Hitotzuki

Video for the making of "The Firmament", by husband and wife Tokyo street artist team Kami and Sasu, aka, Hitotzuki. More at their website: HITOTZUKI

Random linkage

• Caravaggio-one of the original bad boys of art has his police records aired.
• The New York Academy of Art is no match for Facebook's no-nudity policy.
• Great street photography from relatively unknown Vivian Maier is brought to light.
•

Steve Powers, aka ESPO, speaking at TedxPhilly about his project, 'A Love Letter for You', in Philadelphia and a similar project in Brazil.

• Desperate for a place to live, a museum guard holds Renaissance paintings for ransom that are later stolen from his car.

Been a little busy...

Scenes from my studio-January to mid-February 2011

Steven Powers @ TedxPhilly

Steve Powers, aka ESPO, speaking at TedxPhilly about his project, 'A Love Letter for You' , in Philadelphia and a similar project in Brazil.

The sweet spot

Nope, no wires nor photoshop, that's just a canvas standing on edge on my notoriously uneven studio floor. Just one of those small, almost magic, moments.  

New Radiohead

The video for 'Lotus Flower', the first single from the upcoming Radiohead album The King of Limbs.
Oh, yes, it's a happy day when I find out that there's new Radiohead music on the way.

Once Was Light

Once Was LIght, 2010, collage and acrylic on paper, 38 x 50 inches

(photo: Karen Mauch)

Callum Innes: Tate Studio Visit

Painter Callum Innes talks about his process with watercolors.

Bruce Pinchbeck-Morning With: Moe Brooker

A short video by Bruce Pinchbeck featuring Philadelphia-based artist and educator, Moe Brooker. (via Heavy Bubble)

Studio Visit: Steven Baris 12.30.10

I found out about Steven Baris and his work through an exhibition of his that I saw at Pentimenti Gallery about six or seven years ago, I think. His use of plexiglas and mylar as supports for his oil and acrylic paintings along with the sense of space he was able to achieve, controlled use of high-keyed colors and intricate compositions drew me to see more of his work at later shows. At some point, we met at either one of my shows or his here in Philly and have stayed in touch ever since.

Steven often has a couple of projects going on at once. One such project is "Exurban Archipelago", where Baris makes use of Google satellite images to map out and manipulate architectural forms that are similar to those used in his paintings. In addition to the roll-over images that you can explore, there is a fictitioius (and funny) interview where Baris delves into his theories about exurban spatial relationships. Steven Baris's "Exurban Archipelago" was also recently mentioned on "The Artblog".

Feeling Lucky? Or Let Down?: A Roundup of Art Critics on Google's New Mega-Museum - ARTINFO.com

Feeling Lucky? Or Let Down?: A Roundup of Art Critics on Google's New Mega-Museum - ARTINFO.com

As with any kind of new tech application, there are going to be pros and cons. I tried out Google's Art Project and found it good in some ways and way wonky in others. The good includes getting to examine some works in close detail that you wouldn't be able to in real life. The not-so-good, for me, are the somewhat limited selections from each museum that you are able to see. Granted, it's a big undertaking to document the collections of major museums for an online application, not to mention all of the legal wrangling that must be involved.

I guess my expectations for more views of the museums' various rooms and collections were a little high at this stage of the game. Hopefully, there will be some tweaking of the program to and more of the collections included at a later time. That said, no matter how good Google's Art Project gets, it is still a far second-best to being able to view the works in person.

A quote for the ages

"People who say that it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it"- George Bernard Shaw

Changeling

Changeling, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 64 inches

(photo: Karen Mauch)

Spark

Spark, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches

(photo: Karen Mauch)

My artist page on the Bridgette Mayer Gallery website has been updated with this painting and several other newer works: Tim McFarlane

Black clouds, silver lining

Portion of a new work on paper in progress

Some days the practical aspects of being an artist can seem a never-ending trial. Having had years of dealing with the issues that come up, I'm usually able to deal with what comes my way and move on. Every once in a while, the mental and financial gymnastics one has to go through sometimes are enough to leave a black cloud the size of Texas dangling over my head, like this morning. Once again, I was able to get by, but it still left me in a foul mood for a while. Luckily, I had things to do before heading up to the studio, so I had some time to distract myself, reflect, figure things out and ease out of my bad mood so that it wouldn't affect me creatively. 

Once I got up there, I was more than ready to dive into work. I've spent more time out of the studio in the past couple of weeks than in and in that time, I'd had plenty of time to think, and re-think some ideas for projects that I've been working on. No matter how rough things might make me feel, getting into work-mode always puts me in a better place. I always feel at my best when I'm figuring out problems in the studio and seeing the results of learning from the good and bad can work wonders. 

Constant Flux

Constant Flux, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches

(photo: Karen Mauch)