(Warning: I am about to say “dude” a lot in the following post. I say it when I get really excited about something.)
You may have noticed at least once or twice that I am a complete, raving, drooling fan of Hazel Dooney and her work (if sexual artwork upsets you, by the way, don’t go to her site. You’ll get upset. Just saying.) I might have mentioned it here or there. It’s embarrassing, I know – I have a total crush on her.
What I love about her the most though is the way she completely and totally gets the idea of sovereignty. She runs her life and her business her own way. She’s been outrageously successful the past few years and has made sacrifices for bucking the system. But she’s done it with eyes wide open, and I’ve never once seen her complain about it.
I love that. It really inspires me to keep going when I want to throw in the towel.
But because she’s been so outrageously successful, the prices for her work have skyrocketed, far out of reach of those of us who aren’t business executives, CEO’s and the otherwise fabulously wealthy.
While most artists would just be rejoicing that hey, people are paying thousands of dollars for their art, Hazel is worrying about alienating the rest of us who love her work. It’s about art for everyone. I absolutely love this.
I love this whole idea, this whole concept of art being for everyone who loves it, and not just for those that can afford it. It’s the reason I’ve started occasionally offering smaller works and sketches, so that even if you can’t afford a large landscape, you can get a little sketch of one. It’s about a certain sense of democracy in a business that is all about the hierarchy and how few people can afford you. It changes the focus. I like it.
So, because the idea of just making giclee prints of her work makes her cringe, she’s decided to do a series of stencils. And dude, these are awesome stencils.
© Hazel Dooney. "NO!" hand stencilled, high gloss enamel on archival board
© Hazel Dooney. "YES?" hand stencilled high gloss enamel on archival board
I am drooling over the “NO!” one. (Probably in no small part because I wish I knew how to say no better.)
Hazel’s probably better at explaining them though, so in her own words:
“My early art was influenced by graffiti, sticker tagging, agitprop and propaganda posters from the mid 20th century. Back then, I was interested in the wood block prints produced during China’s Cultural Revolution, in which symbolic colours and simplified shapes reinforced short, directive slogans.
Given these influences, the obvious medium for my serial works was stencil. This gave me pause: conventional stenciling is crude and I didn’t want to end up with a pastiche of bad street art. I experimented with different methods and materials. I wanted the finish to be beautiful and seductive, referring to ideas in my other hard-edged work. It also had to be durable.”
So there ya go.
I really love these. But I really love what they stand for more. It’s a new era in art and the selling of it. The old ways of just trying to be as exclusive as possible are going out the window. What’s the point of art if you’re not going to share it with the people who love it?
If you’re interested in getting one of these totally kick ass stencils, there are 6 editions of each image – 5 in colour (faux-fluorescent lime, Dooney pink, industrial safety orange, papal purple and pitch black) and an artist’s proof edition in a “virginal white gloss enamal on white matt board”.
The coloured prints are $500 US each. Practically a steal. I would buy one in a heartbeat (but we won’t get into my financial situation right now.) The artist’s proofs are $750 US. I can’t get over how cheap this is. Dude, it costs less than most of my art, and I’m not exactly Picasso in my prices.
If you’re interested go here, read all the details, find out how to get one.
If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to drooling over these pieces and wishing I had an extra $500. And maybe figuring out how I can make my own art accessible to everyone who loves it.
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