealer’s experience, auction history, etc.), we will change the weights of the components and come up with a different value.

Before I wrap up, I will give my answer to the question asked in Part 2 of Apollo’s Refraction: Which emotion is more important, the artist’s intent or the viewer’s reaction? The answer is that it largely depends on many of the factors that we have been discussing. For example, let’s say that I have very negative emotional reaction to a painting and the majority of the art community (including my dealer) cites this work as an example of a very different and positive emotion. Whether I buy into the majority view or discard it will depend on the strength of my emotion, the persuasive power of the dealer, how much I value the consensus opinion, whether I have a strong connection with the artist or whether I am willing to weight the emotional part of the equation close to 0 because I view purchasing the painting as an investment and therefore place little or no value on displaying and enjoying the painting. In general I would say that an individual would value the artist’s emotional intent more if they consider themselves an art investor. If they consider themselves an art collector who is more intent on displaying and enjoying the art piece then they would most likely value their own emotional response over the artist’s intent.

In part 1 or Apollo’s Refraction, I discussed briefly 3 broad categories that we use to evaluate and value art. In this 2nd segment, I will give some examples and further elucidation of the 1st 2 of these categories.

Intuition

According to Wikipedia, “Intuition is an immediate form of knowledge in which the knower is directly acquainted with the object of knowledge.” For example when I see the color green, I am immediately aware of the greenness of the shade. This has been encoded as a result of actual experiences. My actual response to this greenness is derived from those historical experiences as well as direct and indirect cultural and environmental influences.

For example a dark green may elicit a calming response in an individual who has spent long periods in evergreen forests. Another individual (e.g. a sailor involved in a shipwreck) may become apprehensive when viewing the same dark green based on his or her experiences with violent sea states of the same color. Though the intuitional response to an aesthetic cue is immediate and at the unconscious level, it varies in manifestation according to the historical (cultural and environmental) experiences encoded in the particular individual

Emotion

When looking at emotion in relation to how we judge and value art, there appears to be 2 perspectives. The first is the artist’s emotional intent and the second is the art viewer’s emotional response. What is interesting is that these 2 emotions can be diametrically opposed based on cultural and environmental influences.

The nineteenth-century Romantic movement was characterized by artists projecting emotion into the fabric of their paintings. They painted scenes from stories, fairy tales, nature, other cultures, etc. to evoke this emotion. Many paintings have become accepted archetypes for a particular emotion.

I contend that the emotion that the artist is attempting to evoke is of more importance to an art dealer, art critic and the art market in general than to an individual art collector who is viewing an art piece. Let me give an example of this. When I view “Clipper in a Heavy Sea” by James E. Butterworth I feel uplifted and inspired to “go to sea”. I grew up in a fishing village on Cape Cod and spent time navigating in the US Navy. Therefore, ships in storms get my adrenaline going and give me feelings of pride linked to mastery of nature, in this case the ocean and storms. However, there are many a landlubber who would feel a certain trepidation if not terror and gloom when viewing this same painting. Which of these feelings is what James E. Butterworth intended? As an individual viewer of his art with no connection to the deceased artist, I cannot give an answer. However, the professional art community most likely has chronicled Mr. Butterworth’s life, artistic inspirations, sentiments, intentions, etc. and has marketed this painting based on this researched artist milieu.

And now I will ask the reader to decide which emotion is more important, the artist’s intent or the viewer’s reaction? I have my own thoughts but will discuss them in the next segment (Part 3 of Apollo’s Refraction) because the answer lies in the category of Rationality.

Apollo, along with his other titles, is the god of light, music as well as the god of truth. I propose to refract this light (and truth) into a broad classification that may help in our attempts at art valuation. Because this is a blog and not a research paper, I will keep this short and at a high level. Hopefully it will also spur some spirited discussion on the subject.

Now how does any individual value art? I submit 3 broad categories below with 2 influencing wrappers (discussed later):

1. Intuition

2. Emotion

3. Rationality

The first category includes any intuitional response to an art piece based on the aesthetics (color, light, form, texture, etc.) that appeals to an individual.

The second category contains an individual’s emotional responses to an art piece which may derive from a connection to the subject matter, the artist, the story behind the art piece, where the individual viewed the art piece or even what the individual was doing (or what was going on in his or her life) at the time of viewing the art piece.

The third category encompasses all of the rational (or irrational and misguided as the case may be) thought equations that we as individual art buyers, art collectors, art investors, art dealers, etc. create and try to solve in attempting to judge the value of an art piece.

The 2 influences that I mentioned above are cultural and environmental.

In the next segment, I will give some examples of each of the categories and further elucidate how our culture and environment color each of the category responses.

The original was done with pencil,watercolor and ink.

Grandpa Pete told me a story about how he observed the wolf and his relations. The wolf’s birth was celebrated and cared for by the entire wolf community. The baby played with his brothers, sisters and cousins of his family. Many moons were spent learning the basics of this new world that this baby wolf had come into, a world where the presence of another was ever constant.Empathy and telepathy were honed as sharp as the sense of the wolf’s sight,hearing and smell. But because it had spent it’s early formative life with others, it was blinded to itself.

There came a night when the wolf, who was now a teenager, was told to go out and walk the world alone. The wolf walked alone for many years. As it had no one to help it now, it had to rely on guile and cunning. It didn’t come easy but soon the wolf came to be comfortable with itself and even learned to like and then to love solitude. It had become a lone wolf and a trickster. There comes a point in ones life when you no longer need to be a lone wolf and want a family to be around you. Or maybe you are content to stay that lone wolf way. The water is represented by blue and the fire is represented by the red. All the Paypaytahbun, Memaywaysuh and Anishnawbe are along for the journey.

This is a pencil and ink drawing on acid free-paper.

This is a fish out of water statement. Or maybe it is a water out of fish statement. It this point in my life I had dutifully followed my path of curiousity and had travelled many miles and walked in many shoes. I had worked hard to find out a way to find a place and to build a community of like minded people in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I was involved with Nishnawbe Homes Inc., a non-profit housing concern that aimed to develop, maintain and procur housing for fellow Anishinawbe. I was the Chair of the corporation and we started out modestly and we grew. It was and is successful but for me it was ironic in that while I helped provide housing for hundreds of people , when it came to me and my familie’s housing, we didn’t have any stable place. I eventually had to seperate my family and I became homeless and slept underneath the Bathurst Street Bridge. Sitting under that bridge , one fine sunny summer day , I remembered this story that I had told the Nishnawbe Homes Inc. Board of Directors to keep us focused. I told them this story that my great grandma and great grandpa had told me.
We found this man and woman shivering in the morning over by the water. We knew they were hungry and sickly. We offered them our lodge and food. Over time they became healthy and we grew to talking. They were always only thinking about themselves and we tried to teach them about belonging to community and that the community took care of you better than you could on your own. They took the warmer positions in the lodge. They complained that it was dirty and wanted somebody to keep it clean. They were the first to eat and the last to feed the fire. They told us their God was stronger then ours. Soon we were all by the coldest spot and we were eating gristle. And shortly after that we were outside huddling in the cold. Our guests had taken over and threw us out but they still wanted us to keep them warm and feed them. We can go back in and we can make them share this house even though we want to throw them out. Or we can just build another house.”I decided to draw this eagle while I thought about the power of the events in Vancouver, B.C., Canada that showed me how 2000 Anishinawbe could change things with their blood, sweat and tears. We didn’t need money. We had built housing for over 5000 of us there and I thought we could do the same in Toronto.The drawing of the mask represents humans attempt to get closer to our nature.The turtle on the mask’s nose, held our life and the world on it’s back. The sturgeon designs chasing the turtle are the wise ones that have a tailfin to our past and the head to the future. On the horizon is the buildings of the town/city and over to the right are the trees that are the foundation of the houses and the artwork. The foreground has an outline of a longhouse or is it a church?

The original is done with acrylic paints, watercolor, inks and pencil on acid free paper.

The left side where the rainbow colors are enclosed by yellow and also where the yellow highlights the eagle’s head and lower wing are actually the outlines of a serpent’s head. Within the fur above to the slight right of the wolf’s eye you will see the distinctive outline of the serpent’s eye.

The serpent represents the life of a being, whether it be human, animal or spirit. A beginning and an end of existence in this realm starts from head to tail or it could be from tail to head.This sacred and precious serpent travels along this great river.
And along this great long river, there are many canoes and things going downstream. Along the way there are islands to rest on, to grow things, to plant, to clear and so forth. On one shore side there is always light and on the other there is always darkness. To be awake and to sleep is represented by each shore. The river and the canoe are you as you travel your life. Your feet touch the realm of today and the dream world at the same time. You can set ashore on the darkness or set ashore on the light but you must always travel on down the river. There is a beginning and an end to your travel. Most of the time you travel downstream but there are times when you need to go back upstream to get something but you need help from your friends to do this.

The wolf’s, serpent’s and eagle’s eyes are lined up in the manner of the the Memaywaysuh.

The eagle represents the Paypaytahbun. The human in the serpents head with electric tails is my version of a rock painting from the Land of A thousand Lakes Area in Ontario,Canada. My Grandpa Pete used to take me to a spot near Mine Centre ,Ontario. It had a snake pit . We would go there for a feast and share our time with them. My grandpa would sing and make offerings.