Personally, I can't draw a circle without a soup can.
For example, when I mess around with graphics for decals, banners, race cars etc. most of it involves straight lines, with a few bends. I could never draw up 'flames' for instance. I always need a guide of some sort be it a border, body line, ruler or string. What does fascinate me about artists is them being able to see what they want to create, before they start. Artists that draw charcoal/pencil drawings, showing shading and 3D with a single color impress me the most. I can see it when they are done. The shadows, the glint of light on a sphere for example. But I can't see it on my mind the few times I have tried and flat 1D smeared up stick drawing is the result. ha!When I view the large art projects that are on the Playa during BM, (via pics & video) its always from the point of view of what it took to actually assemble the creation. Whats holding that part in place? How are they hiding the internal structure carrying the weight? Why is the wind not flat destroying it with little internal structure? How did they get it to do what its doing? A great example is this one. (though not on the Playa)
https://www.facebook.com/CollectiveEvol ... 8/?fref=nf
I understand 'how' they did this one and marvel again at the time it took to create and can appreciate that. What I don't feel from it, or most other art, is what the artist wanted to portray or imply. The only thing I could quickly come up with when the video asked was, marriage & divorce. That's it, cut & dry. I would never come up what the commenters posted or what the artist originally wanted to say.
My art, if one can call it that, are things designed, fabricated and built. And almost always 'very functional' and has a use. Someone can say to me, 'I want this thing, to these things, and it need to fit in this space.' That I can visualize it in my head and a few napkin drawings/reiterations later I am off to gather materials to build it. Most are mechanical in nature. (I did fab up a copper wind chime once. I liked it, my wife didn't.
) They require cutting, drilling, machining, welding, etc. Materials are mostly metals, but some wood & plastics. To me Machining is art. You cut metal 'A' with metal 'B'. That in itself is still fascinating to me. Welding is too. This is one of the better examples of machining. The finish result aside, which is awesome, the coding required to tell the CNC 'how' to cut is immense!! Every move is a line of code. (professional machinists, let me have that broad brush statement )https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADqDMwQOc2w 2:31 long
Being a black n white type of guy I think Jesse James is an artist. There are few of his ilk left any more. He can take a flat piece of sheet metal and shape it into the most perfect tear drop gas tank using old school tools. Most of it by hand. Sheet metal, motorcycle frames & headers. Few are as good and he put the Orange County Chopper guys to shame. They are complete hacks.
I guess what this wall of text is trying to say is, I don't 'feel' art like many do. Never have. Not sure I ever will. I am not 'moved' by art. I can't 'dissect it' like others can. My question is, is this something one learns like a skill? Or is one just born with it? I understand art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. So one of my goals while at BM is to see if I can add 'emotion' when viewing art. Instead of figuring out how they built it.....
Can this be done?
Gotta beer? 
