Can art compete with advertising?

Looking at Art:

We are surrounded with images that are designed to make us desire something. They are often beautiful and designers of these images are experts at making them grasp our attention. The artist Thomas Houseago wondered how artists can compete with these advertising. In answering his own question, he suggested that artists’ purpose is to go in a completely different direction which may be more elusive. Artists need to make sense of being alive in our culture. Do you agree with him?

Work in the Studio:

The sculpture shown here is newly completed. In making it I had imagined a form surrounding a void. As I worked on the piece it seemed to ask to reach out into the space instead of surrounding it. The color, applied with acrylic paint, represents a high contrast in values. It is quite different from colors I have used on my sculptures in the past. I am beginning to think about each abstract piece as a canvas as I work on the patinas..

Banana Split, 11” x 8” x 8”, Ceramic Sculpture, two views