Samples from the Art Studio File Exhibition!

When we look at these prints it is often difficult to realize that they are all better than 250 years old. In fact it is very likely that many are much older than that figure. Archeologist tell us that forms of engraving work are common in dig sites along the lower Mississippi River region. These sites date in some cases to better than 3500 years ago. We can only wonder how long that the process has been evolving.

At any rate the art works do look very contemporary in appearance, most viewers would not realize their place in art history if they, the viewers, were not told. Indigenous American artist have left a fine legacy in their stone art works.

I would like to take this opportunity to Welcome all of the visitors to this blog and in particular to say, Hello and Welcome to those viewing from foreign countries.

If you have been viewing this blog for a while you may have noticed small marks above or below some of the prints, these marks help the prints load into the computer storage file. I don't know why the smaller images are rejected but they often are.

This is a good time to discuss “size” with respect to these works. The Indigenous American artist were very accomplished engravers and attention to tiny detailed compositions was their love in work. Many of the prints viewed here are enlarged somewhat in the process of preparation. I like the larger image, as it does make the picture easier to see. Please do bear in mind however that many of the examples are actually less than one inch square! I think that this is another point where that we can see the influence of early artist on the 19^th and 20^th and now the 21^th centuries. Miniaturization is a modern and post-modern reality. Here we can see that artist began this concept quite long ago.

Why are some artist remembered, while others are not?

Why are some artist remembered, while others are not? This question might have many answers. In some cases it may have to do with the medium that they choose to work in. Obviously art work created from rot prone materials degrade quickly if left exposed to the environment. We are seeing that even metal sculptures do not last well in the unprotected outdoors.

Time is proving stone to be very important in the development of mans civilization. Stone artifacts have endured to be a primary source of knowledge about societies that otherwise would have been forgotten. I think that the images that are posted here from week to week are a good example of these truths. The indigenous American artist left records carved in stone. In time, careful study of these art works may reveal important data about the societies or nations that created them and about how written language develops, in particular how a picture can or might be used to express an idea or concept.

I would like to reiterate a point that I have made in past post... I never fail to be amazed when I sit down to print these proofs. I have printed thousands of graphic stones, literally hundreds of thousands of unique faces and be assured, no two have ever been exactly alike. Many are similar, but no two are ever exactly alike. Like fossils make prints of the same type in some cases, I mean here two fossils of the same creature may be very similar and the artist may have often choose a particular fossil type for many different individual works, but the surface contour of each stone is unique and therefore no two images will be exactly alike.

It does appear that there must have been academies or school systems that trained the artist. Styles are evident in most of the plates. These styles are the product of the guilds that trained the particular apprentice. I think that we see these same styles everyday in the post-modern world, and it is evident that the artwork of the indigenous American societies is still healthy, well and alive today! It is very important to display artworks so that all may have an opportunity to observe and enjoy, and in particular, the young artist should have likewise, the opportunity to see and study the works of the Ancestor.