Since my previous blog was demolished I have received hundreds of emails requesting that I continue. My site was quite a success. When it was taken down I already had several hundred thousand hits. That's pretty impressive for a small self-published little enterprise. It shows me the power and impact of Frazetta's art. Aristotle says that people enjoy learning all the many particulars associated with things they have passion for. It is true with Frazetta. People want to learn everything they can about the man, his psychology, his life, his family dynamics, his art, and his creative process. That was my original goal in presenting these essays. I wanted to gather together a lot of analysis and commentary on all the facets of this great artist's life. I wanted my site to be a growing resource for the world community of Frazetta fans and collectors. This site contains my thoughts, my reactions to Frank's work, my stories about being Frank's close friend, my assessment of his place in art history, and my personal memoirs dealing with all aspects of the man's career. I still have things to say and more art to present. My site will emphasize the personal and the aesthetic side of Frank's body of work. I'm not interested in talking about art market money value or interested in pushing people's projects. Please do not ask me for my opinions on what should be paid for a piece of art or ask me to authenticate something. I no longer have the time. I'm over with that. Being an unpaid consultant to the world market is time-killing and exhausting. I worked the Frazetta enterprise for free for many years. I used to receive 25 letters a week, then it became 50 emails a day. Where does it end? It was a labor of love that progressively began to clog my life. I made no profit from it. My goal was to build a collection and make it better and better. I wanted the joy of living with Frank's artwork and enjoying examples of the very highest quality. Money was important only to the extent that it helped me augment and upgrade my collection by buying, selling, and trading. The money-side of art is boring and a necessary evil. Most of the internet chatter is awash with queries about art investment and speculations. The current market is fever-fueled with deep pocket, nostalgia-driven collectors paying record amounts for art. I don't care. People should collect what they want. If they can afford to pay 200K for a Romita cover or 500K for a Miller Batman, then I say "go for it" if it makes you happy and gives satisfaction. My emphasis is and always has been on intrinsic artistic quality, not ego, or nostalgia, or history, or investment, or momentary speculation, or any other motivation for collecting. The years have taught me, after hundreds of deals, that the greatest and most lasting aesthetic satisfaction comes from pieces of art that have the highest quality. Quality is eternal, as I stated in the Frazetta Documentary. That is what ultimately makes an artist relevant and loved over time. A great Frazetta piece, be it major oil, illustration, or simple sketch, provides that type of quality, ongoing freshness, and satisfaction over time.
These are my informed opinions on this site. Many will disagree with my conclusions or my statements. That is fine. If someone wants to make a serious counterpoint, then I will entertain it if it is thoughtful and has value. I'm a scholar and the ultimate truth within art is my goal. I've been collecting since 1955 and I was Frank's best friend for over 25 years. That gave me an open door into his life and his soul. I still miss him and always will. We shared a friendship at a very deep level.
I plan to begin by attempting to repost a number of essays that were popular. After that I will begin to add new content as I have time and motivation. It takes a lot of effort to organize one of these sites. I'm retired and I plan to spend my life in a state of creative pursuits, no longer burdened by the daily dust of the tedious work-a-day world.
Frazetta lives! Let's have some serious fun and enjoy this great man's creative achievement.
DocDave 2011
