Clay of the day

This is a new one, just brought home from the clay studio. I was thinking he was walking through water.

Friday’s studio shots..er… Tuesday’s, that is

Posted on April 11, 2012 by notnow

So last Friday I forgot to take pix after I had worked. Tuesday ended up being a studio day, and I continued working on the pieces I started last Friday.

Flowers! They’re outside busting out all over, and thank goodness for that because that has been the galleries’ requests this week, too.

I have been out sketching and looking as the spring beauties just keep doing their thing. I was at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro last weekend marveling at the varied and lovely gardens.




I really maybe oughta learn the names of some of these. It’s helps with titles and with answering the inevitable question –”what kind of flowers are they?”
oh well. It’s low on my to-do list.  I am doing a another version of “sun-seeking mums,” the one on the right with the big swoopy stems. It’s kind of kick to do.

I like cat-tails for that nice repetition and vertical energy I’m so fond of.

As I put things back after the stairs re-do, I’m reluctant to crowd my space like I had it before. I am trying out the easels over on the lighter side of the room.
It’s good to be back at work.

the sketchbook, the sketchbook…

Posted on April 7, 2012 by notnow

Part of my travel west included hanging out with my sister and her menagerie in Tulsa, OK. She has 6 horses and rides, takes lessons, runs a biz and her household. Phew! My one art job seems so simple in comparison.

And work I did, tho. I did some sketching while she and my niece had a riding lesson. 

This first one is compressed charcoal. The ones below are charcoal pencil. I was mostly working on proportions of horse and rider.
All the tack (saddle, bridle, etc) is distracting to me. It covers so much of the horse’s body.
I think I’d like to do a whole sketchbook just on their legs. I’d love for those to flow effortlessly from my hand.

Their faces are elegant and boney and their eyes huge and deep. All of these sketches are fast, of course, gestures made while the horses are moving and doing their thing. I haven’t re-worked or corrected anything.

And this horse’s markings! I just had to draw because they were so unusual and square! Who would believe it if I just painted it that way.

studio remods part 1–the stairs

Posted on April 6, 2012 by notnow

Before my trip out west, you may recall, I was quickly, crazily, collapsing half of my studio to clear around the perilous, precipitous stairs for reconstruction. They looked like this:  Note the small underneath space and angle of decent. 

Fortunately for me, my neighbor is David Scott of Caledonia Construction. David and his partner, Charlie Straughn, had the brilliant idea to do the stair-fix while I was out of town, so we wouldn’t be in each other’s way thru the process.
I came home to these rock-solid, easily traversed, roomy stairs!

There’s a landing I can turn around in, and I don’t have to duck to avoid hitting my head when I step down to the second flight of stairs. I can even take work up and down with ease. 

And as a bonus–check it out–they came with spacious storage underneath, too!

I’ve been running up and down them just for fun. That is, after I GOT it that these were my stairs to the basement studio. It took me a few days to stop looking for my old steep, white ones.

I’m working in half the studio, trying to decide how much finishing I want on these stairs (drywall, etc), and the other side is still mostly compressed and stacked like a puzzle.

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Show Biz–old vs new

Posted on April 3, 2012 by notnow

One of the nice things about showing in alternative spaces (restaurants, community centers, art centers) is that I can group “old” work and new work.

“Old” is not a very descriptive word. In most juried situations and in the gallery world, work over two years-old is considered “old.” Work that has been shown before in other places is considered stale by some.

It’s a word I want to be careful with because I start to believe that old work or work that hasn’t sold despite being shown many places is not good work or is somehow flawed. And along side that is the assumption that “new” is better. That refrain is thick in our very insistent, impatient, super-fast world.

Here are some paintings that are currently up at the Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro. Some are brand new, some are from last year’s work or a year before that. 

Can you tell the age of these paintings?
If my palette is consistent, and thematically, I can create a related grouping of works, then I can still put together a really good-looking show.

I remember an artist-teacher recommending to students not to sign the date on the front of their pieces. The thinking is that it could deter buyers if the piece is perceived as old. I really like it, though, when I’ve seen the date by a signature, especially when I’ve been in a museum in front of a piece I really love, ancient or recent. It’s like another piece of the artist’s story.

I am a prolific painter and  have a lot of work living in my studio. Many pieces are years-old. They still have meaning for me. They still are a surprise to people who see them for the first time; they’re “new” to them.

I will continue to remind myself that a piece’s worth is not determined by its age or the market or even whether it sells. There are so many variables outside of my control. The bigger picture for me is all of the work, the different series, the themes that appear and disappear, the cycles of subject matter and techniques, the whole shebang.

Old School vs New School Apprenticeships

 

 

 

I'm one of those people who don't belive in tattoo schools, tattoo academies, and I'm kind of iffy on going to an art academy for learning how to create tattoo styles as well. I believe that having an apprentiship is the only way to go. There is nothing more rewarding then working your butt off, going every day, seeing your skills get better and better. The first time I picked up a machine I had no clue what I was doing. The buzzing was shaking my hand so much I almost dropped it and it made it so I was nervous of what I would do to somebody else's skin if i couldnt even get over shaking so much. I rememeber as if it were yesterday the first time I broke apart my machine and couldn't put it right back together. Then I loaded the tube onto my machine to see what it felt like; to see it ready for action. I didn't do this sitting in a class. I learned how to do this under a man who gave me a chance. To this day, i can't thank him enough.
I also remember hearing about other kinds of "apprenticeships" through friends. One guy told me a story of how he had to go sweep his bosses drive way for months to even sit in their shop. Another good friend told me he had to change the owner's tires and oil. To me, this has nothing to do with tattooing or even anything to do with the shop. I understand trying to test their commitment but shouldn't that come from them showing up day after day, just to be a fly on the wall? How about taking care of duties inside the shop to learn the inner workings? I always told myself I would want to learn, no matter what it took, even if that meant that I had to take trash out every hour, clean tubes every single day, or recycle sharps containters. My apprenticeship was nothing like what theirs were. I expected to be told to bow down because society has a way of making tattoo artists and the industry seem so hard up and make them feel so much more superior than "normal society."
The first couple of days were spent helping a brand new shop set up their jewelry cases, helping hang mirrors and setting up booths. There were about 4 artists there at the time. From the minute I got there, it felt like a family, except for one guy. He was very old school. He had a traditional apprenticeship that he wanted me to go through under him. He basically told me that I was his bitch; I had to do what he wanted. The guy who actually brought me there intervened and told him that they were not going this route. In his view, I was no less of a man because I wanted to start my path in the tattoo industry there. That was humbling. In the end, I've been there longer than the guy who wanted me to be his slave. I heard through the grapevine that he's been fired from multiple shops for having a piss poor attitude. I've been asked multiple times what makes a good apprenticeship. I have a short list on what I think these are:
1. You're not a shop bitch.
2. Not one person owes you anything. If you want to advance in your career, you make the moves and we will help you along. But nobody is going to pave your path for you.
3. Sanitation is one of the things we focus on so intensly. Be prepared to go the full distance in learning about sanitation.
4. No drugs! We are doing our best to get rid of that image and we wont let anybody destroy our reputation.
5. We dont bad mouth other artists. We are all trying our hardest to get somewhere. Bad mouthing other artists is not going to make you better.
6. No home tattooing. PERIOD.
7. When we make decesions for the shop, we are all involved. If somebody is left out, the decision doesn't get made.
8. This is a family enviroment. We all have kids and we bring them to gatherings! Our families support us and we demand their respect.
9. We all share walk-ins. We are all making a living off tattooing.
Number 10 is the most important:
10. We all RESPECT each other. Without respect we won't make it as a whole.
I know a lot of artists may disagree with me and my views on this, but honestly, this is how I was taught. I have more respect for the man who taught me than i would have for a man to make me clean his garage. I'm all for doing what fits best for you, but this is what made me realize how tattoos aren't just cool or trendy, but they really are a part of life. Once you dive deep enough you can find that this is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Old Versus New Technology

 

This is the fourth heart to my Industrial inspired heart collection, entitled "Old Versus New Technology".

I was taking pictures of this piece in my lightbox at about 6am this morning and I had accidently left my settings on "Sepia" so it gave this antiqued-brass heart a very old style look that I just had to put it up.

So yes, I like the way that the capacitor and diodes line up so well with the alignment of the picture. Their very perpendicular and parallel to eachother. I kind of like that. It's like a steam engine or something. 

Former MORTIIS Drummer Hits The Arts

Former MORTIIS drummer Svein Traserud (aka Leo Troy) who left the band in 2007 to pursue his interest in the contemporary arts, will make his UK debut at the third Parallax AF International Art Fair in London in February. He will be exhibiting a range of his works at the event which takes place at Chelsea Town Hall, Kings Road, London, UK from Thursday, February 16th to Saturday, February 18th. Entry is free to the public.

The Parallax AF International Art Fair showcases modern artists from around the world and will this year feature works from the UK, USA, West and East Europe, Asia, South America, Turkey, UAE and Oceania.

Traserud was a member of Mortiis for six years during which time he undertook numerous tours and appeared on the 2004 album, The Grudge, which was released through Earache Records. The album produced two UK singles - 'The Grudge' and 'Decadent & Desperate', which charted at #51 and #49 respectively.



For the rock drummer turned artist, art has become a burning passion. His motivation behind his works is "old versus new" as he mixes new medium with old crafts. Possessing a keen interest for the abstract and the unusual, his inspiration is the surreal and futuristic with a tendency towards the use of dark hues. He has an approach that often sees him using an extensive range of media in his works.Though mainly self taught, Svein spent ten years assisting leading Norwegian artist Tor-Arne Moen where he learned the intricacies of traditional wood cutting. Moen has described Traserud's works as providing "puzzling images, saturated and often dramatic in effect, which intensifies the desire to search deeper in the work. At first the image is attention grabbing, then a second wave summons further inner curiosity".

Svein Traserud has set his sights high with an aim and desire to establish something unique in the art world. Commenting on what he hopes to achieve, he explains that “My grand idea is to develop and create something new and outrageous, something that the art world can’t ignore.”

Old & New Art Pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Battle Has Begun and Why You Should Pay Attention

 

We might be headed into some new found territory in the street art world.  You may have read in the last two months about a little tit for tat going on in London involving these two and a 25 year graf piece hidden away under London streets on a canal wall in Camden. We are used to graf artists battling over sides of town, trains, and great mural spots everywhere in the world.  Hell you can even find the battles splashed across the pages of magazines in your local shop these days.
This is different though.
On one hand you have the humble well established graf artist from way back in the day.  The other hand holds the political stencil writer cum gallery artist who, as it just so happens, has a bit more credit to his name and not just on the street.  If that isn’t enough difference for you then think of it this way.  Graf writing is one of the four elements of hip hop, and those elements have a long history of paying respect to their predecessors.  Stencil artists don’t have this rich history.  As a matter of fact they break down barriers at anyone’s cost, politician or corporation alike.  This isn’t about old school vs. new school, this is about a battle of art forms and who should be respecting whom.  Did you ever see Dali paint over a Giacometti? No, you didn’t.
This battle is gaining new found press.  It is becoming so intwined in the fabric of art history that even the Wall Street Journal has decided it to make it a small center piece.  That’s big.  We’re talking about the WSJ here, not Juxtapoz.  While you and I would rather see this in Juxtapoz it is spilling onto the pages of the largest financial paper in the world.

Revisiting and testing

Current Nikon D7000 vs a 2005 Konica Minolta 7D

My film post on Monday has me stuck in time. Old time that is! I want to revisit my Old vs New post. Also note, I’ve moved my Old vs New to a sticky in the header area scroll bar. I’m going to be spending some time talking about this topic in the coming weeks. I’m doing quite a bit of testing and will share some more thoughts after I do some more real life shooting with some not so new gear. Until then, take a look at the following images. Without looking at the EXIF data, can you tell which is which? Both shot at 50mm f2 ISO 200.

One of these is from a current state of the art DSLR, a Nikon D7000 with a premium 50mm f1.4 G lens. The other is from an old Konica Minolta 7D DSLR with a $79 used 50mm f1.7 lens. The KM 7D was launched on September 15, 2004. I know this isn’t a great test and that at this size of image it’s hard to tell. That is not the point. The point is that good quality old equipment can take some fine photographs and for most folks and many situations for most photographers, it is all you or I need. I have more thoughts on this as I’ve been enjoying shooting my old Konica Minolta 7D a lot. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a few photos including some Minnesota wildlife from the KM 7D. Stay tuned.