goodbye polaroids..

Polaroid has announced it will no longer be making its fantastic instant film. This truly saddens me, though i have seen the signs for some time. i can't manage to find a pack of spectra film for my faithful polaroid se, whereas last year it was a different story. it'll be interesting to see how the photography world changes from this development. i hope some company has the sense to purchase the polarecipe..

east/west.

i've always been fascinated with street art. i get into many an argument with the older folks about whether street art is indeed "art" or just vandalism. (i've almost convinced my mother that street art is just as valid-- if not more so-- as the thomas kinkade print on her wall.)
i adore the idea of art being accessible to all people. adam neate, another street artist, creates stacks of paintings and leaves them strewn about on the streets alongside trash for anyone to pick up. he's the i ching of the street art example. it's all about making a statement, commenting on pop culture, or making someone's day. and best of all, it's free.
the above video is pretty sweet to watch, if you can get past the semi-annoying music chosen to accompany it. see shepard fairey, of the obey giant fame, and wk interact, a french street artist living in NY, face off for the east/west propaganda project. you can find out more about that project here.
once again, i love to see the process of artists-in-work. it dispels some of the mystery, especially if you've ever been perplexed as to how graffiti actually makes it to the wall. it's different than other arts since its still mostly taboo and illegal. there's the whole speed factor; it's difficult to replicate the immediacy in any other arena. and. graffiti has a whole set of unspoken rules to go along with it.
after watching the video, it might be harder for those to argue that street art is just vandalism.

jeremy geddes and process.

in yet another post other artist-related, jeremy geddes has some nice photos up on his blog of recent works featuring a series of scenes with cosmonauts in urban or dilapidated grain silo-like settings. it's dark and haunting, eerie in the most beautiful way. i have a fascination with the juxtaposition of two things that shouldn't ever come together being represented with incredible attention paid to and with painstaking detail applied.
jeremy's blog has also taught me a few things as far as oil painting goes, of which i was never fortunate to take an actual class. most of what i've learned is through personal research and mistake. the typical trial and error, but it's nice to have some tips from artists who know. still, the best advice i ever got regarding painting came from another painter friend and professor, michael brown, who told me just to "paint like you draw."
best advice ever.
i'm going to attempt jeremy's process of creating smaller mock-ups of paintings before setting out to do ones of grander scale. i have an idea i'm currently working on involving the ocean and particular hues. i've collected most of the research the past few weeks and now i feel like i can finally start. it's amazing sometimes, the amount of work that goes into a single piece..

jim houser.

Visit ArtintheAge.com for more info
it may sound silly, but i feel this kinship with Jim Houser for various reasons since i read an interview of his in (i think) Juxtapoz.

"I kind of live in pajamas and slippers. I am a bit of a recluse. I
guess it started when my wife Becky was still alive. We met and got
serious kind of young. I immediately domesticated. That's just stayed
with me. When all my friends and peers were going out to parties and
meeting girls, I always felt like I didn't need to go out. I had
already found what people my age were out looking for. It makes me
much happier to do something productive than to sit drunk in a loud
bar."

and it's not just because on the days when i'm encapsulated in my work/studio i'm also wearing pajamas and slippers, but because of his hermitage and distaste for the bar scene. well. maybe more of the former. i do enjoy lounging in the pjs. anyway.
i really love seeing how other artists work, and those fancy time-elapsed vids are a good way to give you an idea of how they live and create. i like his cat, fascinated by outside city life, that makes an appearance a few times in the process. also go read that interview with him if you're intrigued and want to know more.. that guy interviews well for a so-called "social hermit."