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American Crow

Frances Byrd: American Crow

Posted by Frances Byrd on Jan 15, 2012 in Arts and Culture, Conservative Art Movement, Frances Byrd, Gallery, Liberatchik Artists | 0 comments

Now that a new year has rolled over, I have decided it is time to get back in my studio and create more artwork. For too long, I have been juggling schedules and staring at the computer screen and creating very little art of my own.

I am determined to change that this year, so I have unwrapped a new Moleskine and set about planning a series about the Occupy Wall Street movement. The ideas are tenuous at the moment because a great deal of research will be needed to flesh out the subtler details. However, the underlying theme is rooted in the phrase “A Murder of Crows”. Taking that as my starting point, I have begun a series of sketches, the first of which is included here. Finished drawings, multi-media pieces and paintings will follow.

This first drawing looks a bit more like a mocking bird than a crow, but it captures the general idea. Once the details are worked out in future drawings, it will not only capture the essence of the crow, but the movement which I intend for it to represent.

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com. She is also a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.

Third Virginia Avery Memorial
“Reflections” Juried Art Exhibit

January 19, 2012 – March 3, 2012

Location: Mable House Arts Center – Mableton, GA

CASH AWARDS
Best in Show: $1,000 & rosette
In each category:
First Place – $300 & ribbon
Second Place – $200 & ribbon
Third Place – $100 & ribbon
People’s Choice – Ribbon & Art Piece
*All awards and honorable mention ribbons will be given at the discretion of the juror.

JUROR: Gail Wegodsky attended the University of Maryland in the General Honors Program before graduating from The Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore with a BFA in General Fine Art. She graduated from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia with an MFA in painting. She taught painting at University of Rhode Island, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, University of Georgia, Indiana University, The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA and Kennesaw State University. Gail has been the recipient of an Individual Artist’s Grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts, was one of The Artist’s Magazine’s 2009 Artists of the Month. She was a Winner of one of Open Studios’ Magazine’s Southern States Competitions. She exhibits her work at Mason Murer Gallery, Atlanta.

300 Illustration by Frances Byrd

Posted by Frances Byrd on Jan 2, 2012 in Arts and Culture, Conservative Art Movement, Frances Byrd, Gallery, Liberatchik Artists, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Over the last several months I have been working on this editorial illustration.  When I first started discussing it with the author who will be using it, I had all of these great ideas for imagery and content. Then, I started doing the background research on government programs since FDR. The sheer volume alone was overwhelming.

After several scheduling setbacks and much more research than I had anticipated, I came up with a “short” list of  some of the most damaging departments and entitlements created by the government to create dependency and stifle private enterprise.

I usually write a lengthy article on the specific meaning of the composition, but this time, I am going to leave your interpretations up to you. When the article for which it was created is written, I will post the work again so you can get a little more background on its meaning.

For more information on ways you can become involved in the Conservative art movement at Liberatchik, please refer to our Declarationist Manifesto and Creative Conservative Action Tools. All inquiries regarding joining our movement should be directed to frances@liberatchik.com.

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com. She is also a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.

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One of my paintings was recently accepted into a show of women artists. You can get more info here.

Those of you who are familiar with my art, and have been to my web page probably know her title is not The Hold-Up Artist. It is actually: Give Me Your Money, ‘Cause I Can’t Make it Otherwise. The story behind that is better left for a separate post.

I changed the title, because I know people in the art community like my work, but not my ideas. So, I am playing the game as they say. I’m always being told that the art should speak for itself, so I’m letting it do just that.

If you are interested in the original intent behind the piece, you can find the story here. There are also several other pieces from the same series on this page.

I’m hoping my Hold-Up Artist sells and I can use the money to fund some more conservative propaganda. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com.  She is also a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.

Please consider following Liberatchik on FaceBook!

I believe the lack of aesthetic standards in the arts is the cultural equivalent to moral relativism. Certainly, I am not painting every artist with this allegation of self-debasement, nor every gallery for perpetuating said atrocities. Unfortunately, however, it continues to be my experience that there’s a lot of bad art in galleries, and sadly, just as much junk that doesn’t even qualify as art taking up space and demeaning the value of good work. Consequently, I believe the general decline of society is at least partially linked to this cultural decline. The reason being that the deterioration of artistic beauty, in my mind, leads to a general loss of respect for the world in general.

Of course, I have no training in psychology, so you can take this article with a grain of salt and I wont be offended. In fact, I prefer you to do a little leg work and form your own educated opinion on the matter. I’m not here to convince you that you shouldn’t pay a thousand dollars for a framed scribble on notebook paper, but I would advise you against it. I would argue that you’d be wasting your presumably hard-earned money and perpetuating a culture of meaningless and talentless ‘art’ by doing so. I would also ask you to learn more about the Dadaist movement in the arts to better understand where I am coming from. When I have educated myself sufficiently on the subject, I will return to write in more detail.

For now, lets return to the original premise: I believe there is a direct correlation between the philosophies (or lack thereof) of Dadaism and moral relativism with the deterioration of our societal structure. I also believe it is not at all by accident. If it were a question of cultural laziness and lack of talent, that would be disturbing, but also reparable. However, I am certain there is also a measure of malicious intent driving this cultural and societal decline. It is my opinion that there is a general movement to destroy the concepts of value and individual merit in both, for the purpose of creating a new standardized concept of these ideals.

Compare, for instance, these two examples of public art:

Shephard Fairey Mural, Chicago

Stack of Ladders, Unknown artist, Atlanta

If you prefer something a little more traditional, here are two paintings:

Oil on Canvas, by Ashley Norfleet

Jackson Pollock ‘painting’

I am here to argue that not everything created under the pretense of being art or the contrivance of being shocking is actually art. There are many who disagree with me on this point. Many believe that the artist’s intent counts as much as the final result of their efforts. I consider this point of view to be either a crutch for lack of talent or for lack of self esteem on the part of the artist. While I believe very strongly that there is and should be meaning behind a piece of art, I also believe that there must be talent for it to be good. There must be some exchange of value between the work and the viewer in order to convey that meaning.

Some say it’s all art – some good, some bad. While that does indicate an understanding of value, it does not address the issue of the effect that bad art has on the value of good art or the quality of our culture as a whole. I am particularly offended by bad art when considered in conjunction with the selfish mantra of many artists I know:

“Artists are contributing an invaluable service to society through their work and should be compensated for this contribution.” Fine, but only in relation to society’s perceived value of the work, to be determined in a free and open market. If the work is appealing to society, good or bad, the artist should have no trouble selling it. Of course there are other factors, such as marketing and exposure to be considered, but it falls on the responsibility of the artist to treat their work as a business endeavor rather than an excuse for a handout.

The point of all of my rambling is this: I wouldn’t buy a car that doesn’t run or a house that is falling down, so why should I be expected to buy paint splatters or a stack of ladders if I don’t find them appealing?

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com. She is also a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.

I wanted to post this article for those of you who still think our educational institutions are concerned with education. I am sure there are exceptions across the country to this sarcastic allegation. I also recognize the right of a University’s higher ups to make decisions based on predetermined criteria, educational guidelines or their own personal whims. Students are, after all, still free to choose which institution they will attend. However, the choice to censor specific points of view as offensive comes with consequences. One of which is people making such decisions public knowledge, and hopefully in this case, at an economic penalty to the university in question.

Below is a link to the full article and my most recent comment on the Liberatchik Face Book thread regarding the article. I hope that you will read this story and pass it on. There is no excuse for the level of manipulation being exercised on college students and their access to information that is currently being promoted in US universities. If you have time and the inclination, I hope that you will also consider contacting the university to voice your displeasure with their decision. If we don’t speak up, our voices will not be heard.

BYU Censors Artwork for Being Too Conservative

Below is an excerpt from an article sent to me recently via a Facebook friend concerned with the state of art, and more importantly, equal representation of ideas within the art community. Mr. Sherwin writes regularly on the subjects of liberal bias in the arts and the outright exclusion of conservative ideas. Over the course of our correspondence, we have found that we share many of the same views based on separate and often difficult personal experiences.

Mr. Sherwin works diligently to expose the unfairness of the liberal dominated art community and its impact on the culture of America. He is not afraid to ask pointed questions in regard to why it is acceptable for the art community and media to shun conservative ideas or mock them outright. It is a struggle I share and I hope you will take some time to read his article and pass it on.

More importantly, Mr. Sherwin and Mr. Panero, the subject of this interview, point out the necessity for conservative patronage in the arts. This is something with which I struggle as an artist and would-be writer. After having spoken to countless people at rallies and town hall meetings, then attempting to promote conservative art at CPAC, I have come away just short of enraged at times. In short I have concluded that conservatives have no one to blame but themselves for the state of our culture. Until we become active as artists and patrons in this country, there is no hope for a change in the quality or the meaning behind the art representing the American ideal.

From the article:

Sherwin: The issue of liberal bias within the mainstream contemporary art world has been a hot topic as of late. Some art critics, such as Ken Johnson, acknowledge that liberal bias exists. In fact, Johnson recently described the art world as a “liberal circus” — and implied that social/political viewpoints expressed in art that go against the grain of social/political liberalism stand little chance of being exhibited or written about. What are your thoughts on this? Is the mainstream art world controlled by a ‘liberal circus’? If so, how did this happen in your opinion?

Panero: Since there is little state patronage of culture in the US, the market determines the art. So if the art world is a “liberal circus,” it’s because liberals are the ones buying art. The question of bias therefore must be addressed by the consumers rather the producers of art. If people want to see more art that resonates with them, they need to find and patronize those artists who speak to them. They need to get involved with their local cultural institutions and advocate for the art they like.

The rise of alternative media means that everyone has the power to discover art of every stripe. My own Gallery Chronicle comes out ten times a year and is available for free online .There are great original works of art for sale for less than $1,000 and sometimes for as little as $100 in New York’s outer borough galleries. The same is true in artistic communities across the country. Simply put, if you want to change art, you need to buy art, and support the apparatus (the non-profit arts spaces, cultural blogs, and journals like The New Criterion) that work to expose serious art to a wider audience.

Read the full article here.

This article is by Brian Sherwin, regular contributing writer for FineArtViews. Brian Sherwin is an art critic, blogger, curator, artist and writer based near Chicago, Illinois. He has been published in Hi Fructose Magazine, Illinois Times, and other publications, and linked to by publications such as The Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, Juxtapoz Magazine, Deutsche Bank ArtMag, ARTLURKER, Myartspace, Blabbermouth, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Conservative Punk, Modern Art Obsession, Citizen LA, Shark Forum, Two Coats of Paint, Vandalog, COMPANY and Art Fag City. Disclaimer: This author’s views are entirely his/her own and may not reflect the views of BoldBrush, Inc.. You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here.

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Coming Soon – The Hand of Liberty fine art prints.

Limited availability in three sizes.

Mounting and framing options to be determined.

Look for these prints and other MachinePolitick artwork and fine crafts at the Artoberfest event in Helen, Georgia on October 22, 2011 at the Helen Arts and Heritage Center.

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com, a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.

I loaded up the car this morning and drove up to Helen, Georgia to drop off two Liberty paintings for the next show at the HAHC. The Helen Arts and Heritage Council is located in the quait little mountain town of Helen, where Octoberfest is a big deal. I’ll be back up there in a couple of weeks with a booth to sell fine art prints, handmade jewelry, paintings and hand printed cards. If you live in the area, please stop by and say hello. Details are listed below with additional photos of my work.

Restore Liberty Now – image in progress; final size after framing 50″ x 62″, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, $2500

The Hand of Liberty – final size after framing 14″ x 20″, acrylic and china marker on canvas and wood board, $250

Both of these pieces will be available for viewing and purchase on Thursday, September 29 from 5-7pm at the Helen Arts and Heritage Center. This is the reception for thier Adult Artists Competiton, which is a juried show. Refreshments will be served and prizes will be awarded to artists for best in category and best in show.

Art prints of the Hand of Liberty will be available for purchase at the HAHC Artoberfest event on October 22, 2011 from 10am to 5pm. Prints will be available in three sizes: 13″ x 19″, 8″ x 10″, and 5 1/2″ x 8″. I will also have paintings, jewelry and cards at this event. There will be a variety of events and live music throughout the city of Helen all weekend, so you should plan to come by. Autumn is a beautiful time of year in the north Georgia mountains, there will be loads of beer and great people watching, and several art and food vendors.

Frances Byrd is the National Director of Liberatchik.com, a conservative political artist and blogger. Her art can be viewed at MachinePolitick.com.