the kids are all right

Just a little blip on the radar here, but I work Saturdays managing the chaos at a non-profit art program (a museum's art school) and so Saturday nights are nights I try to make something from all the swirling ideas I dodge and duck all week, all day, all the time. Tonight I'll be drawing drawing drawing because not just one but three amazing teen artists inspired me with their passion, committment, skills and perspective. If I can draw like that again...

Well talk doesn't do it. Work does. With my day-job done for a few days I now find I have more magic work to do...

hopefully the teens left as inspired as I did.

good luck on your drawings, too!

artist statement for the day.

well, honestly. I haven't made much at all today besides lunch and peace. I'm aware that many people may indeed be working for the weekend, but I have to say, monday morning when the kids are back in school suits me just fine.

also, would anyone be interested in any sort of collaborative mail project? let me know.

my eight year old is singing a repetitive but catchy tune of her own invention about black cats, and my seven year old is banging the wooden table with a big parasauropholus, and I'm sure I spelled that wrong.

just so there's balance in the world today, I hope someone out there made some time to make something amazing.

Almost 11

News as promised but short and sweet...

 Great day up in Tom's studio/clubhouse.  Those guys operate on a level I can't begin to aspire to.  Phil is furiously working on stuff for a show he's building that goes up on Feb 20 in NYC.  I have bits of video, but haven't gotten around to downloading it yet.

Going back tomorrow for more, with the addition of yet another great artist thinker and teacher, Bob Trotman.   Will do my best to give you all something of the days to look at soon.  It's like I get to hang out with a holy trinity of really cool artist guys that are incredibly inventive, talented and proficient across at least 7 different media. 

Sometimes, my days are pretty good.

In the news today:

I'm going to hang out with these guys:

Phil and Tom

(or, another way to put it, NYC visits Hillbilly Hollow and art ensues...)

News at 11.

3 quotes providing direction for today...

"enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity."
-paul goodman

" i need to go make stuff..."

- MB

"...not really worried about regularity..."

-Melampyre

The things we can learn from other people

(image by Hazel Dooney, used with permission)

I think mentors and teachers can appear from almost anywhere, at any time, and come in all sizes, shapes, backgrounds and ages. It's always educational to see how other people do things, and to be open to lessons/ideas hidden or obvious that they exhibit by example.

Hazel Dooney is an artist in Australia that I've been reading and watching for the past year or so. She's young, aggressive, prolific, and outspoken. All indications are that she has an incredible work ethic, and a sharp focus on who she is and what she wants to do. More importantly (to me) she is making her own way and forging her own path in, around and thru the higher end fine arts biz. She's a good example of a self-determining thinker and doer; truly a working artist. We've exchanged a couple of emails, and I think it's safe to say she has a pretty solid DIY ethic in regards to presenting, marketing and distributing her work. There is a willingness to pursue alternative venues, take some risks, and experiment with methods that communicate her work and ideas far outside the accepted mainstream of the art/craft world.

In addition, Ms. Dooney is conversant in several different media, and integrates them well, even though her primary focus lately has been large scale enamel paintings. She is also an excellent writer and storyteller. Her blog is updated regularly and is like a daybook of an artist in evolution. Her writing is clear, honest and articulate, and doesn't hold much back. She challenges assumptions, poses questions, and shares with us the answers and possibilities she comes up with.

I highly recommend that you take time to read this recent blog entry of hers. I found it to be challenging, inspiring, and motivating, and it made me optimistic. I'd love to see discussion spring up around some of the ideas and points she makes in this piece, there is a lot to work with and think about in those few paragraphs.

Thanks to Hazel for letting me include an image and her posts here at Shoestring.

I heart Laurie Anderson

This is the video for the Laurie Anderson song "Sharkey's Day," a song I discovered by finding a tape in a "Free" pile at my work..And further proof that Penland needs to start adding early computer art classes to their curriculum. Amazing.

Rachael is posting almost daily...

over at art, smart, etc. She's a smart woman that makes wonderful stuff and works hard at a day job trying to encourage people and make the world a little brighter. She's also a great example of someone juggling a bunch of balls and keeping a great outlook even though one or two occasionally fall or drop. If you want a little inspiration about the maker's life, give her a read. (she also loves snail mail, and sends the BEST mixed media letters, always unexpected and out of the blue...)