Sunday, April 24, 2011

Stolen Art

Stolen Middle "Green" painting in progress 36 x 60 inches
Stolen "Red" painting in progress 36 x 60 inches
Stolen "Green" painting in progress 36 x 60 inches

I feel violated. I feel raped. I've felt like that before when I left my homecountry because of the bullies who wanted to see me leave for my property. They've got my shit, they got rid of me. I came to United States. I've built a life here.

Last night, someone broke into my studio gallery in West Glen and stole 2 pieces of art that were freshly finished and the glossy varnish was drying. They only stole 2 canvases out of 5 that lined up in order make a rainbow, a beautiful rainbow designed and painted to represent diversity of an educational institution that I was making it for. I was excited about the art. It turned out great after a month-long creation process. Now it is ruined. It is like someone cut off it's head and legs. I have 3 canvases left that are disjointed and missing the two pieces.

I have no idea how can I recreate such large artwork. I can match colors but it is a lot harder than creating a piece from scratch. The new canvas, paint and medium will cost me dearly, I will need at least additional 40 hours to recreate the missing pieces. It took a lot of physical space and time to create one artwork that is 324 inches large artpiece. I am hurt. I am in pain. The dream commission is turning into a nightmare commission.

My vision of what could have happened is that there are some low life people partying in neighboring West Glen bars and possibly eying the art that could be seen through the windows. Maybe they have seen me working on it. Maybe there was a group of drunk low lives daring each other to try and steal it. Maybe it was planned, maybe it was not. But the result is that the art is gone. My heart is broken.

The thief only went for the art, they didn't take anything seemingly more valuable. They didn't brake into my office. They didn't take money or wine that was there. Sophisticated thief must have a lot of money and a big house to hang my shit. Will they hang it? Or destroy it?
I certainly hope to get it back. I hope they will get undrunk, think clearly and return my work back to me.

I just think it is unfair how we always think of good neighborhoods as the ones where "rich" people live. And we think of bad neighborhoods as the ones where "poor" people live. This is wrong. Being poor doesn't make you bad, and being rich is not making you good. Stealing things means hurting people and affecting their ability to provide for themselves and their families. Stealing things means raping their souls.

I will survive this just as well as I have survived war, discrimination, injustice, illness and loss. But right now I just don't feel right. My world is upside down today. On Easter Day.

Here is a link with missing pieces in progress. The finished art looks similar. The green painting has a word "Learn" in it, and the red painting has a word "Imagine" in it. If you know anything about whereabouts of this art, please call West Des Moines police.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Emotional side of art

The longer I work with the artists, the more I am realizing how sensitive artists can be. I've became better to be nice and gentle to the creative soul, but you still never know when you're going to offend... Sometimes I think that my lesson in this life is to learn how to work with that sensitivity in myself and others.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but I think artists are terrible business people and that is what explains much about the struggles of art business. Every human emotion seems to be amplified with creative people. If they are mad, they are really mad to the bone... if they are grateful and happy, they hug you... if they believe you, they listen to what you have to say... if they are jealous, they try to sabotage you... if they are insecure, they need reinforcement.... if they are opinionated, they put their nose places... if they are feeling inferior, they ignore you.

The human intrigue of art is just as interesting and entertaining as anything I end up selling in the gallery. I forgive, I forget, I get over things quickly... Most artists don't...

If I can offer one piece of advice to artists, it is to learn to let go of their emotions... cut them off like the helium balloon and let that balloon float into the universe. Then go back to your studio and create something new. Be persistent. Be reliable. Show up on time. Do as you say. Return messages. The good working ethic sells more art than anything else.

We are meeting a rare and unusual need in humans: a need for beauty, wonder, a need for unusual, different, challenging, provocative, inspiring. We are helping people make a distinction with their art, we are helping them be more important and feel better. And all that is much easier to do if we don't keep our head in the clouds.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Friday, April 1, 2011