Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series

General art-related discussion.
phalanx
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 3:24 pm

Juvenile snark doesnt help 59parks. I truly dont get it. Are you all just shills?
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finneganm
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 3:39 pm

Maybe you could get those creative juices flowing, make your own poster that truly captures the majesty and beauty that you feel when you spend time in the park. Rafting and hiking through it, like the god fearing trailblazers of old. Maybe write some just outright drymounting horrible poetry about it too. Or you could continue posting here, blowing all our minds with your keen masturbatory insights. Or you could just drymount right off. It's a free country.
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That's what she said
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earlgreytoast
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 3:56 pm

phalanx wrote:There are some great prints in this series but the latest offerings have been decidedly boring and flat. For example, the Dry Tortugas National Park print is one of the uglier Charley Harper-esque imitations around. With Sand Dunes and North Cascades we are starting to see a generic copy and paste approach rather than a style. Kings Canyon National is barely cute, reminds me of Yogi bear. Statue of Liberty and the most recent arches are simply lacking any creativity--Lassen Park among others falls in this category too.

They need to stop producing prints that would be barely good enough to decorate a toddler's bedroom. The limited edition garbage is also silly, print them in two sizes or not. Given the direction they are going and the amount of prints left, I think people are going to lose interest fast.
Is THIS the original post that has everyone all hot and bothered? Jesus people, lighten the drymount up. I actually think the criticism is spot on. I guess it's the line about a toddler's room that got danger's emo hackles up. And instead of addressing the criticisms directly, he chose to try to embarrass the criticizer by publicly pointing at him and laughing. Twice. Cue the peanut gallery rallying around DD and you have the last 3 pages of rubbish.

Bottom line, to me anyway, is that if you are going to make art and put it out in the public, and make money doing it, you are going to get all different types of reactions. Add to the equation that thousands of dollars are being spent and made on that art, and you are going deeper into emotional territory. Compassion has no place in this discussion; there is no suffering or pain here. Just some dude who had a vision and is executing that vision with the help of some artists.

phalanx does seem like an alt, and definitely seems to be trolling, but all you guys are doing is giving him a platform to do it. It's kinda like how some here keep feeding misterx in the political realm. His initial post above is mostly harmless and could have easily been ignored. But of course, most of us come to EB just to pass a few minutes here and there, and drama is MUCH more interesting than a bunch of fanboys drooling over the latest whatever.
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finneganm
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 4:02 pm

Oh, go have some tea
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That's what she said
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hunterjax
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:41 pm

phalanx wrote:Reality can be brutal. Crying about it doesnt change anything. Not everyone cares if you agree with them.
Being an a-hole is easy though.

I haven't loved every poster in this series, but even those I wasn't a fan of, I didn't feel the need to act like a NYT intern in the art critic office over summer break and insult everyone involved in the making of it or those who bought it.

Art discussion IS what we're here for. Doing it in the manner you've chosen, just illustrates what a drymounting pleasure you must be to be around in real life.
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nomdeguerre
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:01 pm

mfaith wrote:What a curious "first" 6 posts...
Doesn't share same opinion as the majority? Must be an alt, right McCarthy?
*hand censored by the magical m'faith
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mfaith
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 8:36 pm

So it goes...
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virtualj
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:19 pm

nomdeguerre wrote:
mfaith wrote:What a curious "first" 6 posts...
Doesn't share same opinion as the majority? Must be an alt, right McCarthy?
STFU alt

PS that phalanx person has a point, I agree with them.
I donate anonymously.
phalanx
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Posts: 14
Joined: Sun May 28, 2017 11:58 am

Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:42 pm

Didn't expect this level of intolerance to frank attempts at discussion, but I appreciate some of the honest posters here. Now that things are calm, nothing to do but wait for the next poster.
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Lowbrow-Ink
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Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:46 pm

earlgreytoast wrote:
phalanx wrote:There are some great prints in this series but the latest offerings have been decidedly boring and flat. For example, the Dry Tortugas National Park print is one of the uglier Charley Harper-esque imitations around. With Sand Dunes and North Cascades we are starting to see a generic copy and paste approach rather than a style. Kings Canyon National is barely cute, reminds me of Yogi bear. Statue of Liberty and the most recent arches are simply lacking any creativity--Lassen Park among others falls in this category too.

They need to stop producing prints that would be barely good enough to decorate a toddler's bedroom. The limited edition garbage is also silly, print them in two sizes or not. Given the direction they are going and the amount of prints left, I think people are going to lose interest fast.
Is THIS the original post that has everyone all hot and bothered? Jesus people, lighten the drymount up. I actually think the criticism is spot on. I guess it's the line about a toddler's room that got danger's emo hackles up. And instead of addressing the criticisms directly, he chose to try to embarrass the criticizer by publicly pointing at him and laughing. Twice. Cue the peanut gallery rallying around DD and you have the last 3 pages of rubbish.

Bottom line, to me anyway, is that if you are going to make art and put it out in the public, and make money doing it, you are going to get all different types of reactions. Add to the equation that thousands of dollars are being spent and made on that art, and you are going deeper into emotional territory. Compassion has no place in this discussion; there is no suffering or pain here. Just some dude who had a vision and is executing that vision with the help of some artists.

phalanx does seem like an alt, and definitely seems to be trolling, but all you guys are doing is giving him a platform to do it. It's kinda like how some here keep feeding misterx in the political realm. His initial post above is mostly harmless and could have easily been ignored. But of course, most of us come to EB just to pass a few minutes here and there, and drama is MUCH more interesting than a bunch of fanboys drooling over the latest whatever.
While I can't speak for Danger's hand, I'm guessing he (or she) might find divergence on that particular point...
JPB
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:18 am

Hello Phalanx,

You're right. This is a place for art discussion and opinions are going to vary. I have to admit, I'm a little out of my element. The last time I read or posted on a message board outside of my 3/4 posts here was in 2005. I fully understand some people will dig the series and some people won't. The goal of the series is not to win everyone over or try to change people's opinions either. If we feature Angel's Landing in Zion there's going to be a line of people saying "but why not feature the Narrows? THAT's the best part of the park." This sort of thing just comes with the territory. It's all subjective and that's totally cool. Not to mention the only person who fully knows what we have planned for the series is sitting over here. (May or may not be suggesting that Zion will get a Narrows print one day).

I also want to mention that I don't feel personally hurt or affected by any of the criticism. Opinions aren't facts, it sounds like we're on the same page there. My purpose for posting was to stand by the artists we've worked with. I'm seeing that it may have been a lost cause to try to speak to someone behind the veil of anonymity, complete with a fresh profile, about compassion. And if you're truly a person of your convictions why hide who you are? If we're speaking candidly and with a sense of authenticity why not go all the way? You generally know who I am and how to reach me. The lack of accountability kind of negates any credibility of the feedback. I also understand that it was a shot in the dark to encourage constructive criticism—in other words encouraging actionable feedback to make the thing being criticized better. Stating an opinion with out a potential solution is not constructive criticism. I'm realizing It's an internet forum though and I'm just a tourist here. People are empowered to share feelings in a public space that they otherwise may not find appropriate to share in person.

Hearing someone on here say there's no room for compassion—no matter what people are talking about—is totally foreign to me. Even if I'm hanging out on the internet. For someone else to imply that people don't struggle to develop their craft feels like a lack of personal insight. But again, I'm out of my element.

Only time will tell if this series is a dud or not. At the same time validation of the work put into the series isn't derived from other people's approval. I'm sincere when I say we'll finish this series even if people lose interest or if I have to go broke doing so. I wholeheartedly believe in the work we're doing. Parks, posters, and community are three of the things I'm most passionate about. It's about the joy of the process that gets me hyped. It's not about the end goal or trying to make everyone happy. It's about our shared enthusiasm for posters and parks. That and collaborating with some of the most creative and hardest working people I've ever met.

That's all I have left to share. It's ok if you don't like the series. I'm sincerely in favor of you staying true to your convictions. You get to choose how you use your time and focus that energy. If our work offends your sensibilities you don't have to pay attention to what we release. Or you can register your disgust on the internet. With all due respect it ultimately doesn't make a difference to the series. We'll continue to keep our heads down and work twice as hard.

Have a good night!

- JP
danieldanger
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:37 am

phalanx wrote: There has in fact been constructive criticism: that these posters are becoming increasingly derivative, unimaginative, and, in the latest case, a complete aesthetic failure. While a ramshackle mill might be a curious feature that might lure in someone indifferent to national parks; I can't imagine why one would select it as the centrepiece of one the greatest parks in the US. As someone enthusiastic about national parks, Wrangell is more than a dead copper town. Even if you disagree with that concept, the poster has huge issues when it comes to composition, color, the graphic art... Unless your intention was to say, 'look how we destroy our environment' the poster is a failure. Simply, it is ugly. Your Mill dwarfs the peaks, your mill takes away from the real beauty of Wrangell.

....because it was important to me, the artist who drew it. the artist who traveled there and camped there and was in awe of this sleeping relic of american history that sprawled around the mountainside and was a huge influence on literally a decade of my art that would follow, a catalyst for all the abandoned exploring i would do. the artist whos own great grandfather was one of the very very very first gold miners in the klondike (george slater), whos name i found carved into animal hides in the gold rush museums, whos original maps and tools and snakeskins i have, whos journey my family followed across multiple extended trips through alaska over years, whos own direct relative was a key figure in the dawn of the US industrial revolution (samuel slater). sure, he wasnt at kennecott, but my family has been heavily involved in that part of alaskas history and this place struck a chord with me. it inspired me, its important to me, i like it, so i drew it, because its probably important to other people too. sorry you dont like "the composition" and "its ugly" but good god its really hard to care because your attitude is like ::huge jerk off motion::
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Cragars
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:18 am

Phalanx,

Tact tho.

-Cragars
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fallstaff
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 2:29 am

To me, Wrangell-st Elias is one of the real gems of the series and resonates with me on many levels. For example the artist with a clever use of POV composes the dilapidated structures as a pyramid — a unified, monumental structure echoing the wasting Pyramids of Egypt, with the distant mountains in the background echoing also that shape. I think it draws attention to the temporary, transient nature of our built environment and suggests also that the mountains themselves, subject to slow geologic time, will succumb to erosion and tectonic forces.

The image also exemplifies the aesthetic pleasure inherent in Wabi-Sabi, a Japanese idea locating beauty in decrepitude and dissolution. The buildings left to disrepair display a strange beauty as rows of rickety siding barely hang on or fall off. The siding planks make a wonderful feature that the artist exploits to create an alternating rhythm of elements that further intensifies the image.

And I can't think of a more suitable subject to highlight in a National Park poster than a destructive copper mine. There's many in government and elsewhere that want to develop, extract from and/or privatize our Public lands. What better way to publicize the disastrous consequences of that policy.
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agr719
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:21 am

:clap: to Mr. Danger :pint:

Seriously, that is fascinating about the family history, appreciate you sharing that. Regardless of the motive.
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