Post #488889 by Gromit_Fan on Sun, Oct 18, 2009 6:17 PM

Hmmm.

I use SHAG's work to add whimsy and fun to my world.
Looking at his serigraphs around the room makes me smile.

His new direction is great for him as an artist,
even if it moves him to a bleaker place that (too) many
in the lowbrow movement already inhabit.

It was also, most likely, inevitable.
Every artist wants to be respected and taken seriously,
even if they are wiping their tears with thousand dollar bills.

I like the new work, but I am not sure how eager I am
to purchase serigraph reproductions and display them
on my walls.

Jim Carrey is good, no GREAT, as a dramatic actor and artist.
Seeing him in Doing Time on Maple Drive
proved he has the talent for it, and followed that
with several other good dramatic turns, not the least of
which were Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
and The Truman Show.

But it seems folks STILL prefer Carrey when he
is making them smile and laugh.

Now he seems to have settled into doing both.

I hope Josh does, too.

I will be buying the new book for Autumn's Come Undone
and I am eager to see the work, but I suspect there is going to be
something of a pre-2010 fan base (and collector market)
and a post-2010 fan base if this shift in tone is
reflected in most future works.

I still say "Bravo!" and bring it on!