What is Art?

After informally interviewing a group of my “artistic” friends- woodsman, surfboard craftsmen, and some future aspiring artists, I found that each of their explanations of what art is to them differed greatly.  Two people’s answers who stood out the most were Billy Davis’s (a graduate student at Long Beach State University with a degree in graphic design) and Jesse Steelman’s ( surfboard shaper).  Billy claimed that art “is drawing, painting or music.”  He states that, “music is the highest form of art because it re-creates dreams, emotions, and ideas and has the power to change people.”  Jesse Steelman believes, “Art is fun, it is whatever that certain something makes that person happy, whether it be a drawing or making a surfboard.”  Art obviously is subjective and is defined differently depending on the person, but in my opinion, art is something tangible and it is made by people who expose their creativity and personality through their work, while serving a purpose in their life and possibly others.  This act of expression means that one feels a need to expose their form of art or more importantly, to actually put their artwork to use in daily life. 

 

       Jay Nelson, a thirty-three year old artist specializing in woodwork creates unique structures.  His collection of woodwork crafts are no ordinary wooden made vessels.   A piece of art of Jay’s which stands out to me is a Toyota pickup truck.  Not the old, rusty, beat down, gardener car itself, but what is attached to it:  a large, circular-shaped, smoothly carved, wooden camper shell attached on top of the old Toyota.  Although his artwork is no gorgeous painting, something beautiful is revealed through his work- mainly how he takes things that were either future pieces of junk or manufactured things, then transforms them into something luxurious, unique and valuable.

 

       The protruding, wooden, camper shell overhanging on the small truck looks rather odd, but somehow looks pristine, futuristic and old fashioned at the same time.  Perhaps it’s the smoothly, sanded, pieces of wood cleanly glued together covering the exterior, or perhaps it’s the windows; triangular windows which connect together forming a hexagon are placed on the right and left side of the shell.  A six-foot tall and four-foot wide, arching French door is on the rear of the structure.  French doors open on hinges outward in both directions.  Centered in the middle of the door is a large, clear, octagon shaped window. Inside of this structure, a roomy, cozy little room is found.  High ceilings formed by two-by fours are smoothly woven together creating a cabin-like appearance.  A platform raised in the middle covered in Indian woven blankets forms a pleasant little bed.  Below, there is room for storage for several large items.  Also, on the left and right sides, there are homely, nifty cabinets.  When opening up the cabinet to the right, a drawer can be slid out in which a compact stove is available.  Before, this truck was just a beat-down, old vehicle, and now, it is extravagantly rebuilt into a comfortable and lovely form of transportation. 

 

       This camper structure built by Jay Nelson reveals his true character.  His personality is truly reflected in this camper, which is why I believe it represents art.  It shows his fondness of travelling, but also reflects his artistic and creative abilities.  Before Jay had constructed this wooden shell, he had a need for it.  This need was a comfy storage area for his travelling, surfing and simple way of life.  This desire sparked a creative trait in which most human’s posses; but, they are not exhibited until one feels the need to alter something in order to make it more suitable for them.  When   I think once people expose this creative and innovative spirit, art is the result.  This inner aspiration to improve or create something for personal use is where art is truly shown. 

 

       My first car was an old, beat- down 1986 Toyota pickup.  The truck was a mustardy yellow with a sky blue hood that was a replacement.  As a sixteen year old junior in high school surrounded by young, spoiled, rich kids driving in fancy trucks or Audis, this vehicle stood out and was quite embarrassing- probably because most gardeners in my neighborhood drove the same cars.  Some of my own friends made fun of this car.  But in my mind, this thing was a treasure.  At 18 years of age I had still owned the car and by then it had looked much better.  My dad and I spent weekends working on the truck together, sandblasting the rust off, fixing interior flaws and eventually putting a brand new paint job and shell on it when I came up with the funds.  Inside the shell, I had created a cozy, carpeted little room suitable for surfboards and for my camping habits.  I took pride in this car.  It reflected my simple personality and joy in making something worthless into a better product.  By transforming this “piece of junk” car into a more valuable piece of machinery, my artistic side was embraced.  The car served a purpose in my life; it was my mode of transportation.  The truck simply needed a little bit of elbow grease in order to improve its overall quality.  This need had sparked a creative motive in which I expressed through enhancing the old Toyota. 

 

       Essentially, Jay’s work is a symbol for the creative spirit humans possess.  The ability to transcend traditional ideas and to create meaningful new ideas derived from originality produce an artwork that is incredible.  Beyond artwork, this creative and innovative spirit can lead to bigger things.  For example, taking a fuel powered car and changing it to ethanol injection or electric motoring is a process that started with a need: to conserve money due to increasing gas prices.  On a larger scale, it benefits our environment by reducing greenhouse gases.  This is a great example of the fusion between the spirit of creativity and the necessity of renovation.  As this world continues to have everlasting problems, the creative and innovative spirit of humans is progressing.  Another good example of this is the solar powered airplane, flown purely by capturing power from the sun.  No one ever would have thought that this creation was possible, nor did the Wright brothers when they operated the first flying machine.  This creative spirit in humans to build or act upon a problem or need keeps us from declining in this progressive society. 

 

 

heres a photo of jays truck...