great plans

T'was a while since I wrote here. But I have news, new painting plans, and better things for my "followers. I will be getting a better camera soon, and will be making dvd's, Einstein is the next large,32 by 32 inch, subject, I'm making calenders soon and a childrens book. See great things. As the plans will unfold I will be posting more.

I do believe there is free speech

SEATTLE - A Seattle cartoonist is disappearing from view after
one of her drawings sparked an international controversy.

The Seattle Weekly reports that Molly Norris is changing her name
and wiping away her identity on the advice of the FBI.

Last may Norris posted a cartoon on her blog called "Everybody
Draw Muhammed Day" in response to what some considered censoring
of the TV show South Park.

The swell of support for her cartoon on Facebook prompted
Pakistan to pull the social networking site off line for awhile.

(msn-news)

So once more a person using her freaking right,which is preserved within the basics of living in America, has to run and hide.I do believe in freedom of speech,very much so, as a artist that is out soapbox,our muse,our right to use,yet not to abuse it. So when does one abuse the right of free speech? This differs for everyone, we all believe in different things that shape us,religion, upbringing,nature and nurture but I hope as a race of mostly hairless bi-peds we can agree thast drawing a cartoon should not now nor ever be a reason to change your name and hide!

your a what?

There are a few things in life that can atracked the look from strangers that you are a boil on the face of there "perfect" life, but telling them you are a artist is one of them. At many points in my life I found my self at get to gathers talking to strangers that looked at me like I was gulping up there oh so hard earned money...
Here's how those conversations go:
you are at a birthday party of a friend

"Hi"
"hello" Artist (a)
"Ben"
"Jay" (a)
"good party ain't it?"
"yeah,cold beer,chips,yep pretty ok" (a)
"So what do you do"
"I'm an artist" (a)

thunder rings across the sky,lighting shows the now stunned Ben with visions of yet one more unemployed freeloader eating his tax dollars.He takes a step back.By now seconds have crept by and he knows he needs to say something.

"Oh,so like what do you do?"
"I paint,draw,teach amongst others" (a)

That just reinforced his idea of a adult unwilling to grownup,cause you are not working for someone or better yet,you did not go to college..

"What kind of paintings?
"portraits mostly,but I can do most things" (a)

by now I get enoyed.

"yeah art school,6 years of college taught me enough to start my own studio and make a good living"

Eyebrows raise slightly..

"Really, 6 years hmm"
"yeah but I was done in 4" (a)
"so you work for your self"
"yep no boss,I can start when everrr I want"(a)

enter sip og beer and smurk smile.

Now I know, not all artists have been to art school or work for them selfs,yet we are cut from the same wood. We all have to endure the looks and talks of being less then them. What they forget or even do not know,we are better because we are close to what they have3 lost..a connection to our creativity.



"

the theory of creativity

Look down your legs..go on,I'll wait for a second.

nom nanom nom nanom,ok?.cool.
You see them flat,stinky things with little wrigley thangs down there? Them be feet,now what we are looking for are those little things down there you can move and sometimes are piggy's how go to market,toes. Deep down there weird things life and lay dorment until you need them,like names and answers to the most weirdest jeopardy questions and one more thing,creativity.

There a few different types of artist,most of them are either these,
-the hobby artist
-the semi pro artist
-the pro artist

think about it,you are 1 of them and all is fine.But all of us are creating,yet there is 1 major difference.As a full time artist I and with me a lot of others do not have the luxery to wait for our toes to give it,we need to wring it out there when we need it! And trust me the mood never strikes when the deadline is sneaking up on you like a homeless persone to a twinky!

But there are a few way to force the juices out of your toes and onto your canvas. What I mean is a mental block.

ok,enough ninja and homeless people jokes. A mental block sucks and can be hard to brake,I've had to climb them many times over the years and I have found a few ways to get further,with out drugs or alcohol.

Go walking, try finding a nice remote path and walk slow and try not to think about your project. Let your sences pick everything up,the woods are great to do this. Collect the smells and feelings. Wind is a great medium of getting rid of the codwebs.

This one needs guts and is for the city dwellers. Find a place with lots and lots of people! sit or lay down,close your eye's and soak the sounds and emotions of the people around you up. Replace your block with that.

read,read and read..try talking books while painting! there is a part of your brain listening to the book or music with no words!, and it helps to get things flowing.

Watch as little tv as you can,it does not stimulate the brain at all.

and draw,everyday a little.

emotions in art

Some things are old,others are older and then there are emotions.They rule us in many way's,sometimes for the best some for the worse. Not all are as good in controlling the emotions as others or as good into giving in to them when needed. Artists have always been subjected to emotions then most of the other people in your life. We have been using them to feed the muse within as long since the first time someone took up a brush,hammer or rythem stick.

Over the years I have created countless pieces or art ranging from sculptures to large paintings. Once in while,as most artists will do I dig out older works or better yet my written journals and look at my artistic past. If you never look back the future will be a dark haze,yet reading your past through your ideas and writings and arts are a great way to see your future. And after all that is where you want to be. But as I lay out my works and read entrees I see a theme emerging, emotions dictate my work.
Not shocked but suprissed I read my ideas through from a year ago, I am not a planner,they fall apart faster then I can make them,but I see that I do make plans when ruled more heavely by darker set emotions. Then I tend to work more on my own art,not so much commissions. Art is therapy after all.

Sunday

Ok I an artist which has not got the luxery to spend what I would want on his art. If I hjad the cash I would have a few things more which would make life easier. But alas. So I look through Chraigslist a few times a week, looking for deals. What I find is tons f arts and crafts stuff, to me useless things. So I got to thinking about art and arts and crafts, is there a difference, what is that difference if there is one and does it matter. So first what is arts and crafts?
"
arts and crafts
 
–noun
the handcrafting and decoration of esp. utilitarian objects.
Use arts and crafts in a Sentence
See images of arts and crafts
Search arts and crafts on the Web
Origin:
1885–90

and:
arts and crafts
- 2 dictionary results
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arts and crafts
 
–noun
the handcrafting and decoration of esp. utilitarian objects.
Use arts and crafts in a Sentence
See images of arts and crafts
Search arts and crafts on the Web
Origin:
1885–90

and:

arts and crafts

noun
the arts of decorative design and handicraft; "they sponsored arts and crafts in order to encourage craftsmanship in an age of mass production"

In order to to encourage CRAFTSMANSHIP in an age of crap (mass production). So it is training to be better, a form of exercise in order to get good at what your doing. Does this mean that arts and crafts is less then just art? In order to know that we need to know what is art:

"the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. " is what the dictionary say's.

What strikes me is the word quality. Does arts and crafts has quality? Less to me then "true" art. Arts and crafts is playing, nothing wrong there, but creating true art is not playing. Modern,abstract, impressionism and styles like that are to me NOT art. The are arts and crafts.

I hang out with a group of people whom art journal and the man whom "runs" the show every thursday, places the same feelings and "honour" to arts and crafts the he does on art. Stamping is not art, nore is flinging paint on a surface, it's playing, to loose and un controlled, art is control, knowing what you are doing, in control of the out come.

dang how times fly..

T'is 82 degrees out bloody hell I am not build for these hellish temps.
But work is steaming a head as normal. Now Rob Zombie is done a new project has reared it's not so ugly head. Trent Reznor from NIN will be next. I found a great picture and the canvas is primed.

I have been doing a lot of origami as of late, I'll take some pictures soon.