Welp, my camera died. I don't know how. I don't know how to rescusitate it. It won't switch off the little movie setting that's in between the picture viewing and picture taking settings. When it does switch to the picture taking setting, it shows all the little icons on the screen....and black. *sigh* It was a good run, anyway. Guess I know what I'll be saving up for. Worst part is alot of stores have the upgraded version of the same camera (Canon Powershot--with 12 mp instead of 3) on sale now! Oh well. In time.
Hey! I know! Someone buy a painting so that I can use the proceeds to buy a new camera! Yeah! That's it! :)
Even though I can't show you through photo-documentation, things have been hopping lately!
Thanks to the awesome Debra Gindhart Dragoo, another artist that shows at Phoebe's in Muncie, I know have artwork showing (and, hopefully, selling) at Cortex Hair Center in downtown Muncie. It's a really nifty place, with some cool swirly textures on the wall that, if you follow them back to their sculptural source, reveals them to be strands of hair from a lady's head. I plan on rotating painting in and out of there as I take new work up to Phoebe's, usually around the 24th of the month.
Also, thanks to fellow newsphotographer (although at a different station) Joel Clausen, I'll soon have four paintings on display (and, hopefully, selling) at Butterfly Consignments in Castleton. I met with the owner, Niquelle Allen, and they have a really wonderful shop! The walls are a deep yellow and a chocolate brown, and should look neat as backdrops for my works. She selected "Licked By Rembrandt," "Radish," "Conversation Dimmed," and "From The Earth" to be shown there. All are for sale as well! None are there yet, as I still have to finish framing "Conversation Dimmed" and "From The Earth" is still at Cortex. Haha, much to do.
And speaking of framing, I have about 28 pictures that NEED to be framed, pronto, because....
August 16th through October 10th, Joy Hernandez Art will be showing at Clowes Hall at Butler University! I'll be kicking off their season, hanging pretty much my entire collection (the display space is HUGE) in the lobby of Clowes. They use the lobby as a gallery so that people that are attending shows have something to look at (and, hopefully, buy--Hey! I need a new camera here! :D ) during intermissions or before the shows. Thanks to my pal, Mari Yamaguchi, we will be holding a reception/gallery walk & talk on September 12th, at 1:30 pm. There will be a free jazz concert, following the walk & talk, at 3pm, performed by students at Butler.
In the meantime, I'm pretty much painting my BUTT off, I have 14 canvases here in my front room (my "studio") in various stages of production, from still in the wrapping, to having paint on it from 4 months ago, to halfway finished, to all but finished but I'm too intimidated to fix it, to ...Finished! Yes. I have one painting finished. Thirteen more to go. I wanted to take a picture of it and show you all but....my camera broke. :( Can you see yet how much this is bothering me? I feel like I got poked in the eye!
On that note, time for the rest of the day.
Next time: The explanation of that painting in the previous post, updates on the progress of THIRTEEN paintings, how things are coming in Clowes preps, and an update on my sanity, or lack thereof. Oh yeah, and fun at the Art Bank! Laters!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
July's First Thursday
First Thursday was last night. It rocked. I have a few people interested in some of my paintings and one is particularly notable.
There's a lady that has come into Phoebe's often, and she's been blind since birth. Recently, I've painted the moon, using extra paint to make crater textures to give the moon a bit of realness. Currently, I have Lost Moon on show at Phoebe's and this lady came in "saw" the painting.
She sees by touching, she analzyed Lost Moon and loved the texture. It is spray-paint smooth on the background, then the roughness of the cratered moon, and then a lighter, smoother texture for the clouds that cover it. This is a woman that has never experienced the moon. We can only SEE the moon, unless you're one of the lucky few, you can't touch it, and you certainly can't taste it or hear it or smell it. The moon's existence is only presented to us earthly humans through sight. So, for the first time, this woman "saw" the moon.
Phoebe relayed this via Facebook: "She said to tell you that she talked to your painting and said it was like greeting a friend...she said, "hello, Moon" and she could feel it."
My mind has been blown.
Also, as promised, a bit about coffee shops, or, at least, one in particular: Country Morning Coffee Co., in Kewanee. It has recently opened, my mom told me about it, and we visited the shop during my trip home. They have wonderful fruit smoothies (coffee and I don't mix; I'm already a spazz).
The owner, Elizabeth Wolf, has been trying to bring the 'art vibe' to Kewanee. Why not? It has a great downtown, with all the old buildings pretty much preserved (not really due to much to any kind of activism, I think it was more that no one new what else to put there so why not leave them alone? Well, except for the always encroaching Good's Furniture of course.) The result is a bunch of old buildings, looking like they would have in the 20's or 30's with lots of lil shops and such that have moved into the ground floors. I assume that people live in the second and third floors, but I've never met anyone that does!
Elizabeth is already hosting art, using the coffee shop walls as gallery space, and Mrs. Lane, my former art subsitute teacher, runs a gallery two blocks away. The library is across from the coffee shop, they could sponsor some reading related events (poetry slam, anyone?). There are some fun restaurants nearby. This is the same area that comes alive during Hog Days (Labor Day weekend, to lay people). Imagine it pumping and bopping every...say Third Thursday...or whatever!
I would love Kewanee to have an event like this. I only wish I was closer, so that I could lend a hand in organizing. There isn't much else going on in K-town, its practically a blank slate with the infrastructure (businesses) in place. There are a few places around Indiana, small towns, that have embraced the artworld as their form of commerce and notariety, there's no good reason Kewanee can't do it. It's ripe for the picking, and we just need someone with the ambition (and proximity) to do it! We all know (especially through Facebook) who can do-play-perform-cook what. C'mon Boilers!
Next time: Cortex, Clowes, and what was that new painting with no explanation you just saw above??? Yeah.
There's a lady that has come into Phoebe's often, and she's been blind since birth. Recently, I've painted the moon, using extra paint to make crater textures to give the moon a bit of realness. Currently, I have Lost Moon on show at Phoebe's and this lady came in "saw" the painting.
She sees by touching, she analzyed Lost Moon and loved the texture. It is spray-paint smooth on the background, then the roughness of the cratered moon, and then a lighter, smoother texture for the clouds that cover it. This is a woman that has never experienced the moon. We can only SEE the moon, unless you're one of the lucky few, you can't touch it, and you certainly can't taste it or hear it or smell it. The moon's existence is only presented to us earthly humans through sight. So, for the first time, this woman "saw" the moon.
Phoebe relayed this via Facebook: "She said to tell you that she talked to your painting and said it was like greeting a friend...she said, "hello, Moon" and she could feel it."
My mind has been blown.
From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery; "The War" hanging on the wall with other artists' work; "Lost Moon," hanging where it can be experienced; "El Día De Los Papeles," article and close-up pics next time; and Phoebe, taking a break, relieving a break-er, revelling in success, I hope. Thanks Phoebe!
Also, as promised, a bit about coffee shops, or, at least, one in particular: Country Morning Coffee Co., in Kewanee. It has recently opened, my mom told me about it, and we visited the shop during my trip home. They have wonderful fruit smoothies (coffee and I don't mix; I'm already a spazz).
The owner, Elizabeth Wolf, has been trying to bring the 'art vibe' to Kewanee. Why not? It has a great downtown, with all the old buildings pretty much preserved (not really due to much to any kind of activism, I think it was more that no one new what else to put there so why not leave them alone? Well, except for the always encroaching Good's Furniture of course.) The result is a bunch of old buildings, looking like they would have in the 20's or 30's with lots of lil shops and such that have moved into the ground floors. I assume that people live in the second and third floors, but I've never met anyone that does!
Elizabeth is already hosting art, using the coffee shop walls as gallery space, and Mrs. Lane, my former art subsitute teacher, runs a gallery two blocks away. The library is across from the coffee shop, they could sponsor some reading related events (poetry slam, anyone?). There are some fun restaurants nearby. This is the same area that comes alive during Hog Days (Labor Day weekend, to lay people). Imagine it pumping and bopping every...say Third Thursday...or whatever!
I would love Kewanee to have an event like this. I only wish I was closer, so that I could lend a hand in organizing. There isn't much else going on in K-town, its practically a blank slate with the infrastructure (businesses) in place. There are a few places around Indiana, small towns, that have embraced the artworld as their form of commerce and notariety, there's no good reason Kewanee can't do it. It's ripe for the picking, and we just need someone with the ambition (and proximity) to do it! We all know (especially through Facebook) who can do-play-perform-cook what. C'mon Boilers!
Friday, June 25, 2010
k-e-w-a-n-E-E!
I love going home. :)
It makes me happy. I love the scenery. I love the feeling I get driving on I-74, when, at some point past Champaign, it starts to look familiar. It starts to look like home.
I know, I know, I live in Indiana, another midwest farm state, shouldn't it all really just look the same? NO! It doesn't! There are subtle differences, the shading of the land, due to whatever's in the ground, the way the hills roll. Believe it or not, you actually subconsciously memorize the way the hills roll. In high school, my friend and I drove to the Quad Cities for the first time by ourselves. Usually this involves I-80. On the way back, we took I-74 by accident, and realized something was wrong because the hills didn't look right! It's something you just KNOW.
At some point southeast of Bloomington/Normal, before you get to Downs, there are like 300 windmills all in a bundle off on the horizon. I never noticed them before, they were out my right window, sometimes I'll look out to the left, but not often the right, so I have no idea how long they've been there. But to me, they were beautiful. Some were still, some were lazily turning, and there had to be enough to power the nearby city, I swear. I dunno, I was just in awe.
There are several pics that I've painted that came from home. Kentville Road, named for one of the two roads that goes to my grandma's town, Count Henry, the esteemed hog ruler of Kewanee, and Stark Co. Stimulus, which is what you see, driving north on Highway 78, near the Spoon River (which is actually still in Peoria County, but whatever, title still stands). Those were all painted in Indiana, but taken from memories (well, whatever is stronger than a memory, because it feels like part of my blood and being) of home and are usually painted in a fit of homesickness.
There are a lot of really cool people that have come out of Kewanee, and we all like to diseminate to the four corners of the planet, sometimes to see what's out there, and sometimes to survive not having to work in a factory or somesuch. Just in my work, I run into people that know of that town, through Good's or Hog Days or has a friend of a friend, or happens to be visiting Indy for a soccer tournament or something else completely random. It's a little town that gets around!
So I guess I'm proud to represent. :)
There are some windmills outside of Kewanee too. Well, by outside, I mean, you drive out on the Kentville, past Neponset, and keep driving til the little things become big things and there they are. I took a ton of photos, reference pieces for paintings, and some of the photos I'm just proud of and may just present as such. A wicked storm had just blown through, and could still be seen off in the distance, retreating, but still casting a neat dark blue background for these white windmills. Then I found a couple of cool old barns and a couple of gnarly old trees. I'd love to paint these, but am not sure if I could do them justice; their reality is just so cool; so I may just print off the photos for sale/display. The whole trip was pretty well exhausting, on the heels of so much other stuff, including night after night of bad weather, which equals madness at work. I haven't even had a chance to look at the photos on my computer yet, but they look pretty cool on my lil camera screen. I can't WAIT til I'm able to save up enough for a new camera. 3 or 4 megapixels just doesn't cut it much. :( Oh well, the ones I have can always be reference photos, and, next time I go home (HOG DAYS!!) I can always take more "high def" windmill, barn, and gnarly tree photos. They've been there a long time, and they'll still be there.
Next time: Coffee Shop, Cortex, and, hopefully, website updates!
It makes me happy. I love the scenery. I love the feeling I get driving on I-74, when, at some point past Champaign, it starts to look familiar. It starts to look like home.
I know, I know, I live in Indiana, another midwest farm state, shouldn't it all really just look the same? NO! It doesn't! There are subtle differences, the shading of the land, due to whatever's in the ground, the way the hills roll. Believe it or not, you actually subconsciously memorize the way the hills roll. In high school, my friend and I drove to the Quad Cities for the first time by ourselves. Usually this involves I-80. On the way back, we took I-74 by accident, and realized something was wrong because the hills didn't look right! It's something you just KNOW.
At some point southeast of Bloomington/Normal, before you get to Downs, there are like 300 windmills all in a bundle off on the horizon. I never noticed them before, they were out my right window, sometimes I'll look out to the left, but not often the right, so I have no idea how long they've been there. But to me, they were beautiful. Some were still, some were lazily turning, and there had to be enough to power the nearby city, I swear. I dunno, I was just in awe.
There are several pics that I've painted that came from home. Kentville Road, named for one of the two roads that goes to my grandma's town, Count Henry, the esteemed hog ruler of Kewanee, and Stark Co. Stimulus, which is what you see, driving north on Highway 78, near the Spoon River (which is actually still in Peoria County, but whatever, title still stands). Those were all painted in Indiana, but taken from memories (well, whatever is stronger than a memory, because it feels like part of my blood and being) of home and are usually painted in a fit of homesickness.
There are a lot of really cool people that have come out of Kewanee, and we all like to diseminate to the four corners of the planet, sometimes to see what's out there, and sometimes to survive not having to work in a factory or somesuch. Just in my work, I run into people that know of that town, through Good's or Hog Days or has a friend of a friend, or happens to be visiting Indy for a soccer tournament or something else completely random. It's a little town that gets around!
So I guess I'm proud to represent. :)
There are some windmills outside of Kewanee too. Well, by outside, I mean, you drive out on the Kentville, past Neponset, and keep driving til the little things become big things and there they are. I took a ton of photos, reference pieces for paintings, and some of the photos I'm just proud of and may just present as such. A wicked storm had just blown through, and could still be seen off in the distance, retreating, but still casting a neat dark blue background for these white windmills. Then I found a couple of cool old barns and a couple of gnarly old trees. I'd love to paint these, but am not sure if I could do them justice; their reality is just so cool; so I may just print off the photos for sale/display. The whole trip was pretty well exhausting, on the heels of so much other stuff, including night after night of bad weather, which equals madness at work. I haven't even had a chance to look at the photos on my computer yet, but they look pretty cool on my lil camera screen. I can't WAIT til I'm able to save up enough for a new camera. 3 or 4 megapixels just doesn't cut it much. :( Oh well, the ones I have can always be reference photos, and, next time I go home (HOG DAYS!!) I can always take more "high def" windmill, barn, and gnarly tree photos. They've been there a long time, and they'll still be there.
Next time: Coffee Shop, Cortex, and, hopefully, website updates!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Hip Sips Recap
Ok, a week later, FINALLY, the recap of Hip Sips.
Sorry that I've neglected the blog a bit, but I've been marathoning. Not literally a marathon--just running around between three states, trying to accomplish EVERYTHING: Work stuff, family stuff, art stuff, and I still probably have a good week to go through before I drop.
Anyway.
Hip Sips was...an interesting experience. It was my first outdoor art fair, and in my nerves, I forgot my camera to take pics of the booth set up. Boo. I also forgot all my easels for display, but hey! Nerves! But, it did all set up and work out just the way I wanted, so yay. I had a coworker help my by putting glue on the connectors and gluing them to some pvc pipes that, when I stuck on the vertical 5 ft. pipes, made 5 1/2 ft. panels that I lined the back of my booth with. There are some bugs that will need to be worked out before next time, such as connecting them to the tent and all that (I used duct tape, but I want it to look better). I made some, basically, big giant grey pillow cases to put over them and used mirror wire and some chain link fence connectors to hang art work along the panels. That worked REALLY well. I was really proud of how that all worked out.
The key to the planning was that I had to fit everything into my Toyota Yaris hatchback. The Yaris is kind of...itty bitty. Mine is one of the three cars in the work parking lot allowed to park in the sub compact spot in the lot. I had a 5 ft height maximum. The tent folded into a case that was 5 ft., the pvcs were no longer than that when disconnected, and the artwork was no bigger than 3 ft. x 4 ft. That entire thing was an intricate Jenga puzzle and it worked really well. Even on take-down, which occurred an hour early because a mondo ugly storm was rolling in. We rushed. I shut the last car door JUST as the first drop of rain fell. Success.
Sales? Not so success. Lotsa lookers, one lady swore she wanted my train tracks painting...but...she wanted to also spend all her money on wine. Eh. There were maybe 100 people there. The Wilson Winery people, especially Debbie Wilson, were really really nice and helpful. This was the first year for a, hopefully, annual event, and turnout showed it. Maybe next year word of mouth will spread a bit, and it won't be 90+ degrees with 90+ humidity and people will WANT to come out and have some wine. They had some good jazz bands! And, big time thanks to my friend, Tim Booker, for helping me set up and man the booth before he ran away to Ohio to get drunk. Thanks Booker! You survived the Boondocks (no, really, there was a billboard nearby directing people to tour the Boondocks Farms!)
In the meantime, one of the artists from Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery, Debra Dragoo, set me up with Paige at Cortex, a hip hair salon in downtown Muncie, and I met with Paige yesterday after dropping some art off at Phoebe's. My work will now be on show at Cortex, I'll probably switch them out monthly, and all work will be for sale as well! So yeah, need a hair cut? Need a painting? Go to Cortex.
Next up, my trip home to Kewanee, a coffee shop, and windmills. Soon. I promise.
Sorry that I've neglected the blog a bit, but I've been marathoning. Not literally a marathon--just running around between three states, trying to accomplish EVERYTHING: Work stuff, family stuff, art stuff, and I still probably have a good week to go through before I drop.
Anyway.
Hip Sips was...an interesting experience. It was my first outdoor art fair, and in my nerves, I forgot my camera to take pics of the booth set up. Boo. I also forgot all my easels for display, but hey! Nerves! But, it did all set up and work out just the way I wanted, so yay. I had a coworker help my by putting glue on the connectors and gluing them to some pvc pipes that, when I stuck on the vertical 5 ft. pipes, made 5 1/2 ft. panels that I lined the back of my booth with. There are some bugs that will need to be worked out before next time, such as connecting them to the tent and all that (I used duct tape, but I want it to look better). I made some, basically, big giant grey pillow cases to put over them and used mirror wire and some chain link fence connectors to hang art work along the panels. That worked REALLY well. I was really proud of how that all worked out.
The key to the planning was that I had to fit everything into my Toyota Yaris hatchback. The Yaris is kind of...itty bitty. Mine is one of the three cars in the work parking lot allowed to park in the sub compact spot in the lot. I had a 5 ft height maximum. The tent folded into a case that was 5 ft., the pvcs were no longer than that when disconnected, and the artwork was no bigger than 3 ft. x 4 ft. That entire thing was an intricate Jenga puzzle and it worked really well. Even on take-down, which occurred an hour early because a mondo ugly storm was rolling in. We rushed. I shut the last car door JUST as the first drop of rain fell. Success.
Sales? Not so success. Lotsa lookers, one lady swore she wanted my train tracks painting...but...she wanted to also spend all her money on wine. Eh. There were maybe 100 people there. The Wilson Winery people, especially Debbie Wilson, were really really nice and helpful. This was the first year for a, hopefully, annual event, and turnout showed it. Maybe next year word of mouth will spread a bit, and it won't be 90+ degrees with 90+ humidity and people will WANT to come out and have some wine. They had some good jazz bands! And, big time thanks to my friend, Tim Booker, for helping me set up and man the booth before he ran away to Ohio to get drunk. Thanks Booker! You survived the Boondocks (no, really, there was a billboard nearby directing people to tour the Boondocks Farms!)
In the meantime, one of the artists from Art & Soul by Phoebe Gallery, Debra Dragoo, set me up with Paige at Cortex, a hip hair salon in downtown Muncie, and I met with Paige yesterday after dropping some art off at Phoebe's. My work will now be on show at Cortex, I'll probably switch them out monthly, and all work will be for sale as well! So yeah, need a hair cut? Need a painting? Go to Cortex.
Next up, my trip home to Kewanee, a coffee shop, and windmills. Soon. I promise.
Friday, June 11, 2010
HIP SIPS!!!!
Ok we interrupt this scurrying about to bring you:
HIP SIPS!!!!
Saturday, June 12, (tomorrow) Wilson Wineries is hosting an art, jazz, and wine festival on their property... Entry tickets is $20 and it benefits the Randolph County Cancer Center. So see? It's a good thing! Wilson Wineries is near Modoc, Indiana, which, in turn, is, depending on which way you wish to go, south of Muncie or north of New Castle.
Art and Soul By Phoebe Gallery will have a booth there, with a sampling from my Muncie art buddies, and I'll have a booth as well!
My pal, Booker, is helping me man the booth, and I've been running around the last two days, making sure I've acquired everything I'm going to need tomorrow. I've got my art work strewn around my front room and all the hardware and structure ready to go as well. Here's the catch. I'm shipping the whole thing there, tent and art and all, via my two door, hatchback, Toyota Yaris. Everything has a five foot limit, if its longer than that, it's not fitting. I'm so taking a picture of how this is going down. It'll all fit. I swear. Here's hoping for sales, as then I won't have as much to haul back!
I've got the credit card thing worked out, I hope I actually have cell reception out there. I have a back up plan, but having reception will make it so much easier.
I still have to price the last bit in my portfolio, make a few more signs, and finish one last lil painting that is for sale, but is also the center piece of a magnet display. Besides mucho artwork, I'll have lil things for sale, like some bracelets I made up a while ago, and some beer bottle cap magnets. Figured that would go over pretty well at a wine festival. These aren't just Bud Light caps, either. Personally, I can't stand the taste of beer, but my boyfriend is quite the connoisseur of imported beers. Imported beers have nifty caps.
Oh yeah, and I have to put hangers on the newest art. I have three panels I have to sew covers for, and I'm hanging art from those, and hope to hang a few lighter pieces from the tent itself.
Did I mention scattered showers are predicted? I have tarps like nobody's business! It'll rain out there to be sure, but we'll keep working in the dry tent!
So yeah, come out to Modoc, help some cancer patients and buy some arts! And wine! And we have jazz!
Back to work...
HIP SIPS!!!!
Saturday, June 12, (tomorrow) Wilson Wineries is hosting an art, jazz, and wine festival on their property... Entry tickets is $20 and it benefits the Randolph County Cancer Center. So see? It's a good thing! Wilson Wineries is near Modoc, Indiana, which, in turn, is, depending on which way you wish to go, south of Muncie or north of New Castle.
Art and Soul By Phoebe Gallery will have a booth there, with a sampling from my Muncie art buddies, and I'll have a booth as well!
My pal, Booker, is helping me man the booth, and I've been running around the last two days, making sure I've acquired everything I'm going to need tomorrow. I've got my art work strewn around my front room and all the hardware and structure ready to go as well. Here's the catch. I'm shipping the whole thing there, tent and art and all, via my two door, hatchback, Toyota Yaris. Everything has a five foot limit, if its longer than that, it's not fitting. I'm so taking a picture of how this is going down. It'll all fit. I swear. Here's hoping for sales, as then I won't have as much to haul back!
I've got the credit card thing worked out, I hope I actually have cell reception out there. I have a back up plan, but having reception will make it so much easier.
I still have to price the last bit in my portfolio, make a few more signs, and finish one last lil painting that is for sale, but is also the center piece of a magnet display. Besides mucho artwork, I'll have lil things for sale, like some bracelets I made up a while ago, and some beer bottle cap magnets. Figured that would go over pretty well at a wine festival. These aren't just Bud Light caps, either. Personally, I can't stand the taste of beer, but my boyfriend is quite the connoisseur of imported beers. Imported beers have nifty caps.
Oh yeah, and I have to put hangers on the newest art. I have three panels I have to sew covers for, and I'm hanging art from those, and hope to hang a few lighter pieces from the tent itself.
Did I mention scattered showers are predicted? I have tarps like nobody's business! It'll rain out there to be sure, but we'll keep working in the dry tent!
So yeah, come out to Modoc, help some cancer patients and buy some arts! And wine! And we have jazz!
Back to work...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Work Of Art
I just got done watching Bravo's new show, "Work Of Art--The Next Great Artist." Think Project Runway but switch paintings for clothes. In fact, it IS Project Runway with paintings instead of clothes. The format is pretty much the same, the rules are basically the same. A bunch of people are gathered in a studio, tasked to paint a picture correlating to the assign theme (this week was portraits of an assigned partner), they have a showing of the paintings, and afterwards, the top and the bottom artists are gathered together to discuss just why they were in the top and the bottom. Then someone is named winner and someone is named loser, and the loser is kicked off the island...I mean, studio.
I'm a late-comer to the whole Project Runway thing. It's a fun show to watch when there's a marathon on and I should be doing something else but I don't really want to and need an excuse. I like the challenges that the designers have to partake in, and its not cheesey like America's Next Top Model has become. Both of those shows, for me, the appeal is watching the process, watching these people stumble through the challenge they're given and then the reveal, when all their hard work is on display, for better or worse. Sometimes contestants look totally lost, and then their final product (dress, picture, whatever) is shown to be really neat. The catty-ness and infighting are definetly not the appeal to me at all (although my boyfriend cracks up at some of the critiques the judges give the designers on Runway).
My first impression of Work Of Art is pretty much positive. I'm in. I want to see who wins. It was cool for me to see these people race against time for something that, well, in the end, usually has to dry! I would sooo mess up my piece on the way to the gallery under the gun like that! Not to mention having to come up with something good constantly, and in a very short time constraint! I participated in the "Masterpiece in a Day" contest in my neighborhood last year, for the first time, and Damn! That felt like an art marathon and I was only half way happy with my work! I was so tired. These poor mooks are gonna be exhausted, physically and creatively, when they're done!
The Contestants: My money's on Abdi. I liked him. Maybe it was the nerd in me and the fact that he painted himself like some kind of superhero for his entry-piece for the show. He seemed the most real, without pretense, and I related to him and the opinions/feelings he voiced during the show. I like his work, and hope he makes it all the way. He's interesting and down to earth. He had real-world reasons for what he was doing and not all "this is the inner turmoil blah blah blah and if you don't get it, you're not cool enough" about his art. Go Team Abdi!
Nao: She needs to take a pill, calm down, and quit judging the other artists. And she needs to shut up and take the critique. She does not know all and I hope this close call humbled her a bit. I did like her barrett at the end of the show. Maybe some cool Fimo clay or something. If I had some Fimo clay, I might be moved to make one for myself...if she wasn't so holier than thou all the time. "I'm not responsible for how people see my art!" Geez.
Miles: This poor kid looks like he won't physically make it through the show! He won this week, but he looked like he was going to melt down first. He has OCD and its cool that the OCD set is getting represented, but I just hope the kid doesn't break before the last episode. Maybe he'll come out of this knowing better how to roll with the punches.
Erik: The new guy. He's the amatuer guy that doesn't know much about the world of art. Ok I get that. Hell, I'm practically there sometimes. I did like his quote about how the professional world does things just so, but the amatuer world doesn't know those rules and therefore knows no limits. hehehehe. But quit giving excuses. Ignorance isn't an excuse. Don't use your amatuer-ness as a crutch. It ain't cool and it'll get old fast.
I look forward to next Wednesday and yeah its a reality show and yeah it's cheap entertainment, and like Tyra Banks' models, its not like the winner of this thing is really gonna be the next Michaelangelo (or Remy just barked "Rembrandt!") but it'll get the general public thinking and maaaayyyybeee coming to HIP SIPS TO BUY SOME ART!!!!
Really subliminal there huh?
Ok enough screwing around by this artist and back to booth preps for Hip Sips!
I'm a late-comer to the whole Project Runway thing. It's a fun show to watch when there's a marathon on and I should be doing something else but I don't really want to and need an excuse. I like the challenges that the designers have to partake in, and its not cheesey like America's Next Top Model has become. Both of those shows, for me, the appeal is watching the process, watching these people stumble through the challenge they're given and then the reveal, when all their hard work is on display, for better or worse. Sometimes contestants look totally lost, and then their final product (dress, picture, whatever) is shown to be really neat. The catty-ness and infighting are definetly not the appeal to me at all (although my boyfriend cracks up at some of the critiques the judges give the designers on Runway).
My first impression of Work Of Art is pretty much positive. I'm in. I want to see who wins. It was cool for me to see these people race against time for something that, well, in the end, usually has to dry! I would sooo mess up my piece on the way to the gallery under the gun like that! Not to mention having to come up with something good constantly, and in a very short time constraint! I participated in the "Masterpiece in a Day" contest in my neighborhood last year, for the first time, and Damn! That felt like an art marathon and I was only half way happy with my work! I was so tired. These poor mooks are gonna be exhausted, physically and creatively, when they're done!
The Contestants: My money's on Abdi. I liked him. Maybe it was the nerd in me and the fact that he painted himself like some kind of superhero for his entry-piece for the show. He seemed the most real, without pretense, and I related to him and the opinions/feelings he voiced during the show. I like his work, and hope he makes it all the way. He's interesting and down to earth. He had real-world reasons for what he was doing and not all "this is the inner turmoil blah blah blah and if you don't get it, you're not cool enough" about his art. Go Team Abdi!
Nao: She needs to take a pill, calm down, and quit judging the other artists. And she needs to shut up and take the critique. She does not know all and I hope this close call humbled her a bit. I did like her barrett at the end of the show. Maybe some cool Fimo clay or something. If I had some Fimo clay, I might be moved to make one for myself...if she wasn't so holier than thou all the time. "I'm not responsible for how people see my art!" Geez.
Miles: This poor kid looks like he won't physically make it through the show! He won this week, but he looked like he was going to melt down first. He has OCD and its cool that the OCD set is getting represented, but I just hope the kid doesn't break before the last episode. Maybe he'll come out of this knowing better how to roll with the punches.
Erik: The new guy. He's the amatuer guy that doesn't know much about the world of art. Ok I get that. Hell, I'm practically there sometimes. I did like his quote about how the professional world does things just so, but the amatuer world doesn't know those rules and therefore knows no limits. hehehehe. But quit giving excuses. Ignorance isn't an excuse. Don't use your amatuer-ness as a crutch. It ain't cool and it'll get old fast.
I look forward to next Wednesday and yeah its a reality show and yeah it's cheap entertainment, and like Tyra Banks' models, its not like the winner of this thing is really gonna be the next Michaelangelo (or Remy just barked "Rembrandt!") but it'll get the general public thinking and maaaayyyybeee coming to HIP SIPS TO BUY SOME ART!!!!
Really subliminal there huh?
Ok enough screwing around by this artist and back to booth preps for Hip Sips!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Uncorked
Remember this one?
It has now become this one:
I've titled it "We Are All Americans" and I like it alot more than I did with that icky, pastel, sidewalk-chalk-that-puked background that I had given it before! Turquoise is way better. I like turquoise. I sat down last night and just FINISHED it. Practically started and finished it in one sitting, painting the edges this morning after the rest had dried overnight. When I'm on a roll, I guess I'm on a roll!
I free-handed the image with a brush (usually some pencil work is involved, but not this time!). I actually used my own arm and handing holding a flag as the 'model' for the painting, obviously exaggerating the colors and bone structure and stuff. I darkened the skintone as well. My arm was too pale for my point and currently has something that looks like New Jersey drawn on it in blue sharpie because one of my friends decided to play Connect-The-Dots with my freckles while I was working. Yeah.
This one is going to Phoebe's in July (and will also be for sale at Hip Sips this weekend!) and is part of the political thread of paintings I'm working on now, for that month's "theme." The title refers to the current immigration debate and, overall, the subject matter is drawn from my memories of the 2005 immigration rally we had here in Indianapolis.
I was working for the Spanish-language station then, so we had a front row seat to the rally, a march that would start at a downtown Catholic church, and wind its way to the City-County Building, Indianapolis' version of city hall. There's a big square to the south of the building, and we had a platform set up for a good view of the speaking podium so that we could take it live (even though most of our viewing audience seemed to be at the rally). We were all set up and ready to go and its nice and quiet and then... We begin to hear chants of "Sí se puede!" and a sea of 20,000 people, wearing white shirts and carrying American flags, flows from the street into the square. It was amazing. They swarmed in, chanted and rallied, and the leaders speechified. Some of the other stations had just pulled up on the street to get a few minutes of video and then boogie out, but the crowd filled the entire area; those trucks weren't going anywhere; and some of the people even tried to climb on top for a better view!
It was all a very peaceful demonstration, and, at risk of sounding like a hippy, there was a strong and welcome sense of togetherness. These people wanted to put on their best face for the rest of the city, as if to say "See? We're not out to get you, to undermine you, we ARE you." The crowd around our podium was almost more mesmerized by us than the speakers, and I probably could have had 200 people doing the Hokey Pokey if I had just asked.
I took that photo that day, and, I guess that's part of what inspired me to paint this picture. With all the rallies in all the cities that year, it would have been great if some legislation would have been passed at that time, as pay off for all that hard work. But nothing was, and it would be amazing to see that kind of action again. Hopefully, people aren't feeling too apathetic, defeated, or scared to speak up in those kind of numbers again.
It has now become this one:
I've titled it "We Are All Americans" and I like it alot more than I did with that icky, pastel, sidewalk-chalk-that-puked background that I had given it before! Turquoise is way better. I like turquoise. I sat down last night and just FINISHED it. Practically started and finished it in one sitting, painting the edges this morning after the rest had dried overnight. When I'm on a roll, I guess I'm on a roll!I free-handed the image with a brush (usually some pencil work is involved, but not this time!). I actually used my own arm and handing holding a flag as the 'model' for the painting, obviously exaggerating the colors and bone structure and stuff. I darkened the skintone as well. My arm was too pale for my point and currently has something that looks like New Jersey drawn on it in blue sharpie because one of my friends decided to play Connect-The-Dots with my freckles while I was working. Yeah.
This one is going to Phoebe's in July (and will also be for sale at Hip Sips this weekend!) and is part of the political thread of paintings I'm working on now, for that month's "theme." The title refers to the current immigration debate and, overall, the subject matter is drawn from my memories of the 2005 immigration rally we had here in Indianapolis.
I was working for the Spanish-language station then, so we had a front row seat to the rally, a march that would start at a downtown Catholic church, and wind its way to the City-County Building, Indianapolis' version of city hall. There's a big square to the south of the building, and we had a platform set up for a good view of the speaking podium so that we could take it live (even though most of our viewing audience seemed to be at the rally). We were all set up and ready to go and its nice and quiet and then... We begin to hear chants of "Sí se puede!" and a sea of 20,000 people, wearing white shirts and carrying American flags, flows from the street into the square. It was amazing. They swarmed in, chanted and rallied, and the leaders speechified. Some of the other stations had just pulled up on the street to get a few minutes of video and then boogie out, but the crowd filled the entire area; those trucks weren't going anywhere; and some of the people even tried to climb on top for a better view!
It was all a very peaceful demonstration, and, at risk of sounding like a hippy, there was a strong and welcome sense of togetherness. These people wanted to put on their best face for the rest of the city, as if to say "See? We're not out to get you, to undermine you, we ARE you." The crowd around our podium was almost more mesmerized by us than the speakers, and I probably could have had 200 people doing the Hokey Pokey if I had just asked.
I took that photo that day, and, I guess that's part of what inspired me to paint this picture. With all the rallies in all the cities that year, it would have been great if some legislation would have been passed at that time, as pay off for all that hard work. But nothing was, and it would be amazing to see that kind of action again. Hopefully, people aren't feeling too apathetic, defeated, or scared to speak up in those kind of numbers again.
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