There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about the significance of art. Because, big surprise, I make art. Therefore, I consistently think about my life’s work. And as I peruse the deviant art site, I think about deviant artists. I imagine you spend some time on DA as well. Most of what I come across on the site is of a commercial nature, and most of what I enjoy looking at in the case of DA is technical brilliance. On the other hand, not much on the side of concept, for me, a combo of both skill and meaningful concept is the ultimate coup.

But let me talk a bit about technical brilliance. As I begin my winded entry, I don’t want to take anything away from the hard work that artists put into honing a craft. Being able to render the form and understand how the eye works is not an easy task. It takes training and effort. Eventually, the artisan comes out on top. But some artists stop here, pleased with their greatness. The skill that doesn’t get nurtured is the ability to conceptualize. Maybe I’m slighting commercial artists here on DA, which is not fair; conceptualizing for a commercial purpose is not really what I’ve come to understand on DA. What I’ve mostly paid attention to is the Fine Arts. And the Fine Artists are an easy target. Artists who are more than happy with their skill, their work is not about the subject-matter, or the viewer, it’s about themselves, It’s about how great they are at their craft. A pretentious title to the work is the icing on the cake.

Don’t be misguided by the term erotic, it’s simply soft-core porn. Be honest with us hetero male artistic nude photographers, your business is an excuse to stare at naked women without impunity. I don’t blame you, on some level, it’s a great idea but stop trying to pass it off as high art. I think what gets to me the most is the lack of honesty with their audience.

I’m going to give to you straight, regarding my art on DA. It’s all studies. I have yet to pull together a concept that parallels my ability. It’s not an easy task for me to be truthful with my audience. It means that I have to take a good hard look at myself and find that common thread that connects us all. This, without coming off as trite and pompous, it’s the hardest thing to do.