Yes, we survived Sandy. Unfortunately, NYC and NJ can’t quite say the same. It’s hard to believe what a disaster it is down there!!! The worst that we had up here some raging wind and rain…my parents were without power from Monday to Friday, and a tree fell on a friend’s car. So, we fared better than our hipper neighbors to the South. As if THAT wasn’t enough…we also had a Nor’easter a few days later:
No joke. That white stuff is the first snow of the season. That was last Thursday…it was 35 degrees with snow and sleet, and it was miserable. I was supposed to go to NYC that day for a friend’s gallery reception, but that seemed like a bad idea on account of both the weather and Sandy’s general chaos down there. BOO HOO!
Today, in contrast, it was almost 60 degrees with bright sunshine. Now, is that fair? Hardly. Well, that does mean that I can hold off on my incessant whining about the cold for at least a little bit longer! (Aren’t YOU lucky!) Speaking of cold…I was trapped in the house during Sandy with my sick 4 yr old son, and, naturally, my husband and I BOTH got his cold. Ech.
In a vain attempt to cope with cabin fever and an excess of phlegm, I made a batch of misshapen black & white cookies:
Umm…okay, I know that they look really sad, but they were delicious and I practically ate the batch myself. Aren’t I a good mommy? (I DID share SOME of them…) My stir crazy son drew this on that day:
THAT…I’ll have you know…is a scene with a tyrannosaurs rex, a mastodon, a fortress, and a helicopter with large grappling claw attempting to pick up said mastodon. BRILLIANT! Okay, my favorite part is how he drew the jaw of the T.Rex…sort of with a piranha-like underbite. I’m not sure if he drew this pre-cookie, or post-cookie. Maybe pre-cookie, as he was likely to be tearing the house apart from the sugar rush post-cookie. Joy! I was probably hiding under the sofa at that point with my tray of cookies…
SO, my excuses for this blog post being late (and potentially boring) are:
1. Sandy
2. My son’s gross cold
3. My subsequent gross cold
4. The election
5. The nor’easter
6. My black & white cookie induced coma.
I may be able to finally focus on something other than those six setbacks this week. (Unless, I bake another batch of those cookies, of course!!!!!!)
I did get a chance to go over to the Decordova today. This is a museum/sculpture park in Lincoln, MA. I usually head into the main building to see what the latest show is. Here’s what I saw:
Julianne Swartz, Loop, 2010
This sound/physical sculpture is part of Julianne Swartz’s current show, How Deep Is Your. This sculpture is a a mesh of mostly colorful wires and tiny speakers emitting some quiet sounds that encourage you to step closer to hear better. I am unfamiliar with her work, but I liked this. It’s intriguing how the inorganic became organic…I also liked having to get closer to hear the sounds…almost like putting a shell next to your ear…kind of intimate… Next:
Julianne Swartz, Obstacle, 2007
Okay, this…I loved too. What you can’t see is that the fine, steel wire that is coming from the top of the concrete block is actually rotating slowly. So, the small, paper form dangling from the wire slowly moves around the central blocks. At first glance, you may think, “wha?..” TRUST ME. It’s mesmerizing. I LOOOVE the contrast between the rough, heavy concrete blocks and the metal filament/fishing line/paper object. Watching the delicate paper form slowly meander around, drag itself over the rock obstruction, and continue on was really amazing. In many of her pieces, she has this tremendous ability to play with the feeling/pull of gravity…from the weighty concrete…to the delicate, dangling paper form…to the tenuous movement of this form slowly orbiting the blocks. I was not expecting to be so enthralled by this. Next:
Julianne Swarz, Stability Study (table), 2012
This was soooo beautiful too. Is it not the most elegant thing you’ve ever seen??? Notice the fine wire that appears to be barely held up against the wood by the rough surface of the stone. You can feel it’s tension as it bows either under the pull of gravity, or because it is being held in the bent curve by the rough stone’s surface. Either way, I LOVE IT. I love how powerful it makes these intangibles tangible. All of the pieces on this floor of the museum benefited by having lots of SPACE around them. The first example of her work that I show above I think would have benefited from this. It felt too confined in the small room where it was located.
Anyway, I recommend seeing her work. I think that you need space (and quiet) around you as well to appreciate what she’s doing. Try to go on a day when it’s QUIET. The day I went, there were tons of kids visiting the museum and I think that the staff were either going to flip out, have an aneurism, or pull out their tazers. I assume that the artist wasn’t there, or else she would have been on the brink of insanity with the number of near misses/”DON’T TOUCH THAT!”s/and “JUST LOOK!!!”s. It wasn’t very “zen” today.
This is NOT a kid friendly show. Nor is it a cat friendly show, but hopefully that wasn’t an issue. (Just sayin’.)
Upstairs, there were some other interesting works:
Jean Shin and Brian Ripel, Measuring the Depth of his own Nature, 2012
This was really beautiful. This is an interpretation of Henry David Thoreau’s 1846 survey of Walden Pond. The “pond” is drawn in graphite across these reclaimed wood planks. I know. I’m a sucker for graphite…but who isn’t? (you MUST agree). I love the depth created in this as well. It appears that they have located the pond in perspective from a certain point…perhaps Thoreau’s house? Not sure. Look at the graphite!!!!!
Jean Shin and Brian Ripel, Measuring the Depth of his own Nature (detail), 2012
DREAMY! Maybe this love of the monochromatic is somehow related to my black & white cookie obsession? Probably. Anyway, I loved this and thought that it was really beautiful and compelling. This = the artwork, not the cookies. Well, those cookies ARE pretty compelling…trust me.
There was also a photography exhibit, which was interesting. I’m going to show a few that I especially liked:
The title of the work is either: Untitled (Double Light Leaks 2), 2010, or Untitled (Double Light Leaks 1), 2010. This is a PHOTO! I have to confess…I am not usually too interested in photography. I know. That’s sooo ignorant. I love doing photography, but I am not usually drawn to seeing photography. Very strange. I think because I am so drawn to “mark making” and “texture”, which photography often lacks. ANYWAY, I think this photo is gorgeous. Take a look at his website above, as all of his work is amazing. Next!
Lucas Blalock, Scenario for Barter, 2011
I loved this as well. I love how it seems to be a painting or a collage. I love how it’s a mix of flatness and depth…of abstraction and realism. I love the palette too. Coincidentally, another one of his works also appealed to me:
Lucas Blalock, Brid/Grid, 2011
This is so simple, yet so amazing. It’s basically a photo of some gingham fabric with a clear, plastic sink protector on top of it. BUT IT IS GORGEOUS! He’s brilliant. I love how you can barely see the plastic grid on top…almost like a jellyfish washed ashore. These are mundane objects that have been so skillfully transformed.
Speaking of mundane objects skillfully transformed…GO AND SEE MY ART SHOWS THIS WEEK! Yes, this is the FINAL week that they are open. NO JOKE. RUN…don’t WALK over to:
Towne Gallery at Wheelock College / 180 The Riverway, Boston
Concord Art Association / 37 Lexington Road, Concord
Sorry for the shameless self promotion. The cookies made me do it…
Pencil drawing by the ever-brilliant/slightly unstable E. Kostojohn
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, travel | Tags: art, berkshires
Yes, we’re bracing ourselves for hurricane Sandy. She’s a-comin’, and no one is looking forward to her arrival. How have I prepared? Umm…I bought a couple of cans of soup? It turns out there are no more D batteries for sale in the entire state. Considering that my 4 yr old son LOVES to play with our ONLY flashlight, we may be in for some lighting “challenges” here when we lose power. I’m also thinking of the general domestic challenge to be locked in the house all day with my 4 yr old. I may have to be like Odysseus and lash myself to the bannister outside the house just to get some “me” time in the midst of this “epic” storm. Did I mention that my son also has a raging cold? Ah yes…there’s a storm of viruses swirling around in the house from his hacking and sneezing. Blech. I can practically FEEL my white blood cells reeling from the onslaught of germs. I think that if there ever is “germ warfare” against our country, it will be the parents and teachers of preschoolers that have a chance of survival from our “special forces” immune system. My throat does feel scratchy. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m getting sick, or if it’s because I just ate a gross quantity of Trader Joe’s “pirate’s booty.” (puffed corn blobs covered with powdered white cheddar….YUMMY!) But I digress…actually, I haven’t really even gotten started yet. Sigh.
ANYHOO, this weekend…my husband and I took our yearly pilgrimage to the Berkshires to the Lodge where we were married. I love going there…it’s so laid back and idyllic. Did I mention that my mother watched my son for the weekend? Yes, we were kid-free for 48 hrs. Did I also mention that my son decided to sleep in until 8am this morning? His normal time to wake up is 5:30. WHY does he sleep in ONLY for Grandma??? But I digress, again.
Doesn’t that look peaceful and dreamy? I love the Berkshires.
One of the decadent things about going to the Berkshires is going to Mass MOCA. This is a large contemporary art museum in a renovated complex of factory buildings. I have to say, I really loved quite a bit of what I saw there on this visit. I’ve got photos of the highlights to share with you. The current exhibition is focused on Canadian contemporary art.
Bloodie is Born, and Born Again, 2009
Angel Trumpet Flower of Death, 2008
Wow. I LOVED these paintings. They are ink and gouache on paper, and they are GORGEOUS. I know that the imagery is disturbing, but I thought that her work was stunning. They have the look of historic book illustrations, but the scenes are bizarre. Her minimal use of color in the predominantly B&W paintings was amazing. I’m a big fan. (Hint. Hint. Just in case any of you have started your holiday shopping early!)
Joking, of course.
Etienne Zack, Silent Frames, 2011, Oil on Linen
This painting was over 8’x12′ in size. It was stunning. I really could have looked at it all day. I love the scene, the color palette, the space she creates, the odd moonlit feeling of it…so gorgeous. It’s hard to tell from this photo, but she also had elements like the wood posts with transparent reddish ghosts of the forms nearby, which almost made the image look like a manipulated photograph in a way. So incredibly brilliant.
Clay slab, 2007, watercolor on paper
Paper #2, 2007, watercolor on paper.
Yes, read that again. Those are WATERCOLORS… and they are BIG. Each one is around 3’x4′. I especially love “Clay Slab.” It’s gorgeous. You can almost feel the cold, wetness of the clay, right? These were outrageously stunning. His technical skill was also mind boggling. I love the limited palette and hyper-real quality. I’m telling you…GO. SEE. THIS. SHOW. NOW. Next:
Chris Millar, 370H55V, 2011, mixed media
This was fantastic. Here is a detail:
Chris Millar, 370H55V, 2011, mixed media (detail)
This was outrageous and amazing. I used to have a fascination with miniature things, and this sculpture was the EPITOME of the kind of miniscule things that I used to love. Here, though, it’s a freestanding agglomeration of childhood curiosities and total excess. I LOVED it. It’s hard for me to know what to say, but it seriously held both nostalgia and joy for me…as if I was stepping into some forgotten recess of my childhood. It’s made so much more perfect with that galaxy background that he created. Sheer genius. Here is another of his works:
Chris Millar, Uncharted Galvanized Hut, 2008, acrylic on canvas
This was also amazing. Again, I loved the density of it. The other thing was that it had almost a 3D/embossed look to it, where different elements were raised and layered upon other elements. It was almost like a painting decoupage. This artist just oozes brilliance.
Uncharted 4 (2011), Uncharted 2 (2011-12), Uncharted 1 (2011-12)
Uncharted 5 (2011-12), Uncharted 3 (2011-12), Uncharted 6 (2011-12)
All are acrylic on panel
Okay. I love her work. It’s SO architectural, but not stuffy or static. I’ve seen her works before at the DeCordova Museum, but this work is even better (IMHO). I love the collage-feel, the layering, and the enormous depth and dimensionality that she creates. These crazy constructs float in a field of color, like some kind of vignettes of part of a building or part of an experience. Gorgeous.
I included this photo just so that you can get a sense of the scale of some of the rooms at Mass MOCA. This room is enormous. See that blurry thing floating halfway up the wall at the end? This is what it is:
Hmm. No comment.
I must admit, I have been to Mass Moca many times, but there has only been one time when I truly loved what an artist did with that huge space. Ann Hamilton is an installation artist whose work was titled, Corpus. Here is the exhibition catalog. She truly made the space into a work of art. She had several tall reams of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper up at the rafters in different locations. Then, a robot/machine would move along some tracks to a stack of paper, pick up the top paper with suction, then drive back over to a random point on the tracks and then with a “puff” sound…drop the paper to the ground. The entire floor was covered with the paper, and random pieces would be falling intermittently around you. In addition, she had a grid of megaphone shaped speakers which would descend in unison to the floor, then raise again. I can’t remember the sound coming from the speakers, but I remember the “puff” sound when the robot would release the paper. Oh yeah..the windows were all tinted pink. It was brilliant.
Mass MOCA has other amazing spaces:
This sliver of space separates is also amazing. Look at the brickwork! Crazy. The grand finale is, of course, Sol LeWitt.
His work is located on three floors, with the early works on the lowest floors, and then you progress upwards to more recent work. This man could do anything with geometry. I love that triangle wall.
While I loved the walls with the eye-pain inducing colors, I was really drawn to the walls of graphite drawing:
Yes, those are graphite drawings. On the walls. Closer:
Mindblowing, right? These drawings (or whatever I should call them) are stunning. Such beauty in their chaos and order! More:
I know that I’m obviously enamored with graphite, as it’s the medium that I’ve chosen to grapple with. These works really elevate graphite to stratospheric levels. It makes me want to grab a pencil and start scribbling on the walls (at home, of course.) But, as I can’t do that while telling my son that he’s not allowed to, I’ll just have to restrain myself. If you feel that this whole post has been a parade of superlatives, check out the last work that was in an alcove next to these LeWitt masterpieces:
I can’t remember if the title of this was, “Bucket and Mop, Alone at Last“, or “I Thought You Loved Me?“, or “Everything Filthy Must be Mine.” JUST KIDDING! This really was just a mop and bucket in the corner. Fooled ya, right? Just keeping you on your toes…seeing if you were paying attention or daydreaming about all of the better things that you could be doing with your time besides actually READING this blog.
I’m going to post this now before we lose power from raging SANDY. Feel free to send me care packages. I’m partial to cookies and pirate’s booty.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: Boston College, Germany, Paul Klee
Yes! PAUL KLEE! There is currently an exhibit of his drawings at Boston College. Here is the link. If you are in the Boston area, it’s a MUST see. No pressure.
He was truly a fascinating person. Here is a Boston Globe article, which reviews the show. (I hope that you don’t need a subscription to read it.) Here’s a familiar quote of one of his main philosophies:
Art does not reproduce the visible; it makes visible. – Paul Klee
Brilliant! I wish I said that. Unfortunately, I’m not a genius. My normal insights are: “Oh, was that dirty?”, or “We’re out of floss”, or “Why is there a wadded up kleenex taped to the wall?” You know. Normal stuff.
Klee was obsessed with the natural world…the order of it, the purity of it. Here was a drawing that I saw:
Paul Klee, Insekten
OF COURSE, this image does it no justice. Please go see it in person. He draws with the most delicate lines, and captures the prickly, leggy, fragile quality of insects. I especially love that larva-esque creature in the lower right hand corner. If I was a bug, that’s what I would look like. Prickly and curled up in ball. But, I digress…
Paul Klee, Der Selbstmorder auf der Bruke
(Suicide on the Bridge)
He draws almost with a “stained glass” effect, where all things are interconnected and part of a larger order. The man on the bridge contemplating death is drawn with menacing figures and a looming clock face around him. Notice also the starburst of lines below…is it beckoning him to jump? Is he seeing what will happen in the future if he does jump? I feel for him. FASCINATING! Last image:
Paul Klee, Eidola – Erswhile Philospher
Ok, brilliant right? Did he not capture the feeling and form in such an amazing way????? That’s what I look like in the grocery store when I’m trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Except, I have hair. More about hair later…
I hope that I’ve convinced some of you to go. I’ve only selected black & white drawings, but there was mostly works with color…so don’t think that you’re just getting strictly drawing. Ohhhh no…there’s more.
This made me think about my son’s recent work:
Apparently, there are ships flying around a Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to capture it.
I first thought that he had drawn THIS:
Look familiar? Ahh…I’m such a product of he 80’s. Speaking of 80’s product (thus begins the slide into nonsense):
Now, THAT’S a lot of product.
GOOD LORD! Are these photos even REAL???? This is the sort of thing that would make Paul Klee roll over in his grave. He pondered the order of the universe, and I’m looking up big haired people from the 80s on the internet. WHAT HAS BECOME OF SOCIETY????
Is it just me, or are you also wondering how long it took them to get ready for this photo? How do they know if they’re having a “bad hair day?” Are they all in therapy now because their family photo was posted on the internet???
Again, I ponder the mediocre and insane.
Maybe those images were before the dawn of the beloved flat iron:
I think that I need to stop this post now both because it’s getting more inane, and because my hands are so cold…I can no longer type. Perhaps we need to remove the air conditioners from our windows, now that it’s in the 40s?
Ok. Must go warm hands by the 400 degree heat from my beloved flat iron whilst I wax nostalgic about Aqua Net and AT-ATs…
Poor blogs. They suffer so because we’re too busy to write them, and too busy to read them. I try to make my posts visually “exciting” for those of you that just scroll past the text. That’s all of you, right? Hmm. You’ve probably learned from your past mistakes of actually READING the post, and now only check in when you are stuck in traffic and are aimlessly thumbing your way through your phone. Speaking of phones, check out my son’s industrial design brilliance:
For some reason…out of the blue, he decided that he needed a phone. What, pray tell, is the basis of this design?
A macaroni and cheese box. Love. It.
Must. Keep. 4. Evah.
WHAT? These aren’t “exciting” visuals? Well, too bad.
So, I’m in a frenzy of self-promotional mayhem. I have work up in two shows this month, and I’m trying to get the word out. I made new postcards:
Front
Back
I made new business cards.
Front
Back
I hope not to have two hundred unused postcards and business cards by the time those two events are over. (Yes, I fuzzed out some information.) I’m sure that if I were Martha Stewart…I would figure a way of recycling them into a monogrammed Halloween table centerpiece and matching napkin rings. Doesn’t she have anything BETTER to do???? Seriously. I have plenty that could keep her busy. She could knit a sweater with the dustballs in our house…or sort our junk mail by color and size…or create thoughtful parting gifts for the company that we never seem to have over because who wants to climb two flights of stairs to our front door only to be greeted by a living room that looks like a Toys R Us after Katrina? (minus the scummy water line, thankyouverymuch)
Ok. I exaggerate for comic effect. Is it working? Of course not. You’ve either scrolled past this text block to see if the images get any better or you’ve already given up. I feel like giving up, and yet I persist somehow. I’m stubborn like that.
Ok. (but this time I mean it) I forgot to update you on the professional development class that I’m taking for artists. BE STILL YOUR BEATING HEART. It’s great. I highly recommend it for anyone who can spare several hundreds of dollars and almost every Saturday between now and May. Ignore my snark…it is really good. I’m learning about negotiation…(don’t insult the other person or whine!)…about organization (you can’t put post-it notes through the laundry!)…and the selection process for art shows (it can’t hurt to send the curator a pajamagram, can it???) Um…yes. Yes, it can. Just because I might be influenced by an unexpected leopard print Snuggie in the mail, doesn’t mean that others share that same love for synthetic fleece.
This post seems to be light on art, and heavy on nonsense. I’ll do better next week. I also will try not to accidentally make a blog post of just an image with no text, as I did about 30 minutes ago even though that would be a reasonable strategy if no one bothers to read (my) blogs anymore.
(Do Snuggies come in different sizes? If so, I’m probably a medium, BTW)
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: Andrea Sherrill Evans, art, drawing, Heidi Hogden, Lego
Last Sunday, my friend and I went to the South End Open Studios. SO much fun! The nice thing about these open studios is that the majority of the artists are pretty impressive…AND you really do get to visit THEIR STUDIO!!! My tie for favorite snacks offered were either the crisp apples at Joel Janowitz’s studio (his work is also amazing), or the mini peanutbutter cups at a new gallery (whose name I cannot recall) in the Laconia Gallery building. I tried to appear as if I did not in fact want to snarf down the whole bowl of those things. That’s kind of frowned upon on a studio visit…
SO! I want to ramble on about two fabulous artists that were UBER impressive…and who can draw like CRAZY. The first artist is Heidi Hogden:
Heidi Hogden, Star Buck, 2011, graphite on paper, 48×35
This drawing is GORGEOUS. I mean…so beautiful. I was truly in awe at how amazing it is. Her work is just stunning. Please take a look at her link here. Much of her work is imagery from her Wisconsin home. Can I somehow emphasize enough how amazing I think her work is???? In my next life, I’m going to be her. Or Zooey Deschanel.
The second artist that I wanted to highlight also draws, but her work is typically silverpoint. Here is a piece by Andrea Sherrill Evans:
Andrea Sherrill Evans, Double Balaclava #2, 2007,
silverpoint and watercolor on prepared paper, 11×11
Her work is so…ethereal. The silverpoint makes the lines sooo delicate. These are an intimate size, and they definitely draw you in for a closer look. I love her interest in knitting, which appears in some of her work. I also think that her painting skills are lovely as well, as they work well together with the drawing. She was actually in her studio, and she was so friendly. I’m sure that she had good snacks too, but I don’t remember.
So, later today I’m having my FIRST session of my class, The Artist Professional Toolbox at Montserrat College. I’ll let you know how it goes. If I get any brilliant insights, I’ll be sure to pass them on. I might suggest that they have topics such as, “Grovelling 101”, or “Harrassment Laws in Massachusetts / The artist’s guide to approaching galleries”, or “‘My kid could do that!‘: Handling criticism constructively.” Crying is probably frowned upon, so I’ll try not to do that.
My own work ground to a halt this week. My husband is out of town, so I’m “single parenting” it this week. I also had an excessive number of errands to run. I did have time to do lots of Lego with my son. I’m pretty hopeless with Lego. I know…how is that possible? I’M AN ARCHITECT FORTHELOVEOFGOD. An example:
Okay. The “cool” ship/vehicle on the left is my husband’s. Clearly, he’s got this Lego thing down. Look at that La-Z-boy cockpit! The middle creation is my son’s. I love the multi-headed-person-mobile. Note the interesting lack of symmetry… I must nurture that lest he become too OCD like mommy. The sad little plane on the right is mine. Sigh. I have a tendency to make these squat little creations. My one bit of ingenuity was to stick the top of the ship on by actually attaching it to the top of the pilot’s head. Brilliant! I have no doubt that you will never see that being done by anyone who knows anything about Lego. Perhaps I should really be going to Lego school? I’ll go if they have good snacks.
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., travel | Tags: architecture, cape cod, rest stops
I have no artwork to show you, as we were at the Cape last week. Sooo…lovely. I love escaping from my own house and routines. Yes, we still had to do the dishes, cooking, and laundry while we were there…BUT we didn’t have to WORK! (even though I love my work)
We went to the beach! We went for a walk! AND, I ate numerous fried clams and soft serve ice creams. I think that I gained ten pounds there…so I’m feeling a bit squishy as a result.
One fabulous thing that I got to do was go to the Provincetown Art Association (PAAM) for 20 WHOLE MINUTES, but hey…better than nothing! (note the air of grouchy domestic angst)
It’s a lovely building designed by Machado Silvetti. Check it out:
Apparently, there was a lot of flak from locals who wanted the building to look like an old house, even though the NEW building WASN’T an old house. This gives many architects migraines, including me. I understand that people are more comfortable with a plastic McMansion (which is bad), than a contemporary eyesore (which is also bad). BUT…if you hire talented people, you can get contemporary, contextual AND beautiful. Sometimes, though…I don’t totally begrudge fake-traditional. Take the rest stops on the Mass Pike:
It looks like residential architecture, not commercial. Maybe that’s ok in this instance, as people are travelling and would prefer to be led to believe that they’re eating at someone’s “house”, and not in a “food court”??? Those dormer windows though…there isn’t anything up there. I tried to find an example of good, contemporary rest stop design…but I couldn’t find anything.
This is a reststop in Georgia. No, not our Georgia…the other one. It’s by J. Mayer H. architects in Germany. Now, I’m NOT suggesting that this would have been good for the Mass Pike…but they’ve definitely not made their reststop into a McMansion. Here’s a little airport that they did:
Now, THAT…I think is lovely. We’d never do that in the US. Sad.
ANYHOO…what a ridiculous tangent! I was going to talk about the Robert Motherwell show at the PAAM, but instead I got onto REST STOPS???? What’s wrong with me?
Just so you know…the Motherwell show was lovely. He has a series of ink drawings which are meant to embody the power and force of the sea. They were really amazing.
If you can get to the show…I’d recommend it. It’s open until Sept. 30. I may be inspired to thow some paint around as a result. Looking at the state of our kitchen cabinets, though… what I should actually be doing is picking up a brush and painting those instead. Maybe they need some splashy black blotches on them? No? Could go with the splashy dirt blotches? Eww…so gross.
Just kidding! (nervous laughter)
I should probably go on some kind of diet now to lose my fried clam pudge. Maybe I’ll start by only eating stuff that we grow in our garden??? Example:
This is our carrot. I’m going to look like Heidi Klum in a week if I stick to this diet!
Actually, the odds are not good that I will either:
a. stick to a diet
b. look like Heidi Klum…EVER.
The bottom of her FOOT is probably nicer than mine. Actually, everyone within a 1/2 mile radius is likely to have more pampered feet than I have. Hmph. At least I don’t wear those shoes with the toes. Perhaps, I should, though….
Ahh…the summer is winding down. BOOHOOHOOOO! On Tuesday, September4, our quiet neighborhood will become a seething, traffic logjam of irate parents schlepping their sullen kids to school. Gone are the days when kids would walk five miles to school. Now, it seems that they have to get dropped off RIGHT at the door. Maybe I’m grumbling because my son’s school (where I not only bring him RIGHT to the door, but take him in as well, mind you) is next to the middle school. Now THOSE kids could certainly be dropped off on the corner, in an effort to cut down on the traffic backup, right? Why don’t we have school buses you ask? Two words: budget cuts. I wonder how much it would actually cost? Perhaps every parent would be willing to pay an extra $20 in order to avoid the traffic hell created by each kid being brought to school individually in his/her own Subaru/VW wagon? (we’re not quite Volvo territory here…you’d have to go over to Lexington for that) It’s kind of like those Japanese cookies, where the box, the inside of the box, and each cookie is individually wrapped in it’s own complicated packaging. I like the packaging of Oreos, where I can neatly and efficiently grab a whole ream of cookies with one hand. But I digress…what was I talking about before cookies? I forgot.
Look how domestic I’ve become! I used to be stressed out because I had two weeks worth of work to complete in the span of three hours…and now, I’m griping about traffic and cookie packaging! I would have thought that my less-stressed lifestyle would lead to fewer gray hairs, but alas no. I’m actually toying with the idea of NOT coloring my hair…but that idea may not last long when I keep seeing that mysterious crone looking at me in the bathroom mirror. (who IS that anyway????)
Well, thank GOD I finished my 23rd drawing for the series:
That one got a bit crazy. Not to gross you out…but I did find a partially rotten pear in a plastic bag under my desk. So gross. I like to buy them and then have them ripen a bit, before I draw them. Otherwise, they’re kind of hard and not quite so easy to mash with a tool. I just need to keep better track of them…that’s all! Sometimes, I wonder if this blog will be fodder for my admission to the local asylum…
HEY!!! Good news!!! I’m going to be participating in the Artist Professional Toolbox program, organized by Montserrat College of Art and the Arts & Business Council of Boston. What is it? Why, it’s a “A 9-month program for emerging and mid-career visual artists to master business challenges.” See? VERY useful! Anyone out there in the Boston area should look into this, if you’re interested. I hopefully won’t be the remedial student asking all of the inane questions whilst others look upon me with bemused pity. I have a lot to learn, and this program is well-regarded. I’ll learn things like: “Don’t stalk a gallery owner”, or “Sending 30 emails a day to a gallery owner might be off-putting”, or “How not to get a restraining order from a gallery owner”. This is important stuff. Did YOU know that sending an edible arrangement to a gallery owner is NOT the way to get a show? See? There’s so much to learn.
Speaking of learning something new, this is my son’s latest brilliant, drawing:
This is apparently my husband and I talking. If the people didn’t seem to be smiling, I might be concerned about the electricity shooting out of our mouths. I guess my son feels that we talk too much at the dinner table. Hmm. I should keep this for when he goes to a shrink later in life.
So, we’re going to the Cape next week. Yay! In honor of that, I’m posting some vital research done by some scientists at Wood’s Hole:
What’s that, you may ask? Well, it’s the skin of a squid when it listens to Cypress Hill. I kid you not. Please watch the video here. Apparently, this squid was hooked up to a special iPod playing Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain. I think that animals will be very happy when we go extinct. In the meantime, we can do crazy experiments on them. Trust me, I’m all for Cypress Hill…I’m just not sure that the squid would agree.
I know. You’re wondering when I’m going to show some actual art. Here is the work of Matthew Shlian.
He does these CRAZY paper sculptures…mostly folded, always geometric. Watch this video of him. So amazing! I’m so impressed with my ability to make an origami frog…he was probably doing that before he could walk. I think that he needs to get involved with fashion, right???
Speaking of fashion…project runway was last night. Eek! Don’t tell me what happened! Yes, I have noticed that neither Heidi Klum or Nina Garcia has any gray hair, thankyouverymuch. Luckily, I don’t hold the bar for myself quite that high. (I’m sure that they don’t eat a ream of Oreos either…hmpf!)
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: andrew kaufman, drawing, roger williams zoo
Who am I kidding? I quit my job to be a better mom. I earn $0…except for the occasional sale of one of my prints, or some graphic design work for friends. Hey, but I’m not sitting around, eating bon bons! Well, actually…if you look around my house, I might as well be. Yesterday, I tried scrubbing our brick fireplace clean (just the outside, thank you). It was a sooty mess…and now it’s only sort of a sooty mess. What do you think…should we paint it???
Scary, right? Yes, I did scrub the hearth as well. Hmm. Doesn’t look like it, does it? It’s such the norm nowadays to paint brick fireplaces. At minimum, I need to get a fireplace screen. Do you think it’s saying, “PAINT ME!”?
This is how I imagine it. Now, it’s adorable, right? Maybe I should just paint eyeballs on it.
Speaking of critters…I went to the Roger Williams zoo with my son this week. He liked it…but what a haul getting down there! Sheesh. I can’t imagine slogging down there at rush hour. Anyhoo…we saw lots of cute animals…
Very sweet. I had to crop out the ugly tarp covered wall in the background. I hope that they have prozac for zebras. Next:
Why is there a big piece missing in his poor ear? No clue. Maybe he had a toddler elephant pull on his dangly earring? I was always paranoid about that. Next:
Isn’t that an idyllic picture, except for the bent chainlink fence in the foreground? It was hard to get a good photo. I guess because I wasn’t on safari, right? Next:
LOOK AT THOSE SKINNY LEGS! I’m so jealous. Seriously, though…they kind of creep me out. They’re like big bendy straws, or something. The flamingos definitely needed some prozac. Next:
Isn’t he cute? He was munching away on the straw above…we could get so close to him! Perhaps that isn’t hay, but hemp…he seemed happier than the other animals. Is it evident that I am not a fan of zoos? I wish all of those animals could be back “home.” Perhaps these are all rescued animals that can’t be returned to the wild? I’m not sure…but I don’t like zoos. Poor things.
While I’m on about zoological things…look at what my son made this week:
Can you guess what that is? IT’S A JELLYFISH, OF COURSE! This is also a priceless creation that I somehow need to keep and cherish until he is married. I will bring it to the wedding reception and talk about this as evidence of his early genius. Well…if they let me out of the asylum, I’ll make that speech. Actually, if I make that speech, they might put me in an asylum. Hmm.
Great news! I had more of my drawings photographed. You can check out the whole series here on my website. You already saw these…but these photos are MUCH better:
and:
and:
Woo hoo! I only have one more to finish so that I’ll have 13 drawings for the show at Wheelock College this Fall. But enough about me…take a look at the work by THIS artist:
I LOVE THIS. It’s sooo amazing. I love the blend of abstraction and realism. I love the rough edge of the paint on the canvas. I love the space that it creates. You MUST take a look at his work. Here is his website again, in case you missed it first few times I linked it. This painting is from his “Constructed” series, but his other work looks great too. So talented! I may have to have a bake sale in order to raise money for one of his works. How many bags of $0.50 cookies do you think that I’d need to sell???? A lot. I know. I’d probably just eat them all anyway.
OK…keep me posted about other great new artists for me to check out. In the meantime…I’m going to go gaze at my son’s styrofoam jellyfish masterpiece whilst I eat bon bons…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: Jessica Liggero, mail art
Well, another balmy day in Boston. Right now it’s 74 degrees. Not bad, right? But it’s 91% HUMIDITY. Ech. I’m breaking out a sweat just from typing. I may have to buy one of those silly fan hats. At least some of them are solar powered…but that pretty much guarantees that you have to sit in the baking sun for the feeble fan to work. I’d be better off sitting in a bucket of ice…ANYHOO, I’ve recently starting sending “mail art” back and forth to a friend in Santa Barbara. Mail art is nothing more than just elevating a simple correspondence to more than just words on paper. I find it really fun, as it doesn’t matter how horrible it turns out…it’s always fun to get personal snail mail. Here is an envelope that I did for her:
So, folding that odd shape becomes a homemade envelope. SO FUN. She recently mailed me her own version of “performance art,” which entailed a handmade envelope…a decorated scrap of newspaper, and a pile of sand/dirt from her living room floor. BRILLIANT! Has anyone ever send you an envelope full of glitter or confetti? It’s kind of like that, but worse. Luckily, her California dirt just blended in with my Massachusetts dirt. I’m sure that her dirt was horrified by the humidity here as well.
Here is the latest brilliance by my son:
All of the dots are flocks of birds. We recently watched some of Planet Earth, narrated by David Attenborough. The whole thing is full of amazing footage…like birds by the billions migrating somewhere. This must have made an impression. I can’t remember what the other things in the drawing are. Yes, there is a person on the lower left…but I can’t remember who he is. He has that telltale Edward Scissorhands look. I will be sad if my son ever decides to draw a hand differently than this. What I also love his how confidently he draws all of these lines. I hope that he never stops drawing. Just as long as he goes to college and doesn’t end up camping out in my living room at 18…he can keep drawing…
My own work is plugging along. I do have a new drawing:
It helps to photograph your work on a bright, sunny day. I’ve started another one, and it feels as if it’s going to take forever to do. I have no idea how people do large, pencil drawings. They must be hermits who don’t have to go shopping at Stop & Shop, be at the beck and call of a four year old, and sleep. I noticed that my DECAF latte from Starbucks yesterday had a bad effect on my ability to draw a smooth line. Clearly, those pencil wielding hermits must only drink water. I’m not sure if I’m willing to give up Starbucks for art. I may have to settle for wobbly looking drawings.
My art advisor has organized a small, public art project on the bikepath here in Arlington. People have taken forgotten chairs on their way to a trash heap and refurbished them in creative ways. Here is the website. My son and I visited the chairs on Wednesday.
Luckily, they are for SALE…if you are a MetroBoston local…you can stop by and take a look! The proceeds benefit a larger public art project here in Arlington…the Spy Pond Mural project. This project will create a huge banner of artwork done by highschool students to adorn the side of the local Boys & Girls club. (or…if you have enough furniture in your house, you could just make a donation here, and specify “Spy Pond Mural project”)
I definitely have enough furniture in my house…it’s just decrepit. I don’t think that I can rejuvinate our hideous couch with a coat of paint, though. Or, maybe I can? Take a look at THIS and THIS. SERIOUSLY! Someone painted their couch! I think it helps that their couch was sort of “firm” and not “mushy”, like ours. I mean…our couch is sort of like a dirty beanbag with legs. How easy is it to paint a bean bag? Not easy. How ugly would it be afterwards? I get indigestion just thinking about it. Just don’t let this happen:
I don’t know who those kids are…but I’m hoping that their parents had a healthy dose of Zantac that morning…
Has anyone out there ever painted a COUCH? If so…let me know.
So, a local artist is going to be in a group show in NYC this month. Here is her website. Her name is Jessica Liggero, and her work is really great. She does large paintings/collage on paper of glamorous people gone ugly in a limited color palette. I think that her stuff is great. Anway…I always stop by to see what she’s up to when we have our Somerville Open Studios. But now…you too can see her work in NYC! Her show will be at Rush Arts Gallery from Aug 16 – Aug 31.
She seems like the type who would throw caution to the wind and paint a couch.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: boston, First Friday, galleries
So, tonight is “First Friday” in Boston. As you likely know, this is when the galleries are all open late for people to come, look, socialize, and feel inadequate…(kidding, sort of…I may need to do some laundry today and locate a hairbrush…). Most people head to 450 Harrison Avenue, where there is a glut of good galleries. It’s kind of a fun and festive atmosphere…but it’s actually not great for seeing the art, as it tends to be crowded. Because I spend too much time in the ‘burbs, I’m going to go ANYWAY. I’ll try to conceal my suburban housewife-ness by NOT having any loud discussions about how my four-year old could do that, or how expensive Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers have become at Stop & Shop. Are you depressed yet? I just had to share the wealth…anyhoo, here’s what’s happening:
Bromfield Gallery is having works by Linda Klein and large scale prints by artists from Zea Mays. I have taken a couple of printmaking workshops at Zea Mays (print studio in MA), so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this show.
Linda Klein
Howard Yezersky Gallery has an interesting show titled, Material Abstraction. This is a group of “paintings” that hardly use any paint at all. Hmm! Sounds cool.
Carter Potter
Samson Projects is having a show of Steve Locke’s work. These works seem interesting…almost like broken people scattered about a room…
Steve Locke
I’ll hopefully give you an update on what I liked…stay tuned!
As a side project, I’ve been helping a friend with some graphic design work. Yes, I have some knowledge of Adobe InDesign. No, I’m not helping you with your graphic design project…I’m pooped! Here is the postcard that we made for his upcoming show in NYC:
And the back:
Yes, I know that his name is not centered on the grey rectangle…the card needed a bleed, and will be cropped slightly. Sheesh! Or, maybe you didn’t even notice that? If so, I like you and need to have you over to my house more often. You would likely be able to overlook the general chaos and disorder. I suppose as long as you didn’t trip on anything /injure yourself /get a rash, my messiness could go unnoticed! AND…I could put you to work by forcing you to wear THESE:
How did I manage to get that image into TWO blog posts? I’m amazing, that’s how. I plan to sew my son some pajamas made of Swiffer sheets, as a means to get more lazy housekeeping done.
ANYWAY, George’s show will be at Agora Gallery in NYC, with the reception on November 8. I’ll post this again when it’s closer to the date. (George, be thankful that I’m not doing your PR). You’ll recognize me at the opening because I’ll be the one wearing the plaid duster/slippers and sporting a Swiffer maxi dress.
My own work is chugging along. I still can’t seem to take a decent photo of my drawings. Either my head is casting a shadow on the drawing, or there is a glare from the light on the graphite. Hmph!
Hmm…do you think that I need to make it generally darker? Perhaps so. Or, is it just a lighting issue? (I think it’s the glare on the pear that puts me in despair…yuk…yuk…yuk… clearly, too much My Fair Lady or Dr. Seuss on the brain.) Actually, I think that I’ve just eaten too many wasabi peas today. The drawing looks better in person, so I’m going to assign blame to the camera, and not my drawing. I know. I should run for politics. But, who would vote for a suburban mom? Wait…OTHER SUBURBAN MOMS! I might be onto something here…I’ll start collecting signatures at Stop & Shop, shaking hands, and giving out bags of Goldfish crackers (which, will hopefully be on sale…score!)
Now, if I can just dig my “mom jeans” out of the closet, I’ll be all set for First Friday…
slightly wonky 