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.

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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."

vacation.

returned from the rainy city today. (my lovely little sis was an excellent host and indulged my every whim to see the sights despite the cold and wind.)
i did not do any work as planned. i did not rest as much as planned. i ate way more than planned and enjoyed every tasty morsel.

Who put the goat in there?

I can't recall how i stumbled upon this video.
Dude's got some indian George Michael thing going on. but the tune is catchy, even though, when it's stuck in my head i can only manage to hear the inaccurate english lyrics..

basement show opening

The upcoming Basement Gallery group show is entitled "A Noise in the Basement" and the following artists, including myself, will be showing mostly new work and a few older ones:
bill carman, erin cunningham, jerms lanningham, ardith tate, john warfel, and ben wilson.
if you're a fan of any of their work, especially bill carman's, i suggest you get there early thursday as hardcore collectors are already snatching up the best pieces in the show.
all artists in this show are more "illustrator" than "fine artist," i would say. i, being completely biased, think illustrative work is rapidly gaining on fine art- if not matched or surpassing- as a viable art or movement thanks to the success and cultlike followings of "low-brow" or "pop-surrealist" artists like mark ryden, joe sorren, and camille rose garcia. and no doubt the rise in silk screened poster art is bringing back a fascination in illustration as well. it's like discovering your first favorite soda as a kid that you couldn't get enough of.
mine was black cherry shasta.

in other news, i picked up a fine collection of classic old horror films like "the cabinet of dr. caligari" and "nosferatu." a few pals and i watched "the last man on earth" last night and i was impressed. my friends mocked the cheesiness of storyline or acting at times and i felt disappointed they could not see the art in an older film like this. the movie, starring vincent price in his youthful glory, was based on the novel I Am Legend. as the remake with will smith came out recently, i thought it would be a treat for my friends to see the movie that long preceded it. and i never realized before how much of an influence it must have had on the entire horror film genre! especially "Night of the Living Dead (1968)" for which George Romero is credited such brilliance and genius, how truly "original" was his idea??
the plague-infested so-called vampires of "the last man on earth" were more like zombies in lifeless action and primitive thought. though they seemed to retain some memory and purpose, more like vampires. neither description seemed to fit these ghouls and for purposes of getting past the they-aren't-vampires-but-not-quite-like-zombies hang-up, we referred to them as "vombies."

watch it. see how romero could have viewed it and completely envisioned his undead masterpiece. then go to the art show.

it's been awhile.

which means it's time for another update.
i've got another show coming up with a group of fine people. bill carman, ben wilson, erin cunningham and some others including myself will be showing at the Basement Gallery in downtown Boise starting next month. the show is comprised of more illustrative work and should be worth the trip. Ben and i will have a couple collaborative pieces of ours for sale as well.
and while i'm pretty excited about the show, group shows always make me a little nervous. i have yet to see anyone else's work for the show, but i do know the artists and their work always kills.
anyway. here's a taste of what i'll be bringing to the table:


my favorite literary character of all time. captain ahab.
rejoice.

Art Adventures: Sylvia Ji