A Note to DannyPants

It's so funny.... Just earlier tonight I was talking to some people about how I haven't written a blog entry in months. And then this happens. Enjoy this note that I just wrote to my best friend, and look for more to come soon as I figure out how the hell to make this happen.


"DannyPants,

I just put on Sigur Ros on Pandora to fall asleep to. Just as I was about to pass out, a song by a band called Hammock came on called "I Can Almost See you". I was suddenly wide awake. I needed to hear more from this band. Now. I hopped on youtube and looked them up. This video was the first one that popped up and now I am sitting in my room in tears because it is so beautiful. I'm literally a crying, snotty, hot mess right now. You have to watch this. This is EXACTLY what I have had buried in the back of my mind for the last four years with where I want to go with my artwork. I think this is the next step, Dan. We were just talking about this last week. After the last show in the fall, I need to take a step in a whole new direction or else things are going to start to become pretty redundant pretty quickly. I just had to share this with you. I knew you'd get it since we've been talking about this for so long. I feel really good about this. This is gonna be good.

Love you,
Dani"

*video is copyrighted by hammockmusic.com*

Going once. Going twice. Sold!

So maybe three summers ago I went to New York City to visit one of my college roommates who is also my best friend. We went to some places that only locals know about, and we did some touristy stuff, too. On one of our touristy adventures, we hopped on the Staten Island Ferry. She and a few friends were looking at the skyline and taking in the view and commenting on how beautiful it was and how tragic it is that things will never be the same because the Trade Towers are gone. I tried for a few minutes to participate in the conversation, but then I started going ballistic about how orange this pipe was. My roommate just teased me, lovingly, of course. After being roommates for three years, she knows I spaz out over simple things, but she just let me do my thing. After sorting through my photos from the trip when I got home to DC, I fell in love with this photo, the simplicity of the lines, the texture of the paint and just how fantastically orange it is.

It's been three years. Going once, going twice, aaaaaaaand sold, to Ms. S. of New York. Oh, happy day!

Thank you, M, for always supporting me no matter what. You are a true friend and I love you always.

PS: I got my work schedule. Let's do this. :)

I sold my first painting.

Everyone has moments in their lives that are pivotal. Last night, I had one of those moments. I sold my first painting for $400. I am absolutely tickled pink and can't stop smiling every time I think about it. It's kind of making my face hurt, actually, but it's a good kind of pain, you know?

So "Centered" will shortly be in the collection of Mr. & Mrs. D. I'll be delivering it to them personally later on this week. I'm kind of crazy excited about it. I hung out with them the other night and saw several pieces of theirs, but they plan to show me the rest of their personal art collection which contains several pieces that cost upwards of $25,000. I have mixed feelings about that for the time being. Not any negative feelings, I don't think. It's just strange to think about my artwork hanging on a wall with pieces that have such a high price point. I'm back and forth between thinking that they got a fantastic deal buying my work and that I should start to charge more if I can sell to people with such great taste. We'll see. Pictures to follow of it hanging in their home if they will let me!

"How to be Alone" by Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman

I found this video on facebook. One relative gave it to another and it just really spoke to me.

Art has so many facets and it is so important to keep yourself exposed to things that are outside of your area of expertise and to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Poetry and film making are two creative outlets that I absolutely love, but have very little experience in, so to see such a well made short film incorporating such a powerful topic that I have been struggling with lately is such an inspiration to me.

Thank you, Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman and friends, for making such a spectacular short film that is sure to reach so many people on so many levels.

Merci, Matthew.

There are people in my life who hold very special places in my heart. My good friend, Matt, is one of these people. He is an inspiration to me in so many ways... mentally, creatively, and tonight, artistically. He recently sent me this, and all I want to do at this very moment is photograph people in a way that I have never photographed them before.

Merci, Matthew. I feel something good coming on.

My friends, it's been far too long...

So a number of things have happened in the last couple of months. To sum up, I am back in school full time studying massage therapy. I decided that my love of the human body was just too strong to ignore, and that I'm decidedly too much of a spaz to do anything involving medical school. (To be truthful, this has been on the back burner for a while, but the timing wasn't right until now.) So my full time school status combined with job hunting for something that will be flexible with my work schedule has left me with no option but to push anything artistic to the back burner.

Until now.

After almost 3 months of nothing, I decided I'd had enough. It's just a baby painting, a mere 6 " x 6", but I can say I'm proud of it, and it incorporates a new chemical from Atelier that I'm absolutely in love with. It slows down the drying process enabling the paint to be more forgiving for error and allowing me to be more precise with my color matching. It's pretty epic, actually.

More photos coming soon. Don't forget to view pricing and purchasing information here.





Make love! Make art!

Art Naturally Opening Reception Saturday, June 26, 2010

It's finally here! My show is today at Convergence! I still have a painting here on display for another 6 months or so, and it's actually still up on their website here. I am really excited about this show. I have a solid group of pieces that I hope to sell through quickly, and I have some fresh ideas for new things already. I have a short little break coming up from school for a week or so and I'd really like to get a few small things done to have a broader price range available on etsy and get things to a point where they are a bit more cohesive. I plan to photograph the new work and some other pieces that I've finished in the interim that have just fallen to the bottom of the list since I've been recuperating from painting nonstop for a week and back in school full time the week immediately following that.

It's just one thing after another, but art is really looking up right now! I can't wait for tonight! If you have been a part of me somehow managing to pull this out of my ass in 6 days, thank you. You know who you are, and you're the best a spastic artist could ever ask for.

I'll post pics from the show later so come back and visit soon!

Make love! Make art!

View show photos courtesy of Jules here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.562068852904.2081772.55300604&type=3

I smell youtube.

I decided to add some videos to my art blog. You can view them on youtube courtesy of Jules. This is a video of me talking about the art show pretty generally and just kind of thinking out loud about how I'm going to make this happen, and this is a video of my answer to Jules asking me about how I want people to interact with my art.

The rules were that Julia wasn't allowed to ask me a question until the camera was on so that way the answer would be just my train of thought and not something planned. There were a couple more, but I'm just gonna start with these for now.

And here's a few pics, just for the fun of the progression.

"Art Naturally" All Nighter 1

So in anticipation of how crazy this week is going to be, I've enlisted my good friend Jules to help keep me awake and tell me if something sounds like a horrible idea. It's fantastically convenient because she also loves taking pictures, so now I finally get pictures of me doing artsy stuff when I'm doing something on a time crunch that really counts. I almost quit, by the way. I was just so stressed about time, and just really didn't think I could do it, but I got a pep talk from a friend and he kinda talked some sense into me. Thanks, K, even if you don't see this. I really needed to hear what you said.

Here's some photos from last night.


tracing a fly.

cucumber water is my new favorite thing.

but I still love my wine.

"The Wall of Get Busy"

a box of paper birds.

I think I was listening to Dan here.

bouncing some ideas off of Dan.

ABH House stock photo.

Did you get your tickets to the gun show?

the night is young!

"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!