4th and Spring

I happened to be walking around downtown LA the other night and happened upon this gallery. I'm not sure the name of it, but there always seems to be an interesting showing there, but this one was quite spectacular. Especially when combined with the blue twinkling lights flooding the sky above this whole block. If you've never been to 4th Street between Spring and Main during the holidays, you really should make a point of going there.

upclose and personal with the greats

Just this week, Google and the Prado Museum in Spain made it possible to look at 14 of the museum's most popular works at a resolution that's 1,400 times greater then a regular ol' digital photo. This is quite remarkable. Never before have you been able to get soooo close to such great works of art. To be able to see every brush stroke and detail.
I recommend you check it out for yourself at Google earth. If you've never done google earth, you do have to go through a download process. And I have to admit, on my measly computer viewing was very slow.
I found this news out via an article in the FT entitled "Galleries, who needs them?" Which the author, Christopher Caldwell has an interesting point to make. Galleries were initially created to bring art to the masses. While yes, they do still do that - they also have a strongly elitist stench about them. Of course, standing in front of a masterpeice in person can never be replaced...but being able to get as close as you can now with these 14 works via Google Earth is pretty impressive.

Google Earth can be found here
FT article can be found here

roots#1

As noted months ago, I was working on some "new techniques". That was in this painting, slated to be completed by my best friends 30th birthday. I just finished it this week - not only because I've been a slacker, but also because I just didn't want to lay the color brown down on this canvas! This piece is symbolic for Kim and I, as over the past number of years we've talked about growing deep roots before a large tree. Do you know that Aspen trees have interconnecting root systems? There could be hundreds of trees spreading out over miles and they're all connected. Pretty cool. Anyhow(the biologist in me peeps its head out)...



The new technique I was playing with was stenciling out parts of the painting. On this painting, I painted the entire background including the green of the roots. Next I stenciled off what would become the roots, using tape directly on the canvas. This is where I stopped. The green of the ground with the dawn colors of the sky was just to pretty to cover up! But...the roots are no good unless they're under ground. So that's what I finally did this week. Also used in this painting is some "interference" paint. It's more then just metallic - it actually changes appearance depending on what colors are by it and what light is on it. The close up shows the dots surrounding the sprout painted with the interference acrylic (by Golden).



I've used interference paint a little before, but seem to be liking it as of late. Liking that and this bird...I can't stop drawing/painting it. I'm working on a piece with numerous birds in it right now and did this first single bird as a study - I really love it all by itself. Interference paint is also used on it, as can be seen by the added flash in the second picture from the left - I love that it looks very different in the morning and at night.

pinstripping #2

I've been thinking about doing more pinstripping work, but not actually doing it. Kinda of like painting with oils, pinstripping can be hard to actually pull out because the materials are messy, toxic, and a little hard to handle. But...I am getting better.
This design on the underside of my skateboard I'm quite proud of. I did this one without a ruler or pre-design!

If you're new to pinstripping and want to see some work from a more experienced artist...check out the page from one of my favorite fellow lady stripers...Miss Pinny

working creations

Keeping a constant stream of creativity is very good for my soul! Here's a couple random journal pages as well as a little play-peice inspired by my recent trip to Santa Barbara. I'm currently working on yet another tree and am excited about some new techniques I'm trying. Will share that soon!

tree with roots

There was a period during my move in May where I was creating. But, a few weeks ago I was able to set up a mini-studio in a corner of my "new" house's garage. This is very exciting for me, moving from a shared 1-bedroom where I was cramped to a corner and had to keep things packed away sort of. A space that is ventilated and where I'm able to leave things out is a huge blessing!
I'm currently working on a few different things. This tree happens to be the first that is finished (I think). However, I've been wanting to experiment some with resin...we'll see. I've also started going through The Artist's Way along with The Creative License which has been encouraging me to do more drawing...I'll be posting some pages up here soon. I've also gotten the opportunity to do some drawing classes with neighbor kids - they're really talented and it's fun to see their creativity emerging!
For the tree, I decided to expand on my painting-on-book-pages to a larger size. So I covered a board with multiple pages out of an old book and then had fun with mixed media. Trees just seem to be a really strong symbol for me at present, can't get them out of my head...so why not keep painting them?!

"While art and luxury enjoy their merry little dance, art and democracy have never seemed further apart."

A couple of weeks ago,a piece by Lucien Frued garnered $33.6 million. The most earned for a single piece of art by any living artist. Perhaps its just because I've recently taken to reading the Financial Times on the weekend, but I've become aware of what a hot commodity art collecting has become. In a world where many people have extra income that they're looking for creative ways to spend and invest - the art world seems more a marketplace then ever. I suppose it is a good avenue to invest money - but I just can't wrap my head around putting that much money into a single painting. I can't fathom investing that much money in general. If the rich people in the world stopped some of their stowing away and started turning those dollars even more towards things such as, oh, eradicating world hunger perhaps...it seems those dollars would be much better spent.

This is one reason why I like street art. It's created outside any purpose of monetary gain (well, so to speak at least...this article notes the increasing demand for "urban" art in the marketplace.) One street artist quoted in Sticker City said they make art for "the sheer joy of reaching out, entertaining, or surprising also comes comes into play...I would like to make as many people laugh, without resorting to selling them anything or demanding anything from them." I like the idea of the artists who painted icons within the church when that was an active practice. Icon painting was seen as a form of worship and teaching. Painters created works as a form of devotion and wouldn't have thought of signing their name to it - for it was God's handiwork more then their own.

Any abilities we have, whether that be creativity, business sense, culinary skills, or whatever - it would be nice if we recognized those things as gifts and thereby held their fruits less selfishly.

Pinstripping and Mama's Art Show

In the flurry of life, I failed to post the notice here of a LA Street Productions annual art showing at Mama's Hot Tamales. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to include any works in the show - but ended up finishing up a couple that had been sitting on the sidelines for awhile. As always, a show is a great excuse to get to work!
The show went great with a good turnout enjoying our groups art and the great tamales out of Mama's kitchen (I need to add that I'm very partial to their Horchata, Mexican Mochas, and Cafe Cubanos...if you're there, check one of these drinks out!) The show will continue to be up through the end of May at least.
With my dive into car culture now driving my 55' Studebaker, I picked up the pinstripping brush again for some practice. This time I had a good excuse to have fun with a little work hidden inside my gas tank door while I was changing out the gas tank hose. Still practicing, but I was very pleased with my finished work!

Having just moved houses, I'm excited to have a bit more space to do art in...stay tuned for more upcoming peices!

why drive a normal car?

A real-life work of art. Pictured at Viva Las Vegas 2008.

Life has been your art.
You have set yourself to music.
Your days are your sonnets.
-Oscar Wilde

intersection: 4

I just got back in town from SF and the deadline is up. I few more adjustments tonight and I think it's a wrap.

(close-up)

I really liked using the variances of media on this peice. Something in me wants to do this on the small page though instead of a 3'by 2'-ish. I had a good time making it though - learned some things- and did some work on letting myself just do it with less concern of the outcome.

intersection: 3

a little more progress today. i didn't originally think that I'd draw in buildings, but I thought it was lacking without them...and i'm glad i did it.i'm very happy with the pinkish part of the tree trunk.

#2

It's difficult, as always, finding time to work on art. Of course, with the deadline of a Street Productions show coming up - there's extra motivation. We'll be having an opening at Tribal Cafe on April 7th (more info to come). But for now...here's the bit of progress I've made. First, I believe that this will be the canvas/background for the piece (note: the light is bad in this photo, it's actually black/white). I originally painted this probably 4 months ago and its been affixed to my kitchen wall since then - I kind of like it. My familiarity with it makes me somewhat hesitant to add anything else. But I found it in me to begin by sketching in a bit of an intersection in white chalk (the tree will be the big piece of white to the left).Next are two studies I did on small pieces of paper on how the tree might come out looking. I kind of like both of them, but they have quite different looks. I'm going to do one more before deciding (maybe tonight if I get home soon enough). I want the tree to look strong and whimsical at the same time...so we'll see.-km

"People who are open to art go to galleries. It is much better when people who do not expect to encounter art come across it. It is important for us that art is brought to the people, not vice versa."
-from Sticker City by Claudia Walde

intersection:1

I had a vision a number of months ago. It came after a night canvassing Thai town with an anti-human trafficking group I'm part of. First was a dark vision of people enslaved. Next, as I happened to be standing at Hollywood & Western, was a vision of an enormous Oak pushing through the pavement of the intersection. In a quick movement the tree was towering as high as the buildings. As this tree was sprouting, I saw others just like it sprouting in similar intersections all over Los Angeles. I've been sketching the tree and intersection in tiny sketches since - but have been plaqued by not getting the perspective right for the intersection. Everytime I sketch it I seem to be looking at it from above, but for this peice I envision a ground-view.
In a whimsy of revealing my artists process, I've decided to share some progress along the way. Monday night, I made a trip back to Hollywood & Western to do some rough perspective sketches. I mean to finish this by the next LA ST show in April, so I need to get to work...these sketches should help.

...heeeeerrree comes...

When I was in 4th grade, I had dreams of becoming a child prodigy artist - daydreaming of walking onto the set of Johnny Carson while he raved about my enlightening art and pondered how it could come from a ten-year-old.
While my creative processes have taken me in other directions, I'm still amused at my childhood dream. Now art is more about my own personal growth and endeavors. I find myself channeling creative energies into such things as anti-human-trafficking campaigns and curriculum's...and also managing to do a little painting on the side.
In painting I mainly stick to acrylics - although lately I've taken to pinstripping and blockprinting. I love trying out new visual forms. I love bringing art into the everyday. I love that as humans we have the ability to create. I like to do that and I like to be changed in the doing.

"'-so long as I get somewhere.' Alice added as an explanation. 'Oh, you're sure to do that.' said the cat, 'if only you walk long enough.'" -Lewis Carroll