I go through this every year after 13 Nights of Halloween. I ask myself what kind of art can I put out to top that?
This year was a bit strange in that it was more of a technical exercise than artistic. Yet I made some of my most impressive artwork. I really wanted to grasp how Basil Gogos made his art. I admire it so much. But I am haunted by a quote of Frank Frazetta. He said, "If all you try to so is make your work like the guy you admire,you're not an artist,you're a technician." Luckily in that same statement he gave an answer to help get you past that. He said,"If you're going to claim to be an artist,then you have to be original, you have got to run your influences through a blender and come up with something that belongs to you."
So I guess I now have to make the Grimbro smoothie.
I have an enormous amount of influences. Basil is the biggest but I also love Frazetta, Meglia, Skottie Young, Dave Hartman, Sebastian Kruger,Ed Newton, and Paul Bonner. Thats a pretty crazy smoothie!!!
I am technically better than I have ever been as an artist. But really now I have to fearlessly move forward and say something in my art from the heart. I realize that I am afraid of trying to find something to say that has not been said before. But yet if I don't say something that is my voice. I fear I may never be the artist that I want to be and may just be a technician.
In many ways a lot of bad habits have been drilled into me from my 10 years working as an artist in the games industry. All art is hindered by technical limitations in games. So art is always approached from a sense of a group collage. Your own artistic voice is frowned upon to maintain a consistent look. I can reflect back on this past year and realize I did not post much art between last years 13 nights and this years. I could probably give you all kinds of excuses like I was busy trying to find work or I was making my own iphone app and that required a lot of time. I almost got to live out my dream making skateboard art fulltime. But it fell through. Set backs make me question myself and my art. So my goal really is to make some art this year. I hope that does not end up being a hollow statement. I hope I can look back in 2010 and see even more great works between this year and next years 13 Nights.

I am extremely grateful to the community here for all its support. I know I do not correspond enough with everyone but I truly feel blessed here. I have met some great artist, some great contacts, and every once and a while I get to give a shout out to artists I greatly admire.

So I guess the answer to "What Now?" begins with one piece of art. Made fearlessly and from the heart.

Thanks for letting me share

Cheers
Grimmy