Red Vinyl

I am announcing a new series of Crateart titled "the Red Vinyl Series". Works created in the Red Vinyl Series are not for sale. Each piece is gifted to a specific person under the condition that it never be sold nor lended away. This way money has nothing to do with the work, it can't be sold, or bought, or obtained in any way unless I make it specifically for you and give it to you for free. Every piece will be made for a person that inspires me to create work.

The set will have no more than 20 pieces. I would like to do 20 total, but we will see how it works out in the end.

As a former NYC professional artist, I was bombarded with the notion that an artist is, first, a keen marketer of their work. Working int he field of art for many years proved this to be true. With the boundaries of what's good and bad art so fuzzy in our contemporary setting, talent becomes secondary to the ability to convince a client that you are a worthy investment.

In conflict with this thought is the dated notion of the sublime, that art has the ability to transcend itself form just a physical object and becomes a passageway between mankind and the divine. Less boldly stated, that art must be more than a pretty object or a wise investment, that it must be condensed with the passion of the artist and that it must transport the viewer to another place simply with its presence.

Practicality vs. Romanticism.

I have chosen a side with this series, and it is a sure loss. Red Vinyl will never make me famous or pay the rent. They will be created with one person in mind, and with that person's influence on my life as the motivation for its creation. In turn, My intention is to have the pieces bestowed with the greatest value and sentimentality by the person they are gifted to, the one, and only one, intended viewer.

I shall write more on Red Vinyl as I see it form. Below are a few pictures of Red Vinyl #2 (Jason Szalla), in progress.