Are You on Crack.....Seriously!

 da always lovely, Lady Bunny!

no really, i love slaving over a piece of art.....wait let me start over....ahem. i love the idea of rushing and slaving over a mural for 8 hours for a measly $250! i live for that kinda shit...the anxiety, the lack of respect of my time - AWESOME!

this stems from a recent email i received from an art consultant working for a cosmetic company that's introducing a new line of organic products. snippet from email:

There will be 9 artists painting in 9 ______ stores around Manhattan.  The theme of the art is “Our Beautiful Planet.”  You can paint your interpretation of “Our Beautiful Planet,” whatever you feel that might mean.  Whatever you paint should take 8 hours.  The only other rule is that the art supplies must be eco-friendly and you may not paint anything that might be considered offensive (i.e. nudity, violence, etc.).

You will be given a stipend of $250 for your time for the day.  You will also be given $200 for any art supplies you need (it will be your responsibility to purchase the canvas, any easel you might need, and all art supplies).  We are anticipating that the canvas will be about 4 feet by 4 feet.

________ definitely appreciates the art you do, and they would love to have you be a part of this project.

my ass they do! don't get me wrong, i am very happy that this person saw my work on the white columns registry and contacted me. but what was offered BLOWS! not their fault, i understand that. the lame cosmetic company they work for is the real bastard! so for $250 i have to create a concept, paint something somewhat large, go buy the art supplies myself in advance (BITCHES! really? you're only gonna give me $250 and i gotta go buy eco-friendly art supplies! that shit should be there waiting for the artists to use them!) and be soooo thankful that i have this great opportunity. bite me! ooh and fuck you for limiting what i can paint! i don't paint the things that they listed might be offensive, but just outta spite if i weren't lazy and had more zeal i'd do this damn thing and try to make it as offensive as possible! "opps. i didn't know depicting Lady Bunny fucking the earth in a hot pink wig was offensive?!"

but my reply was calm, succinct and a definitive NO!


postscript:
i originally posted this last week, but for some reason it disappeared. i'm actually glad it did to a certain extent. what's above is definitely a rant! i know a lot of people are out of work, financially unstable (me included) and most would jump at this opportunity. but rereading it - i still feel the same. i feel artists, especially artists just starting out, are taken advantage of. yes, this gig pays $30/hr but you have to rush and make something happen. plus, 4' x 4' painting is worth more than just $250. maybe this is a good gig for a muralist or commercial artist? painting is partly inspiration, but mostly it's just getting in there and working. working until you figure it out. working until the painting is done, and you never know when the hell that's going to be. i have no clue how much time i spend on a painting, but i know i don't rush. maybe this lady just contacted the wrong bitch.