a quickie but a goodie...

In honor of my trip back to MPLS and it's new stadium:
The Mark Moore gallery in Santa Monica, CA gets an A+ in my book.... this is one of my favorite artists on their roster Yoram Wolberger.


If you are ever in the neighborhood be sure to check the gallery out!

5 days late and counting....

As the title say, I'm late in getting this out....no surprise to those who know me! Just a few photos of my fav work at FTModern. Hope you enjoy. - Mark

Insects on the Mind!!!!!!!!

Hello All!
My husband Nick and I just returned from a stellar trip to Seattle. We did not get to see as much art as we had hoped for but we did stumble across a little shop in the Ballard neighborhood. It was not a traditional gallery but every object was placed.......Just SO. It was truly artful and made me wish that every store arranged objects following the method of "Decisive Moments". The pictures I included are of an artist that makes insects out of human hair. While most of them are hard to tell that hair is the main ingrediant some truly give you a new appreciation for a material that we all have access to (some more than others).

Today, I discovered that a Sculpture that is an Alumni from the school that I got my graduate degree from (Ian Schneller) is working on a project with Musician Andrew Bird. Schneller makes specialized horns in which Bird plays his Violin through. Super Cool! Attached is a link about the project and a video that has insects made out of costume jewelry in it. (you should begin to see how my brain connects things)

http://www.specimenproducts.com/amps/sonic_arboretum.html

Andrew Bird - Imitosis

Andrew Bird | MySpace Music Videos

better late than never

i just moved to espanola new mexico and i havent hooked up household internet. so im at borders in santa fe writing this post on my friends notebook thingy. im having a tough time posting pics and links, so i guess google stuff if it sounds interesting. if it doesnt sound interesting then dont.
ive been digging lots of australian contemporary indigenous art pretty much everywhere i see it. most recently at chiaroscuro gallery in santa fe... check out some images here: http://chiaroscurosantafe.com/exhibitions/40/?wid=1055
many of them combine stunning patterns, colors, positive/neg space relationships. i think they have a nice balance of creative whimsy and serious craft. some other artists that have a similar sensibility are:
emily kame kngwarreye
doreen reid nakamarra
clifford possum tjapaltjarri
elizabeth magill, james siena, and chris martin seem akin
also i saw some amazing bamboo art
http://textilearts.com/bamboo/

go to 23rd and 5th and then look up!

I recommend it

Live Cinema

Take VJ software and hand it to an artist whose taste go beyond the bubblegum visuals that you find in most clubs and you may end up with something that is now being dubbed "Live Cinema." In a nutshell Live Cinema is live audio/visual performance. Although it can take many forms, it is mostly practiced with a computer, software, a video projector, and of course.. a live performer using a variety of controllers to present his bank of prerecorded video material to the audience.

I could say more about it, but Spanish artist Mia Makela (a.k.a SOLU) has the most complete explanation in her text, The Practice of Live Cinema (pdf)

Now, I know you're lazy like me.. and probably won't read 8 pages of critical analysis on this new artform just because I told you to... so here's the mini-doc on the scene.... It has a long intro, so bare thru it in order to get to the meat.

Finally, here's one of my favorite examples from Mia Makela. And here's kind of an idea of what it might be like see a the same performance live.

By The Book

I have a blank sketchbook that has been waiting patiently for me to make the first scribbles on its clean pages. It's the first hardcover sketchbook that I've made myself. Making your own sketchbook is particularly satisfying, as it can be filled with any size and type of paper, and will most likely be of higher quality and a lower price than many sketchbooks available for purchase at art supply stores. Also, it isn't terribly difficult to make if you have the right tools and instructions. This book is a great resource for beginning book binding: Non-Adhesive Binding, Books Without Paste or Glue, Volume I, by Keith A. Smith. It can be found at www.keithsmithbooks.com, along with several other manuals for creating art books. The section on Coptic Sewing explains methods of creating an exposed binding which will allow the book to lay completely flat.

Supplies needed: curved needle, linen thread, small cake of beeswax, awl, paper, book board (Davey board)

These are both extensive sites for bookmaking supplies: www.hollanders.com (Ann Arbor, MI) and www.talasonline.com (Brooklyn, NY)

I used a combination of Rives BFK, Arches, and Somerset papers in different colors - white, buff, tan, grey, and black - for the pages of my sketchbook.
Now all I need to do is make some marks in it.

More Sketchbook Info



The Sketchbook Project 2011 Tour, a nationwide project initiated by Art House Gallery and Studios in Brooklyn, NY, will be accepting entry applications until October 31. This project is open to anyone and costs $25 to enter. Each entrant receives a Moleskine sketchbook to be filled, transformed, or reconstructed in response to a particular theme. Right now, there are 25 or 26 themes to choose from, including "Revenge", "This is Not a Sketchbook", "Lines and Grids", "I'm a Scavenger"... or you can have a theme chosen for you at random. The themes are not meant to be restrictive. In other words, your sketchbook will not be judged by how closely it follows your chosen theme. I believe that the only rules are (1) Don't return the sketchbook entirely blank, and (2) You cannot return a different sketchbook.
The sketchbooks will then tour the country, stopping at museums and galleries from Portland, Maine to San Fransisco. Afterward, they will become part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Art Library. The interactive aspect of this traveling show is especially interesting - each sketchbook receives a unique bar code so that you can track yours at any time and you can also receive an email or text each time someone pulls your book from the shelf.

Dates: Sign-up by Oct. 31, 2010 - Sketchbook Postmarked by Jan. 15, 2011 - Traveling Exhibition Starts March 2011

arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject/


One More Thing



A friend recommended this website to me and I haven't been able to stop telling people about it.

Paperbackswap.com is an online book club for people willing to do some trading. If you have books that you're willing to part with and send through the mail, you can trade them for books from other members. There's no cost for the books or to join the site. Media mail shipping is all you'll need to pay for, and it's cheap. The site can be browsed by category, author, etc., and there's a sizable art/art history section.

The Aristocrats

With hopes to completely forget Andres Serrano's mouth and the entire last episode of Work of Art (save Abdi's if-Daumier-made-sculptures-of-black-men heads), here is a short list of shock artist greats in no particular order:

Duchamp: Image: Étant donnés assemblage (view through exterior door), 1946

Ryan Trecartin: This guy is a force of nature. Hyper technology, mass hysteria, family drama. Please run for public office! Video: Part 1 of 5, Family Finds Entertainment


Gunter Brus: He and Otto Muhl pioneered Viennese Actionism ('body art' before it was painted Sports Illustrated models or mud-smeared hippies). My husband and I had the odd pleasure of meeting Mr. Brus in Bruges a couple of years ago. The photographic documentations of his performances are particularly strong; he used black paint which, when seen in black and white film, may or may not be blood. Image: Self Painting #2, 1964


Charlie White: Combining CGI monsters, greased-up adolescents, muppets, and transvestites can never, ever be wrong. It's difficult to choose just one image. His website is here and videos here. Image: Getting Lindsay Linton, 2001

Paul McCarthy: Still, Piccadilly Circus, 2003. Painter is a classic and my all-time favorite video.

STRAIGHT UP STICKIES

Its official stickies have replaced my sketchbook. I don’t know about the rest of you but I love the stickies app on my MacBook Pro. Specifically for one main reason –stickies catch all of my fleeting ideas! You know the “that would be an awesome name for a band” rant that happens every now and again or more importantly the “long ass idea lists for future paintings / future installations”. I’ve even got a future documentaries stickies. I’ve never made anything longer than a 5min short in my life but I have a future documentary sticky! All of my ideas are now cataloged in a sticky mess on my Mac and with much hesitation I’d like to share one of these documentary ideas with the group!

Over the past few years Cat (my wife) and I have had the opportunity to get to know Winston and Elizabeth Eggleston. Winston happens to be the son of William Eggleston and also the managing director of the Eggleston Artistic Trust. (click on name for website link)

Throughout the past few years we’ve attended various dinner parties at each others homes and during one of the visits Winston and Elizabeth commented on how much they liked one of my paintings and asked if I would be interesting in selling or trading for an Eggleston print. Like any sane person I immediately said yes!With much delight Cat and I received our signed print earlier this summer and it made me start to think about the transaction. First of all, my thoughts always start with –HOLY SHIT I HAVE A WILLIAM EGGLESTON! Then I start to wonder about other “straight up” trades and informal bartering that exist in the art community. I remember Nathan Boyer (click on name to see his website) telling me a great story about trading one of his paintings for a Saab. Yeah that’s right! A car…and it ran!He drove it from New York to Columbia, Missouri numerous times.

So without further ado here is the sticky from my “documentary stickies” pile. _Documentary entitled "Straight Up" explores the trade of artwork between artists/non artist and other artist/non artists. “Straight Up” examines both sides of the trade and investigates how the impulse to barter "art objects" has been a frequent and acceptable tradition that artist and art enthusiasts practice.

Anybody have any other stories….