SnarkyArt

Prepare for Battle.....studio style!

2012-01-26T09:38:00.001-05:00

Look! It’s a demo….no ….it’s performance art….no…..it’s a….it’s an….it’s an Art Battle! Yes, there is such a thing and darn it if that wasn’t a whole lot of fun in a short span of time. Round One is complete and next month for Round Two, “Snarky Stiletto” herself (it was that nick name or “the Menopausal Momma”…what would you have picked?) will enter the um…..”ring” area and take on two new competitors. Posters should be out soon.

For those uninitiated like me, allow me to explain what I do believe is a type of franchise in theory. Google “art battle” and all types of things show up so the premise is already out there. Drawing upon memory here (and do keep in mind that I will be playing for the Senior Division Title as I am old enough to be the mother of most of these “kids”), this event was created by the Massillon Mastermind himself, Bili Kribbs (gotta watch the i’s because I know how important that letter is to one’s name) and his partner in creative crime, Billy Ludwig of the 13^th Floor. If I am wrong, well so what, you just got some PR. Anyway….the idea seems to be to bring art to the people since often times people don’t go to the art, and also to provide an opportunity for underexposed, new, younger whatever artists so strut their stuff for the public in an easily accessible environment. Drink’n and draw’n, does it get any better?

Again, based on available brain cells, I believe 4 rounds occurred in 2011 with a final master battle blast for bragging rights after which all the works were auctioned off for charity. Of course I could probably look all this up to be sure I am correct, but yeah……well……it is sort of like politics, say whatever you want and worry about the truth later. If someone is really interested, they will check it out themselves.

Back to the battle,….now that I am in training for the next round, my coach (aka the husband) and I decided to check out the playing field since no game films were available. I was familiar with the outside of the venue as my son took music lessons next door, but I had not ventured inside before. Tell anyone the name of the place (Benders’s) and they jump to conclusions about the “other” more refined location to the East. This kid brother bar of the same name is a kick butt little corner tavern in the heart of football land so much so that it even has a giant football player painted on the wall outside. Kitty corner to the MassMu and next to a music store….I guess it could not escape the creative vibrations and became ground 0.

We tucked away our AARP cards and tried to blend in below the radar (wear black and don’t make eye contact) so as to be “hip with the kids” as the saying goes. No such luck….first thing I get is asked for advice on how to avoid wrinkles as one gets older…..okay, so much for sneaking in to observe. The answer is Oil of Old Lady and avoid the sun, in case you were wondering. I should have asked how they get that cool black eyeliner thing happening….if I tried that I’d look like I’d sneezed on my sharpie.

The coach and I got a drink and staked out a couple of bar stools to watch the event. Not too close and not too far away…good edge of the radar distance and not in any direct lighting to avoid looking too wrinkly. One competitor did not show (used to be two, now it is three) and a call went out to see if anyone would step up and substitute. The coach did not allow me to play because I can’t be on injured reserve for the big game next month….cocktail napkins had to suffice. The announcer explained the rubric (a new word in educational settings which means “rules or expectations” to the rest of us) and out came the competitors…hmmmm…seems we get points for style so…….. this could be interesting!

A topic is drawn from the box of audience suggestions (mind you, they have been indulging in adult beverages for a while) and then one hour (sort of) is put on the clock to do your best interpretation of that idea. There seems to be no limit on what one can use or do to the primed white board provided. In one corner was the traditional painter and in the other was the artist with an arsenal of an experienced competitor. If there had been three people in that space, one of them could have ended up on the wrong end of a saw blade. Good call on the coach’s part as I may have been missing a pigtail this morning.

An hour or so later, the judges for the night and the audience’s applause crowned a winner for the theme of “Funny Doomsday”. There appeared to be some awards although I don’t know who ended up with the Ultimate Grand Supreme trophy for the night when all was said and done, nor does it matter. The bar was full, the place was engaged in the activity as well as with each other, and nobody got hauled out on a stretcher and the cops did not show up. A good evening all around if you ask me.

So now I am in training for my turn on the stage under the clip on spot lights. I need to brush up on my categories just in case…..”the culture of those under 40 for a 100, Alex”….. and add some calcium to my diet. Don’t want to bust a hip or anything during the game. Better make sure I don’t do an illegal use of the brush and get penalized 5 minutes or fumble my pallet and get tagged for interference. Like any good competitor, I googled my competition (google is now an accepted verb in the English language) and could not find much….which means either they are very savvy at how to stay off the grid, or are too young to have much of an online resume. Either way, I am probably screwed.

So all you followers and friends out there, put this date on your calendar, Wednesday February 29^th (yep, leap day thank you very much) and come cheer on the efforts of the elder generation as I prepare to do battle against “Urban Youth” and “The Hoopy Frood”. The clock starts ticking at 8pm. We should all be home in time to watch the 10’oclock news as always.

As I said, this type of thing is one of those hidden gems of an arts community which is thinking beyond the walls of a gallery, beyond the us versus them mentality of those who don’t quite “get it” sometimes, and making art what is should be, fun and accessible. There is a time and a place for the serious study of technique and the exhibition of hours upon hours upon hours of work, and then there is the “bring it on brush to board” test of creativity. So, thanks for asking me to participate…it’s like getting to sit at the table of the cool kids in the lunchroom. However, if you tray check me, I can still kick your ass….I may be older, but I got me a menopausal posse and some Stiletto Sisters waiting to back me up…once they get their makeup on and stretch out a bit, can’t risk pulling a muscle ya know.

Condensed Art

2012-01-20T07:17:00.001-05:00

I have found that it is really hard to write snarky essays when one is writing a term paper. No, it is not for school or a research situation, but hopefully will eventually be read and used by thousands of youth across America. No, I am not at liberty to fully explain who or what the project is for as right now the initial rough draft phase is drawing to a close and the resources and illustration/imagery process will begin. Some of you artist types may be getting a request from me asking for your participation by allowing your work to be published with “courtesy of” credit in the rear. But that is another day.

The hard part has been to take complicated concepts and processes and reduce them to as little as three lines or one paragraph. Something which we consider so simple, such as “shape” is really rather complex to explain. Trying to provide a tutorial for watercolor painting in 100 words or less really challenges the brain cells to edit. I don’t like to edit down to the core as you well know by now.

In having to relearn the basic elemental building blocks of art and then prioritize some principles of design, this process has not only been a trip down memory lane, but also a good lesson on just what is art? That question is one of the last sections I have to write, and answer, in about half a page of standard text. Naturally I put it off until last and I am glad I did because recent FB postings have provided some fodder for the trough.

Stephen M. had a challenging interaction with a college professor, Erin M. was questioning the need for and role of statements in the art process, and so too have other artists posted questions about what and why and how as well as how dare they. In reading the exchanges, the viewpoints, the opinions, the emotions….it dawned on me that I have to condense the whole of “art” into a few paragraphs, maybe a page or two, and that includes art history, philosophy and social purpose so a 12 year old can grasp it. Why me? Well….rule number one, don’t criticize something unless you want to be the one to change it and number two, always re-read number one.

Of course there are good things which have come from such a process. All my old books have been dusted off and the dried up slips of paper which marked different pages are all over the floor, some with notes from long ago. A world of imagery long since forgotten now fills my mind. Alas, the references and resources stage lies ahead as well and I think newer versions of my favorite art books are surely out there. A copyright of 1974 might be just a wee bit “old”. Internet sources have to be included too which means checking each one out for appropriate content (no nudity, these are adolescent boys….). Yep, I am going to surf the net for nudes…just like the rest of the American public evidently.

So on that note…..Snarky is a bit silenced for now. Deadlines are looming and my mental midterm is only a week away. For being a three letter word, “art” sure covers a lot of ground. The guys who are rewriting the reference books for sailing or shooting have it a whole lot easier that’s for sure.

Pandora’s Can of Bait

2012-01-07T19:01:00.001-05:00

Sometimes one has to bite the bullet, climb on a soapbox and toss worms to the wind. Maybe it is just me, but does anyone else feel like what started as an art event (as in visual and creatively related/inspired) has been hijacked so to speak? Granted my on site presence as a vendor/destination numbers only 18 months, my awareness and participation however date back to the first conversation ever held as far as the vision for what was to be. Yes, things change, grow, morph and develop….and such is why I feel that what was the original vision is no longer what is on the menu as a main course. Somewhere along the way, visual arts have become a side dish and often not even part of the meal, but to be consumed ala carte.

My inspiration for this posting is the street festival feeling of last night’s monthly gathering. Not that there was anything wrong with the event itself or anything wrong street festivals per say, but those of us who occupy art, (wait, I shall only speak for myself….) art is not the root word anymore for why people are flocking to the district. Flocking is a good thing….but with flocking come some concerns which need to be addressed.

First and foremost is the issue of restrooms. Consuming massive amounts of beer requires the eventual giving back of such liquids…. Unless one is a patron of a local restaurant, the potties are usually off limits. Unless one is friends with some of the owners, the behind the counter potties are generally not available, and it goes without saying that planters and doorways should be off limits. So why should the only available restrooms be ones inside a business that seems to attract everybody in town at one point or another? That’s a lot of you know what! Why are there no port-o-potties on the streets for our monthly relief? (Besides the one on the green that is there all the time as far as I know.) Does the health department know that when beverages are being sold outdoors by a vehicle which does not have a potty on it, that providing some for general public use might be a good idea? Just wondering….because we may have to take up a collection or (file for a grant!!) to pay for the paper, soap and towels used by the patrons who literally pass through only as a shortcut, not to mention the repairs the often result from negligence by those a bit too tipsy to follow directions. Don’t even get me started with what happens to aim when a man is inebriated. I think the local overseers ‘of our ever growing event need to provide public restrooms so that those inside businesses can remain for the use of paying patrons only.

While on the subject of vending….food that is offered for sale or for a donation in a location that does not have a permit for such offerings…is that subject to review by the health department? Should a business which sells food under a license, have the right to not allow food to be brought in from other sources? …just like movie theaters, stadiums, restaurants and for that matter, a museum? Our local museum does not allow food or drink into the space which houses the artwork. Why should places that have artwork, allow food and drink to be transported back and forth, in and out and eventually deposited on the floors and occasionally on the art? I did not know that my role was also in sanitation as I pick up cups and garbage left lying around my place of business. I can do that at home, thank you very much.

Let’s see….how about the idea of ownership? If one is participating in the event, should the owner have a right to decide who will be providing some entertainment for the guests? I just feel that whoever brought the ball to the game and laid out the field of play in the first place should have some say in how the game is to be played. Even if the other team is bigger and has more named players on the roster, home field is home field as far as backyard rules are concerned. Our parents always taught us to play nice and to play fair, and to include everybody whether they were any good or not so everybody gets a chance, but that did not mean we had to make special allowances, the game was the game and it had rules. Whoever owned the back yard got final say because it was their yard.

As the mood, atmosphere, intent or whatever one wants to call it has changed over the years, so has the profile or demographic of the attendees. That’s okay because that means the morphing is working, that the goal of people participating is proving to be a successful one in that regard. The original vision vendors however, have not seen any great leap of learned viewers. Leaning against a canvas on the wall like it does not even exist shows a blatant disrespect for the product presented. Knocking over merchandise and breaking it because there is some need to get from one door to the other in a hurry and then not even bothering to notify the owners….that is not very encouraging for building arts supporters or patrons. Buyers are down (witness the number of artists who have left the local sales scene over the last 18 months) but the crowds are up. How do we make this work for the visual artists?

When the warmer months arrive, there is another big old juicy worm to add to the can….I’ll save that one for now. Don’t get me wrong, I personally love talking to the people, seeing friends and supporters, and listing to the music. I like to see empty hooks on the walls and hear the ringing of the register. It is the aftermath of the party which is discouraging. Step one should be lovely blue porto-pots in every major parking lot and a no food from outside to be brought inside policy across the board and down the streets. Just to verify, but are there permits on file someplace that have been cleared by the City Health Department? Before I write a check this year, maybe I will go check that out.

Studio time vs life

2012-01-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

I just read on FB this morning that two of my fellow artists are leaving our work/exhibition space. Both for the same essential reason, children, one will continue to paint and one has chosen to set aside “the making of art” for the time being….perhaps until the nest empties. Because FB has a different format for writing, what I want to say does not fit, therefore, this one’s for you my friends!

Good for you! It is a rough and tough choice to tame the inner creature of creation for the sake of others. As I sit up here smugly on my empty nest (one migrating bird still asleep upstairs), I sometimes wish to be out there flying after the former tenants once again. But that time has passed ALL too quickly and never to return in the way it once was. Those years live on however in all the creations made by them, for them and with them, that one would never call “art” but are worth more than any mega-million dollar Monet.

For those with daughters….you can look forward to picking out dresses, shoes, jewelry and the battle between popular and appropriate. There are cakes and cookies to bake, fancy dinner tables to set, patterns to pick out, and maybe scrapbooks to make. You will use your color sense, your knowledge of design and proportion, and be able to sympathize will the drama because you have lived it yourself.

For those with sons…there are toys that rival the construction of the space shuttle, structures built in the woods from found objects, cool car accessories to track down and wardrobes to assemble that feature the colors black and beige.

Maybe you have already painted a mural on their bedroom walls, some long since painted over except or one pterodactyl lurking over the doorframe. Your kids will get awards and earn certificates that cry out for creative matting and framing! You are the “cool mom” who always has a 5mm google eye in a bin someplace or can help whip out a book cover poster the night before it is due. You are the one on call when the teacher needs a bit of help with some art project or the school has an event which could use some creativity.

Your talents to think beyond the usual or to focus in on the most minute of details will serve your children well. Creative people see many sides to one issue and can pick and choose the pieces needed to solve a 6am crisis or know when to shut up at 6pm and just listen while the story that flows out. You will doodle on napkins or music programs to pass the time waiting. You will pick up the messes and rearrange the throw pillows, hang stuff up and fold things into baskets (socks and towels can become little sculptures ), develop complex imagery around yet another unidentified stain and track down solvents to remove then….or not. And if not, well those jeans will be a craft project someday, trust me.

As much as it sounds cliche, I have been in your shoes and walked the same pathway ahead of you. From the head of the trail, it seems like a long road of sacrifice and frustration (as artistic juices build up in your system often to the boiling point which is when the laundry room gets painted hot pink…..), along the way you start to notice the shape of the trees and point out linear patterns, light and shadows, and some scientific facts about perspective. As the forest around you begins to thin out, a sense of desperation will set in, did I do all I could? Did I give them the skills needed? Did I spend enough time? Why did I not play more board games or make more cakes shaped like panda bears?

Suddenly the boys will be in front of you opening a door. Papers will arrive by email that need proofread in an hour or two (so just correct the commas and balance the verbs). Girls will be along for the shopping trips telling YOU what looks appropriate when all you want are the zebra print heels and a shorter skirt, saggy knees be damned!

So yes my friends, your art and creativity will never cease, it is not on a shelf or put on hold. You will only be using it in a different way to build, create, shape and decorate living sculptures. Think of the time as one long piece of performance art. When all gets quiet down the road, look around your studios or in the bins and boxes long since packed on the shelf and think HOT DAMN!!! I got time to play and make and build and create and draw and… and…and …and……darn it, I wish I had somebody here to watch me, interrupt me, tell me it looks good or ask what I am making. But since nobody is here to do that….guess what they get for Christmas next year!

Enjoy your time away from the studio/gallery. There will always be a place to create and show your work , but your most important projects right now are only around for a very short time all things considered. I applaud you!

What am i-Doing?

2011-12-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

i-Think, i-Can….i-Think, i –Can……i-Think, i-Can……nope, i-Can’t. The i-pad Apps that make “art” are just not for me. i-Tried. Okay, I only tried for about 30 minutes even after attempting to read the downloaded instruction manual for step by step how-to’s. Correct me if I am wrong (on second thought, don’t correct me because I don’t care to be “convinced”) but didn’t manuals, paper or otherwise, have words that went along with the pictures? Just giving me an onscreen image with arrows pointing out the buttons does not tell me what they do, when I should use them, and why or how.

I even (oh wait….that should be i-Even) did the introductory easy level following along tutorial. All well and good until I was “done” and then nothing told me what to do with it or how to get back to the other screen or anything even remotely logical for the next step. Tapping around blindly seemed a waste of time. I know that thousands upon thousands of people depend upon such devices now to make “art”. i-Did manage to make one sketch, add some color and spray paint a question mark over her head. Then I went down to the studio to retrieve my spiral bound sketch pad. The same drawing took microseconds of time.

i-Don’t get it. Well….yes i-Do really, and I have focused on this before…..”art” as us oldsters commonly understand it, has moved away from ability and landed in the lap of apps. The artwork created by these devices, phones and pads and tablets etc….are gloriously rich and detailed images, but ummmm…they are brought to visual life by a machine programmed to perfect the ideas. It is no wonder kids can’t draw in art school anymore. They don’t have too. Side note here, but the artist who won the reality show about art, did drawings and beat the esoteric, well crafted, conceptual work of her competitors. The judges and fellow artists were marveling over her work….done by hand. It seemed almost odd and out of place if not quaint in today’s world to see them so enamored.

Back to buttons…..

i-Suppose this onscreen approach is the future and i-Am going to be somewhere back in the dust cloud struggling to keep up. i-May have to rent a room to a teenager just so I can have an in-house IT department much like one used to have to have live in help for assorted reasons. i-Shall not feel bad about not understanding such advancements however because nothing can replace sitting outside on a beautiful summer day with sketchbook in hand doodling away the hours. No need to worry about battery power, screen reflections, wi-fi access or other assorted amenities….just me and my i-Deas.

i-Must admit however, the little stinker does allow me to play continuous games of solitare, check my email on a different floor and gives me a google fix faster than going back downstairs. As for artwork, i-Can’t forgo the feel of a brush in my hand. No need to scroll down the list of available brushes, God me eyes to select one from my assorted jars, no need to pick a color from the provided boxes, God gave me hands to mix my own options and no need to push a save button, God gave me shelf space to store years of sketchbooks so I can lay out pictures side by side without flipping screens back and forth.

i-Can appreciate the technology, i-Just don’t have to fall victim to it in all aspects of my life…Do-i?

Miracles, Blessings and Wishes…… yes, they do exist!

2011-12-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

First in line is “The Miracle” which would be the success of the cochlear ear implant. A deaf person can hear voices, carry on a conversation and reacquaint themselves with white noise (okay, some parts of the process will be annoying for awhile…) but to be given back “quality of life” because of a small electronic device and some hope and prayers (not to mention years and years of medical school for the surgeon) is truly a miracle. The miracle category is rather small as they take a lot of God time so one should not be too greedy.

Blessings are far more numerous. Besides the obvious ones of having genuine friends and friendships, good health, great kids, a loving spouse, a dry basement and working cars…..the intangibles of deed are blessings often gone unnoticed or categorized. Allow me to share a few….and to which I will credit the years and years of scouting.

Example one, the “reaction”: Son #2 was “shopping” at a local store, which translates to hanging out and sampling the merchandise, when a woman fell and hit her head. She had a small child whose calling of ‘mommy, mommy’ is what caught my son’s attention. He calmly dialed 911 and stood by as a sort of visual comfort. At 6’6” that is a lot of comfort. He knew better than to move or attempt to treat a head injury (yes there was blood) due to potential spinal damage. Fortunately the rescue squad was only a couple of hundred yards away so help was quick to arrive. He left the store. Scouts taught him to react quickly and calmly as a way to get others to react as most people will “freeze” in their initial panic.

Example two, the “return”: Same son was in line at a local sandwich place. The man in front of him dropped a rather large bill on the ground and did not notice. Son picks it up and returns it. The man was rather surprised and then bought my son’s sandwich for him as a thank you for his honesty. A simple gesture of doing the right thing, to be trustworthy and helpful, in return brought forth courtesy and kindness. I love it when the scout law works as it should!

Example three, the “offer”: Same son (he has been home a lot longer than the other son, whose turn is coming….) spent a good part of the day at the hospital visiting a friend (a man older than his own father) who was recovering from surgery. Once the man goes home, he needs to have someone with him for several weeks 24/7. Driving in the car, son says to me, I think I will go spend a day with “Bob” next week so his wife can go shopping or something. It was the second part of the sentence that is important. He was not thinking of “Bob” but of the other person affected by the surgery. Loyal and friendly, two more parts of those 12 rattled off each week.

Wishes come next and work best when offered up for others so I have found out. Often a wish will boomerang once it has come true for the recipient (thank goodness for spell check on that one). This may be a bit convoluted to explain, but as I have wished for my sons to have good friends, to be safe, to be careful etc…so too must their friends’ parents have been wishing the same. Last night was another one of what is now called the “Standard Krew Party Package With or Without Paper Products”, a phrase that translates into a couple of dozen young adults hanging out in the lower level. They play music (even Glenn Miller stuff!), drink pop, eat pizza and cookies (which come in the door on plates and are often homemade by other moms), and get in and out of the hot tub all night long. The morning after is always amazing…..wet towels piled neatly in the laundry room, trash taken out, furniture put back, counters wiped off and so on, as if not a person had been here at all. I find it amazing every time. I think they must form a police line to make sure every crumb is off the carpets. Only a stray napkin was to be found. The words, obedient, helpful, clean and trustworthy yet again can be cited. Often these young people stop to say hello or sit and chat a bit. Too bad the newspapers rarely mention the positive things about young adults (16 to 22 or so….)

Speaking of newspapers, a simple gesture shows the kindness of others. This morning I found my paper (often tossed at the end of my driveway) to be sitting on top of my garbage can. Evidently the garbage man picked it up as he was bringing the empty can back to the garage. ….or could it be that one of those kids left really early this morning? No matter, I was touched by the gesture nonetheless.

Now I shall toss a wish out there.....I wish that all the politicians, candidates, occupiers, and bah hum-buggers would take a few moments to read over the scout law and see if they could live by it each and every day (as well as be accountable for such) and I bet this crazy world would be a lot better. Just in case you don’t know it, here are the 12 points: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

God bless and Merry Christmas everybody!

Awfully Familiar....

2011-12-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

Before you read this...please be aware that the image above is NOT the image in question! It is a sample of the type of work I do as a volunteer.

Time to expand on the issue of copying one’s work per my FB posting. Last week I opened a holiday flyer from a place affiliated with a volunteer organization for which I do quite a bit of free design work. Oh, I should warn you all that this will probably be the most vague posting ever because who knows what the eventual outcome will be so no sense giving the legal eagles any free food.

Inside was a product that in my eyes, and based on a side by side scale comparison, is my work redone in different colors and with one side changed. Why the change? I suspect it is because the source, from which my work was most likely taken, did not show that particular area of the design so the person had to invent a solution. I also truly believe that the use of my template shall we say, was purely innocent. I am in no way interested in pursuing legal recourse for the violation of intellectual property rights or copyright infringement; I just want to know how my design got into a nationally distributed flyer.

Yes, I sent out quite a few emails to various sources but so far no luck. The original venue essentially “blew me off” as the saying goes, hoping I would probably go hide under a rock and let this go. Everyone who sees the side by side comparison agrees with me. There are certain tell tale markings on my work that unless copied, would not be present if someone had come up with the same concept on their own. Somewhere, someone, affiliated with the venue got the job to design the item needed, remembered seeing one and used that one (mine) as the template. If the venue had asked me, I would have agreed to allow the use of my work with a right to approve color changes and design changes, to keep from happening what happened. The reincarnation is a cheap looking copy with poor color choices and a bad layout of text. I maintain however, that nothing was done maliciously. I just don’t like seeing my work made to look ugly. Only a handful of people out there would have any knowledge at all that I did the original design, but I know.

My point being, the art work is a very small place even though the number of us is quite vast. We know our work. Art teachers will probably agree that we can identify a student’s work time after time long before we remember their name. So unless clip art is the source for ideas, clip art being free for use by the creators, then to search the net for images or to flip through a book and find something, is basically “stealing”. As artists, our products offered to the world of commerce are our creations which develop from deep within us.

I don’t know whether to be flattered or flabbergasted to find my design as the source for a national offering that is making the venue some money. Good for them, I support the venue and wish them well and many happy sales. What I want to know is how it got there. Who liked it enough to want to copy it? An apology would be great but I don’t think it will ever happen. A few freebies of the item would be nice, but that is unlikely as well. Let us leave it at this….as the song goes… “Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you….” so when the time comes to design the 2012 version, how about giving me the job?

Its a Mad Mad (Art) World

2011-12-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

I’ve written about this before and it is time to write about it again….the insanity that one calls “the art world”. So many examples, so small a text limit, but I shall try and be brief (which also keeps down the level of bitchiness as well). Let us visit the most recent three….

Case number one: The return of a pastel under glass. Earlier this year we had the case of Shipwreck who went on an unforeseen journey out west. He finally came home intact if not a bit dusty. No harm no foul except for the loss of an exhibition opportunity. Now we have (case pending so I can’t identify the piece) who survived his ride to (cpsicitp..shorter version of the above disclaimer), but did not fare so well on his return trip. It was one of those shows where a shipping agent is used to unpack and transport work to the venue and repeat the process in reverse upon closing then send the work back. We artists have to pay for this service so I should expect good service by a knowledgeable company correct? Dummy me. Same crate as always, same packing materials, same everything except the image inside. This crate made bad tinkle tinkle noises when I started to open it, much like the sound of shattered glass. Shards of sharpness to a lot of damage to paper, mat board, metal framing and of course pastel, to the point of saying hello dumpster, good-by contents. Owner files claim with the Transport Company and notifies the shipping agent of the situation. Transport Company is great, shipping agent sends a reply email that even a first grader would say is bad. I get that emails are a bit more casual, but capital letters and a bit of grammar would be nice. Owner explains the issue (and obvious mistake of packing on their end) and they say (sort of….) “oops sorry, we use that type of container all the time, no problem”. Well gee, I happen to have a photo of my container and it is not that type, here look at the picture. I ask for at least a refund of my fee required by the show for their services and check into their insurance liability. Hmm…never heard back. Wonder why? Situation still pending so I can say no more……

Case number two: The shows that advertise in the big glossy trades, that send emails via a reputable agency and give all the right answers and info to qualify for legitimate status. The website checks out, the juror checks out, the prospectus checks out…all tests are past. One thing not checked (by me, my bad) is the previous exhibitions page. The numbers would have made sense and a mistake on my part bypassed, but alas, I was delinquent and did not follow my own rules. Dutifully I go through the process of application. Results come back….”we had over ----- entries (triple digits) and the juror selected – (only two pieces over 10, you do the math). Half were photos….., remaining 2/3’s were craft and the rest were paintings, you can do the math on that too. (the answer is 2 in case you forgot how to do story problems) Guess I should have looked at the gallery space better and figured it had to be the size of my bathroom to only hold 12 works. Funny however, those stats are very similar to a show I wrote about recently. Maybe it is time to find a new job or reclassify my media.

Case number three and worthy of a full blog: That TV Reality Show looking for the next Great American Artist….don’t try and deny that you watch this…we all do. Last night’s episode was very revealing in regard to attitudes toward “art”. The contestants were told to make art to hustle on the streets in order to make some money. The look of sheer shock and insult on their faces was hilarious. Evidently “Art” is only in galleries and not meant to be for sale or accessible in the vicinity of the general public whose grubby little hands and uneducated eyes might come in contact with their almighty message. Most of these “artists” struggled with the concept of what to make and what to sell that would be “art”. I can’t recall who won, but the most successful was the girl who sat and did quick portraits in pencil and watercolor. Wow, what a concept! The underwear, the nudity, the conceptual message, the paper hats….all got beat by a simple act of direct connection, watching an artist at work on something that people (the unwashed, uneducated and unsophisticated included) can relate to. Bravo girl (oops, did I just give that away?) Yeah, this show is going to get its Blog time, big time here pretty soon.

But before one thinks that all is not right in my art world, I have recently made connections to do a couple of shows, one involving a whole new line of work for me. It always feels good to have a goal and a deadline, no pressure means no production. Just a weeee bit more pressure would be nice, but at least it is starting to drizzle on my dry spell.

"Fascinating Faces from Interesting Places" now in The Loft at 2nd April

2011-12-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Family obligations have kept me from getting out and about to see exhibitions in and around our area so the only show I can comment about is my own, currently on view at 2^nd April. “Fascinating Faces from Interesting Places” is not the same collection that was at the Massillon Museum about a year ago. Since I work in a series format, the title of an exhibit rarely changes, but the pieces are always new. That concept of a career direction is also a holdover from the era of slide submissions and phones with cords on them. These past two years have seen me slowly pull away from my roots. The next two years will be a renewed and dedicated return to how I was trained to approach my own work. Changes are on the radar and when the time is right, that blog will get posted. But for now…. I shall be my own critic and discuss the drawings on view in The Loft.

First of all, The Loft is the former Mezzanine at 2^nd April. Many of your local favorites (Michele W., Lynn D., Pam N., Margie K.) have rotated in and out of the space over my time at 2A. Knowing the guys were between tenants, I proposed filling the space with the available pastels….IF I could make a few changes. Being the ever so agreeable owners that they are, Brennis and Todd had no objections. The formerly dark chocolate brown/black walls are now a bright grey/white color. Light bulbs were replaced and 9 new fixtures added to increase the glow and trim was touched up to hid the age of the building.

15 pieces fit into the space by utilizing the “monster” as the trapezoidal shelving unit is now called. An artist should learn from every show they do, what works and what does not. MassMu used these really cool clear or vellum labels so I had to hunt down something close and follow their lead. I have to say, it looks pretty good. When hanging a “Women Series” show on my own, I like to have the characters engaged between canvases, looking at one another or playing one scene into the next like a big raucous party. Usually others hang those shows however so the affect is lost because curators move my layout around (to match frames or some other excuse). This time, I could place the pictures where I wanted so some of the people are reacting to each other. You may notice, you may not, but I know the story is there.

The question often arises with this series of portraits as to whether the use of the faces is legal. Yes and here’s why. I only take photos in public places or locations where cameras are permitted. People take photos all the time and if you happen to be in the background of their family scene, so be it, your face is fair game. We are all on camera almost 24/7 and do not know it. Look around you sometime, especially in parking lots, stores, banks, street corners in major cities, libraries etc….and you will see cameras. We are all public people. If I am taking pictures while sitting on a street corner, perhaps shooting the building behind you, and you walk into my shot, I got you. People will often look right at my camera; sometimes they see me taking the photo and will do some goofy face. A camera does not have to be at eye level, in fact, little work that way anymore. With the cameras built into phones, even places that “do not allow cameras”, are allowing cameras and I have seen people taking pictures in places where pictures are forbidden. I do not violate that rule. Your photo will not be taken if I am legally not to have a camera present. Public places are fair game however and I will wait for the unaware expression or just shoot in sports mode and capture quite a few to find the perfect picture.

When the drawing is done, unless the person gave permission for me to take their picture, the name or identity is not given in the title. If I know them but did not ask, the name is kept in my private records. The public label is only a location, the number in the order of the series, and maybe a few words about where I took the picture or how. Many people look a lot like other people which one discovers during the drawing process. I have a picture of an Asian man whom I just cannot draw. I have tried three times but his proportions and the expression on his face is identical to George Bush. It is weird because the photo has very little resemblance to our ex prez, but when depth and character are added to the image, he is a dead ringer. Because of that premise, people have mistaken some of my portraits for being other people that they know. My anonymity factor remains valid.

Okay, back to “reviewing” my own show. Some of the portraits are better than others as I am still learning about soft pastels and adapting to the scale factor. Yes, I draw big because these are not conventional portraits in the true sense of the word, they are meant to be drawings. The images are about process, layering, color relationships and the proportions of the expression. The traditional facial landmark structure is laid out, the same one used since elementary school, and the rest of the face is just a game of connect the dots. The more landmarks the better, give me a wrinkled face any time! What is truly amazing is see that no matter how different we all appear to be, the landmarks don’t really change all that much, a single hair in an eyebrow can shift a face entirely as Lynn Digby can attest. The annoying part is that what we see and who we see, is not who YOU the subject sees. None of us will ever see our own face; even an identical twin is different in miniscule ways. We only see a mirror reflection or a photograph, but never will we see ourselves as others do.

Okay, let’s try this again, back to reviewing my show…. I think it’s a pretty good one and shows off the new Loft space quite well. Please stop in and let me know what you think too (hence the guest book and a choice of three pens unless somebody took one….). I do believe that a new tenant will be locating to this space once my show comes down, stay tuned.

Black (and Blue) Friday is not worth Green to me.

2011-11-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

Ahhh..Black Friday…..what a wonderful image of America (insert sarcasm…duh!). I have never been a part of it nor ever intend to because I don’t understand it. Well, yes, I understand why it is done and has been so dubbed by the retail industry, but it is the psychology of the participants which has me vexed. Why are “we” (referring to the GP) so easily manipulated?

Limited numbers of items are offered during a limited time at a special “price” that will be offered again later in the month….just in case one has never noticed that. Add a “special” discount onto that “special price” and chances are the item will be cheaper yet. Coupons and “bonus points” and so forth will be added until the stuff is gone from the store’s inventory which is the whole point of merchandizing.

Exactly “why” do we need a television so big that the pores on the face of an actor are visible? Perhaps I don’t see the attraction in explosions (Bond movies exempted), make out scenes and rock concerts. Give me the intrigue of an Agatha Christie mystery shot in black and white with nary an explosion in site. The actors were not hired for beauty, but for brains and the ability to actually “act” not run in heels and wear tank tops in the rain. Exactly how does a four and a half foot screen make something better? (Don’t bother answering because I don’t really care.) Gregory Peck and Captain Ahab can’t get any better by getting bigger….

All those crowds wrapped around buildings and waiting in tents leads me to the questions of 1) what do you do with the tent, chairs and coolers once the doors open? Are those items left and lost? Do you tag team them to a nearby car and risk getting jumped by people who don’t know you are working in shifts? 2) bathrooms……enough said 3)crime…..what a gold mine of opportunity for those less honest than others. How many people are publicizing that they are going out and then with only a few simple moments of searching on the internet, others can find out your address and relive your premises’ of last year’s bargains?

Germs…..okay I am not a germophobe or anything close to it (having eaten granola out of the dirt and lived with no showers for 12 days….omg, I could go occupy wall street!) but a mass of people in close quarters (some have probably eaten garlic) is a breeding ground of colds and infections. If a survey were taken, I would bet that at least a quarter of those midnight marauders are sick within a week. Spread those bugs to little kids at home and holiday cheer becomes holiday ah-choo real fast with grumpy cranky kidders to entertain.

Back to crime….your car is loaded with stuff and you go place to place or back and forth to drop off stuff. Your license plate number or other simple info can let the unscrupulous know where to look later! On the news this morning are stories of people getting pepper sprayed, trampled, beaten, and otherwise injured in Americas’ version of running with the bulls all to score a few dollars off on some item most likely made in a foreign country. Too bad those dollars saved will have to go towards pain meds, doctor bills or other incidentals as a result of participation in the “fun” of bargain shopping.

I read that for some this activity is a family tradition! Could I suggest another option if a family tradition is needed? Visiting a nursing home and ask the residents for a list of items they would like to purchase for their families but are unable to do so? Or perhaps drop in on your own elderly relations and offer to decorate, bake or shop on their behalf. Descend like a hoard of bees on one of those giving /wish trees and fulfill every ticket for every child in need. If it is the crowds, togetherness and battle conditions that one finds to be so much fun, then participate with a purpose other than your own. Perhaps then I won’t feel so embarrassed for us all.

Here is a suggestion for the stores….. let’s say a TV is going to be offered at a super special ultra bonus low price one time only (BS) price for a short period of time. If a person wants one, they can go to the store during a set time of several days and sign up, pre-pay, and leave contact info. Then, the store knows exactly how many they will need to have on hand. When the item comes in, the purchaser can go pick it up at their leisure. Psychology and human nature being what it is… most of those people will buy other items while in the store, passing displays of “cool stuff” while picking up their pre-orders in the various departments. Psychologically, the person has “saved money” and therefore has some extra to spend. Jack up the prices on the “cool stuff’” which is really on “sale” and the money will be made by the retailer. No teenagers working behind the counters at 3am, no extra security guards needed overnight at triple time pay, no blood and boiling temperaments…maybe not as much “fun” but I would bet the “cheer” factor would go up.

Me…I’d rather sit here in my pajamas and order online, or go down to the local stores during regular business hours and leisurely search for meaningful gifts for each person. Yes, I do go to the malls but only with my mom on set days in Oct and Nov which include lunch and quality time to seek out those items which may be a bit more pricey at the moment, but the “gift” of time cannot be measured by dollars because time can ever be purchased at a later date, when it is gone, it is gone, no restocking, no discounts, no back orders or rain checks. I can buy a TV any day of the week, but I can’t buy memories. Did you add a memory to your life on Black Friday? I did.

Just passing this one on..... if you wish to "occupy" a few moments of your time.

2011-11-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

Below is not something I wrote, but could have and would have. Included are as many credits as I could find to its original author and source. Since this one has been passed around electronically, I figured it was okay to do so once more. Good advice if you have teenagers..... or young adults for that matter. God Bless America, a place from which you are still free to leave if you don't like it here. 195 other countries are out there to be exact, plus 61 colonies and 6 territories some of which could really use a few more occupants.

Some Belated Parental Advice to Protesters
By Marybeth Hicks

Townhall.com

October 20, 2011

Call it an occupational hazard, but I can’t look at the Occupy Wall Street protesters without thinking, “Who parented these people?”

As a culture columnist, I’ve commented on the social and political ramifications of the “movement” - now known as “OWS” - whose fairyland agenda can be summarized by one of their placards: “Everything for everybody.”

Thanks to their pipe-dream platform, it’s clear there are people with serious designs on “transformational” change in America who are using the protesters like bedsprings in a brothel.

Yet it’s not my role as a commentator that prompts my parenting question, but rather the fact that I’m the mother of four teens and young adults.

There are some crucial life lessons that the protesters’ moms clearly have not passed along.

Here, then, are five things the OWS protesters’ mothers should have taught their children but obviously didn’t, so I will:

• Life isn’t fair. The concept of justice - that everyone should be treated fairly - is a worthy and worthwhile moral imperative on which our nation was founded. But justice and economic equality are not the same. Or, as Mick Jagger said, “You can’t always get what you want.”

No matter how you try to “level the playing field,” some people have better luck, skills, talents or connections that land them in better places. Some seem to have all the advantages in life but squander them, others play the modest hand they’re dealt and make up the difference in hard work and perseverance, and some find jobs on Wall Street and eventually buy houses in the Hamptons . Is it fair? Stupid question.

• Nothing is “free.” Protesting with signs that seek “free” college degrees and “free” health care make you look like idiots, because colleges and hospitals don’t operate on rainbows and sunshine. There is no magic money machine to tap for your meandering educational careers and “slow paths” to adulthood, and the 53 percent of taxpaying Americans owe you neither a degree nor an annual physical.

While I’m pointing out this obvious fact, here are a few other things that are not free: overtime for police officers and municipal workers, trash hauling, repairs to fixtures and property, condoms, Band-Aids and the food that inexplicably appears on the tables in your makeshift protest kitchens. Real people with real dollars are underwriting your civic temper tantrum.

• Your word is your bond. When you demonstrate to eliminate student loan debt, you are advocating precisely the lack of integrity you decry in others. Loans are made based on solemn promises to repay them. No one forces you to borrow money; you are free to choose educational pursuits that don’t require loans, or to seek technical or vocational training that allows you to support yourself and your ongoing educational goals. Also, for the record, being a college student is not a state of victimization. It’s a privilege that billions of young people around the globe would die for - literally.

• A protest is not a party. On Saturday in New York , while making a mad dash from my cab to the door of my hotel to avoid you, I saw what isn’t evident in the newsreel footage of your demonstrations: Most of you are doing this only for attention and fun. Serious people in a sober pursuit of social and political change don’t dance jigs down Sixth Avenue like attendees of a Renaissance festival. You look foolish, you smell gross, you are clearly high and you don’t seem to realize that all around you are people who deem you irrelevant.

• There are reasons you haven’t found jobs. The truth? Your tattooed necks, gouged ears, facial piercings and dirty dreadlocks are off-putting. Nonconformity for the sake of nonconformity isn’t a virtue. Occupy reality: Only 4 percent of college graduates are out of work. If you are among that 4 percent, find a mirror and face the problem. It’s not them. It’s you.

Regards,
Marybeth Hicks

Marybeth Hicks is the author of Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid: Confronting the Left's Assault on Our Families, Faith, and Freedom

(Regnery Publishers, 2011).

Giving credit...

2011-11-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

In danger of sounding a bit too “Andy Rooney” (rest in peace you Sultan of Snark…) I have to vent about this trend of giving out little plastic key chain cards to earn me points. Points my butt, those little buggers are issued to keep track of my shopping habits.

The local home improvement store gave me one a few days ago. I was supposed to register it so that my preferences and such could be recorded (for whose benefit?) How often do we go to the home improvement store for the same item? Is my light bulb size of that much importance or could I perhaps be too stupid to remember what wattage I need? Well I did not record their little card and went ahead and put it on my overflowing keychain…. Ha! So yesterday, I went to the same store and forked over my jumbled junk and low and behold…it was already mysteriously registered. Hmmmmm …. do I have purse fairies who take care of such things while I sleep, a sort of registration Rumpelstiltskin? I think the next time I go to this establishment, I will stop by customer service and ask them to look up my wattage records and maybe the size of a recent bath matt purchase just because I can.

One of the little cards has its own plastic cover...guess it needs to practice safe swiping since it came with its own card condom. Another one lost its laminate cover today so I probably ought to keep it on a separate key ring lest some unaccounted for cards show up by “accident”.

Oddly enough, I never seem to clear out the old ones from stores no longer in business as it is too much of a hassle to solve the puzzle of finding the split in the mental ring and working the card out of order. It is much easier to just keep adding more and more to the point that I am losing my keys inside the pile. A store I rarely go to has given me three or four (or is it five?) of their cards because I can’t remember to register the previous ones. The counter girl just swipes a new one and gives me the “credit” which does not translate to a discount or much of anything else in most cases. I am not sure what I am getting credit for, but getting credit has always been a good thing as far as most things are concerned (well…unless it is getting the credit for really screwing something up….) but all in all, I can claim a good key chain credit score.

Used to be we carried bonus cards and frequent shopper cards in a little mini purse inside our larger purse. That works for women in most cases, but men probably did not want a bulging wallet so they were perhaps reluctant to carry them. Hence the birth of the mini card perhaps? Just imagine that business meeting roundtable strategy discussion …..”so guys…smaller is better right? All in favor….”

Overall however, this bonus point idea is getting a bit out of hand if you ask me. Why do I pay full price if I don’t have my full set of keys but sometimes I can get a discount (rare) if I happen to flash the right inch of plastic? Can’t I just get a discount for being nice enough to come to your store and buy something? Often the clerk will offer to “look me up in the system” but I have to give my zip code, phone number, name, or any combination thereof and if I did not register their little stinker in the first place, I still get my discount because now I am in the system whether I wanted to be or not.

There are a few good ones out there however, like the buy 6 ice cream sundaes and get a 7^th free. I sure don’t want to waste my bonus on that deal so one must do what one must do….. Another store sends me bonus points for my birthday for a few bucks off of a full priced item (which happens to be shoes). Somehow I think I still end paying them more than I am earning in extra credit but birthday bonus points are exempt from common sense.

I do like the automated check-out systems at the grocery, but one store has a machine that asks me if I have scanned my frequent shopper card yet. Ring an item and the automated lady asks, over and over until I scan the stupid thing. Nothing like getting nagged while things are getting bagged. I wish it would have some type of program where she gets more and more irritated the longer one waits to scan the little key chain card. What a hoot to see if one could get the system to short circuit in irritation. It could get louder and louder so other shoppers would turn and stare or hiss out to “swipe it already will ya lady?”

If I don’t have a key card for a business, I am asked if I am a member. A member of what? I am much too polite to say out loud what goes through my head, but how I so wish to ask them that question and then if their members have regular meetings. Hello, my name is Judi and I am a member of Office Mx. “So glad we could all be here together to share our stories….so how about that sale on staplers? I hold out for file folders myself but yes, I do hoard office supplies and need to get my addiction to adorable thumbtacks under control.“ Maybe I don’t want to be a card carrying member of their club.

I am not totally anti the informational grid. If a store wants to give me a legitimate savings on gas or food because I have their card, that is okay. Such a practice does keep one brand loyal. On the flip side of that, it is very embarrassing to be in line at an alien store (because it is closer) and get the evil eye from everyone else in line because I don’t’ have “their card”. It is a wonder that warning bells don’t go off when it is revealed to the entire world that I am not of their kind. So yes, I take the application thing with its attached ornamentation awaiting official registration and drop it into the abyss of my purse in hopes that Rumpelstiltskin will work his magic once again, because goodness knows I won’t.

Snark…it is for real.

2011-11-07T10:35:00.000-05:00

Su Nimon found the following for me, a real editor’s punctuation mark, which is why I titled this essay as I did.

Snark:

Also called the Percontation Point and the Irony Mark, this one's used to indicate that there's another layer of meaning in a sentence. Usually a sarcastic or ironic one.

We are approaching the 2 year anniversary of Snarky Art…the blog site (as opposed to the 1.5 years of Snarky Art…the Studio) which has passed in Scary Fast Time (as opposed to those other two clock shifters). Memory lane is more like a highway under construction than a simple meandering path for most of us is it not? Sometimes we can speed right along recalling all sorts of details and other times we sit in traffic trying to remember something that “just happened” only to figure out that it was four years ago. So once again, I must reflect on whether to continue with this Blog (note the all important capital letter to help my self esteem) or add it to the cyber junk drawer of this computer. This site allows me to check the viewing stats of each and every blog by the hour, day, week, month and all time…(really? What geek sat around and worked all that out? ) I have a really big viewing audience in Russia which is weird….and also an automated searching device according to my son so nobody over there really cares a hoot about what I say. Best I avoid that exit ramp and stay on track with my original intent of reminiscing….which is a word that truly needs spell check.

Last night I attended the Canton Symphony concert for the first time in a long time. We have had season tickets for ages but the dates always fall on “call nights” for my husband or some other conflicting event involving the family. Family before fiddles I always say. My first blog…no don’t bother going back to read it because it was never published…. was about the Symphony. I had the smarts to contact the pro-blogger Tom Wachunas to ask his advice on whether I should publish it (along with several other questions about this Blogosphere thing) and his answer was along the lines of “well, I wouldn’t” and went on to explain why. Basically a woman can say things about women that men cannot not and sometimes even a woman should keep her mouth shut. Lets suffice to say that I was commenting on the fashions (or lack thereof) worn by the ladies on stage. Why is this funny now? Because Artwach “tells it like it is” as he should and more power to him to be honest and insightful as an independent observer of the arts…(translation: critic). A recent perusal of his postings (exit ramp approaching) and associated comments about the postings has been very entertaining. To criticize a critic for being too critical must be the ultimate in irony. I shall reenter the highway now or I could go on and on about how it is okay to criticize music, movies, books, fashion and even beer, but not art….? If I continue with this, I may explore this topic further at a later date.

Snarky Art has had it highlights for sure. My number one most read posting, which continues to get daily traffic (Russia must be really bored) is my review of the 2010 Jackson HS AP portfolio show. A few have only been read by two people which makes me wonder if you 32 followers out there are for real.

The post which shocked many was about my late friend Gary. I wrote about him needing prayers and support as he battled his last days with cancer. That same day, within in hours of my posting, a long ago friend of his was randomly searching for him on a whim. One can follow the rest of the story in the archives as it was truly one of those moments that came directly from powers beyond our own mortal ones.

The posting about Brennis and his hours and days of need received the most commentary for which I was grateful because it encouraged me to continue writing. If a few words online can inspire others, then I will gladly put words out there.

You all are a group divided however. Some only like the reviews of shows, some only like the slice of life stuff and a few mention that these are too long but you read them anyway. Some have asked that I review their show and others hint that I should wear Kevlar if coming by anytime soon. There have been many shows which I have seen but not written about which should not be taken personally by those who wonder why no words appeared. Sometimes I just can’t write in time to beat the closing date or Artwach did a fine job and why should I waste text when all I need to say is…”yeah, what he said”.

Over this span of time I have also learned to Facebook (note the grammatical use of the word and its placement with the sentence structure…) which has been an interesting road as well. I do have to agree with Betty White who called it a “big waste of time” on Saturday Night Live but it does have its advantages a far as instant contact with others is concerned. The irony of its danger is still lost to some however (exit ramp which I must avoid again lest I rant).

My stat chart on my dashboard (someone should design a virtual hula girl to go on it) shows that this will be by 181^st posting to Snarky Art. I will admit that thanks to my editor who reads 95% of these before I publish them, the Snark factor is not as sharp as it could be, which is a good thing. My original intent statement/post vows to keep my words positive, humorous and hopefully entertaining (shout out to my friends in Russia!) I don’t want to be too personal (who really wants to read about my issues and news anyway) nor do I want to be all show commentary all the time because I just don’t have time to see that many events because of all my issues and news…family before font folks….. so as I close this 181^stmissive of musings, I hope that this site has lived up to my original intent. I do find this process therapeutic at times (being an empty nester, my cats are tired of hearing me talk out loud and the radio just blathers on with no chance of getting a word in edgewise…) but now I am over my word limit so Happy Anniversary to me! (not the posted one, the one when tested the waters without a baited hook just in case….)

Hour by Hour

2011-11-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

What a difference an hour makes! I have finally realized why there are so few “Snarky” postings anymore and it is because I no longer have to make a sack lunch at 5:30 in the morning, or press some pants, find sheet music or car keys. The hour after chaos was when I used to type up my missives. Even though I don’t have to be “at work” at any certain time anymore, old habits are proving hard to break, so chores and errands take priority over commentary so as to be “brushes up” by 9:30 am. Considering what time it is right now….that won’t happen today.

“It will take only one hour a week” is the standard line used in Scouting to get people to volunteer. So much for the concept of trustworthy….it should be amended to “It will take only one hour a week, per kid, per year since the day he was born….”, but those hours are worth it once the time has passed.

I measure the distance to see my kids in hour units too, with route 30 to 71 being the most torturous of them all. For some odd reason, going east to west seems like a waste of time. I would rather be going north to south even though I must go west to go south. I know that sounds dumb but it is a visual thing. What is really stupid is that I would rather drive north an hour to Cleveland, than drive east past Cleveland Ave. because the latter seems so far “over there”.

The changing of our clocks is coming up this weekend. I grew up in a house full of clocks, my Dad collects them, the antique kinds which require winding and have really loud ticking and chiming sounds. Fall is not so bad, just stop the pendulums and wait an hour. Spring is another story, it takes way more than an hour to readjust the mechanics of so many clanging machines, especially the ones that chime every 15 minutes.

I have so many friends (Margo, LA, Patty, Julie, Amy, …) for whom finding an hour to meet for lunch often takes months of planning to coordinate schedules. How sad it is that our lives are so busy we cannot carve out time to sit face to face and catch up. But an hour is not really an hour, it is time on either side to travel to and from, then lunch becomes happy hour, and somebody else always seems to be waiting for us so…..we adjust and say, well maybe next month, (or next year!) for which I apologize to my friends for my lack of being a good friend to you.

Now that I am not being an on-site 24/7 mom for now, I have been spending more time with my own mom. One does not realize how precious those few hours are until the situation is reversed. When my own kids are home, every little hour I get is cherished. Now I understand how she feels and did not know it hurt that much.

Yes, it is “only and hour” so the saying goes…..which means I best get going. So many shows to go see and projects to do that I may have to set that clock back a few more than the required “one” this weekend. Besides, someone once said “time is relative” so why not take a bit more than my share every now and then?

Stark County Artists Exhibition 2011 at the Massillon Museum

2011-10-26T18:09:00.000-04:00

This year’s Stark County Artists’ Exhibition has much to offer on many levels, some good and some not so much. The top prize is well deserved to be awarded for a painting, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”, done so technically perfect that it could be mistaken for a digital image. And therein lies a dilemma…… why should a skillful work of art created by the hand of a talented man (Frank Dale), be judged against or with something that is made by the manipulation of digital media and perhaps not even from imagery created or owned by the maker? Better get your hooks out because a big old can of worms may be about to open.

As the art world moves further and further into the technical age, as colleges no longer stress the skills of drawing or painting for realism and (oh hell, I’ll just say it…..) that “talent” is no longer a necessity, what constitutes “art” has changed considerably. Perhaps it is old school versus new school or maybe just a thinning of the meaning to the definition of “artist”. Yes, I know, the 1950’s ushered in a whole new realm of art but the artist was still in physical contact with their media, even Pollack held the paint can with his hands.

As I have said in the past, this show needs to be divided into two…one for photography and digital pieces, and one for paintings, craft, and work made by more “traditional” media in which the artist is in direct contact with their materials. The mastery of Marty Chapman’s “Tranquility” does not merit to be judged against a photo in which the subject is caught in the moment. Happenstance versus hours and hours of labor are totally different skill sets. Now I will concede that there does have to be the “eye” of an artist to manipulate and thus manifest imagery into product so I am not suggesting that one form of art is beneath another in any way, they are just two entirely different ways to express ideas and as one field explodes onto the scene in ever more creative ways, needs to be separated so as to give both sides their due respect and appreciation. Both genres would benefit from having their own juries and their own shows. The public needs to understand that computers and cameras can do things which people cannot. So too is there perhaps a different intent behind using concepts and imagery found online as opposed to ideas born deep within the soul of the creator.

Some of the electronic or photographic pieces in this show are mesmerizing for sure, particularly Mark Pitocco’s “Equivalence” which is haunting in its simplicity of message. Unfortunately, hanging Emily Vigil”s red hued “Transformer” oil painting directly over it, does neither piece a favor. A definite color story happens along the back wall, which may explain the location of some pieces, but a few are overshadowed by their neighbors. Brian Robinson’s honorable mention award winning pastel, “June” is also worth taking the time to explore in detail as it is done on a rich brown toned paper that only peeks out here and there across the surface. Judith Huber’s pastel “Pam’s Antique Sax” is a beautiful example of pure drawing and Erin Meyer’s “Lips” is a humorous soft sculpture that proved to be too inviting for the younger attendees at the opening regardless of what the sign said.

Some questionable pieces can be found in the show but I will not mention them by name or any other detail for one man’s prop is another man’s piece de resistance. Along those lines, if one is going to use an iconic image that has been done thousands of times by others, then at least do it_______________. I will leave that blank for others to fill in as we all probably have an opinion.

I do want to encourage all to go see the show for treasures and gems can be found without a doubt. Clare Murray Adams “Green and Blue”, Isabel Zaldivar’s “Landscape in Black and White” and Kristen Lupsor’s “Flora” to name a few.

In addition to the main gallery show, definitely go upstairs to see the Massillon Tigers exhibition, but not for the reasons you may think. The story it tells is rich for the locals, but all of us need to look ever more closely at the front page newspapers mounted on the walls, not for the headlines touting the Tigers, but for the small stories below the fold. These single paragraphs mention “incidents” in France, Poland and Germany. Look at the dates of the papers then reflect upon what we now know about this period of history and perhaps how we should have been a bit more interested in reading between the lines. The second floor is always worth a second look anytime one visits the Massillon Museum!

121 Lincoln Way E. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 – 5pm, and Sundays 2 – 5 and always free!

** I must also point out, in the fairness of full disclosure, that I have a piece in the show this year, pictured above.

Hear ye, hear ye

2011-10-15T09:47:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have been very quiet over the course of the last few weeks. As the old adage goes, if you can’t say something nice….then don’t say anything. However, there is a flip side to that…if one had many nice and wonderful things to share, don’t do that either because it comes across as arrogant and boastful. So…..I am sitting here comfortably between a rock and a hard place. Good thing I have a seat cushion and my water bottle (a scout is always prepared) because I may be here awhile. Hmmm…what to do, what to do……..

Can’t talk about the 99% situation…..

Have not had time to see a couple of newly opened shows…..

The empty nest is full of good news for the migrating birds…………..

Studio spaces are bursting with new projects and a couple of long term series’ in development…..

Grass keeps growing and growing so “think time” continues although I am running out of creative patterns to make each clipping session interesting. The fallen leaves do add an element of pattern and design not available in the summer months however.

Guess it would be okay to share one big piece of good news….the fact the prayer REALLY works in case anybody was questioning that prospect. After 10 years of battle, my Dad will finally get his cochlear ear implant right before Thanksgiving (how’s that for timing?) and over the two years which follow, will slowly regain his ability to hear the world and the people around him. I don’t give a rat’s butt what anybody thinks of Rush Limbaugh, but the man has one too and he can run a successful radio show. So hope and prayer and a mountain of paperwork and testing have all come down to the hands of doctors.

Yes, it will be a mechanical device, but people invented it, people created it, people will implant it, and people will fine tune it. So all those who live and breathe for those latest phones and such, do stop and pay some tribute to the source of such things. Don’t misplace the excitement for what that little electronic box can do for the blessings of the man and the people who made it possible for you to own one.

And one final message to all those sitting around a park someplace complaining about no work…you could start with picking up after yourselves so somebody else doesn’t have to (do the work). If one is truly against big business, then put down the phones, the computers, and the name brand coffee, take off the shoes and the jeans, get out of the tents and the sleeping bags and stop using shampoo or other products in containers, don’t drive anyplace, and take your money out of any cyber location because they are all from what source? Say it with me now….big businesses. If you truly have nothing better to do, have you forgotten that an overworked mom could use some help, that abandoned lots could get cleaned out, children and the elderly could use a friend to talk to…………..guess I just think that free time could be a lot more productive if one thinks past themselves and towards what can be done for somebody else.

Oops! I wasn’t supposed to say anything if it wasn’t nice. So…How about that score last night? 31-28..go bears!

Tom Wachunas at 2nd April Main Floor Gallery

2011-10-07T15:04:00.000-04:00

One of many new shows opening tonight is an exhibition of 13 pieces by area educator, artist and fellow blogger, Tom Wachunas featured in the main floor gallery space of 2^nd April Galerie. His work is often included in area shows as single entries so to see a whole collection at one time and be able to absorb his messages is a rare treat.

By his own definition, his work is “Christcentric” and he makes no apologies or justifications for his soul searching metaphors. His artist’s statement gives insight into how to view his works as real objects as well as symbolic studies of what we may or may not know or believe about the Holy Spirit. As with all art (or music, movies, books, clothing, TV shows etc….) some will like it and some will not. Some will see only the “message” and not move past that. What a shame. The pieces need to be digested for a time, explored from various angles and appreciated for their elements and content whether one is interested in the spiritual side or not. Tom has given us a body of work and not just a collection of pieces. There is a distinct difference between the two. One needs to make connections between all 13 on view to appreciate his purpose behind the product.

“Big Bang Theory” is a large piece that reads like a chunk of space out of our cosmos. With its underlying grid that serves to provide a type of order and structure for the more aggressive wrappings that peel back from the surface exposing the ever expanding universe, this construction is both orderly and unconstrained. Christ on a cross is in the lighter area of the piece so too becoming unraveled and revealed to us. What follows along the walls cannot be labeled simply collages, assemblages, sculptures or found object art because they are all of these.

Several of the works contain almost a signature repetition of elements including thorns and roses, doves, sheep, and architectural remnants all embellished with organic markings that read both tribal as well as historical. Contained within deep boxes, I likened them to highly organic Louise Nevelson constructions, Nevelson being another artist whose work is often under-appreciated and perhaps misunderstood in its purpose.

Just outside my own studio are two wall pieces, one hanging down and one rising from the floor. Both play with perspective. The floor piece “Upwardly Mobile” will not be seen to its best advantage tonight with so many First Friday bodies walking past. I got down eye level with the work to see the details of the buttons and seams, chains and grains. How light and shadow affect the sense of depth is quite interesting to observe as well as the tar like surfaces. I did not touch the artwork, but whatever product he is using for the rich black coverings just makes one want to see if it is warm and oozy (I just made up that word…).

“A Brief History of Everything” is appropriately titled. The long format suggests a timeline of um….time. The blackness of beginning, almost like an egg, unfolds and spreads out in part as paint, in part as part paper, and in part as promise. Just so everyone knows… all the works have titles!

Two more pieces of which I want to call to your attention are “Knot Fully Revealed” and “Seven Woes”. Both are personal favorites because I was drawn to their incredibly rich and tactile surfaces. The basic elements of line, shape, color, texture and space come together in one simple and powerful unit within each of these works. The subset elements of positive and negative space, light and shadow and organic versus static can all be found in equal measure without one being more important than the other. Not an easy balance to achieve. I am sure his background as a neoexpressionist painter had much to do with his ability to make this symmetry happen so naturally.

His show opens tonight from 6 – 9 PM and will be on view for all of October, Tues – Friday 10 – 5 and Saturday 11 – 5.

"Literary Art " by Pam Neff

2011-10-01T09:47:00.000-04:00

Featured this month in the Loft Gallery of 2^nd April is a fun installation/exhibition of works by Pam Neff. If you are a regular customer of Sublime Studios, you may have seen some of these pieces before, but when hung together as one story, the perspective changes. A must read is the large text “statement” about Rock Paper Scissors which has nothing at all to do with the actual show, but does add another layer to the concept of paper and echoes the humor found throughout.

How to classify the pieces depends upon how one defines the genre of using recycled materials to make art. Our downtown is full of “junque” and “stuff” recycled into objects that function as sculptures independent of the intent of the original material. Pam has taken a different route by repurposing objects, in this case, books, into sculptural pieces the still reference the original material.

Books are conceptually linked to intelligence and Pam shows a keen sense of humor and wit and smarts with this series. The dark walls are a natural setting to show off the contrast between text and page. Because the base supports are also dark, she has created a background of loose pages that appear to flutter along the walls as if blowing in a breeze so as to highlight each piece and subliminally keep the visual story moving along.

The technique of this aberrant origami will be offered in a workshop on November 15^th. More info can be obtained by contacting piecesofapril@neo.rr.com or pick up a flyer at the show (stuck between the pages of a book on the desk…clever!). In addition to the 13 pieces on the outer walls, the center structure contains an assortment of framed and 3-D works, note cards, cookbooks and even a clock. If you have book lover in your life, one of these pieces would be a perfect holiday present and the wall pieces take no shelf space.

Okay, time for a bit more about exactly what you will see and why I found it entertaining. Personally, I like art that makes me think, or laugh, or both. Keep the drama, the angst, the creepy crawlies and the darkness for those who appreciate that genre. I guess I would rather read about such things than see them which is a good segue into Pam’s books. There is occasional “darkness” in some of the writings used, but you have to look for them. For example, on the pieces that resemble motivational posters, I read the writings behind the words and saw text about Poland and the Warsaw Ghetto of the late 1930’s. If you know your history, you will understand. My laugh out loud moment however was on the cover of a journal….”Blank book seeks writer for long term relationship”. What a perfect item to get for a marriage proposal! Fill in the blank on that one as far as what one could put inside to pop the question.

These wall sculptures have been created through a variety of manuscript manipulation with the occasional addition of an artist’s mini manikin. “A Real Page Turner” and “In The Middle of a Good Book” are just two of her offerings. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you however, so you will have to visit the gallery and see how the story plays out.

Until this space at 2^nd April Galerie is rented on a long term basis, the Loft Gallery is a wonderful location for mounting solo shows and installations.

Saga of a Shipwreck #43

2011-09-22T07:47:00.000-04:00

I have always maintained that the art business is one crazy, illogical, crap shoot of a career. Today, I have even more proof. If common sense and common courtesy were still in fashion, perhaps the exhibition biz would be a better place. [This was originally written on Sept 15^th and will be status updated using these nifty brackets!] I hope you remember your elementary school story problems.

Follow along as I explain the “what happened” (W) followed by the “right thing to do”. (R)

(W) JK gets into a National Show, which I have experience with so I know the drill of sending in timely paperwork, proper packing and on-time shipping. JK sends the selected piece 8 days before the final deadline and 3 days before the first day of acceptance. The piece is only going three states away so it is a 2-day shipping situation using my usual custom container that has traveled more miles than I probably ever will. In 15 years I have never had trouble with my shipping company. With a 100% on time record, I have had no reason to check each and every time I ship. I did not follow up on this one which is my mistake in assuming (yeah yeah I know…) that the record would remain intact.

(W) Today [9/15], a full week after the drop dead deadline has come and gone, I get an email saying my piece is not there “and noted that your painting, ------------, was not shipped or hand-delivered. If you shipped it, it did not arrive at the-----------, so we suggest tracking your shipment”.

(R) I should have been notified that it was not there by the deadline date or at least the day after because wouldn’t you think somebody should have been keeping track of all the pieces due from all over the country? [I accept 50% of the blame for not checking the status myself.]

(W) “But since the exhibit is already hung, your piece will not be included. An unfortunate situation. This means you did not qualify as one of the participating artists in ----------National Juried Exhibition. Even though you were juried in by-------, our Judge of Selections, by failing to produce your selected painting, this forfeits you from claiming you exhibited in our show. “

(R) I understand that I am not part of the physical show, but to be penalized that I cannot even be considered having been included? In this day and age of instant communications, one would think that a simple phone call or email at deadline time would have allowed me to check up on my work. I trusted the recipient organization to let me know if something was wrong, especially when we had to include another $40 check for “handling” charges by their committee. One would think the committee would be on the lookout for the extra money. [I accept 50% of the blame for not checking the status myself.]

(W) I contacted my shipping agent and blasted through the automated stuff with some inappropriate level of vocal responses. The poor girl will probably be hitting her first cocktail by now because I did not make her day any easier. Not only have I lost my work, my shipping container and the funds inside it with account numbers and personal ID, but also the right to claim to be in a show and a chance at the substantial amount of prize money.

(R) The show opens tomorrow [9/15], but the reception and awards, when people actually show up to see it after all, is still 8 days away. So if the piece arrives could you just find a spot in the hallway or outside the restroom or something?

(R) Giving credit to my shipping agent, a day after the trace order was assigned; I got a very nice phone call from my “case worker” who works in the lost art department. Must be a lot of lost art to have its own department but he gave me a 24 hour phone number for updates. Then I leave for college move in activities with my piece now missing 13 days. [5 more days pass and I get a call while standing in the middle of a museum ….my art and case have been found!...in Utah.] Took a bit of back and forth to verify who I was and that the stuff was mine even though a completely filled out label for return was on the inside. So at MY expense….the wayward art is on its way home via the scenic overland route from the far west. I declined to have it sent on to the original point of destination as they were going to send it back anyway because it was “late”. There are still good people out there who did not give up looking for one lost box. Yes, it was insured, but I told my caseworker it was not about the money, I wanted my work back because it is like a child to me, money could not replace it. They only look for one week then let you file paperwork. I said, no, keep looking…..and they did. Fed-Ex Ground….you did the right thing and I thank you!! Evidently Utah is the Emerald City of undeliverable/lost/misplaced/wayward stuff.

Now all the drivers of the company trucks can take my photo off of their visors as I am no longer the crazy lady trying to peer into their trailers. I cannot even begin to imagine how the parent of a missing child feels….this was only a drawing and a case and it has been a roller coaster of emotion. [Of course dropping the last child off at college and driving away could have something to do with it.]

And don’t even get me started about the company that shipped two orders in one box but charged me shipping on both orders as they were placed 3 days apart. Remember those elementary school story problems about apples and oranges? Well, try explaining that logic to someone named “Peggy”!!!