a selection from Laylah Ali






"I’m thinking about formal portraits, but the portraiture that I’m thinking of when I’m making these encompasses a much bigger range than I’m thinking about right now. I’m thinking of them as distinct individuals who exist or who have existed. The idea is for the distinctness of that individual to come through and to speak in some way about a narrative that is not readily apparent. So something about the way the person is dressed or their setting or the weathering of their face tells you a story. The look in their eyes speaks of something larger. Think of society portraiture in the late 1800s, like a [John Singer] Sargent painting. He commissioned portraits of very wealthy individuals and you’re looking at the individual as much as you are at their dress, what they’re holding, what the setting is—the whole picture. With really amazing portraits, the painting of them also plays a role. The quality of paint and something about the eyes, those sorts of artistic decisions become an active part of really good portraits.

The idea of portraiture is a kind of storytelling—a distilled storytelling. I am interested in distilled narratives so the idea of trying to tell a story or hint at something larger than the individual—through the individual—became interesting to me. It’s new for me to do this and I’m not sure where it’s going to go from here. I think this is the first step at looking at these individual characters and blowing them up large. I’ve had individual figures before in my work, but they have been more distant, more distant, more deep into the picture." Laylah Ali from Art 21, PBS

a patchwork of disconnected pieces


Giant Planet, 2007 Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (PIA08358) Photograph courtesy of NASA/JPL/SSI/Cornell


From the Johnson Museum website:
Spectacular Saturn: Images from the Cassini-Huygens MissionSeptember 20–January 4

This exhibit displays over fifty images of the planet Saturn, its rings, and its satellites. This selection, by Cornell members of the Cassini project, was made from almost two hundred thousand images that have been transmitted to Earth since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. It also includes a few images taken by Huygens, a companion lander that parachuted through the dense atmosphere to the surface of Saturn’s intriguing moon, Titan. The stunningly beautiful images were chosen to emphasize the dynamic nature of the system and the interactions of moons and rings, as well as to explore Titan and Enceladus, two satellites with environments that might be hospitable to life. A spacecraft model will also be on view as well as historical books about Saturn from the Kroch Rare and Manuscript Collection.

A façade projection of images from Saturn will be seen on the east side of the Museum from sunset until 11:00 p.m. between October 2 to 26.

We saw this show along with a lovely collection of Surimono images collected by the Becker family at the Johnson Museum at Cornell prior to our going to see a movie, changed from proclaimed to "happy go lucky". These Saturn images were remarkable...so much so that it really raises the bar for our friends the science fiction illustrators as now so much that had to be imagined, reconstructed or modelled is now reality in these images. It was a small collection of photographs produced by a collaboration of people and groups from NASA, to the leadership of Steve Squires (Mars Rover Project) and his team, to University Photography to sit at Cornell to raise our sights and imaginations. The images were very fine, not a lot of pixelation which portrayed Saturn's rings in some with detail and measurements in the captions that really made me take a step back. Additionally there were images of some of Saturn's moons, images of methane and the methane cycle (which K clearly detailled for me>> methane moving in a cycle much the way we have water>> gas> liquid> solid and then gas again...). If you are near the Johnson, it is worth the trip.

Totoya Hokkei
Japanese, 1780–1850
Kintoki Exorcising a Demon at the New Year, ca. 1820s
Woodblock print
Collection of Gloria and Horace Becker
Colored in the Year’s New Light:
Japanese Surimono from the Becker Collection
November 8–January 4

This collection of prints from a NYS family was prompted by a show in recent past of different Surinomo prints. I have the book of the the former show and was very excited and pleased that the Johnson Museum considered another show furthering our understanding and interest in this very specific area of Japanese prints.

These Surinomo woodcuts were amazing in their sheer size and technical prowess. These Surinomo images were produced and collected in the mid 1700s-- with many of them being about 8" x 8" in size. With the affordability and size, you can imagine the popularity they had with topics ranging from food, to religion, to everyday scenes, landscapes--the range. These small images twinkle with strong design (of course, silly, they are Japanese prints!), the somber but lively palette, the fine-ness of the line and gradients pulled with a woodcut, and the use of blind embossing as another color/texture to take these prints beyond the expected. I had seen images from this show as photographs before, but this change in the architecture of the paper, this quiet detail to put emphasis in an image, to add hair to a seemingly white dog, to enrich the pattern and drawing of water is the reason to see the show. This caught me off guard to my delight. According to their registrar (who had late Thanksgiving with us), in a few weeks, those images on display will be changed out of their frames and a new set of around 100 images will also be shown. Another reason to go back.

One of my favorite things at the Johnson is their works on paper section which often has current work of emerging artists. That's where the real jolt comes beside the wonderful video installations that they sometimes have. The is the stuff that you can just gulp down without rhyme or reason, without history or sociology,just imbibe and integrate. There were quite a few thoughtful images from big linoleum cuts (36"x 48") to digital output with added/glued detail. I am so happy that giclees were happily at home with these other print media as, for me, it justifies it as a fine media/ fine image making approach. My favorite image was a black and white ink drawing from Laylah Ali "...the exhibition will include a recent ink drawing by Buffalo native Laylah Ali, part of her ongoing Typology series, in which she examines the many ways identity is manifested while referencing issues of race, class, gender, and power." I first saw Ali's work at Art Basel Miami last year and flipped. Her imagery is strong, her messages extrodinary and her decorative approach speaks to this novice. Need to learn more about this fine artist. PBS did a documentary (and their usual great job of writing bios/ getting sidebar information) on her as part of their Art 21 series.

Its snow raining. Everyone is working on their own thing from eating and movie watching to planning for the week. I am predictably blogging by the stove (on minime) with hope to whale a bit more on my paper and get back to some drawings...We need to get back to Tburg from the grey lake to pack Rob, do laundry and unload the pile of leftovers we will chug through this week to K and A's disappointment. Turkey may not look so good after three days! I am roasting turkey carcasses with a chop of celery, carrots, onions and a few soft turnips which smells pretty great and then will boil with water to make a very nice rich stock. The roasting is key.

More later. Maybe a picture?

Slow Saturday


Thanksgiving is done. Piles of leftovers we have to chip through. It was a nice gathering and people stayed, sitting and talking, mixing the groups for a good while. Note to self: three turkey breasts were fine (2 cut, one for show); make refrigerator potatoes the day before...I forget that you need to be a minor Hindu deity in order to cut the turkey, make the gravy and mash the potatoes all at once. If I really had my stuff together, I would make a turkey the week before (and freeze the meat) holding out the drippings to make the gravy in advance and then zap. It all came together from an "everything on the table and hot at once" but that is the hat trick...not all the cooking that the world exclaims over. There were closet left overs brought to K, dog biscuits and a coat to Shady Grove and chocolates, wine, flowers, pies--a wealth brought as presents to us. Spoiled!

Speaking of spoiled, I got a brand new set of Maimeri Blu (italian), 24 color/ 1/2 pan set (cheaper at Dick Blick) which the above doodle manifests. It has been said the these paints are very fine...and I wanted to try something really good versus the set I bought of Pelikan colors inspired by Anita Kunz's demonstration at Syracuse (she uses Pelikan and as she says "a cheap brush"). So note, that it isn't the media but the muscle behind it. I like the way these colors move, the nice saturation. More doodling around before I commit to anything.

Gotta go. Plans afoot to see a movie (Synechdoche, NY --the new Philip Seymour Hoffman, art flick at Cinemopolis):

"To say that Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECHDOCHE, NY is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now. That at least would be an appropriate response to a film about failure, about the struggle to make your mark in a world filled with people who are more gifted, beautiful, glamorous and desirable than the rest of us — we who are crippled by narcissistic inadequacy, yes, of course, but also by real horror, by zits, flab and the cancer that we know (we know!) is eating away at us and leaving us no choice but to lie down and die.

"Yet since this is a review of a new Charlie Kaufman work, perhaps I should hit rewind: SYNECHDOCHE, NY is the first film directed by the writer of such unlikely Hollywood entertainments as 'Being John Malkovich,' 'Adaptation' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' a romance of such delicate feeling that it’s still a shock that it carries a studio brand. Mr. Kaufman’s kinked, playful screenplays are usually accompanied by a flurry of 'e' adjectives: eclectic, eccentric, edgy, eggheady. (Also: quirky.) That’s true only if you consider the contemporary American screen, with its talking Chihuahuas and adult male babies with mother fixations. Come to think of it, the main character in SYNECHDOCHE has a thing about poop and bosomy women, though happily not at the same time.

Now that that is done, onward to Christmas and Monday! Maybe more piddling with paints and working with my whale..later today. Everyone tapping their foot waiting for mommy to get finished...shoes on, jacket on (do I have my right glasses? keys? cash?). Gotta go.

Dawdling

Whenever possible, delay. Put off, procrastinate, dawdle (like I am now), consciously ignore those deadline driven things until the pain or lack of sleep drives you to them. I have a paper due on the 15th of December. Christmas is half wrapped. Cards are ordered. Lists need to be updated (maybe the teenagers can help with the list updating for cash). Thanksgiving was pushed off to today (I must admit, everything is done except the turkey breasts (4--3 to serve, one for show), the gravy, snipping off the ends of the green beans and peeling potatoes (I have teenagers--they are getting pressed into the peeling and snipping brigade if I offer them delights for lunch or scones for tea?).

Must buckle down in the next few days and shed some of this personally driven stuff. Another looming deadline is the ever fun, end of year, prep for taxes, project end of year sales, losses etc. And did I mention the push pull of what transfers to the next year and what doesn't? Should we lease a piece of equipment December 24th or January 2? And, I almost forgot, sign up for the SATs in Biology and French for K. Oh, and what about long term care insurance? Need to get on that too. Tick Tock it gets more expensive as we wait. Get on it, girl.

So,if I can knock off the paper (and edit next week) that would be great. Also, with Christmas half wrapped, I can finish that Sunday and get in the mail. Work is ramping up with end of year "whoops, it's December" or "we need this first week of January" (forgetting the printing world stops around December 15th)--that sort of shenanigans.

But, the frivolity continues. I am off to Miami this Thursday through Monday to go to Art Basel Miami and Design Miami. I am, of course, Mrs. Cassetti (wife of Mr. Cassetti, who is with the Corning Museum of Glass). The Museum is involved in a project with friends from the Vitra Design Museum, in developing an interest in designing, using and helping leading edge designers get comfortable in the world of hot glass and hot glass making. This project is called GlassLab (logotype designed by yours truly). The Museum takes their portable shop down to Art Basel Miami(and has done the Sofa Show in Chicago, Art Basel as well as the Vitra Museum, the Design program at Boisbuchet etc), they set up the stop, put up the fly/tent and work with some of the leading lights (young and old) to bring glass to the forefront as a wonderful material to work with.

Here is what the Museum says about GlassLab along with their schedule:

GlassLab @ Design Miami/Art Basel Miami
Oak Plaza, across from the Design Miami Pavilion
December 3 – 6, 2008

GlassLab is an innovative program from The Corning Museum of Glass that pairs the Museum’s master glassmakers with some of the most creative minds in design, using a unique mobile hot glass studio.

Schedule of Design Performances

Tuesday, December 2
1:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Michele Oka Doner
4:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Ladd Brothers
7:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Tim Dubitsky

Wednesday, December 3
11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Miami Design and Architecture Senior High
2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Tim Dubitsky
5:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Guest Artist (TBD)

Thursday, December 4
11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Michele Oka Doner
2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Ladd Brothers
5:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Yves Béhar

Friday, December 5
11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Ladd Brothers
5:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Tim Dubitsky

Saturday, December 6
11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Yves Béhar
2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Michele Oka Doner
5:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Guest Artist (TBD)

----
So, there will be art and illustration (posing as art) to be seen. Mark Murphy has a space in one of the smaller venues and has a show he has developed and curated, "KNOW" exhibition. Here is what Mark says about his show:

“KNOW” featured at this year’s Gen Art Vanguard Fair is an exhibition comprised of many inspired artisans that represent a diverse cross section of the fine art world. All of the work has been created specifically for the “KNOW” exhibition and hopes to introduce you to emerging and known talent who have no fear when incorporating digital painting, mixed media, comics, traditional painting, rendering and photographic styles into their work.

I made a point to see Mark last year and was surprised at the smallness of the works but the extrordinary quality of the paintings all at a very reasonable price.

I hope to visit Aqua, a very funny and cute, totally Miami Beach hotel which (as many of these quirky places have happen) have the rooms emptied, and galleries move their work into each room and set up shop. Aqua often has some nice, Juxtapos-y type galleries with often interesting new artists (check out the link--I see that Billy Shire from Culver City will be there...and actually, Aqua was where, last December, I saw Adam Baumgold Gallery (he reps Chris Ware, Steinberg, Charles Burns, Jules Feiffer etc. check him out) I adore going to the Convention Center which is jammed with galleries with everything from Picassos to films, from works on paper to works on canvas. Enormous C prints. An installation of enormous foil wrapped santa chocolates (real chocolate and everything). Funny made over cars, furniture and interesting lighting. Buildings made out of guide wires and agricultural fiberglass panels. Free drinks to get you to try certain liquors or wine. Maybe we will have the time to really go deep in the Taschen Store. Or sit in on some of the "Art Conversations" which are engrossing conversations that an artist and interviewer have on a topic. And, as I am Mrs. Cassetti, free passes into the VIP cool places. As you know, I will have my camera and the silver powerbook. Minime is staying home as I can park the computer and do not need to schlep it. So, maybe, just maybe, there might be some undercover photographs posted just for us.

So, it will be fun. Really fun. There will be swimming, art and hanging out with the glass guys (home team is the best) along with packing a bunch of stuff into the grey matter and seeing what sticks. Something better. I cannot wait!

Time to stop procrastinating.

Later!

Drink deep: Mark Shaw, photographer







When I hung up the phone with Murray with the fashionable butterfly girl image, I was stuck. I needed a deep drink of stylishness --just because. Murray, with his ebullient encouragement--made me retreat. Rethink and try to not be fearful of this image. You know, I have been getting scared by my pictures and get stunned into not moving on it. Not being all impulsive and fearless. I get frozen, which needs to STOP. Enough of that aside, I then started googling fashion photography just to get my head back into frivolity, beauty and excited versus frozen and afraid. I discovered Mark Shaw, fashion photographer and chronicler of the Kennedy Family. This seems to be a great review of his work and chronology. He died at 47 to all of our loss.

I hope this jazzes you up the way it does me. Mark Shaw is brilliant.

Numbers

I was struggling with numbers this morning as every story has a metric attached. So much money being spent on "saving" the banking community and the billions anticipated that we will continue to spend. I dont know about you, but imagining billions is impossible, and millions a close second. So, I figured would start at the top:

> How many people in the US: 305,747,119
> What is the world population: 6,739,478,266
> How many houses projected to go into foreclosure (US) in the next year: over 6,000,000
> Average cost of a single family house in US: $264,000 (in October)
> Median Income (2007) per household $50,233.00
> Number of jobs lost this last month (nonfarm payroll for October alone in US) 240,000

And now we can begin. What is frightening is based on 305 million population, 6 million houses in foreclosure represents how many families? what percentage of the pie? How can a famiily making around $50,000. afford a $250,000 house? How can that family afford a downpayment of 20% and the month payments/ taxes/ maintenance? How could we even fantasize that is something that is even in the realm of possibilities? Based on the loss of jobs for October, what does that mean to Medicare, to food stamps to the rolling trend of people not purchasing, not saving which then results in more job losses, more escalation in services, less state taxes, less money for schools...and the spin cycle that seems to be on the horizon that for me, has no tooth until I can better understand it. More on this rant as you well know.

Multitaskability


Its that time of the year, the day before the day before a holiday. Always that moment, that day when the corporate world explodes/implodes and we are there with open phone lines, sharp pencils and multitaskability to help them all to get out of the office for their breaks which sometimes manifests itself in my not having a very happy holiday (read working). We are holding steady. Eleventh hour, we need to see this, then, now...and then...A bit of hair ripping. But, I am typing this while the postscript files are saved out.

Had a mind bending conversation (all positive) with mentor Murray. He got on the phone and had all sorts of ideas, input and excitement around the image that was posted last Friday ("IF: [Homer's] Opinion).He was so encouraging, so positive, so delighted with this piece--suggesting I get paints out and tint output on watercolor paper. It was such a blast of postivity, my hair hasn't flattened out yet...and I am a bit stunned...trying to get some time tomorrow to output the image and play with color a bit..He wants a bit more of this...and I have been working on the Genesis stuff with a whale that is moving someplace...so it sounds like parallel universes with genesis and fluffy ladies. I have the genesis corrections from NYC (eliminating the goofy white lines that separate the tree from the background, the owl from the background and shifting the background color) and now I need to go here too. No problem. Every step Murray pulls me forward--and the work improves and I keep learning. I keep taking in the conventions as I look and listen to this wonderful educator, kind man and incisive art director and guide. My hubbie is pretty good at this too. But I fight R. I am not allowed to fight Murray (I have almost given up--what will he do?) and each and every thing has value to me. I suggested Dennis Nolan's palette and he suggested John Alcorn's palette. So, Alcorn it is. We will see what happens.

I have been looking at Leo and Diane Dillon's Bradley, Will Bradley, William Morris and Walter Crane. There are some other conventions that come out about illustrating--the ones Murray has pointed up are, to refresh myself:

> women have light and delicate features. minimize or eliminate shadows.
> women have light mouths--do not draw the bottom lip, but suggest it with the shadow under the lip.
> all elements that move away from a trunk or a torso taper (read, arms/legs or branches or octopus tentacles even flower stems...its a good one)
> new understandings:
--sometimes women have tiny, bitsy hands and feet.
--sometimes the figures are almost graphic shapes with the background and foliage doing all the business with the detail insanity. The sheer relief of the plain figure is remarkable and becomes the first thing the eye sees.
--edit while you draw. More is less.
--keep the pen moving and if you worry, photoshop also can erase and edit..
--think dark and light with the page patterning with figures and foliage.
--faces are always almost calligraphic in simplicity. No need to whale on it. Brief for male faces, scanty with women.

Gotta go. Some postscript files are crying.

I forgot the kibble


It was a whirl until I put my head down on the soft pillow and started to fade last night. Kitty and I bought Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving Thanksgiving and the baby shower food all in one swoop on Saturday afternoon (and, of course, forgot the kibble for the kittens).We shopped and shopped from the traditional stuff like potatoes to our favorite things in the Indian Food section like Swad Coriander Chutney (always buy 3 jars as it is the basis of all things good) and Indian garlic (finely chopped, no bitter aftertaste, smooth as butter), to the household stuff we always forget (like the kibble!).

Two grey cats were not happy. Not at all. Didn't even pretend to put a brave face on it. Lots of angry tail switching and sidelong glances. Lots of showing me the claws they were planning to sink into my leg when I least expected it. No kibble. No excuses.

We unloaded our goodies and then started in on organizing and wrapping Christmas. We have the cards ordered for the business and personal, and my hope is to have Christmas figured out and shopped for by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, so I can get the boxes in the mail by the first week of December. And, I think this is achieveable. I have a a lunch scheduled with some of K's senior friends so we can start a tradition of having lunch over the holidays when eveyone goes back to school and comes home. Its important to establish these things early, so everyone (except the planner) thinks this is the most natural thing in the world. I have discovered that if you do something more than twice, it becomes a tradition which is either pooh poohed or adored. I am hoping this will work. So we wrapped and wrapped and listened to a book on tape of the new Phenom, Twilight, a total piece of idotic trash. I mean, if you want good girl trash, this is not it...its mall literature...with not much story and characters I personally do not care a whisker about. I mean...I do not get it. Trash and not the good kind. I do not think I can spend a minute more listening to this stuff. However, this unleashed a real comedy commentary from K. who rolled her eyes, translated and then overlaid her own emo track on top of this stuff, so it made the time speed by.

We had the baby shower. Girls, Boys, children, littlelittles. Very nice--for everyone. It was worth the effort as it was fun and I think the new growing family liked it too.

This week is a short week with the kids out Wednesday, and my taking Wed. p.m. off. I would like some time to draw beyond the doodles on the top of the stove while K and A eat their breakfast. I got to the House of Health today and elliptical beckoned. Not too cruel, and I didnt fall off...So we are up on that.

There was a line that went down the block by the local Methodist Church this morning with people lined up with wagons, carts and cars filling them with food they got from the folding tables set up in the parking lot of potatoes, yams, turkeys, iced carrot cakes and the like. We are talking topped off cart...so many tables will be groaning from the food which made me pause and thank goodness for the local food bank that we have in Central New York. The folks in line needed the help. The Food Bank is a group I really believe in as they help those in need in a very respectful, generous way. They help out at the schools, providing filled backpacks with food and snacks for kids in need who might not eat over the weekends. They supplement those who are in a place that this makes the difference. They take produce grown at the Cornell farms and process it/sort it to go to those in the area. So the Ag school helps too. I did a little volunteer work for them and feel that if there is any charity needing an arm up today, tomorrow and particularly in the near term future, it is the foodbank. We should all give a bit and help out. It is direct aid..and as necessary as air for any human being. So often we give to those charities that effect education, quality of life, the environment--and I feel they all have value. But to see those who are extremely needy getting a bit of help...for me, it transcends all else.

Must go and do something with the rest of the day. Time's a ticking.

Parsnips, Turnips and chevre


It's winter. The snow is sticking to the ground and staying there. Word is that we are getting inches (upward to 8 or so) this weekend, so the promise of the never ending indian summer has now, officially, ended. It was great while it lasted.

One of my boyfriends at the local grocery store, Shure Save showed me his most proud moment of the last few weeks. He flipped open his cell phone and showed me the corpse of a 6 point buck while animatedly telling me of the other bucks this guy was travelling with and how he was going to get a few more. He is a bow hunter with his own stands all over the place in his neighborhood and is counting down the days that bow hunting is allowed again. He has 2 deer already (one given to him by a relative) and he figures one or two more for fun and eating and he is set. This is the same guy, who when told he couldnt leave the house during deer season because of his need to recover from heart surgery, opened the kitchen door in his jimmy jammies and felled a deer in the backyard from the doorway. "Never left the house" he said with a wink.

We are having 40 for a baby shower tomorrow. So, I need to rush off to the store and stock up on things to eat (it is dish to pass, but we need to be prepared). Need the green disposable paper goods (the mother to be is insistent). I need to sell the local teen squad that they are on the hook for short term babysitting (yes, for pay) and get my head into this. Should be fun. We can get the fake coal stove cranked and get some good music going and have a short nice time (2-5 p.m.).

Lists are squared away for our Thanksgiving the Day After (dinner on Black Friday). Will swing by Wegmans for a couple of organic turkey breasts, bread and cheese (we always have a cheese course-- a tradition I made up a few years ago as an excuse to get the junior part of the clan to stretch a bit insofar as their tastes), green beans (fresh to steam), and some organic greens. Up in the air about soup...(don't adore a ton of squash anything...maybe we can forego along with sweet potatoes?). I guess as I am chief chopper and chef, I get to pick what we eat. I read about this great savory bread pudding made with guyere that I thought might fill the stuffing slot, but baby A, insisted my stuffing with cornbread, italian sausage, leeks etc. was what we had to have. Oh well.

Off to the store. More later. Want to talk about a mini illustration idea/epiphany. Nothing worth losing sleep over...but novel for one person in this universe, selfish old me!

Picture from my sketchbook. Seems like I may be wishing for butterflies despite the snow.

IF: [Homer's] Opinion


Thus has Homer proved his opinion of our poor sex—that the love of beauty is our most prevailing passion. It really grieves me to think that there certainly must be reason for the insignificant opinion the greatest men have of women—at least I fear there must.—But I don’t in fact believe it—thank God!

Frances Burney (1752–1840), British author

Know Exhibition


"Know" featured at this year's Gen Art Vanguard Fair is going to happen real soon. Mark Murphy, Murphy Fine Art Editions is working hard to post information prior to the show dates of December 4th through the 7th. Syracuse Alumni, Don Kilpatrick is one of the artists in this show. To find out more, here it is from Mark Murphy's Scribble 08 Blog>>

> Image is Don Kilpatrick's entry for the Know show.

processing

Lots of things come out of the time we spend together as a group with the Hartford Limited Residency MFA in Illustration program listening, talking, and gathering all that is thrown our way. There were some very strong messages sent out to those of us who could hear them (as an aside, I am a believer that we all hear different things as we are all on different paths and as in the game of telephone--it is all in the translation, and that is why it is good we all talk so much amongst ourselves). Some I picked up were:

> Do your own thing and sell it. To quote Murray who is often quoted by Dennis Detrick "Imagine it, Draw it, Sell it". Exactly. To that, Zina Saunders is dead on with her New York portraits and her wonderfully funny political work. Also, Cheryl Philips charge to be a licensor (make that old work live again...imagine and research the market, marry it to the work and sell it). And, in creating that work, protect yourself through registration. Even Brodner and Ciardello were on that same track. Either it's age or time or both, it works for me. Take risks. The bigger the risk, the bigger the payout. work on what you like/love. There will be a home for it.

My case in point was the work I did around Memento Mori at the advent of my fiftieth birthday. Yes, it was obsessive. Yes, it was me going totally off the tracks. Yes, there was reading and odd thinking that became pictures, but I did it for me to understand what I was thinking about and as a way to process the idea and information in a way that I could fully integrate that concept of memory, remembrance, mortality and death. But guess what? I have sold illustrations from that collections of neurotic images along with having applied as a tattoo to a friend, sold mini books on the idea and used it as a personal brand for the short term. I did the work for me, about me and it was saleable and done. I have a feeling this work will give in the land of licensing as well. So, pursue your neurosis, your dreams, your nightmares, your ideas to the places you can take them...and there will be a home in the marketplace for them. This is a bit different than editorial work or art directed work. When it's done, its a different thing. You may do some tweaks--but not much more than that.

> Register your work. Protect yourself. It is beyond creativity. This is business. To that point, I was doing my daily web wandering and got the the Copyright Office page. On the eCo Online Page they are pitching why filing your work online is great(which totally works for me)>>

> Lower filing fee of $35 for a basic claim (for online filings only)
> Fastest processing time
> Online status tracking
> secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office deposit account
>the ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files

It seems (we can hope) to be pretty staight forward along with all sorts of FAQs, tutorials either in powerpoint or pdfs. So, within the next few weeks, we are reading and getting going on this. I can get girl Friday, Ms. Amanda to help me with the scans etc. and we can get ourselves up to date so we can systematize this as we move forward. I was thinking that we should tie the upload with the payment of our Quarterly taxes as a way of getting real and having Barbara come at be and push me to get real. Love that.

I have just begun to get a bit deeper with this content and my head is beginning to spin. Here is what's nice though, it's in layman's English so that it is perceivable...just tough going...(reading out loud for understanding as a way to go..?)but worth it. Take a look. Join me in this fun!

Stocking up


Leo and Diane Dillon

Well, thanks to Joe Ciardello and others, I ordered up a stack of Arches 140 Hot Press and a fist of tubes of watercolor (per the palette recommended by the ever amazing painter, Dennis Nolan). I was stunned and drooling after I had a chance to hold Ciardello's beautiful illustrations--with the paper being luscious and had great hand...a great surface that takes the ink. I also loved his hand ripped/deckled edges that I think could be part of my illustration... taking the hand drawn thing further making it toothier. I had to get some...no choice. I also got some watercolor frisket as well as I adore the little graphic characters that the Dillons use...and the graphic illustration from the Illustration House (at left) that really got me charged up to try this approach. I love the simplicity and whimsey of this image and how all the parts are really working. Breathlessly inspiring.

Doug Andersen nipped at my heels suggesting scratchboard and watercolors, hand tinting prints etc and you know, I am going to take the challenge along with scratchboard (and a technique that Chad Grohman is going to explain to me having to do with a fake woodcut approach). I also dialed up a holiday card with various inserts for this year versus stacks of prints for everyone. Probably prints for clients...but not the entire list as the supplies are not cheap and I want to say hi to a lot of people. So, the list gets parsed--the Hi list and the print/gift list. More letters the better...but with a little thinking around them. Plus, the postage is pricy on the big prints...so change is in order. And, appropriate too given the state of the state of the state.

Speaking of inspiring--this image is a knockout from the Dillons. I love how Will Bradley it is...the line work, the sheer texture of the plants below (along with the demon who is hidden), and then the simple figures who draw your eye. I am very taken with this, the color, the composition, and the linear forest (remember this Q.) used to build the image and set an environment for the story. Lots to see here.

Rob was so kind while we were in Fort Lauderdale, pulling off the street and allowing me to scramble around the car to take snapshots of the wonderful plants and palms that spring up in every patch of dirt in front of everything. So, I have great resources along with my new used books from Alibris on Indian Painting. Am getting charged up again.

Gotta go, work awaits.

making sense of life

“Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area.”
Nadine Gordimer

Murray was quoting Dorothy Parker last week--about her vision of writing (the process) and writing (the finished piece) which was intriguing for me to think about two things. Read a bit about what writers say about their work, their craft, their vision, their final opus. And then, see how it applies to illustration, graphic design, and how I speak to myself and to my world. Additionally, the quote he cited (which I dogged today and could not find) was all about the final work being important but how some of us wallow and thrill in the actual making/doing to get there. For me, it is the entire package--not just the thumbnailing to admire and then the final frozen moment of wonder when the illustration is done, and we can all admire it. I love the sharpening of the blue pencil, the loading my sailor brush pen with glorious, glorious Borealis black ink, the patting of the paper, the tracing and filling, the scanning and the correcting. The whole process is very happy, very relaxing and a form of meditation for me. It is me, talking to me...listening to the radiators hissing, Shady Grove scratching and enjoying the day as it is. Then, the pleasure is in the final work after the tweaking and cleaning, changing and modifying. So, I get a double dip. And, surprisingly, not everyone laps up every part of the illustration process. So artists create, plow through the making and enjoy the final piece. I cannot even begin to try to live in those shoes. The whole thing for me is so luscious and lovely, I cannot even begin to imagine the loss of pleasure in the doing just for a wonderful end piece.

What a wonderful thing Murray gave to us in citing that sharp witted Dorothy Parker and making me think. Another reason why he is so adoreable.

Hartford Art School: Vin DiFate Crit







In NYC last week, we had a really great crit with Vin DiFate who had meaningful and valuable things to say about each piece so that not only did the artist take something away, but those of us in the room who need to listen and learn did too. Vin and Murray were gentle and yet directive--and I know I got a lot from the review. Additionally, Vin took a bit of time to talk about composition showing images and how they were composed, talking about the relationships of the objects, and how the composition made the image. I loved his chat about the Arnolfini Wedding...and how it worked as a design. Imagine, it made me think! Some of the fuzzy pictures above are details of fellow student's work (forgive me, this is all hand held, point and shoot photography)>>Top: Jackie Decker, Second from Top: Anthony Accardo, Third from Top Ron Spears and Final: Chuck Primeau.

Celebrity Solstice: Friends and Frosty Fun






Top group is the most important. They are the spine and soul of the Hot Glass Stage on the newest ship for Celebrity, the Solstice. They are (from left to right) Steve Gibbs, Lewis Olsen, Carl Siglin and Annette Sheppard. Look for more on them.

Second from top is a cross section of part of the Solstice with the Martini Bar at the bottom and all the people and light. I like this image as its decorative (as in decorative illustration) and yet gives some verve of the moment.

Third image is a broad look at the Grand Epernay, designed by Adam Tihany. The jewel studded (or seemingly so) ceiling is baroque in it's expression and feel. The color (blue this day) changes throughout the room's uses.

Fourth image shows detail of the Martini Bar which has the ability to ice up quite thickly (think Zamboni and ice hockey games) having a chilly surface to place your drink. Things could get very dangerous this way.

Fifth image shows a pull back of the same Martini Bar. Like the vibe of this one too.

For more images, visit my Flickr site>>