It is my wish that Pigtails in Paint serve as a chorus of those interested in the rarefied but important subject of the little girl.  In the months to come, it is my intent to make our needs more clear, so readers can contribute in small or large ways to help spread the burdens of running this blog.  -Ron

A Fresh Voice: I would like to welcome aboard Arizona as a new Pigtails contributor.  He has commented many times in the past with well-researched information that I felt would be an asset and he has kindly consented to putting together a number of posts, particularly in the area of illustration.  Also, WCL has shown a renewed interest in contributing more regularly to this site.  He has agreed to help pick up some of the slack by producing short posts featuring his extensive collection of postcards and advertisements.  Thank you both.

Contemporary Artists and Their Children: There is a long history of artists using their children as subjects in their art and many have been covered here on Pigtails.  A reader shared an interesting article about 13 contemporary artists published in The New York Times Style Magazine.  Of particular interest are Chantal Joffe—an artist already scheduled for coverage on this site—Carrie Mae Weems, John Currin, Friedrich Kunath and Sarah Illenberger.  Although a brief statement accompanies the work of each of these artists, the main article written by Rivka Galchen was about French artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) and the challenges she faced at a time when female artists were not taken seriously.  In fact, it was commonly believed that women simply did not have the disposition to be competent in this arena—a frustrating situation to say the least.

A Computer All Her Own: Since the passing of Steve Jobs, there has been a strange reverence whenever people around the world talk about the man.  In times like this, it is refreshing when a filmmaker has the courage to just tell it like it is.  Sure, Jobs had ambition and a vision and was responsible for many products that people love, but is it really the man people loved?  This question is explored in Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015).  It seems the biggest issues had to do with Jobs’ interpersonal relationships.  For example, one of his first girlfriends, Chrisann Brenna, became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Lisa.

Alex Gibney – Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015) (1)

Jobs’ reaction to this seemed strange.  On the one hand, he tried to deny his paternity and was legally compelled to take a blood test to confirm it.  But, in the unveiling of the new Apple computer, he christened it Lisa.  Did he think it a good marketing tactic or was he somehow moved by the reality of having a little daughter?

Alex Gibney – Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015) (2)

Banksy Outed!  A study was conducted by scientists at London’s Queen Mary University to discover the identity of Banksy, an artist profiled earlier on this site.  They used a technique called geographic profiling used to catch serial criminals. The results identify the elusive artist as Robin Gunningham.  It is both amusing and disturbing that this much effort would be expended to make this identification and implies that, to some, his work is a form of criminal behavior.   I know Pigtails readers wish Gunningham the best of luck in future efforts which have to be conducted without the cloak of anonymity.

Compensating Artists: There was an interesting article about the problem of artists getting compensated for for their exhibitions at nonprofit institutions in the United States.  There is some logic for commercial galleries with an eye for profit, to avoid compensating artists, but it makes less sense for organizations claiming to support artists.

Molly Crabapple: This artist tells a frank story about art and the reality of the art world from a woman’s perspective.  She recently published a memoir that will be of interest to many of our readers.