Welcome to the archives (2007): well, you're still here so I'm just going to say that MAYBE you will be happy to know that there was more than one entry recorded for the entire year of 2007. "No way," you say. "Way" I quote right back at ya. If we're counting efforting-to-date, this is QUITE impressive. LOL. Yeah right. hehehe.
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A promise kept...
Nov. 11, 2007: One thing came between me and my new surreal drawing, and that was a promise. It was really ironic because the thing I'm trying to do here is find my ART and not let ANYTHING get in the way <lol>. Anything has always pretty much referred to business, because I've always been a work-o-holic. By the time I would get home, the brain was gone and there was nothing left to put in the art. At that point I JUST wanted to chill ...and somehow, the word didn't imply ART anymore. There are ways that adults have learned to chill quickly and those are NOT conducive to making art. You "think" you're making art ....but. Anyway. Now ...art is not at the bottom of the list of things to do <lol>. It was ironic therefore, that I let something put four months between me and my new work of art. BUT, this is the last time and it was for a GREAT cause: Gary Eisenbraun and a very special website plus cd artwork that had been promised out more than a year past. He was SO PATIENT, that I figured I could be too.
This website is very special to me. Something new is happening in the music world and reverberations are everywhere. A LOT of musicians have a lot of intense feelings about the what's going on, and many of them are trying different things and experimenting with new solutions. This particular effort involves 3 cds of music and all of the songs being available for free download (plus the price of earlier CDs have been cut down to $6 ...permanently). The idea is that if you like what you hear, then you can send in a donation and support the musician DIRECTLY :) Thataways ...there is encouragement to do it AGAIN <g>. hehehehe. The 3 cds are (1) rock 'n roll, (2) an instrumental and (3) an acoustic release; 3 cds, 35 songs. Legit free downloads, direct >> from the artist :) I think it's very cool and I hope the experiment is a resounding success. Anyway. Time will tell. So. That was the promise: a new website and artwork for the 3 cds. So now you know. NOW it is time to DRAW :) :) :)
<btw> I hope you visit Gary's new music website, my kept promise :) -
The art of symbolism; 1 + 1 = X.
May 27, 2007: I really enjoy David Lynch's use of symbolism. It's quite refreshing actually. So many times, symbols seem to be approached as though they were unique and independent of everyday use. They are put on some high pedestal and explored with extreme awe, one use at a time or in a very small, select grouping <lol>. That's all very fine but symbols aren't some just discovered country. They are a language that has been with use since the beginning of time. A very human language. Every day, and night, use by everyday people everywhere. It's a worldwide phenomenon. David Lynch knows HOW to use that language <g>. BIGtime! He builds up layer upon layer of symbolism. I find this encouraging. Believe it or not, from my perspective ....my artwork is pretty simple <lol>. Somehow, I think he may feel similarly about his own work <roflmao>. It's just a guess mind you :)
Real dreams are very complex -- the subconscious disguises uncomfortable issues in quite baroque ways. The underlying "message" is usually, surprisingly ...simple. That is also what I like about David Lynch's style (ironic statement here): it's very natural <lol>. He goes one step further: he doesn't show you the dream from the outside, he shows it to you from the inside. hehehehehe. I like that too. Add to that his use of nuance and subtlety of expression which give SO MUCH color and depth to the narrative. Don't get me wrong, the first time I saw "Mulholland Drive" and "Inland Empire", I felt like someone just blew my mind away. The pieces were scattered everywhere <roflmao>. But that's the beauty of his work: it's not fast food. BIGtime. And it gets better, deeper and richer with each viewing. I've only seen "Inland Empire" once. It was really LONG, my ass hurt (because the seats at the college weren't that comfortable) and there was a tad bit of cussing involved while walking to the car (at that point Gary said he just DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE ENDING 'cause his ass hurt too...<g>) ....but by the time we reached the car, we BOTH agreed that we were looking forward to seeing it again. ROFLMAO. Too friggin' funny baby. The dvd is supposed to come out Aug. 14 <g>. I just tracked down "Lost Highway" and watched it last night. Woosh. I think I will start my Lynch collection in earnest :) :) :) -
Planned improvements.
Apr. 27, 2007: I really need to update my website. There are a LOT of things that I want to change. Unfortunately, right now, that has to wait for a bit more. FIRST, I need to finish this new artwork. I am READY to be DONE <g>. hehehehe. THEN, I need to get Gary's new CD artwork completed AND his new website promoting the series <argh>. He has been SO PATIENT. He finished THREE CDs ...last summer and has been waiting for quite a bit. Then I plan on switching both of our websites over to css ...and re-arranging things a tad. Over the years both sites have gotten HUGE with hundreds of pages.... and things have just been tagged onto the existing structures. Well, eventually I am going to get to do something about all of this. But ...don't hold your breath. It's going to be a while <lol>. After all, the last time I went to update my site... I got halfway through and had to stop. That was two years ago. Argh. Actually, double argh. Oh well. At least I'm FINALLY creating new art... and somewhat consistently at that! hehehehehe.
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"Where do the ideas come from (aka what does that mean)?"
Apr. 03, 2007: It's hard to say where the ideas come from. It's a little voice from deep inside. You could also say that it's a feeling that you follow and you don't know why, but you do. But even that sounds like a completed idea just arrives in your head, full blown and ready to go: a big "tah dah!!" (with flourishes) ...and that's not it either. The idea is the beginning of the voyage. The idea is pretty concrete, as in I KNOW what I want, BUT have no clue where it is going to go until I get there. I feel like a blind person when I try to describe what I want to do <lol>. I am just as surprised as anyone when the project is done.
That's why I can't answer questions about "What does that mean?" while I'm working on a piece of art. Not only do I have no clue, but I really don't want to know what it means until the artwork is done. If I stop to think about what I'm doing ...that puts interference in the way of the little voice from deep inside and that affects the artwork. It's white noise man. BIGtime! When working on artwork, ya gotta go follow with faith baby. The muse don't like anyone else talking while she's walking in the room <g>. hehehehehe. And that's a fact. Want to loose the muse? Think about it too much. Thinking is anathema while working. It's a feeling (and sometimes cussing is involved because it's not always easy to just follow the leader).
A fine example of this is the time Kelly, Jennifer and I were doing the photo shoot for "Midnight". All I could tell them was that I needed a photo of a woman cutting off the mask that is her face. I KNEW that was what I needed ....but I didn't know anything else (like the angle of the shot, whether her eyes were open or shut, etc. etc.). We finally ran everyone else out of the room because the idea was in my head but not the image of what I wanted. They were both great ...and patient with the process. Have you ever tried to describe to someone, something you can't see? We took a LOT of photos that night ...and the next night too. We just kept trying different angle and different things. Like I said, it was a LOT of picts. When I saw the right one ...I knew THAT was the right one... but that was still JUST a beginning. I was going on blind faith and feeling my way step-by-step until it was done.
But that's what it always is: a BIG leap of faith and a wonderful voyage of discovery along the way <g>. All the clues are there but the mystery isn't solved until the very end. Want to see the one I'm working on now? -
Local art support.
Jan. 23, 2007: Our local art community had a really nice deal setup for artists. You paid for an annual membership and they put on two local shows a year. You got to get into their gallery twice a year. It was a nice way to get started and get your artistic feet underneath you. I took advantage of that offer myself and thought it was really cool beanies. This offered support for ALL local artists and got them involved in the artistic community. Unfortunately, they've had a change of heart. In the middle of the year they suddenly announced that the shows were going to change to a new format: juried. Ok. I hear you. They've also decided that the best way to support the local artists is to give them... classes. They've always offered classes but now that they're offering a LOT of classes. Lots and lots and lots of classes, not so many shows anymore. Interesting.
Well, at least I got in on the startup. I am SO BUSY that it was too awesome and helpful to me as an artist and I told EVERYONE about it. I just kept bragging about the local art support we artists had. Oh well. Guess this will keep me from getting lazy <roflmao>. -
The studio archives.
Yes. It's true. There are even MORE of these tales from the artistic side o' life. I warned you that they might be boring. Yes, I used to have a few vices but I don't have time for those anymore. Vices are VERY time consuming (although they DO make for MUCH more entertaining reading). Oh well. THIS is the boring stuff. You can stop here you know. LOL. No one is FORCING you to go on :)
