Pup art.

Was watching Antiques Roadshow again last night, and was irritated by this Karel Appel acrylic that was valued at up to $18,000.

It's from 1967, but I don't know what it was called. Piece of Crap would be my suggestion.

Looking at the Appel page on Wikipedia, I was surprised to see that the artist had done a sculpture at the Hague that I liked. Also, the fact that he his from the Nazis to avoid working in the munitions factory gets the thumbs-up from me, which I'm sure would make him happy. Apparently he set out to make childish works, but I can't say this plan is successful. Children don't set out to make childish works; they want to make art that looks like real things, but they only have childish skills. If my kid turned in something that looked like the above, the teacher would call in the school counselor. Or the nurse.

I decided that I could be a wealthy artist, since I'm lousy at art. But I realized that I could not achieve this kind of artistic genius because I would instinctively try to make my art good, not bad. Not that it would be good, but the fact that I was trying would show I was no genius. QED.

That's why my wife decided that the dog should be the artist in the family. He don't give a damn.

Here is one of Mr. Tralfaz's latest compositions:

Paw

All it needs to make it worth $18,000 is the right explanation.

Paw (water on asphalt; 2015) is one of Tralfaz's most ambitious creations. Here we see the artist making his mark, if you will, in a soulless world of cement and steel. The choice of materials is interesting---a watermark, which while ancient is not lasting, and brute paving, which while modern is hard to get rid of. Although Tralfaz has made a mark, it is obviously ephemeral in nature, posing the question: Has he really made anything at all? The irony of ancient but temporary vs. current but permanent is one of his running themes, a theme he has explored in other works such as Chewed Stick, P.P., and Poop in the Park.

Okay, great! Send me a check, art people. Thanks.