Shockobabble: 2009

Recently I've become captivated by artists who make moving sculptures, or should I say movable sculptures? The artist I first discovered was presented in episode 5 of MakeZine television. The motorized wave sculptures, created by visionary maker Reuben Margolin, are elegant and hypnotic. Make magazine has been a real hit for O'Reilly Publishing, and the extension of the magazine into video has been very inspiring. I really appreciate O'Reilly making a version of the video available for download. This is an important concept a lot of content producers haven't yet figured out. If you're going to go through the trouble of producing content, it makes little sense to throw up obstacles to obstruct people from consuming that content, of course, this is at the heart of the entire debate raging in the publishing world.

The other artist is Theo Jansen, which I learned of from the fantastic Boing Boing. According to his own description, Theo is building new life forms, which he aims for them to survive on their own.  In this short video from the TED Talks, Theo gives a brief overview of some of the inner working of his creations. He also describes his driving motivation in attempting to make his creations self-sufficient.

These two artists have inspired me to make some moving or movable art. The first form that comes to mind is the mobile.  I made one a while back out of used aluminum racing horse shoes. My daughter and I worked on it for a cousin of mine who loves and owns a bunch of horses. I thought it turned out pretty cool, but I visited her place last year when my brother died, and the mobile has still hanging on the wall of her stable where she put it several years before. Boy everybody is a critic, right?

The other form that comes to mind is the weather vane type of sculptures made for the movie Twister, remember those? A little googling turned up that the artist commissioned for the movie was Evan Lewis. Another related artist I found was Lyman Whitaker, who makes Outdoor Kinetic Sculptures.

All of this is totally overwhelming, but fascinating, truly fascinating.

I've already trimmed some paper in preparation of creating two pieces for the 1st International Art Mail Exhibition of Puerto Rico 2010. The theme is "Stop Child Abuse Now," now the technique is open to the artist, but each piece can be no larger than 5" x 6", which doesn't leave a lot of real estate for much.

The deadline is Jan 31, 2010, so there's plenty of time. However, I'd be lying if I said I'm over-flowing with ideas. I got one, but like I said, there is just not much room for anything. There's a blog set up to post entries as they come in, and while I've seen a couple, I don't want to look at too many entries. I'd like my ideas to be fresh.

I'll post what I finally come up with after I've sent them in.

A while back Boing Boing ran a contest for 100 word works of fiction. The theme was "Found in Space." To enter all you had to do was leave a comment with your entry. Today they announced the finalists, but unfortunately I wasn't one of them. They received 8,00 entries. So I wanted to share my entry. Besides my poetry, and the fake news stuff I did over at "The Fake News Nightly", I'd have to say this was my first true attempt at fiction writing. Anyway, here was my entry:

"Is that You? Where am I? There was a moment, just before the truck smashed into me. When I thought the panic would overwhelm me, everything became still. Silence. Peace. Tranquility. There was no pain. I felt calm. "How could that be?" I am, but I have no body. "How can that be?" I try to remember, and there's nothing left to remember. I am. Nothing more. "What is happening? Am I lost?" I sense the infinite, I am the infinite. "Wait, what's that?" I'm descending! Quicker now, everything is dimming. In total darkness now. I am born a new.

It really is a shame that we can't live multiple lives, stop time, or live forever. The web, it seems, is continuing to produce great example of innovation and entertainment. And, if anything, it seems to be be accelerating at how fast cool new sites pop up. Here are ten that are all worthy of great attention, unfortunately, I just can't afford to spend any of my attention on them:

1. The Forum Channel - One-of-a-kind video content, which features unlikely combinations of celebrities and experts talking live and unscripted about topics that range from the serious to the ridiculous. The site offers hundreds of clips as well as full Forum conversations, and you can also search by dozens of panelists. 
2. überpix is huge archive site for entertaining pictures. Our pictures (or “pix”) vary from plain old funny pictures, to our collection of demotivational/motivational posters and FAIL pix. 
3. The Ninth Annual Year in Ideas - The Times Magazine looks back on the past year of ideas. They present, from A to Z, the most clever, important, silly and just plain weird innovations we carried back from all corners of the thinking world. 
4. National Archives and Record Administration - YouTube collection of videos from the vault of the National Archives. Enjoy!
5. Make Magazine - MAKE Magazine brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. 
6. h+ online magazine covers technological, scientific, and cultural trends that are changing — and will change — human beings in fundamental ways. We will be following developments in areas like NBIC (nano-bio-info-cog), longevity, performance enhancement and self-modification, Virtual Reality, "The Singularity," and other areas that both promise and threaten to radically alter our lives and our view of the world and ourselves.
7. The Oatmeal - Everything on this site was written, drawn, and coded by Matthew Inman. The Oatmeal's real name is Matthew and he lives in Seattle, Washington. He subsists on a steady diet of crickets and whiskey. He enjoys long walks on the beach, gravity, and breathing heavily through his mouth. His dislikes include scurvy, typhoons, and tapeworm medication. 
8. Lifehacker - Most Popular Top 10s of 2009: Here are the 20 list(icle) posts that proved the most popular in 2009.
9. MakeUseOf, a booming daily blog that features cool websites, computer tips, and downloads that make you more productive. The aim of MakeUseOf is to guide you through the web and tell you about hot websites that you have never heard of, free alternatives to popular software programs, and all kinds of “how to” tips for Windows, Mac and Linux computer users.
10. Singularity University - Singularity University (SU) is an interdisciplinary university whose mission is to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies in order to address humanity’s grand challenges 

I remember clearly 15 years ago when I finally gained free and unlimited access to the Internet. It was amazing. After struggling through my initial online experiences of logging into bulletin boards, it was thrilling, it was liberating. With a quick click I was now able to access more information than humanely possible to consume. Now flash-forward, and the Internet has become an infinite source of enjoyment and distraction. 

I love design. I love art. I love photography. I love software. And I love reading. In short, I love just about everything that the Internet makes available to me. However, there is a seductive quality to the Internet which always tempts me. I  can hardly be on the Internet for 5 minutes with out finding 5, maybe 10, articles, libraries, or galleries. All of which seem worthy and deserving of my attention.

Just recently however, I reminded myself of my goals and reemphasized my rule to limit the amount of time I spend on leisure activities. The first step involved un-scheduling all of my favorite shows from the DVR. The second step involved un-subscribing from all non-essential feeds and email newsletters. I've left only the most useful and entertaining, what can I say? I can't totally disconnect. The last step is the hardest. It requires my constant vigilance against pointless surfing on the Internet. While "pointless" may be harsh, I have to monitor how I spend my time. 

I once read that one of the reasons why people get addicted to checking their email accounts so frequently is because they are hoping to score a fix, i.e., an important message. Now important can mean many different things, from a message from a close friend to a key business communication. Like gambling we get addicted to checking our email accounts in hopes of hitting it big, in other words, receiving that important message. 

For me, the Internet is also like that. So while it's easy to dismiss taking the time to find a set of web pages that seem unrelated to my goals, I'm addicted to the thrill of finding a golden nugget. Metaphysically, sometimes you find something that fits into what you need, but you didn't know you were missing it until you find it. Some call this "The Law of Attraction." Some call it coincidence.

I know this obsessiveness is overkill, but I know myself. If I don't focus on my goals, I'll lose myself within the Internet chasing down fool's gold. Another strategy I've started to use is Twitter. Sometimes I know something is important, probably worthy of reading, but off topic. So instead of ignoring the new information, I'll just quickly share the link and a few words and then I'm on my way. I do this for two reasons. First, I want to share something I've found that will probably be useful. Second, I essentially archive the link, just in case I need the information, I know exactly where it is.

I've just figured out another tool to help me out. Sometimes, I'll get lost within a topic and end up with a useful collection of web pages that really lay the foundation for understanding something new. In the past, I would use the "Bookmark all Tabs" feature in Firefox and hope to remember to revisit the topic soon. What I've found though, is that I rarely go back and pick-up the thread. So instead of loosing all of my research, I'm going to start sharing my research in brief blog posts. Just as with Twitter, my hope is that I can quickly document what I've found, share it, and have the links ready just in case I need to go back and use them. The key here is that the process has to be fast. The first will be coming soon, as I got lost last night researching art journaling.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: Annadriel

Staring off into the infinite
My soul draws me there to join you
We flow together within a river of consciousness
We are the collective infinite 

As I continue my journey inward, 
I discover ancient myths
They guide me through the darkness
in my search for meaning, 
nay I'm seeking the divinity
that lies hidden within me

Today I stumbled 
Even though I've been this way before
I was hoping that it had changed
I was stretching to cross over
a familiar obstacle
but as I leapt over
I imagined for a moment 
that a new step had appeared
however as my feet were ready to
land on the new foothold
it disappeared into delusion
and I ripped my leg open 
as I once again fell to the ground

As the pain erupted within me
it was overwhelmed by embarrassment
How could I let this happen again?
I'm trapped within the duality 
of the man I choose to be
and the man that I can not be
And yet, a shadow within me still remains
which neither prayer nor drug
nor advice can pacify

As the sun sets, 
I'm lost once more
within contemplation
I'll have to venture
again into the darkness
to confront my fears
My torment is my own
it haunts me when
I'm weak
and conspires with
my doubt to keep
me from reaching you

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: Tyson Cecka

As I was in Borders trying to choose which was going to be my next investment in comicbook making resources, it hit me that I've really always assumed that my comicbook making was going to be done on the computer.

So I invested in The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics. I had been looking at a few other choices, but they were all pen and ink based. So over the wekkend, I got to thinking. I better dust off the old tablet interface and give her a try.

Man, was that a frustrating experience. It might be that I've got a old Aiptek Wacom wannbe that was built to run on Windows XP, I'm on Vista now, and it could have also been the program I was using, but I'm unimpressed with my results. Take a look:
I know, pathetic. My next attempt will be using the tablet and Inkscape. That should allow me to have more control and hopefully, the ability to smooth out my squiggles. I've got to go back and redo the tutorials using the tablet so I can get more hours behind the tablet. It really all comes back to that one principle. They difference between those that produce and those that don't is the diligence, commitment, stubbornness, and perserverance to put in the time.

While I'm still trying to put the final touches on another wire sculpture, I'm studying hard to prepare myself for the big one: writing my first book, uh, comic book that is. As I've always found in the past, when you're engaged in some sort of organized program, it's a lot easier to produce. Whether it was school or work, the structure, process, and deadlines, always made me better at whatever I wanted to do. Of course, when you're out on your own, outside of all organization, creating becomes, at least for me, more challenging.

As I've been reading consistently about art and writing, one thing comes through loud and clear. And, in a way, it proves my theory. The demands of a structured environment accomplish what is THE difference between publishing a book and only wishing you did. That structure (dedication, sacrifice, commitment) puts your butt in front of a keyboard and demands that you produce. A lesson I frequently share is that whatever you want to do or be, you have to spend all of your time do or being that thing. Painters paint, singers sing, chefs, cook; authors write

So in order to prepare myself and create the structure I know I'll need to keep my butt in front of a monitor, I'm pulling together some structure from a couple of books to create a writing process. The first resource I'm using is from Elizabeth George's "Write Away", she calls it a character prompt sheet. This bullet point list of attributes help create a in-depth character analysis, which George considers one of the fundamental pre-writing activities. I've also read this ideal from other authors; building a rich character helps you ultimately know what a character will do when you put them into a what-if scenario.

Here's a few triggers that I need to answer so I can bring Dopeman to life:

• What is Dopeman's real name?


• How old is Dopeman?


• How tall is Dopeman?


• What is Dopeman's weight/build?


• Where was Dopeman's born?


• What color are Dopeman's hair and eyes?


• Does Dopeman have any physical peculiarities?


• What is Dopeman's educational background?


• What is Dopeman's sexuality?


• Who is Dopeman's best friend?


• Who are Dopeman's enemies?


• Who are Dopeman's family (mother, father, siblings,etc.)?


• What is Dopeman's core need?


• Does Dopeman have a pathological maneuver?


• What is Dopeman's ambition in life?


• Does Dopeman make any gestures when he's talking?


• How is Dopeman's gait?


• What is Dopeman's strongest character trait?


• What is Dopeman's weakest character trait?


• What does Dopeman laugh or jeer at?


• What is Dopeman's philosophy?


• What is Dopeman's political leaning?


• Does Dopeman have any hobbies?


• What do others notice first about Dopeman?


• What does Dopeman do when he's alone?


• Will the reader like or dislike Dopeman?


• What event significantly molded Dopeman's character?


• What event illustrates Dopeman's personality?


• What super powers does Dopeman have?

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: Jakob Montrasio

If I told you I was I prophet
would you think I was vain
or just insane

If I told you that I know things
or that I'm able to see truths
that remain hidden from you
would you think that I was just vain
or simply insane

If I told you that God speaks to me
and answers my inquiries
would you think that I was simply vain
or totally insane

If I told you
that you should listen to me
because I have heard your prayers
and am prepared to share God's answers
would you think that I was totally vain
or completely insane

Of course, you've got no reason to believe me
for I'm just another prophet
in a long line of fools
that believed he could
make a difference

Maybe I am completely insane to believe
that anyone should listen
to what I've been asked to share
but then why would you
for you haven't been with me
through my long and endless pain

Maybe it's the pain
that has driven me to insanity
that has convinced me
that even though my faith wavered
God's faith in me never did

No you weren't with me
as I quietly suffered
down a long and lonely road
but God was there

You weren't there
to hear my desperate
cries of agony
nor were you there
to aid in my comfort
but God was there
he heard my screams
and quieted me with the truth

In the end
it doesn't really matter
whether you listen
to me or not

My mission is to share
what I've learned
in as simple and helpful
terms as possible
whether you learn anything
is up to you

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: cindy47452

Last night I took a trip
I didn't mean to
It wasn't like I ingested something
with the sole intent
of experiencing the unknown

No, this was a journey to the abyss
Little bits of information
came at me from all angles
and I was pushed
to the edge of my sanity
And from where I stood
all around me was despair
all around me was futility

The next morning
is was difficult to awake
from my nightmare
We were smashed
between the vise-like grip
of cold lifeless hatred
and the seemingly immovable
wall of reality

Now as I sit here
I can remember my hopelessness
Everywhere I looked
there were warnings
but everyone around me
seemed hypnotized
by despair

This wasn't the first time
I've been to edge of this chasm
I'm repeatedly taken there
to witness the destruction
of humanity
It used to terrify me
and leave me grieving
in a pool of hopeless tears

But I've been there too many times
for it to scare me anymore
With gross familiarity
I can now witness
the end of our existence

I've become like a scientist
I can now experience our demise
with a sterile perspective
that allows me to see
but not feel

So I've been asked to
report back to humanity
and dispel the myths that
we use to prop up our
sense of reality

We are one
Just as certain
as I am here
sharing my tale
so are you
In fact
when I was at the end
so were you
Now when I'm challenged
I am not alone
For not only are you there with me
so is our Creator

He has asked me to tell you
to surrender your beliefs
She has instructed me to create
a new way of thinking,
a new way of relating
They want us to know that
it is time
time for us to look
beyond ourselves
and see the unity
that surrounds us
There is no separation
between our God and Ourself
God is within Us
We are God
Our will is God's will

Within Our heart lies
the greatest mystery
To love Ourself
is to love God
To love Ourself
is to love Everyone

Do you hear the truth?
Can you see truth
of our shared vision?
Know this
there is no end
there is no beginning
there simple is
Love the God within
each of Us
and there will
always be hope
in abundance

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: ecstaticist

It's been a while since I posted some of my work, so I scanned in a few drawings from my trip back home. These are once again, examples of Babblecards, or what you might call Shockobabble postcards.

This first one was inspired by a good ol'e fashion car show/parade. Went with my brother and it was a real gas. Plenty of beautiful cars, beer, and burn outs. How could anyone not find that inspiring?


These next two drawings were my original sketches for the two masks I did. The first one was done with the intent to create the ugliest and meanest face I could conjure up. What's cool about this sketch is it's one of my first original cartoon influenced characters. The second was my sketch for my biker demon. Again, these were both caricatures I drew from my imagination. In the past, I've copied elements of other photographs or drawings. So these show my growing confidence in cartooning.


I've still got to pull the picutres of the finished masks from my phone, but I've just been to lazy to hunt down the cable.

If previous generations of artists warned against the evils of television, see Frank Zappa's anthem "I am the slime," what can we say about the Internet? For if slime only oozes out of our television sets, then the Internet is a like a firehose of ooze, blasting out at 800 psi.

While both times I have visited New York City have been surreal experiences, I've often fantasized about living there. There must be something secretly alluring about its' always something to do or see cultural vibrancy, that calls out to me.

But having three kids and living on a rock in the middle of the ocean, leave me as far away from that fantasy as humanly possible. So I'm sure that in one of my infinite realities, I'm there now. And in my extratential existence, I'll grow and thrive. Meet me there soon and we'll both go see Tim Burton's exhibition at the MoMa.

When I first read "Ruby Slippers" from Seth Godin, I thought. Yes, yes, that's it. You need to have one thing, that's what I've been saying. You figure out that one thing, then start working towards making that magical moment arrive.

Then it hit me. As Seth puts it:

But for many sites, many companies, there isn't a thing. They can't articulate it. They have no wish. If you have no wish, how can it possibly come true?

It must be the new drugs, or the constant home repair work, but the urge to pick up a pencil, brush, or crayon has seemed distant. So instead I'm staying close to the warmth and comfort of my keyboard. A recent tweet, led me to an interview/article with David Hockney.

At one point in the article he mentions that he has his suits especially tailored to include an inside pocket in the jackets large enough to accommodate a sketchbook and brushes that he always carries.

He is well aware, as he says, that “the art world thinks that this is a genre that’s quite exhausted – but nothing is quite exhausted”. Images, he says, help us to see the world: “I keep thinking that people have stopped looking at landscape . . . and I’m very interested in how we see; seeing is memory and memory is now. We don’t all see the same things even if we’re looking at the same thing . . . looking is a positive thing — you’ve got to decide to look.”

Then at one point in the interview, when discussing several drawings of Hockney’s brother, Paul, and his sister, Margaret; in each picture the subjects seem mesmerised by a small gadget in their hands, which turns out to be an iPhone — Hockney’s latest enthusiasm: Hockney shares:

I came across this term the other day when I was contemplating how to aggregate together all of my various online projects. According to the lifestream blog, written by Mark Krynsky, a lifestream is a:

Alright, I must confess, I'm fascinated by cubism. But for the life of me I just can't seem to "get it." But I will. I assure you, I will. I mean I'm not an idiot, I get the whole "little cubes" thing, but what I can't seem to see is the process of deconstructing reality and reassembling it onto a structure of cubes.

I have a book on Picasso I picked up on clearance from Amazon. "A life of Picasso" by John Richardson covers the exact period that Picasso and Braque created cubism, and I should note, also brought collage into the world of of fine art (but collage is a whole other topic that I'll be getting into later). So, I've gone back to study the origins of cubism. Mistakenly, many attribute Picasso for the creation of cubism. A documentary I watched essentially says that they should be co-creators, becuase neither would have been able to create cubism with out the other.

One thing I didn't know about cubism was the motivation for wanting to create cubism in the first place. I was vaguely aware that it was a reaction to the impressionists Renoir and Monet, but it goes a little deeper. Plus it gets a whole lot cooler. Picasso is quoted as saying that he wanted to go as far as possible in the other direction and produce work that would be "bien couillarde." For those of who skipped French in high school, like me, it essentially means "ballsy." Hence creating a common catchphrase for Picasso and Braque, "A painting should have balls." There is just something about that statement that somehow increases my already high image of Picasso.

In a quick search of the web, the Wikipedia article on cubism appears first. The article includes a link to an interesting video "Video decoding a Picasso Cubist still-life." It's real short, so you can watch it here real quick:

While simple, I like the way the video helps to show how bits and pieces of "La Grenade" were constructed. But, in the end, I'd say the video is only slightly helpful. I need a much more in-depth explanation, and it goes with out saying, a lot more drawing and painting until I unlock the secrets to cubism.

Just a thought, which just popped into my head, but I wonder if there is any connection between me never being able to solve the Rubik's cube and unlocking the secrets to cubism? I'm amused at the connection, but I know there's a big difference. I never really committed myself to solving the multi-colored cube. Who knows, if I ever would of grokked the patterns necessary to solve the Rubik's cube, but I know I will solve cubism. I know, it because I've already envisioned new projects that I've already seen complete within my imagination. And I think, if they turn out as I have seen, they just might be "bien couillarde."

It's well known that artists are often gifted with seeing the world in a unique way. Then, if they are lucky, they can find a way to successfully share their unique vision. Others characterize good art by stating that the artist has provided a new way of seeing the world. Perhaps they are both the same and it's just a matter of perspective, one from the artist and the other from the viewer.

Which brings a question to mind, kind of a digression, but what do artists call the people who appreciate their art? And what do they do? With some of the arts, it's easier to classify. You listen to music. You watch a movie. You watch a dance. If it's performance art, then clearly you watch it, you many even interact with it. So you look at art? You can experience them all, so that can't be used "just" for art. So if people look at art, do we call them lookers?

It's said that everything happens for a reason. I stumble over that truism, more often than not. Imagine throwing concepts like destiny, free will, spirits, demons, God's will, the devil, karma, and reincarnation into a pot and stirring them together. It's like when you mix a bunch of different colors together, you end up with a million different shades of brownish-black. In the end, it all becomes clear as mud.

I think it's more likely that some things happen and there is no reason, it just happens. Yet, there are some things that seem to lend themselves to clearer conclusions. I think that part of being an artist is using your environment and experiences to find meaning. Lately I've been collecting a lot of materials that I can immediately see their uniqueness. Projects based on those materials instantly pop into my head, so I pick them up. Recently, I mentioned some hardened polyurethane foam, that I found at a deconstruction site. Wouldn't you know it, yesterday I scored several sheets of ¼ plywood from the same site. The plywood is EXACTLY what I'm going to need to start mounting the foam. So I've been really lucky.

But the other day I really struck gold, when you're into found art, you've almost always got to have an eye out for something interesting. Well as I was picking up the kids from school the other day, when I saw something that looked like some old cabinets in the trash of a church near their school. On the way back home, I stopped to grab the cabinet.

Inspired by a recent show I saw at Galería Yemayá, I've been experimenting with natural pigments. As I'm sure you already know, paint as a pigment, was orginally derived from the naturally ocurring colors from nature. Whether from a berry, flower, or leaf, the pigments first used in painting were simply taken from nature and applied to a medium. One of the artists featured in the "Por la Línea" show used wine and coffee stains to setup an image which was then enhanced.

In this image, I used flowers from some trees and shrubs I cut down from my front yard. The tree is called Bottlebrush or "Cepillo de Botellas" and the shrub is called "Cruz de Malta" in this case, the yellow version. I also added some leaves from a small shrub, which I really don't know the name. I also added some last minute touches with a pink rose that my wife received for Mother's Day.

To transfer the pigment I had to smash the flowers, leaves, or petals against the paper. Some transfer was easier than others, and as a brush, left me in little control in terms of the size and the amount of pigment. Whatever the result, I'm glad that regular paint is so easy to acquire and use.

That's what came to my mind
when I was sitting on the john
trying to figure out
what was going through
my daughter's mind

When did she start thinking
more of herself
than about her family?
Surely this was not
something she got from me!
Surely she's seen me
give, and help,
and sacrifice.

Where did she get off
thinking that her
desires were more
important than
those who love
her most?

Doesn't she see
the sacrifices I make
for our family?
Didn't she know?
That there was
no doubt that
I could make it
as an artist.

Then I stopped
my thoughts from
forming the next sentence
and asked,
do I really believe that?

I searched my thoughts
for dissent,
and even my fear
of success kept silent.
I did mean it.
I do mean it.
No doubt about it.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: ucumari

I went by a deconstruction site yesterday and they were tearing down walls and throwing everything out. Normal stuff for deconstruction, but there in that there rubble I found gold.

Ever come across a can of Great Stuff in the hardware store? Ever use any of it around the house? It's pretty amazing stuff. Well imagine having a dump truck full of it and you coat cinder block walls of it 8 inches deep.

So as they are busting down walls, these huge slabs of this polyurethane-based foam are breaking off. Even without painting, they're a trip to look at. They are perfectly flat on one side, many include the imprint of the wood or cement there were squirted on to. On the other they have a dimpled wavy pattern.

I immediately stopped the van and loaded up as many slabs as I could find. I asked the deconstruction guys to save me some more, but when I went back it was all in the dumpster. I was able to salvage a few more big pieces. I think I was pretty lucky. Not only does this stuff look weird, but went it busts apart it almost looks as if was carved. In fact, I bet I could even carve a design into some of the slabs.

My mind is racing trying to figure out what to do with these new supplies. I imagine already using smaller pieces and gluing them onto a gesso covered wood panel and then painting. I'm intrigued by making paintings that escape from the flat space of two dimensions. This stuff is perfect for that. Other pieces could combine the shards with wire and other materials to form assemblage sculptures. Some could just be painted and hung on the wall as is. I know I could put a whole show together based on this stuff.

I'm kind of motivated to get started on them so I can move them out of the yard and the shed. My wife is already starting to complain about the stuff I'm accumulating. I'm going to experiment with a few pieces to see how acrylic and latex paint looks on them and finish a few pieces. Then I'm going to present them to some galleries to see if they would be interested in showing them. I think that it's good to finally be taking this step.

Seth Godin is a writer and social commentator that I respect and follow. His writing is crisp, to the point, and his timely observations are usually right on the money. In his own words, he's an agent of change, and I couldn't agree more. He has a special way of saying things that almost always motivates me and spins up my imagination.

In a recent post "Can you change everything?" Seth offers up some options for change if you're feeling in a rut. Near the end of the list he suggests "Buy some art." I was intrigued. Who would Seth consider remarkable enough to suggest?

And the winner is...Phil Hansen from Benton City, Washington. After watching a few videos of Phil's performance art, I had to admit, his art certainly is remarkable. Phil's a very creative artist that offers up some fresh new ways of seeing art, while at the same time expanding the definition of what most people would call art.

Artists Dilemma

After seeing Phils' art, it occurred to me what is the artist's dilemma. It might be called many different things, but the dilemma essentially boils down to offering something "new" to the world. While some may see this search as an exercise in differentiation, a declaration of uniqueness, others might characterize it a seeking out a personal style.

In "Abstract Painting Concepts and Techniques," the author, Vicky Perry, describes this dilemma perfectly. When recounting the period of art following the Renaissance, when the church began to reduce the patronage of artists, she observes,

"Painting developed within the context of ideas about where innovation would take place and thus the search for "newness" became a competitive market motivation for painters."

Sliding through the night

I came across a unique press release today for a new art project by Brian Rushton Phillips. According to the release, Brian is a "casualty" of the 2008 economic crisis. In response, this unemployed conceptual artist used his remaining cash to comment on the downturn.

Using 208 $1 dollar bills, Brian stitched them together to form a makeshift security blanket. According to the artist:

"The fragility of the blanket conjures an oxymoronic image, consistent with the current state of global unemployment, homelessness and financial insecurity."

On Good Friday, I sat down and painted some with the kids. We mostly used tempura, but the youngest wanted to try watercolors. I had been having an image in my head of Christ carry the cross, and had already made two unsuccessful attempts before. This watercolor probably comes closest:

4" x 6" water color, "Jesus carrying the cross"

In what may turn out to be the definitive "how to tell when you've finished" rule of thumb, this piece, as originally intended meant to contain some more depth. I was copying a graphic I say in the newspaper, but it sort of took off on another direction. I worked on this for a few weeks, off and on, and when I was done putting in the scales, I sort of put it aside.

So maybe I'll know when I'm finished with something by whenever I stop working on it. If I move on, and never go back to a piece, well, "taaaa-daaaa," it's finished. That's probably a pretty weak cop-out, but doesn't that really get to the crux of the biscuit? If a piece isn't done, it'll call out for more attention. When it no longer holds my interest, well then it must be done, no?

So check it out, "Swimming against the current"
8.5 x 11 110 lb white index, sharpie, and pigment ink

[Fade in college dorm room from 1981. The incense is thick to cover the herb stench and there's black light posters on the wall. A young student studying photojournalism and art makes a fateful decision]

"Man this whole photojournalism shit sucks."

"Can you imagine being stoned and drunk at 2:00 am and getting a call to go out and shoot some pix of some losers house burning down or some stupid shit like that?"

His equally stoned and drunk room mate exclaims, "Yeah, no shit!. That would suck!"

"That's it man, I'm changing my degree. I've heard that there's going to be a lot of jobs in computer science. I think I'll try that." And with that inebriated decision, his life diverts upon a tangent into a new reality.

[Fast forward nearly thirty years into a new life, in a different land, and a world run afoul of greed, consumerism, and selfishness. Our life long student isn't as young as before, but he's hungry to revert his life back to his original reality. It won't be easy. His life is way more complicated and he has precious little free time.]

"Well this week, I've really placed my aim square in the middle of my new target. I'm recommitting myself to limit my reading and viewing habits to only those that support my development as artist, author, cartoonist, and publisher."

"While I can't actually afford the time or money necessary to go back to school. So, I'll have to teach myself. As luck would have it I've been slowly collecting books that I think will teach me the things I need to know. All told, at my current pace, there's probably two years of study in front of me. I can't wait! As a bonus, this week I also found a diamond hidden within the book shelves of my community library."

"I found "Design and Form - The Basic Course at the Bauhaus" by Johannes Itten. As a study guide it's awesome. I read through the first section "Light-Dark" and I've already got quite a lot of "homework" to do. Of course, all of this means, that I'm in "always be drawing mode," which is exactly where I need to be."

"Dad in Korea"

"A la 'Barbers Tree'"

I suffer 

I remeber that day, 

I'm drawn to abstract and modern art. For me, when I discovered these art forms, a little bell went off inside my head. Immediately I knew. Like most people when they see a Dubuffet or a Basquiat, I said, "Hey, I can do that!" And it's true, most people could, it they tried. Of course, there's a mystery to abstract expressionism. What makes one work a masterpiece and another crap? However, in an art form that defies everything, how can you know that your art is achieving its' goals?

• Do I simply want my abstract painting to be beautiful?
  
• Do I intend this abstract painting to convey something specific to the viewer?
  
• Do I want people to extract their own meaning from it?
  
• What in the abstract painting is going to do this?
  
• How do the elements interact?
  
• Do I want to guide the viewer's interpretation with my choice of title?
  
• Do I want to write a statement to accompany the painting explaining how I created it, what my thoughts were while I made it, or what I see it conveying?
  
• Does it matter to me if they don't "get it?"
  

Both of these pieces were painted with my kids using Tempura and some heavy paper stock. The first was deliberate, while the painting that follows was done with what was left over. I like to create paintings with the colors left over after the kids are done painting. This piece was done with even more forethought into creating a self portrait.

Let's just get this out of he way. Art is whatever I can get away with.