Television was not originally created for advertisers but for cultural and spiritual growth. The original creator of the television committed suicide because of depression brought on by what he perceived had happened to his creation. Some religious people believe today's Messiah will make his return and it will be televised so the whole world can see! I, hope he or she has some air time sponsors. The ultimate consumer is the ecstatic consumer. To be dragged into the future by product motivation exemplifies the desires of the advertiser. Advertising, promotion, sales and word of mouth can be and must be applied to any financial adventure. Even the lofty world of Fine Art requires these tools to survive financially. Cash is culture/culture is cash.

Ecstatic consumer,

1993 © Greg Kaats,

10 PANELS, Each Panel 32" X 32"

(81.28 X 81.28 cm)

Oil Stick on Canvas

Popular product images sprang up in the surrealist era and have continued to hold onto the artist's imagination and fascination for all things new. Duchamp's ready-mades helped mold the aesthetic situation which made pop possible3. Warhol and his contemporaries infused popular culture into American painting and launched American Pop. America's obsession with scrubby clean images was reflected in pop painting. After reading a report on the "Top Ten Consumer Products", I decided to do a series of studies on each product. First, I carefully selected the proper items, keeping an eye on the primary colors used by manufacturers. The return to easel painting was my chosen medium and completing each piece in one sitting was the goal. The precise image limitations of each product was the visual edge needing to be broken off. This was an effort to restore legitimate content to my subject matter.

AMERICA'S TOP TEN,

1992 © Greg Kaats

10 PANELS, Each Panel 30" X 20"

(76.2 X 50.8 cm)

Oil Stick on Canvas