Phil and Kat Taylor are husband and wife art collectors. They live just outside Toronto, Canada which is a cool art city. One day, out of the blue, Phil emailed me and we started chatting about our common interest. I thought that he would make a great interview subject. He has a forthright, down to earth, yet very polite air about him. To me, this makes him “Clearly Canadian.” Read on and you’ll see.

MICHAEL: Hi Phil. Thanks for talking with me. You and your wife Kat (Katherine) are collectors. What got you into collecting? How did you begin?

PHIL: Well, my parents were both professional actors in Canada, so I grew up in an arts saturated environment – literature, music, acting, and of course visual arts. My early passion was photography since I could not draw very well, but I was always drawn to the fine arts of painting and sculpting. As a young adult I started to buy prints of popular master works though I always kept an eye on the contemporary scene as well. But it took many years to figure out what I really liked. We are bombarded with so many opinions and views on art that it can be very confusing. And when you start to buy original art, you really want to be sure of yourself, because it usually costs quite a bit more to buy good originals, even from unknown artists. And about 10 years ago I bought my first quality original by a fine Quebec artist named Louise Dandurand. The art dealer knew it was my first buy and could see I was nervous. When we completed the deal he said “I know it’s a bit scary buying your first original, but it gets easier.” He was right. I married my wife a few years after that and found that we have similar taste in art, and we have been buying new works from living artists ever since.

MICHAEL: Phil, I’m so glad that you got over your fear about how did Kat become a collector? Kat, are you there?

KAT: Hi Mike, this is Kat. Phil does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to our art … but here is a bit about myself. I am a professional singer/actor, and I have been active in the arts generally throughout my life. During my undergrad degrees at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario. I studied in Europe … “Music History and Performance Practice”. One summer the course was offered in Venice and the next it was in Vienna. During this time I saw a tremendous number of masterpieces. Certainly I never imagined that I would live in a ‘gallery’ of original art! Phil’s enthusiasm has made this possible for me.
MICHAEL: Phil, it seems that your enthusiasm has conquered your early fear of art. I think that fear is the number one thing that keeps people from even visiting art galleries let alone becoming art collectors. Much of society has been brainwashed into believing that art is so far above their comprehension that they dare not aspire. What do you think?

PHIL: I agree with you Michael, but it’s more than just fear. Many people are turned off by art today because they simply don’t like what they see. I am speaking of course about much of the art created since the beginning of the 20th century. And it certainly doesn’t help that the larger art establishment swoons over work that leaves the average person scratching their head. And I have to confess right up front that I am pretty average too. The vast majority of art I see today seems amateurish or uninteresting. The truth is that I have to force myself to go into galleries. I know that most of what I see will not interest me in the slightest, but I do it because I never know when and where I might find a gem. It doesn’t surprise me at all that many people don’t even make an effort. But for me its like a treasure hunt.
MICHAEL: Art is a treasure hunt for me as well. The last time that I went gallery hopping in Chelsea (New York City), I was stunned by some of the crap that I saw! You don’t have to be an “expert” to recognize junk. Fortunately, Chelsea has more than 200 galleries, so there was also some truly fantastic work to see. What really bothers me is when it appears that the artist/curator isn’t interested in trying to engage or inspire us. Not long ago, I visited a new contemporary art museum that staged a BIG exhibition, but I felt that the curators intentionally made it the opposite of what had been promoted. I think it was their way of saying, “We’re beyond caring what you think because we’ll never allow you into our club!” Such a disservice.
PHIL: Well it’s hard to know exactly what many curators, gallery owners, art critics and artists themselves, are really thinking about the average person. But sometimes they let their guard down. I read an interview with a gallery owner who said she only shows art she really hates. I wonder if she tells prospective buyers in her gallery how much she hates the work she is trying to sell them? Fact is I stopped caring what the art establishment was saying or doing, years ago. I keep my eye on the ball – the ball being new art. I make my own judgments and keep moving forward. And you hit the nail on the head. I look for art that inspires and engages me.

MICHAEL: So, what kind of art do you and Kat collect? How would you describe your collection? Is there a common thread?

PHIL; Well Michael, I thought you would never ask. Our taste is quite eclectic in that we do not look for a particular style or theme. Most of the work is two dimensional and all of it is by living, working artists. They are mostly Canadian, but we have also bought pieces from American, French, and Chinese artists. There are four essential elements we consider when buying art, and in no particular order they are:

1. Technical mastery by the artist in his chosen medium. As you know the importance of mastery has taken a beating in the last century or so. The message is all important now, but there are still artists who strive for the kind of excellence that we saw during the Renaissance for example. And mastery takes years, so most of our artists are in their 40s and 50s. We keep an eye on promising young artists,

….

Created by Michael Corbin On 07/06/09 At 12:31 PM

I don’t know who wrote this poem as it was left by “Anonymous” on an old Vincent van Gogh Quotes post. The only details he/she left was.. “A friend of mine wrote these words today after we spoke of the life of Van Gogh and the recently published book on his history.”

Anyway, here’s a Vincent inspired poem by “HK”

Hands of colors Dutch

Swirl like a painter’s hand gone mad
Canvas of face and time reflect
Bristles of lead give hues of past
Brushes like swords are in array.

I stand in front of the easel like a jury
Words like paint on white torture my hands and eyes
They taunt me like an old pavement princess
Wanting to believe that the brush is still gold
Music I hear or is that the ringing from glimpses of you

Paint away the now. Paint with colors only seen by angels
Colors that hide and feel like a blanket on a cold day
My stand in a broken seal, trembles with dread
Hoping to cure the demon that makes me paint away the now in me

I taste the colors of your soul. I wish that I could write the words that are
In my soul. Words of color and hope. Words that make the pain stop.
Paint. Paint away the pain.
My canvas is my life, and I give you the colors and brushes of me.

HK

I’m probably one of the last people in the world to own an Apple iPod but it’s better late than never. I bought an Ipod Classic which has 120gb of storage on it. If “gb” doesn’t mean much to you it simply means it has more storage than a lot of personal computers and can store a LOT of songs.

I bought it as I desperately miss my CD collection when I’m not at home. I’m planning an extended road trip around the South East of Australia (Canberra, Melbourne, Tasmania, etc.) and I plan to take my whole music collection with me on my iPod.

In a few days I have put on about 90 albums, 40 audio books, and have just discovered podcasts. I have subscribed to philosophy, zen, science and a couple art podcasts so far, but I would like to find a few more art podcasts so I decided to create a list and ask for recommendations.

Art Podcasts

Art Marketing Action Podcast: Is a weekly art podcast by Alyson Stanfield on being an artist. Read or listen to her at ArtBizBlog.

Tate Podcasts: Many major art museums now have podcasts with art lectures, artist interviews, discussions, and talks on exhibitions. The Tate museum has quite a range of art podcasts at Tate Podcasts.

Art History Podcast: Learn Out Loud’s art history podcast has brief look at masterpieces from the history of art at LearnOutLoud.

The Guardian Culture Podcast: Art interviews, news and exhibition reviews from the Guardian newspaper in the UK at Guardian Podcasts.

Note: Send me your art podcast if you would like it added to this post.

Flounder Lee is a photography professor at the Herron School of Art & Design at Indiana University/Purdue University in Indianapolis, Indiana. I met him there after I did a presentation about my first book, “Art In King Size Beds: A Collector’s Journal.” I thought that he would make an interesting interview subject. I think you’ll agree. By the way, the attached photograph is a shot of him being interviewed in Serbia for his recent one man show there called, “ReMove”. After reading out chat, check out his website at www.photoflounder.com

MICHAEL: Hey Flounder. Thanks for agreeing to chat. First, let’s start with the question that I’m sure you’ve be asked a million times. Flounder is an unusual, yet very cool name. Is there a story behind it?

FLOUNDER: Hi Michael, I have definitely been asked that question a lot or at least some form of it. I can’t convince some people that my name is not Lee Flounder, especially businesses. I wish that meant I didn’t have to pay my bills! The origins of my name are shrouded in mystery but it came to prominent use in the Secret Snail Society. I should probably leave it at that. I legally changed it to Flounder in 2006. I find it helpful as a promotional tool and a conversation starter.

MICHAEL: Secret Snail Society? I probably already know too much. Moving on … I love your photography, but what I’ve seen isn’t photography in the mainstream sense. It appears that you splice and dice photographs to create totally different compositions. It’s almost like painting with pieces of photographs. Am I correct?

FLOUNDER: I don’t really consider myself a photographer. Maybe a photographic artist or an artist who uses photography. Sometimes I do video, sometimes performance, sculpture, etc. In my teaching I take a similar approach: I am teaching artists, not just photographers. My recent work has definitely been described as abstract painting. I think that some of it looks like Mondrian from a distance. Really what I’m doing lately is making work from a series of preset conditions. I’m taking as much control out of my hands to investigate the way things are instead of the way I want them to be. So if we stick with a painting analogy, it is more like programming a robot to do the painting.

MICHAEL: You just said you are teaching artists, not just photographers. Doesn’t that really get to the heart of the role of contemporary photography? I visit these art fairs and exhibitions where I see great photographs but they don’t necessarily rise to the level of “art” for me. It seems to me that even with preset conditions and lack of control, turning photography into art requires insight, physical manipulation and the introduction of unique elements. Perhaps my ignorance is showing.

FLOUNDER: I think it does get at the heart of it, I don’t think the sort of contemporary photography that I’m making or trying to teach is just photos. It isn’t about how pretty your sunsets are or how good your photoshop skills are, it is about the idea that drives the work. But that said, I think they generally need to be somewhat technically proficient and formally pleasing because we are past the conceptual 1970s. Dave Hickey helped change the notion that beauty is a dirty word in the art world. Work can be engaging and beautiful.

MICHAEL: I had the pleasure of walking with you through your exhibition called, “Own.” It involves old Native American lands, map making and photography.
It’s beautiful, engaging and has a powerful social and moral message. What’s it all about and where did you get the idea?

FLOUNDER: It is always good practice showing someone around a show, so thanks for coming. In the current work, I am mapping treaties between the US government and various American Indian tribes. I have European and Native American ancestry. Most likely it is Choctaw and/or Cherokee, but it is really hard to trace when your family narrative says that they were the ones who hid from the government to avoid moving west and tragedies such as the Trail of Tears. I’ve never been raised with any real awareness of my family’s history, but it fascinates and conflicts me. I have ancestors taking from ancestors. Not really sure how I decided to pursue this now, but I was mapping the borders of Los Angeles when I moved to Indiana and I wanted to keep mapping so this came up somehow. So far, I’ve mapped the treaties in their actual locations in five states. I find the original maps, import them, and follow the borders using GPS. I photograph at one mile intervals at set points in the four directions. This removes as much of my hand as possible from the equation. I want to show what is actually there, not what I want to be there. So if there is a casino or a Wal-Mart a quarter mile down the road and an empty field where my GPS says to shoot, I get the empty field.

MICHAEL: What you’re doing incorporates photography, artistry, anthropology, sociology, politics and travel. It all makes for very heavy subject matter that will inspire some and incite others. Yet art is your venue. I liked the exhibition, but you obviously know that pitching this to collectors or even curators can’t be easy. In short, it’s not “entertaining” and you know how much people want to be entertained … that’s assuming you can even lure them into a gallery. Is this a concern?

FLOUNDER: I make work that is important to me. Quite often it will be important to others too. I sometimes make work that is more fun or entertaining but that is not generally one of my primary goals, except maybe when I’m doing performance art. I honestly haven’t had many encounters with collectors at this stage in my career, but I’ve shown this work a few times already. A curator of a show in Europe liked it enough that she invited me to come make more work there for the show. I’ve also used this as a platform for teaching others about this history, including my own family. Even still, the patterns of images that emerge from my work can be enjoyed without knowing the history of what the work is about at all.

MICHAEL: Flounder, this brings up what I think is a great question. When you’ve busted your butt to make your art meaningful and true, isn’t it a little irritating to have people look at it and say, “I like the colors!” or “Will it match my sofa?” I’ve even heard artists reduce the work of other artists to simple whims. You’ve done all of this work and they’ve missed the entire point.

FLOUNDER: Artists aren’t the only source of meaning for their art, so art is going to mean different things to everyone. How’s the saying go? “You can’t please everyone.” Well, things are going to be pleasing to people for their own reasons. I want some people to get my work but know not everyone will. I really dislike a LOT of art, I don’t get it, but know other people do. I don’t think this is an issue really. I’ve always thought that colors and matching and such are just levels to the work. Maybe levels that I don’t care about, or even care to know about, but levels none the less. My wife isn’t an artist and she is definitely more concerned about artwork fitting in with our other decorations than I am, she doesn’t understand how I don’t really worry about color schemes and the like.

MICHAEL: Many of the artists I know are totally “consumed” by art. Many, if not most artists consider art synonymous with who they are as individuals. Does this describe you?

FLOUNDER: Yes, I think it does and I’m sure my wife would agree. She has a hard time grasping that my work does not really have any sort of set hours. I can just be playing online but it is usually at least tangentially related to my art. I’ll either be looking for blogs to submit, looking up new artists or shows, reading about mapping or science. I never know where my new ideas are going to come from so I keep constantly looking. But even all that said, I still take plenty of time to do other stuff if I can find it. I love to camp, hike, cook, and garden (although I rarely do most of these activities without a camera).

MICHAEL: You said earlier that you dislike a LOT of art and that you don’t get it. Do you think this is more of a reflection of your personal taste or the artists’ failure to communicate effectively? When people read my writing, I find it somewhat upsetting that they missed my point. They don’t have to agree, but they do have to get the point, otherwise we’re not really communicating.

FLOUNDER: I think sometimes it is a combination of both of those things and also the fact that some art really doesn’t carry a lot beyond its surface. Art means a lot of different things to people and sometimes it is purely a visual exercise. Of course this is the art that I generally don’t like and it rarely receives any sort of critical praise, but still might be popular with many people who think the best a painting can do is look like a photo and the best a photo can do is look like a painting. Ha! I like art that gives you something on multiple levels, it has the surface stuff that you can appreciate, but it has a depth to it that allows you to explore. Writing is sometimes similar, just because something is funny or exciting, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have depth of meaning. I’m currently reading a couple of books about geography and history. One is textbook type writing and I can barely stay interested even though I love the subject. The other is narrative style and I hate to stop reading it to do anything else, but I still feel like I’m learning a lot about the subject.

MICHAEL: When it comes to art, what do you think you’ll be doing 20 years from now?

FLOUNDER: Well I’m really hoping that they come out with Dream Recorder by then because I think my dreams are really where it’s at. Otherwise some sort of digital media and installations probably. But honestly who knows, 20 years ago I was 10, playing on a playground wanting to be a rocket scientist. That desire got me to 19 when I left the University of Alabama’s aerospace engineering program to take a year off and move to Florida where I got my degree in photography.

MICHAEL: Sounds like the sky is your limit. Thanks for chatting Flounder. Don’t forget to check out Flounder’s website at www.photoflounder.com

MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING BOOK, “THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR’S JOURNAL.” CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM

Created by Michael Corbin On 04/06/09 At 10:59 AM

I grew up in an age that eschewed four letter words as “dirty” or uncivilized. All that has changed: just tune into any prime time TV show and there are bound to be several words casually spoken that would have gotten me and my peers expelled from school. However those are not the most dreadful words of all. In fact, the more a blasphemous word is used, the less shocking and more mainstream it becomes. Think of how ordinary or even welcomed an explicative is in a friendly greeting, an advertisement or a song. However, there is one four letter word that has the worst connotation of all. The four letter word to which I am referring is “time.” Time is my nemesis, my enemy and the word that can intimidate me like no other.

Who would not give up millions for time? Recently the MegaLotto in New York was $86 million. Had I won, I would have gladly traded all the lovely cash for a mere two more hours in each day. I can fantasize about millions and paying off my bills, buying necessities (a new lens or some good new brushes) or luxuries (a new camera and all the gadgets that go with), upgrading my equipment and fixing my house, but I space out at the thought of more time. Imagine!!

How would it be if I could go into my studio and actually have the time to work on a painting or a photograph without time constraints? I’m not thinking about commissioned work or art that requires deadlines. Actually, I find that time driven projects drive me also– in a positive way: less time/ more energy expended. These types of time issues cause me to focus and stretch all my abilities towards a specific date on the calendar. However, wouldn’t it be wonderful to develop my own work without stressing about having time for everyday chores that are necessary to live? Obviously I don’t mean (in my case) cleaning my house, cooking or doing the laundry. I mean those intrusive time wasters like making a living outside of my own art: whether it be teaching a class, office work, commercial art involvement aside from my personal projects and so on. Then there are family and friends to consider…

Time for family and friends is a serious issue for the artist who cannot say, “Look, I work at an office all week. Let’s get together on the week-ends or after work.” For me, as an artist, there are no week-ends, no after work, no free time unless I create it. Therefore, just when my starting time is over and I’m really ready to dig into my painting, it’s time for dinner with those close to me. A hard call sometimes to say, “I won’t be joining you because I have to finish my work.”
“What work? Did you get a job?”
“No, my painting.”
“Working on a cash commission?”
“No.”
“Oh, that work. You can finish it any time. We want to SEE YOU!”

Of course I want to spend time with loved ones. Who does not? But while I’m dining with them or driving to and from the visit or having a chat on the phone, part of me feels frustrated at taking time away from my “work:” my art. I feel guilty either way. If I go, I’m shorting myself. If I work on my art and do not spend time with people near and dear to me, I feel selfish, isolated and cannot seem to work well. Yes, I’ve read all the articles on priorities, but that’s how it is for me: damned if I do/ damned if I don’t. Fortunately, my family and friends have been understanding and stuck by me even if they don’t always see me.

Periodically I ask people what their most valuable resource is. They answer: love, health, family. I inquire about “time.” They stop to think, to reconsider. Time IS the most valuable resource for without it what do you have? It is also, paradoxically, the most terrible and wonderful word I know.

Created by Ellen Fisch On 12/15/08 At 08:20 AM

A new kind of exhibition opened on Friday the 28th of November of this year: the CAPC museum of contemporary art of Bordeaux has decided to become psychedelic for the next few months. The majestic nave of the building is punctuated with visual and sound archives linked to the psychedelic movement, from its beginnings in the 1960’s to its current version and by-products. Every corner of the nave is used to accentuate the psychedelic experience, whilst however managing to remain minimalist in its contents; slideshows are projected onto different wall spaces, emblematic and bizarre sculptures and installations appear as if from nowhere, imposing walls have been set up, with on one side archives linked to the psychedelic thought (records, posters, books, etc.) and on the other a huge mirror that allows you to lose yourself in your vision, posters are laid out on the floor, for anyone interested to take, or simply to look at.

But the main and most impressive installation is at the West end of the nave, with two huge mandala eyes peering into the building, reflecting themselves in the mirrors, transforming the stone, brick and wood architecture into a truly vibrant and destabilising experience. Made with wooden structures that go to the top of the gigantic archways and painted in blue, the eye shapes are completed with a huge red curtain-like wall that stands behind the blue installation. In the centre of this ‘curtain’, a central triangle marking the iris is cut, allowing us to see the third layer, made of concentric circles in all the colours of the rainbow, this layer again taking up all the space of the archway. In all, an imposing and intriguing installation that sets the spirit of the exhibition. Because this exhibition is not seen as an ‘exhibition’. It is an experience, a dive into the psychedelic experimentations of today, while also historically testifying to the constant evolution of the movement. The archives play with the contemporary installations, enabling the visitor to fully immerse himself in what was and is psychedaelia.

The whole nave testifies to this important movement that has rocked and influenced the last five decades. Not only an artistic movement, or an aesthetic style, it represents a way of life, leaving the simply artistic sphere and venturing into the confines of everyday life.
To follow this idea, the installation is ‘activated’ at specific moments, becoming much more than a simple exhibition. For the opening, the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings were filled with music groups, performances, films and experimentations. Groups such as the Psychic Ills, Sonic Boom, Arp, Principles of Geometry, and the Reines Angleterre performed on the installation turned into a stage for the weekend, in order to fully convey the experience of psychedaelia. And the exhibition should be ‘activated’ every few weeks until March, with other performances, concerts and films.

An experience, an experimentation, a must see.

Created by Valerie Grove On 12/08/08 At 10:55 AM