Comments on Journeys with Jood: Dementia Concretia

Stella, you should see Watts Towers now that it ha...

2008-07-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

Stella, you should see Watts Towers now that it has been reopened and restored. Great museum next to it, incredible place to visit. I will eventually do a post about it.

What a wonderful post! When I grew up, I often vi...

2008-07-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful post! When I grew up, I often visited the Watts Towers with my parents. When I was a small child, they seemed like a magical Seventh Wonder of the World.

You took me back with this one.

Susan, it was in the 1980s when artists leapt into...

2008-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Susan, it was in the 1980s when artists leapt into the realm of being "rock stars" - Julien Schnabel comes to mind immediately. Strange days.

Steve, thanks for the link to the Orange Show. Interesting site. I should go visit, really!

B.E., they did use a lot of junk - but that is part of what makes this sort of work so interesting. Nothing is without value, because it will have a personal history attached to it. Still, Wegner Grotto (thank you, okjimm) is a much more peaceful place. The biggest issue I have with Dickeyville is that it has such commercial aspects with gift shop, etc.

DK, in this sense, "dementia" refers to a compulsion rather than a loss of memory. Some of my favorite outsider artists, people like Henry Darger, worked in such secret that nobody knew until after death. Darger painted over 15000 images, creating a world where children ruled and fought against evil. Eerie, beautiful world and work.

This was wonderful & unique! I like the sound of ...

2008-07-03T00:53:00.000-07:00

This was wonderful & unique! I like the sound of getting back into constructing things as you age. I don't like that it was labeled DEMENTIA, as if that urge is abnormal in some way.

The only one of the places you mention that I've seen is the Watts Towers. They looked smaller in person than I'd expected, but it was only a quick drive by, so maybe if I'd gotten out & walked around, they'd have felt larger.

Now as to your wondering why you stopped painting etc ... well I sense you have been storing up energy and that you are about to burst forth again. There'll be no stopping you!

How surprising to find the Dickeyville Grotto on t...

2008-07-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

How surprising to find the Dickeyville Grotto on this list. It's located very close to where I've spend the bulk of my life. While it has its moments earlier in the construction, I thought it degenerated to a lower common denominator later on(as I recall it)...incorporating broken coffee cup handles and generally kinda junky. Maybe I need to visit it again from my more mature perspective in life. Funny how stuff that looks dorky when you're young can seem more worthwhile with some experience under the belt. Thanks for the incentive to revisit the Grotto.

Jood, take a look at The Orange Show, Houston's co...

2008-07-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Jood, take a look at The Orange Show, Houston's contribution to that sort of art, built gradually on a residential lot by retired postal worker Jeff McKissack (regrettably deceased decades ago). Once, also decades ago, our very own Houston Baroque Ensemble performed on its stage; it was quite an experience.

You're right. Once art has been consecrated by the...

2008-07-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

You're right. Once art has been consecrated by the purveyors of commerce it's essentially dead.

FranIAm, Outsider Art is art in its purest form. ...

2008-07-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

FranIAm, Outsider Art is art in its purest form. I love it. I think I might go to Grandma Prisbee's this weekend for a fix.

Susan, the first time I saw The Mona Lisa, I was absolutely disappointed: it was small, covered by bullet proof glass, surrounded by hordes of people - this is not the way art should be experienced.

I remember seeing the Mona Lisa hanging on a wall ...

2008-07-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing the Mona Lisa hanging on a wall in the Louvre with about 500 other smallish paintings and no ropes, guards or bullet proof glass. I liked some of the other paintings better. The journey goes from heart to hand to eye to heart.. very nice post.

This is fascinating - what a great and unique post...

2008-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is fascinating - what a great and unique post!

Randal, that's interesting - Monet's paintings of ...

2008-07-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Randal, that's interesting - Monet's paintings of Rouen are indeed his most sculptural. And, you're right. I need to get crackin. Except, I do little things, all private drawings. I suppose that counts.

Pagan, years ago, in the early 1970s, the artist Sol Lewitt started making art that was financially accessible to everyone - he put instructions for wall drawings into booklets, sold them for $10 or less, and people could make their own Sol Lewitt. I love the concept.

Okjimm - I forgot the name of the Wegner Grotto - thank you! I love that place. I love the animals in the wooded area; the ocean liner is the one they travelled on to America. I love their grotto - a personal history of their lives.

Kvatch, partly true - the destination sometimes becomes more than the journey. I became paralyzed with fear when I got divorced. I painted for another two years, and then, just succumbed to crushing financial fear. Sucks, brother.

The question I have danced around for the last twe...

2008-07-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

The question I have danced around for the last twenty years is this: what has made me so afraid to paint and build objects that I stopped?

Losing sight of the fact that, "...it's the journey, not the destination, that's important"?

Happens to all of us unfortunately.

Whatta Great Post! I have seen Smith's work in Ph...

2008-07-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Whatta Great Post! I have seen Smith's work in Phillips, and there is another related site not far from where I grew up, the Wegner Grotto.

http://www.agilitynut.com/h/wegnergrotto.html

Now, it may seem silly....to some, but it these examples of Art that make me proud, pleased to be an American.
Not going to the moon, not McDonalds, Walmart,Michael Jackson,InterState Highways,
Starbucks, Disco....none of that crap....

Thanks. You made my morning&stuff.

There is something really meaning in art that is n...

2008-07-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

There is something really meaning in art that is non-negotiable monetarily.

I haven't gathered my thoughts on it but while I was reading your post and viewing the accompanying photos, I kept thinking of the Monet that sold recently for 40.9 million pounds, in contrast to the outside art you present in your post. If I ever look at that Monet again (if the filthy rich individual who bought allows it to be included in an exhibit one day), It will have lost all its specialness to me. All I will be able to do is think of how much it is worth.

Thanks for a thought-provoking art post. I loved it.

Peace
Pagan

The Dickeyville Grotto reminds me a bit of the pai...

2008-07-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

The Dickeyville Grotto reminds me a bit of the paintings Monet did of the cathedral at Rouen, the textures.

Creating is the essence of being human, whether 8 or 80. Well, there's all the bodily functions and sleep shtick, but that's nowhere near as romantic.

I could never imagine not creating. C'est-à-dire, get crackin'.