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.

In The Hall of Stars

In The hall of stars
Originally uploaded by misphit

I would like to explain this series a bit philosophically. A lot of times I just present the art for arts' sake, and the reasoning and influence behind the works is lost perhaps only to me. That's why artists write abstracts and mission statements and all that jazz. I haven't had much occasion to write about my work. I decided that maybe by writing about the meanings behind it, I can help my brain along in finding a better way to visually describe things, and maybe help my audience along, too.

This particular series is about people and their connection to the planetary universe. I have always had a fascination for the stars and I feel that although they are far away from us physically, they influence us all in ways that we cannot measure through our 5 senses. I am humble enough to accept the fact that there are things that happen behind the scenes in this life that are at this time unexplainable. The moon affecting the tide is one example of the amazing things that we cannot exactly explain, but yet no one can deny it's existence. I also accept the simple fact that we humans just don't know it all. So the idea that there is an interconnectedness between us and the universe around us is not out of the question and I believe it has truth.
I treat astrology as a set of characteristics and information that humans have gathered thru centuries of taking notes, comparison, and experience. I don't consider it gospel. I do however see a simple correspondence between some of the basic ideas behind astrology and our reality. It is not an exacting science for me and never will be. I don't read my horoscope and plan my life. I treat it like maybe more of an influence. Again, for me these things are shrouded in mystery. I am not certain of the exact terminology, nor do I really care to pursue the details too far. I just know in my heart that I am connected to everything in the universe. Me, you, them, the chair I sit on, the room I am in, the country we live in, the planet we are on, the galaxy we exist in...we are all connected.
As Eckhart Tolle put it so smoothly in A New Earth, "The atoms that make up your body were once forged inside stars, and the causes of even the smallest event are virtually infinite and connected with the whole in incomprehensible ways."

This body of work was/is an expression of these ideas. I have used planets and stars as my visual language to show that in each setting, no matter how archaic, the cosmic influence is present. In some of these pieces I have succeeded better than others in translating this idea. I have left out reference to astrology specifically, only because then the viewer may try to identify (or not identify)) with that piece because of the astrological sign I would use. I don't want to be that specific...I have been concentrating on this concept, and I have more to say visually. If a teacher gave me an assignment and said, express what you read in the last paragraph visually, I would come up with something totally different than the artwork I have shared with you in this blog.
My challenge is to go back now again to the table and attempt to put on paper the ideas that are more abstract that exist in my head.

These pieces are destined for The Original Baker's Dozen International Collage Exchange that Cecil hosts in Fort Worth, Texas. I also hope to publish a book using some of these images and perhaps others...the ones that are still in my mind.

Artist Call: A Book About Death

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH: AN UNBOUND BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF DEATH

Opening, Thursday, 10 September 2009.

Exhibition: 10 - 22 September 2009. Emily Harvey Foundation 537 Broadway New York City, New York 10012 USA


1000 Artists Each Produce Their Edition Of 500 Postcards In The Sprawling Unbound 1000-Page A Book About Death. The Book Will Be A Limited Edition: 500 Copies (Following The Number Of Artist Produced Cards).


An Open Call To Artists Worldwide To Contribute To A BOOK ABOUT DEATH.

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH is an open, unbound book produced by artists worldwide. Artists are invited to create a "page" in the form of a postcard about death– any aspect about death. Works can be of any design, personal or conceptual, color or black and white.

The original work about death stays with you, the artist; the 500 postcards produced from the work is for the exhibition, and are sent to the gallery.

Artists can include any information about themselves on the cards, front or back.

The 500 post cards are then mailed to the gallery in New York City for exhibition.

A BOOK ABOUT DEATH takes its inspiration from the late, underground American artist Ray Johnson (1927 - 1995). Ray Johnson’s unbound “book” of the same title was mailed to his New York Correspondence School “students” and included pages in his idiosyncratic style that were funny, sad and ironic “one-page essays” on death. With the A BOOK ABOUT DEATH project, artists are invited to plunge into subject in creating their own pages that score the dramatic final dance of death.

EXHIBITION & EVENT: Each artist contribution will be displayed in the Emily Harvey Foundation gallery space in New York. Visitors will be free to take cards and create their own book about death. As the cards are removed, the exhibition will disappear.

During the exhibition, a lecture/panel discussion will take place with a number of leading writers, curators, artists and collectors bringing together a number of salient ideas about death, books, mail art works, Ray Johnson and the global nature of A BOOK ABOUT DEATH. The panel list will be announced when it is finalized this summer.

There will also be a website for the exhibition, serving as the portal for A BOOK ABOUT DEATH.


HOW TO SUBMIT
1. Produce an artwork about death. Make 500 postcards and mail the package to A BOOK ABOUT DEATH c/o Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery 537 Broadway New York City, New York 10012. All submissions will be accepted if they arrive in time. Artists may produce more than one card if they wish.

DEADLINE: Postcards should be in the gallery no later than 5 September 2009.

2. Once images are produced, a light-weight jpg should be e mailed to MATTHEW ROSE, along with the artist's name and URL (artist web site address) for publication on the blog – http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/. This will allow the organizers to archive the works and artist details. Other artists will also be able to visit the exhibition in progress.

Note: An “official” website is now being created by artist Caterina Verde at the address: A BOOK ABOUT DEATH

TECHNICAL DETAILS
The artist is 100 percent responsible for her/his image and card and delivery to the gallery.

FORMAT: Postcards should be at least 4 x 6 inches or 10 x 15 cm, but can be any size, but no larger than A4 or 8 1/2 x 11 inches.

To help unify the edition, please include the words "A BOOK ABOUT DEATH" on your printed post cards.

We have also included an image/text by Ray Johnson that could be printed on your cards.

PRINTING OPTIONS: You can either produce the cards yourself or upload the file to any number of printers for delivery to the gallery. You, as the artist are in complete control of your artwork and cards.

Option 1: A very inexpensive online printer offers extremely reasonable prices for a 4 x 6 inch (or 10 x 15 cm) card. PDF upload or online design is possible. Payment directly to the printer via MasterCard, PayPal, VISA are options. Please see: Overnight Prints.

Please note: The exhibition organizers are not working with this printer but in our research have determined that their prices are some of the lowest on the market, their print quality is high, service is good and delivery to a NYC address via United Parcel Service is a very good option.

Option 2: Alternately, artists are free to produce their own cards locally if they need to supervise print and image quality. Artists can sign and number their cards if they wish.

Option 3: Artists can also produce handmade cards, however, these cards must be in an edition of 500 to ensure continuity with other images. Artists can sign and number their handmade cards if they would like. Variety in paper and material is encouraged.

COST/FEES
Unfortunately we cannot pay any artist or production fees. Each artist has to finance production and delivery. Like in life.

LASTLY: The organizers will not collect cards for the artists. Institutions who wish to have a complete book will have to come to the gallery space and get their own pages/cards or assign someone to do it for them. The organizers are not responsible for the cards, but will see to it that all cards received are displayed and available to visitors. The organizers are not responsible for the return of any remaining cards; should there be any remaining cards, these will become part of the EHF archive.


SPREAD THE WORD

This kind of exhibition functions best when one artist contacts another and encourages participation. We would like to have a large and inclusive "book," one that touches upon the broad subject of death in many languages and cultures. There are no taboos here, no age limits, no areas or ideas that are prohibited. The exhibition organizers only ask that you submit good work, worthy of an interesting and exciting page in this global book. Please note that A BOOK ABOUT DEATH is not a commercial venture. The Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery has generously donated the exhibition space for the duration of the exhibition.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:
A BOOK ABOUT DEATH BLOG
A BOOK ABOUT DEATH
RAY JOHNSON ESTATE
EMILY HARVEY FOUNDATION
CONTACT MATTHEW ROSE

I am going to participate in this. I look forward to seeing the end result--creating my own book about death--and so I may have to go down to NYC to see this show also...