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In my opinion, it boils down to finding "your tribe".
There has been so much discussion in the cyber art world about 'beauty" and 'realism vs. modern art'. How one defines Important Art, is a matter of personal taste. Clearly as portrait artists, we have to deal with people's preconceived notions of what this means. To many, it is indeed ONLY a likeness in oil paint. Indeed, the commodity to hang over the mantle. Very few people can transcend this definition, and sit back to admire the skill involved with creating a personal piece of Art that is cherished beyond an accurate likeness.
The modern art world often dismisses realism for playing it safe, and NOT pushing the boundaries of expression. There's that opinion. The realist camp likes to dismiss the modernist's internal processes as trite, junk, and not worth discussing.
My interest with the work involves melding elements of each camp. For me, it has taken a lot of effort to ride the wave of both, and find my own voice. At the same time, trying my best to hit the mute button when the cacophony in the art world gets to be too much for my sensitive ears.
In the end, that's all we can do.
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