Poetry Vs. Candy...what's in your room?

When I went to refill the Starbursts candy in my fake coconut bowl, I found THIS...
...Piece of paper taped just underneath the mermaid. As it turns out, its a poem from the poet "Brash". He goes throughout ArtoMatic and tapes up poetry as a reaction to the artwork he sees. He was inspired enough to pen (er, type and printout) this little sonnet about my painting "Screening At The Organ Grinders Local". I have reproduced the text from a bad cameraphone shot...in order to approximate the effort it takes to read the thing when its 3 inches from the floor!So I leave the interpretation up to you all... I am not entirely certain that my work is not somehow being dissed in this poem...I also like the way it almost rhymes...

From high art we go to the low art...I met with Trixie last Friday to talk about her can (pun intended) As it turns out, she wants to do all sorts of things that the current can can't. But eventually, I was able to come away from the meeting solely with the responsibility of designing and painting the label. And the best part is, she wants it to be a French sardine can!

The next most eventful, er, event was Vern's Birthday party. It was a low key affair, one where we all huddled around the 20th century hearth and watched Lawrence Whelk...as well as the making of the Seattle worlds fair, the making of the Enchanted Tiki Room, and finally in the small hours, we watched music videos that Vern had personally cataloged from 1989! It was a blast from the past...it really is surprising to think that MC Hammer videos were made 20 years ago! (as was the Dead Milkmen's video, Punk Rock Girl...)

Other semi noteworthy moments this last week were, getting contractors over to my house to get estimates on new windows and a bathroom remodel. And I got a new catalytic converter from my new favorite Kustom car shop KELLEY'S

I am going to give you BTT readers a sneak peek at some of the stuff I have been working on in preparation for WPAC's 9x10 show (as well as Hukilau and Art in Heat)....I have been playing with the idea of making submarine paintings for years, but I never wanted them to be dramatic things, or serious critiques of war etc. So I have been using the monkeys as a stand in for the sailors. This is a preliminary sketch of what I hope will turn into a series:

"Sea Monkeys" Sketch
Pencil on Paper, Photoshop

I am approaching the last two weeks for the corcoran, so this segment will not be part of the weekly entry...so get your academic kicks while you can! 14 paintings class was all about the Washington color school. Steven didn't even have a project written out. I think he is so excited about the Washington Color School events around town, and what they represent for contemporary Washington painters, like him, that he has devoted the rest of the semester to discussing what their impact was, and continues to be. So, this weeks painting was an attempt to make a "contemporary Washington color school" painting...

"Washington Color School Painting", 14 paintings...

In Academic Portrait painting I blocked in the color over last weeks drawing. I cant help being a fast painter, so I will probably spend next week painting over the whole thing again... Natasha sometimes has a hard time expressing (or perhaps I have a hard time comprehending) what is wrong with my painting...but I am definitely improving through her instruction, however I think by the classes end, I will have learned about 5 good lessons about portrait painting...For certain, I will never look at a Sargent painting the same way again.

Academic Portrait painting
Third Model, Second Session

Art-o-Matic open! Sympathy for the Devil!

So, to start up where I left off in the last post, I went to Yuri's night...got there at the end, "to the moon" was playing, and I started to talk to those guys about doing a gig like this next year...at an art show...Let me see how Art in Heat goes, then we can talk about the Yuri's night 2008 art show and space cabaret!

Panoramic "Stitched" photo of Art-o-Matic room (just Jared's side)

Anyway, Artomatic opened, I happened to be the only one in a devil suit on Friday. Turns out that the costume aspect of the Friday the 13th opening was not as well publicised as I thought...anyhoo, It was a great opening, and there were many people I scared off because I was dressed like the devil. Sara and Kirstra had my back in KT's absence, and I was introduced to Robert, who bought a painting (one of the hula lamp series)...all I can say about Robert, is that he knows how to get on an artist's good side...One of the other pieces I sold at the opening was still life with takeout:

Still Life with Takeout

this was sold to a collector who already owns two of my works..."00001" and "00010" (robot paintings)

On Saturday I did my volunteer shift (they sent me an email the next day saying that I didn't show up and that I would be banned from AOM forever!...it wasn't true! I DID work on Saturday!) and sold a few more pieces:

Screening at the organ grinders local

Mermaid

Projectionist

So the subtext here is that you folks who want any of this stuff better get your butt down to AOM ASAP! Cuz its goin' fast!

I have experimented with using Paypal for the payment method for these works, and It has seemed to work out so far...I'll let you know if there are any problems over the next month or so.

Oh, hey, I almost forgot, I couldn't attend the opening of MAP's Out of Order in Baltimore, but I did have a piece there:I haven't heard if its sold yet...but it must not have because I have until Saturday to pick it up and I haven't gotten an email or anything...

On Monday I skipped out on half of my classes to go to the DC Voting rights march...I got there too late to march (it was really crappy out too!), however, since I was down there anyway, I went to see the Jasper Johns show at the NGA...it wasn't too bad, but I still got the feeling that I didn't agree with the purposeful "impoverished" or "bohemian" stance these pictures take...

Anyway, here is the final picture of the the second Academic figure drawing class painting:

Academic Portrait painting, second model Final

Here is the first session of the last model we will have:

Academic Portrait painting, third model, first session

And here is the latest 14 paintings classwork:

14 paintings...number 8 (?)

I'm off to Baltimore tomorrow to talk to Trixie about the Sardine Can 2.1 (remember that?)...later gators (as Trixie would say)

Art-o-Matic opens!

I need to be brief because I am trying to get to the Russian Embassy for Yuri's night tonight (and they stop serving vodka at 11!)

As the title states, Art-o-Matic opens this Friday, April 13th. You can get the scoop on everything here. I am located on the 6th floor, in the red section...I'm the first room as you turn right at the reception desk by the glass...Here are some pics of the room, so you will have some idea of what to look for:


This is a view from the doorway...I am not showing my roommate's (Eric Peterson Photography) work here, because the Treo camera has no fish eye lens...

This is a closeup of the tiki...he is kind enough to hold all my cards and starburst candies...
Loyal readers of BTT will recognize some scenery getting a second shot at the spotlight...This wall has most of my latest work
This is "BBQ Bear" which is one of the new "bear" paintings. I had an old plastic frame from goodwill, and he seemed to fit the "tondo" format...(I again want to apologize for the Treo photo, I have better ones at home, but I took these once we finished installing...)


This one is called "Screening at the organ grinders local"...the photo here is particularly bad. There are lots of blues in this painting, because I was trying to concentrate on painting a picture about being in the dark...Anyway, its much better in person, so you'll just have to come to Art-o-Matic to see it!
This is the "Backyard Bear" painting, which if you look closely, has the negative of the "BBQ Bear" (that is, the cut paper negative) I have been stuck on a lighting kick lately, and I think that this one has a real presence in that dept.

I am also showing some pastel drawings, but the photos were so full of glare that it made it useless to show you pictures of them.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to add my homework....I'll do another post tomorrow...or perhaps a twofer next week!

One Revue Down...One O-Matic To Go...

So the Lobsterboy Ship of fools has gone into the history books. It was a really great show, and it was particularly nice to work with the Birchmere. It was the most pleasant setup and strike that I have ever experienced. The staff was helpful and willing to make an extra effort to make the show look good...which is different from many other venues.
Anyway, Here's a bad cameraphone shot of the show:

Lobsterboy Ship of Fools set at the Birchmere

A few photographers were there, so I have been looking for better shots on flickr...like this one from someone named "birdcage":

Cardgirl's feet (notice how the pearls rhyme with each other...Artsy!)

Needless to say, as the photos roll in, I'll post 'em.

Glory is quite fleeting here at Between the Tines, so we are immediately immersed in the next project. ARTOMATIC! My In-laws are coming into town next week...and I have just done a schedule breakdown on what needs to be done between now and opening night...I am Fu*ked! But not to worry dear reader, as I circle the drain of sanity, you will be kept updated with frequent blog entries!

Now on to my academic progress. The assignment for 14 paintings was to do a Munch-esque painting...incorporating open lined crosshatching, as well as an object very near and one very far away.]I chose to also make a existential statement that Munch would appreciate.

14 Paintings, Number 6
Munch-esque

In Academic Portrait painting I made a second pass over all the clothing. I especially made out well with the boots. I did them in a Franz Hals fashion...well, truth be told, Natasha ordered me to stop when I got to this point, saying that I had done enough and I needed to move on (lest I ruin them) So the takeaway lesson I got here is that sometimes the overworked area is not the best area of a painting. I have one more day with this, so I will do my best to fix the portrait and make the skin work better...and if I have time, I'll make the space she's in feel more solid. (next week Natasha has to choose some our work for a student "show"...which is really just stuff in the hallway...so I have to bring back the last portrait. I hope she picks one of mine!)

Academic Portrait Painting
Second Model, 4th session
(check the boots!)

Lastly, I'd like to look forward to Birthday Volleyball on the Mall this Saturday...and to thank Jide for wishing me a happy birthday, even if skynet told him that it was the 4th...