having not had a whole lot of exposure to art when i was younger and having married someone who is devoting her life to it (i think we are all familiar with her) i can say that you can definitely develop an appreciation for it.

for me it's just taking an interest and spending time with the works (in person if you can rather than in books) and really taking the time to understand not just the technique but, more importantly, the artist and how the person and their surroundings combined to create the work you see in front of you. the biggest thing for me was going past the "hey, i like that" and taking time for form complete thoughts about what it is that i like about a specific piece/artist.

as far as the "art scene" and the inch-think wall of bullshit goes. . . even at its worst it's never been as bad as an elephant6 show at the 40-watt in athens. and it's usually just as superficial--folks who actually work at the galleries are usually pretty cool and willing to help you understand the stuff better if you're not afraid to ask.

I really dig Ivan Albright's work.

heh heh. this is true as well.

Mark Tansey is my man.

and I think apprecition can be learned, of course some people will always have a better understanding of the medium because of upbringing or their own personal studies.

I know bunches of artists and some are snobby and annoying..and I avoid them like the plague...and many others are fun people. Just go to the shows where the fun art people are and avoid the snobs. The snobs usually have crappy art anyway.

Really, as much as people wanna tell you otherwise, art is subjective in the end, so if you have an interest or desire to get into it, just grab on to the parts you want, go with people you like, and have a good time. If you get someplace filled with attitude and aren't having fun, get out.

If you're not a collector or somehow in the business, leaving a glalery, even if it doesn turn into the next big thing, ain't gonna hurt you a bit and neither is having a good time in a gallery full of stuff that'll never hang in a decent place or sell a lick.

It's not about getting cool points and you're not required to like or dislike anything. Its about having fun and enjoying somebody else's work.

Any artist who says this to anyone deserves five in the kisser.