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Here is the oil drum cut into smaller flattened pieces on a 48" x 48" sheet of plywood. I'll weld and screw them down after painting the arrangement. So far, so good.
As I work I meditate on some opinions about art. There's a famous saying of Gauguin: an artist is either a plagiarist or a revolutionary.
A very pointed remark!
Art students begin by copying antique models. From there they progress, and eventually can become full-fledged artists. Or not. Either they move forward, stagnate, or completely quit. An artist, according to Gauguin, is always and forever a rebel. They go beyond copying. Refusing to copy others, or themselves.
This plagiarizing phase may last a few years, or a lifetime. That is, what the public calls artists are in fact only clever imitators. Not passionate freedom loving spirits.
But at any moment a copyist can choose to take the high road of creativity. It's a hard, necessary, step.