First, please forgive the length of this post but I encourage you to read it all the way through. Last week I allowed emotion to get the best of me in defense of a blog friend. They had been hurt by a comment that in my opinion was unnecessarily rude. However, in my haste to defend, it appears I committed the same sin. I was raised by good people and taught respect for others, including the lesson that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything. So I apologize for forgetting that very important lesson.
There are countless artists and craftspeople producing under a multitude of mediums. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While I may not find every art form appealing to me personally, I always appreciate the care and work that goes into the production of them. And I think it is fair to say that for the most part, we all leave a little piece of ourselves in our work. I suppose that is why criticism, outside of a juried panel, hurts so much.
I make every attempt to try and live a good life with the inevitable twists and turns that come our way. I would never intentionally be mean or cruel.
In order for a full understanding of this post, I am including the email that prompted my apology. Also, I am disabling comments from this post. I would hope that this will be the end of this issue.
Here is the email I received. (Note: I have only edited out 2 names to avoid further hurtful comments)
*****greetings...last week you made a comment on a blog...those that can't do...criticize.
well...should you have the courage to take a peek, you will find that you are
back to the post of april 30, 2012. this post will take you to an event last
spring, a very popular hook-in here in maine, where i was the featured artist.
the theme of the day was animal hooked rugs due to the money raised from
the event going to a local humane shelter. now, the picture after the bed rugg
that you will see is me, seated at my frame which is place on top of an 8'x10'
rug. unfortunately this picture doesnot capture that which is composed of
clipper ships, lighthouses and whales, to name a few. however, there were
one hundred rugs hanging in this room that i have hooked in which there was
some sort of animal in it's theme. this is a mere scratch on the surface of
hooked work that i have done...others being nautical, floral, geometric, bed
ruggs and room size 9x12's. due to the problems of internet thieves the rest of
the pictures have been deleted...for this i apologize because you are not able
to get a full scope of the displays. now, you think that i am rude, and believe me
when it comes to incompetent people, you have no idea just how bad i can get.
but i digress...should you have the courage to go and look i would ask the
following questions of you:
1) can you claim to have produced any of this amount?
2) color, content, design...any of those in your productive past?
so...sometimes those of us who can do...can criticize. i also praise and that has
been done many times to some of your blog friends. lori rippey is one
example of perfection. perhaps you should try and emulate her needlework
abilities.
now, my wife and i have a bet going. this is a hefty one to the tune of five thousand
dollars. her claim, after reading about you on your blog spot, is that you would
not ever have the ability or humility to admit you are wrong. on the other hand
my claim is that you are an intelligent woman and would realize that this time
your claim wasn't right. please prove her right...that money will be lots of
fun to spend at rebecca erb. imagine the yards and yards of incredible
wool that i will have to use!!! tempting isn't it???
what else can i say...we vulgar wealthy americans...what is there to do with us?
i'm not interested in a discourse with you on the merits of false praise to
some talentless idiots like that (****) from (*****) (boo hoo hoo) nor the
incredibly inept chick from (********). they will have to come back to the
earth plane many more times to get it! i'm happily married for forty years
this month and have eight wonderful daughters. again...can you say the same
about any of this? so, from this rude, but rich and happy person, i ask you
to take a look...there will be many more pictures in the next few months due
to teaching a few workshops and lecturing at scheduled events before the
end of december. the internet is new to me and i don't let everything in my
life end up on a blog. this is the world wide web and not a closed set...if you
don't want a comment or do not like the content of the comment, well get off
the internet and use private e-mail to satisfy your needs. you need not like any
of the rugs shown...and personally i don't care what any of you think until
the same amount and quality can be equal to the task.
so...there you have it...now don't dissapoint me...there is a lot of wool at stake!
cheers!
tom
newburyarts
