Question: The rules of engraving and the future of engraving

I guess people would say I am somewhat unconventional. I am not a big scroll fan but I love well done scroll. For the most part I love 18th century art and that is mostly what I do. I am lucky in that I can afford to go for years without any big sales. However over I do real well financially. There is scroll work in 18th century art but it's different. It is Rococo style. What this tells me is this. Whatever art you do it must be something that somebody with money wants to buy. Not many like the old stuff I do but the ones who do are loaded and can't find guns like I do. I hate Picasso but I'm not the only one who counts and the price of his stuff proves what you say has merit. Do what you love and do it very well. Most likely you won't be the only one who loves it. I think it is important to be unique. If everything looked the same we would be bored into quitting. Look at Coggan. He does scroll but it's' different. It seems to me that all the very great ones are a little different. Ron Smith. Lovenberg-- etc.
It’s always the art that sells.


Ps- Scrolls to me are foilage like flowers in the garden. They can be beautiful if they arn't sterile of flowers. Sterile scrolls are rose bushes without roses. Ot trupet vines without the trumpets.

Weldon47 said:

Ahhh, grasshopper: To bend rules first one must know what they are….

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You are making a living at engraving, myself I don't need to know the rules. I can make my own rules up as I go along, nobody is paying me, and if they don't like what I do, I won't care. All that matters is "do" I like what I have done. I don't have to please anyone but myself.

the "new wave of creativity" ? that wave lies between your ears, and ends at your wrist and fingers. many want to find treasure buried under a rock somewhere. the treasure is found only if one looks long & hard for it. the wave is out there, just waiting to come ashore ! perhaps you can give it a boost. good luck

I have seen work here that is more in the line of modern art (can't remember where now) but there is a market for the extreme and eccentric styles. I'm sure a google search would uncover them. My art professor in college kept pounding on me to "loosen up," to the point I got so frustrated and mad at him I literally flew off the handle and just started slinging paint at the canvas! He just smiled and said "its about time you got my point." That was when I learned to approach art from a different perspective, and then I started engraving!, a medium that requires constraint and order. Now the challenge is to blend the two disciplines into a melded and complete work of art. It ain't easy and requires a lot of forethought, and then, when you get some freedom in your style, the customer wants the more traditional look and work. So, bottom line, if you're free to explore the untraditional market, by all means go for it, but be cognizant of those more traditionalists out there that appreciate your expertise and are willing to pay for it. The road is long and hard (as is anything worth doing) but the rewards are well worth it.

Bill

Big-Un said:

I have seen work here that is more in the line of modern art (can't remember where now) but there is a market for the extreme and eccentric styles. I'm sure a google search would uncover them. My art professor in college kept pounding on me to "loosen up," to the point I got so frustrated and mad at him I literally flew off the handle and just started slinging paint at the canvas! He just smiled and said "its about time you got my point." That was when I learned to approach art from a different perspective, and then I started engraving!, a medium that requires constraint and order. Now the challenge is to blend the two disciplines into a melded and complete work of art. It ain't easy and requires a lot of forethought, and then, when you get some freedom in your style, the customer wants the more traditional look and work. So, bottom line, if you're free to explore the untraditional market, by all means go for it, but be cognizant of those more traditionalists out there that appreciate your expertise and are willing to pay for it. The road is long and hard (as is anything worth doing) but the rewards are well worth it.

Bill

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I took art and went to commercial art school for 7 years. When they started pushing that modern stuff on me I quit. I once entered an art contest at the art museum in Portland. I entered three pieces. The one I thought was lousy won first place. The two good ones never even got a recognition.

Thank you all for your responses. I truly appreciated your feedback and love the encouragement to experiment and be original. I was very worried that being accepted as an engraver required acceptance of tradition. Still, when you see my work someday, you may think it is crap.

Sorry to Sam and others who think that it is sad I am bored by scrolls. A lot of things make me sad but being bored by scrolls isn't one of them.

To clarify...it may be worthwhile to practice scrolls, but I do not want to engrave a (for example) gun with 50 scrolls. That would kill the fun for me. I'm scrolled out!

You may want to consider engraving printing plates. There is much more "Freedom" to experiment with designs that do speak to your artistic sensibilities. There is also greater acceptance for "non-traditional" art in the art print market. You can have all the tactile pleasure of cutting smooth, beautiful lines in metal and then creating multiple prints for sale. After a limited edition is run, there is actually a market for framed engraving plates themselves. Intaglio Printmaking is, of course, an art form itself, but unlike etching, there is something special about the crispness of a fine print from an engraved plate. It's something to consider.

There was a time when all printed pictures in any publication were engraved, usually on the end grain of boxwood, copper and tin plates. US currency uses a lot of scroll work but even that is changing. Many other countries use none at all. The reason I think scroll is most important here is that is where the members can offer the most aid in tool use which will be rather quick if you are dedicated. If money is a requirement you should be able in a year or two to make money just doing lettering for the jewelry trade and devote your free time to your art. As many engravers will tell you Jewelry pays the most per hour. but if you can cut lettering for four hours a day and charge correctly you stop at noon, set it aside and do as you like. But start where teachers and critics can aid you in tool use and techniques Then branch and bring us your art for technical issues and other advice and you will be added greatly to this site.

There is another web site that I think you will find very interesting. I was introduced the site by Jim Kelso here http://www.jimkelso.com/ Look up his work and comments here as well. The other site slips my memory at the moment "metalbrush" or something. You will enjoy jims work and he no longer cuts very much scroll Fred

Monk, I like your comment and encouragement. I am intrigued by the skilled and diversity of Engraver and Artist. Their willingness to share there works.
Craftspersons, Artist or what ever you identify yourself as Thank you for sharing and taking the time to respond when we subject ourself to constructive criticism! That said, I need to get to work and practice.