SSDK - The tale of the show - Volume III

The Second Opening
9/27

After such a nice first show, you would figure I would have relaxed and enjoyed the second show. But for some reason, the whole thing got under my skin. Maybe I let my guard down and my anxieties took over...I don't know. When Saturday came, I was a wreck. I knew a lot of coworkers were planning on attending because they had committed themselves thru the Facebook Event. My Dad, who has never really seen my art, was planning on visiting from Philadelphia. Talk about nerves.
This time the day was not sunny, but rather kind of gloomy and damp, typical for upstate NY in September. I had wondered if the second show would be a bomb....and I hoped that the gallery wasn't wasting their time having 2 openings in a row. My fears were alleviated when immediately folks began to arrive! Several friends from work attended, including both of my bosses and their spouses. Bruce and Kelly Button, Richard Brown and his girl Tracy, Jess and Joe, Donna and her little girl Sara, Pauline, Beth, and of course....can I ever leave out my right hand man, Travis?? Travis brought along Joshua Thomas, who is editor of the local paper, The Courier. He ended up doing an article on the show! I really felt the pressure of it all when I saw my coworkers streaming in. I wondered what these people I see everyday would think of me after they saw my work.


So many people came to the second show it surprised me and the gallery!
Next came Margrethe Lauber and Susan MacLeod, friends of mine from Town of Root. Professor Lauber is my mentor at SUNY Cobleskill and is helping through my first year as an adjunct teacher. (I am teaching Typography and Layout). She was on the grant committee for the Tri County Council for the Arts the year I entered my grant proposal and she had voted for my work. Later on, we found we were neighbors and since then we have become friends. To commemorate the event, she purchased Golden Hand Me the Fly, from the SSDK series. I was once again honored to know my artwork would hang in the home of someone I know.

A crowd of my coworkers discussing proof of the strangeness of their coworker

I knew that the Stanley's were eyeing up my artwork thru the pages of Facebook and Janet had already asked me personally about a couple of pieces. When Matt and Janet came to the show, they ended up picking out something they had never seen before and purchased it to hang in their newly renovated bathroom. She had picked out 2 that she really liked...one would have hung in a spare bedroom and would have been seen rarely. The other would hang in the bathroom and be seen quite regularly! I was happy they chose the latter...

Yours truly standing with Matt and Janet Stanely in front of "Seeded", the collage they purchased

My father drove straight from his home in Philly right to the show. It's at least a 5 hour haul, (and that's if you drive like I do...pedal to the metal!). He arrived by 3...altho he was a bit disheveled by the weather. He took a look around and asked me a lot of questions...I was amused that he noticed my fondness for using nudes! Ha! My Dad is quite a religious man, and I had to give him an intelligent reason as to why I use them. (which was....the nudes represent closeness with nature in my work) He totally threw me off by purchasing one of my larger works as a gift to his new wife that he will be marrying this Saturday. (My Mom passed away 2 years ago). I was floored! My father has never really paid much heed to my art pursuits. I really felt pride when he bought Mother Nature Looked Down Upon What She Had Done and Saw It Was Good.
Near the end of the opening, a couple came in that had read about the show in the Little Falls paper. Apparently, the woman's father used to come to the baths for therapy --back in the day-- and she really enjoyed the slide show depicting Sharon Springs. She was sad about the decay, and I guess I am too....or else I wouldn't be attempting to preserve what is left.

Magnesia Temple in it's rusty glory

Denise and her husband also attended the opening. Denise is the owner of the house that stands behind the Magnesia Temple...and she's also owner of the Magnesia Temple itself. The property is posted, and rightly so. The couple warns people to stay off the property and actively post it. BUT but but, I really wanted to see the inside of the dome!! I was lucky that Denise invited me to go there and see the structure up close. Travis and I spent an hour there with her one day 2 autumns ago...She was so gracious to let us on her property. I am giving her one of the SSDK works as a gift, once the show is over. I think we all need to do good deeds along the way in life. These people were very good to me and really helped me with a major part in the project. I felt it was only right to bestow upon them an artwork.

Inside the dome is a field of azure with stenciled stars, it's just scrumptious!

Soon enough the time came to an end, my friends filtered out into the rainy day and the second show came to an end. Chris and I took Dad to Beardslee Castle for dinner that evening and discussed it all.
I never expected things to go so well! It's a great feeling inside when people have seen your work and you get some feedback. I can't say enough how this helps me to understand how my work affects the viewer! Sometimes it really pays to get out of your box and live dangerously. Put it out there. You will be surprised at all that you receive in return.

Visit with The Royal Family

Yup, that's what I said. You, lowly you, can meet the Royal Family! I've always wanted to sit and have tea with the Queen. (Or even Prince Will or Harry...?ha!)


The Royal Family will be visiting Toronto, Ontario in the coming weeks. Creatively enabled by Aprile Elcich, "The Royal Family", a mixed media collage series inspired by a found scrapbook dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, is a trip back in time to the '50's and '60's and then infused with 2009 attitude. Aprile recreates her own imaginative set of scrapbooks pages and presents The Royal Family in an entirely different light!
The family is receiving visitors at the ...industtress gallery in Canada from October 16th through November 12th, 2009. Opening night, 8pm, English cheeses and drinks will be served. Long live the queen!

...industtrees gallery
1234 College Street
Toronto, Ontario
www.industtrees.com

Art Tribe - Show in Illinois

There is no end to the collage goodies available this month. Seriously, no matter where you live, get out and see some stuff!
Click on the image for a closer view of the details.
This show should prove quite interesting, with pieces by Laura Lein-Svencner, Pamela J. Hart, Cheryl Holz and more!!

Willem Dafoe Quote

Reading Flaunt magazine this morning, I was struck sideways by the appropriateness of this Willem Dafoe comment:

"Making stuff is satisfying, because it always involves a shift of consciousness out of your everyday, wear-you-down consciousness...The world drops away, and you get caught up in this thing I can only describe as becoming. The same thing can happen while making a beautiful meal. I think I'm always attracted to that. I don't think I'm a very neurotic person, but I'm a nervous enough person and a fearful enough person that when I'm making things, all that goes away, and why does it go away? It's because I feel kind of useful. I don't feel petty. I feel like I'm in the mix with nature. I'm in the mix with the divine, and making it for what? That's even the best part-If you don't know why you're making it. That's what's so great about art sometimes. It's just beautiful in it's usefulness."

luv that nature divine stuff. lap it up.

SSDK - The tale of the show - Volume II

Opening # 1, September 20, 2009
And so the day came.


Hanging in the Balance - sold to Steven Specht
Imagine my surprise when I entered the gallery to see red dots already on some of the pieces!!! They had sold "Hanging in the Balance", which was one of my favorites from the SSDK series!! Several other smaller works also had red dots. I immediately could relax because the pressure was off. Time to enjoy the show!

Upon my arrival, Barbara Boucher excitedly informed me that Steven Specht had attended the show already and was interested in interviewing me for a web review. I was honored to find out that he had purchased some of my work. We were able to talk at length about the art of collage. Truly humbled, he made me feel like I really am an artist. It's funny how I am the last to finally believe it. You work hard in the studio, and it's all so far removed from the public eye and the feedback. The creation portion is every so private. It's such a contrast to the showing of art, which is so very public. You have no idea what other people think, till you put it out there. It's kind of scary.


The 20th was a beautiful sunny autumn day. It was so gorgeous, and it provided a really scenic nice ride for my out of town guests. The gallery had set up a table in the middle with some really good appetizers. I was impressed with the quality of the treats. It wasn't just some frozen minibites, but instead yummy specialties that the MVCA committee members cooked up. Red and White Wine in carafes was miraculously kept filled during the entire reception and it certainly added to my festive mood! (not to mention the calming effect).


Unfortunately, I have to mention the bogus flies that also wanted to attend my show. The front door was open and apparently they also got the email that food was being served! We swatted flies and bees both shows. I deserved it I guess, since I had asked them to take down the fly tapes! It's fall, and I guess the pests are frisky!
There were several committee members that attended my first opening, Good friends came from far away to see my work. Karen Chapel and her daughter Danielle brought along Nancy Goff, who is Karen's mother and also a renowned pastel artist and Jessica Friedman. They all traveled the distance from the Binghamton area, driving over 2 hours in the autumn sun! Such supportive friends...I love them all. Lisa brought Aaron up to see the work. I haven't see him in over 2 years, and it was good to have him there. Rosemary made sure that August, my grandson, was there for his first art event. Grandma was tickled he could attend! J.D. King visited the show and offered his commentary on the pieces. I can't list them all. I was so glad to see that the gallery was full....the entire 2 hours of the opening reception.


Travis was on hand as my right hand man. Speaking with folks and explaining the works, helping me with the computer, he was invaluable before-during-and after both shows. Talk about support!! Chris also came along and held me up when I wanted to fall over. It seemed like an exhausting 2 hours. Honestly, I was so humbled by the experience. I went home and my chest was swelled up in pride and love for all the great family, artists, friends, and neighbors that came to see my work. Of course, selling a few pieces didn't hurt!
I was fascinated by the interesting questions that people asked me about the art and the slideshow. A lot of folks were mesmerized by the slides...being able to see up close some of these local intriguing places was acting like a magnet. It all worked pretty well together.
The show ended and I floated home...happy...content... Ya know, sometimes the life of an artist ain't half bad!

SSDK - The tale of the show - Volume I

It's going to be long -cuz I want to try hard not to forget any of the experience. Writing it now has me trying to preserve it. As I write all these details keep coming out. So here goes volume 1.

How can I even begin to record the excellent events of the past few weeks>>?
I am wishing I could have stopped the clock amidst all the flurry so I could have updated this blog about the wondrous happenings! An honest attempt I shall make --to record the events and emotions as they occurred. But the way it turned out, I have had to wait till now to unveil pictures of the show and the tale of how it went down.

Pre Show Jitters and Issues
Imagine my luck. The show was on my mind for months prior to the opening. I had my email from Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts stating that the show was on Sept. 27 from 1 - 3. I had informed all my family and friends about the times as soon as it was a month away. I created a Facebook event so that I could keep my peeps informed. I could see them confirming that they were going to attend daily. MVCA sends out postcards to their own mailing list, and also to the people on a list that I supply them with. Sweet deal, right? I was able to have my mailing list of cards sent officially from the gallery to my peeps. I knew when they were mailing and was waiting to hear when my friends got them in the mail. One day, I got this weird message from my friend and boss, Janet Stanley, telling me she was confused. I had said on FB that the date was 9/27, however the postcard said the date was 9/20.
WTF?!@#$%#$%@&!!!
I called MVCA immediately. Sure enough. There had been a mistake. They had emailed me the wrong date! I started crying on the phone. Good grief. The opening was one week earlier than I thought. Instead of 2 weeks away it was only a week away!!! I was so freaked out. However, an hour later the gallery called back. They were going to fix the problem by having not one, but TWO opening shows! One on 9/20 and one on 9/27! Holy crap am I lucky or what?
I was nervous about this, wondering if there were enough people to attend 2 shows. My father and several of my friends had already committed to coming on the 27th. I didn't know what to expect. My daughter Rose, wasn't planning to attend because her birthday is on 9/27. Because of the new date, she immediately made plans for both her and my 1 1/2 year old grandson to come up for the first opening. What good news! Rose would be there to help me from imploding with nerves! However, this was starting to get crazy...Now I had to clean my house like a mad person cuz they were going to stay at my house! Talk about pressed for time. How could I accomplish all this? There were last minute artworks to tweak and finish, you know how it goes. And then the thorough house cleaning on top of it (and believe me I let my house go over this past month of frenzied framing!!)....It was going to get crazy around here!
AAAAA!!!!@##$%^$&@&!!
I hustled insanely that last week. Framing framing F r A M I n g FRAMINGGGGGGG until I thought my fingers would fall off. Actually, I did lose the fingerprint on my thumbs from twisting wires on the back of frames. My hand felt like a club as I pounded in the glaziers to keep the frame and glass all together. Then I was soaked and pruny when I had to wash every surface in the house for visitors. I was PUMPED to say the least.
The whole date/2 show thing caused a bunch of confusion for people and I kept getting questions and emails. When the 20th came around, I was ready just to get it all over with.
I didn't have any idea what to expect. I was so worried that nothing at all would sell and that I would be the first show this year at the gallery to be skunked. I was not going to have high expectations, so I wouldn't be disappointed. Mostly, I wanted to share art. So many thoughts crossed my mind prior to the opening, sleep was out of the question.
I wasn't as nervous as I would have been had I not just started teaching as an adjunct at SUNY Cobleskill. Facing 11 student strangers for the 2 weeks prior to the show helped me get over the speech thing. I knew I would be asked a bunch of questions. Finally the day had come. The gallery looked so amazing, I blush to think of it. The committee had hung the show to my specs, and I was so pleased to see that my 38 works filled all walls! It was colorful. Dignified. Professional. COLLAGE! In all it's glory. I had 2 distinct themes. The Sharon Springs DK (decay) pieces that have been waiting in the wings to be seen for 2 years and also a hand-picked assortment of my best works and some newer pieces. There were a few 3-d assemblages, too which added to the unique flavor of the show. On one wall I had a slide show playing large scale on a wall from a projector attached to a Mac...playing over 300+ photos of Sharon Springs that I had taken over the past 2 years. These photos were the food and fodder for the SSDK works. I also had my 3 videos that I had created out of 3 of the Sharon Springs works to play when I felt the time was right. Let the show begin!

Attn:Berlin David Hochbaum @ Strychnin!

TOTAL collage overload. This is mayhem! The sheer amount of really exciting collage exhibits, including my own..., it's just staggering!
Berlin Strychnin is hosting the latest visual extravaganza that is David Hochbaum....The Garden of the Dispossed. Such a dark theme, I love the October season.

I can remember this particular piece in progress...perhaps...or maybe it was a generation ago...when I visited David's salon last January. Sweet work. His stuff.
Ya know what I like best about Hochbaum? His people are current because in his photography, he uses folks he knows in his search for collage media. The modern twist to his works, (such as the tattoo on the girl in the show poster) really kicks and opposes the old fashioned themes and imagery he uses. In my work it's always decaying objects--architecture, stumps in forests, and long gone people. The contrast intrigues me.
IF you are in Europe, you need to make and effort to see this show. Only a fool would miss it.

Bits & Pieces

A collage by Steven Specht

It's a special honor when an artist visits the show of another artist. Imagine my surprise to find that I was fortunate enough to meet Steven Specht a couple of weeks ago. He's a fellow collagist that lives near me (imagine THAT!) in New Hartford, NY, outside of Utica. He attended my first opening and in fact purchased some of my work. We talked a bit about copyright, technique and shared contact information. I was so appreciative of him being there. He is an associate of Jonathan Talbot, and there's a lot going on for these 2 men at the moment! Both Steven Specht and Jonathan Talbot are involved with the Bits and Pieces show.
I posted yesterday about Jonathan Talbots' show in Milford, PA at the Bluestone Gallery. Today I have information about the Bits and Pieces show that will be in New Rochelle, NY. This will be a super show. With top names involved, this is a must see if you live downstate.




Here's the info:
You are cordially invited to the opening of
Bits & Pieces
a collage exhibition curated by Jonathan Talbot
Reception: Thursday, October 15th from 5 to 8 PM
at BID Gallery 542, 542 Main Street, New Rochelle, NY.

Included in this exhibition will be works by

Robin Colodzin -
Rockport, MA


Linda Cunningham -
Junction City, OR

Lynne Foster -
New York, NY

DJ Gaskin -
Springfield, VA

Kevin Gilmore -
Brooklyn, NY

Joan Hall -
New York, NY

Peter Jacobs -
Montclair, NJ

Kitty Killian -
Utrecht, Netherlands

Gennielynn Martin -
Langley, WA

Susan McCaslin -
Darien, CT

Nancy Egol Nikkal -
New Rochelle, NY

Carol O'Connor -
Warwick, NY

Steven Specht -
New Hartford, NY

James Michael Star -
Dallas, TX

Martha Valezuela -
New Rochelle, NY

Pierre Jean Varet -
Plemet, France

Lisa Zukowski -
Warwick, NY

Circumstantial Evidence: Jonathan Talbot

It must be show season with so many good options! And collage shows are not lacking...
Here's a show in Milford, PA that Jonathan Talbot is having. This also would be a terrific show to see. Perhaps I need to arrange to see this show, then take the Metro North Train from Poughkeepsie down to the city for the Cutters show....Looks like I am arranging my next art trip!


Info here:
Jonathan Talbot Collage Exhibition
"Circumstantial Evidence"
at BlueStone Gallery
Opens Friday, September 25th, 2009
You are cordially invited to attend the opening of
Jonathan Talbot's exhibition
"Circumstantial Evidence"
at the BlueStone Gallery
104 East Ann St., Milford, PA
on Friday, September 25th, from 5 to 8 PM.

Milford, PA is 75 miles northwest of New York City
via routes I-280, I-80, 15, and 206.
It is 8 miles southwest of Port Jervis via route 209.

Among the works included in the exhibition will be
some from Jonathan's "Patrin" series
and the first twelve works in his
Duchamp-inspired "Bachelor" series.

For additional information or directions call
BlueStone Gallery at 570-296-9999
or call Jonathan at 845-258-4620.

Cutters

This looks like a super show and I am already scheming my way to NY to go see it. Such a vast array of collage work in one place just HAS to be amazing.

Here's the skinny:

Cinders Gallery Presents:

Cutters: An Exhibition of International Collage

October 16th - November 15th 2009

Opening Reception Friday October 16th, 7-10pm

Curated by James Gallagher

Cutters showcases a variety of contemporary collage from North America and
Europe. The selected artists range from young google-image searchers to
collage veterans with roots in the 70s punk scene. Each one has a unique
vision and exciting visual vocabulary that includes collections of images
sorted and stacked, layered and glued, cut to pieces and ripped apart.

In our current age of vast visual stimuli, images and information are
swirling all around us at a faster pace than ever before. We process what we
can, latch on to fragments, and quickly move on. As we get used to
everything being remixed, edited, mashed up and shuffled around, these
collage artists freeze that frenzy and bring you in for a closer look at the
hand at work.

In this diverse collection you will find....Ophelia Chong's quiet moments,
Kareem Rizk’s weathered nostalgia, Max-O-Matic’s controlled chaos, Joe
Ryckebosch’s memory screens, Vanessa Lamounier’s stunning erotica, James
Gallagher’s unseen stages, and Jason Glasser’s visual soul (on glass).
Sophie Kern creates magical worlds (where goddesses, witches and
sorceresses rule all!), Bill Zindel attempts to make sense of stacks of
paper he has amassed,while Valero Doval combines vintage imagery with
delicate handwork.

With over 40 artists contributing close to 150 works of various sizes,
shapes, and colors, the gallery will be transformed into one giant
assemblage, glue stains and all.

Featuring:
Andreas Banderas (Norway), Michael Bartalos (USA), Melinda Beck (USA), Brian
Belott (USA), Jorge Chamorro/ La Cascara Amarga (Spain), Brian Chippendale
(USA), Ophelia Chong (USA), Saiman Chow (USA), Cless (Spain), Rebecca Conroy
(USA), Cristiana Couceiro (Portugal), Valero Doval (UK), Andy Ducett (USA),
Carl Dunn (USA), Lisa Eisenbrey (USA), Elroy (Germany), James Gallagher
(USA), Jason Glasser (France), Hort (Germany), Jordin Isip (USA), Lidy
Jacobs (Netherlands), Sophie Kern (UK), Eva Lake (USA), Vanessa Lamounier
(Netherlands), Matt Li[pps (USA), Sean Mackaoui (Spain), Max-o-matic
(Spain), Taylor McKimens (USA), Cameron Windish Michel (USA), Agnes
Montgomery (USA), Justin Mortimer (UK), Pedro Oliveira (Brazil), Julien
Pacaud (France), David Plunkert (USA), Kareem Rizk (Austrailia), Matthew
Rose (France), Brion Nuda Rosch (USA), Joe Ryyckebosch (USA), Katherine
Streeter (USA), Mario Wagner (Germany), Oliver Wiegner (Germany), Johanna
Wilhelm (Germany), Jessica Williams (USA), Bill Zindel (USA)

CINDERS GALLERY
103 Havemeyer st.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-388-2311
www.cindersgallery.com
Wed- Sun 1-7pm

In the royal realm of the crocus

In the royal realm of the crocus
Originally uploaded by misphit

I had a quiet moment at the studio table after a long 2 months of show preparation and the whirlwind of 2 opening receptions.
I felt free. Like a butterfly.

A Book About Death — My Side of the Story

If you read this blog, you know I participated in Matthew Rose's most interesting theme show, A Book About Death. Artists were invited to send 500 postcards based on the theme A Book About Death. Visitors would come to NY to the Emily Harvey Foundation and pick and choose between the cards to create their own unbound book about death. The idea for the exhibition stemmed from the late Ray Johnson, collagist and installation artist extraordinaire, who had created his own Book About Death.
I was busy preparing for my own show that opened this weekend, and attending was impossible. I was depressed to think that I would not get to see the other artists' interpretations and cards. So I asked my daughter Rose, who lives in Northport on Long Island, to attend and collect the cards for me. I warned her to bring a bag, it might get heavy. She had invited her friend Shane Blewett to go with her and help with the collecting. To add to the mystery and intrigue, I did not show my daughter what my card looked like!


The day after the show, she called me to report on how it went. "This was a free for all!" She reported. She described and extremely packed gallery. Lots. Of. People. Indeed. Packed. Heat. Scrambling. Sweat.
She had to stand in line for an hour in order to get in. Luckily the card stacks held and she was able to bring me over 424 cards and even a pile of duplicates!
She brought them up to me this weekend at my show opening.
I ended up sitting down and really looking them over yesterday. What an interesting and amazing group of artworks! I couldn't believe the effort that some had put into the work. I couldn't believe the high quality of the cards. I really liked the various takes on the theme, with some humorous, some serious, and some dedication cards.



I am currently an adjunct at SUNY Cobleskill teaching a Typography and Layout course. I couldn't help but notice the various myriad uses of typefaces on these cards. Some really used type in the work and I challenged my students to a font face-off! I had the duplicates spread out on the table and I had the class split into 2 teams. Each team would pick thru the cards, pick out 10 cards representing 3 different type categories and then most importantly, pick out cards in which the type accented the design and help propel the overall idea behind the card. This was a super exercise, and the students spent at least 15 minutes looking over the cards and inspecting them for graphic design inspiration. At the end of the exercise, I let them take the cards if they wanted. I noticed when I left, several were left on the table.
The postcards worked as a great example of the use of typography.!!
But, I'm not so sure that freshman college students are ready for Death!

The Whirlwind that is Me

Holy crap. I can't explain the utter crazy focus that I have been able to maintain over this past month.
The show  of course is what is on my mind, and it's difficult to get by the myriad of tasks that have faced me in getting ready. The tedium of framing was something I was not prepared for! I am using vintage frames, which all required a complete and thorough cleaning and then a swab with some of that miracle elixir...Old English! What great stuff that is, it hides everything. The cutting of glass, the cleaning of glass. It's in a class all by itself and I hate it. What difficult work, cleaning glass and not cutting yourself on the edges.
I felt as tho I was doing a delicate ballet on every single work as I slid it onto the glass, trying to avoid dust and little bits of stuff as I put it all together. Then there was the glazier points. UGH! On a nice pine frame life is good. On a 50 year old oak frame, life sucks. I have taken a beating in making the frames work. Stripping off the old swivels and wires hurt my fingertips. Then I saved the wire to re-use it when the works were framed again. That hurt. Whine whine. Putting in new swivels, my poor thumbs. I have no fingerprints!
This morning I dropped off over 35 pieces to the gallery.
BIG SIGH O' RELIEF!!!
They hang the works themselves at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, and I will be stopping in on Saturday to see how it all came together.
Meanwhile, I have a video to finish up, a pricing list to make out and my SUNY Cobleskill class to teach. Not to mention the full time day job.
Anyone got some time I can borrow???

Sharon Springs DK — The Show Poster

The show hangs on Tuesday. I am crazy in the background framing, planning, finishing. It's a freakin' frenzy and I LOVE IT! Things are coming to the home stretch. I can't wait to see this all hanging on the wall.
Here's the poster I am hanging all over the Mohawk Valley:

Red Roses on White Sulphur

Movie #3 for the upcoming show....
Thank you NIN for your visionary usage of creative commons.
Here's a little nudie show for you on this Thursday in September.

A Book About Death — The Show

This show opens up tomorrow nite in NY City!!! There are over 400 artists that are participating. I won't be there because I am hanging my own solo show in Little Falls, NY this week. My daughter will be attending the opening and collecting my little Book O' Death for me. While you are there, collect the 400 cards to create your own Book About Death. This is such a great concept! And also, it's sort of like an installation.
If you have the chance, this show is a Must See!!!


A BOOK ABOUT DEATH
a project by matthew rose


OPENING: September 10, 7:30 pm - 11 pm
RUNNING: September 10 - 22 2009
The Emily Harvey Foundation
537 Broadway, NYC, NY.
www.emilyharveyfoundation.org
212.925.7651

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH involves a global participation of artists who have each sent in 500 postcards (the "pages") in a massive unbound "book" on the subject of death. More than 275 artists including Yoko Ono, Julia Hoffmann, Peter Schuyff, Dame Mailarta, Rodney Alan Greenblat, Julie Sadler and others have contributed works thus far.

www.abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com
www.abookaboutdeath.net

Matthew Rose is an artist and writer based in Paris.
www.homepage.mac.com/mistahcoughdrop

Gates & Fences

making movies. my way.
the process is quite involved really.

i take a picture of something that moves or intrigues me.

i use different cameras. digital. holga. lomo colorsplash. lomo fisheye. vintage box cameras. 35mm.

sometimes i use the picture as is. but that is rare.

sometimes i scan the picture in.

if i want to create video from stills i pull the stills into MAX/MSP with jitter and mix them and record it.

sometimes i combine the mixed videos with other stills and videos. there's no end to this process, it lasts until i get the visual satisfaction i am looking for. watching MAX mix the video sometimes creates new possibilities. and this process sometimes spins out of control.

sometimes i print the altered still out of MAX.


sometimes i use different printers to print the stills. laser. inkjet. various substrates.

the prints are cut up and repositioned in my collage art. my favorite part of this journey.

the collage gets scanned into the computer.

i go into photoshop and use the pen tool to crop out portions of the collage to use in animation.


sometimes i use the MAX movies as a background to the Flash animation.

sometimes i use the original still as a background.

sometimes i use the collage as a background.

sometimes i scan in other material for the background.

the parts and pieces come alive in flash. this can consume many hours, depending on how focused i am.

the flash animations are exported to .mov format.

sometimes i crop and regroup these movies in quicktime.

the .mov's are imported into imovie.

the movies are sequenced.

the music is added.

i study the movie.

sometimes i have to go back and rework the flash animation to fit the music better.

sometimes there are little things that disturb me like subtle white edges that don't meet, or parts that don't quite work right. these get the final tweak. this can get tedious.

the movie is exported from imovie and ready to be combined with other movies for my dvd.

i can't sleep at night because i get such a thrill from the finished product.

i wake up and post the movie on my blog to share with you.

Sky Swirler

Sky Swirler
Originally uploaded by misphit

Still doing exercises with these smaller canvases. I can't bite into anything too heavy, since I am steadily working on the show at this point.
Currently, it's movies that have me going crazy. I am animating some of the pieces with Flash, combining them with movies that were treated in MAX/MSP and then putting the clips together in iMovie. Lots of computer work, not enough studio art work!

Beneath a pale blue sky

Beneath a pale blue sky
Originally uploaded by misphit

Beneath a pale blue sky, I did indeed sit, a few times, for a few hours total, in my yard under 100+ year old locusts. The heat has been insane, and it effects the thistle that is now seeding in the field. The seeds cut loose on the wind, and then they float upwards with the flow of hot air, and float away to meadows unknown. I was fascinated.
So how odd is it that upstairs in the studio, i had already picked out these 4 photos--of the very same field-pix taken last year at this time-- plus the girl to work with. It seemed totally autobiographical! The coincidence interested me. I was toying with a journal entry and what I would say about this week. Words came to mind and I couldn't remove them from my mind. I was freakishly compelled to use words in my work! AAaCK! I usually avoid words like the plague. I would rather you came to your own conclusions about what I was trying to say, instead of infusing you with my thoughts. After all, it's a visual medium! But it kept nagging at me to put them in there so I did.
Obviously, I don't letter things too often! The bottom words went on first, and I was amazed they almost balanced each other. (can you believe both sentences have the exact same amount of characters!??) Everything was cool till I had to try to center the top line. I did that the next morning, and I wasn't warmed up and it bummed me out that it wasn't more...uh....perfect. In fact, it's kinda lopsided and not kerned properly AT All. Too late. It's pen and ink, and the way the acrylic kind of blends into the top of the photos was planned, so I wasn't going to cover it or repaint.
I kind of like the imperfect nature of the letters. If I blur my eyes and look at this piece, the letters look like another language.
Not sure I will use words again too soon. But for now, I am intrigued with it for some reason. It kills me how a simple thing like adding words throws me completely off.

p.s. note to self: you are working on symmetrical pieces WAY too often. Lets break this habit.

Pink Cabinet

Pink Cabinet
Originally uploaded by misphit

I love working on birch plywood!
I did 2 sample pieces that were small and would need no support. I need to prepare a few larger pieces and use it again. I also have been using canvas lately, but I don't like it nearly as much as the wood.
On these smaller pieces, I am trying to remove all fluff and leave just my subject. It seems kind of stark and plain for my kind of work... he he he

Cut & Paste in Stockholm

Here's the scoop on an upcoming exhibition to be held in Stockholm in September. This is another reason why I want to go to Scandinavia! (the other reason would be that I have relatives in Norway) If you are in the region, this show would be worth the time.



The type is kind of tiny on this .jpg. Information is repeated here for you:
Cut & Paste
17.9 - 10/10 - 2009
Kammakargatan 52, Stockholm
www.kg52.se
info@kg52.se
exhibition homepage: www.cutandpaste.in

Avoiding A Book About Death

Matthew Rose has this great call for art going on, for A Book About Death. It's coming to a close soon, and finally I settled down and came up with my entry.
I had all these grandiose ideas when he first posted the call. I thought about my own experiences about death...those family members of mine who have recently died, including my mother. It was overwhelming. The power of the subject. I had a hard time approaching the work.
Matthew and I skyped and brainstormed all these wondrous ideas and cool ways to deal with this project. I dreamed about setting up a booth at our local grocery store, sitting with 500 blank cards, and asking people to write a small thought on the card regarding the Death Subject. But if was avoiding thinking about death, I assumed most others also would be. I loved the idea of getting 500 schoolchildren to draw me some death. Not sure where I would find a quick 500 students since Canajoharie only has 3797 residents--I doubt there are 500 kids in the school! I thought of Iraq and how easy it would be to dedicate a card for each of 500 totally unnecessary and bogus war deaths. I would have to leave many out, or do several series of cards for fairness, so this wasn't working for me.

He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
(a favorite gravestone slogan of mine)

I realized that these modes of operation were just another way for me to avoid thinking about death. With deadlines for my show looming, I already am overwhelmed. But I really liked the way A Book About Death was pushing my limit--I know that sounds silly that I liked being uncomfortable, but usually this means a growth opportunity--a chance for me to learn something. So this weekend I engaged it.
I had done a journal a few years ago that was themed around cemetaries. My bestest pal Travis and I had spent so many lunches in various local cemetaries, experimental photographing, seeking Mason gravestones, graverubbing..., and I had used some of these pieces in collage work.

left: pic of fence from the cemetary behind the historical Indian Castle Church (off rte 5s, outside Little Falls)
right: Travis in creepy Halloween mask beside the quiet ravine that comprises some of Canajoharie cemetary

I spend 3 hours looking for that journal. I was going to cheat and use a page from the journal instead of coming up with a new piece. My wonderful organizational skills (or lack thereof) totally prevented this from happening. Still cheating, I knew I also had a favorite piece of mine that I did in my own private journal that would probably work. I even scanned it in, preparing to make the post card entry from it.

private journal entry: 2004

Again, I caught myself in the act of cheating and proceeded beat my own ass. That was it. I sat down at the table and found some clips that I have been saving for a long time. The girl with the netted hat, she has been passed over at least 500 times. Her time had come. Along with some black and white double exposed Holga photographs that Trav and I took years ago. After all that buildup, I'm not sure the end product was "all that". The entire time I composed the piece, my mind wondered to distant Lithuanian and Norwegian relatives that paved the way bravely for me to exist.
However, it's what went on in my own head that interests me. For me it's the journey that matters. The continuous brain games that go on while I avoid things. The personal acknowledgment of my weaknesses. The triumph of thinking it all through. It's this I share with you. Like a mini-performance art.


my final entry

Collage on Wood - Boy and Caterpillar

This freakin piece of wood!
I had my honey pie Chris cut me up a few samples of birch plywood. Hochbaum was using birch plywood as his base, and I liked the idea of a firmer substrate. (the 140 lb paper isn't working for me and I am too cheap to purchase the 300 lb!) This particular piece of wood has been sitting in gessoland forever it seems. It took 3 good coats of gesso to get a nice smooth surface to work on, and after sanding the last coat, I decided it was time to try it out.
I love working on wood! The grain does pick up my paint, however, since I like to use acrylics watery and loose like watercolors. This effect came in handy for the distant trees, tho...

I wanted to show how this piece came into being. I had taken these 2 photos of a really gnarly willow and at first the actual laser print of the photo was going to be used as the background.

However, this would completely cover the beautifully sanded and gessoed wood I just spent all that time preparing! Oi! NO WAY I was going to waste that work and gesso... no way. Seriously! So I ended up painting an acrylic background. This was so satisfying as I have been craving to paint landscapes en plein air lately.
Finally I got to use the set of Derwent colored pencils my father bought me for Christmas, as I lightly penciled in the far background trees.
I hated to cover up the pen and ink with collage. In fact, as soon as I painted the piece, I didn't want to cover anything at all. Yet, when it was a laser photograph in the planning stages, I was hell bent on it. I guess I had an investment in the time it took to pen and ink and somehow this altered my perception when it came to put this together. All in all, it's pretty busy.

I did have moth wings on the boy, even real ones I have collected from, dare I say it, spider webs and other dark and miserable places. But the wing thing is pretty cliché and rather overdone. I would think you might want to imagine the tree branches as his wings as he will probably adorn them and take flight!!!

Collage Comments by Elbow-Toe

Chalice Begonia 2008

Charcoal and acrylic paint mounted on reclaimed lumber on birch support

35 x 46 inches

Was reading some of the blog posts on Elbow-Toe's blog today and came across a very inspiring and sage comment he made regarding collage. I really enjoy it when an artist speaks about how the process of art affects them.
Here is a short quote...but I really feel it's right to go to his blog and read the rest!

"The collage works are as much about the process as they are about the finished product. Every mark is a comment on the emotional presence of the model, descriptive as well as gestural."

Isn't this true? I luv luv luv the feeling I get while I am creating collage. It's not the same as painting, because I am constantly forced to go left-brain/right-brain as I sift through ephemera for the correct components. It ends up being a very intuitive process and after I finish a piece of artwork, I can find subtle hidden references and layers that my subconscious was filling in for me while I worried about color and line!
Art. It isn't always about the money. It really isn't! For the artist, at least. The money portion is just the necessary evil required to buy more art supplies.

I hate decision making

My show is coming up and it's time for some decision making. I have to choose the pieces that are going to hang. I have to match them up with the frames I have. I have to purchase mat board for them. And finally, I need to professionally frame the work. (Oh sheesh! I almost forgot the Pricing!!! AAAARRrrgghh!!!) Can I run away now?
There's the Sharon Springs DK series in which most all the pieces are 11 x 14 landscape and I want to include several of these.
There's a humungous pile of 16 x 20 frames stacked nice and neat behind my drafting table. I have been saving these for a couple of years now just for this purpose. At least 15 vintage frames, all the proper size for the Sharon Springs series. But they vary in design. One is mahogany with grain painting, one has elaborate metal frames with filigree borders, one is white and huge and made with architectural elements. It's a huge puzzle to figure out which piece will be enhanced best by which artwork. and then the mat board color. grrrrr.
Decision making is NOT my strong point!
The Sharon Springs DK will only take up half of the gallery. There's a little alcove in which I am setting up a computer with a projector. In this little room my Sharon Springs movies will play in a loop on the wall.
There will be a large dressing screen made of vintage green round-top shutters that will divide the gallery ...down the middle. On both sides of the screen will be the food tables and alcohol (for the opening anyhow) In the front windows I have 2 sculpture pieces that will display.
The other half of the gallery is the part I am still thinking about. I need to select maybe 15 - 20 random works and figure out how they will be displayed. For this group, I have to find frames still. My man owns an antique shop, so I won't have too much trouble finding them, luckily. But again, it's the decision making. HOW do I choose these works? By color? Theme? Pick the ones I like? Pick the ones that have done the best on flickr?
???????
Can you tell I have some indecision here?

Old Vin

Old Vin
Originally uploaded by misphit

This piece is another attempt to integrate photographs in my work. I have mentioned that I am seeking a new direction. I am trying to remove as much extraneous ephemera as possible and boil my work down to more simple shapes. This particular work was a product of melding what I have been doing in the past with the new things I am doing. I relaxed a bit on the ephemera and allowed the box top and the random scrap to accent this piece.
The title is a joke I have with myself. I had removed the label from a bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin (which went down rather smoothly...) and afterwards I had forgotten the name and started calling it Old Vin, hence the title.

My own personal critique on this one:
The acrylic colors are rockin' and I liked that a lot. The green gold overlay on the red transparent iron oxide worked nicely. It almost glows. I think perhaps these colors may be complementary?
The bottom white pieces I regret, but I didn't want to remove or cover them. This is the weakest portion in the work. I added the stepladder pieces on the bottom instead to help it. I still stare at that portion and may end up covering it with something black.
The stencil effect was further enhanced by placement of decorative elements and photos. I really like how that turned out! Makes up for the bottom. (if i could only stop staring at it.)
All in all, worth framing for my show.

Culturehall

I recently have had the opportunity to join a nicely executed online art gallery and portfolio website called Culturehall. The creator and founder of Culturehall, David Frey, found typical online gallery sites lacking when he was searching for his own needs. With a vision in mind, he spent 6 years learning the ins and outs of web publishing, and then focused his energies on building the site he was looking for. Culturehall is fairly new on the web scene, launched in June of 2008. The site is targeting serious early and mid career artists that are looking for an active art community and an online portfolio. The interface is clean and sleek, and I have had an easy time of setting up my own pages and creating a nice web portfolio. There is a critique feature that I really like, where artists can discuss specific aspects of artworks. I think we all could help ourselves by helping each other.
I've had a chance to converse a bit more in detail with David via email about Culturehall. He had some interesting things to say. Our online interview went as follows:

CC: Every artist who spends a bunch of time uploading work to a website wonders what advantages this will give them. What work gets done behind the scenes @ Culturehall for publicity? What online artist sites (not blogs) have been especially cooperative in terms of networking?

DF: Beyond the website itself being a great tool for artists to gain an audience, culturehall presents artist's catalogs and other materials submitted by members at various venues. In the past year we have participated in the Fountain Art Fair both in Miami and New York. Culturehall also took part in Conflux which is a festival exploring psychogeography - the intersection of technology, art and public urban space. Members also are contacted regarding the occasional call for artwork that we receive for events and things like TV shows.

CC: Competition for online galleries has to be high. There are so many of them. I feel as tho I end up porting most of my things from flickr to the various art sites, and I have to admit it feels tedious to do this. At first, I signed up for everything I was offered. But at this point, I don't have that kind of time and I must remain choosy. What things can an artist find at Culturehall that they cannot find elsewhere?

DF: Unlike most other art portfolio websites, culturehall is curated and selective about what is included. We offer an online portfolio community to the artist who often has recently finished his or her studies or is a few years out of art school. The majority of the Artists presenting work on culturehall are invited. While we are open to applications, each applicant is considered not only for their current body of work, but for their overall portfolio and fit within the community. The way an artist can display work is also unique to culturehall. The system was built from scratch to be as friendly as possible for presenting all forms of art, whether it be paintings, performances, videos or audio works. Artists can choose to mix different kinds of media together (images, video and audio) to not only describe an artwork, but its context, details, etc.

CC: I notice your site has only one major banner ad. What are your opinions about advertising on a social site? Are you opposed to advertising on Culturehall? Are any plans in the works to add the ability for artists to buy ad space?

DF: Ideally Culturehall and other social networking sites would be free of advertisements. Unfortunately there are real costs associated with keeping these environments going and sponsorships or advertising is one method of generating income. Culturehall is selective in the sponsor based content included in the website. It is a concern to us not only to keep the look and feel of culturehall inline with our ideals, but the products or events that are being offered need to be analogous with our mission. We do not use automated advertising and work with sponsors to make sure their presence on culturehall is harmonious with what our artists present. We are open to the idea of allowing artists to sponsor Culturehall, but we have not been actively promoting this feature.

CC: I really like the toolbox, and the fact that you can immediately see the hits on your works. I think it's a great tool to help artists figure out which works are the most popular. I have not seen any critiques on my work yet. But I understand it's difficult to sit and seriously critique work. Without the benefit of facial features, it's hard to be sure your comments come across as constructive, and not judgmental. Do you have any feedback on the critique feature? Is there a way to promote more discussion?

DF: For me, having the critical feedback of my professors and peers was one of the most valuable parts of studying art and something that I really miss after leaving school. Critiques on Culturehall are meant to be a way to share ideas and pose questions. Often it is very difficult to find someone with a similar vision to share ideas and one of the Internet's great strengths is how it can connect people with similar and very focused interests. In many ways I think the term "critique" is a bit too formal for what this forum attempts. But we felt it was necessary to differentiate the intent of this format from the usual "comments" sections which often devolve into "Love the color!" postings. While it would be great to have artists write paragraphs about each other's work, critiques are meant to be a few sentences long. Long enough to intelligently convey an idea or pose a interesting question. An important side note about Culturehall critiques is how it allows members to promote their work. The member posting the critique has the option of promoting one of their works to the top of the "browse" list along with the critiqued work as if these works had just been added. Artworks appearing on the first few pages of the "browse" section are seen many more times.

CC: I have series of works and a lot of time they are in groups. While putting up my images, I didn't see any kind of feature for saving sets of work. It would be nice to be able to give an explanation about your thoughts regarding a series... Is there a workaround for this? Or am I totally missing something?

DF: When initially developing Culturehall, I wanted to concentrate on artworks individually. Generally artworks do exist within a series or other context, but for implementation it was a balance of how best to present an artwork and at that time keeping each freestanding made the most sense. A few ideas are under consideration about how to present series or groups, but we will be giving them more thought before adding this functionality. Regarding a workaround, some artists are using one artwork as a series and then adding multiple media pages to the work, with each page acting as an individual piece of art in that series. I'm not opposed to this solution, but it is not ideal for the artist as this system does not allow each of the works to be presented when visitors are browsing Culturehall.

CC: I have 2 websites, 3 blogs, and I post on flickr. In addition, I belong to a few other artist gallery sites. I would love examples from other artists on how they use your site to benefit their publicity or art career. Have you received feedback from artists on how they use Culturehall to promote their work?

DF: I feel your pain! Culturehall is meant to be a very specific forum for artists. An easy and efficient way to promote their artworks online in a professional manner with other like minded individuals. Directly I know that a few artists have had success with being included in shows from curators finding their work on Culturehall. Also one of our artists was the subject of a documentary short which was a direct result of his membership. Many of our members use their Culturehall portfolios as an effective way to drive traffic back to their private portfolio websites since they can add links to their Culturehall pages. We also have members who do not have their own websites and are using their culturehall portfolio as their primary artistic presence online.

CC: Any special plans for the future of Culturehall?

DF: Nothing specific, but I would like Culturehall to become more involved with our local community. I don't really see the website being an end in itself, but a great way to bring together people who have an interest in contemporary art.

If you think Culturehall may be a good fit for your artwork, I encourage you to visit the Culturehall site.

Poster in progress

Poster in progress
Originally uploaded by misphit

I have to admit it's been too long since I was on the studio table. I felt rusty, out of place....slow. Unimaginative, robotic but foreign, and LOST. When I was a musician, my mom and dad always told me practice practice practice. And after that, practice some more! I think there may be some truth to this in art also! The longer I am away from my work,the more difficult it becomes to break ruts and trends. (I think that was exactly my goal. I am trying to go a different direction and old habits are dying hard!)
This wekeend I went to the pile o' undone stuff, and found this crazy stencil I did WAY back. I didn't like it at the time, and in fact I was quite burned out on the whole Sharon Springs subject and desperately I wanted to move on. So this sat on the shelf all this time, and this weekend it called out to me.
I need a poster for my upcoming solo show. This show will have a lot of my Sharon Springs stuff in it, and since they haven't been formally shown yet, it's quite a big deal. I want the poster to be in the same style as most of the works being shown. Since I am trying hard to do some vastly different things lately, going back to previous way of thinking was really difficult. I just sat there and stared. I managed to get it together, but there was no little internal thrill when it was done, no skipping around the studio exhilarated or anything... I like the piece, but somehow, it just doesn't scream at me. I am hoping to make a good show poster out of it, regardless.

The Day the Book Came

Today the book arrived, early! I ended up having to stay home from work on a most gorgeous and sunny Friday ....boo hoo, i fakely sob!!!
They sent the book FEDEX! No wonder it was 10 bucks for shipping. I imagine Blurb has to do it that way in order to keep it all paperworked, ya know, like making people sign for the packages and all that tracking number b.s... I had to suck up the cost for this round. I can't see printing a bunch of books without a proof! Hello!?? I worked for a union Litho printer! Ya gotta proof it!
And lo and behold there was one funky page that the type was not as clear. I must've saved it wrong or something cuz the rest of the book was really sweet. It's such a nice ego rush to see your little storybook all professional and glossy. Now I need to do some math in order to figure out just how many I need to order (and then sell!) to be able to make the money back on the shipping. And then there's that little thing called profit. Isn't there?

Celestiathon on Blurb

FINALLY!
The Blurb process is complete and my book is done...and for sale!!!
This was quite a learning experience on just how much of an annoying perfectionist I can be!
I had the art completed from when I did the Bakers Dozen for Cecil a few months ago. I really wanted to make a little storybook from these pieces. So already I had 12 pages I could use.
I figured on putting the titles of the artwork in massive scripts on the opposing pages. This would give me 24 total pages. I made matching backgrounds on Yupo, but I didn't add too much in the way of ephemera, and used the computer to add the words. This whole process went pretty smooth.
Until I previewed the book.
It was the front matter that wigged me out. There's a title page, an intro, a cover, a back cover....More pages than I was ready for. I tried so hard to cheat! I had used nice script on the main portion of the book, and on the title page and intro I tried to use the fonts available thru Blurb instead--like Helvetica or something. I ended up back at the studio table to create artwork pages for these. Then there was the cover. I had grabbed a plain jane watercolor background and simply added my script title, but no collage.
Time to preview. Looks GOOD! Lets get this over with at last!
Yay! I was ready to upload and finally order my book! I pushed the upload button. And stared at the bogus quicky cover job I just did on the screen while it uploaded away. Hell. I am a collage artist, and there's no collage on the cover? How will I draw anyone in to look at this book with such a plain cover? I imagined me looking at my wondrous book and wanting to rip off the lamo cover upon arrival. I am going to pay for a bogus covered book???!@#%#$%@#$%!!!!! AAARRRrrrggh!> I cancelled the upload. Back to the studio AGAIN for cover creation.
So I am happy to report that all these trial runs, these crazy previews, they all have made me aware of the quality of the book.
I am awaiting my proof copy. I didn't want to order a quantity or anything till I saw the colors and the quality of the type. I will report back when I have it in my hands, probably end of next week. Seems like a long turnaround time, tho. I uploaded this on last Friday, and the order won't ship till the 13th. And I didn't pay for slick shipping either, but it still cost me more than 10 bucks to have one paperback book shipped to me. That's a drag...but when I order a quantity, I can hopefully absorb the cost. They make the pricing pretty close to retail. I can't see myself making more than 3 - 5 bucks off each copy, making the public cost about 21.95 - 23.95. How much would YOU pay for a paperback art book??
And so, this completes another experience, another chapter in my own book o' life.

Surreal Assemblages of Maissa Toulet

I can't recall how I stumbled upon these luscious pictorials! These are the coolest and most trés modern little pieces of art I have seen in awhile. They really speak to me. They are refreshingly different.

Her use of materials is ingenious.

luvluvluv.
You can find more of her intense artwork here on her elegant website.

TWICE as free!

This sounds like such a cool and non-commercial idea!!!!! It's kind of a localized thing but I felt it was worthy of posting.

THIS YEAR THE ART IS TWICE AS FREE
as Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery Celebrates Their Second Anniversary

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
August of 2009 will mark the Second Anniversary of Paper Kite Press Studio & Gallery at its current location on Main Street in Kingston. Last year we had the crazy idea to give away all of the art on exhibit in August. It was such a HUGE hit, this year we're making the art twice as free.

FREE ART
All works on display for the August Anniversary show will be FREE (limit one piece per household). All we ask is that you genuinely WANT the piece you decide to own. Yes, free. No catch, no strings, no tricky marketing gimmicks. Like it, and you own it. Period. This is our way of saying "thank you" to the community that has supported us, and, our way of supporting a community that continues to say "thank you" to us for bringing the arts to Main Street.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
First, we are asking ANY artists who are interested in being considered for a solo or group show during the 11 months after August to submit their portfolio, representative work, slides, or CD of images for consideration along with ONE display-ready piece. The display-ready pieces will be hung during the month of August, and will be available to anyone who wants it for FREE. Selections for solo or group shows for the next exhibition cycle will be made by the end of August. All future shows will be by artists who support our philosophy of giving back to the community by donating a piece of art to August Anniversary Shows. Second, we are asking ALL artists (or owners of art) to consider donating a display-ready piece of art to be given away at this event, even if you have no interest in being considered for a solo or group show at this time. Any and all artists who would like to share in this opportunity to give back to the community are invited to bring one to three pieces of work to the Gallery on Sunday August 16th between noon and 5pm. The exhibit opening will be held on Friday, August 21st, and is free and open to the public to attend. Visitors to the opening who are interested in a particular piece of art are asked to return on Sunday August 23rd at noon to claim the work. All art will be displayed during the month of August, and will be available to anyone who wants it for FREE. Last year, 55 pieces of art (all that were donated) were given away to happy homes.

SPECIAL BONUS FOR ARTISTS WHO DONATE ART IN PERSON ON
SUNDAY AUGUST 16TH
Artists who are able to bring their work in person for drop off on Sunday August 16th will be given the opportunity to participate in an invitation-only group show that is scheduled for July of 2010. The unique nature of this event is such that it requires your presence on Sunday to make a selection and take that selection with you.

WHAT DO I DO NOW?
For details on how to donate art, how to have your work considered for a future show, or other ways you can help support our initiative to give back to the community, please contact one of us:

Jennifer Hill Dan Waber
David Hage, Gallery Coordinator,
443 Main Street Kingston, PA 18704, USA, wordpainting.com

www.sharonspringsdk.com

After so much work, I finally have something to show for myself and something to share with you today.
SharonSpringsDK
A couple of years ago, I got a grant from NYS for a project that I was working on that involved creating collages, taking photographs and making movies inspired by a town near where I live. Sharon Springs was a booming town in Victorian times. There are several mineral springs located in the town, and back in time bathing in medicinal waters was en vogue. Beautiful and elaborate buildings were erected to house the throngs of people that came upstate to vacation and soothe their souls in the healing springs. This type of therapy has long lost favor, and the town has been left to decay away into history. Recently a Korean firm purchased half of the ailing buildings with plans to put Sharon Springs back on the map again by renovating the buildings and opening them to tours of people of mostly Asian descent who still enjoy therapeutic benefit from mineral springs. I don't think the local folk are quite convinced that this is a good thing, however, and I think that they are butting heads with the new owners. So far, the new owners have done nothing to any of the buildings, except for the addition of new posted signs in places that were traditionally open to the public. This makes my project even more interesting, since you can no longer legally get into these spaces.


One of the facets of this project was a website to house all of the components. I have had 2 years to hash out in my mind 1oo ways to present the material. I even paid for 2 years of web hosting and web housing before I could make up my mind on how best to do it. My conclusion? Just plunge in and DO IT already! Most of the problems seem to exist within me, as go back and forth deciding how I want it to be. Conflicted, it took me awhile to progress.
The main menus were my first battle and I ended up doing a piece of artwork to use just for this purpose. There was so much written about Sharon Springs in it's heyday, so I chose several vintage quotes to use on the menu pages and cited their sources. I am not certain I like them the way they are just plunked on top of the page. I may go back and change this. (Do you have an opinion about them? Feel free to comment!)
The backgrounds for the artwork pages became my next quest. I decided to use fabrics, old texts and patterns. These came out okay, and I am pleased with the resulting virtual frames. Next will be the photos. I have a bazillion photos and it's going to take me awhile just to cull out the best ones that should post online. An artists' work is never done, right???
Do take a poke around the site if you get a chance. So far, only the artwork is posted. Each menu is open, but you will find only the artwork links are live for now.
For me, it's ONWARD to the photo sorting party!

The Silence!

I know, it's been a silent blog for a couple of weeks. That doesn't mean that collage thoughts are not happening in the background or that projects are not coming to fruition!

Recently I posted a bunch of collages done on Yupo that were celestially themed for Cecils Bakers Dozen. I have taken these works and decided to create a book from them. I am working towards publishing on Blurb. I had purchased a book from my friend Aya on Louchelab, and it was really sweet quality. Altho I have printed on laser several times and created a bunch of small independent books, I am interested in a more professional look for my work. The Blurb format seems to be a nice match. There are a few choices for sizes...and this was helpful since I had not designed the book for Blurb specifically.

The project has required a lot of computer time. I had to scan all the artwork and retouch them in Photoshop. All the little dusts and scratchies, the little blobs of ink or glue that hit the scanner bed and stuck there, any stray cat hairs from Latrina-the toilet-kitty, this all had to be removed. I had to spend some time thinking, (Horrors!) to come up with suitable captions for the text. None of this seemed bloggable. Yet it has been work! The next phase is creating the book in the Booksmart software that Blurb provides. It's easy to do, I just want to play perfectionist on the layout. I want to use interesting typography. These things take time.

The other task that has me going crazy is a website I am working on. I received a grant a couple of years ago and was able to do a large body of work. I have procured a website and I am loading it with all of the content. This is also a computer heavy job. There's so many hours spent designing pages, coding flash, composing movies. It's labor intensive! But it isn't too bloggable. At least, not for now!

I am eager to get off of the computer and back to the studio. For me, that's where the fun is! The discipline that is required to keep on track seems to be good personal medicine, I admit. It's not my strong point and probably never will be. Focus is something I have for a little while, until I am distracted! The website has been in the works for 2 years. It's really long overdue that I complete things. But when my free time is so sparse...I end up always choosing hands on creation vs. computer creation. It's a battle.

So here is The Silence. This moment when my blog is still and nothing appears to be happening. Then all of a sudden, there's going to be a virtual (no pun intended!) flood of graphic imagery, interactive pieces, and a book to feast on.