Art News Blog

Banksy Searches

2008-10-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Since installing Google Analytics a couple of months ago I have been spending a lot of time looking at where people are coming from and how they're getting to Art News Blog. Apart from learning that sex and nudity is more popular than art, I have also learned that people ask search engines some strange questions.

As Banksy was in the news recently, I thought I would see what people are searching for. Here's some Banksy search terms (it looks like students no longer answer questions themselves, they just do a search for it)..

why do i like banksy?
why does banksy do what he does?
why is banksys art not liked by some people?
what does banksy work mean?
positive banksy information
how does banksy do it?
is banksy anti semitic?
banksy is more than one person
where is banksy?
is banksy good or bad?
how to be like banksy
who is banksy?

The first question on the list makes me think of doing a search on Google to ask "Who am I?" Has Google become our answer to everything? Google should release Google God or Zen Google to answer all our difficult questions.
>> News on Banksy

Banksy Pet Store.. and Charcoal Grill in New York

2008-10-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

I generally don't like art that preaches to me or tells me that I'm doing something wrong. There's enough people in the world trying to force others to live or be like themselves, so I like my art to be art.

Banksy is one of the few artists that I don't mind preaching to me as he's such a clever artist. I wouldn't hang (most of) his work on my walls at home as they're too preachie (and too expensive), but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate his art/messages.

His latest work is a pet shop of freaky animatronic animal/food hybrids in New York. He questions our use and abuse of animals as pets and food.

The chicken nuggets pecking at a container of McDonalds sauce is just weird. The realistic chicken looking over them like a concerned parent just makes the scene even weirder.

Here's a quote from Banksy on the Wooster Collective website.. "New Yorkers don’t care about art, they care about pets. So I’m exhibiting them instead. I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing. I took all the money I made exploiting an animal in my last show and used it to fund a new show about the exploitation of animals. If its art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art"

Wooster Collective has a few more photos and video of the Banksy pet shop posted here.

Watch this video below of a leopard from Banksy's "The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill" exhibition..

There's more videos on YouTube for those that are interested in the Banksy freakshow. I wish I was close enough to go and see it.

Banksy has a website for the Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill exhibition online here. The pet store is located at 89 Seventh Avenue South, Greenwich Village, New York, USA. The pet shop is open from 10am till 12am daily until the 31st of October, 08.

The Gothamist, MyArtSpace and the NY Times all mention the Banksy NY exhibition too.
>> Banksy News

Wines for my Birthday - Wine Scams

2008-10-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

It seems that Maxwells Brown is a cultural creature that not only has a liking for fine art but also has a taste for fine wine!

From a recent comment on the previous Maxwells Brown scam post here..

Subject: wines for my birthday...............................
Hello, My name is Maxwells Brown, an American .I live and work here in Tokyo, Japan. Actually when I was around last year for Christmas holiday, I got a bottle of one of your wines from a friend as a gift and I love the taste Since then , I have been planning on getting your wines for my birthday party ...coming up 3RD week of july, here in Tokyo, Japan.I got your contact through your website and I want to know if you will be able to supply me some cases of wines for my upcoming birthday .I will be making my payment via my American based credit card .I am registered with a shipping agency in U.K, which has representatives in USA .So you are not get the wines shipped but the wines will be picked up at your location by this licensed shipping agency .The shipping agency have all the appropriate exportation documents and permits Therefore concerning the shipping of the wines , I will refer you to this shipping company that will come for the pick up of the wines in your location once I have made my payment .They have got like items shipped to me here twice without any delay .Kindly get back to me so that I can make my orders.
Thanks.Maxwells

His English has actually improved from the scam email he sent me, so with all the money earned from scamming artists and wine merchants Maxwells Brown is probably employing a personal language tutor.

TorbWine also has a scammers list of undesirables.
>> Scams, Wine

Life Size Lego Portrait Sculptures - Nathan Sawaya

2008-10-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

New York Lego artist Nathan Sawaya has made the wish list catalogue of the upscale retailer Neiman Marcus this year. Gifts in the christmas catalogue range from $500 to $10 million and include things like an 18,400 record collection with every song from the Billboard Top 100 list from 1955 to 1990 for $275,000, designs for a 3 hole Jack Nicklaus golf course for $1 million, and a $250,000 home bar from Guinness with a one year supply of Guinness draught.

Nathan Sawaya's life size Lego sculptures will set you back $60,000 each. You just have to send him some detailed photos of yourself and he'll create your Lego likeness.

I mentioned Nathan Sawaya's the Art of the Brick exhibition last year.

Robin Abrams told Forbes.. "The catalogue is based on 'fantasy gifts' that are extravagant in any times, and people have come to expect to be surprised and thrilled by the outrageousness of the items. I think even in this economy the public will enjoy reading the catalogue and be curious to see the featured items. Most people could not afford these 'fantasy items' in even the most lucrative of times. The catalogue is more promotional than anything else and is fun."

>> Sculpture News, Strange News

Marc Quinn's Gold Kate Moss and Blood Self

2008-10-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Neither of these stories are new, but I thought I would mention that Marc Quinn's solid gold Kate Moss sculpture has been unveiled and the National Portrait Gallery in the UK is hoping to buy his 2006 version of "Self."

We were given a sneak peek of the solid gold Kate Moss sculpture a few weeks ago, but the contorted Moss has now been fully unveiled and is on display at the British Museum's Statuephilia exhibition. Sculptors exhibiting in the show include Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Ron Mueck, and Marc Quinn.

There's more on the Kate Moss sculpture over at the Telegraph, which is also where I stole/borrowed the image above.

Every five years the sculptor Marc Quinn creates a new version of his "Self" sculpture, made with his own blood. He collects his own blood over a number of months and makes a self portrait cast.

The National Portrait Gallery is hoping to purchase Marc Quinn's 2006 version of "Self" but still needs to raise another £200,000 for the £350,000 price tag.

Brian from MyArtSpace talks more about it on his blog here.

The 1991 and 2001 versions of Marc Quinn's blood sculpture can be bought as posters on the sculptor's website here.

Bill Henson School Controversy

2008-10-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

The controversial Australian photographer Bill Henson is making news again down under. Earlier in the year he had his Roslyn Oxley9 exhibition in Sydney raided by police with several nude photos being seized (and later returned). Henson was labelled everything from a pornographer to a paedophile and even prompted the Australian prime minister to call the photos revolting.

Henson now has the school teacher Sue Knight in trouble after she allowed the photographer to search for models at the St Kilda Park Primary School when she was the principal of the Melbourne school.

Here's some more from the Canberra Times.. "Parents of children at the primary school where photographer Bill Henson scouted the playground for models have supported the artist and the principal's decision to allow him into the school. St Kilda Park Primary School council president David Myer said the school backed former principal Sue Knight who escorted Mr Henson around the school last year."

I must confess that if I had an 11 year old daughter at school, I wouldn't like a middle aged man scouting the school for possible nude photos. The matter is still being investigated but it seems that the media is making the incident sound much scarier than it actually was.

Bill Henson remained silent during his controversial Sydney exhibition earlier in the year, but has spoken to the Age's David Marr about the latest media frenzy/witch hunt. Here's some Bill Henson quotes from the interview..

"Sometimes it's a friend, or the kids of a friend, or a friend of a friend. Sometimes it can be a friend of a relative. Sometimes you are walking down the street or you are in a restaurant and you see someone. There is this face. All you can do is give them a card and say: 'Look, just Google me, and I'd be very interested in photographing your daughter or son.' "
Bill Henson

"I went in there (the Melbourne school) just wandered around while everyone was having their lunch. I saw this boy, and I saw a girl too actually, and I thought they would be great and the principal said, 'Fine, I will give the parents a ring and let you know.' So the ball is always in their court. The girl's parents went, 'Oh no, we don't think it's for us' and the boy's parents said, 'Yes, sure.' So … that is how I started working with him."
Bill Henson

>> Bill Henson Nude Teen Controversy, Controversies, Photography News

Midphase Review - Web Hosting

2008-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that Art News Blog was offline quite a bit over the past week or so. Thanks to the lovely people over at Midphase.com for suspending my account three times and a big thank you to the tech support people at midphase hosting.. for your excellent impersonation of a brick wall. I seriously couldn't pick the difference (I have spoken to more responsive brick walls).

The official reason for Midphase suspending me was the "amount of CPU and/or memory resources used by your account" and they said they want to help me "track down the cause as quickly as possible." It's more than a week later and they still haven't found the "cause" of the problem.

Towards the end of the Midphase email was this sentence.. "We're not attempting to upsale you to a more expensive plan, however, we're simply providing you an upgrade path to ensure the future success of your site!" Usually when a sales rep is telling me he isn't trying to sell me something, he is trying to sell me something. So I was suspicious of their intentions from the beginning.

I took ArtNewsBlog off of the Mid phase hosting account after being suspended twice as it was the most popular website on the account I was using and I wanted to fix the problem quickly. I left a couple of small websites on the Midphase host as they received very little traffic and couldn't possibly cause a problem. But I was wrong as Midphase has suspended the account again and the websites have been down for more than two days now, even though tech support said they would have it back online immediately.

So after hours of chatting with Midphase tech support (it felt like they went out for a coffee everytime I asked a question), submitting several tech support tickets (and not getting one useful reply), and putting up with several days downtime over the past week, I thought I would share my happy experiences with a Midphase hosting review!

The Midphase web host used to be an excellent company, but tech support has gone dooooooown hill very fast after the host was bought out by another hosting company. In the 8 years that I have been online I have never dealt with such incompetence, which says a LOT as I have dealt with a few crappy web hosts in my time.

I'm also very sorry to any one that I recommended Midphase hosting to. I hope you never have to deal with their tech support. I'm never recommending another web host again!
>> Website Reviews, Internet News

Sarah Palin Nude

2008-10-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

I know that many visitors to Art News Blog like nudes and politics, so here it is in one post: Sarah Palin nude!

Chicago painter Bruce Elliott has come up with a novel way to get customers into his Old Town Ale House bar in Chicago with his nude Sarah Palin picture. The American vice president hopeful for the republican party is shown in a full frontal nude pose, standing on a polar bear skin rug, clinging to an automatic weapon, with a lucky moose still alive outside the window. The moose looks like it's in a river, but I guess it could also be a pool of oil, so perhaps the moose is stuck and about to die?

Bruce Elliot told ArtDaily that the model for the nude Sarah Palin painting was his daughter. Elliot said that he finds Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "fascinating, even though I pretty much despise everything she stands for."

I don't live in the United States, so I probably shouldn't have an opinion, but aren't we sick of having a clown in the whitehouse yet? God help the world and the environment if Sarah Palin ever grabs hold of the whitehouse steering wheel. I know she would only be vice president, but that puts her a heart beat away from the number one job. That's a veeeeery scary thought.. and I don't scare easily!
>> Nude Art News

10 Things I Love About Having an Art Blog

2008-10-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

After having a vent yesterday with my "Ten Things I Hate About Having an Art Blog" list, I realized that I don't hate having an art blog at all. Actually I struggled to come up with ten things, but I couldn't stop at six or seven things as it would have looked like I wasn't trying hard enough.

So, as a counterweight, here's Ten things that I love about having an art blog..

Comments - Comments featured prominently on the list of things I hate too, but I was just talking about the comments of spammers and retards. All the intelligent things are said in the comments on Art News Blog, so if you just read my posts, you're missing all the interesting stuff in the comments. The comments that disagree with me may be wrong (as I'm always right), but they still interest me.
Keeping Up - I like to know what's happening in the world of art. It's a big world and there's lots happening. I wish some one would hurry up and make a teleporter so I could go to some of the exhibition invites I receive from around the world.
Appreciation - My favorite emails are from artists explaining that my little list of wicked scammers prevented them from being conned.
I can say what I want - Freedom to say almost anything I want. I don't have to report to Rupert Murdoch or an editor in chief to see if my opinions are valid, I just click "Publish Post" and I'm online.
Vanity or Ego Stroking - I shouldn't mention this publicly, but I like it when I'm talking to some one and learn that they read Art News Blog. It's a small world. People expect me to have really strong opinions on everything after they learn that the blog is mine, but my opinions change with the weather.
People - I have met some interesting people because of this blog. Some in person, some through email, some on the phone, and some through comments.
People Send me the News - Most days I don't even have to go looking for art news as it finds me. I must be on a few mailing lists as the inbox fills up with news each day. So don't be offended if I don't mention your exhibition opening or reply to your press release as I'm just one person.
Freebies and Bribes - Mostly small things like books and magazines. I don't receive much but I love getting surprise packages. If I start making weekly posts about how wonderful Ferarris are, you'll know that I have been bought by a Ferrari dealer.
Talking About Art - Most of my friends in real life wouldn't know a Francis Bacon from a Jackson Pollock. Which means that I talk about art online with people that like art as much as me, rather than forcing my art-ignorant friends to listen to my rants about the importance of art.
Learning - The blog forces me to learn new things and be open to new ideas. I can still be narrow minded at times, but I try widen my world view a little bit each day.

10 Things I Hate About Having an Art Blog

2008-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have a public whinge, but I don't have a therapist, so this is the next best thing ;-)

Most of the time I enjoy looking after Art News Blog, but sometimes it really gets to me and I struggle to log into Blogger! So, here's ten things that I hate about having an art blog (there's easily 100 things that I love about having a blog, but I feel like having a whinge today!)..

Web Hosts - Easily the most annoying thing about having any website, not just a blog. Every time I find the perfect web hosting company I start recommending it to any one that asks. Then the web host company is bought by a larger a company and becomes USELESS! On the weekend my account was suspended by my current web host because of "the amount of CPU and/or memory resources used" which is a ridiculous excuse to try and make me upgrade to a more expensive plan. I won't go into it further, but I'm looking for a new host.
Comment Spam - Anything that looks the slightest bit spammy is deleted. It's a daily job and I doubt that I miss any, so they waste my time and theirs.
Stupid Kids and Retards - Related to comment spam; some comments are just rude and/or stupid. Any one can express any opinion they want, as long as they're reasonably civil.
Religious Nutters and Feminists - Some of the most offensive and rudest emails I have received have been from religious fanatics and feminist extremists. I used to take them personally, but I now understand that extremists of any kind are severely retarded, so all I can do is have sympathy for them.
Hungry Beast - If you stop posting news, people stop coming. A blog is a hungry beast that is never satisfied.
My Bad English - I'm often reminded that I should have paid more attention during English classes at school. Grammar isn't my strongest trait.
Value a Masterpiece for me - I used to reply politely to requests from people wanting me to value a print/poster/painting/drawing that their long lost relative left them, explaining that I don't value artworks, but now I just delete them. I can't remember telling anyone that I'm an art valuer.
Sell a Masterpiece for me - Another bizarre request that I regularly get is to sell artworks. I have had requests to sell everything from a brick wall with a Banksy on it, emerging artists offering a percentage of anything I can sell, to Andy Warhol works. What if I did sell it and it's fake?
Rip Off Artists - Having a list of Rip Off Artists can make you a target for idiots.
Sex is More Popular than Art - Why can't art be as popular as sex? Art is an obscure niche compared to the popularity of sex. If I mention vaginas or sex there is always an increase in visitors for that day.

Damien Hirst Shop - Other Criteria

2008-09-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to mention Damien Hirst again for at least a few months after the Hirst/Sotheby's auction and the hype that surrounded it, but I thought this news was interesting.

Damien Hirst's merchandising company Other Criteria is opening up shop next to Sotheby's in London. The Hirst shop will be open for business on the 6th of October at 36 New Bond Street, London.

According to Bloomberg there will be products from the Other Criteria website for sale, including things like a limited edition charm bracelet with 23 pills attached for 25,000 pounds, Hirst postcards, a series of gold sculptures, prints, posters, and other Hirst inspired merchandise.

I have joked that Damien Hirst should list himself on the stock exchange, but it's now a serious recommendation! I would be investing my money in the greatest business artist alive today. It's a safer bet than the financial institutions around the world that are currently falling down around our feet.
>> Damien Hirst News

Why do we Create Art?

2008-09-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

About once every 12 months I wake up and there's a giant WHY? in front of me. It follows me around until I give it enough answers. Sometimes it's hard to make WHY? go away, while other times I just laugh and the intimidating three letters and a question mark runs for it's life!

I give it vague answers like "life isn't just about bread and water" and "art is what makes us human" but WHY? can be stubborn.

Does WHY? ever visit you and how do you make him go away?
>> Being an Artist

Giorgio Morandi at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

2008-09-23T02:55:00.000-07:00

Giorgio Morandi is currently showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. If I was stranded on a deserted island and was allowed to take any 10 paintings with me, a Morandi still life would definitely be one of them.

Here's the exhibition blurb from the museum..
"This is a comprehensive survey—the first in this country—of the career of Giorgio Morandi, one of the greatest 20th-century masters of still-life and landscape painting in the tradition of Chardin and Cézanne. The exhibition presents approximately 110 paintings, watercolors, drawings, and etchings from his early “metaphysical” works to his late evanescent still lifes, culled mainly from Italian collections, including those formed with Morandi’s help by his friends and by renowned scholars of his art. Accompanied by a catalogue." Met Exhibition

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890–1964)
Still Life (Natura morta), 1951
Oil on canvas; 14 1/8 x 15 3/4 in. (36 x 40 cm)
Museo Morandi, Bologna
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE Rome

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890–1964)
Still Life (Natura morta), 1953
Oil on canvas; 8 x 15 7/8 in. (20.32 x 40.32 cm)
Washington, D.C., The Phillips Collection.
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE Rome

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890–1964)
Still Life (Natura morta), 1954
Oil on canvas; 10 1/4 x 27 1/2 in. (26 x 70 cm)
Mart, Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto,
Collection of Augusto and Francesca Giovanardi
Archivio fotografico Mart
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE Rome

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890–1964)
Still Life (Natura morta), 1956
Oil on canvas; 9 7/8 x 13 7/8 in. (25.2 x 35.2 cm)
Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, B.A. 1929
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE Rome

>> Museum Exhibitions, Famous Artists

Art Scholarship Competition for Students

2008-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

MyArtSpace is looking for entries for their art student scholarship competition. There's $16,000 up for grabs and it's open to art students worldwide.

First Prize:
$5000 for undergraduate student
$5000 for graduate student

Second Prize:
$2000 for undegraduate student
$2000 for graduate student

Third Prize:
$1000 for undergraduate student
$1000 for graduate student

MyArtSpace.com has created a scholarship program for students of artistic merit wishing to continue their education in an approved MFA, BFA or higher level degree program for the arts. The scholarship is intended for students who exhibits exceptional artistic excellence in all mediums of the visual arts including photography and video, both contemporary and traditional in nature. The scholarship arises from the commitment to supporting artists who are committed to their skill and development as an artist. For two years myartspace has been availing opportunity in the arts on the web and in global events. Myartspace is providing a 3 scholarship prizes for undergraduate students and separately 3 scholarship prizes for graduate students.

The deadline for registration and online submission of work is November 21, 2008. You must upload your JPEGS/videos into a myartspace online gallery. Up to 20 images can be submitted for consideration.

Art scholarship winners will be announced on December 19, 2008.

Find out more about the art scholarship competition on the MyArtSpace page here.

>> Art Competitions

Being an Artist - Hazel Dooney

2008-09-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to learn how to be an artist is to talk with other artists.. people that are in the trenches and know how to survive. It's fine to listen to a university lecturer talk about being an artist, but they're at best an artist/teacher hybrid, which is also fine if you enjoy teaching. But if you want to paint during the day and relax at night (rather than teach during the day, paint at night and have no life), you should learn from those that are doing just that.

I read artist biographies, artist interviews, collect artist quotes, and pick the brains of any successful artist that comes within talking distance of me. Artists are generally an open bunch of people that aren't good at keeping trade secrets, so you just have to ask if you want to know something.

The Australian artist Hazel Dooney has been making quite a name for herself nationally and now regularly has works appearing for sale at major auction houses around the country. She also has one of the most interesting artist blogs online and is very open with her experiences as a working artist.

Hazel has kindly allowed me to share some excerpts from her diary. It's a small insight into some of the challenges that an artist faces when he or she becomes a full time working artist..

A Year Of Thinking Dangerously
Excerpts from a Journal - Hazel Dooney

11th February
I was getting impatient for the base coats to dry on a large enamel piece, so I started work on a new series of watercolours on paper. I am really bad at doing nothing.
Putting down the first marks of a new work is always hell. I suffer a flood of anxiety and self-doubt, and the initial effort is always terrible. I try too hard. My lines are tight. I am hesitant about how and where to use the paint. I waste a lot of time pacing around instead of working. I have to force myself to finish the damn thing. Then I lie it face down and try to forget about it.
When I'm not happy with my art, everything in my life is fucked. When it's going well, everything is perfect. It’s irrational and unpredictable, and it's downright unpleasant for everyone around me.

4th April
I spent at least half this day sick or sleeping off the effects of using enamel paint. My tolerance to it has declined in the year or so since I last used it. Tomorrow morning I'm going to my favourite industrial paint store to buy a protective suit and some fresh chemical filters for my mask. I'd take a photo of myself in all that gear here but it’d feels too ridiculous. Then again, the ramifications of not taking it seriously are anything but ridiculous.
I've been reading about the German-born American sculptor, Eva Hesse. She worked with lethal material and was diagnosed with a brain tumour, probably caused by the carcinogenic fumes wafting around her studio. She died in 1970, aged34. I love her work: she made impermanent, unbeautiful media incredibly tender.
I think I understand – maybe too well – why she didn't change materials even when she understood their toxicity, even when she knew, in the end, they were killing her.

15th June
At the opening of my solo show, I overheard two young women, both artists, discussing my work. One of them was visibly upset by the graphic sexuality of some of the images, and the undercurrent of violence. She wondered aloud about my mental and emotional stability. “Well, I guess we all feel that way from time to time,” her friend replied. “We just don’t feel the need to paint it like she does!” Which got me wondering, if an artist wants to avoid the conflicts and contradictions of their interior life, what’s the point of making art at all?
The conceptualist American artist, Jeff Koons insists that art has been too subjective in the past, too concerned with the messy, emotive sprawl of self-expression, as opposed to what he calls objective art, art so sanitised of the germy interior life of the artist that his or her only role in its creation is an idea. The actual making of the finished work, the elements of craftsmanship, are, for him, best left up to others, preferably others who have no real interest or engagement with the artist other than interpreting his instructions with as much technical precision as possible
I am so not into this approach. The work I’m drawn to most often – in art, photography, music, literature or film – is intensely personal and inextricable from the artist’s every day life: if anything, the more diaristic it is, especially when it comes to words and images, the better.

1st September
Lately I've received a lot of emails from strangers. They begin by telling me they are "fellow artists", then, on that tenuous basis, they ask me to help them market and sell their work. I've been trying to figure out why I've found these requests so offensive, especially as I am not exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to self-promotion.
Then it clicked. There's nothing in their emails that is actually about art, theirs or mine, and they imply that my focus is more on marketing and sales than creativity and plain old hard work.
Well, f##k 'em. I make art not only because of a passionate desire to communicate but also a jittery compulsion to make real what resides only in my imagination. And when I have a body of work that is ready to be viewed, finding an audience for it is sure as hell very different to launching a healthier breakfast cereal or a gentler washing-up liquid. There is no demographic research you can (or should) do to identify a consumer niche. Whatever some people think (including an increasing number of critics and curators) it is not about brand development and key selling propositions.

11th October
Yesterday, I accepted three commissions for large-scale paintings which, on top of several other private commissions and exhibition commitments, have closed out my schedule for the rest of the year. I will now have to tell clients and galleries that I'm unable to look at any new projects before 2009 – and maybe later, if I decide to spend Christmas, next year, in Brazil, where I want to join a samba school and dance in one of the Carnival parades.
I am still a little gob-smacked by how quickly all this has happened. Eighteen months ago, I was working part-time in a clothing shop to make ends meet. I was living with my father and trying to recover from a debilitating mental breakdown. I hadn't touched a paint brush in almost six months and at least a couple of artists and gallerists I knew were already talking about my career in the past sense. Hell, I was, too. There was nothing in my life then that suggested any reason for optimism.
What got me off my self-pitying ass was the opportunity to paint... a skateboard. Thanks to the American artist, William Quigley, I was the only foreigner among 75 artists and celebrities – everyone from Julian Schnabel, William Wegman and Tony Alva, to Peter Beard, Robin Williams and 50 Cent – invited to submit a hand-painted skateboard to be auctioned for the benefit of the Boarding For Breast Cancer charity. The boards were exhibited in a show entitled Style Sessions at Milk Studios on Manhattan’s lower West side and mine attracted one of the highest bids.
A month after the auction, I quit my job. I decided to leave Melbourne, too. For better or worse, I was committed to the idea that I was an artist. As I packed up my few possessions, I couldn't help thinking of this passage from Goethe:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one element of truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans – that moment one commits oneself, then providence moves all.
"All sorts of things occur ton help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed could have come his way.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin in it now."

See Hazel Dooney's Self Vs Self blog for more of her writing and art. I have also previously mentioned her Porno exhibition and Free artist prints to download.

>> Being an Artist, Contemporary Artists, Australia

Vaginas

2008-09-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

The British sculptor Jamie McCartney has developed a technique to offer an "internal pussy casting service." He is said to be the only person in the world to offer such a service.

From the BizarreMag in the UK "The process is a secret, but involves the same material dentists use to cast teeth,” Jamie told Bizarre. “It’s a goo which sets into rubber in a few minutes. As for how I get it in and out of the vagina – well, you’ll have to use your imagination, but it isn’t rocket science! To get a good result it’s important the model is relaxed and feeling sexy, so she’ll need to spend time alone or with her partner, ‘preparing’."

I went to the artist's Brighton Bodycasting website to look at more of his work and found his "Design a Vagina" project. Below is a detail of a wall piece he is creating. The artist is also looking for volunteer vagina models if anyone is interested. He has cast 120 vaginas so far but needs another 40 to finish his study of the female bodypart.

I have previously mentioned a penis exhibition and a guy that uses his penis as a paintbrush for those that are interested in different kinds of body parts.
>> Nude Art News, Weird Art News

Business Artist Damien Hirst

2008-09-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Damien Hirst circus is over and was a great success. The first night of the Hirst auction raised about 70 million pounds and the second day raised 40,919,700 GBP, which works out to be about $200 million USD in 2 days.

I don't care what we think of his art.. love it or hate it.. Damien Hirst is a genius! He makes Andy Warhol look like a hippy with no job or credit card.

Warhol said "Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art." If Andy was right, Damien Hirst is the greatest artist of all time as he is without doubt the best business artist alive.

I usually only get 15 or 20 people each day looking for "Hirst" on Art News Blog, but on the 16th of September there were 515 people searching for the British artist. Quite a few searched for "Hurst" too. There was even a few people looking for Damien Hearst.
>> Sotheby's Art Auctions, Damien Hirst News

Damien Hirst Auction

2008-09-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

Damien Hirst may have a pile of unsold artworks sitting in a gallery and Robert Hughes may think his work is "tacky," but there's still plenty of rich collectors willing to bet their millions on the British artist. Financial crisis and all, Hirst still sets records.

The first night of the much talked about Damien Hirst auction (Beautiful Inside my Head Forever) made about £70 million, which is 8 million pounds above the high estimate by Sotheby's.

Traditional galleries of major artists worldwide must be feeling a little nervous after the Hirst auction success. Very few artists could pull off something as grand as Damien Hirst, but I don't think we have seen the last of artists dealing directly with auction houses.

Here's a few lots from the Hirst auction..

The Kingdom (lot 5, Evening sale)
tiger shark, glass, steel, silicone and formaldehyde
solution with steel plinth
214 by 383.6 by 141.8cm.
executed in 2008
Sotheby's Estimate
£ 4,000,000 - 6,000,000
€ 5,060,000-7,590,000
US$ 7,900,000-11,850,000
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 9,561,250 GBP

The Golden Calf (lot 13, Evening Sale)
calf, 18 carat gold, glass, goldplated steel, silicone and
formaldehyde solution with Carrara marble plinth
398.9 by 350.5 by 167.6cm
executed in 2008
Sotheby's Estimate
£ 8,000,000-12,000,000
€ 10,120,000-15,180,000
US$ 15,800,000-23,690,000
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 10,345,250 GBP

Aurothioglucose (lot 7, Evening Sale)
household gloss and enamel
paint on canvas
172.7 by 274.3cm.
executed in 2008
Sotheby's Estimate
£ 400,000-600,000
€ 510,000-760,000
US$ 790,000-1,190,000
Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 668,450 GBP

>> Sotheby's Art Auctions, Damien Hirst News

Jesus Christ in Art + Controversy

2008-09-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways for an artist to get a little media love is to make fun of a religion. People usually take their religion a little too seriously, so it's a proven method to create some controversy and to get your brand out there. It's probably better to pick on religions like christianity, buddhism or maybe even judaism though as you may have to go in to protective custody if you go picking on islam (they really take their religion seriously).

I have been noticing Jesus Christ popping up quite a bit lately..

The German artist Martin Kippenberger upset Pope Benedict with his Jesus Christ frog sculpture hanging in the Museion museum of modern and contemporary art in Italy. The green frog is nailed to the cross with a beer in one hand and an egg in the other. The work is called "Zuerst die Fuesse" or "Feet First." The pope called the work blasphemous.

There's also Jesus Christ with an erection by Chinese artist Terence Koh. After being shown at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Britain, the gallery is being taken to court by Emily Mapfuwa for "outraging public decency and causing harassment, alarm and distress to the public."

Adam Cullen's Corpus Christi (Women Only Bleed) entry caused one of the judges of the annual Blake Prize for religious art in Australia to quit. The judge says he quit because the painting was so ugly though.

I have previously mentioned the Chocolate Jesus Christ, the gay Jesus Christ play, and a naked Jesus Christ riding a Surfboard.
>> Art Controversy News

Interested Your Artworks... Kindly remove my name from you List ASAP

2008-09-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

One of the problems with trying to do something good is that the people trying to do something bad don't like you. Having an artist scammers list means that artists will appreciate it, while art scammers won't.

I have received emails and someone left a comment about a person called "Bikram Shrestha" sending them the usual scam letters, so I listed the person and their email on the list. The artist said that a "whole group of woman artists" received the same letter from this email sbikram81@yahoo.com

The comment that the artist left went like this..

Subject: Artworks Enquiry...
Hello,
I came across some of your masterpiece while surfing the internet at http://www.xxxxx.com website and I am interested in purchasing some of your artworks for our new apartment in Malaysia. I will like you to send me some pictures of your recent porfolio so I can select from your stock. Also let me know the price range of your artworks.

I will look forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards,
Bikram.

Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, so I slapped the duck label on it.. and I'm still confident that it is a duck.

BUT.. according to an email that I received from the duck today, he or she isn't a duck!! In the email, it also includes the email that "Bikram Shrestha" sent to the artist.. and the reply of the artist.

Here's the email that "Bikram Shrestha" sent to the artist..

From: Bikram Shrestha sbikram81@yahoo.com
Subject: Interested Your Artworks
Hello,

I am interested in the purchase of the following masterpieces for our new home in Malaysia.

"Your Earth Child #3" , "Your Earth Child #1" , and Falling Empires 1

I will like you to get back with your asking price for each artworks excluding the shipping expense because the artworks will be shipped with my other house items by the cartage company handling the shipment of our house items.
On Payment, I will be happy to pay you with a USA Certified Check which is as good as cash for payment.

I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,Bikram.

Ticks all the boxes of a scam email. So nothing there changes my mind.
In his email to me, Bikram also sent the reply of the artist, which made me laugh.

Here's the artist's reply..

oh I can't wait till I can fill your wonderful home with my "masterpieces." what a poor lucky artist I am.
http://www.artnewsblog.com/2008/05/list-of-artist-scammers-and-fraudsters.htm

So, that prompted the angry Bikram Shrestha to send me this threatening email..

Subject:
Fw: Re: Interested Your Artworks... Kindly remove my name from you List ASAP

To Whom It May Concern.

I made enquiry for paintings from this artist and this is what I get in return. I am a very reputable person and I am ready to take this up with you guys. This is very irrational and maybe you idiots should do your research before listing people's ID on your website. I am giving you 48 hours to remove my name and address from your scammers list. Failure to do so will result in me pressing charges against you for defamation of character at the court of law. I belief you have a better understanding of what that means. Consult your lawyer(s) fast for a legal advise because I will be getting free million of dollars from you guys in court.

Also, I require a letter of apology for your foolishness.

- Bikram Shrestha.

I would be very happy to take his name and email off the list if I hated artists, but I don't. I hate people trying to take advantage of others. I have seen at least three emails from Bikram Shrestha, including the one above from him, and they all fit the format of every other art scam email that I have ever received.

Apology? For calling a duck a duck?
Good luck with getting the "free millions of dollars" too as I am an artist!

So if posts slow down on Art News Blog, blame Bikram Shrestha as we'll be in court fighting over my "millions of dollars"..lol.
>> Art Scams

Prisoner Executed and Fed to Fish

2008-09-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't work out if I found this story funny, revolting, or just insane.. it's probably a little of all three.

Chilean born Danish shock artist Marco Evaristti has made a deal with death row inmate Gene Hathorn to be fed to fish after his death.

Evaristti told the Art Newspaper that "My aim is to first deep freeze Gene’s body and then make fish food out of it. Visitors to my exhibition will be able to feed goldfish with it."

The 47 year old Gene Hathorn is on death row in Livingston, Texas, USA after being convicted of killing his father, step-mother, and step-brother.
>> Controversy News

Dakis Joannou's Jeff Koons Yacht

2008-09-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Greek billionaire businessman and art collector Dakis Joannou has had the exterior of his 114 ft luxury yacht designed by Jeff Koons. The owner called his yacht "Guilty" after a Sarah Morris text painting according to the Monaco Eye website.

Joannou launched the yacht with get-together that included art world notables like Nicholas Serota, Jeffrey Deitch, Larry Gagosian, Marian Goodman, Maurizio Cattelan, and Ashley Bickerton.

The closeup of the luxury yacht looks more Roy Lichtenstein than Jeff Koons, but the artist said he was more influenced by WW1 camouflage patterns.

It's different. I'm not sure Jeff Koons would be my first choice if I had a giant yacht to paint. I might choose Jeff Koons to trim my hedges into giant puppy dogs or to hang hoovers and household items on the wall, but I wouldn't let him touch my yacht. I would probably call in a minimalist artist and tell him or her to paint it white.
>> Jeff Koons News

Baby Tattooville Art Retreat

2008-09-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

I have always thought of art fairs as money events rather than art events as it's all about selling and making commercial contacts. If I had to organize an art fair, I would first doubt the sanity of the person that put me in charge, but then I would try and put something together like Baby Tattooville.

It's an annual event where a small selection of artists and art collectors spend the weekend together. 50 tickets are sold which gives you access to the event, the artists, accommodation for the weekend, talks, demonstrations, and "surprise collectible gifts." There's also art for sale, but it doesn't seem to be the main reason to go to Baby Tattooville.

Some collectors may just want art to hang on the wall and have no desire to learn anything about the artist, but for those that want to get to know the artist behind the art, this is a good opportunity.

The 2008 artists include Ana Bagayan, Glenn Barr, Dave Cooper, Bob Dob, Joe Ledbetter, Brandi Milne, Daniel Peacock, Shag, Amy Sol and Michael Whelan.

Their blurb seems to explain it better than me.. "Baby Tattooville provides a unique opportunity for a small group of celebrated artists and serious collectors to spend time together in a relaxed yet creatively stimulating environment. Without the time constraints of a typical personal appearance, or the crowd control issues of a standing-room-only event, artists and collectors will have a weekend-long opportunity to discuss and explore their mutual interests. Original work will be created and celebrated around-the-clock. No one will leave empty handed. Only 50 event packages are being offered."

Tickets are $2000 which also includes the hotel room and a goodies package. The Baby Tattooville art retreat is held on the weekend of October 3-5, 2008 at Mission Inn and Spa, Riverside, CA, USA. There's currently 16 tickets still available. Find out more on their website here.

Marc Quinn's Solid Gold Kate Moss Sculpture

2008-09-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

I know this is old news, but I have been away from the desk for a bit. The British sculptor Marc Quinn has continued to use the muse of all British artists at the moment; Kate Moss. Miss Moss is now a life-sized solid gold sculpture titled Siren.

Marc Quinn has previously placed Kate Moss in an interesting bronze yoga pose. The teaser photo of the solid gold sculpture that every media outlet seems to have gives little away, so it could be a giant head for all I know.

In a BBC report Mark Quinn said "I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment. But even Kate Moss doesn't live up to the image"

Marc Quinn is the artist that used his own blood to cast a frozen portrait of himself, which is quite eerie. His marble sculpture of a disabled pregnant woman (Alison Lapper)was also a little different.

Lucian Freud and Banksy are among the many artists to use Kate Moss as a model. This Italian page here has a small gallery of other notable artists that have used the British model for art.

Coxsoft news and Balhatain also mentioned the Kate Moss sculpture on their blogs.

The gold Kate Moss sculpture will be shown in an exhibition at the British Museum called "Statuephilia: Contemporary sculptors at the British Museum" from the 4th of October through to the 25th of January (3 days before my birthday!). Sculptors showing will include Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Ron Mueck, Marc Quinn and Noble and Webster.

Damien Hirst Production Line

2008-08-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting that a backlog of about 200 works by Damien Hirst can be news. He's the closest thing we have to a Britney Spears in the art world, with the media looking for any excuse to publish a story on the man (I realize I do it too). All the art world needs now is some art celebrity sex tapes and some police mug shots of artists that have misbehaved. I would probably subscribe to an art gossip magazine if it was cheap.

Anyway, what was I talking about? I have the flu and I'm taking lots of evil tablets from big pharmaceutical companies, so sticking to the point can be challenging.

The Times Online has reported on Hirst's "mountainous backlog" of more than 200 works by the artist and his production line sitting in the White Cube gallery in London.

"The items include 34 butterfly paintings dating back to 2005; six medicine cabinets with price tags of up to £2.5m and a batch of 25 fly and resin coated skulls. The “Hirst mountain” held by the White Cube gallery, and detailed in next month’s issue of The Art Newspaper, shows the challenges of selling mass-produced art." Times Online

In a later Bloomberg report, White Cube's Jay Jopling said that their stock level for Hirst was normal and the gallery is NOT sitting on a "mountain" of Hirst works.

Jopling said "The appetite for Damien's art is such that we never have enough and I'm always keen to have as much work on consignment as possible. The market for Hirst was strong and suggestions to the contrary were based on redundant documents."

It'll be interesting to see how much more we hear of Damien Hirst as his big auction at Sotheby's draws closer. I'll be disappointed if it doesn't make the 6 o'clock news.

Update: There's an interesting Damien Hirst interview (video) with Tim Marlow on the Sotheby's website here.
>> Damien Hirst News