This super cool Hublot Cold Fusion Chronograph Watch designed by Shepard Fairey is only $22,000. Who wants to buy me one?
Where’s My Sugar Daddy?
Art
Poster Eye Candy [FMJ Edition]
Check out this super cool Full Metal Jacket (Variant) Screen Printed Poster by Oliver Barrett. Too bad it was for sale by Mondo because all the scalpers already bought them up and are selling them on eBay for $250. Blech!
I Won! I Won!
In some better news … I have won one of Daniel Danger‘s limited edition Winchester posters from /Film. How cool is that? I have been hearing that the movie is not all that great, but this poster is super duper badass.
The Lowdown
This past weekend was a bit crazy. Lots going on. So, let’s get to it.
Saturday, I went to the River Arts District Artists Studio Stroll. I hadn’t been in a couple of years as this was something that Franke and I did every Fall until we had our falling out. I ended up going by myself and it was kind of depressing. I didn’t have anyone to talk about the art with, so I don’t think I will do it again (at least not by myself).
The Stroll also depresses me because all the cool art just reminds me how long it has been since I have done any real art because I am terrified of failure. Recently, two paintings of mine that I have hanging in the house were met with some skepticism (i.e. “Oh, YOU painted those?”). That didn’t help my fear of failure issues where making art is concerned.
Anyhoo … I did see this cool painting that I wanted to buy. It was only $700 which seemed pretty reasonable as this was a large piece.
Saturday evening, I put in an appearance at my nieces birthday party and then we attended a wedding. I didn’t know anyone there and it freaked me out quite a bit. The wedding got started 45 minutes late (annoying) but the service was really sweet (I almost cried) and the reception was “breakfast for dinner” foodables. Yummy! I think I ate my weight in bacon.
Sunday, we went to the dedication for the new public art piece here in town. Afterward it was off to John’s 60th Birthday Party wherein the free wine flowed a little TOO freely. The “photo booth” thing seems to be all the rage at parties now. David, Judy, Jeff, and Lloyd joined in on the fun.
Somehow we made it home … after a Walmart detour (why the fuck did we go there?) and a stop at Taco Bell for cheap and sleazy eats to soak up the wine.
And then … MONDAY. It was a suck-ass day (and not in the good homo way). I was tired (and, thankfully, not too hung over) from all the wine consumed the day before. I hadn’t slept well and got out of bed with a feeling that something bad was going to happen. This feeling lasted most of the day. Work was annoying as I couldn’t seem to do anything right. After work, we met Wanda for dinner which was a nice distraction from the general awfulness of the day.
And now, the boyfriend is off to a conference in San Diego … so I am footloose and fancy free for the rest of the week. I am going to listen to my records too loud and watch movies that I know he would hate.
Living Modern
I have been battling a late summer/early fall cold. Such fun!
BUT … I did make it to Winston-Salem with Kiki on Saturday to see the Georgia O’Keeffe Living Modern exhibit that is currently showing at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art. The exhibit is all about the intersection of O’Keeffe’s art, fashion choices, and the specific way she presented herself in photographic images. The selections on display were a mix of photos of O’Keeffe (by many famous photographers), pieces of her clothing, and paintings from various periods of her career. It was a bit of a head trip to realize that her early watercolors (1916-1917) are now 100 years old. The catalog of the exhibition is well worth purchasing as it contains a ton of photos and information that were not on display in the gallery.
Here’s some of the photos I took that day:
After we were done at Reynolda House, we wandered over to Reynolda Village for a late lunch/early dinner at Village Tavern. I had the Pimento Bacon Cheeseburger and it was almost better than sex. Super Yummy!
Power and Glory.
While in Charleston, I got to see one of the remaining “Power and Glory” murals by Shepard Fairey (and the Obey team). The “Green Power” mural is really sweet too! But it is a shame that this mural has been painted over and essentially destroyed.
Man vs. Wild!
Camille’s “Snow White”
It’s the year of Snow White, apparently (what with two “re-imagined” major motion pictures opening). Thankfully, I can ignore those movies and put all my excitement into the new book which is illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia. She recently had a book signing and opening of “Snow White: The Complete Works on Paper” at the Michael Kohn Gallery. Her work for “Snow White” is absolutely stunning.
In conjunction with all this, Garcia has also released a series of four “Snow White” prints. If you really loved me, you would buy me “The Witch’s Laboratory.” C’mon … you know you want to!!!
Chinese Zodiac!
How cool are these Chinese Zodiac Mini Figures from Joe Ledbetter? Super Cool!!!
Design Time: Tattoo Edition
Sherry is getting a tattoo and I helped her work it up. It’s based off an illustration that she likes from a book (though I’ll be damed if I can remember which one). So with a few additions/modifications, it’s ready to be plastered on her foot for all eternity. “Get thee to Ye Ole Tattoo Parlor, Shortlegs!”
Rough Pencil Sketch
Finished Inked Version
Second Best Birthday Present Ever!
Even though my birthday was last month, I received a late gift last night and it is freakin’ awesome!!! I have a thing for propaganda iconography, and this book hits the spot.
Post Studio Stroll (Self-Doubt Edition)
Franke, Susan and I hit the River Arts District Studio Stroll yesterday.
And …. I always feel conflicted after the stroll.
We go and we walk around a lot of studios. We see some really cool art. We see some really overly commercial art. We also see some art that’s just plain bad.
Then I get home and I am looking at the business cards and brochures for the artists who’s stuff I like and I get depressed. Yeah, I get depressed.
I get depressed because 20 years ago I was drawing, painting and making stuff all the time. I don’t do that anymore. It’s maybe (and that’s a big *maybe*) once every six months that grab a pencil and doodle something out. And yet, we spent the day yesterday seeing people that have studios and are doing it … making art on a regular basis.
Could it be my job that keeps me from it? Does that funnel what creativity I have away from doing “art” on my own and into just doing “design” for work? Could it be that I have worked so long moving things around in InDesign and Illustrator that I just don’t know how to get what I want out of a pencil or a brush.
I started a couple of art pieces earlier this year. They each got to a certain point and I just stopped working on them. They looked okay, but I felt like if I somehow managed to actually finish them they would probably suck. And if I ever did work up the nerve to show them to people they would be thinking all the same thoughts I have when I see that really bad art on the Studio Stroll.
Ultimately, what it probably boils down to is my utter terror of failure.
And I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I should quit whining about my lack of initiative and fear of failure on the art front and just get off my duff and start doing it. And you’d be right.
Annual Studio Stroll Shadows: Chas., Franke and Susan
New Art (Not By Me)
Yup. I bought another Susan Livengood painting. As you might have guessed … I really dig her work. This is is somewhat different as she did it in acrylics rather than oils.