In a couple of past issues, I wrote about how cowboy/western art presents some of the history of the West, and how photography is not alays considered an art form by "art experts".
To the latter came a response from Karen Smith, CAPA, who wrote "I DO believe that photographers are artists. Anyone that says they're not has never tried to do "photographic art". Many of us can take pictures, but, I
have yet to see a work of art come from an instamatic, except by accident. Taking beautiful photographs, consistantly, time after time after time, is NOT an accident."
What Karen says is true - but is not the full story. Photography, even more so than paining, is art blended with science. There's only so much you can do with the camera. It's the editing that really brings out the art ion photography. The darkroom gives the pbhoto arist the ability to complete the "painting".
The nuances that film development and printing can add to the original negative output is where the real art comes in (assuming, of course, that the negative provides an effective starting base for our work).
Art plays an important role in society. It provides an insight into the life and times of the era in which the artist lived. It presents visual concepts - the artist's and/or an interpretation of the public view - of social conditions and historical events occurring during the life of the artist. after all - what difference is there betwen today's technologically advanced artist/photographer and
early man who drew images on cave walls? Not much, except one form is much more sophisticated than the other. Religion used art to provide ideas to illiterate followers (stained windows, paintings). Art informs people, it makes them think (hopefully), and last - and maybe not least, art entertains. Art entertains by providing an enjoyable and satisfying ambience to homes, institutions, and offices.
Art can excite or relax the viewer, it can bring back memories of things done or enhance thoughts of things the viewer would like to do or places the viewer would like to be. And paintings, sculptures, and photographs are not fleeting. they are always there, and have the ability to provide new information to the viewer whenever he or she takes the time to re-examine the work(s). Asw allknow, art s in the eyes of the beholder, but whether art
is massed produced, is a one-of-a-kind work, it provides a great deal of satisfaction to the person who possesses the artist's work. So art will always be i demand; for the artist who wishes to be a commercial euccess, the key is producing works that have an audience. And there lies the crux.
Joe Chernicoff, CAPA Exec. Director
Deniece Tanner, one-half of the Deniece and Dwayne Tanner "Tanner's Western and Rodeo Art". "Dwayne’s art was merely a dream until he discovered that he could accomplish telling the story of the all American heroes, the cowboys.
With a few photographs of local rodeo heros and a dream of solitude, he went to work on his art to portray the cowboy's story and using the graceful movements and the untimely rhythm of the rodeo cowboy.
Dwayne's art tells his story of the flashy and exciting times of the rodeo life.
His inspiration comes from his heritage, a long line of American Cowboys. Buffalo Bill Cody offered Dwayne’s great grandfather, George Hereford, a descendant of Chief Washakie, a job riding and roping in his Wild West Show in 1885.Directly after he accepted the offer he learned of his brother’s death and could not leave with the show. George Hereford went on to be known as the best rider and roper in the Rocky Mountain area.
Born in Rock Springs Wyoming in 1953, Dwayne continues to live and work in Wyoming with his wife, Deniece." The following work is found online at their site. The Tanners will be showing their character studies at the CAPA Art Show & Sale in December.
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