As always, I hope to make more than one post a month, but hey. It least I did make one for this month!
On some levels this month is a happy month. The holidays of course, my birthday was really fun, and this month has been a bit less stressful, at least for me, than previous ones.
Unfortunately, I'm about to loose my main art gallery. Art & Soul By Phoebe Gallery in Muncie will be closing at the end of the year. Because of its positioning in downtown Muncie, gallery owner Phoebe Wantz is keeping it open to watch the Muncie-version of the New Years Eve ball drop, and then after that: gone.
Phoebe had a stroke at the beginning of November. It was a small one, thank God, and she seems to be doing MUCH better even just a month later. She had to miss the First Thursday opening of her November show and alot of her great friends pitched in to run the gallery in her absence. In the end though, there's no arguing with doctor's orders: The gallery had to close to relieve some of the stroke-causing stress.
There was talk of maintaining the gallery as a co-op and there's talk of an online gallery or some quarterly shows to be hosted by various venues in Muncie. The co-op was unobtainable, but I do look forward to future projects with Phoebe. She's a force to be reckoned with, and no dumb stroke will slow this lady down for long!
We had our final First Thursday show at Phoebe's in Muncie on December 2nd, my birthday. It was bittersweet: The bitter being the last show there, and the sweet that is so much that has come from it. I sold a painting! "Pylons" is no longer on the market! I'm so happy for that. (For the next week, the four remaining windmills are still on display at Phoebe's, but they come down December 17th--Go see!) My other Muncie friends, Debra Dragoo and Michael DuQuette had a joint show at the 111 Arts Gallery in downtown Muncie. It was called "Dirty Words and Pretty Faces," with the Dirty Words being art that Michael created featuring (very prominantly) cuss words in an artful form and the Pretty Faces being Debra's collection of, well, pretty faces (colorful paintings of women, almost in a folk-art style--Debra--forgive me if that's a wrong assessment, I'm not too good at pinning down styles!). It was a cool venue, I think by day it's a tattoo shop.
I'm not done with Muncie. No way. I'm slated to be the featured artist at The Artist Within there next March. AND if I remember to bring my camera for reference photos, I hope to have a whole bunch of new stuff, with a special theme, but I'm not leaking any hints yet. Those that need to know, for now, now.
I wouldn't be done with Muncie anyway. Last January, I had my first show at Phoebe's. I've only been out there and showing for a year. I saw a posting on Craigslist, a call for artists, and responded and she gave me a shot. Now, it's a year later. All the shows I've had! Clowes! Phoebe's! I've got a Facebook fan page and this art blog and my work has gotten out there! That's all I really set out to accomplish and I did it. I'm so happy for that and so thankful for that first shot. I'm still shy about my work a bit, I'm still nervous when trying to find new places to show, but I'm not as nervous, my confidence is way better. So, thank you, Phoebe Wantz! Thank you so much! (I know, I've said this to you in person many times, but hey, one more on the internets never hurts).
I'm working on other shows; it pretty much seems to be accepted that the art world slows down around here when winter hits. At least it seems like it. This December has been freaking harsh, single digits just for funzies. I don't blame people for wanting to stay indoors and not go out to see stuff! So its a good time to reorganize and see what's where.
I have a really cool event coming up in January, but I don't think I can talk about it just yet. But, when I found out, let's just say there were many happy dances involved. I know, I know a big horrible hint, but I'm smiling ear-to-ear and that's all I'm going to say so I don't jeopardize the opportunity.
I've started making greeting cards featuring my art and they're doing very well! I'm so happy for that! So yeah, again, if you would like a pack o' cards, they're 6 for $5 and you can either just get a pack of randoms or you can select which 6 images you'd like and I'll bundle them into a pack. Still, I've got over 100 works (yeah...I paint fast.) I like to say they're like Pokémon: Gotta Catch'em All! I have a sample pic in the previous entry and over on Facebook, you can message me there (or shoot me an email, subject: greeting cards) if you'd like to order some. I ship too, or deliver if its within a reasonable distance.
Got to make the annual trip to the Motherland (Illinois--not Russia) for Thanksgiving. I usually try to go around my birthday and it works out that it was so close to that holiday. I took some pictures of my recent favorite subject matter. That's right. Return of the windmills. This time in watercolor. I painted three, smaller pics this time, and one shows them at night. I'll get pics as soon as possible to post.
And, I'm having a SPECIAL SALE!! I have priced 13 works down to $25! Why? Well, basically, because I have 100 Pokémon/I mean, art works that take up space. So I figured this was a good way to make some room. I paint too fast, they stack up too fast, and I'm not going to quit painting, so they're priced $25. They're marked in the Facebook photo album as SPECIAL SALE and they're all types: Acrylic, Pastel, Watercolors. Once again, shoot me a message if one catches your eye and we'll arrange. Thanks!
In the mean time, I've been hanging out at the Art Bank in Indianapolis on First Fridays. I don't have any work there, but have made quite a few artist friends among those that do. It's such a fun gallery, and over all wonderful vibe and the art's amazing. I highly suggest checking it out!
Next month: I don't know! haha Probably updates on the upcoming Muncie Show and we'll see what else happens. Because this time last year, I never would have guess I would have written about all that I have so far!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
What's Going On.
Whoa.
It has been a BUSY month. Ok, it's been a busy FOUR months, but who's counting?
Let's see...
The Clowes show was a fantastic success! I sold four paintings, and take down was October 10th. I had a blast doing it, would do it again in a heartbeat and learned so much in my preps for it. I mean, I can frame stuff now! All by myself! (I'll frame your stuff too, and cut mats, for a fee of course, just email me). It was a great experience, and I look forward to the Scholastic Art Awards in March (something I have in common with Andy Warhol: We're both Gold Key winners!). Clowes is the host of the Indiana...let's call it state contest, the winners (Gold Key holders) go on to show in New York, then Washington, D.C.). Also, capping off the year, next spring, is Freddie Kelvin's show. He's an amazing photographer, and worth checking out! (That and his nature-inspired works will go well with the dawn of spring!)
I haven't had a chance to do much painting in the last month. Just kind of shoring up and completing stuff that I had been working on for various other projects. Clearing the backlog.
I built this:
It has been a BUSY month. Ok, it's been a busy FOUR months, but who's counting?
Let's see...
The Clowes show was a fantastic success! I sold four paintings, and take down was October 10th. I had a blast doing it, would do it again in a heartbeat and learned so much in my preps for it. I mean, I can frame stuff now! All by myself! (I'll frame your stuff too, and cut mats, for a fee of course, just email me). It was a great experience, and I look forward to the Scholastic Art Awards in March (something I have in common with Andy Warhol: We're both Gold Key winners!). Clowes is the host of the Indiana...let's call it state contest, the winners (Gold Key holders) go on to show in New York, then Washington, D.C.). Also, capping off the year, next spring, is Freddie Kelvin's show. He's an amazing photographer, and worth checking out! (That and his nature-inspired works will go well with the dawn of spring!)
I haven't had a chance to do much painting in the last month. Just kind of shoring up and completing stuff that I had been working on for various other projects. Clearing the backlog.
I built this:
It's my birthday present from my mommy. It's actually a (really freakin heavy) pine workbench that I put together for a kitchen counter. I'm going to paint the legs blue, and then sand them to give them an aged look, and seal the surfaces. It's gonna be rad. I'm just really proud of it because it's the most complicated thing I've ever built. I mean, it came in a kit, but there were 90 screws involved and the thing was so heavy I can't lift it by myself.
I also finished up some comic lid boxes. See, the BF and I collect comics. I'm X-Men oriented, I just spray paint my box lids different colors as a way to remember what is in which. He took it a step beyond, and has me paint the lids a basic color, then the logo of whatever the box contains. From back to front, we have Marvel (for the miscellaneous), Green Lantern, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Thunderbolts, and two Avengers. The Hulk and Spider-Man lids are the latest, and fresh off the recently cleaned slate. I'm happy with the detail on the lids, especially the Spider-Man one. You get one pass at that, because the paint is hard to cover up on those lids, so I'm glad I got it right on first go. The Avengers one is the hardest, next time, if he needs a third one, he's getting the Avengers "A" logo and that's it!
I made these:
Announcing: JOY HERNANDEZ ART GREETING CARDS!!
Yeah, I've been blowing up Facebook lately about these things, but I think they're pretty neat! Here's the deal: All of my artwork are available as lil prints on nice greeting cards. Even the images of the paintings I've already sold. There's a nice white space inside for whatever message you'd like to send and envelopes are included. I picked brown cards because I think they provide a nice neutral background for all the zany colors in my artwork. Somehow, they all 'go' with brown. Anyway, I'm offering them as "custom" packs of 6 images of your choosing. Just pick 6 images and I'll whip them up into cards. You can get as many packs as you want, its just that price is based on the pack of 6 model: $5 per pack. For odd numbers beyond that, I'll price them at $1 per card. Also, at art shows and events, I'll have "theme" packs premade, the theme kind of being how I group them. For example, the 5 windmills and another nature based painting would make a "theme" pack of 6. Shipping will be based on how many are ordered and how far they will be sent. Email me for more details!
Phew. I gotta come up with a more concise way of explaining all that. I made a bunch of those bundles in preparation for...my latest event!
Sheek Treasures For You at the Earth House. It was this last Saturday, November 6th. The Earth House is a building that used to be a church. I think it still is, sometimes, in some capacity, but the first floor is now a cafe, and the second floor has a sound set-up and such for seminars and concerts (apparently Ok-Go played there a while back). Traffic was much slower than anticipated, so that left plenty of time for chit-chat with my artist neighbors. We bartered amongst ourselves, and I got a cool fused-glass necklace pendant and a set of hand made ceramic salt shakers. I also hosted Green Glam jewelry and Stuff from the Bunker mosaics from my artist pals in Muncie but, save for the sale of a pack of cards, the day was kind of a bust. Oh well, can't win them all.
As you can see in my booth set up, I have a grey, three-panel set-up in the background. This was expanded on my set-up for the Wilson Wineries event last June. That one was outdoor, I had a tent and just hooked those things onto the tent. This time, no tent, so, with the help of my pal Rocket, we made feet for the panels out of cement poured into kiddy sand castle buckets. It held up awesome! Not even a wobble! So here's the recipe: Those panels are PVC pipes, strategically glued so I just put the top and bottoms onto the side bars and they're good to go. A big grey "pillow case" for a covering, fence post hook things with wire and "s" hooks to hang the artwork. All finished up with sand bucket feet! This whole thing collapses into easy pieces that fit nicely into an already packed Toyota Yaris hatchback.
(PS Debra: Your jewelry was very visible, but I moved that black art stand thing in closer for the picture, just letting you know. :) )
It kinda sucked that it was such a slow day, but good things came out of it all. We each had to contribute to a raffle (yay for greeting cards!) and I actually won the first draw. That NEVER happens. I got a cool orange glass vase from the same artist that made the pendant. I'm happy with the idea to include the greeting cards, because, it seems, at alot of those events, people are looking for small things now, big thing later. If you have a booth full of mostly big things, having a few small things drives some traffic, small sales, and ways to get awareness out there. A good business decision. Warhol would be proud.
Next time: Big News, unfortunately, out of Muncie. Yeah.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Andy Warhol and Charles Schulz
October 15th was a pretty big "art day" for me: I drove up to Anderson, Indiana, for the Charles Schulz exhibit and then back to Indy to the IMA (Indianapolis Museum of Art) for a docent-lead tour of the new Andy Warhol exhibit that was sponsored by the UIndy Alumni Association (my alma-mater).
That means lotsa driving.
The Schulz exhibit was kind of spur of the moment. I hadn't heard of it until I started playing a Great Pumpkin contest sponsored by Schulz's widow, Jean. My friend Kat said "Hey! While you're spamming our Facebook profiles with Great Pumpkin trivia, you should go check out this exhibit!" Or something like that. I have no idea how she heard of it, but at that point, I had about 4 days left of the exhibit, so Friday it was. It was a sweet lil exhibit: A lot of panels on the wall that explained every main character and some trivia on when they first appeared and all that. From Charlie Brown and Snoopy all the way to Pig Pen and Franklin. They also had a case for each decade that contained memorabilia produced. I actually had one of the items in the 1980's case (a wind-up walking Snoopy) but the rest were pretty rare. Ha, I would know. Between me and my mom, we have a pretty extensive collection. Some of my prides are a 1969 moonlanding Snoopy that she got in her childhood, and another 1969 space Snoopy that I found at an antique store. That's a great combo: Snoopy and Outer Space, my first loves. (Sorry, I'm a nerd).
Anyway, it was a great little sight and a chance to wallow in my "Snoopy heritage" (no really, you guys don't understand: For my entire life, and, I think, most of my mom's, Schulz's creations are like part of the family, as engrained as language. In fact, a Snoopy something is brought up in nearly all of our phone conversations). Art-wise, Schulz's work is basic. It's round, big-headed kids with complexes and their free-wheeling, imaginative dog. I'm convinced he's one of the great philosophers of our time (you know, because all the ones they quote in texts and classes were dead long before I was born...so that's the time frame I'm looking at). There was just a way of looking at things to their simplicity that he possessed and it showed through into his very ink-lines. They had some panels up from each decade, and it was interesting to see how much his style changed. Apparently, for merchandise, he insisted throughout his life that merchandisers use the style of the moment, the most recent, and not any of the 'retro' styles. Which is interesting, given that there was an entire line of "60 Years of Peanuts" on sale last year that delved very deep into the retro styles (I'm partial to 50's Snoopy: Those big ears are so cute!).
He took great pride in his lines and his lettering and it showed. He felt the true art was in the lettering and took great pains to get it just right.
Quick drive in rush hour back to Indy...
"Andy Warhol Enterprises." This man was a business man. In fact, both artists of the day were very adept businessmen. To Andy Warhol, business was the art form.
The tour was a very neat experience. The docent (basically a well-informed museum tour guide) pretty much told us the same stuff that was written on the plaques on the wall, but you don't get the opportunity to ask the plaques questions. Our docent lead us to the final room first: Andy Warhol's silkscreened self-portraits in the twilight of his life. The centerpiece of the room was a gigantic Warhol head (wearing his "scary wig") in turquoise with black. The thing had to be at least 9 feet tall. This was the man. Rewind back to the beginning: This was his life.
Dude apparently had a shoe fetish. This worked out well given that his first job was drawing advertisements for a New York shoe company. He was the child of immigrants, born and raised in Pittsburgh and his father, a coal miner, died when he was young. He was a "momma's boy" because he was sickly and she took care of him. They were also dirt poor. Warhol spent his adult life chasing the almighty dollar, and I guess he caught it, since, when he died, he was worth $200 million. Yeah.
He literally chased it as well: There was an entire room devoted to his dollar bill drawings. For most of his career, at least as shown by the exhibit, he searched out ways to mass produce his art work, thereby increasing his chances to earn more dollars. His early shoe drawings were drawn on some imprintable paper, so that he could rub ink on them and mass produce many many shoes. This also added an uneven, squiggly, quality to his drawings, so that no two were exactly alike. As you move through the exhibit, you see him start to perfect his technique, eventually settling on the silkscreening. But with the dollar room, it was explained that he hand-drew those, because trying to silkscreen-replicate the US dollar was walking to close to the line of counterfitting, and no one wanted that. Also, an interesting note: He loved his mother's handwriting. If he needed lettering done, he let her do it, with her Old-World style of writing, and her iffy spelling (On one if his dollars, she misspelled United States as United Staes). He loved the imperfections and kept them in.
There were crates with logos of companies all over them, Del Monte, Coca-Cola, Brillo, and, of course, Campbell's Soup. One of the Campbell's boxes was a work in progress, each side showing more of the evolution of the work: Sketched cans, letter-painted cans, red parts filled in. More mass-producing. I asked the docent how he didn't get in trouble with the companies for their copyrighted logos, and he said the companies looked at it as free publicity by a well-known artist. Must have worked: Here I am a month later and can list all of those in the exhibit!
They had his pink and orange (with green grass) silkscreened flower painting. And they explained to us The Factory. By this point in his life, Warhol was doing well enough and was in demand enough to have bought this old warehouse, called it The Factory, and set up shop. Other artists and musicians worked out of there, it was the home of the Velvet Underground. It was also called The Factory, because he would hold these parties where he would invite all his friends to come over and paint blobs of acrylic onto canvases. They would line these things up all over the floor and the friends would just go at it. Then, after they were dry (and, I assume, the party over) Warhol would go back and silkscreen the black details over the bright colors, tying them all together and turning blobs into flowers, Marilyn Monroe, and Deborah Harry. All that labor, basically paid in the chance to get blitzed or high at a Warhol party. This also explains why sometimes Marilyn would have green hair, or whatever.
...So... Anyone wanna come over and help me mass produce some stuff? I have...Pepsi to offer!
They had a room devoted to his "movies," 3 minutes of someone standing in front of the camera, doing whatever they want (one model refused to blink and just stared). They had a room devoted to his dollar sign drawings (there we go again) and a room with his corporate logos and coverage in magazines (I totally forgot he did the Michael Jackson cover of Time). They had a room with the Debby Harry and Marilyn portraits as well as other people. See, at that time, he made an announcement: He would paint anyone's portrait for 20 grand. Didn't care who, didn't care what they did, as long as they could pony up 20k. My grandfather: "You gotta get a deal like that!" Yeah, no kidding. At this point, it's more like, "Hey! I'll paint anyone's portrait for...$100!" (no really...I will!)
He began to loosen up towards the end of his life, getting away from the xerox-quality copying for looser versions of similar things. He died from complications following gall bladder surgery (they overhydrated him...oops). He also had been shot about 15 years before his death, by a crazed woman that wanted her movie script back. He had lost it, only to be found after his death when they were clearing out his estate. It was in the bottom of a trunk, just kinda placed there and stuff got set on it. Again, oops. He had heart surgery and pain for his last 15 years and he made sure The Factory was less open and, I guess, it scared him. Rightfully so.
It's a cool show, very fun to see his work up close. I never knew that it was acrylics behind that silkscreening. I've never tried silkscreening, and am not really interested in it at this point, but it was cool to see so much done with it. The show is up until January 3, it is definetly worth it to go see.
PS: I haven't posted any pics from either artist, I'm not sure what the rules are and don't want to get in trouble. Feel free to Google any of them, though, they're neat! Or...Go to the IMA and see them in real life!
That means lotsa driving.
The Schulz exhibit was kind of spur of the moment. I hadn't heard of it until I started playing a Great Pumpkin contest sponsored by Schulz's widow, Jean. My friend Kat said "Hey! While you're spamming our Facebook profiles with Great Pumpkin trivia, you should go check out this exhibit!" Or something like that. I have no idea how she heard of it, but at that point, I had about 4 days left of the exhibit, so Friday it was. It was a sweet lil exhibit: A lot of panels on the wall that explained every main character and some trivia on when they first appeared and all that. From Charlie Brown and Snoopy all the way to Pig Pen and Franklin. They also had a case for each decade that contained memorabilia produced. I actually had one of the items in the 1980's case (a wind-up walking Snoopy) but the rest were pretty rare. Ha, I would know. Between me and my mom, we have a pretty extensive collection. Some of my prides are a 1969 moonlanding Snoopy that she got in her childhood, and another 1969 space Snoopy that I found at an antique store. That's a great combo: Snoopy and Outer Space, my first loves. (Sorry, I'm a nerd).
Anyway, it was a great little sight and a chance to wallow in my "Snoopy heritage" (no really, you guys don't understand: For my entire life, and, I think, most of my mom's, Schulz's creations are like part of the family, as engrained as language. In fact, a Snoopy something is brought up in nearly all of our phone conversations). Art-wise, Schulz's work is basic. It's round, big-headed kids with complexes and their free-wheeling, imaginative dog. I'm convinced he's one of the great philosophers of our time (you know, because all the ones they quote in texts and classes were dead long before I was born...so that's the time frame I'm looking at). There was just a way of looking at things to their simplicity that he possessed and it showed through into his very ink-lines. They had some panels up from each decade, and it was interesting to see how much his style changed. Apparently, for merchandise, he insisted throughout his life that merchandisers use the style of the moment, the most recent, and not any of the 'retro' styles. Which is interesting, given that there was an entire line of "60 Years of Peanuts" on sale last year that delved very deep into the retro styles (I'm partial to 50's Snoopy: Those big ears are so cute!).
He took great pride in his lines and his lettering and it showed. He felt the true art was in the lettering and took great pains to get it just right.
Quick drive in rush hour back to Indy...
"Andy Warhol Enterprises." This man was a business man. In fact, both artists of the day were very adept businessmen. To Andy Warhol, business was the art form.
The tour was a very neat experience. The docent (basically a well-informed museum tour guide) pretty much told us the same stuff that was written on the plaques on the wall, but you don't get the opportunity to ask the plaques questions. Our docent lead us to the final room first: Andy Warhol's silkscreened self-portraits in the twilight of his life. The centerpiece of the room was a gigantic Warhol head (wearing his "scary wig") in turquoise with black. The thing had to be at least 9 feet tall. This was the man. Rewind back to the beginning: This was his life.
Dude apparently had a shoe fetish. This worked out well given that his first job was drawing advertisements for a New York shoe company. He was the child of immigrants, born and raised in Pittsburgh and his father, a coal miner, died when he was young. He was a "momma's boy" because he was sickly and she took care of him. They were also dirt poor. Warhol spent his adult life chasing the almighty dollar, and I guess he caught it, since, when he died, he was worth $200 million. Yeah.
He literally chased it as well: There was an entire room devoted to his dollar bill drawings. For most of his career, at least as shown by the exhibit, he searched out ways to mass produce his art work, thereby increasing his chances to earn more dollars. His early shoe drawings were drawn on some imprintable paper, so that he could rub ink on them and mass produce many many shoes. This also added an uneven, squiggly, quality to his drawings, so that no two were exactly alike. As you move through the exhibit, you see him start to perfect his technique, eventually settling on the silkscreening. But with the dollar room, it was explained that he hand-drew those, because trying to silkscreen-replicate the US dollar was walking to close to the line of counterfitting, and no one wanted that. Also, an interesting note: He loved his mother's handwriting. If he needed lettering done, he let her do it, with her Old-World style of writing, and her iffy spelling (On one if his dollars, she misspelled United States as United Staes). He loved the imperfections and kept them in.
There were crates with logos of companies all over them, Del Monte, Coca-Cola, Brillo, and, of course, Campbell's Soup. One of the Campbell's boxes was a work in progress, each side showing more of the evolution of the work: Sketched cans, letter-painted cans, red parts filled in. More mass-producing. I asked the docent how he didn't get in trouble with the companies for their copyrighted logos, and he said the companies looked at it as free publicity by a well-known artist. Must have worked: Here I am a month later and can list all of those in the exhibit!
They had his pink and orange (with green grass) silkscreened flower painting. And they explained to us The Factory. By this point in his life, Warhol was doing well enough and was in demand enough to have bought this old warehouse, called it The Factory, and set up shop. Other artists and musicians worked out of there, it was the home of the Velvet Underground. It was also called The Factory, because he would hold these parties where he would invite all his friends to come over and paint blobs of acrylic onto canvases. They would line these things up all over the floor and the friends would just go at it. Then, after they were dry (and, I assume, the party over) Warhol would go back and silkscreen the black details over the bright colors, tying them all together and turning blobs into flowers, Marilyn Monroe, and Deborah Harry. All that labor, basically paid in the chance to get blitzed or high at a Warhol party. This also explains why sometimes Marilyn would have green hair, or whatever.
...So... Anyone wanna come over and help me mass produce some stuff? I have...Pepsi to offer!
They had a room devoted to his "movies," 3 minutes of someone standing in front of the camera, doing whatever they want (one model refused to blink and just stared). They had a room devoted to his dollar sign drawings (there we go again) and a room with his corporate logos and coverage in magazines (I totally forgot he did the Michael Jackson cover of Time). They had a room with the Debby Harry and Marilyn portraits as well as other people. See, at that time, he made an announcement: He would paint anyone's portrait for 20 grand. Didn't care who, didn't care what they did, as long as they could pony up 20k. My grandfather: "You gotta get a deal like that!" Yeah, no kidding. At this point, it's more like, "Hey! I'll paint anyone's portrait for...$100!" (no really...I will!)
He began to loosen up towards the end of his life, getting away from the xerox-quality copying for looser versions of similar things. He died from complications following gall bladder surgery (they overhydrated him...oops). He also had been shot about 15 years before his death, by a crazed woman that wanted her movie script back. He had lost it, only to be found after his death when they were clearing out his estate. It was in the bottom of a trunk, just kinda placed there and stuff got set on it. Again, oops. He had heart surgery and pain for his last 15 years and he made sure The Factory was less open and, I guess, it scared him. Rightfully so.
It's a cool show, very fun to see his work up close. I never knew that it was acrylics behind that silkscreening. I've never tried silkscreening, and am not really interested in it at this point, but it was cool to see so much done with it. The show is up until January 3, it is definetly worth it to go see.
PS: I haven't posted any pics from either artist, I'm not sure what the rules are and don't want to get in trouble. Feel free to Google any of them, though, they're neat! Or...Go to the IMA and see them in real life!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Papa Gus, Etc.
And now I reveal unto you the long-awaited Restaurant Project images:
Ok so this is honestly my first real stab at this. The final image is the entire board, which I covered in aluminum foil for effect. There are two parts to the 'Papa Gus' booth at the City Market: Tommy's, which sells mostly baked potatoes, and Papa Gus, which is more of a burger/50's diner kind of space. I had to design a kind of cover for the work space, so that people won't keep adding random toppings as the cooks are making the sandwiches, and keep more of a green tone to the Tommy's side. I still have to make up some giant magnets that are going to go on the sides of the AC duct that runs above the booth space, magnets that say in stylized letters "Eat," "Drink," and other...suggestions.
I hope this plan gets implemented, I think it would be a pretty fun project. Costa, the owner, has to present it to the board of the City Market so that they can approve it all, and there we go!
I've been busy. Crazy busy. I've managed to create two new works:
The yellow one is called "0" (aka "zero") and the blue one is called "5." Why? Because that's what the hands are doing, making a zero and a five. Both are kind of modeled off my hands, and, well, I've been on a hand kick lately. I don't really know why. I'm glad I finally figured out hands; when I was a kid, I could not for anything draw hands properly. I just drew people with their hands in their pockets. Now I can paint them with relative ease.
Which leads me to ANOTHER project:
This one is called "Okay." It's acrylic on a wooden board like the other two, (and really very pink, although the color looks washed out in the photo) and is for a breast cancer awareness fundraiser. I was asked to donate a piece of art to the Head To Toe Expo's silent Auction at the Muncie Mall today. I just kind of came up with that one, the idea popped into my head, said, "I'm HERE! Paint me!" and that's what I did. I have another painting in the works that will be carted back to Illinois at the end of the month for another cancer fundraiser, this time for the leukemia-stricken child of a childhood friend of mine. The fundraiser is loosely Nickelodeon-themed, so I'll be referencing the 90's "Big Orange Couch" campaign in the painting. I'll post more info on that as I get it too. And a pic. Of course a pic.
I've also been painting the lids of the BF's comic book boxes, one Spider-Man themed and one for the Incredible Hulk. Spider-Man is done, Hulk's getting there. Pics will follow when they're done, I'm pretty proud of these two.
And, just for giggles, I made this:
This year is the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Peanuts comic strip. Jeannie Schulz, the widow of creator Charles M. Schulz, and her family have put together a website, www.greatpumpkincountdown.com for basically the fun of it and in celebration. The site is actually a contest, where you participate in silly things, like clicking on a Snoopy pic and adding it to your Facebook page, and you get points. The points go toward a drawing on Halloween, the night when the Great Pumpkin arises in the most sincerest pumpkin patch, and brings presents to all the good children there. So says Linus. I'm having fun with it, spamming my profile page in a passive-aggressive revenge to all those friend I had to hide because they play Farmville too much. AND it's Snoopy! What could be wrong with that! Everyone needs a little Snoopy. I bet if we had more Snoopy in the world, there'd be less strife.
I made these two posters out of brown wrapping paper. I sketched out "The Great Pumpkin" (aka a mistaken Snoopy silhouette from the cartoon special) and Charlie Brown as a ghost onto the paper and just painted them using my acrylic paints. Each took me about an hour, minus drying time. The sign is a piece of foamcore board that I wrote the letters out in the same manner as Linus's sign in the cartoon. I stuck them up in my windows on the front of my house and Yay! Instant freebie Halloween decorations!
Next time: I went Museum Crazy yesterday, with the Andy Warhol exhibit at the IMA and the Charles Schulz exhibit at the Anderson Fine Arts Museum. Reviews to follow and updates on the latest work. Also: Clowes is down, a success, what's next? Earth House!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Masterpiece In A Day
It has been a crazy week, but really, just a continuation of non-stop crazy weeks. I'm tired.
Saturday was the Fountain Square Art Fair and the Masterpiece in a Day competition. I participated last year and had alot of fun; this year I was dead set on participation.
Except...
I fell backwards while shooting some video for my day job and wiped out. The camera weighs about 20 pounds and all 20 pounds of it was next to my head, on my shoulder, as I fell like a tree. I kept rolling! The video was actually quite funny. Part of the magic of falling with a camera on your shoulder is the wonderful twist technique you develop in mere seconds, not just to save the camera from getting broken, but to get the thing off of your shoulder and away from your head before impact. That's where the real pain can be. That and the pain of slamming your neck and shoulders against the ground with almost no way to brace your self. Ouch.
And, since I scraped my knee, the occupational doc decided I needed to update my tetanus shot. I'm right-handed, and, stupid me, I offered up my right bicep for the shot. OUCH. Over the next five days, I had just about every side effect possible of the stupid tetanus shot. My right arm was swollen, it hurt to move it, my whole upper body ached. I was dizzy if I moved to quickly. I was incredibly tired.
I was DETERMINED to participate in Masterpiece in a Day.
So, I loaded up a wonderful Radio Flyer wagon freecycled to me with a bucket, some water, my acrylics and brushes, a piece of foamcore board and my shower curtain drop cloth (better than regular drop cloths and excellent at stopping paint!). I tied Remy's leash around my waist, took up my canvas in my other arm and we walked to the commercial district of Fountain Square. We set up in front of Hero House, my local comic shop. They're dog-friendly (Remy is partial to the Pet Avengers comic and Dog Pool) and said they didn't mind. The contest got started around 10am, and I was done by 2pm! I was really proud of my speed, it wasn't that I was being speedy, I just knew what I wanted to do and executed it. And that was including the time it took for Remy to paint HER masterpiece. It wasn't too hot, but, if you're 50 pounds of fuzzy, it was a little to hot to want to hold a brush in your primary cooling unit: Your panting mouth. So, Remy went for a minimalist approach: We got a few turquoise and pink splatters out of her, on a mostly white piece of foamcore. Since she's a mostly white dog with black spots, we called it her self-portrait.
We turned in our work (Remy was allowed to participate, the only dog to do so, but was not allowed to win...I told them that was ok, since I didn't really want to loose to my dog). We found out that just a little while earlier, another artist that was working on a wonderful figure painting around the corner from us had a massive seizure and slammed his head against his painting, smearing the shoulder of the figure, before being taken to the hospital. An artist near him had ruined her painting leaping to his rescue. He had some friends come and put his painting into the frame he had built for it and formally enter it in the competition and was able to leave the hospital, with a clean bill of health, in time for the judging. I met him later, while we were all looking at his painting. I shook his hand and was glad he was okay. He looked completely fine and said that he just got so caught up in working on his piece, that the next thing he knew, he was seizing.
Since I had 2 more hours to kill, Remy and I went home and I sat on the couch, drank lemonade, and rested. Then...On to the Art Parade!
Clearly, it is not the average parade.
Afterward, I strolled the Art Fair booths nearby and waited out the fifteen minutes until the judging announcement. Honestly, I wanted to go back to my couch. In the end, neither Remy nor I were winners. The Best Of Show winner was a guy that made a neat video showcasing all the square shapes in the cityscape of Fountain Square. The other four winners were a large (wooden?) painted robot that hung from the edge of a 3 story building by painted (wooden?) balloons, like it was being carried away, a large portrait, a still life of some restaurant table settings and some decorative art magnets. All very cool work so I'm content. For me, I was just glad I pulled off my piece:
It's my hand. I took a reference picture of it the night before, for better lighting (I knew it'd be one directly sunny day that day) with all of my last names written on it. I actually wrote them on my hand with a Sharpie marker to just wear while I painted, but I sweated it off pretty quickly. My own last name is in the middle, wiht my dad's side of the family to the left and bottom, and my mom's side to the right. There's one from my dad's side on the right too, but it just fit better there. I'm happy with it. I'm going to fix the shadow side of the middle finger knuckle, its a little weird, but other than that, I'm pleased.
I had discussed the plan for that painting with my Gramma Weber a few days before she died. She thought it sounded like a good idea, and then she was gone, so I decided, come rain, hail or tetanus shots, that painting was going to come to fruition. It's not for sale. It obviously means more to me than anyone else, and to paint something so...keepable...is a departure from my normal work. I was speaking with the lady that runs the front desk at Clowes about attachment to my work. If I had a strong attachment to every piece, if they were all my babies, I'd have 100 babies! They don't do me any good, I painted them for SOMEONE ELSE to hang on their wall. After funds are exchanged, I care very little what happens to it. (I say that now, wait til I see one of my works for sale on craigslist or something...yeah). I can't care, because it isn't mine anymore, it's making someone else's house look good and they've attached their own meanings to it. But this one is MINE. It's called "For Gerva Dean Weber" and it will hang in my entry way, a sort of showcase spot in my house, for as long as I live here, and always in showcase spots in future homes. It's where I come from. It's her, it's my mom, it's my dad and his parents and my grampa and his parents and my gramma's parents and such, going back to completely other countries. My family is relatively young, American-wise, in some branches, and very old in others. I liked the contrast of all the different cultural names. There are some English ones in there, Spanish ones and some hardcore German ones. That is me.
So yeah, after the action-packed day, I wiped out on my couch. Completely drained of energy but satisfied with my work. Yay.
Next time: The first rendering of the diner project has been completed! Images! And my Event Photo Album has been updated! More images! And I just finished two more paintings! And I'm working on another for a breast cancer fundraiser auction!
Saturday was the Fountain Square Art Fair and the Masterpiece in a Day competition. I participated last year and had alot of fun; this year I was dead set on participation.
Except...
I fell backwards while shooting some video for my day job and wiped out. The camera weighs about 20 pounds and all 20 pounds of it was next to my head, on my shoulder, as I fell like a tree. I kept rolling! The video was actually quite funny. Part of the magic of falling with a camera on your shoulder is the wonderful twist technique you develop in mere seconds, not just to save the camera from getting broken, but to get the thing off of your shoulder and away from your head before impact. That's where the real pain can be. That and the pain of slamming your neck and shoulders against the ground with almost no way to brace your self. Ouch.
And, since I scraped my knee, the occupational doc decided I needed to update my tetanus shot. I'm right-handed, and, stupid me, I offered up my right bicep for the shot. OUCH. Over the next five days, I had just about every side effect possible of the stupid tetanus shot. My right arm was swollen, it hurt to move it, my whole upper body ached. I was dizzy if I moved to quickly. I was incredibly tired.
I was DETERMINED to participate in Masterpiece in a Day.
So, I loaded up a wonderful Radio Flyer wagon freecycled to me with a bucket, some water, my acrylics and brushes, a piece of foamcore board and my shower curtain drop cloth (better than regular drop cloths and excellent at stopping paint!). I tied Remy's leash around my waist, took up my canvas in my other arm and we walked to the commercial district of Fountain Square. We set up in front of Hero House, my local comic shop. They're dog-friendly (Remy is partial to the Pet Avengers comic and Dog Pool) and said they didn't mind. The contest got started around 10am, and I was done by 2pm! I was really proud of my speed, it wasn't that I was being speedy, I just knew what I wanted to do and executed it. And that was including the time it took for Remy to paint HER masterpiece. It wasn't too hot, but, if you're 50 pounds of fuzzy, it was a little to hot to want to hold a brush in your primary cooling unit: Your panting mouth. So, Remy went for a minimalist approach: We got a few turquoise and pink splatters out of her, on a mostly white piece of foamcore. Since she's a mostly white dog with black spots, we called it her self-portrait.
We turned in our work (Remy was allowed to participate, the only dog to do so, but was not allowed to win...I told them that was ok, since I didn't really want to loose to my dog). We found out that just a little while earlier, another artist that was working on a wonderful figure painting around the corner from us had a massive seizure and slammed his head against his painting, smearing the shoulder of the figure, before being taken to the hospital. An artist near him had ruined her painting leaping to his rescue. He had some friends come and put his painting into the frame he had built for it and formally enter it in the competition and was able to leave the hospital, with a clean bill of health, in time for the judging. I met him later, while we were all looking at his painting. I shook his hand and was glad he was okay. He looked completely fine and said that he just got so caught up in working on his piece, that the next thing he knew, he was seizing.
Since I had 2 more hours to kill, Remy and I went home and I sat on the couch, drank lemonade, and rested. Then...On to the Art Parade!
Clearly, it is not the average parade.
Afterward, I strolled the Art Fair booths nearby and waited out the fifteen minutes until the judging announcement. Honestly, I wanted to go back to my couch. In the end, neither Remy nor I were winners. The Best Of Show winner was a guy that made a neat video showcasing all the square shapes in the cityscape of Fountain Square. The other four winners were a large (wooden?) painted robot that hung from the edge of a 3 story building by painted (wooden?) balloons, like it was being carried away, a large portrait, a still life of some restaurant table settings and some decorative art magnets. All very cool work so I'm content. For me, I was just glad I pulled off my piece:
It's my hand. I took a reference picture of it the night before, for better lighting (I knew it'd be one directly sunny day that day) with all of my last names written on it. I actually wrote them on my hand with a Sharpie marker to just wear while I painted, but I sweated it off pretty quickly. My own last name is in the middle, wiht my dad's side of the family to the left and bottom, and my mom's side to the right. There's one from my dad's side on the right too, but it just fit better there. I'm happy with it. I'm going to fix the shadow side of the middle finger knuckle, its a little weird, but other than that, I'm pleased.
I had discussed the plan for that painting with my Gramma Weber a few days before she died. She thought it sounded like a good idea, and then she was gone, so I decided, come rain, hail or tetanus shots, that painting was going to come to fruition. It's not for sale. It obviously means more to me than anyone else, and to paint something so...keepable...is a departure from my normal work. I was speaking with the lady that runs the front desk at Clowes about attachment to my work. If I had a strong attachment to every piece, if they were all my babies, I'd have 100 babies! They don't do me any good, I painted them for SOMEONE ELSE to hang on their wall. After funds are exchanged, I care very little what happens to it. (I say that now, wait til I see one of my works for sale on craigslist or something...yeah). I can't care, because it isn't mine anymore, it's making someone else's house look good and they've attached their own meanings to it. But this one is MINE. It's called "For Gerva Dean Weber" and it will hang in my entry way, a sort of showcase spot in my house, for as long as I live here, and always in showcase spots in future homes. It's where I come from. It's her, it's my mom, it's my dad and his parents and my grampa and his parents and my gramma's parents and such, going back to completely other countries. My family is relatively young, American-wise, in some branches, and very old in others. I liked the contrast of all the different cultural names. There are some English ones in there, Spanish ones and some hardcore German ones. That is me.
So yeah, after the action-packed day, I wiped out on my couch. Completely drained of energy but satisfied with my work. Yay.
Next time: The first rendering of the diner project has been completed! Images! And my Event Photo Album has been updated! More images! And I just finished two more paintings! And I'm working on another for a breast cancer fundraiser auction!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Long time, no post. Sorry.
It's been a crazy, hectic last few weeks.
I got the diner project, I've got one drawing done, two more to go. I was hoping to have it done by now, but...
The weekend right after that, my grandma died. Her name was Gerva Dean Weber and she was 83. She had been fighting pneumonia off and on for most of her life and so now she doesn't have to fight anymore. She would watch my brother and me while our mom was at work. Most of the time, 'playing' at Gramma's consisted of goofy, creative activities. We would string rainbow varigated yarn around the living room to make a maze or to hang towels on for a fort, we would cut up and tape together Pepsi boxes to make little houses for McDonald's Happy Meal toys, or we would draw and color and play with a spirograph. She always had these retractible crayon things in her purse and would let us play with them during church. She was the preschool teacher's aide at my elementary school, so, basically, my first teacher. It was a blast. She taught me to sew and do latch hook stuff and stitch on plastic canvas. Alot of the crafty things I can do, I know how to do because she taught me. In fact, it was our crafty time together that got me my job at Hobby Lobby during college. The boss said one reason he hired me was because during the interview, I kept referencing "my gramma and I would..." and that would be most of our clientele: Someone's gramma. I'll miss her alot, but she taught me so much that it's like she'll always be around.
It did throw the week for a loop. I was supposed to go to Illinois on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. She died the Monday before. I rushed to Illinois, to help where I was needed. I stayed with my Grampa and hung out with him, kept him company and we talked alot. My throat hurt for days because he's nearly deaf and you have to yell. Loudly.
The BF joined me, on Friday, in Illinois, as we had planned and we had the funeral, my ten year high school reunion (that included a dancing pirate for no good reason other than there was one) and "Hog Days," the yearly celebration of the status of Hog Capital Of The World that Kewanee has enjoyed since the 1940's. It was a run'n'gun kind of weekend. I didn't really take many reference pics or get any really good ideas in the style of the windmills and such, but there wasn't really time for it and I wasn't really feeling it anyway. Some people paint when they're sad or angsty or whatever, and I'm not like that. I don't like doing that stuff when I'm stressed or sad, I paint when I'm happy, not to work out some profound emotion. So when there's crap going on, art gets put on hold so crap can be dealt with.
We got back last Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday were like a recovery time. A MUCH NEEDED recovery time. No art, just lounging. Really, I was wiped. I did manage to get the one diner drawing done, I have to do the other side of the diner and a design spec-type drawing for this counter thing. And some hamburger-magnet designs, but that's kind of secondary. Maybe tonight, I'll take on another. After a while, especially after coloring in black and white checked tiles, my hand really really hurt!
Friday night I went to Greek Fest in Carmel. The Greek church there is AWESOME. It was a dark, clear night, and the church was lit up, very stunning. My friends, Kat and Bill, gave me the grand tour and I got to watch a guy (a priest?) painting Orthodox icons. Actually, one of the other priests said that icons are not painted, they are 'written.' So I got to watch him write an icon. It was really cool to watch (and he uses the same paint as me: If it's good for a church with a rich art history, its good for me!) He had been working on it all day and was about 75% done with it.
The Greek church has many domes in it, including a big dome right over head. The other domes were half-domes off of the main part of the roof. Kat said that, over the next few years, all of those domes will have icons written on the insides of them. I can't wait to see that. Whether you're religious or not, or Orthodox or not (I'm Lutheran), it'll be stunning to see. The care that's put into each painting and the fact that it's on a curved ceiling, pretty high up in the air. Awesome. I'm reasonably sure Indiana has NOTHING like that. The half dome behind the altar will have Mary, with her arms stretched out. It will be really really neat. Kat says that all Greek churches have some variation of icons on the inside of domes and that will be a really cool stylized Sistene chapel effect.
I don't know how often the church is open to just public viewing, and even if its only next Greek Fest, I encourage everyone to go check it out, if for its artistic and architectural aspects alone.
Sunday was the Gallery Tour at Clowes Hall. It went really great. I didn't really have any time to think about it too much, and that was ok. I wasn't really nervous, although sometimes I think I just jabbered. Like I said earlier, there isn't too much emotion put into my paintings, no angst, or that crap. I realized when I was jabbering, that there were more stories behind them. I'll tell my story and other people can make up their own. I like it better that way. I felt really confident about it all, and it was an overall confidence boost. I got to stand up there and pretty much say: Here's my art. Here's why I painted that. If you don't like it, ignore what I just said and make up your own. But I like it that way and I'm happy with it. I got a standing ovation...because everyone was standing and clapping. There weren't places to sit. I'm cool with that, I'll take a Standing O whereever I can get it!
I was glad so many of my friends came to see it. The artist that is the other 'book end' for the season, Freddie Kelvin, was there. His show is in the spring, he's a photographer, and I look forward to checking it out. This entire event has been a discovery session and I've shared my notes for what to do and what not to do.
I had some friends from as far as South Bend come to see, that was really great, and there were some random people there that I don't know. I think they were Butler supporters, and hey, that's cool too. I may be getting a chance, later this month, to do a similar session again, for a larger event, where I get to just come an hour early and hob knob prior to everyone taking their seats, pointing at the wall and saying "I did that." That would be great.
Satuday is the Fountain Square Art Fair. Masterpiece in a Day work starts at 10am and ends at 3pm. Judging is at 3:30pm and the Art Parade is at 4. I'll probably be set up near the Hero House comic book store. I'm planning on taking Remy with me; she went last year and did very well. If worst comes to worst, the BF can come and walk her home, it is our neighborhood. I got her to do some spatter-painting on foam board earlier this year, so I think I'll bring some extra board and some paints and brushes, so she can paint too! It'll give me something to do while waiting for my paint to dry. I think I'll even proactively register her when I sign up. "Rembrandt Hernandez." I was gonna get a little child's canvas apron for her to wear while sitting there (and in case she lays down on my paint!) and splatter some paint on it and call her my assistant. We have fun on these things.
After that, I still have a few paintings to finish for the next Muncie show, and am contemplating a booth at an Earth House event in November. The booth space is only $35. I sent an email to the people in charge, requesting the information and referring them to my website to see if I'd be a good fit. They loved the site and said I would. I had told the BF I'll wait on too many more of these events, since I've had so many this year, but a $35 booth fee is really a good price! And, each time I do one, it gets easier and easier as I work out my own infrastructure. AND, he likes the Earth House and has alot of buddies involved in stuff there... Hmmmmm.
Ok, this is a long enough post.
Next time: Hopefully some pics of the diner stuff- completed! Hopefully some pics of paintings done for Phoebe's and I'll also be updating the "Photos" section of the website with event pics as well! Really!
I got the diner project, I've got one drawing done, two more to go. I was hoping to have it done by now, but...
The weekend right after that, my grandma died. Her name was Gerva Dean Weber and she was 83. She had been fighting pneumonia off and on for most of her life and so now she doesn't have to fight anymore. She would watch my brother and me while our mom was at work. Most of the time, 'playing' at Gramma's consisted of goofy, creative activities. We would string rainbow varigated yarn around the living room to make a maze or to hang towels on for a fort, we would cut up and tape together Pepsi boxes to make little houses for McDonald's Happy Meal toys, or we would draw and color and play with a spirograph. She always had these retractible crayon things in her purse and would let us play with them during church. She was the preschool teacher's aide at my elementary school, so, basically, my first teacher. It was a blast. She taught me to sew and do latch hook stuff and stitch on plastic canvas. Alot of the crafty things I can do, I know how to do because she taught me. In fact, it was our crafty time together that got me my job at Hobby Lobby during college. The boss said one reason he hired me was because during the interview, I kept referencing "my gramma and I would..." and that would be most of our clientele: Someone's gramma. I'll miss her alot, but she taught me so much that it's like she'll always be around.
It did throw the week for a loop. I was supposed to go to Illinois on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. She died the Monday before. I rushed to Illinois, to help where I was needed. I stayed with my Grampa and hung out with him, kept him company and we talked alot. My throat hurt for days because he's nearly deaf and you have to yell. Loudly.
The BF joined me, on Friday, in Illinois, as we had planned and we had the funeral, my ten year high school reunion (that included a dancing pirate for no good reason other than there was one) and "Hog Days," the yearly celebration of the status of Hog Capital Of The World that Kewanee has enjoyed since the 1940's. It was a run'n'gun kind of weekend. I didn't really take many reference pics or get any really good ideas in the style of the windmills and such, but there wasn't really time for it and I wasn't really feeling it anyway. Some people paint when they're sad or angsty or whatever, and I'm not like that. I don't like doing that stuff when I'm stressed or sad, I paint when I'm happy, not to work out some profound emotion. So when there's crap going on, art gets put on hold so crap can be dealt with.
We got back last Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday were like a recovery time. A MUCH NEEDED recovery time. No art, just lounging. Really, I was wiped. I did manage to get the one diner drawing done, I have to do the other side of the diner and a design spec-type drawing for this counter thing. And some hamburger-magnet designs, but that's kind of secondary. Maybe tonight, I'll take on another. After a while, especially after coloring in black and white checked tiles, my hand really really hurt!
Friday night I went to Greek Fest in Carmel. The Greek church there is AWESOME. It was a dark, clear night, and the church was lit up, very stunning. My friends, Kat and Bill, gave me the grand tour and I got to watch a guy (a priest?) painting Orthodox icons. Actually, one of the other priests said that icons are not painted, they are 'written.' So I got to watch him write an icon. It was really cool to watch (and he uses the same paint as me: If it's good for a church with a rich art history, its good for me!) He had been working on it all day and was about 75% done with it.
The Greek church has many domes in it, including a big dome right over head. The other domes were half-domes off of the main part of the roof. Kat said that, over the next few years, all of those domes will have icons written on the insides of them. I can't wait to see that. Whether you're religious or not, or Orthodox or not (I'm Lutheran), it'll be stunning to see. The care that's put into each painting and the fact that it's on a curved ceiling, pretty high up in the air. Awesome. I'm reasonably sure Indiana has NOTHING like that. The half dome behind the altar will have Mary, with her arms stretched out. It will be really really neat. Kat says that all Greek churches have some variation of icons on the inside of domes and that will be a really cool stylized Sistene chapel effect.
I don't know how often the church is open to just public viewing, and even if its only next Greek Fest, I encourage everyone to go check it out, if for its artistic and architectural aspects alone.
Sunday was the Gallery Tour at Clowes Hall. It went really great. I didn't really have any time to think about it too much, and that was ok. I wasn't really nervous, although sometimes I think I just jabbered. Like I said earlier, there isn't too much emotion put into my paintings, no angst, or that crap. I realized when I was jabbering, that there were more stories behind them. I'll tell my story and other people can make up their own. I like it better that way. I felt really confident about it all, and it was an overall confidence boost. I got to stand up there and pretty much say: Here's my art. Here's why I painted that. If you don't like it, ignore what I just said and make up your own. But I like it that way and I'm happy with it. I got a standing ovation...because everyone was standing and clapping. There weren't places to sit. I'm cool with that, I'll take a Standing O whereever I can get it!
I was glad so many of my friends came to see it. The artist that is the other 'book end' for the season, Freddie Kelvin, was there. His show is in the spring, he's a photographer, and I look forward to checking it out. This entire event has been a discovery session and I've shared my notes for what to do and what not to do.
I had some friends from as far as South Bend come to see, that was really great, and there were some random people there that I don't know. I think they were Butler supporters, and hey, that's cool too. I may be getting a chance, later this month, to do a similar session again, for a larger event, where I get to just come an hour early and hob knob prior to everyone taking their seats, pointing at the wall and saying "I did that." That would be great.
Satuday is the Fountain Square Art Fair. Masterpiece in a Day work starts at 10am and ends at 3pm. Judging is at 3:30pm and the Art Parade is at 4. I'll probably be set up near the Hero House comic book store. I'm planning on taking Remy with me; she went last year and did very well. If worst comes to worst, the BF can come and walk her home, it is our neighborhood. I got her to do some spatter-painting on foam board earlier this year, so I think I'll bring some extra board and some paints and brushes, so she can paint too! It'll give me something to do while waiting for my paint to dry. I think I'll even proactively register her when I sign up. "Rembrandt Hernandez." I was gonna get a little child's canvas apron for her to wear while sitting there (and in case she lays down on my paint!) and splatter some paint on it and call her my assistant. We have fun on these things.
After that, I still have a few paintings to finish for the next Muncie show, and am contemplating a booth at an Earth House event in November. The booth space is only $35. I sent an email to the people in charge, requesting the information and referring them to my website to see if I'd be a good fit. They loved the site and said I would. I had told the BF I'll wait on too many more of these events, since I've had so many this year, but a $35 booth fee is really a good price! And, each time I do one, it gets easier and easier as I work out my own infrastructure. AND, he likes the Earth House and has alot of buddies involved in stuff there... Hmmmmm.
Ok, this is a long enough post.
Next time: Hopefully some pics of the diner stuff- completed! Hopefully some pics of paintings done for Phoebe's and I'll also be updating the "Photos" section of the website with event pics as well! Really!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Break Time: OVER!
Yeah, THAT didn't last long!
I just gathered info today for a new project: I get to come up with a design proposal for a diner in the Indianapolis City Market. For those not really around here, the City Market is this old brick building that kind looks like a train station, across from the City County Building (aka city hall). It has a large open space in the middle and a terrace above with chairs. The open space is divided up among booths of just about everything you can imagine. Vendors come and go, but some are basically permanent. The City Market recently underwent a huge and costly renovation, but the disruption caused by it put a lot of vendors out. Now, they're trying to do ANOTHER redesign, but this one with an element they forgot: Style. I saw a proposal pic at the diner, and it shows booths with actual canopy roofs and no cookie-cutter grey counters, but bright colors and various styles all working with whatever each booth sells.
My booth proposal will be for Papa Gus's/Tommy's. On one side, Tommy's, it's all spuds, all ways (with weiners soon to be added). The other side, Papa Gus's, is cheeseburgers, hamburgers, tenderloins, seasoned fries: Hot food. Gus, the owner, wants a 50's style feel, the highway diner motif, with stainless steel, magnets to hide the steel air ducts, and that classic style. I happen to LOVE that style. He has the coolest black and steel toaster on the counter and some retro hamburger signs. I took some reference pics of the diner as it is now, and have already brought up some ideas for updating his counter stools. I'm excited.
What does this mean? It means I've been watching waaay too much HGTV. Am I branching out? Hey, I'll take an opportunity when it presents, I'm no fool. I have to come up with a presentation board, (like I've seen on HGTV!) and some perspective drawings. I definetly can do perspective drawings. I also get to play with a logo of a sort, and my friend, Kat, is doing the website for him, so we have to make them match. Kat works there too, she's the one that gave me the head's up. Thanks Kat!
I'm really excited for September 18th too. It's the Fountain Square Art Fair day and I got the whole day off! I had an extra vacation day, went for it, and so now this year, I can participate in all the events, rather than cutting it short at 2 for work. I'm really revved up about my painting idea, I'm really really revved up for that. I think I'm on a bit of a roll, so, maybe tonite, if I get my chores done, the brushes are coming back out of the bin. There's some paintin' to do!
All that AND a trip to the Motherland (Illinois)? Yay! I'm torn. On the one hand, I want those days to hurry up and get here, on the other, that marks the end of summer, and while it's been a stressful, action-packed summer, it was still pleasantly warm out to explore aerosol art. I've decorated the front porch to my liking and just have had alot of fun. Art in the winter is fun too, but paint doesn't dry well in the cold. Maybe by then I'll have settled down enough for the pen and ink drawings my mommy wants me to get back into.
And, now for some pics:
I just gathered info today for a new project: I get to come up with a design proposal for a diner in the Indianapolis City Market. For those not really around here, the City Market is this old brick building that kind looks like a train station, across from the City County Building (aka city hall). It has a large open space in the middle and a terrace above with chairs. The open space is divided up among booths of just about everything you can imagine. Vendors come and go, but some are basically permanent. The City Market recently underwent a huge and costly renovation, but the disruption caused by it put a lot of vendors out. Now, they're trying to do ANOTHER redesign, but this one with an element they forgot: Style. I saw a proposal pic at the diner, and it shows booths with actual canopy roofs and no cookie-cutter grey counters, but bright colors and various styles all working with whatever each booth sells.
My booth proposal will be for Papa Gus's/Tommy's. On one side, Tommy's, it's all spuds, all ways (with weiners soon to be added). The other side, Papa Gus's, is cheeseburgers, hamburgers, tenderloins, seasoned fries: Hot food. Gus, the owner, wants a 50's style feel, the highway diner motif, with stainless steel, magnets to hide the steel air ducts, and that classic style. I happen to LOVE that style. He has the coolest black and steel toaster on the counter and some retro hamburger signs. I took some reference pics of the diner as it is now, and have already brought up some ideas for updating his counter stools. I'm excited.
What does this mean? It means I've been watching waaay too much HGTV. Am I branching out? Hey, I'll take an opportunity when it presents, I'm no fool. I have to come up with a presentation board, (like I've seen on HGTV!) and some perspective drawings. I definetly can do perspective drawings. I also get to play with a logo of a sort, and my friend, Kat, is doing the website for him, so we have to make them match. Kat works there too, she's the one that gave me the head's up. Thanks Kat!
I'm really excited for September 18th too. It's the Fountain Square Art Fair day and I got the whole day off! I had an extra vacation day, went for it, and so now this year, I can participate in all the events, rather than cutting it short at 2 for work. I'm really revved up about my painting idea, I'm really really revved up for that. I think I'm on a bit of a roll, so, maybe tonite, if I get my chores done, the brushes are coming back out of the bin. There's some paintin' to do!
All that AND a trip to the Motherland (Illinois)? Yay! I'm torn. On the one hand, I want those days to hurry up and get here, on the other, that marks the end of summer, and while it's been a stressful, action-packed summer, it was still pleasantly warm out to explore aerosol art. I've decorated the front porch to my liking and just have had alot of fun. Art in the winter is fun too, but paint doesn't dry well in the cold. Maybe by then I'll have settled down enough for the pen and ink drawings my mommy wants me to get back into.
And, now for some pics:
From left to right: "You Cannot Resist," "Carrot," "Strawberry," and "Indiana Working Press Association."
"You Cannot Resist" is aerosol on an acrylic background. It actually covers up the painting that is on the floor in the picture of me and my dogs. I got really really mad at that painting, and sometimes, you just need to paint over it and make it go away. The black texture on the yellow letters comes from a pizza box edge that I dropped on to the painting while I was spraying it. Happy accident. I could have spent an hour trying to re-do the un-re-do-able, but I decided I liked it and proceeded to drop the pizza box on the painting several times.
"Carrot" and "Strawberry" are both aerosol on wood, similar to "Radish." "Radish" is currently at Butterfly Consignment, in Castleton, so I needed something to fill a big gap at Clowes. Same technique, same swirly style, I'm happy with how they turned out.
"Indiana Working Press Association" is kind of an inside joke, stemming from a photograph taken while out with some friends. I really liked how the green wall played off the table, and the simplicity of just the glass and smokes and lighter, placed near the bottom of the shot. At the time, the quote was, "You know you're out with a bunch of photogs when someone thinks nothing of standing on a chair in a bar to take a picture of a table, just to get the angle right." Hey, when the image is there, its there. Regardless of 'who's watching.' My favorite part about this one, is that that glass is the first time that I think I've painted glass in still life since college. Glass is kind of a mind trick, because it doesn't really have any color, but reflects the colors around it. So you have to give the idea that glass is there, based on it's reflections. I'm pleased with the result.
You know what? I take part of that back. I didn't paint glass in college, the still life I was working on (in oils no less!) had a silver pot in the set up. THAT'S what was messing me up! I remember my teacher telling me that silver isn't really a color in the paint world, because that pot was so shiny, it's true color was the colors around it, the reflections. I never did finish that painting (I got sick), but I did get a good grade on it for all the other parts. And I learned a lesson in the process, that, years later, I was able to apply to glass. I earned that grade well, in the end!
Next time: What's up, the Motherland (more windmills?) Hog Days, and the diner!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Break Time! (Sorta)
Phew, that's over. FOR NOW (dramatic music).
I finally got everything up at Clowes. That includes the little signs that say "For prices and an artist statement, please see the information desk." Yup, all done. I'm so glad. I'm so tired.
It was a week of hard work and I think it paid off well. I've already gotten a ton of positive feedback and that always makes me smile. :D <- See? Big smile.
I delivered five works to Phoebe's this morning: "Pi," "Cone Zone," and three windmill photo prints. They're the pictures I actually took as reference pics for the windmill paintings. I thought they would look good printed out, and of course framed in brightly painted frames. I'm very happy with them. "Pi" has always been underappreciated, I feel, to the point that at one point it was stored backwards, because a friend was frightened of it. I like it and I'm glad it's going to hang at Phoebe's. Neither "Pi" nor "Cone Zone" fit at Clowes, but hey, that's not the only wall they can hang on! Sometimes, when hanging a show, I learned, there's always some editing going on. (I actually learned that on Work of Art on the Bravo channel: One of the artists had that as her criticism for her final show. By the way, I was right: Abdi won. I'm so happy for him, he seemed so much more real than the others). Anyway, there's no reason to force something in art that isn't already there.
I have an idea for what I'm going to paint for Masterpiece In A Day, and just found out that my vacation day cleared (I usually work Saturdays), so this year I'll be able to participate the whole day (last year I cut it short to go to work) AND attend the art parade! Yay! Last year, I did watercolors, and this year, I'm definetly doing acrylic. If my idea comes out remotely like its looking in my head, I'll be happy. I'm really happy right now with how it looks in my head.
Unfortunately, I'm spent. I have no idea what I'm going to do for October at Phoebe's and need to figure out what comes next. I'm on vacation for Labor Day, and will have the chance to go back home, see my family, and see the familiar sights. Hopefully, this will recharge my battery so that I can come back with some more art awesomes. We'll see.
Good news: My art was on tee vee! A photog friend had to shoot a story at Butler University, about their incoming freshman class size and the welcome back weekend. He had to interview a member of the university. He asked the photog where he would like to do the interview and the photog answers, "Well, how about Clowes Hall." He then puts the university official right in front of my work. Interestingly, the piece to the left of the shot, "Rocket Corn," is based off of a photo taken last harvest by this same photog friend. I had asked him for some corn reference photos and this was one of them. Yay for free, subtle publicity!
And now, a collection of my newest pieces:
We have, from left to right, "Prayer," "Vigil," and "Coronal Mass Ejection."
The first two are based off of shots I took while shooting a story of a National Night Out vigil. This year's vigil happened to be scheduled the night after 8 people were shot at a birthday party. Two people died, the other 6 are recovering. The police say they've arrested the shooters, so we'll see what comes of it. At the vigil, I noticed several people holding hands. In fact, when I was editing the story, I realized how many hand-holding shots I had, and made that the editing "theme." The man in the hat was a man that was praying and holding his hand into the air. I crouched on the ground and tilted the camera up to his face and thought it was a very cool shot.
The third painting is on plywood and is another take on the moon. Yes, that black circle in the middle is the moon. It doesn't have nearly as much texture to it as the previous moons, but I think it fits well enought. It's based off a simulation that was shown on the Science Channel, in a documentary about solar eclipses. That red stuff coming out from behind the moon is the coronal mass ejections, AKA the solar flare stuff, that is easily visible during a complete solar eclipse. It struck a cord in my head and I had to paint it. Once again, the background, including the CME, is painted in aerosol, and the moon is acrylic. It looks really more cool in person, I couldn't get it to photograph right.
Last thing: I'll be adding a new feature to the site, or, rather, my web guru friend, John will be: A page that contains event shots, publicity type shots and such. It's not the gallery section, but a place to put all the smiley, happy photos taken during events that my art has been featured at. A photo album of sorts. Yay.
The first two are based off of shots I took while shooting a story of a National Night Out vigil. This year's vigil happened to be scheduled the night after 8 people were shot at a birthday party. Two people died, the other 6 are recovering. The police say they've arrested the shooters, so we'll see what comes of it. At the vigil, I noticed several people holding hands. In fact, when I was editing the story, I realized how many hand-holding shots I had, and made that the editing "theme." The man in the hat was a man that was praying and holding his hand into the air. I crouched on the ground and tilted the camera up to his face and thought it was a very cool shot.
The third painting is on plywood and is another take on the moon. Yes, that black circle in the middle is the moon. It doesn't have nearly as much texture to it as the previous moons, but I think it fits well enought. It's based off a simulation that was shown on the Science Channel, in a documentary about solar eclipses. That red stuff coming out from behind the moon is the coronal mass ejections, AKA the solar flare stuff, that is easily visible during a complete solar eclipse. It struck a cord in my head and I had to paint it. Once again, the background, including the CME, is painted in aerosol, and the moon is acrylic. It looks really more cool in person, I couldn't get it to photograph right.
Last thing: I'll be adding a new feature to the site, or, rather, my web guru friend, John will be: A page that contains event shots, publicity type shots and such. It's not the gallery section, but a place to put all the smiley, happy photos taken during events that my art has been featured at. A photo album of sorts. Yay.
Next time: Progress reports, the inner workings of the site, and more new art!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy Busy.....
Phew.
Ok.
Crazy Week.
And it's not done yet.
I have half the show up at Clowes. We ran out of time, both for me and the union stage hand, of our four hour allotment. I had to get to the regular job, he was only scheduled for four hours anyway. We're set to continue the work tomorrow and finish it then. I'm pushing for two hours and we're done. I think it can be done. Just take some quick work, that's all.
I've spent the last two weeks on a mega-push to make sure everything gets done. I finished the last of the paintings for a while (just a little tapped out), and I'm really happy with them. One only got half done, but I just kept looking at it and looking at it, and it just wasn't in me yet to finish it. I like where it's going, but sometimes you just have to walk away from a painting to save it. If I had kept trying to finish it, I probably would have messed up the parts I like, and that just won't do.
I got some framing equipment. I got a little device that looks like a stample gun, except it doesn't kick back, or threaten the glass, and shoots those little tabby things into the frame to hold the glass, work, and backing in. So yeah, I know offer framing services. Or at least, assembly services. I just get old frames and fix them up, so I don't have the abilities to order brand-new frames from anywhere. Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! I offer Green Framing!
I learned how to cut glass, from my awesome mosaic-artist friend Deborah Lewis. She has a studio, The Bunker Studio, in Muncie. She gives lessons on how to cut glass, design and make beautiful mosaic pieces, and how to adhere the glass on to surfaces, like gazing balls and window panes.
The lesson came along by accident: I kept cutting myself on the glass from the frames! And then I broke a large piece of glass! I was really disheartened and scared of cutting myself again. Deborah told me to bring the glass up to The Bunker, and she'd cut it down for me so that I could reuse it for smaller frames that didn't have any glass. While she was cutting that glass down, she taught me how to score and cut stained glass andplay around with a piece of light green. Then I got to glue it onto a mirror and take it home! AND, I didn't cut myself!
Ok.
Crazy Week.
And it's not done yet.
I have half the show up at Clowes. We ran out of time, both for me and the union stage hand, of our four hour allotment. I had to get to the regular job, he was only scheduled for four hours anyway. We're set to continue the work tomorrow and finish it then. I'm pushing for two hours and we're done. I think it can be done. Just take some quick work, that's all.
I've spent the last two weeks on a mega-push to make sure everything gets done. I finished the last of the paintings for a while (just a little tapped out), and I'm really happy with them. One only got half done, but I just kept looking at it and looking at it, and it just wasn't in me yet to finish it. I like where it's going, but sometimes you just have to walk away from a painting to save it. If I had kept trying to finish it, I probably would have messed up the parts I like, and that just won't do.
I got some framing equipment. I got a little device that looks like a stample gun, except it doesn't kick back, or threaten the glass, and shoots those little tabby things into the frame to hold the glass, work, and backing in. So yeah, I know offer framing services. Or at least, assembly services. I just get old frames and fix them up, so I don't have the abilities to order brand-new frames from anywhere. Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! I offer Green Framing!
I learned how to cut glass, from my awesome mosaic-artist friend Deborah Lewis. She has a studio, The Bunker Studio, in Muncie. She gives lessons on how to cut glass, design and make beautiful mosaic pieces, and how to adhere the glass on to surfaces, like gazing balls and window panes.
The lesson came along by accident: I kept cutting myself on the glass from the frames! And then I broke a large piece of glass! I was really disheartened and scared of cutting myself again. Deborah told me to bring the glass up to The Bunker, and she'd cut it down for me so that I could reuse it for smaller frames that didn't have any glass. While she was cutting that glass down, she taught me how to score and cut stained glass andplay around with a piece of light green. Then I got to glue it onto a mirror and take it home! AND, I didn't cut myself!
Ain't it perty?
So now I have a new skill. And I'm not afraid of glass. I have a large window in the front room of my house (my 'studio') that has a smaller window above it. The name starts with a "T" and many people have said it to me but I keep forgetting what it is. Anyway, my landlord said I can make a stained glass pane to put up there, and Deborah inspired me on the design: Circles. It'll be like bubbles are floating around the window and it will be awesome. Thanks Deborah!
The rest of the week was mad-assembly of the framed works, the boyfriend being very helpful in putting hangers on the backs, dotting "I's," crossing "T's," and making sure the name cards are just right. I'm going to be so happy when I get this all up and finished...Just in time for the Fountain Square Masterpiece in a Day! I actually have an idea for this year's painting, a better one than last year.
Also, I'm thinking photography for Phoebe's this month. The photos I took of the windmills, the ones that inspired the paintings, are excellent stand-alone photographs. I'm just trying to decide if I want them black & white, or in color...Either way, they're going up there on Monday!
So here's the rundown of activity:
From now until October 10th: Joy Hernandez Art at Clowes Hall on Butler University.
September: Windmill photos at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery in Muncie.
September 12th: Gallery Tour at Clowes Hall.
September 18th: Masterpiece in a Day in Fountain Square, Indianapolis.
Until October: Three pieces are at Butterfly Consignment in Castleton, Indianapolis.
Ongoing: A variety of pieces at Cortex Hair Salon in Muncie.
Busy busy busy.
I leave you with a sneak peak at Clowe's, with stage hand helper Joe, hanging the works:
So now I have a new skill. And I'm not afraid of glass. I have a large window in the front room of my house (my 'studio') that has a smaller window above it. The name starts with a "T" and many people have said it to me but I keep forgetting what it is. Anyway, my landlord said I can make a stained glass pane to put up there, and Deborah inspired me on the design: Circles. It'll be like bubbles are floating around the window and it will be awesome. Thanks Deborah!
The rest of the week was mad-assembly of the framed works, the boyfriend being very helpful in putting hangers on the backs, dotting "I's," crossing "T's," and making sure the name cards are just right. I'm going to be so happy when I get this all up and finished...Just in time for the Fountain Square Masterpiece in a Day! I actually have an idea for this year's painting, a better one than last year.
Also, I'm thinking photography for Phoebe's this month. The photos I took of the windmills, the ones that inspired the paintings, are excellent stand-alone photographs. I'm just trying to decide if I want them black & white, or in color...Either way, they're going up there on Monday!
So here's the rundown of activity:
From now until October 10th: Joy Hernandez Art at Clowes Hall on Butler University.
September: Windmill photos at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery in Muncie.
September 12th: Gallery Tour at Clowes Hall.
September 18th: Masterpiece in a Day in Fountain Square, Indianapolis.
Until October: Three pieces are at Butterfly Consignment in Castleton, Indianapolis.
Ongoing: A variety of pieces at Cortex Hair Salon in Muncie.
Busy busy busy.
I leave you with a sneak peak at Clowe's, with stage hand helper Joe, hanging the works:
Next time: My latest works, those that I finished just in time for Clowes!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Windmills, Broken Glass, and Boo-Boos.
I've been rolling right along with my preps for the Clowes Hall show.
I got my new camera, a Canon Powershot A495. It's 10 megapixels, but hey, I'm upgrading from a 3 megapixel camera, so the clarity is stunning as far as I'm concerned. I was worried about being able to afford a camera at, basically, the drop of a hat, but I kind of lucked out. My old camera, a college graduation giftie from my mom, happened to die just as Canon was rolling out their 14 megapixel cameras. This dropped the price in the formerly new 12 mpx cameras, and, of course, practically clearanced the 10 mpx. Yay for good timing!
And with that, I bring you these beauties:
These are four of my latest paintings, all to be shown at Clowes. I'm calling them all "Bouquet - ..." (Bouquet- Pink, Bouquet- Yellow, Bouquet- Rose, Bouquet- Green, to be exact). The Yellow one and the Rose one are flowers the BF has given me. I'm not sure what the yellow flower was called, he always finds such interesting flowers that I have no idea what they are. The Rose is the flower he gave me for our anniversary. (Awwww.) The Pink one is some little flowers that grow across the street from my house; I have no idea what they are either, but they are cute little round things with vibrant color. The Green is because, well, every Bouquet needs some greenery, right? They range in size, with the Rose being pretty big and the Green and Pink being very small.
And then there are these guys:
Together, I'm calling them "Power." (Power One, Power Two, Power Three). They are painted from photos I took last time I went home to Illinois. About 20 minutes from my grandma's house, there are a crop of these things. I can see them from my grandma's town, but they are itty bitty, only a half inch tall. Then you drive. And drive. And drive. And they get bigger. And bigger. And bigger. The photos I took, I think, are awesome. A storm had just passed, and these were to the east of me, so the storm was retreating to the horizon in the pictures, adding that dark sky look to the background to make the windmills pop out really well. I painted them with a nice, bright blue, because, well, I wanted to. There are two more that I have yet to take pictures of, the last one just finished today, so they'll be up shortly. These will all be at Clowes too.
The one in the middle is the one I started with, but, geez, that thing gave me so may problems. The windmills are a very geometric form. The blades, no matter what place they are spinning in, are each a certain degree seperated from the others. Get that angle wrong and the whole thing looks off. I painted the blades on that middle one at least twice (three times in some parts). I painted the background with such a nice, blended blue, that it was difficult to re-blend in areas where I needed to. Frustrating. But finished. And I'm happy with the results.
I just loved the grace and shape of these windmills. They're like the future, but then, there they are, in the middle of a corn field, next to some old barns that have been standing since Woodrow Wilson was president. It's like when I remember that my great-grandfather was born in the same year the Wright brothers first flew a plane, and lived to see all the leaps in technology before he died in 1994. That was alot of advancements. And here they are, spinning away, next to an old farm barn. Or, as a friend put it when he stumbled upon some windmills in a field, "If we had a case of beer, we'd STILL be up there, watching them spin."
***
I've been working on framing my paintings. I bought a nifty lil mat cutting kit at Hobby Lobby (40% off coupons rock!). I've pretty much got the mat cutting bit down. I've been hoarding frames from Salvation Army and Goodwill and such, so I only have two more frames to acquire. For reassembly, I was told a quick easy way to secure everything within the frame, but with the larger ones, it's just not going to work. So I think tomorrow (with another 40% coupon!) I'll be purchasing this device that shoots lil holders into the frames (or, as I've been calling them, tabby things). I figure, if anything, I'll be able to make some side money cutting mats and reassembling frames, to earn back its purchase. Anyone need some mats cut?
I don't work well with glass, though. I cut my leg, I cut my finger, and I cut my other finger! All on my left side, too! They're starting to heal up, but last weekend was a bit disheartening. Or it was all just the loss of blood. Hard to tell. I've started wearing my leather work gloves when messing with the framing glass, so that's worked out.
I did break the glass on a large frame though. Grrrr. And then I broke it again while trying to move a piece of plywood today! Just not cool. But, there's an upside! I have an art friend who works in stained glass, and she said she'd cut the glass down to smaller sizes for me, which works out, since I had some smaller frames that needed glass! Win!
I have an exstensive list of things that still need to be done, 10 days to do it all in, one painting half done, 4 that need to be photographed, 3 blank canvases that are calling to me, solid ideas for 2 of them and 1 canvas that has vexed me for the last time and will have something painted over it soon.
That's the rundown for now, I'll have another update soon, with all that stuff I promised in the previous post. For Reals.
The one in the middle is the one I started with, but, geez, that thing gave me so may problems. The windmills are a very geometric form. The blades, no matter what place they are spinning in, are each a certain degree seperated from the others. Get that angle wrong and the whole thing looks off. I painted the blades on that middle one at least twice (three times in some parts). I painted the background with such a nice, blended blue, that it was difficult to re-blend in areas where I needed to. Frustrating. But finished. And I'm happy with the results.
I just loved the grace and shape of these windmills. They're like the future, but then, there they are, in the middle of a corn field, next to some old barns that have been standing since Woodrow Wilson was president. It's like when I remember that my great-grandfather was born in the same year the Wright brothers first flew a plane, and lived to see all the leaps in technology before he died in 1994. That was alot of advancements. And here they are, spinning away, next to an old farm barn. Or, as a friend put it when he stumbled upon some windmills in a field, "If we had a case of beer, we'd STILL be up there, watching them spin."
***
I've been working on framing my paintings. I bought a nifty lil mat cutting kit at Hobby Lobby (40% off coupons rock!). I've pretty much got the mat cutting bit down. I've been hoarding frames from Salvation Army and Goodwill and such, so I only have two more frames to acquire. For reassembly, I was told a quick easy way to secure everything within the frame, but with the larger ones, it's just not going to work. So I think tomorrow (with another 40% coupon!) I'll be purchasing this device that shoots lil holders into the frames (or, as I've been calling them, tabby things). I figure, if anything, I'll be able to make some side money cutting mats and reassembling frames, to earn back its purchase. Anyone need some mats cut?
I don't work well with glass, though. I cut my leg, I cut my finger, and I cut my other finger! All on my left side, too! They're starting to heal up, but last weekend was a bit disheartening. Or it was all just the loss of blood. Hard to tell. I've started wearing my leather work gloves when messing with the framing glass, so that's worked out.
I did break the glass on a large frame though. Grrrr. And then I broke it again while trying to move a piece of plywood today! Just not cool. But, there's an upside! I have an art friend who works in stained glass, and she said she'd cut the glass down to smaller sizes for me, which works out, since I had some smaller frames that needed glass! Win!
I have an exstensive list of things that still need to be done, 10 days to do it all in, one painting half done, 4 that need to be photographed, 3 blank canvases that are calling to me, solid ideas for 2 of them and 1 canvas that has vexed me for the last time and will have something painted over it soon.
That's the rundown for now, I'll have another update soon, with all that stuff I promised in the previous post. For Reals.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Found Moon
Remember this one?
"Lost Moon."
I titled it after the book by Jim Lovell. The book is better known as Apollo 13. That movie was impactful to me, made me crazy about space stuff and fuel something of an intense hobby/minor obsession for the better part of the next 15 years. I painted it for the "patriotic" loosely-themed month of July at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery. See, right before I painted it, Obama declared that we weren't going back to the moon, at least on his watch.
I love the scene in the movie, after the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, where Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is standing in his backyard, putting his thumb over the moon and blocking it out. Later, when Apollo 13 is in crisis, his wife, Marilyn, stares up to the moon, knowing that her husband is somewhere there.
I've always enjoyed staring up at the moon. I can point out the Sea of Traquility, the Ocean of Storms, and let's not forget the Bay of Rainbows (the official, less Saturday-morning-cartoon name is Sinus Iridium). The large crater near the bottom of it called Tycho, after astronomer Tycho Brahe, is that one that thas the light colored rays arching away from it. Some nights, its good to just stare up at the moon.
I painted "Lost Moon" as something of a companion to "From The Earth" (that title also tied to the Apollo program and Tom Hanks...points to the best guesser). It was going a step further on the aerosol + acrylic style, using the aerosol to get that awesome smooth glow that is around the moon, and the acrylics to get the texture and the craters of the moon. With "Lost Moon," I referenced those nights that the moon is low and golden and large on the horizon, and those nights when that moon is touched by clouds.
It hung at Phoebe's for the month of July, and was often visited by a blind woman, Dena Polston. Dena has been blind since birth and has never seen the moon. I guess she knows its there, because someone has told her, but she's never been able to stare up at the moon, at Tycho, Tranquility Base, or Mount Marilyn. Dena experiences art by touch, and she touched "Lost Moon." She said that by doing this, she saw the moon for the first time. This kind of blew my mind. I've been saying that alot about this story, but its really the only way to describe it, and it still doesn't completely convey my awe. Awe doesn't even convey how I feel about all of this.
Dena fell in love with that painting, and I couldn't take the moon away from her! So at the end of the month, I told Phoebe that "Lost Moon" was now "Found Moon" and it was also now Dena's. I love and appreciate staring at the moon and to have the chance to give that to a person who has never experienced that was...something more than amazing.
The next time Dena came into the gallery, Phoebe was to give the painting to her. When she finally came in, she brought a poem with her to have Phoebe give to me. Phoebe surprised her by putting the painting into the same hands that had just held the poem. I wish I could have seen that moment.
Dena's poem, coincidently, was also titled "Found Moon." And here it is:
You call to me like an old friend
You touch me beyond mere words
Though I cannot see all that you have to offer
I have an innate feeling that you are meant for me.
I'm drawn to you over and over again.
Like a forged chain inexorably linking the two of us.
I always know right where you are
Every time I return, I have to look and make sure you're still there
You make me dream of romantic places and times
I can't help smiling
Just thinking of songs, poems and other works you've inspired
I'm so glad I found the moon in all its glory
And I'm elated that we have found each other.
-Dena Polston
This whole thing just rocks so much. And I'm still not doing justice to it all. But it still really, really rocks. I could have a piece of my art hang in the Louvre, the White House, or positively critiqued by the best, most highly-regarded art critic in the world, and it still wouldn't measure up to the compliment from Dena that, as far as she is concerned, that painting contains the real Moon, the Moon I look up to in awe.
Thanks Dena!
Next Time: New camera, that mystery painting, a whole bunch of new ones, Clowe's update, injuries, framing, and a coronal mass ejection (...that's the big scientific name for a solar flare!).
"Lost Moon."
I titled it after the book by Jim Lovell. The book is better known as Apollo 13. That movie was impactful to me, made me crazy about space stuff and fuel something of an intense hobby/minor obsession for the better part of the next 15 years. I painted it for the "patriotic" loosely-themed month of July at Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery. See, right before I painted it, Obama declared that we weren't going back to the moon, at least on his watch.
I love the scene in the movie, after the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, where Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) is standing in his backyard, putting his thumb over the moon and blocking it out. Later, when Apollo 13 is in crisis, his wife, Marilyn, stares up to the moon, knowing that her husband is somewhere there.
I've always enjoyed staring up at the moon. I can point out the Sea of Traquility, the Ocean of Storms, and let's not forget the Bay of Rainbows (the official, less Saturday-morning-cartoon name is Sinus Iridium). The large crater near the bottom of it called Tycho, after astronomer Tycho Brahe, is that one that thas the light colored rays arching away from it. Some nights, its good to just stare up at the moon.
I painted "Lost Moon" as something of a companion to "From The Earth" (that title also tied to the Apollo program and Tom Hanks...points to the best guesser). It was going a step further on the aerosol + acrylic style, using the aerosol to get that awesome smooth glow that is around the moon, and the acrylics to get the texture and the craters of the moon. With "Lost Moon," I referenced those nights that the moon is low and golden and large on the horizon, and those nights when that moon is touched by clouds.
It hung at Phoebe's for the month of July, and was often visited by a blind woman, Dena Polston. Dena has been blind since birth and has never seen the moon. I guess she knows its there, because someone has told her, but she's never been able to stare up at the moon, at Tycho, Tranquility Base, or Mount Marilyn. Dena experiences art by touch, and she touched "Lost Moon." She said that by doing this, she saw the moon for the first time. This kind of blew my mind. I've been saying that alot about this story, but its really the only way to describe it, and it still doesn't completely convey my awe. Awe doesn't even convey how I feel about all of this.
Dena fell in love with that painting, and I couldn't take the moon away from her! So at the end of the month, I told Phoebe that "Lost Moon" was now "Found Moon" and it was also now Dena's. I love and appreciate staring at the moon and to have the chance to give that to a person who has never experienced that was...something more than amazing.
The next time Dena came into the gallery, Phoebe was to give the painting to her. When she finally came in, she brought a poem with her to have Phoebe give to me. Phoebe surprised her by putting the painting into the same hands that had just held the poem. I wish I could have seen that moment.
Dena's poem, coincidently, was also titled "Found Moon." And here it is:
You call to me like an old friend
You touch me beyond mere words
Though I cannot see all that you have to offer
I have an innate feeling that you are meant for me.
I'm drawn to you over and over again.
Like a forged chain inexorably linking the two of us.
I always know right where you are
Every time I return, I have to look and make sure you're still there
You make me dream of romantic places and times
I can't help smiling
Just thinking of songs, poems and other works you've inspired
I'm so glad I found the moon in all its glory
And I'm elated that we have found each other.
-Dena Polston
This whole thing just rocks so much. And I'm still not doing justice to it all. But it still really, really rocks. I could have a piece of my art hang in the Louvre, the White House, or positively critiqued by the best, most highly-regarded art critic in the world, and it still wouldn't measure up to the compliment from Dena that, as far as she is concerned, that painting contains the real Moon, the Moon I look up to in awe.
Thanks Dena!
Next Time: New camera, that mystery painting, a whole bunch of new ones, Clowe's update, injuries, framing, and a coronal mass ejection (...that's the big scientific name for a solar flare!).
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Busy Busy Busy
Yesterday, I accomplished alot!
The day started in Muncie, hanging a couple of security cameras for Phoebe's. Some no-brain jack knob stole some stuffs and that's just not cool. One of my co-workers, Gary Gallinger, an avid techie, sold some small, HAL-looking cameras to Phoebe with a crapload of cable and I attached them, ran them through the ceiling and set them up so Phoebe can record them. I was told if I can set up a liveshot, I can set up this system and...Presto! Instant security system, just don't add water. (cause, you know, it's electronic).
While in Muncie, I dropped off Angry Flower Girl, Comí El Loto, and Tomoe at Cortex, reclaiming From The Earth, Pineapple, and Tomato. I also picked up my July show pieces from Phoebe's. I'm sitting out August there to prepare for Clowes. I did leave Lost Moon behind, now retitled Found Moon. I left it for Dena, the blind lady that loved it. It's hers now, her moon.
Drove back to Indy, stopped by Butterfly Consignment. Left for them Radish, From The Earth, and Licked By Rembrandt. Those will be there and for sale for 90 days. Go see! Go see! Also, they had a really cool lime green and silver bracelet for sale, and it called my name and I BOUGHT IT! :P I worked hard that day, it was my reward! :) The lady working that day said it was cool that I bought something there because so many artists drop stuff off but don't buy anything either, kind of instead of supporting the establishment that's giving you a shot. I told her that wasn't and issue for me: If I find something nifty and its a good price and I got the dough, I'll buy it. I like cheap finds. My problem is letting myself buy stuff! Bad Joy!
Also at Butterfly Consignment, I delivered some Green Glam jewelry, handmade by Debra Dragoo, for sale there as well. Since I have to drive back and forth anyway, I'm a go-between. I have a cool blue scarab necklace made by Debra, so go check out her stuffs too, its pwitty!
Drove down to Southport, to my friendly neighborhood Hobby Lobby. Got a mat cutter kit thing (had a coupon!) and some mats as matboard was on sale. Got some orange paper for the labels I have to make for each painting. I had a good start on it the night before, but then I went and got the wrong shade! Grrrr.
Stopped by Value World, my neighborhood thrift store, and got a bunch of big frames (I had a coupon!). They have some horrible looking prints, usually in really nice wood frames, but always for a very low price, given the size of the frame. So I buy them, discard the print, repaint the frame and instant art display!
I finally figured out the formula for the blades of the windmills. I made a little check thing, and made sure all the angles lined up with that piece of paper. Penciled them in and painted them over. I have the three little ones done (they had all the background finished, just needed windmills) one large one (the one I needed to repaint) nearly finished, just need some final touch ups, and one more all ready to go, I just haven't really gotten to it yet. Hey! I got tired!
No really, as I was working on them last night, I realized, as you get tired, you mess up. I stopped myself before I messed up something stupid. Good thing, cause these windmills have been giving me headaches and I want to paint something else. I have one Puerto Rico ocean painting to finish (the one you can see me painting in my website photo) and four blank canvases. I also have some plywood scraps that will soon be painted as well!
I still have a TON of work to do, but its trucking along. If I just keep doing SOMETHING, then every day I'll be closer to being done. This house is gonna look so empty with all my artwork hanging somewhere else for so long!
And I'm saving my pennies for a new camera. Pics as soon as possible!
Next time: All that other stuff I keep saying I'm going to write about, except I'll (probably) really do it!
The day started in Muncie, hanging a couple of security cameras for Phoebe's. Some no-brain jack knob stole some stuffs and that's just not cool. One of my co-workers, Gary Gallinger, an avid techie, sold some small, HAL-looking cameras to Phoebe with a crapload of cable and I attached them, ran them through the ceiling and set them up so Phoebe can record them. I was told if I can set up a liveshot, I can set up this system and...Presto! Instant security system, just don't add water. (cause, you know, it's electronic).
While in Muncie, I dropped off Angry Flower Girl, Comí El Loto, and Tomoe at Cortex, reclaiming From The Earth, Pineapple, and Tomato. I also picked up my July show pieces from Phoebe's. I'm sitting out August there to prepare for Clowes. I did leave Lost Moon behind, now retitled Found Moon. I left it for Dena, the blind lady that loved it. It's hers now, her moon.
Drove back to Indy, stopped by Butterfly Consignment. Left for them Radish, From The Earth, and Licked By Rembrandt. Those will be there and for sale for 90 days. Go see! Go see! Also, they had a really cool lime green and silver bracelet for sale, and it called my name and I BOUGHT IT! :P I worked hard that day, it was my reward! :) The lady working that day said it was cool that I bought something there because so many artists drop stuff off but don't buy anything either, kind of instead of supporting the establishment that's giving you a shot. I told her that wasn't and issue for me: If I find something nifty and its a good price and I got the dough, I'll buy it. I like cheap finds. My problem is letting myself buy stuff! Bad Joy!
Also at Butterfly Consignment, I delivered some Green Glam jewelry, handmade by Debra Dragoo, for sale there as well. Since I have to drive back and forth anyway, I'm a go-between. I have a cool blue scarab necklace made by Debra, so go check out her stuffs too, its pwitty!
Drove down to Southport, to my friendly neighborhood Hobby Lobby. Got a mat cutter kit thing (had a coupon!) and some mats as matboard was on sale. Got some orange paper for the labels I have to make for each painting. I had a good start on it the night before, but then I went and got the wrong shade! Grrrr.
Stopped by Value World, my neighborhood thrift store, and got a bunch of big frames (I had a coupon!). They have some horrible looking prints, usually in really nice wood frames, but always for a very low price, given the size of the frame. So I buy them, discard the print, repaint the frame and instant art display!
I finally figured out the formula for the blades of the windmills. I made a little check thing, and made sure all the angles lined up with that piece of paper. Penciled them in and painted them over. I have the three little ones done (they had all the background finished, just needed windmills) one large one (the one I needed to repaint) nearly finished, just need some final touch ups, and one more all ready to go, I just haven't really gotten to it yet. Hey! I got tired!
No really, as I was working on them last night, I realized, as you get tired, you mess up. I stopped myself before I messed up something stupid. Good thing, cause these windmills have been giving me headaches and I want to paint something else. I have one Puerto Rico ocean painting to finish (the one you can see me painting in my website photo) and four blank canvases. I also have some plywood scraps that will soon be painted as well!
I still have a TON of work to do, but its trucking along. If I just keep doing SOMETHING, then every day I'll be closer to being done. This house is gonna look so empty with all my artwork hanging somewhere else for so long!
And I'm saving my pennies for a new camera. Pics as soon as possible!
Next time: All that other stuff I keep saying I'm going to write about, except I'll (probably) really do it!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Windmills = GRRRRR
Update! RAWR!!
I've got four paintings done. I'm calling them, collectively, Bouquet. There's a big pinkish rose, on a turquoise background, a non-descript yellow flower, on a purple background, and two lil ones: A pink round flower on yellow, and a leaf (kind of like an olive branch) on orange. The yellow one and the rose are based on flowers my boyfriend has given me recently. He's the type that loves to give flowers, and I'm the type that's happy to receive them. The lil pink one is based on some Remy and I saw in my neighborhood on a walk (she actually gets to go to the dog-friendly local comic shop! Yay!). And the leaf is because...every bouquet needs some greenery.
They're kind of stylized, similar a bit to the three Mee-ba paintings I did. I'm happy with them, and figure they'll make up one wall for Clowes (out of 24!).
The windmills are....coming along. I have the backgrounds (read: sky) painted on all that are going to be windmills. I have the ground painted on most of them. All that's left, really, is the ... stupid windmill. You know, the point of the whole thing. I was really scared of the straight lines and getting the angles just right for the blades. I think I've figured out a work-around, I just need to settle down and do it. Hard part is, for some reason, with the blues or what I just don't know, I have a hard time seeing stuff on those canvases at night. I'm due for my eye appointment to get my prescription upped anyway, so I know my eyes suck. I'm restricted to painting those in the daylight, even with lots of lamps at night! Tomorrow is my Saturday, so it will be devoted to painting those things, as I'll be home and awake (two key things) in the day time. Seriously, when I just PAINT the windmills, I'll have 5 more paintings done! It's so frustrating, like a clog in a pipe!
I have four more canvases to do. I'm thinking doggies. I have cool pastel drawing I did of Dottie at a lake a few years ago. I'd really like to paint Remy. Most of the time, when I'm painting, she likes to sit right next to me. I joke that she's my painter's assistant. Sometimes, she gets paint ON her, she'll lay down on a splatter or something. It really is cute. I'd like to give her a beret or something, and an apron! A few months ago, I got her to make a splatter painting on a piece of foam core. She likes to hold brushes in her mouth. I probably should train her more. Her whole name is Rembrandt, so we joke that she's an original Rembrandt. SO, I'm thinking the last four canvases will be Rembrandt and other dog-oriented. Remy just has so much attitude in her face! I've tried sketching it out, but she's really hard to capture! Maybe if I just PAINT it, it will all work out. I'd take a pic to post here, but...My camera is still broke. I looked, as suggested to me, on Craigslist, for a new camera, but I was worried there was some shady deals. Some cameras were listed at nearly the same price as a current one, but with half the megapixels! I'm aiming for a 10 or 12 mp camera, figuring I'll keep it for another 5 years at least. They're debuting the 14s so the prices are dropping fast on the "older" models. We'll see.
Last, I'm working on matting my watercolors and pastels. And framing them too, of course. I figure if I can learn to cut the mats myself, I'll save some crazy cash. I think I'm just about scared of the rigid straight lines of the matboard as I am of the windmills! Most of that work will have to wait til Friday anyway, so let's get over my windmill blade fear first and then tackle the mat board!
Next time: For REALS: That painting at Phoebe's, Art Bank, matting, and what paintings are now gonna be where. For REALS!
I've got four paintings done. I'm calling them, collectively, Bouquet. There's a big pinkish rose, on a turquoise background, a non-descript yellow flower, on a purple background, and two lil ones: A pink round flower on yellow, and a leaf (kind of like an olive branch) on orange. The yellow one and the rose are based on flowers my boyfriend has given me recently. He's the type that loves to give flowers, and I'm the type that's happy to receive them. The lil pink one is based on some Remy and I saw in my neighborhood on a walk (she actually gets to go to the dog-friendly local comic shop! Yay!). And the leaf is because...every bouquet needs some greenery.
They're kind of stylized, similar a bit to the three Mee-ba paintings I did. I'm happy with them, and figure they'll make up one wall for Clowes (out of 24!).
The windmills are....coming along. I have the backgrounds (read: sky) painted on all that are going to be windmills. I have the ground painted on most of them. All that's left, really, is the ... stupid windmill. You know, the point of the whole thing. I was really scared of the straight lines and getting the angles just right for the blades. I think I've figured out a work-around, I just need to settle down and do it. Hard part is, for some reason, with the blues or what I just don't know, I have a hard time seeing stuff on those canvases at night. I'm due for my eye appointment to get my prescription upped anyway, so I know my eyes suck. I'm restricted to painting those in the daylight, even with lots of lamps at night! Tomorrow is my Saturday, so it will be devoted to painting those things, as I'll be home and awake (two key things) in the day time. Seriously, when I just PAINT the windmills, I'll have 5 more paintings done! It's so frustrating, like a clog in a pipe!
I have four more canvases to do. I'm thinking doggies. I have cool pastel drawing I did of Dottie at a lake a few years ago. I'd really like to paint Remy. Most of the time, when I'm painting, she likes to sit right next to me. I joke that she's my painter's assistant. Sometimes, she gets paint ON her, she'll lay down on a splatter or something. It really is cute. I'd like to give her a beret or something, and an apron! A few months ago, I got her to make a splatter painting on a piece of foam core. She likes to hold brushes in her mouth. I probably should train her more. Her whole name is Rembrandt, so we joke that she's an original Rembrandt. SO, I'm thinking the last four canvases will be Rembrandt and other dog-oriented. Remy just has so much attitude in her face! I've tried sketching it out, but she's really hard to capture! Maybe if I just PAINT it, it will all work out. I'd take a pic to post here, but...My camera is still broke. I looked, as suggested to me, on Craigslist, for a new camera, but I was worried there was some shady deals. Some cameras were listed at nearly the same price as a current one, but with half the megapixels! I'm aiming for a 10 or 12 mp camera, figuring I'll keep it for another 5 years at least. They're debuting the 14s so the prices are dropping fast on the "older" models. We'll see.
Last, I'm working on matting my watercolors and pastels. And framing them too, of course. I figure if I can learn to cut the mats myself, I'll save some crazy cash. I think I'm just about scared of the rigid straight lines of the matboard as I am of the windmills! Most of that work will have to wait til Friday anyway, so let's get over my windmill blade fear first and then tackle the mat board!
Next time: For REALS: That painting at Phoebe's, Art Bank, matting, and what paintings are now gonna be where. For REALS!
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