Zach.
Hello, I’m Zach.
If you’re here, you: 1, have definitely been sent this link and 2, are possibly considering working with me. If the latter is true, well, shucks, thanks for the consideration, friend! I hope you enjoy what you see. Feel free to use the top page navigation to proceed to the portfolio sections from here, unless you’d like to read my little autobiography, my little omphaloskepsis, as it were.
You’re under no obligation to indulge me by reading any further than this. Please, go ahead and navigate away — perhaps to the Photo section, I’m particularly fond of it.
To tell you a little about myself: I’ve spent the majority of my life attempting to create one great work of Art (and to figure out the meaning of life, but this is a portfolio introduction, so I’ll avoid the digression). I am still trying (to accomplish both, but again, specifically here: make Art). This portfolio is an amalgamation of my practice in that pursuit — and some stuff people have paid me to do, which, skill refinement is skill refinement, right? “Money be damned!” He shouted, knowing full well he needs money to survive, so, would never actually raise his fist to the sky damning money and declaring himself above it all. Please hire me. — Anyway, as this is all work in the pursuit of Art, I do not consider anything in here Art, so, I ask that you do refrain from applying the moniker “art” to this work or “artist” to me; “painting/painter,” “photograph/photographer,” “design/designer,” “pedantry/pedant,” et cetera, on the other hand, all fine, however you best see fit. Just not “art/artist,” yet (hopefully). When I make a piece of Art, capital A, you’ll know it — I’ll tell you.
“Why doesn’t he consider this ‘Art’?” I hear you exasperatedly asking, mentally/hypothetically, more of an assumption on my part than anything — you aren’t actually speaking to me at the moment, you’re (hopefully still) reading, maybe even laughing along with me. Well, ask me again, but in actuality and directly, like over a call or in person or something similar. I’ll tell you. You’ll probably hate my reasoning, most people do, some people get it though (they don’t), regardless, I’ll tell you.
That said, just because I don’t consider this AAAARTT, doesn’t mean I don’t like what I’ve done. Because, I do like this work — I cannot stress that enough. People tend to conflate my adherence to my stringent definition of and standards for what qualifies as Art to mean that I think my work is bad. Don’t make that same mistake(!). Objectively, I think the work in this portfolio is good, impressive even, some of it, skillful, one might even posit. So, check it out(.)! Peruse or take a cursory glance as you like, it is merely the fate of the entire world that rests upon your decision as to how you proceed from here.
Thank you.
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As an afterthought, I once had a friend, a fellow painter, whose goal in life was to have at least one of his paintings appear in a textbook. Over time, he and I grew distant and he has since passed away, unfortunately, but I do think that perhaps one day his work will grace the pages of a textbook. He was, in fact, an incredibly talented painter even in so short of a lifespan. I have since assumed the same goal for myself, in his memory.
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Thought experiment: If I threw a cinder block on a guitar, would the ensuing cacophony of strings snapping and wood splintering be considered a song, let alone a work of art? What if that cinder block was a paint-filled sponge and the guitar replaced with a canvas? Art now?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, I have an $80,000 painting to sell you, today! Put it next to your Rothkos and Pollocks!