I’ve taken over my daughter’s room, more or less as an office. In the process, I have been weeding out files, making things more streamlined- this is a continuing theme in my life in as well.
One of the pleasures of looking through old files is coming upon great pieces of writing that inspired me or provoked me.
At the same time, I have discovered Evernote, an application that lets me grab snippets of text and images from all over the internet, and so, combined with adding in some of the great stuff from my files, I am amassing quite a collection of intriguing ideas.
I hope to put them to good use in this blog.
I taught in several colleges for over 10 years. Most of that time was fulfilling as well as exhausting, and I was always reading about art and artists. Partly to feel more connected to the world of ideas, since there wasn’t much in the way of discussions with my colleagues. I was always having students read and write, learn to think about their work and why they were doing what they were doing; whether it meant anything to them, or what they hoped to convey.
Those days are long gone, and I miss the personal connection that comes with nurturing a young artist over time. (don’t miss the toxic colleagues) But the files remain.
So, I’ll be referencing folks as diverse as Dave Hickey, Frederick Sommers, Jed Pearl, Jorie Graham, and Norma Rosen…. with many others files to come. Some of these articles were touchstones of a sort, as I was thrashing my way through graduate school, some I found through journals and other artists. Mr. Hickey has always been a personal favorite. I have old stacks of Art in America, Art News and others that I haven’t given away yet. So I will get to those eventually.
This seems important now – to remember why I do what I do. Making good art with integrity will always define me, more than making a business.
erskinestudio.com 
Looking forward to learning more . . . ; )