keep on keeping on....!

"The important thing is to recognize that our gift, no matter what the size, is indeed something given us, for which we can take no credit, but which we may humbly serve, and, in serving, learn more wholeness, be offered wondrous newness. Picasso says that an artist paints not to ask a question, but because he has found something, and he wants to share--he cannot help it--what he has found." --Madeleine L'Engle

yet one more "must read" to add to your list

This morning on Weekend Addition on NPR, Annie Dillard spoke of her new novel, "The Maytrees" which was ten years in the making. Originally starting out as a 1200 page novel, she has pared it down to a mere few hundred pages. Dillard explains, with all the ripe wisdom and literary credibility of her age the process of her writing and the effort required to pen a novel of this caliber.

Read more and listen to the interview here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12241185

All Hail Mondrian

Silverchair's new album "Young Modern" gives a nod in the direction of the deStijl, despite the 3-Dimensional liberties they took. Piet may or may not be rolling in his grave.

The Woman in Art

Be patient and wait for it to load fully. It's a little long, but worth it (in my opinion)

To the Birds

Here's a fresh take on birds, in case we decide to give them a little slack...


click the image for more...

attn: Libby Loo

I vote you bring this one in...

richard serra=love.

Crits?

For my own personal accountability, I hereby set a critique goal for myself, Lauren Kay McConnaughey, born of Brad and Kay McConnaughey in the city of Huntington Beach, California on December 22, 1984, now residing in Lynwood Washington. The date of discussion will be August 1, 2007. Any additional participants are welcome, and any nay-sayers will meet my fists of fury. I will be posting pictures and hope to get feedback.

i need....

so i miss you guys....a lot....i am going through withdrawals and it's not pretty.
let's have a reunion!

frank stella

The Met, and the MoMA for that matter, has a show up of Frank Stella's sculpture including some working models of architectural projects. They are BEAUTIFUL and I am struck with how differently all of our minds operate, see and craft.

When are we all going to collaborate? Just a thought and my hands are antsy.

EW! I just found a bunch of STUPID OLD ART PROJECTS and it makes me want to skewer my eyes out. I threw them away vehemently. Does anybody else ever look back at old stuff and feel the bile rising? Come on, share them! Misery loves company.

bleh...

Is anyone else tired of the Bird motif showing up in design? Ok, maybe birds are cute, but WHATEVER! Its a cheap design trick now. Make a squirrel or an armadillo or something...just not a bird!!

stampity stamp

I just bought a wood-grain rubber stamp. How happy am I?

Pandora's Box

You may just get lost in this amusing website as you click,click your way into cyberspace. This blog is dedicated to the crafty, artsy, and superfluous to fulfill your 'need' of all things handmade. Holly Becker, the creator of this domain updates the site frequently. To the left of the page you will find links of interviews, links of interest, and what may be called easy time wasters. If some of the content may be too craftsy or not to you particular tastes, the blog is worth rummaging through, because Becker has found an array of artists, stores, and DIY to showcase. I could go on, but you can just take a look yourself!

http://decor8.blogspot.com/

Meetings greetings

I saw Lauren today. You should all be jealous. She is fabulous.

I love my Job...

so umm here is what I have been doing for the past few months...

Come August 20th you all should tune in to Nick Jr.

foolish.

Pace Wildenstein

Apparently, I missed the Tim Hawkinson exhibit by nearly a month...and it looked fantastic. Look at it "How Man is Knit" being the title of the exhibition.

Also apparently, I need someone here to tell me of all the shows I am missing out on.

"on the future of art"

I picked up a $1 copy of a small book, published in 1970, titled "on the Future of Art," a collection of lecture based essays supported by the Guggenheim, NY on the condition of art right around the 1960's. The first of the selection is "Art: Communicative or Esoteric?" by Arnold J. Toynbee.

Toynbee is most evidently an international historian and scholar and begins this essay with the social condition; that being that men, human beings, are social. That we do and must communicate with one another, whether directly or indirectly, as a necessary condition of human living. After a careful unpacking of this statement, the author dives into art, its history and why it exists in such a social society as ours in which thrive many other functional means of communication (especially in more contemporary culture with the rising power of technology). Now I am intrigued as Toynbee describes the primitive-ness of extrasensory perception and it's replacement by modern language, man's ability to communicate with words instead of action. (What will happen when we decide that language is too primitive? And have we already declared it so?)

Toynbee writes, in the later half of his piece, that artists are not as "esoteric", that is to say removed and isolated from society, as we, the society, make them out to be. It is true that artists, of all genres, tend to be ahead of their time and therefore are seen as a threat to the whole-heaven forbid that we change anything! Toynbee: "they (the avant-garde) were trying to express an attitude to life, a state of feeling, and a yearning that were common to them and to a majority of their public, and in this the artists were truly representative of their public, though they were in advance of it and were giving it a lead, in virute of their artistic gift." And this is from where the concept of the mistreated, misunderstood, pensive, reclusive and depressed artist figure emerges. There is a written solution given to us, the readers and that is to become a generalist and to not merely restrict ourselves to a specialty. With holding a general interest, while still being particular to your field, you will be able to remain socially and culturally involved, not promoting this individualistic ideal, and allow others to be interested as well...to be introverted is to be isolated from the whole.

Anyway, I was just thinking.

goodbye and good luck!

let us all take a moment...

Shot at 2007-07-09

Shot with E-300 at 2007-07-09

more for Sweet Sydney.

A few blocks north (on 9th, between 40th and 41st) of Chris' studio is....
THE CUPCAKE CAFE!
Although there exist in the world endless combinations of cupcake toppings, types and the like, the Cupcake Cafe only makes the basic sorts and tops each with a icing flower. So, for a few bucks, you can enjoy a lovely atmosphere, a cup of coffee or a latte, and a cupcake of your choosing, either small or large, served on an odd tiger-striped paper plate.




For those not interested in cupcakes, your mothers raised you incorrectly, there are other attractive goodies available.

Sweets for Sydney

Sydney, these are for you.

Ok so this cake. I'm pretty sure it's a puppet. Haha!


And these, well, any number of expletives could go here: _______


By the way, am I getting too obsessive with the posting? Someone please tell me to stop if I'm going crazy. I just have some time on my hands these days....that will change soon.

Cabinet of Curiosities (oh the jealousy...)

Jessica Polka makes these amazing crocheted pieces. I might hate her a little. I love coral. Check it out.

Inside-out bears

I may have talked with someone about these before, but either way, here they are again. Kent Rogowski has created these beautiful, sad, decrepit, and sweet little creatures by turning stuffed animals inside-out. Browse the pictures that have been posted by Foley Gallery.

Evil Rock Quilts

I found this quilter's site through Boingboing. The artist is based in Seattle, and grew up going to heavy-metal concerts and still enjoys the music today. I love that she found a way to combine her love of metal-music with a family tradition of quilting. And although I can't say that I would ever use a baby blanket that says "God bless the children of the Beast," it is humorous nonetheless. Check it out. (Oh, and I like the website too. The layout is like a quilt, with each bit of information occupying a "piece" of the bigger quilt. Plus there are the little details like the pins and safetypins that are scattered about the main page.)