Wednesday, November 05, 2008

OBAMA WINS!! OMG!

Honestly, I would’ve never believed that the American people as a whole would elect anyone who is different; certainly not a black man. I did not have that much faith in our country’s people. In relation to the presidency, I didn’t think that we could ever transcend race - or gender for that matter.

Its funny though, I talked to someone today (who happened to be white) who was already tired of hearing that “America elected a black man”. And this person believed that most of the black population voted for Obama because he is black. What I say though, is that that reasoning is faulty because just as many whites have voted for McCain just because he is white. Sounds like that same thing to me.

Except of course, for those who “cling to their guns and religion”; those who call themselves “Christian“ yet are the first ones to lynch someone in their front yard and who are the ones most likely marry their sisters, I feel that on some level, we are starting to see past race a bit. (Please forgive my tirade. I find that I can stereotype groups just as much as anyone). Although I hold no unrealistic visions of our differences being non-existent, I give a lot of credit to a younger generation who, many times have more open minds than those who are older.

Just as the piece I created in regards to September 11th, I feel I must celebrate this momentous occasion with a new piece. I have no idea what I’ll do yet, but I’ll do something. And when I do it, I’ll post it.

I have so many feelings regarding this election… wow. I still can’t believe it. I guess what I take from this is that in this election, Obama represents every man (or woman). He fulfils the promise of what this country was aspiring toward from the beginning; allowing all of us to strive for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. YEAH BABY!

Monday, November 03, 2008

'New' Old Work

I’m applying for an artist fellowship which, if I am chosen, will take me to Rome, Italy for about a year. One of the things I had to do in preparation was to send photos of my work. There are a few of my paintings out there in the world that I never took photos of(real smart eh?), so I had to search the world over to retrieve some of them temporarily.

I’ve posted just a few of them. Just like many of my other photos, they were shot by Andrew Wilkinson. http://www.wilkinsonmedia.net/.


Just a couple of notes on the paintings: Trentotex fabrics is the first painting where I was really discovering how glazes work in painting. One can’t tell from the photo, but glazes create marvelous translucency.

















Bucksbrau, let me just say, was a total ‘Pain in my Keester’ ! I fought with it and fought with it. I think it turned out alright.

The Petal Head was created from a sketch I had done on a napkin. I kept that napkin for a few years because I always wanted to paint it. Once I started painting it, it took me another few years to finish it.

About Trento Flexx Gym I found this pose of the two wrestlers in an old book about gifts given by wealthy people. It was a small sculpture which was most likely made in the 20’s, judging by the hair and shorts. I used this pose in the painting and a few years later, I found that the pose was taken from a Greek statue. Funny how artists influence artists who influence other artists.

All except one of the paintings shown here are sold. The Windsurfers (5’ X 4’ acrylic on canvas with an unfinished wood frame) is the one still in my possession. Send me a note if you might be interested in it. There’s a story that goes with the Windsurfers. I painted it back in 2004 when I was quickly on my way downward; spiraling into a major depression. This is the doosy; the one that put me in the hospital for a time. Usually during these instances, I have no desire to paint, but this particular painting was a commission. I had previously met with my clients and they approved the sketches I had prepared. On the right side of the painting was to be a yellow sun shining in a blue sky. Well, in the throes of what I was going through at that time, I went off on a tangent when it came to painting that area. I painted spirals, swirls and gems and bursts of light. Needless to say, its not what they wanted. It was a bit “loud” for them. I intended to paint over the area, but was convinced not to, by some other collectors. So, I painted my clients another picture. They were much more satisfied with that one.