Internalized Misogyny

I'm part of an artist discussion group, and we've begun to talk about internalized misogyny and how it affects our art. What would my work look like if 1) I wasn't concerned about selling it, 2) I didn't care what other people think, and 3) women's work was valued? I can't even imagine what that would be like, which is precisely the reason for the group's discussion.

More Experiments

Here are some more test pieces I did today. The first two are 30" x 24", acrylic on unprimed canvas.






This one is about 18" x 12", acrylic on primed canvas.



And this one is 12" x 12", acrylic on unprimed canvas.



I'm having fun playing! Hopefully I can hone in on something soon for my next body of work. Stay tuned.

Still Experimenting

This is a small test piece I did today that I like a lot. It's just 12" x 12". Now I'm going to do one 24" x 30" to see if it translates larger.

Beyond Realism

Beyond Realism is an interesting book by Brian Ryder that I recently discovered. He takes you step by step through the development of ten abstract and semi-abstract paintings, and demonstrates techniques for using acrylics, oils, oil bars and oil pastels. I find books like this useful for explaining techniques that I've seen in paintings but wasn't quite sure how to execute.

Beach Cherub

Doesn't this piece of driftwood look like a cherub torso with wings?



I found it on the beach last week. It's in need of a head, though. Maybe something like this?



Or this?

Ed Moses Show

I highly recommend the Ed Moses show at Bobbie Greenfield Gallery and Frank Lloyd Gallery, next door to each other at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. This is a large show of his latest paintings, and they are stunning. Through June 2, 2007, at 2525 Michigan Avenue, B6 and B5B.

Improv Everywhere

Have you heard about Improv Everywhere, the group that "causes scenes of chaos and joy" in New York City? I'd love to see one of their missions live, but alas, so far I've only read about them on their website. Each mission is well documented with photographs and video, and I could spend hours reading about the pranks they've pulled off. The one pictured above is a coordinated takeover of the brightly lit windows in a building in Union Square, across the street from a park. Another favorite of mine was Anton Chekov doing a reading and book signing at Barnes and Noble.



Very few people caught on to the fact that this wasn't really Chekov, and that Chekov died in 1904.

Charlie Todd is the genius behind Improv Everywhere. Check out their website when you're in need of a laugh!

Poison Oak

Poison oak is growing across the Ridge Trail in Temescal Canyon, and no one seems to notice it. It's already to the point where it nearly brushes the top of my head as I walk underneath, and it droops a little lower everyday.



Hikers beware!

More New Work

I'm experimenting with molding paste underneath layers of transparent paint applied with a scraper. This is a small test piece -- about 14" x 11". I like the look, and now I'm going to try a larger stretched piece like this.

Henry Domke Blog

Henry Domke is a physician and an artist specializing in fine art photography for healthcare facilities. The mural pictured below is Henry's "Purple Coneflower" installed at the Wellstar Blood Donor Center in Georgia.



Henry is also the author of the Healthcare Fine Art blog where he features other artists who have work in healthcare facilities and provides information and resources for artists interested in healthcare. Lots of good information here!

Hotel des Arts

This is great! The Hotel des Arts in San Francisco turned over some of their rooms to local emerging artists for decoration. The artists were given full artistic control of a room. They painted murals directly on the walls, and some even painted the telephones and furniture. A few did installation pieces in their rooms. You can see each painted room on the hotel's website.

Graffiti Removal

I'm working on removing the graffiti from the rock on my hiking trail. First I tried a wire brush, which took the paint down from a bright green to a gray-green, but it was still clearly visible. The right part of the tag in this picture has been brushed, and the left part is as it was originally.



Next I tried Goof Off with a wire brush.



I don't know . . . does this look any better? Now it's a blurred tag, but still clearly there.

I see that Goof Off makes a special graffiti remover, which I haven't seen in the stores. I may have to order some and try that next.

New Acrylics Book

The New Acrylics is a fabulous new book by Rheni Tauchid. Everything you always wanted to know about acrylic paints -- a in-depth explanation of the different mediums and gels; information about the various colors, including the interference and metallic colors; and instructions on basic techniques and alternative approaches for using the paints. The photographs are beautiful, and they feature well-known artists work.

Definitely worth adding to your book collection if you are interested in abstract painting with acrylics.

Andrea Zittel: Critical Space

I highly recommend the Andrea Zittel: Critical Space show at the Geffen Contemporary in downtown Los Angeles through May 14th, 2007.

I was particularly taken by her "uniforms," some of which are pictured above. The hand-made felt pieces and the hand-crocheted tunics are especially beautiful, and the entire show is fascinating.

You can see more of Andrea's incredible work on her A - Z website.

Suburban Graffiti

My favorite rock on the hiking trail I take everyday got tagged.



The only other thing that got marked was this tree, a little further east of the rock on the trail.



I saw the tree first, and I somehow knew that the rock had been hit. At first I felt angry, and then I felt sad. I have spent many hours studying the beautiful natural colors and patterns of this rock, and it feels like an old friend to me.

I suppose I could see it as an opportunity to continue to love the rock, despite its new guise. Or, I can figure out some way to remove the graffiti.

Art and Fear

Jim Murray, who teaches the Art in Art Spaces class through the Palos Verdes Art Center, recently mentioned the book Art and Fear. He suggested that we read it, because it deals with a lot of the issues that we discuss in class. I read it many years ago, but I hadn't looked at it since. I took another look at it, and wow! --he's right. This book is right-on in its discussion of what artists go through when creating art. Here are a couple of brief excerpts from the first chapter:

"Making art now means working in the face of uncertainty; it means living with doubt and contradiction, doing something no one much cares whether you do, and for which there may be neither audience nor reward. Making the work you want to make means setting aside these doubts so that you may see clearly what you have done, and thereby see where to go next. Making the work you want to make means finding nourishment within the work itself."

"Art is made by ordinary people. Creatures having only virtues can hardly be imagined making art . . . The flawless creature wouldn't need to make art. And so, ironically, the ideal artist is scarcely a theoretical figure at all. If art is made by ordinary people, then you'd have to allow that the ideal artist would be an ordinary person too, with the whole usual mixed bag of traits that real human beings possess. This is a giant hint about art, because it suggests that our flaws and weaknesses, while often obstacles to our getting work done, are a source of strength as well. Something about making art has to do with overcoming things, giving us a clear opportunity for doing things in ways we have always known we should do them."

I highly recommend this book to all artists.

Layered Paintings

I'm doing studies for a new body of work, and I thought this one was interesting. I don't usually layer my paint this much, and I'm having fun playing around with that. It's a whole different way of working, and it takes some getting used to. With my previous work, I didn't have to think about what color goes on first and what color goes on last. I can't start out with the color I want to end up with, and it seems backwards to me.

Direction

My licensing agent sent me a link to the Ballard Designs website, noting that they sell a lot of prints. The painting below is on their website, and it's by Adele Kaars-Sypesteyn, titled "Underline."



He suggested that I have a look at the artwork on the site, so I could see what's selling, and get ideas for current colors and subjects. Have you ever tried to paint according to specs? I find it somewhat difficult. My mind starts racing off in all sorts of different directions. If I'm supposed to be painting Earth colors, all I can visualize is vivid purples and magentas. If the paintings are supposed to be quiet and evoke a sense of calm, I feel a sudden need to be wild. I always manage to come through in the end, but it takes a lot of discipline to control my rebellious nature.

Painting-a-Day Blogs

What do you think of the Painting-a-Day phenomenon that was originated by Duane Keiser? One of his recent paintings is shown below, titled "First Bouquet of Spring."



The idea is that you do a small painting every single day -- rain or shine -- 365 days a year, and display the finished pieces on a blog. Usually the paintings are offered for sale, but not always. Duane has been fabulously successful with his paintings, and other painters have adopted the Painting-a-Day format. There's a blog called the Daily Painters Art Gallery that is dedicated to showing the work of some of them.

Some painters say that the discipline of painting something every day has greatly improved their work. I don't think I could do it, unless I painted something very different from what I'm painting now. My paintings take a long time to develop -- much more than one day.

Have any of you tried to do a painting a day?

Art Consultant Mailing

I thought I would share some of my art marketing experiences so we can start a dialog about how to market art. I'm in the middle of a postcard mailing to art consultants -- both those who have previously expressed interest in my work and others who I don't know. Click on the image below to see the entire postcard.



I have found these mailings to be useful for introducing new bodies of work. They usually lead to many hits on my website, a handful of inquiries for further information, and a few sales. On the other hand, mailings are expensive to do.

Do any of you market your artwork to consultants or interior designers? What have your experiences been with this?

Carrot Top Dye

For some reason Alex is fascinated with a bunch of carrot tops that are soaking in water in an attempt to extract color.









He keeps sticking his paw in, and licking the carrot-water off of his paw. Then he tried to lean over and drink the water. Yuck! It's been sitting there soaking for over a week. He has a bowl of fresh spring water about ten feet away, but nooooooo. He has to drink the putrid carrot top tap water. Cats!