We were given this tiny stone that was painted with a cat’s face upon it … like we need another cat when we already have FIVE! This one, however, came with some “hoodoo power.”
I hear you murmuring, “Hoodoo power? What does she mean by that?”
I dunno! That’s what the card said. It also said that this is a creation of a “folk artist,” whose claim to fame seems to be that he is the son of a “famous old-time bluesman.” Isn’t that an oxymoron? How many of the old time blues players do you think most people could name? There are no “famous” old blues players. But, be that as it may, his Daddy played the blues and so does he. That’s all well and good.
His website says that he also creates drawings of cats on “found media.” He’s evidently a “starving artist,” because he is looking for financial backing for some music he wants to record. And, if you want to buy his work, he doesn’t have a phone, so you have to send him a letter or call his sister’s phone to reach him. These things are all wonderfully eccentric, but do they qualify him as a “folk artist?”
Now, don’t get me wrong. I like this little cat on stone. I find it amusing and charming … but “folk art?” Hmmm. In my mind there is a very fine line between “folk art” and “kitsch” and this artwork crossed it. What would Judge Judy say? “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.”
You’ll notice that I’m not mentioning the artist by name, or sending you to his website (you could find it if you Google hard enough). There is a reason for that: HOODOO POWER! If I upset this man, he may send me some bad Juju, and I don’t need that any more than I need another cat!
I’m thinking, though, that it’s time to go digging through the “refrigerator artwork” I sentimentally saved from thirty years ago when the children were small. Most of it has much more personality than this cat. If this cat is “folk art,” I’m sitting on a small fortune! I knew my children were special! They were folk artists at the age of five!
So tell me your opinion. Am I being too harsh? I mean, I’m not schooled in art, and I’m not an art critic. Is this cat-on-a-rock “folk art?
Other posts you might enjoy:
- Bibliography for Storytellers
- My Inner Artist Is Not A Cheap Date
- Original Sin
- For Arts Sake
- Starving Texas Artist Could Win $50,000 Huntington Art Prize
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{ 8 comments }
I love when someone asks for my opinion. Now I have the authority to “go for it” and say what I’m really thinking. So, here goes:
I believe that why and how you received the card with the message and the stone are of great importance to what this might actually mean to you, and if it indeed has any hoodoo or any other kind of power.
As far as it being folk art, well, you, and only you, can judge for yourself and your own idea of it. Someone might say it is, someone might say it isn’t.
All I’m really trying to say is that if you want it to be anything you perceive, then do so and it is.
I carry a small st=one with the likeness of a bear. The bear is known as a protector and healer in the Native American spirituality teachings that I have heard of. I carry it as a concrete example of protection, a reminder. So, it protects me because I want it to.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Peace.
.-= Spadoman´s last blog ..Road Fodder, Part One =-.
That’s a good story, Joe. And, you are right. As a token, the cat is kinda cool (because of who gave it to us). As art … in my opinion, not so much.
My kids did some nice pictures too(-: LOL
.-= cindee´s last blog ..Dexter-ized My Finger =-.
We must sell them and get rich!
Hmm…I’m thinking I need to go draw some cats on some stones and start sending some letters to some friends…or total strangers…that’s what I think.
.-= Karina´s last blog ..Only The Good Friday – Count Your Blessings =-.
I’m with you on that. I could draw that cat — and I can’t draw!
Well, that was an interesting scavenger hunt. While I disagree with your assertion that ‘famous bluesman’ is oxymoronic (several famous bluesmen came to my mind), your head scratching over whether or not this cat is actually a folk artist is understandable. Artistic talent is often like humility and Alzheimer’s Disease: if you think you have, it you don’t. Be it art or music, artists simply practice their craft, letting the labels and reviews fall to others. The wisdom of crowds often gets it right, while self-opinion (good or bad) is seldom a barometer. A glimpse of his website speaks volumes about this guy, combining not only art, music and a backing appeal, but also trumpets his famous heritage. Good artists need no coattails on which to ride!
.-= Joy´s last blog ..HEALTH CARE SUMMIT =-.
Here, here! I think I object the most to him seemingly thinking that he’s “all that” because his daddy played the blues. If he can’t put it out there as art without having to rely on that then he doesn’t have “it.”
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