6 min read

My Formspring page: formspring.me/aaronboltonart
Twitter: www.twitter.com/aaronboltonart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?i…

Some quick news clippings from me...

1. I opened up a Formspring page after seeing the lively account in use by usagicassidy. It's basically a never-ending interview, so if you have any questions you'd like to ask me about anything, it's quick and easy to post them there either under your name or anonymously. The link to that page is above.

2. The deviant I just mentioned has a funny and finely executed short film called "Cookie Girl', that I recommend you check out. It co-stars one of his very popular young male models and can be found here: www.vimeo.com/11253768

3. I've been informed in advance that snowunmasked will be giving a Daily Deviation to my recent painting, "Ice Cream Mandala" sometime in the next couple weeks, but not sure what the exact date will be. SUPER excited for that!!

4. I'm still active on Twitter and Facebook. Those links are above.

5. I'm approaching the 100,000 pageview milestone and getting on the better side of 2,000 watchers. Woohoo!

With regard to my watchers, I do feel some nagging concern over the disappoint at my diversion from self-portraits (and photography in general, but particularly the self-portraits) which I understand has provided much of the initial interest in "HisHalfElf"...But when I project into the future as an artist, I expect the investment in photographic self-portraiture to be kind of a binding and insubstantial endeavor if I continue to pursue it with the bulk of my energies. I don't want to pigeonhole myself into self-portraiture as a practice and I'm not particularly interested in being known for it. Fortunately, however, there are a handful of other young men on deviantART that do invest in self-portraiture as their primary output. It is ultimately my desire to be taken seriously as a fine artist and I think the continuing pursuit of self-portrait photography, at least for me, would be dangerous to the integrity of my art process as a whole. However, I do expect to continue producing photographic art down the road in what will probably be a kind of personal-renaissance with regard to that medium. I'm just not sure exactly when that will be.

I want to be more active on deviantART in general as soon as possible. Currently I'm working a job at a coffee shop, working an internship, taking classes (even over the summer), and going through the long but extremely rewarding process of cultivating my abilities as a painter...These are all important priorities for me, but unfortunately I'm not able to give as much focus to other projects as I'd like, including my presence on deviantART and a higher production of art. That will hopefully change in the near future.

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HisHalfElf

May 7, 2010

Lowbrow and Other Exclusive Movements

6 min read

Art Movements always result in insiders clubs. So-called "lowbrow" is a clique of morbid heterosexual chauvinistic fetish masturbation. Lowbrow is another expression of "highbrow", not it's polar opposite. Lowbrow artists sneer at outsiders just as highbrow artists sneer at outsiders. Both are elitist. All of these institutions are commercial enterprises sucking the dick of a corporate model which is anti-art. True lowbrow would have no definable aesthetic. These institutions are getting people hooked on symbols. You're addicted to symbols. And you pay out the nose to have art with lowbrow symbols in it. Little girls with big heads, human centipede, nauseating toon shit. If you want to sell work as a "psychedelic artist", the current movements demand that you have artwork overflowing with eyeballs. Gotta have the eyes. Gotta be Alex Grey wannabes. And especially gotta have morbidity, whatever kind of art you make. There is nothing transcendental about regurgitating eyeball symbols. Morbidity happens but it doesn't need to be a prerequisite. There should be no aesthetic prerequisites. Just as people are judged by the qualitative degree of their character, so should their art be judged by the qualitative degree of the creative expression, right? Aesthetic prejudice. Symbol prejudice. Symbol elitism. Fuck the clique. Lowbrow philosophy is sick. Stop holding up hollow archetypal idols. Galleries, websites, publications, etc. want us to hold up those idols and they want us to pay to be holding up those idols. But we don't have to do that. Don't want to do that.

The propagation of these movements should be rejected just as any other exclusive clique bullshit is rejected. Don't tailor your art to a movement. Don't buy into movements. Don't let anybody tell you what to like, what to support, or who to make your art for. Instead, invest in art that you enjoy for its qualitative resonance with you. Invest in individual artists because you like what they do. There IS enough to go around. The consensus artist shouldn't hold the dollar symbol in the back of its mind, dictating, however subtly, the direction of the work.

Fuck art schools too. "Get money" is the root operating system of all of these institutions.

Note: I'm not tearing down any particular artist or individual associated with the movements and institutions described in this article. In fact, I take great inspiration from at least two artists often linked to "lowbrow". It's the philosophy that's sick. Runaway capitalist corporate wannabe fetish philosophy and the institutions acting on that philosophy by propagating movements they invented. Don't put the cart before the horse.

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HisHalfElf

Mar 2, 2010

Twitter?

1 min read

I started posting a few items on twitter and plan to spend more time networking there soon. If any of you folks use twitter and want to connect with me, my username is AaronBoltonArt and the link to my page is here: twitter.com/AaronBoltonArt

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HisHalfElf

Feb 13, 2010

Congratulations!

1 min read

A Daily Deviation has been awarded to the brilliant psychedelic surrealist painter elftantra for his piece "Transgender Buddha Faces Mara" elftantra.deviantart.com/art/T…

I have had the privilege of being witness to his art making on dA for a few years now and I can truly say that I have not seen anything else quite like it before. Please take a minute to step into the wonderland of his art, and say hello if the spirit moves you!

I also have several prints up for sale now due to recent requests. They're available in default print shop prices at many different sizes.

Thank you very much to everyone who has recently watched, favorited, or commented on my work. I am very grateful to have your interest and will strive to produce more art work that is worthy of it!

Happy Valentines Day upcoming

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HisHalfElf

Dec 16, 2009

Update

9 min read

Hey everybody,

  I have been honored with the gift of a subscription from Betelgeux. I dedicate this entry to him. I have also included a couple pieces from his very colorful gallery at the bottom of this entry. I'm sure he would be delighted to see you over on his page.

  It is very exciting to receive expressions of encouragement and support, and I am grateful to have found an audience as receptive as the group here on deviantART. It probably goes without saying that the receptivity or lack of receptivity an artist receives (especially on deviantART) can be attributed mostly or entirely to the subject matter in his or her work. Hence the preponderance of fan art and tits on deviantART's popular section.
  On one hand, the guaranteed popularity of certain subject matter makes getting attention much more straight-forward, and it offers the opportunity to learn some business skills like supply and demand, marketing, "customer" or patron relations, timing, etc. On the other hand, you risk participating in the propagation of a status-quo that is entirely sensational and devoid of any real soul or substance. My philosophical approach to the practice of art validates the incorporation of sensationalist elements by seeking a foundation for the art piece that is novel, exploratory, or otherwise substantial. I think it is important for my work to be aesthetically stimulating on as many ground levels as possible; the work or aspects of the work with broad sensory appeal are what I am referring to as "sensationalist". Also the sensationalism is relatively abstract and, as far as I'm concerned, must be in good taste. It amounts to vibrant color, gloss, sparkle, intensity, sexuality, etc. I try to create works that are beautiful enough to hook one or a range of aesthetic preferences and that are also significant in terms of their inspiration and implications. I have no problem incorporating or glorifying themes or subjects that are popular but they must anchor in and be subservient to the core of a relatively profound overarching expression. I AM interested in selling; I want to be supported for the art that I create. The discipline is to seek support but to always retain an autonomous sense of direction. Andy Warhol said, "Good business is the best art".

  One of the reasons this deviantART account has achieved some visibility is because of the popularity of my self-portraits, my subject matter. I do not regret their reception in the least; I am encouraged by it and I mean to acknowledge those photos as a source of my "success". I would like to think that the exposure I have received is not due entirely to the self-portraits, but their impact has definitely been heavy. That said, I feel that I have peaked in my current exploration of photography and I cannot continue to milk deviantART for its response to my self-portraits alone.
  My progression as an artist moves forward. I think I have mentioned it on this site before that I have a background in drawing and painting that precedes my photography, and painting is where I plan to funnel the bulk of my creative energy now and in the future. I am sure I will continue to take photographs, but this account will soon incorporate records of my expression and channeling in a variety of media to such an extent that photographs may become the minority over time. I do not want to be a pegged as a "photographer"; I don't think I am prepared or willing to live up to that title... but, with respect to both mediums, a "painter who takes photographs" would be fine. In the past I have been hesitant to disturb my current following with any work outside of my established norm, however my present philosophy will interpret any changes in my viewership to be a positive or neutral-at-worst reformation and transformation of my audience.

Betelgeux
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elftantra