The Inter-art

The latest addition to my blog, the gorgeous sketch of a tapir, is sadly not my own work. It's done by an artist called Jason Polan. I came across him through the website Drawn, that features artists on the web. It's a really cool thing that there are so many artists out there and we're able to look at their work through the internet. The last time I saw truly original art in person was at the Argyle Fine Art gallery in Halifax that for a brief time featured artwork by NSCAD students. It's great that there's an outlet for amateur artists that doesn't require being admitted to a gallery.

It doesn't take a gallery to bring an artist popularity. The internet can bring an amateur artist to semi-celebrity status. A friend introduced me to the work of Kate Beaton, a twenty-four year old cartoonist who posts her rough yet hilarious comics about Canadian history and her life as a internet cartoonist. She is very modest about her artwork and even self-deprecating at times. Her feelings are obviously wrong as she has now begun selling t-shirts and will undoubtedly have a book at some point.

Art is becoming more communal and there is an obvious feel of community at Kate Beaton's site where commentors chat easily amongst each other as if they've been friends for years. These sites allow you to link off to other artists and the results are overwhelming. I spent an entire evening looking at stranger's art and it was exhausting and inspiring. There's amazing stuff out there but there's also things like Beaton's art; amazing but also achievable from an amateur's standpoint. I know I have a long way to go with my art but that shouldn't stop me from sharing it. I'm always taking so much from the internet but never giving anything back (if you don't count this glorious blog, of course).

So with that in mind, I vow to share more with the internet. He's my best friend but I've been selfish with him. It's time to give back.

(The image is from 'Skine Art a site showcasing people's moleskin artwork. Private becomes public.)