h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

His stuff must be good if the idiot critics don't like it.

Have you seen the cr*p they give the Turner Prize to every year? It's not just about snobbery, it's about fashion and one-upmanship. The stupid values of the stupid London-centric urbanites in other words. I doubt art really comes into it.

I'm not too keen on his work, to be honest - it's technically well done, and for someone who has no formal training, it's excellent. His scenes of people dancing or dining on the beach (you must have seen those) are pretty 'cheesy', but his darker paintings, with their sexual overtones, are much more interesting.

I'm intrigued by him for two reasons - firstly, the whole high/low culture debate that he causes, and secondly, he grew up just around the corner from me, and my parents know him

Reminds me of something, I was talking to a mate of mine on the phone, trying to get him to join my LOTR "posse" and he mentioned that he knows one of the dudes who plays one of the Hobbits!

Sorry to pull the topic drift back to the topic...

Haven't you kinda noticed that the art 'critics' and 'estabilishment' never actually like anything done by people who were not trained as artists?

I appreciate that his work is not to everyones taste (basically I love his work, and yet I have yet to find anyone...apart from my sister...who thinks the same) But that sould not detract from the fact that it is very good stuff....the people look like people etc and you can't say that for a lot of modern stuff (I did the Tate modern recently and hated it..I'm sorry, but my idea of art is not copper tiling....)

Anyway, sorry for the incoherent rant...

I have to tell you that you and your sister have friends in being lovers of Jack Vettriano's paintings. My attention was hooked by the report in "The Art Newspaper" when speaking of the fair "Art London" in which he sold 20 paintings in one day and the 21st and only remaining one the following morning. What a refreshing thought for "New Artists", and fortunately what a slap in the face for any critic.
I also find it truly amazing that the critics seem, not to want anyone to actually make a living at what they are good at? and Jack Vettriano in my eyes, is very good at what he does. Does one really have to be dead before they are recognised?
Surely Jack Vettriano is doing now, what painters like Renoir did over 100 years ago - in that he is recording our history for the future generations. I think Renoir was frowned upon at the time too!