Art Plunge

All I wanted to say was..... Happy Halloween!

Don't believe the hype! This is a blog about the way things ARE and the way they should be The way things are: An artist supplies work to a gallery. Let's break this down in real world terms...an artists supplies a sellable product to a gallery (retail environment).  The client buys the product.  There are 3 entities involved artist gallery client   The way things should be: Each entity should be considered equally important and no greater or lesser than the other. Artist promotes to their greatest extent. Gallery promotes to it's greatest extent and Client supports at their greatest extent= $$$. Sounds like a logical way of coexisting and making things run correctly however it isn't always the case if hardly ever. Usually someone does not pull their weight and the $$$ never happens at the end of it. Sometimes the artist is treated like a lesser equation in the process. The gallery would be what without the artists work? A bunch of empty walls. So...

It's almost time! It's going to be a crazy week for me. I have a meeting this week with a gallery, my Moms birthday, Halloween, work to do for Art Con on Saturday and Sunday I install art for Latino Art Festival which means I work all week on my installation project AND knock out the commissions that are sitting on my worktable right now. I just wrapped up my DJ gig at Double Wide which was a blast and which I'm still feeling the effects of. No, I didn't have a hangover... but 6 hours of standing in high boots really kicks the sh*t out of my back (old injury) and going to bed at 4am when I'm used to 9:30 really messes up my sleep schedule. Wah wah! I'm an 80 year old trapped in a 30 somethings body, where's my Geritol? I wanted to take a moment while I had it and drop some of my playlist here in case you need to make a Halloween mix (surely you've already had your party though) and this is just a FEW of the 5 hours worth of stuff I had to put to...

Hang the DJ Hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ I guess I've been doing this about 8 years now, almost 9. I have a love/hate relationship with being a "dj".Sometimes I'd rather be dancing than being the music selector. I prefer djing with friends because it's more fun. And if I can't dj with friends I hope my friends come out to dance. That being said GET YOUR GHOULISH ASSES ON THE DANCEFLOOR TONIGHT! I'll be spinning at Double Wide's Halloween party. In honor of them having a Hall and Oates cover band I will play MANEATER for the first time ever. Expect some BEASTIE boys, Delta SPIRIT and some rare ghoulish treats from my 60's and 70's vaults, my specialty is mod, psych, soul and as a treat we'll have Halloween classics, weird psych, gothy goodies and blah blah blah....let's just have fun. Where's the theme from the BLOB? DOUBLEWIDE 9PM-2AM  COSTUME CONTES...

This is a photo of my "studio" from earlier this year when I painted the "Sometimes You Feel Small" painting, nevertheless it's a pretty accurate shot of how messy and cramped my studio is now. After each painting is completed I have a little ritual before I start ANYTHING else in my studio. I have to clean it and put everything back in it's place. Don't mistake that for being a well organized and wonderful feat but just being able to find my brushes, paints, packing supplies , etc when I need them is NECESSARY for my sanity! And my studio is just a small dining room with a mishmash of old shelving piled with all kinds of arts and crafting supplies and...cats. Everything gets cleaned, defuzzed and lemonized! Were I that artist with a well designed and slick looking home....yeah I don't know how those people have time to keep it like that. I'm too busy painting, shipping and hustling. Today is THAT day though- reorganizing and then cracki...

"The Path of Diligence" 48" x 36" acrylic/krylon on canvas It's finished!  I only worked a zillion hours on it. It's funny to think back on all the hours in the studio and how many hundreds of songs I listened to while this was being produced. I can't wait to get it shot by a professional so you can really see the lichen which was a breakthrough for me in this work. This one was appropriately named "The Path of Diligence" because that is what it takes to make it in this world. Diligence. Like a busy bee always on task to make the honey. Like a crane patiently fishing to feed itself. And all the fruits hung like little gifts if your eyes are open and you are diligent about getting them. There is an abundance of good in the world if you are diligent. As for the lichen, I've always loved the stuff. On researching it for the painting I discovered that it's a way to tell if a place is polluted or not. Lots of lichen means HEALTHY ...

my little squadron of busy buzzy bees Just polished off a productive weekend in the hive and now the workweek starts anew- not that it ever stopped. Saturdays and Sundays are no different from Mondays and Tuesdays for me. A day to work. Yesterday I burned full throttle in the studio on the giant painting. Still not done but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... another day or two perhaps and this thing should be zipped up. My sleeping patterns are off and so is my workout routine and house upkeep. When I am in the middle of a painting and with the deadlines I have nothing else falls into my radar. I know there is balance in there but I have yet to achieve it. My passion for being productive in my hive and creating art burns too strong and nothing can tear me away sometimes. This is either good or bad, I haven't decided which yet. In theory my brand new prints should be ready this week so get ready for some awesomeness at an affordable price! Here is what you ca...

This is supposed to be a cup of coffee with a cool galactic scene but it looks like hot chocolate to me, nevertheless I wish ALL my coffee looked so cool. A perfect song for a perfect Sunday. Not to be confused with A Perfect Day by Lou Reed. But since we're talking galaxies and VU, how's about a chaser to go with your second cup I think you can now properly go into your Sunday. You've been caffeinated, gone on a space trip and listened to the dreamy musings and pluckings of Lou Reed and the gang. I have so much on my plate these days I need these tiny little reminders to take a break and enjoy something. Coffee. Love songs. Galaxies. Life is very good right now but very busy. It is everything my Year of The Dragon forecast said it would be. MY Year... yet a lot of hard work. I'm in the thick of a giant new painting...I guess you can get a peek at it this is a zoomed in section of it taken with my cellphone, I wanted to show you the "lichen"...

This is a small part of the DRAGON at the Chinese Lantern Festival at the State Fair of Texas....and it's all made out of porcelain dishes..... I don't know why but it's stuff like this that keeps me going. Really? People made a freaking light up dragon out of millions of plates, vases, spoons, dishes?!? Way to make me feel unworthy. But you know what? It's stuff like this that keeps me going. This is exactly what fuels my urge to create in the realm that I do. In fact it was after watching the Tibetan monks make a sand mandala for the first time that I completely changed my outlook on they way I approached my art. I was amazed at the time, the patience and dedication...the reaching for something higher than the average. THAT KINDA SHI* IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT FOR ME! You think you were put here on earth to paint a picture of a rose? NO. You were put here to paint the most awesome crazy rose you could possibly paint and conceive ever! Anyway, that's my phi...

My work hanging at ORISONS FINE ART in MCKINNEY, TX It was quite a weekend! The show at Orisons in McKinney Tx was well attended and well put together with lovely paintings dripping from every wall. I got to meet some of the artists I was showing with and check out the local color as well. I roamed around the block and hit a few more gallery openings and art boutiques, everyone was very nice and informative... and had delicious spreads of food and warm smiles to welcome you. I had just finished a tasty dinner at their local "diner" called SPOONS and the giant piece of strawberry cake I ordered as dessert...I was barely able to put a dent in. Word to the wise- don't eat a big dinner before an art opening. I had to disregard red velvet cupcakes, delicious hummus and cheese rolls. : ( I felt like I was in some kind of magic fairyland where delicious treats and wines appeared dancing before you- free for the taking! Everyones sweet demeanor enhanced that notion, so w...

Making a TO DO LIST, another thing to do on your list of to do's.... If it weren't for me taking out a piece of paper one day and writing a monetary figure down on it and then listing under it ALL my expenses in a month...I' don't know that I ever would've started on the path I took. True. There is a power to seeing something with your eyes. It is no longer a "visualization", you have brought it into the really real world and there it is before you. The TO DO list is a lot like you taking a big piece of chalk and making a FINISH LINE for yourself. Remember you're just going to keep running (in circles, the wrong way maybe...) unless you have a finish line. And it doesn't even have to be a TO DO list per se, you can make lists for anything and the pleasure of CROSSING THEM OFF is a big boost and keeps you motivated. I forget from time to time but eventually it always comes back down to a list. What I need to get done in a day, by the end of t...

The hardest part is starting The hardest part is starting so I have found it best to put yourself on autopilot for the first hour or so and not over think it. My work needs a flow and elegant curves as it's skeleton so if I'm overthinking it  and stressing it will show in the paint. And so it has started... I have to pop off a commission piece today and then I can get back to the big guy. I have been getting invitations to do little things here and there and am trying to weigh them carefully so I'm not spreading myself thin and also trying to find out if things are worth my effort and time or maybe not so much. I have done a lot of time with wasting my time on things just for social reasons. Sometimes that is fine and you never really know what connections you will make. Sometimes you do things that didn't seem fruitful but something fruitful came from them so every opportunity- even the seemingly small ones- should be weighed and decided fairly. For me right n...

Little Red Riding Hoodlum in her habitat The weather has made a brief detour into Chillysville. Perhaps just to give us a taste of what's to come in Dallas. The temps will be cruising back up to 80's this week though so I haven't stocked up on hot cocoa and wool socks yet. However this little blast of cold was enough to make me feel a little like a squirrel who forgot to stash his food for the winter. Let me explain... Some of my work has to be done outside due to the nature of what I'm using- that being krylon. I don't have  a garage or any covered space outside to work so I use my porch and hope the conditions are fair for it. However when winter comes around and especially if it's a wet winter or brutally cold- this is not ideal. At. All. I got a good reminder yesterday trying to spray paint outside and only after 10 minutes feeling like my hand was wounded and deformed into a bitter cold claw. OW. Aside from physical discomfort there is the pure s...

A very strange thing happened yesterday... I did not paint. I guess all the rush and the push finally caught up with me and I fell into a catatonic state of the I Dont Wanna's. I have been painting every day consistently on something for someone or some show for I don't know how many days. So while I fully intended to start a new piece yesterday I didn't. I couldn't. I needed a day away from it I guess. And there you have it. My dirty secret. Once in a blue moon I just don't wanna. Today however I gotta. Freelancing doesn't afford a whole lot of those days so today it's back to the grind! Got a new commission that came in last night, new small works to replace small works that just sold and the steady work of building the body of work up. Today is also art drop off day for the CrissCrossing Corridors show. Busy Busy....another cup of coffee please. I guess I should address this before the busy season hits which it is starting to. The proper w...

"The Path of Patience" acrylic/krylon on 24" x 24" gallery wrapped canvas Well I did it! I finished the piece just in time to deliver it for it's big debut on Saturday! You see... I had the problem of having all my work locked into different venues when I was asked to show at Gallery at Midtown. Not one to let opportunity slip through my fingers AND always up for a challenge I rolled up my sleeves, accepted the mission and worked my tail off. I'm seeing a pattern here....it all involves working my tail off. Here is a detail shot of some of the grasshoppers which I used as a symbol of patience in this piece. A lot of this series has come to me in dreams, such as the fruit and in the previous work...the white glowing snails. I've been studying the symbolism of these things and it's been pretty interesting. A friend suggested I make prints of this whole series and I like the idea. It will be a slow process as I'm broke but little by l...

Yesterdays snapshot in the studio...liner work I'm working on a tight deadline trying to finish a new painting for the upcoming art show this Saturday. What upcoming art show? CRISSCROSSING CORRIDORS at GALLERY AT MIDTOWN. Check this event invite on Facebook and you'll see a whole slew of stuff going on at this new art venue as well as a list of the artists who will be showing such as:  7-10pm Art Exhibition featuring all new works from Dallas artists: Carmen Menza, Suzy Moritz, Cori Berg, Becky Deed, Bob Poe, Cindy Gray, Kevin Obregon, Beth Gandy, Trent Mann, Anthony Atkins, Judith Seay, Linda Bourgault, Emil Cerullo, Liz London, Hal Samples, Deanna Wilson, JD Evans, Patricia Rodriguez, K.D. Hafley, Douglas Winters, Jill Nonnenmacher Stephen Hackley, Alan Smith, Lisa Cardenas, Greg Hale, Linda Chidsey, Melissa Ellis, Frank Sowells Jr, JMR, Renee Vandevere, Bereniche Aguiar, James Zamora, Kiki Curry, Nan Phillips, Artist DIY, Steve Lawrence, Lorand Fekete, Frankie G...

(Dulcet Reprieve- collection of Deborah Rhee/ Seasons in Transit-collection of Jameelah Jackson) A collection of some of the SOLD work that just got snatched from The Wine Therapist show. These two pieces went to two different buyers and were a DEAL! It was fun to do these on 12" x 12" format. I foresee more of these.  BLONDIE- SOLD (collection of Sam Bortnick)  CHARDONNAY PULP RECORD-SOLD (collection of Billy Coleman) HYPNOTIQUE- SOLD (collection of Jimmy Holcomb)  JOAN JETT BLACKHEART-SOLD (collection of Philip Williams)  PINOT NOIR PULP RECORD- SOLD (anonymous collector)  PINOT GRIGIO PULP RECORD-SOLD (anonymous collector) Sugar Skull Estrella- SOLD (collection of Litsa Valis)  SUGAR SKULL LUNA -SOLD (collection of Nikki Greer) THE PATH OF INTUITION- SOLD (collection of Randy Parker) There were more that sold that I didn't get photos of because I was in such a frenzy getting stuff ready for the show....