"Art Naturally" Prep Session 1

So, once again, a pseudo last minute art show with Convergence, where I will have a painting on display for a full year in their gallery. Still kind of crazy stoked about that. It's the first painting on the Home Page under the header "2010 Community Wide Theme, Transformation - Freedom through Movement".

I had this ingenious idea for this show that I'm ging to fill this 12 foot wall right.... and it's not until last night that I actually pull out a measuring tape and lay it out on the floor with Dan and suddenly my jaw kind of drops to the freaking floor with the sudden realization of just how big 12 feet is. You don't think anything of it.... 12 feet. It's nothing. It's twice the height of the average guy. Well, take two 6 foot tall men and lay them down in a line and suddenly that's a rather large wall for art that doesn't exist yet. Shiiiit! It's gonna be one crazy week and a half. Show is June 29th, hanging is June 12th. Let's do this.

For lack of creative content because my energy really needs to be on my paintings, which Jules and her sister are coming over to be my sounding board for, (YES!) you get this email correspondence between myself and the Convergence Gallery Saviour who will remain nameless until I have her permission to put her name in here, and a pic of what I'm starting out with. Updates over the next week and a half to follow.


My email to C an hour ago:

"I think I finally figured out what I'm doing for the show... I seriously think that if I can pull this idea off that it is going to be the most labor intensive and extensive cohesive set of pieces that I've ever done in my life. This is either going to make or break me in the next 11 days. It's gonna be fun!

Dani"

Her reply to me, which is probably the best email I've gotten in months:

"Dani,

You are amazing and mind blowing. I love that you are putting so much into your art and this exhibit! I can't wait to see your presentation. You (and artists like you) are the reason F***** and I are willing to work so hard at a volunteer position! Thank you for ending a rough couple of days w/ a smile. :)

See you soon.
C"

You're welcome, C! Make love! Make art!

Happy Mother's Day.

Made Madre a painting for Mother's Day. Hope she likes it. I like it so much I think I'm gonna make another one for etsy.

Just Some Art Thouhts.

So I'm painting last night, right, and I'm kinda feelin' it, kinda not.... and so I throw a movie on Netflix called "Little Ashes". It's about Salvador Dali and Federico Garcia and how their relationship unfolds as they begin their creative careers. I was kind of distracted by what I was working on, but the character who played Salvador had a fantastic line that I just fell in love with, and I just had to put it here.

"If I'm going to be anything more than average, if anyone is going to remember me, then I need to go further in everything... in art, in life, and everything that they think is real. Morality, immorality, good, bad, I, we, have to smash that to pieces and we have to go beyond that. We have to be brave.... No limit!"

I love this. Now I just have to figure out to to have as big of an impact as Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo and Picasso with out getting myself a couple of misdemeanors. (Page 347.) No misdemeanors until I can live off of my art. I still need a job. :)

And, a newfound love that I've just rediscovered: Sally Mann.

Some of my favorites are here, here, here, and here.

So beautiful! Apparently she lives in Lexington, Virginia. I wonder if she wants to have lunch sometime... that could be fun. But I think I'd have to be invited.

And oh, by the way....

I made my first sale on Etsy this week! Good bye, dear little Standing Bird. Have fun in Philadelphia in your new home!



Thanks, DannyPants. You're awesome!

Amnion.

Some photos from a collaborative art show I did with Beth in the spring of 2007. In keeping with the spirit of the show, "no spoonfeeding". Enjoy!

a conversation between friends

t: funny how the best art / creative stuff seems to come from darker places
but interpreting the art is definitely half of the awesome part about it

me: true.

t: on which point?

me: the darker places, and how you interpret it. a specific painting comes to mind. let me see if I can find it.

(photo property of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Picasso.
Blue Period.
I saw this painting in the MoMa when I was maybe 20 or 21 and it kind of changed my life.
in a dark but eye-opening way.

t: mmmm, i've never seen this one before
i like it...

me: neither had i.
I'd never heard of it, never studied it. There's a TON of art I've never studied.
But there was something about this that made me think a bit harder.
This man is eating a meal.
a simple meal, bread and water, milk, wine?
and it just struck me, because obviously the person who would be affected the most by this painting would be a blind person.
But a blind person would NEVER SEE IT.
Never be able to understand what blue really means.
never be able to comprehend the difference between a bllue period and a red period for a painter.
never know the difference between water color and acrylic and oil.
Never know what Picasso's painting style is.
Yet, here is Picasso, painting this blind man eating a meal for some unknown reason.
I mean think about it....
People create things, when you break it down to bare bones (9 times out of 10, and yeah, I'm grasping at numbers here, but a creative mind like you will get me :P)...
People create things because they either have to or else they're miserable.
OR because they have a story to tell or a message to convey.
Of all things to paint considering option 1, why would Picasso paint this to keep from going insane creatively....
and no blind person could ever truly understand the story that this painting tells or have any kind of message conveyed to them.
You can describe a painting to a blind person until you are blue in the face, but you're never going to be able to make them feel what you feel when you see it for yourself.
That's kind of a helpless feeling.
Which, ironically enough, is what I felt when I saw this painting as I came to this realization.
Ok... that's my artist soap box.
I'm done preaching, lol

t: haha, you should write stuff like that in a blog :p

Art Gallery opening at Convergence on Saturday the 13th

Convergence is having an art show this month entitled "Works from the Heart". Yes, that's right, that's my painting on the home page. Boo yah. I will have two pieces up and for sale. Come on out and support local artists!

I won't be able to make it there until later because I won't get off work until a bit after 8 pm, but I'll be hauling ass to get there as fast as I can! Come see me and my art!

Saturday, March 13, 2010
Opening Gallery Reception starts at 7pm and goes until 10pm.
1801 North Quaker Lane, Alexandria, Virginia, 22302

If you decide you'd like to buy anything, just go through etsy.

Work in Progress

Still needs some work. My new etsy page is here and artwork should be a few times a month. Check it yoyo! I'll keep you posted.

I have a pretty significant event coming up on March 6th for networking, so hopefully this will be a great way for me to make some sales. I just ordered business cards that will be here soon, so things will hopefully take a good turn in the near future.

Make love! Make art!

EDIT on May 9th, 2010: You can see the completed painting here.

Recent Works

So it's been a while, and I'm back to the old grind again, with some new (somewhat) secretive projects up mine and perhaps someone else's sleeve. :P  But that will stay quiet for now until it's better formulated, and even then, I think it's going to be pretty hush hush and likely long in the making.

So for now, some photos of some recent works to keep you updated.  More to come on a more frequent basis soon.

"People are going to want to make sex all over your art."

So I was talking to a coworker who knows that I've got this group art show coming up this weekend, November 7th, to be exact, and she asked me how I was doing with my art.  I told her that I was fine with the art, mentioned the pieces that I had done, and the pieces that are almost done, and the pieces that I was still kind of mulling over whether or not I was going to try to get them done.  Then she asked me how I felt about the pieces.  I told her I felt fine about them.  I like to paint for me, because it feels so gratifying when I'm done.  I paint to work through something, or to capture something, to tell a story or to share a message.... similar to photography, but 100 times more exhausting in pretty much every sense of the word.  Then she asked me how I thought people would react to it, and that question, I didn't know how to answer.  I know all about it from my side because it's a one on one relationship, but ultimately a painting winds up on a wall somewhere and it gets seen, reacted to, appreciated, bought, ignored, critiqued, pick the word, it doesn't matter.  I had no idea how to answer that question.  I told her that I knew that I felt good about the pieces, but that I really didn't know how in this new venue, with new people, and with this much advertisement how it would be received, and that this was the only thing about the show that made me nervous.  And that's when she said it.  That's the best damn sentence I do believe I've had said to me in the last six months.  

"People are going to want to make sex all over your art."

Absolutely fucking hysterical.  I laughed soooooo hard and felt soooooo encouraged.  Love my friends.

It's Thursday morning.  T minus 40 hours.....  

I think we're going to have some more photos like this one from last year's art show after 40 hours with no sleep.

And a few more just for fun...  I sliced my finger open on this painting as I was pulling it out of my truck.  It was still wet when I hung it up on the wall.  1'x6'.

Me and DannyPants.  The man with the plan, and the man in charge of the show.  He's also in charge of the one this weekend, and will be getting me set up with my solo show within the next 6-12 months.

Madre coming out on crutches to show me some love!