My wife and I asked Portland comic artist Jason Rainey to create a bit of Dr. Who fan art as a gift for a family member this Christmas. The only stipulation was that it represent the Weeping Angels and, if possible, contain River Song as well as the good Doctor. Needless to say, we were so thrilled with the result that it was hard to part with it.
This experience got me thinking though. . . thinking back to the days when I devoured comic books as a kid, and to one series in particular that Marvel put out called What If? which essentially explored the possibility of alternate scenarios for different characters and plot lines in their most popular titles. I was thinking about this series because a sort of What If? scenario had tickled my consciousness. Try this one on for size. . .
What if everyone in 2012 decided to commission just one piece of original artwork from an artist to give as a gift next holiday season? Perhaps it wouldn't even need to be related only to commissions. . . what if everyone in 2012 simply decided to purchase one piece or original artwork to give as a gift next holiday season? What sort of neo-Renaissance might occur the world over if everyone simply opted for art rather than designer socks or tiny vials of scented liquid?
Now I realize that the likelihood of such a sea change in the demand for original art is every bit as far fetched as the wildest of What If? stories, but I can say from recent personal experience that the most talked about Christmas present in our family this past season was not a disposable mass-produced product. In fact, the one gift I'm confident will still be around, remembered, and talked about twenty years from now is one that had no middlemen, wasn't shipped or on sale, couldn't be found anywhere else in the world, and cannot be Googled.
This experience got me thinking though. . . thinking back to the days when I devoured comic books as a kid, and to one series in particular that Marvel put out called What If? which essentially explored the possibility of alternate scenarios for different characters and plot lines in their most popular titles. I was thinking about this series because a sort of What If? scenario had tickled my consciousness. Try this one on for size. . .
What if everyone in 2012 decided to commission just one piece of original artwork from an artist to give as a gift next holiday season? Perhaps it wouldn't even need to be related only to commissions. . . what if everyone in 2012 simply decided to purchase one piece or original artwork to give as a gift next holiday season? What sort of neo-Renaissance might occur the world over if everyone simply opted for art rather than designer socks or tiny vials of scented liquid?
Now I realize that the likelihood of such a sea change in the demand for original art is every bit as far fetched as the wildest of What If? stories, but I can say from recent personal experience that the most talked about Christmas present in our family this past season was not a disposable mass-produced product. In fact, the one gift I'm confident will still be around, remembered, and talked about twenty years from now is one that had no middlemen, wasn't shipped or on sale, couldn't be found anywhere else in the world, and cannot be Googled.
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