Dennis Hollingsworth

Clark Flood

Clark Flood?

Yesterday, my old friend, artist Aaron Parazette called in to say hello and report an interesting bit of writing by artist/painter Mark Flood, "a key player" in the Houston scene* known more to Aaron than I, but any friend of Aaron is a friend of mine as the saying goes**.

Mark writes for an in house blog for GlassTire, an online art magazine based in Texas, now expanding to the West Coast, California. Aaron flagged posts #5 "Selling Out" and #8 "Press Release", although I tend to like many more of his missives, #11 and counting. An artist who is starting to get long in the tooth (like myself I suppose) whose writing voice is cynical and bitter with a freedom that's another word for nothing left to lose.

In other words, he's in a great place to do this kind of thing.

Here's one slice of pie:

I'm tempted to write art criticism in this column, but I'm afraid of the repercussions. If you tell people what you think of their lame art in print, you make enemies. Some openly lash out at you, in their pain and shame, and that's tolerable, even enjoyable. But others hate you without ever showing any sign. They nurse secret grudges for years, as they smile your way at parties and openings. Like a puff adder on a Kalahari trail, they patiently wait for an opportunity to strike.
Picture yourself mountain climbing with a colleague you think is a buddy. A minor accident leaves you dangling from a rope 1000 feet up, against the face of a cliff. Instead of rushing to help you, your friend hesitates. He sits on the top of the cliff and looks down at you. You call out Buddy! Buddy! Pull me up! He doesn't respond. There's an eerie silence. You hear a hawk in the distance. You look up and he's staring down at you with a strange smile. He says loudly, but conversationally, So my use of collage is pedantic, huh? There's a long moment while his words echo. You slowly realize what he's talking about. The review from 1991! He shouts down, Am I too PEDANTIC to pull you up here, Mr. Art Critic? Maybe I need to DROP ? he shakes the rope ? Maybe I need to DROP my use of collage because it's JUST SO FUCKING PEDANTIC!

Picture yourself falling helplessly to your death as you explain that you meant pedantic in a good way.

Oh yea, and what about the Clark versus Mark? a nom de guerre/plum? Sorry to let slip your veil, Mark. But maybe it was just a typo?

* I swear to G-d that I tried to think of another way to express that thought.

** There I go again. I'm coping with a tough day, folks.