10 posts tagged “art”
So my beautiful friend Darrell had an art show opening last weekend. I wanted to share the links the two newspaper articles that contain interviews with him. I am eager to see these works of art first hand- hopefully we will have some hang time in the near future:
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/09/pulse/coverstory/doc48ee3e3062df2630339116.txt
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/10/19/features/lifestyles/10690123.txt
Here's an excerpt from one of the articles:
“I was so busy with work (there) that I didn’t do work at home in my studio,” Taylor explained.
Then he read, “The Evolving Self: A Psychology for the Third Millennium,” by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. The author describes “flow” as akin to “being carried away by a current, everything moving without effort.”
“He talked about how you get so involved in the project that you are working on that you lose sense of time and place and you forget to eat,” Taylor explained. “It sounds scary, but it’s really a meditative, fulfilling state. I recognized that that’s the precise state I’m in when I’m creating art and I decided I needed to get back in the studio.”
Love me some Darrell Taylor!!
Hello all!
It has been over a month since I have written! I suppose a lot has happened in the month of August, but really, it has been a lot of slowing down- more inner action that outer. I gave up caffeine and then sugar to prepare for the herbal cleanse I’m doing now. It has been good- definitely more aware of what I am feeling and thinking than normal. Another good tool in this has been Eckhart Tolle’s book, “New Earth,” which I started reading last week. It is amazing- I recommend it to anyone. If you click on the link above, you can then click on the link provided on Tolle’s page to listen to an interview with him by Krista Tippett of NPR’s Speaking of Faith.
I have been crafting as well, but not as much. However, last night I let myself sit down and play. I started experimenting to see what I could do with a stencil print after it had dried. So here is what I came up with last night. I really enjoyed the process and like the results.
This is fresh off my journal for my Gender, Race and Class class~
So what is on my mind right now- a couple of things:
One- in one of my art business classes yesterday, we were talking about Harvard and if a nonprofit should ever be required to become a for-profit agency by law once they reach a certain amount of funding. Harvard has an endowment that “earned a 16.7 percent return during the year ending June 30, 2006, bringing the endowment's overall value to $29.2 billion” (http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/09.21/99-endowment.html). Which is an obscene amount of money to be hording when other people are having to work 4 jobs to keep their family from going hungry and homeless. And there is talk about there being scholarships granted for full rides through Harvard- but they would be awarded to people who already have the money, status and connections BECAUSE this is how Harvard would attract more of it’s own kind- the best and the brightest- to through it’s university doors. Which sort of puts me into a mild rage. So I was saying how this was completely classist and how it denies the opportunity for people who have the smarts and tenacity to go to Harvard, but would never be given the chance because of their position in life- something beyond their control. I said that this is really connected to the “American Dream” myth- that you can do anything you want, that anyone can become president- when only the MEN who have become president are all connected to the big name universities like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton- and whatever other elite universities that I should be in awe of. I said that it this was really elitist because the people in these universities already have the connections, the money and the status. And this guy piped up asking if I was saying that his friends that went to Harvard were just stupid and got into the school for being who they are, not what they were capable of. And I corrected him saying, “I never said they were stupid, I said they were wealthy, well-connected elitists.” But then again, where did George Bush graduate from? I’m not saying money buys you a diploma, I’m just saying George Bush graduate from the Yale University and the Harvard Business School. I don’t really know how much more needs to be said.
Two- this same guy, in a different discussion about small nonprofit museums struggling for the same dollars as those going to behemoth museums like Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, said, “There’s nothing wrong with competition.” Again, there is nothing wrong with competition when the deck is stacked in your favor- when you have all the connections, all the donors (in this case, many wealthy, wealthy Harvard alums) and all the resources. I mean, is this why Wal-Mart goes to small towns and kills every small business trying to make a buck forcing family businesses to close down- because there is nothing wrong with a little competition, right? It is such the white man’s capitalistic defense, you know? “Competition is what drives the free market!” No, what drives the free market is the blood and bones of all the people being crushed into fodder for the global economy designed by the hand of those with all the money, resources and connections. (and yes- I do have to be careful about tossing around the “white man” phrase, but sometimes I just want to call it for what it is.)
So that is this morning’s tirade. There is more forthcoming, as there are a couple of guys in the Gender, Race and Class lecture who are- well- I’ll save that for the next journal.
This is the second of the two tshirts that my friend Holly "commissioned." this is the one i experimented with- i think it turned out pretty good. she really liked it, so i can say i feel good about it.
my internet access at my apartment is mostly non-existent these days, so i am only able to update on the occasion from the coffee shop. so my updates will probably be more infrequent for awhile.
so my good friend Holly has asked me to make her another mergirl tshirt. the first one i made her was on a shirt that really wasn't her size- it was a guy's shirt and too large. so she gave me a couple to work on for her. below is the tshirt (on the left) that i am working on, and the first tshirt (on the left), via a scanned printout, that i made. i bought some beads today for this shirt. i'm feeling beads, not buttons for this one. i hope she digs it.
(my cel phone takes not the best pictures, but...)
i've never worked with beads before, so if anyone has any hints...
tell me if you like.
Kman
so these are a couple of the tshirts that I have made. The
first one is kind of what got the ball rolling. I made it as a going way gift
for my friend, Cammie. I made the second one with the intention of selling it
at White Rabbit, a great local art-consignment shop. however, because it is a
consignment shop, they naturally take a cut. so I had to up the price. and no
one bought it. in short, I can’t get what I would want from selling my tshirts
and other creations thru a consignment shop. the design may seem simple, but I
make tshirts via stencils (which I hand draw and cut out w/ an exacto knife)
and fabric paint- dabbing the paint onto the tshirts with a sponge brush. I
don’t crank them out from a silkscreen. and no two are exactly alike. so they
are a bit labor intensive, but making them is rewarding nonetheless.
(the button necklace part was inspired by Cammie's button necklaces she makes and sells- very, very cool.)
what I notice with making the tshirts is how it cannot be an endeavor for money, but rather love. and I realize there are some crafsters out there who make nice bank on their projects. maybe they are 100 times more practical than me. but I have to do it this way, the way that makes sense to me. I am not going to push myself into making something fun into work so that I can eat. it has to flow more organically than that. making money from your art is only one form or sign of success. it is not necessarily the most fulfilling form. sometimes it is just the journey that is the success. being able to learn something new and come to a deeper understanding about a matter of the heart- or just the joy of figuring out a new skill. our culture is so market driven. and I am actually pretty good at marketing strategies, I do have a bit of a head for business. but that should come later, if at all- at least in terms of making art for one’s self. it is more about unfolding the box and seeing what is inside, than taking the contents of the box and finding some way to make them marketable. it seems creativity’s value is so often associated with financial gain. but all that God created, this great living canvas we walk in every day and get to call home- God (Goddess, the Universe, Great Spirit, etc.) gave it to us for free. Our bodies (and souls) are part of that canvas- not separate as we believe. but we chop things down, put paint on them, sort them into boxes and ship them off to warehouses to be sold at the mall, like we own the place instead of acting as though we are part of the place. this is why native American (First Nation people) wisdom makes so much more sense to me.
Hiiideeehooo.
So film class started today and it is going to be an INTENSE 8 weeks but very good. This course goes over the basics of how to craft a cinematic event, but with enough detail that I feel I will walk away having a much greater understanding of how to use this medium effectively. I'm excited and nervous. No matter what, though, I am going to learn. I'm so glad I have only this class this summer. I can really focus my energies in creating good work without too many other distractions. That rocks.
Our first assignment was to write our personal statemenet- our history with cinema. Mine is as follows:
Although I don’t have a grand history with cinema, other than a viewer, I do have a long history of involvement with the arts. I’ve drawn since I was a kid, and although I still enjoy it, I am no drafts-person. I mostly draw faces and bodies- I’m not so much in the buildings, objects, landscapes arenas. I’ve worked in chalk pastel, and I also enjoy collage.
I started writing poetry in Jr. High and I got more serious about writing in my twenties. I got even more serious about it in my 30s. I’ve written about 4 or 5 short solo performance pieces, a screenplay for a long filmshort and have been slowly writing a musical for over three years now. I journal every morning and find it to be a fantastic way to clear my mind, process emotions and prepare myself for the day.
I’ve acted off and on since Jr. High. I got my real taste of acting the when I was in college (the first time, at California State Fullerton). Later, I would do a summer workshop with a conservatory in Orange, California. After successfully bombing the audition to get into the conservatory’s fall curriculum, I hung up my acting hat for a number of years. I picked up acting again after moving to Omaha, Nebraska. I began to develop performance ideas of my own. Being greatly inspired by the performance artist, Laurie Anderson, I began to approach theatre from the angle of performance art, rather than traditional ideas about theatre. This is when I started writing things I wanted to perform, small solo pieces, rather than auditioning for standard theatrical roles. When I did perform my solo pieces, I got a strong response from the audience for both the performance and the writing. I took this as a sign that it was time to commit more fully to these talents. Thus, I am back in college now.
Eventually, through no effort of my own, I ended up co-directing a bare bones, no frills art gallery called Medusa Project in Omaha. We supported local and experimental art, with the goal of fostering community amongst the artists who worked with us. This is where I got my first taste of really working with a camera. I had longed to own a video camera for years, and was finally able to purchase one- justifying the luxury as something that I would use to document art events at Medusa Project. The first event I documented was called “Transphasis.” Actually, it was “Transphasis II.” Anyway, the concept of the show was using the gallery as an art studio. The artists would create their works in this open space, and the public could come and watch the process as it unfolded. This was, in part, a response to those uneducated “art critics” who would schlep through the art gallery and caustically announce, “I could do that…” when seeing a deceptively simple piece of art. The other part was we just liked the idea and it sounded fun. It was. It was my first real work with using a camera. The experience was just as much about me discovering how to film as it was documenting the event. Eventually, I edited the three weeks worth of footage down to 2 hour installments for the local public access channel. It’s not great, but it’s also not bad for someone who had no idea what he was doing. I find now that there were moments of self-indulgence in the editing process, and it probably would have been useful to have another eye in the editing room with me at the time. But- c’est la vie. I have a good deal of footage from other shows from the now defunct Medusa Project that I would still love to edit together for personal archives, if not nostalgia.
I do love cinema and I’ve wanted to work more seriously with it for years. However, it is extremely daunting to do as a solo artist, (I found that art and artists thrive best in communities). The movies that I am drawn to the most revolve around personal transformation, overcoming emotional oppression or societal obstacles. Although I hate gooey and goofy Disney endings, I do favor movies that have upbeat, optimistic endings. I am also deeply drawn to movies that involve metaphysics and magick. I love science-fiction fantasy, too- the kind that does not involve blood, guts and gore. I’m a big fan of the first two X-Men movies and enjoy the super-hero genre on film- when it works, which sadly isn’t often.
The first movie that I can remember dramatically impacting me was Disney’s “Escape to Witch Mountain.” It still gives me a thrill just thinking about it. The basic plot is that there are two orphan children who show up out of nowhere, can’t remember where they are from and have certain metaphysical abilities- like telepathy and telekinesis, that they can’t explain. Well, wouldn’t you know it, it ends up they are from another planet. The must fend off all sorts of bad guys (including the police) who seek to oppress, contain or control these children out of fear or for their own selfish purposes. The children, as the title implies, are trying to make it to Witch Mountain- and join the other survivors from their homeworld. I really think this movie set the tone for the rest of my life. I’ve been fascinated with extraterrestrials and metaphysics ever since.
On the other end of the spectrum, I love documentaries. A good documentary can bring the viewer into the heart of another person’s struggle or dramatically reveal societal corruption and disease. One of my favorite documentaries is “The Corporation.” It examines at length all the various ways in which corporate America devastates the ecology, compromises human health, and subjugates and manipulates humanity as a whole and in individual circumstances.
My self-designed major involves creating a non-profit organization which uses performance to foster community and promote social justice. I plan on using film to document the performances we (the nonprofit organization) create, but would also like to use film to document social justice abuses directly. I would like to incorporate the film footage into the performances, using the two mediums in concert. My reason for using performance and film to promote social justice (other than that I love the mediums) is that people are much more likely to open their hearts when they hear a story of abuse, as oppose to a lecture of facts. When they watch a story unfold, they go on the journey with the actors and start to identify with the characters. This personal identification is the trigger which will move them to take action.
well, it has been tuesday all day, from what i can tell. let myself get into making some tshirt designs- the last one came as an image in a half sleep/wake state. i won't say what it is here, but i will say that i think it's pretty damn funny. and it came out super bitchin good. i'm going to see if i can find some smaller sponges brushes because this design is a bit more detailed. it is going to take a repetion of small dabs to get it on a tshirt successfully.
i worked out tonite. i'm liking my body these days, feeling pretty good about it. vain? sure. but i'm also pretty humble about what i've got. when i live in a town filled with buff 20 year old boys, running around w/ no shirts all summer- being able to feel good about my physical appearance is quite a feat.
anywho, it has been a good day. i really enjoyed a change in perspective. what i am understanding is that art is like acting. meaning, there are a hundred ways to create something. it really is not about getting it "right"- that desperate search for the right decision. it is so much easier than that. the more room i give myself to explore, the more i feel at ease- confidence naturally emerges as a result. understanding this is a true gift.
have beautiful dreams.
Kman
well, dang! i forgot to do my lil' blog stint last night.
so today is so beautiful out. i'm sitting by my open window in my apartment which is on the second floor of a big old house. the breeze blows in on occassion and it's delicious. I am going to put out some job aps today, as i need a bit more work than my parking job can guarantee. i think i would dig working at a coffee shop again, you know? -in terms of a low-stress job. but i've also been applying as an office assistant at many places at the university. Iowa City is so starved for good jobs in the summer. so many people are applying for the same jobs like mad.
got the shelf w/ the paints into the- well, what do i call it? the non living room/eating room part of my apartment. -into the bedroom/workroom part. i've got tons of poo sitting around that i'm trying to give away on freecycle. but the shift of the cleanse can still be felt. got more to do. more to organize. i'm all about less these days. i wish i could get away w/ even less than i do have. the only things that i really "hord" are art work. and i think that reflects favorably on me.
so last night i started watching (via the net) a show called Ghost Whisperer. despite the god-awful title, it is not a bad show. Jennifer Hewlitt is not one of my favorite actors- she is way to preoccupied with being "cute," but the show still has some very dear moments. it is fulfilling my sci-fi-fantasy fix at the moment. I've been watching Smallsville, but it never fails to dissapoint me. so much potential but it disconnects and looses continuity in too many ways. it ends up being more about a semi-naked Clark Kent than any real character development. If only Joss Whedon had been given the project. ah well, that's Hollywood.
alright, back to reality and real world issues-
Kman out.
so it is 10:52pm. i've been cleaning my apartment for the last three hours- and really, it is just a small studio. but i still have so much more to do. i'm doing a bit of a deep clean; getting rid of things i haven't used in years- if ever. filing away things that have been collecting dust and doing some minor rearranging. it feels good. cleansing, of course.
so my friend, Moni, turned me onto this weeks episode of "Speaking of Faith." Shane Claiborne was the man interviewed. it was so inspiring, so enlivening- and very challenging. it helped me get some things in perspective as i was cleaning and purging. community is so amazingly critical to our spiritual survival. and this idea of loving radically- in ways that are so far beyond anything our culture has to sell. i recommend giving the show a listening to: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/newmonastics/index.shtml and here's the direct link to the mp3 of the show: http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/speakingoffaith/20070517_newmonastics.mp3 i was inspired to face up to some neglectful/fearful behavior i've been entertaining. i made a call and straighted out an old debt that has been lurking about in the back of my mind for over a year. so nice to purge! honesty- facing my responsibilites in the eye- is always the best policy. how often fear gets the best of me and i choose the lesser path in the name of self-preservation. something i find very hard to relinquish.
so i plan on setting up my sewing machine and start experimenting with more clothing stuff. this really is about the experience- letting the experience lead to the creation. instead of my ego setting the bar and creating the goals, i am choosing to let myself discover. if art is born out of observation, then the critical voice has no business in the act of creation. one foot in front of the other- following the sound of life as it waves and crashes onto my shore. that is my intention and prayer.
Kman out.
