LIFE IMITATING ART

Armed with the motivation of finding enough ideas regarding DIY decorating projects for our home, I sorted different channels in my tube that focused on amazing instructables for home improvement this Sunday afternoon. Then I stumble upon "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist (Season1)" in TLC . Ok, I am far from being an artsy type of guy but let me tell you guys that I'm one of those lucky few students in my time that truly enjoyed my art classes, and always walked away with A-! OK with B+. By the way, heres the dirty details regarding this T.V. reality series I just discovered.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist is an American reality competition show/series that seeks to discover new talent and shed light on the artistic process that typically occurs behind closed doors. Assembled in New York City under the watchful eye of art world elites, 14 up-and-coming artists are ready to make their mark on the industry and battle it out for a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of $100,000. The show is produced by Pretty Matches Productions and Magical Elves Productions, the same company that created Project Runway and Top Chef. One may even say that the reality show is almost an exact replica of the two previous tube hits.

Meet the 14 amazing artists/contestants for the first season of WOA.

This was one of the best reality shows as for me. It is very interesting to watch the creative process or the lack of creativity of the different artists/contestants under the gun. The critiques were almost always entertaining because of their unpretentious opinions and criticisms. As Peter Swanson stated that, "What's compelling about the show is that even though it's clear the contestants have been cast, to a certain degree, for their personality traits, they are also ostensibly good at what they do. What's most important in this brand of reality show is the final product. And even though the producers often highlight the bickering and cattiness, they're equally focused on the creative process. It makes for compulsively watchable TV, at least more so than in reality shows where the winner is often the contestant best at one-upmanship and/or most desperate for celebrity status." So I say that this show takes all of the petulance and nastiness and passion of "Project Runway" or "Top Chef" and applies it to the realm of fine art. You can say right after watching an episode that, "Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder."

The different judges, host and mentor .

China Chow is the host and one of the judges, I heard that she still lend her artistic grace for the current season two. The judges are Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, Jerry Saltz, senior art critic for New York Magazine and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn,a gallerist, art advisor, independent curator, collector, and tastemaker. Simon De Pury, chairman of an art auction house, adds his voice of expertise as a mentor to the contestants.

Be sure to catch the first season of Work of Art: The Next Great Artist which premieres every Saturday @ 9:00 pm with replays on Sunday afternoon only on TLC. It is the best reality show on TV at the moment with the most interesting artists/contestants and the best mix of drama and actual reality. And Oh! Before I forgot, Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the executive producer of this show that simply explains her appearance during the pilot episode.