23 glorious years

Here's to me, and the late Michael Jackson (is was never okay to admit that before but his coolness seems to have multiplied on itself since he bought the farm). Don't worry your little departed self, MJ, I'll keep moonwalking all over this birthday for the both of us. : )

Donald Lipski

      

            Donald Lipski is an American sculptor, born in Chicago in 1947. He received a BA from University of Wisconsin in 1970, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, in 1973. From 1973 to 1977 he was Assistant Professor of Art at The University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. While his first interests were in the video and behavioural art of the 1970s, he became known in the early 1980s for large installations of sculptures made from objects found discarded in the street. 

                                    "Eternal Journey"                                "Good as Gold"

"Leaves of Grass"

                                              "Psyche"                                     "Psyche" - close up

Artist Statement:

Through the 1970s and 1980s, I plumbed the possibilities of objects I came across in the rapidly changing world of Lower Manhattan, industrial New Jersey, and Brooklyn, with forays into industrial sites, scrap yards, and other arcana.

When my son was born sixteen years ago, I left New York. I lived and worked in Sag Harbor, a charming town. Lacking art-making materials much beyond trees and sand, I was, in a way, liberated--anything I imagined could become material for my use. The process was more cerebral and conceptual, fostering a body of public works largely conceived on the computer.

Two years ago, I moved to Philadelphia, a city rich with the relics of a decaying industrial base. This change has sparked a new round of hands-on sculpture making--physical, free-wheeling, and unguarded.

"Tent" - this sculpture is wind activated.

                                                    "The Doors"                        "The Doors" - interior

            When Lipski gets in the groove of a certain medium or idea, he will expand on that and play with it many times before he lets it go. This can be illustrated by comparing “Tent” to “The Doors” or his many book sculptures (a few pictured above). Much like those, he continued the circle theme into other works using anything from wine bottles to bikes to guitars. He isn't fickle about his ideas. He doesn't make a piece and then move on to the next concept. Lipski pushes a thought to the limits of his ability. Below you can see one idea in many different forms. Here he is examining the properties of organic materials and the operation of ecological systems.  He searches out thick-walled industrial and scientific glass containers, such as tanks, spheres, and tubing, that are rated to hold highly toxic acids. Instead of using these vessels for dangerous materials, he encloses delicate and ephemeral substances, such as plants, in order to protect them from an increasingly toxic environment. The objects float in acid-resistant glass tubing that has been hermetically sealed with a heavy steel clamp. The preservative solution keeps the items in suspended animation, but since most of them are organic, they are gradually fading and decomposing. This is a kind of still life that is not in stasis, but changes over time. Eventually, all that will be left of the preserved material is debris at the bottom of the tubing, with only a photograph to show what the sculpture originally looked like.

                  "Waterlily with Two Red Glasses"                     "Red Apples" 

                                       "Water Lilies # 52"                      "Water Lilies #2"

"Sirshasana"          

             His chandeliers are probably my favorite out of all of his work. I would love to own one at some point, but I'll probably have better luck just trying to make one myself. The one shown here is displayed at Grand Central Station in New York, but there are others out there in vineyard cellars, museums and the such. It was made with the help of the artificial tree guru, Jonquil LaMaster. The roots system is covered in gold leaf and meets the trunk in a flourish of acanthus leaves. The branches are made of polymer resin imprinted with real olive branches for texture and then adorned with over 5,000 Austrian crystals.

"Tubbs!"

 This last picture is a computer generated image of an upcoming piece.

Book Review - Comic Book Tattoo

(This post inspired by Tori Amos, but dedicated to Lysdexicuss)

There is an interesting article here about how the cover art was made. 

            Its Tori Amos' 47th birthday today, so I'll be reviewing a book that is pretty much one of my favorite possessions. It is a 500 page graphic novel anthology inspired by her lyrics. If my house were burning down and I could only pick 5 books out of the hundreds in my library to save, this would be among them. I was mildly into comics before this came out, but to be honest it gave me an appreciation for them which I never knew was in me. It likely has something to do with Amos being one of my favorite musicians since I was 11 (although her last few albums haven't really been my cuppa, the first 7 are enough to make my devotion eternal). Also, I'm an art major so obviously visual wonderment has a direct line to my heart. You'll have to forgive me if I start fandoming, comics and Tori Amos together is almost enough to make me orgasm. However since this is a book review, I'll do my best to stay focused.

This is the only image of Amos herself in the book.

             The project was put together by Rantz Hoseley, an old friend Tori wrote (Flying Dutchman) one of her earliest songs for. It starts with an introduction by the increasingly prominent writer Neil Gaiman, another close friend whom she met through Rantz. The book includes 51 stories which correspond to as many songs from across Tori's unimaginably gargantuan repertoire of music. Each story would start with a black page including the song title and lyrics, then the following pages would show the story. There are 80 contributing artists, boasting an assortment of techniques and styles. One of the best things about this book is the variety of visual appeal. It ranges from modern cartoon to detailed illustrations to paintings to collages and everything in between. As an artist, I use this like an inspiration scrap book. I can go back to the stories over and over again to find stimulation to which can help me break through any artistic barriers I might be experiencing in my work. Throughout this post I'll include some single pages from a few of the stories to give you an idea of the diversity in the genres. It might seem like I'm giving away a lot but trust me, this doesn't even begin to scratch at the surface of this iceberg, and I've not included the best ones.

 

             The very best thing about this book is that its not just meant for Amos fans. When the artists were presented with the songs they would be working with, it was made clear that they were not to create comic book "music videos" out of them. They were told to focus their creative energy on making visual representations of how the songs make them feel, rather than designing literal translations of them. Amos asked the artists to present their own interpretations of what the songs mean to them, instead of trying to imagine what they meant for her. Therefore, if her music hasn't been something you've really been into, it wouldn't really effect your enjoyment of the comics themselves. As a fan (or an Ear with Feet, if you're down like that) I really enjoy seeing these alternate realizations of the songs which I've seen in the light of my own thinking for so long. These stories make me see things in the songs I somehow missed before, and I'm always interested in looking at things from a different perspective. 

 

Full list of contributors: David Mack, Josh Hechinger, Matthew Humphreys, Jonathan Tsuei, Eric Canete, Jason Horn, Dean Trippe, Sara Ryan, Jonathan Case, Rantz A. Hoseley, James Stokoe, Tristan Crane, Atticus Wolrab, Kako, Nikki Cook, Drew Bell, Kevin Mellon, Jeff Carroll, Mike May, Jeremy Haun, Amber Stone, Leif Jones, Elizabeth Genco, Carla Speed Mcneil, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Andy Macdonald, Nick Filardi, Cat Mihos, Andre Szymanowicz, Gabe Bautista, C.B. Cebulksi, Ethan Young, Joey Weltjens & Lee Duhig, Omaha Perez, Irma Page, Mark Buckingham, Rantz A. Hoseley, Ming Doyle, Mike Maihack, John Ney Reiber, Ryan Kelly, Alice Hunt, Trudy Cooper, Jonathan Hickman, Matthew S. Armstrong, Neil Kleid, Christopher Mitten, Kristyn Ferretti, Stephanie Leong, Sonia Leong, Peov, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Laurenn Mccubbin, John Bivens, Hope Larson, Emma Vieceli, Faye Yong, Chris Arrant, Star St.Germain, Mike Dringenberg, Paul Maybury, Jim Bricker, Craig Taillefer, Dame Darcy, G. Willow Wilson, Steve Sampson, Neal Shaffer, Daniel Krall, Adisakdi Tantimedh, Ken Meyer Jr., Mark Sable, Salgood Sam, Tom Williams, James Owen, Seth Peck, Daniel Heard, Ivan Brandon, Callum Alexander Watt, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Pia Guerra, Mark Sweeney, Kristyn Ferretti, Jessica Staley, Shane White, Ted Mckeever, Chris Chuckry, Jimmie Robinson, Lea Hernandez Derek Mcculloch, Colleen Doran and Jason Hanley.

"I have been surprised, excited and pleasantly shocked by these comics that are extensions of the songs that I have loved and therefore welcome these amazing stories of pictures and words because they are uncompromisingly inspiring. It shows you thought is a powerful, formidable essence and can have a breathtaking domino effect." - Tori Amos, 2008

Every Sperm is Sacred?

             There are many things I love about living in the South. People are very friendly overall, the lifestyle is laid back, and the food (when its not deep fried) is pretty damn amazing. However there are quite a few things that make me hesitant to boast my Southern heritage. When I travel and meet new people from wherever I'm at, I often get shocked expressions that I do in fact wear shoes, I'm not a teen mother, and my cousin is not my husband. I have to admit that these things pale in comparison to the embarrassment I feel for being from the same state as a certain over-sized family I'm sure you've all heard of before.

             I've had apprehensive feelings about Duggars for a while now. At first they were just a local oddity - this gaggle of strangely beautiful children raised in a very protective environment, but they seem to be transforming their family into a media-loving cash-cow. When I first saw them in public they were out herding their 14 children along the streets and had just signed a contract with Discovery Health. They were closely followed by a camera crew during their not-so-inconspicuous family outing. Since then, they have moved on up to a grand total of 19, with the last one just barely surviving her birth. That poor woman's va-jay-jay. What I just don't understand if how they could want more. Usually I'd think rumors like that are just media drama trying to fan the flames, but no, they are for real. After all the issues with the last one, and the fact that Michelle is at very high risk for pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia which can cause a stroke or even death.... Seriously...why?

Someone saw the Sound of Music one too many times.

             My disgust with Jim Bob and Michelle and their brood of J-named children has many reasons. To be fair, though, I do admire the fact that they at least take care of their children and at least try to be involved with their lives, which is more than I can say for many parents with just a fraction of the offspring. They base their lifestyle on a sect of Christianity called Quiverfull. This movement is founded on Psalm 127 which says something along the lines of children being arrows in a warrior's quiver and that a blessed man has many. Are they building an army for God or what? They firmly believe that God will choose the correct size for their family and Michelle seems intent on having children until she is physically incapable of doing so. My loins are filled with sympathy for her's, but then again, she's making that choice..

Not Acceptable

             Many people think its not anyone else's business what these people are doing with their family. However, with the environmental challenges we are facing, I think after you top a dozen it is everyone else's business. Regardless of how well behaved and beautiful those children are, each of them will have children (and if they are anything like their parents, it won't just be one or two). That alone is enough to give me nightmares. Overpopulation is already a huge issue and families like this make me want to pull my hair out. It is entirely selfish. I feel guilty just toying with the idea of having three kids one day, which would be my absolute max. Being one, if not the, most resource-depleting country on Earth, it is our responsibility to reign it in. They are devout Christians, avoiding sin at all times. But what about their sins against the environment or the Earth itself? Last time I checked it was very much a part of "God's Creation." Even if they were to cover their enormous house in solar panels and have each of their children drive hybrid cars, it would not take down the toll on the environment as much as having just one less child would, or even better just keeping it below double digits. They claim to have their children's best interest in mind, but have they stopped to consider the state of world they will be leaving behind for them? 

             The environment aside, what effect does this kind of family have on the children that comprise it? How can two parents possibly have meaningful relationships with each and every one of their 19 children? How do some not get lost in the fray? They implement a kind of buddy-system, where an older minor child is assigned a younger child to care for, dress and feed. Like I've mentioned before I have siblings that are a great deal older than me, so instead of 2 parents I sort of got 6. My mom and dad were/are workaholics so I can relate to this idea of having brothers and sisters semi-raising their younger siblings, but I hope they at least try to give them all the attention they deserve. Do these older children feel exploited for having to take on this responsibility? How do all of them feel about being followed around by a TV crew? Surely one of them has had the thought that maybe another brother and sister wouldn't be as desirable as actually getting close their parents. Would any of them have the 
balls to tell their parents if they did?

Caring or Child-Collecting?
(her other 6 children not pictured*)

               To be fair, the Duggars aren't the only people doing this, but since they are in my region and they are the only one's I've seen in real life, they've become the chosen ones. There are a handful of other shows based on parents with broods of chillins'. For example the Hayes family in "Table for Twelve", or the Bailey family in "The Bailey Multiples." A few celebrities are doing it as well: Marie Osmond (8), Angelina Jolie (6), Mel Gibson (8), Eddy Murphy (8)m and Kirk Cameron (6). However, (and let me say it is very unlikely that I will ever defend either of these people on any other point) in Jolie and Cameron's defense, I do admire that they at least made a difference in the lives of children who were already living and in need by adopting, which I admire. There are even people that have become psuedo-celebrities from it, scary people like Kate Gosslin (8) and Nadya Suleman (Octo-mom, for those few lucky one's of you who haven't been exposed to her brand of attention-seeking media exposure yet). Really, Nadya is probably the worst case of this entire post, she makes the Duggars look like saints. Anyone that already has 6 children, is on welfare, and yet somehow found the a way to get plastic surgery should not be given fertility drugs. Period. 

             In Biblical times I could understand how having so many children would be advantageous, back then we were still trying to guarantee the continuation of our species. I just don't understand why they keep doing this. It also seems unfair that Michelle keeps popping out kids left and right like a sprinkler while this guy seems to be having all the fun knocking her up and then plastering his face to every camera in sight. Why not just enjoy the children you have rather than relentlessly trying to add to the clan? 

On an end note: Jim Bob might have the creepiest face I've ever seen in person.


What do you guys think?
Whether you agree or disagree or neither, let me hear it.
Can you help me understand what would drive people to continue like this?

Album of the Month

ágætis byrjun - Sigur Ros (1999)

   1. "Intro"[1] – 1:36
   2. "Svefn-g-englar" [Sleepwalkers] – 10:04
   3. "Starálfur" [Staring Elf] – 6:47
   4. "Flugufrelsarinn" [The Fly Freer] – 7:47
   5. "Ný batterí" [New Batteries] – 8:11
   6. "Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)" [The Heart Pounds (Boom Boom Boom)] – 7:11
   7. "Viðrar vel til loftárása" [Good Weather for Airstrikes] – 10:18
   8. "Olsen Olsen" – 8:03
   9. "Ágætis byrjun" [An Alright Start] – 7:56
  10. "Avalon" – 4:00

click to download the full mp3 album

This is music which leaves me at a loss for words when it comes to describing it. It is a sonic landscape of pure feeling. Because I know of no other way to express it's genius, I'll let an article from Sigur Ros' website do most of the talking. I will say that Staralfur, of The Life Aquatic fame, was the first song I heard from Sigur Ros. From that moment on I have coveted every sound to come from this band. They make truly powerful music.

Original sketches of concept artwork by gotti bernhöft.

"rumbling, pings, tjúúúú, palindromic strings, bjargvættur, the coughing brass intro, bamm bamm bamm, the crecendo, the flute, the simplicity, and it fades out. press play again.

a lot of people have one album that changes their lives, something that in some way alters everything after the first moment the hear it. ágætis byrjun is that album for a lot of people and today, june 12th 2009, it celebrates its tenth birthday.

ágætis byrjun, a good beginning, is actually sigur rós' second beginning. three years previously they released their debut album, von. after that the trio became a quartet and they evolved into something astounding. as suggested by a lyric from ágætis byrjun's title track, sigur rós had bigger ambitions after releasing von:

við munum gera betur næst / þetta er ágætis byrjun (we will do better next time / this is a good beginning)

sigur rós began hastily recording ágætis byrjun in august 1998, with a release date set for october 1998. they soon realised they would never be satisfied with the quality of the album in time for the release. they bought themselves some time to fine-tune the record and the release date was changed to june 12th 1999, a date which miraculously stuck. (see ási's memories for the inside story on the album's production and release.)

on the 12th of june 1999 at the icelandic opera house in reykjavík, the album was launched. typically the band's setlist that night consisted of many songs that weren't on ágætis byrjun - songs for another time. but it didn't matter - ágætis byrjun was the album that was played over and over again and over time word of it spread far and wide. ágætis byrjun would become sigur rós's breakthrough album.

ágætis byrjun gradually grew into a huge commercial success in iceland, remaining in the top charts for over 2 years. dave and alex from fat cat records had had their eye on sigur rós since 1998 and quickly signed the band to their label following ágætis byrjun's release (see dave's memories). the first indication of the critical acclaim the album would receive abroad came with the release of the svefn-g-englar ep in september 1999. ecstatic reviews began emerging and gushes like "the last great band of the twentieth century" and "like god weeping tears of gold in heaven" were not uncommon. ágætis byrjun became available to the rest of the world in 2000 when fat cat released the album in the uk, and in 2001 when pias recordings released the album in north america (see manager john's memories).

ágætis byrjun was an album that came literally out of nowhere and seemed to tug at the heartstrings of those who least expected it. no one expected an album by an unknown band of four shy icelandic men in their early twenties, singing in icelandic, would become the worldwide music phenomenon it became. the record label projected the album to sell 1500 copies - it has to date sold several million copies. suddenly the band's tongue-in-cheek claim on their website in 1999 didn't seem so crazy after all:

"we do not intend to become superstars or millionaires. we are simply gonna change music forever, and the way people think about music."

- sigur-ros.co.uk staff, 2009"

click to download the full mp3 album




Please Note: I encourage the sharing of music through mp3s for sampling purposes. If you like what you hear I must strongly suggest that you purchase music from the artists of the albums I post. I understand most people don't have a lot of money to spend on media these days, but please do what you can. The only way to keep talented musicians making great music is to support them. 

Kurt Wenner

               Being inspired by my blogging peers, I have decided that I should offer something useful more frequently. If I’m going to put the effort into having a blog I should bring something interesting or, in the very least, entertaining to the table. I figured I should stick to what I know, so I’ll be writing weekly about an artist that melts my butter. Much like in my own artistic endeavors, I won’t focus on any medium in particular because I love variety. I see many beautiful images in this blog’s near future. I can’t say if this new feature will occur on a certain day every week, but at some point, as weekly as possible… Am I selling you guys on this yet?   : P

                One of my first exposures to art was through chalk. As a child I would sit in my drive way for hours drawing images like pastel dragonflies, stars, and giant roses until every inch was covered in color. Then a hard rain would come and clean off my large cement canvas for the next time I wanted to temporarily graffiti my front yard. I assume that Kurt Wenner also came from such humble beginnings, but he took this childish hobby and evolved it into something different entirely.

                Wenner hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan and trained at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Center School of Design. He started his professional career working for NASA as a scientific space illustrator. He quickly realized his passions lay in classical art so he left for Rome to study the masters. He submerged himself in classical art so that he could let go contemporary techniques. In some sense, his aims became to revive an appreciation for past art by presenting it in a completely modern way.

                In 1984, Wenner started to create anamorphic murals in the form of illusionist street paintings. At almost any angle the images seem distorted, but from just the right perspective your eyes will be completely fooled by the apparent depth of his creations. This visual phenomenon is manifested through simple pastels and paints…oh what I would give for my tools to give birth to images like these. I’m at the same time fully impressed, yet vigorously disgusted with his freakish amount of ability.

                Other than his grotesquely enviable talent, what I truly adore about his work is the obvious classical influence. Those years in Rome clearly paid off. I’m an absolute sucker for a good Botticelli or Raphael. But in the same way these masters would manipulate light and color to create vivid works that truly seem to jump off the surface at you, Wenner manipulates the space and shapes to make the images appear to fall away deep into the ground. To me, really excellent art is that which makes you stand there and just wonder, “How the fuck did they do that?” Wenner has this by the bucketfuls.

                Another great thing about his work is that it is almost always a half-breed of performance and observed art. For the many hours it takes to complete one of these, passerby can stop and talk to him or simply watch the spectacle of his craft. In more recent years, Wenner has accepted commissions from corporations as a form of advertising. Some people would call this selling out; I call it capitalizing on yo assets. Hell, If I was half as talented I’d be whoring myself to anyone who’d let me draw on their anything. 

            The only really terrible thing about his work is that it is painfully impermanent. Depending on the location, some can last years, but they are all meant to disappear eventually. This kind of artistic mortality is unfortunate, but the ephemeral quality of his work seems to make it even more captivating. Wenner does not commit himself solely to street painting. He also designs homes and villas, making him even more dear to my heart. His design sense for buildings is just as impressive as his chalk art, but that's a post for another time. 

Is it just me or does that snail totally have Falcor's face from Never Ending Story?

Faded Photographs

The next post is in the works, but I haven't been able to finish it because I've been so busy scanning old family photos this weekend. Until I get tomorrow's post in the bag, I'd like to share some hilarious and some horrifying finds.

This is the she-woman man-hater's club. Otherwise known as the American Business Women's Association. They basically raised money for girl's college scholarships and dress up parties such as this one. My grandmother is wearing the black pointy hat and tights. Why she's showing off her black panties is beyond me.

My dad's all like, "Gee golly mom, they've got air conditioning!"

This is my mom's hair and my dad's pants. Mr. and Mrs. Bell, this whole thing's just a tragedy.

My grandmother's friends. They appear to be my kind of people.

In this picture my mother is trying to kill someone with mind bullets...thats telekineses, Kyle. 

Seriously, now I understand why my pupils always look crazy in pictures. Thanks, mom.

Good lord, Dad. You looked like a 70s porn star. On a windy day his comb over would wave to people.

So all of my brothers and sisters are 17-20 years older than me. This is what my poor family was like before I  came along. I can't figure out whats worse... that the pepto bismol monster just gagged all over them, my dad's showing off of the furry creature in his shirt, or the mullets...oh god the mullets... Ima cry.

The South: Where big ass guns are totally appropriate at Christmas.

I'm just including this one because it was my favorite. David and Alice Bell.