Post #81924 by Benzart on Sat, Mar 20, 2004 5:43 PM

I think when a New artist starts to carve, lets say, a Tiki, they will get inspiration from a particular pieceof work or a particular artist. Usually their first few carvings may be similar or even copied perfectly.As the atrist grows and gains that inner confidence, they begin to experiment and their own style emerges. That artist may be Super gung ho and produce Multiple carvings while trying to satisfy that Inner Quest to make magic happen.
Here is where the honor and integrity come in. In deciding what to do with the carvings, if Profit is the Motivator then that can over-rule the Honesty. If Producing art is the motivator then they will most likley want to keep their works or share with Family.
Now the Other side of the coin is the person who attempts to Copy another artists work purely for Profit. they will not experiment and try to develop their Own style. they will strive to perfect the artwork of the (Well-Known) artist they are copying. they are not interested in producing anything for pleasure or for the sake of Creating a work of art. This is not cut and dry and there are different levels of Art Theft. we see it all the time. If someon uses another artists name or style in Creating, Promoting or selling someting else, It Is Theft.
Maybe they were not taught properly as children or maybe there are other reasons.
Maybe the dishonest artists think it is no big deal because "Everybody does it" is their rule. We are stuck with it and we all need to watch out for it and Voice our concerns when we see it happening to Any artist.
Thats my few cents worth for now.
BenZart