Art Star

Blah taste, pure filling.

2010-01-06T10:21:00.017-05:00

See that girl? That's Ke$ha. Maybe you've heard her single:

It's probably more likely you've tried to avoid hearing her single. Fuck knows I have.

"TiK ToK," a pants-shittingly average pop song, has been in in heavy rotation here in central Texas. In terms of the creative talent involved, NPR - in a surprisingly blunt flaying - put it best: Ke$ha isn't an artist, she's Campbell's Chunky: over processed, derivative mush that only seems good because she reminds us of actually enjoyable musicians. I tried to come up with a term to describe just where Ke$ha fits on the pop-chart-totem-pole (Hot Tub Time Machine, yo?), when I had an epiphany: she could never be an icon, but she is the glue that holds them together. In other words, she's filler.

Ke$ha's around to keep the seat warm until a better female pop act comes along, in much the same way that Jojo (remember her?) was a momentary distraction until Kelly Clarkson (remember her, either?) hit her stride. Between Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, the XX quota on the pop scale is pretty much full, especially since Beyonce and Gaga are flooding the markets (does it drive down the price of sexy?), having released "Sweet Dreams" (Beyonce), "Video Phone" (Beyonce/Gaga collaboration), "Telephone" (Gaga/Beyonce, there's a pattern forming), and "Bad Romance" (Gaga) in the span of mere weeks. The deluge, while entertaining, could create a problem: these singles are all coming from albums that've been available to the public for quite some time now. What happens if the target audience has reached its fill for the month? They'll just tune out the next time the Ebony and Ivory towers of pop release a track they've heard already, and Payola can't have that happen. Ke$ha solves that problem, giving the listener something to mindlessly not their head to until the adults come back in the room. Her title as lyrical mortar seems even more appropriate once you realize that she rode in piggyback on one of the blandest, most unimaginative hacks ever to claim hip hop:

Flo Rida: a second-rate Twista with a third-string beat sounding like something Timbaland and Major Lazer gang-banged and then killed (not to mention it samples Dead or Alive). Just like Ke$ha, Flo Rida provided filler to cushion our ears (because who really gives a hoot when you're drunk on the dance floor?) until Soulja Boy begat the Autumn of Young Money, which gave us some of the better pop-hop of the decade:

Steady Mobbin - Young Money

Loves it, and really, what is a Ke$ha to a Gaga, a Flo Rida to a Wale? Don't worry about it. We won't remember their names in a year anyway.

Further Listening:

Blue Moon

2010-01-05T12:57:00.004-05:00

When a month is graced with two full moons, the second one is called a blue moon...the once in a blue moon blue moon. The blue moon cycle is 2.72 years, making it a special, if not rare or unexpected occasion. The last blue moon month was May 2007 and the next will occur in August 2012.

So, it's particularly cool that we had not only a 100% full moon for New Years Eve moving into 2010, but it was also a Blue Moon. For those of us who have spiritual or ritualistic leanings, this was "meaningful" in whatever way our heart or mind took us to it. I like to leave occurences like this filled with meaningful mystery. It appeals to my sense of wonder at the convergence of nature and coincidence (co-incidence,) Nothing being a coincidence. Oracles.On a big scale, like full blue moons on New Year's Eve, and on the small scale, like the way it works in our day to day lives....if we pay attention to it. More and more I'm noticing the way moments and experiences seem to have a lovely connectedness or flow to them. The outcome of watching life on earth more as an ever mysterious, wondrous dance, is allowing me to feel freer within my skin and heart. Breathing easy. In and out...out and in.

On a practical note, this photo was taken on the night of 1.1.2010. There was a cloud cover here on NYE. I photographed the rising moon just outside my front door, looking over the fence to my left. With the naked eye, the ring was slightly visible, but leaving the shutter open for about 30 sec. gathered it into it's present form in the image. I did a second frame at a much shorter exposure to define the moon's shape, and layered into the final picture.

Happy New Year, You Assholes

2010-01-04T11:16:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone, and welcome back from the Christmaeidhanakwanzika break that seemed to linger on forever. We'll be ramping back up to our normal schedule this week, and to celebrate that fact, I'm making a sweet potato pound cake. I couldn't tell you why I'm doing this, other than that I saw the recipe on NPR, and I happened to have some extra sweet potatoes lying around.

I think I should put banana in it. How do you feel about that? It could work, but then it could also backfire miserably. Why not just make banana bread and the pound cake? Why do I have to be such a choosy asshole? I'm gonna go pick some pecans out of my yard now to use for the topping.

Update (1:44pm): After about 90 minutes of mixing the batter (by hand, I really need a mixer), I finally put this beast in the oven.

Update (2:04pm): This cake smells ridonkulous already.

Christmas Time 2009

2009-12-25T00:58:00.002-05:00

Clicking Around with Music: Kid Koala

2009-12-16T19:57:00.005-05:00

100% - Kid Koala

Kid koala is a mixing, ones and twos, dj-ing, graphic noveling, film making, machine of a man. His music articulates power and feeling through a wide array of mashups and independent projects. Montreal born, he's opened for the likes of Radiohead and Bjork in international venues. From project to project, he tries to maintain a level of innovation to keep his mind fresh and creativity flowing. A must listen.

Please check out his site and all of his music.

AS: How did 2009 treat you? Take our readers through the year, on the turn tables, in the comic world, and life in general. Anecdotes are added bonuses.
KK: 2009 was a bit of a blur but a lot of fun. In the middle of winter we started this new night in Montreal called "Music To Draw To... " It was an evening of quiet time records and everyone was invited to bring something to draw, knit, write, sculpt or whatever. My wife Corinne had a little bake shop and where she was able to test her new baking recipes. Everyone got a cup of hot chocolate and a pencil when they arrived. It was so inspiring to see all those people simultaneously working on such creative things. After that we went took the event to New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
In the summer, a group of our friends decided to get together and shoot a live action version of the Nufonia Must Fall book. So we built a life size robot suit and a small crew of us ran the city shooting the robo-rom-com starring our friends Julie (malorie) and Paul (the robot). Hilarious.
After that we started to prepare for The Slew tour. So I spent a lot of time in the studio cutting custom vinyl records that we would use to recreate the tracks live on stage. We were joined on stage by Myles Heskett and Chris Ross on bass and drums and my friend Dj P-love was there to share scratch duties. It was a crazy rock show with 6 turntables, bass and drums. There were mosh pits at all of the shows. That was a first for me... Definitely a fun way to round out the year.
Corinne and I chased our baby daughter around and watched her grow and crack people up to no end. It was definitely an exciting year.

AS: What should we expect in 2010?
KK: We will be bringing The Slew to the UK and Europe and eventually back to North America. Also, I will be doing a new version of Short Attention Span Theater show with Dj P-love and Lederhosen Lucil in Vancouver as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics Cultural Olympiad. Other than that, I am trying to finish drawing and scoring the new Space Cadet book.

AS: Could you take us through the process for creating a track? Do you find you have an idea of what the end product will be or do you find yourself stumbling upon the tracks?
KK: Often, I'll have an idea of what I'd like to try making in the studio. For Some of My Best Friends ar DJs, I wanted to do a completely hand cut turntable version of Basin Street Blues. Once I decided that, I tried to find solo instruments holding single notes (woodwinds, horns and strings etc.) Then I take those single notes and bend them into other notes by hand and stack them up to make chords. It's kind of like strange lego music that way. I like that twisted sound the turntable. It adds a character that sounds a bit surreal.

AS: Do you find Montreal comes out in your music? If yes, how so? What city do you find is producing the greatest music and dj's.
KK: I think the music I've recorded here has been a product of the Montreal environment for sure. It's got a very supportive community of people with many artists and creative types so it's easy to be inspired by the people here. Also, the weather forces everyone to hide in their studios all winter. When it's winter time I always feel like recording quiet music but when it's summer time I like to bring up the tempo and cut loose a little.
I don't know what city is the best for music but who really cares? The world's kind of all one big city anyway. As long as the people out there are enjoying themselves while they're making and playing their music, I'm all for it!

AS: It seems like a lot of comics and graphic novels now use filler issues to pass the time. What does the industry need to do to promote plot development across new issues or is this sheerly in the readers' hands?
KK: I guess for some people there's this pressure to turn something out every few months. Both in music and books, I'm drawn to doing projects or using techniques that are quite labor/time intensive. To me, it's all about having fun and learning through the process... so I try to stretch that "process time" out as much as I can... in my mind it equals more fun... but by industry standards, I guess it's way too slow. Making records through these techniques is always going to take longer than traditional methods. It's kind of like making animated film or something. The end product may be too esoteric for some audiences but if you look/listen carefully, hopefully you can see/hear all the smiles we had making the stuff along the way.

AS: What artist is currently revolutionizing music? What are they doing to separate themselves from the crowd?
KK: Keyboard Money Mark! I recently visited his studio in Los Angeles. His studio is packed with every instrument, old school audio gadget, noisemaker, and effect imaginable as well as all of the traditional pianos, organs, guitars, drums, vibraphones, you name it! and he promises he's going to use everything on his next album which will sort of be his magnum opus. He was showing me how he is currently using cassettes to deejay... And also how he can flip old telephone test tone equipment to play melodies. That guy can bend a melody and story out of anything. And it all has his signature soul to it. Whether he's singing or playing keyboards or drums or whatever he gets his hands on, he always does it with that Money Mark style. I can't wait to hear what he comes with.

AS: As someone that crosses multiple media to fill their creative itch, what medium are you most drawn to as 1) a creator of art and 2) an observer of art?
KK: I just try to find those zone moments no matter what it is. Sometimes it happens when I'm playing live on stage, Sometimes it's that rush you get when the ideas are flowing at the drawing desk, sometimes it's that lucky accident that happens in the recording studio that surprises you and makes you say "WICKED!!!."
As an observer, I like anything that kind of makes you forget where you are and makes time kind of slow down. Sometimes you can get that reading a book, other times from a film or a perfect song.

AS: Is there anything else you would like to share with the ArtStar community?
KK: The Space Cadet tour/book/soundtrack is on it's way... It's the quiet lullaby-type project I've been working on. For the tour, everyone in the audience will get a pair of headphones and hopefully a beanbag to sit on.

The Boundary: The Door

2009-12-15T10:16:00.005-05:00

fine english craftsmanship
Originally uploaded by lomokev

by CtotheB

It was the end of Spring Break, and I was on my way back to campus after an incredible week in Charleston. I found time there to be mind cleansing, which I needed desperately. On top of schoolwork, extra-curriculars and typical adolescent angst, my estranged girlfriend and I were trying to make things work. I had seen my share of “It’s Complicated” statuses on Facebook, but never lived it. We’d broken up the week of Valentine’s Day but still did all the things couples do, both publicly and privately. Hard to tell if we were confused, lonely, or somewhere in between.

Once reaching campus I made my way to her room, bags still in hand. It was a little after eleven and he was there. Sitting on the floor, television on, reading for class as she did the same from her elevated dorm room bed.

I blew up.

Commanded him to leave the room, and immediately began my inquisition. I’d like to think I’d be calmer if it were any other guy but knowing that she was in here, with him, with their history (they’d been together as recently as a few weeks before we started dating) made me a jealous mess. This insulted her.

“Do you think I’m that easy?!”

Yes.

“Considering you have already, have no classes with him, so it’s not like you were studying with him, and he was in here at this time of night?! What should I think? Nevermind the reason we are broken up right now is because you stepped out on me already! You’re right, I shouldn’t be concerned.”

It is here that I learned words have power. And unfortunately, when we’re the most out of control is often when we’re the most honest.

“It’s dangerous. You shouldn’t be in here with him, or any guy, not this time of night and not with you in your bed.”

“I’m not going to do anything!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you slept with him before the end of the week.”

We argued more, then fell asleep so we could attend our Monday morning classes.

As the week passed on, we argued less and forgave each other. Smaller arguments arose but none akin to Sunday’s flare-up. I had RA duty on Friday and saw the guy in the student union. We talked about sports, told stories, and cracked jokes. I never considered him a friend, but we’d always been friendly, so I found no reason to stop. I wanted to apologize for blowing up on Sunday but never brought it up. We parted ways and I was almost through with my rounds but took time to stop by a friend’s room and talk. During the conversation I brought up the hope I felt. For the first time, I really believed my relationship was salvageable. He had hope for me and told me I’d be in his prayers as I departed. I was on my way to my dorm, but as hers was on the way, I figured I’d see what she was up to. I stood outside her building and dialed her number.

Her voice had the cadences of a hostage. She asked me how I was, implored me to go to my room, and enticed me with an evening together. I told her okay and continued to talk with her as I entered her building. I heard her pleas to go to my dorm and asked her if she was okay as I made my way up the stairs. With a stealth that surprised me, I made it to her door. Her voice cracked.

“You’re outside aren’t you?”

I told her I was going to open the door and she begged me to leave. I told her to open the door and she asked why I was doing this. I told her to open the door and she said alright.

Then he said, “Hold on, let me put on my clothes.”

I laughed. It would be a few more semesters before a professor told my class that laughing in moments of tragedy was a sign of hysteria. Your body becomes desperate for an avenue of reaction, having never experienced the aforementioned, identifies the absurdity, and laughs. My laughs were interwoven with praise. “Thank You Jesus.” I felt an inner peace and clarity that still doesn’t make sense. There were tears in their eyes as I spent hours yelling at them. I cursed them, called them liars and betrayers. I pitied them, mocked them, and told them they deserved each other.

After a while, his tears turned into anguished wailing and he exited the room. He had tried before but I commanded him to stay. His listening made me feel powerful; I knew I could destroy him with my fists or my words. I chose words. The barbs were relentless and the power grew frightening. I knew, if it were my choosing, these words could do anything. I could have destroyed him. When he left she pleaded with me to go after him. I refused. I saved my worst for her. He had no obligation toward me, she did.

“Yes, we had broken up but I intended to fix things, didn’t you?”

Now I could cry. The power I felt went away and I was empty. She told me every detail. They shared a bed while I was away, even on one night while we were on the phone. They didn’t intend to hurt me. “You deserve better than this.”

I told her to take a shower, she asked me why. I kissed her, and we began but it was too painful. I still don’t know why, but I stayed there that night. Perhaps she was too afraid to ask me to leave and I was too afraid to be alone.

It wasn’t long before we continued to behave as we did prior to that night. On the outside, we were still dating but weren’t together as much. We were guarded, and our conversations were terse. Friends would ask for her and I’d pretend to have the answer. I assume the same for her. It would be another fall until I could no longer maintain the charade. During another argument, she exclaimed, “But, I’m your friend!” I returned, “No! I was always a friend to you but you were never one for me.”

Tree Porn

2009-12-14T01:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, this is sophomoric, I know. It was just one of those weeks... I'll leave it up to your imagination....just don't jump to obvious conclusions....errr, well, maybe. sort of.

On the afternoon of the week in question I was heading off to a poetry reading on UNC campus. Parking is a nightmare experience, so after checking out some church parking lots, and deciding not to jam my head worrying about getting towed, I opted for an available place a long distance away, but a nice walk. The area I walked through is the historic district here in Chapel Hill. As it implies, there are wonderful restored homes replete with large old trees of various varieties....most of which I have no idea of identity. This little stand of trees will go unclassified (probably better, considering their public indecency.)

I Love it When Music Makes Me Think of Music

2009-12-13T17:58:00.010-05:00

Came across this new Mos Def video on Gorilla vs. Bear today (yeah, I know I've bitched about them before, but you never know when you'll get surprised), and whaddya know? I was surprised.

The track is called "Supermagic," and you can find it on his June release "The Ecstatic." This is the point where I call for someone to send us their own personal reflections on the album, because we always love knowing what you guys think. But yes, onto "Supermagic:"

Now according to the Bear, Def is sampling this song, "Ince Ince," by Selda:

Its a jam-ass song. I had to listen to it three times because I was so sprung. Yet "Supermagic" also reminds me of something else: "So What'Cha Want" by the Beastie Boys. It's mainly because of how Def fused hip-hop with Selda's guitar riffs. The Beasties use a similar tactic in the hook here:

So What'Cha Want - The Beastie...

I love it when good music reminds me of good music. Makes me think it isn't all dead.

Please find this as hilarious as me

2009-12-12T21:13:00.013-05:00

So I was poking around on Covered earlier tonight, getting a feel for the blog before I make my own submission (no such thing as too much pub), when I stumbled across these delectably demented faux food-ads (or were they real?) by bred-from-bats illustrator Matthew Allison. I must share them with you.

No backstory on these yet, and the explanation is best left to your own design. Just bask in the glory.

(click for full-size version)

Be sure to check out his blog, and check it often.

Bar Tales Chapter 13: Pumpkin

2009-12-12T14:38:00.004-05:00

Baby meet me in the hallway, around the corner
slumped against the bricks, my body
tingles at the idea of you
thrown against the wall
your neck open as prairie fields in Texas
tongue caressing ear
I want to hear the sound your mouth makes
feel your body buckle against me
I don't want it to be civilized
Semi-public I want the shame
of being discovered to burn your skin
My hand unlocking secret reservoirs
my fingers becoming wells
I want you to squeeze your arousal
break your vow of silence
I want to revel in your knowledge
cause earthquakes, famines, and floods
I want to hear the name of God
worship at the spine of your back
I want every time you cum
to exorcise ghosts of past lovers
until you are pure again
all nerves and desire
I want to kiss you for the first time

Clicking Around With Music: Ze!

2009-12-09T21:00:00.021-05:00

Hello Disco - Ze!
I am Glam - Ze

A feisty chick that's emerging as a vibrant trend setter and innovative musician, Ze! pops in as a force to be reckoned with in 2010. With a synth-pop club sound, the MIA comparisons are limited but her individual touch and boy lusting streams through her songs and art. Take a sec and enjoy our chat with the lovely Ze!

AS: Right now, who do you think is revolutionizing music a)globally and in b) Kuala Lumpur? Why do you think so? What are they doing differently than the rest of the crowd?

Ze!: In Malaysia, I'd say KRU, a boy-band of 3 brothers who've been around for more than 15 years and are still creating changes in the Malaysian industry not only with music but also with movies. Globally, I think artists like Madonna, Kanye West and MIA are revolutionizing not just music but image as well. They're distinctive and I guess you gotta be made of steel and be a little crazy to put yourself out there and make a stand. While everyone else seem to want to follow trends, they don't listen and wait for trends to happen but get out there and create their own.

AS: Could you recap this past year; where you've performed, who you've met, songs you wrote and any effects that the journey has had on your music?

Ze!: This has been a good year! I did the European tour in July and opened for Chicks on Speed and Afrikan Boy, performed at Reebok's Pump Up 20th anniversary party in Berlin, collaborated with many talented producers and got 2 of my songs picked up by MTV. I simply can't complain. Not so much this year, because the journey that has created a lot of change for myself and my music was actually in 2008 where I spent a whole summer in UK and Europe going to the biggest music festivals like Glastonbury, V festival, etc. We don't have these sort of festivals back in KL and I can't quite imagine Malaysians camping out in the mud just to see their favorite bands play. So just being around this energy and experiencing the craziness has helped me grow so much as an artist.

AS: When is your next album release and tour? For both of those, what are you most excited about?

Ze: My album is scheduled for release this January and working on a tour in the summer. As I would tell my friends, it is a complete nightmare getting these things together and I work my butt off but in the end it is worth every tear and sweat! Having the album would be great tool getting my music out there and sharing it with the world; and touring is always an adventure, i love discovering new places and making new friends.

AS: Could you describe your recording experience thus far? Who did you work with: producers, clowns, musicians? Any words of wisdom?

Ze: Being in the studio can be fun and it can be very stressful as well. I studied at SAE so it's good to know the ins and outs of a recording studio as an artist because I know what it's also like to be on the other end of the room pressing the record button. I've been in the studio with producers, musicians, voice-over talents and there's really nothing glamorous about it. But being a part of creating something new is a great feeling, and it's beautiful. Words of wisdom? Always come prepared!

AS: Over the past few months what are some of the road blocks/ difficult times you’ve over come. What did you learn about yourself and the music industry?

Ze!: The past few months have been difficult, because I made the decision to leave the fashion line entirely to my sister now so I can focus full-time on my music. I spent sleepless days and nights thinking and doing research, but mostly I was listening to my instincts. It's been an eye-opener and I wonder why it took me so long to finally do this. I guess, without realizing it, I was doubting myself and I learned that there really is just one person and one thing only that can stop you from getting to your dreams and that is you and you alone. The music industry is tough, as all kinds of show businesses are, which is what makes it so damn irresistable!

AS: Your style really allows you to stand out from the crowd, where do you look for new ideas and inspiration for your threads?

Ze!: Thank you. I don't think I go out of my way to get ideas, I mostly like to browse about at the most random of places and if something catches my eye I’ll get it. And then it's about mixing and matching those things together which is the fun part. But I do like reading or watching something that has nothing to do with music or fashion whatsoever and then put the 2 together to create something new.

AS: What life experience(s) comes through the most in your music? How are you able to manifest it in your music?

Ze!: My love life and my contradicting need to be accepted. I'm a very passionate person and I put all of me into just about everything I do. It's actually a rather dangerous way to live because when you're hurt you're really broken, but when it's good it's really really good. I can't really write what I can't feel. I'm probably most honest when I'm writing music. And instead of it making me feel vulnerable or exposed, it gives me relief like a huge burden taken off my shoulders and that keeps me moving forward.

AS: Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
Ze!: Thanks for reading and have a kick ass 2010!

Check Ze! on her webpage and myspace.

As always, sample the cuts here but buy now!

The Boundary: The Tao of Pooh

2009-12-08T10:31:00.004-05:00

der da, der da
Originally uploaded by lomokev

I met her in a drawing class. We had both blindly picked each others drawings as our favorites in the class. After class we struck up a conversation – she was gorgeous with long wavy sandy blonde hair. I asked her to get coffee – just to get to know her better, and I fell in love.

In her I had met my match – a girl as passionate as me. She cared about the environment so deeply that it challenged my own beliefs. I found being around her exhilarating – she being so unlike myself. She would rather have disease wipe out the majority of the human population than for us to continue destroying the environment. Statements like these baffled me, but she believed it so sincerely – and it was the sincerity of her belief that enchanted me.
However, when I asked – she revealed that she had a boyfriend back home. She mentioned that she was very unhappy in her relationship, and then did not mention him again. We quickly started spending a lot of time together. We would take long walks together around midnight, exploring ideas of faith, people, and love. I soon found myself liking her more and more, and for the first time since I had left a 2.5 year relationship, I realized I actually could love this girl and was willing to call her my girl friend.

I found myself reading the Tao of Pooh just to try to understand her better. When I was out at a supermarket I would call her just to see if she needed me to pick her up any trail mix. I would write her poetry that was as short and beautiful as she was. However, the only thing between us was her unspoken boyfriend back home. I assumed that she would soon break up with him, and was just waiting to go back home over Fall Break and do it in person. I wanted to be patient, however one fall night, in a rush of pure joy and danger, we kissed and the spell was complete.

Yet, when she came back from break her facebook status still had her in a relationship. She didn’t mention it, and I didn’t either. However, I couldn’t help wishing that this invisible third party would just go away. If he would just disappear – then I could have her as a girlfriend, I could finally have a happily-ever-after. We continued to spend time together, and take our walks. When we were together the world just seemed to make more sense, and everything deep inside of you just felt more alive. More and more I found myself disliking this boyfriend of hers, this elephant, this unspoken wall between us. I just wished that he could be out of the picture, that he could just go away.

One night she was no longer there. I went to her room and couldn’t find her. I went to the art studio and she wasn’t there. I called her and she didn’t answer. Finally I texted her, “where are you, are you okay?” And she replied, “my boyfriend died.” I asked how, and she said “drowned”. Her boyfriend and some buddies had gotten drunk and attempted to swim the length of a pool that was covered by a tarp. He didn’t make it and tragically drowned. When she came back to school weeks later to finish her exam, we briefly passed each other walking outside, she didn’t say a word to me – but I saw – I swear I saw – hatred.

The Dallas Underground Art Scene

2009-12-07T15:15:00.003-05:00

"I care about the things I witness and how they resonate with me" - Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball

I have had the privilege to listen to great music performed in houses for relatively few people. I have seen amazing assortments of talented musicians who form a band for one night, make angels come down from heaven, and never play together again.

Being young in Dallas, TX and part of what you may describe as the underground arts scene is an exhilirating feeling. The scene isn't underground out of any intellectual or snobbish reasons. Nor is it a result of a backlash against a repressive art establishment

The scene is underground simply because no one knows where to go and artists are constantly finding each other, then losing each other, then buying into the ridiculous notion that Dallas can't ever be their home.

Young artists in Dallas don't want to be here. They have this idea that fame, truth, lifestyle, money exists for them somewhere else - Austin, Chicago, Portland, and always, New York. So the best of us - leave - but they also come back, a few days in town here and there, and they are like ghosts, rumors, whispers, lightening in a bottle that can be caught at some friend's house, in the corner of some dive bar, perfectly anonymous, talented as hell, and constantly in motion.

My best friends are like this, and it disgusts me. I came to Dallas because I think it is the most exciting place in America to be part of the art community. Everything about the city screams potential.

The arts in Dallas is all bones - state of the art facilities, a few well-run organizations, a group of seasoned veterans - a skeleton that might burst to life at any moment if we attach flesh to her.

Art scenes in other places, Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York - they are more mature, more established, they have less flexibility for someone young to come in and matter. The gift of the Dallas art scene is that you - as a young talented artist - matter here. You become a breath of fresh air, a sign of hope, a bit of blood threatening to pump through the veins of this cities art infrastructure.

And how important it is to be relevant! For your existence to matter to somebody. Dallas offers this in spades - what better place to plant roots and make a name for yourself?

When I first returned to Dallas in 2008 - knew very few people in the arts community and sent blind emails to many gallery directors and arts administration professionals at large non-profits (Dallas Museum of Art, Office of Cultural Affairs, Big Thought, etc). And these people who had never heard my name - responded to me - were willing to sit down for coffee - listen to my ideas - give me advice - and introduce me to other people.

What more could you ask from an art scene than that it embraces and nurtures the young?

Yet, my peers give up on Dallas without really trying to understand her. They don't try to delve beneath the cliches that Dallas offers in abundance - a land of $30,000 millionaires - and find a vibrant core of like minded individuals who hide beneath the surface and create a sort of shadow economy of desire.

However, even though most young artists aren't brave enough to approach the gatekeepers, hat in hand, the gatekeepers do not devote hardly enough time or energy to provide infrastructure to keep young artists here.

Even though young artists leaving Dallas is a big reason the Dallas arts scene is underground, the other big reason is that no one knows where to go. Young artists who came of age during the first decade of the millennium found a Deep Ellum that was in shambles and intellectually bankrupt, didn't find a cultural scene in Uptown, was confused as everyone else by Victory Park, were slow to find the Design District, and although noble, Southsid e wasn't enough.

In the last year you had the success of the Bishop Arts District, Centraltrak and Amsterdam (yes, always, but if there could be one place that was an anchor - Monday night at Amsterdam is the closest thing you have), and a re-emergent Deep Ellum. You also had an economic recession kill arts programs, shut down non-profits and galleries with equal abandon - while two new multi-million dollar buildings open up - shining, new, glorious, and completely out of touch with the young artists who live (and don't live) in the underground.

Given this background, perhaps it isn't surprising why so many young artists live in Dallas for a while and then despair. It takes energy and certain type of personality to sketch out the underground. To find the little of pockets who, from time to time, valiantly come together for nights of artistic defiance - who validate, in secret, that Dallas is a viable city for the arts and for young artists.

And maybe the only reason I have so much faith in the future of the arts in Dallas is because I go to so many of these underground events - things advertised only by a facebook event invite, an email, or a text message - if at all.

I see so many talented artists creating all kinds of great art, 4 to 5 days a week, week in and week out, and rarely at an "established" venue or art space. I make friends with these artists, get to know them, and time after time, I watch them decide to leave, attend their going away parties, and then force myself to head back to the shadows, praying that I will find someone who can decide, like I have, to make Dallas their home.

Orginally posted at A Decade Of Excellence

Round Two: JDub on WHayes

2009-12-04T14:04:00.005-05:00

WHayes' notion that "Inglorious Basterds" is a kind of new or fresh take on the war movies genre and especially on the WWII movies genre is certainly not without its merits. But I think that there are a few very important distinctions to be made here.

If I were asked to give a rough definition for what a film fitting into the "war movie" genre should include, I would say that it must depict soldiers in a wartime situation, and it must show these soldiers in at least one battle. Basterds depicts soldiers of a sort, but they're soldiers in a made-up squad, which operates in a way in which no military squad has been known to operate. And yes, these soldiers are depicted in battle, but these battles relate in no way to what was actually occurring in those times.

As far as Basterds fitting into the narrower "WWII movie" genre, I'm even less convinced. Aside from depicting Nazis in situations which could have actually happened, the film took place in the same era and location as WWII, but that's about all that can be said. No real WWII events were shown or even really discussed. The plot of the film was centered around fictitious characters in made-up situations and eventually led to Hitler meeting a totally fabricated manner.

Thus, I would say that while "Inglorious Basterds" does possess some of the features of the war movie and WWII movie genres, its made-up-ness prevents it from being able to participate in these modes.

WHayes calls this film a "welcome relief" from the over-played WWII movie genre, but I disagree with this assessment. I question whether Basterds fits into either of these genres well enough to assume this relieving role. This film, for me, represents an entirely different, or even entirely new, genre: one which takes a time and place in history as a point of departure for a totally new and unique work of fiction.

I can't decide if Basterds is deliberately pretending to fit into the WWII movie genre, or if it is simply evoking it for sake of differentation, but for me, the fact remains: this film is not the "welcome relief," the next advancement in the genre of WWII films WHayes suggests it is. It instead fits itself into a broader "historical fiction"-type mode, and there's certainly nothing fresh about that either. The film's freshness may instead stem from a hyper-comical imposition of Post Modern values and humor onto a very serious, and indeed somewhat sacred, text that is our culture's memory of World War II.

Round Two: WHayes on JDub

2009-12-03T21:49:00.010-05:00

So thanksgiving threw us all off a beat (I blame the sweet potatoes...delicious, delicious sweet potatoes), but JDub and me are here to set the record straight...by vehemently disagreeing with one another.

JDub, welcome to the world of cinema advertising: its all lies. Of course they chose to distill nearly three hours of intelligent filmmaking into 30 second sips of blah -- they do this, because they think we're all idiots. Why shouldn't they, seeing as how we made Paul Blart: Mall Cop into a blockbuster hit when it should have been taking up space at the bottom of a Walmart $5 sale bin? The longer we keep giving them reason to believe that we're morons who will shell out $7-$14 to see anything, the longer they'll lie and cheat to make their product seem like everything we've been waiting for.

Consider this recent trailer for Avatar:

Notice how all mention of bloody cat-people genocide has been scrubbed from that 1:40 of pure, Nickelodeon-level bliss. The music is so lighthearted and cheery, you'd think you were watching Fern Gully...since you are. The point is, Hollywood has a bottom line to meet, and in the age where premiere-night audiences can eviscerate a shit movie in mere minutes (via Twitter, no less), they have to recoup as much of their investment as possible within the first 24 hours. This translates into getting as many asses in the seats as possible, and if they have to dress the product up as though it were in six different genres at once, so be it. As long as we know they're full of it, we'll be fine.

Creativity on Demand

2009-12-03T18:17:00.005-05:00

It's been decided that Thursday is gonna be the day to post photography; it's good to have a guide line to try to stick with. Discipline is good; I don't have a day job so things can get a bit drifty unless I create order. But, what about coming up with stuff on demand?

That's the fun of the process.

David Lynch, the eccentric director of the tv program Twin Peaks a million years ago, Eraser Head, Blue Velvet, Mulhollen Drive and other films, has a theory about creativity that I like a lot.
He says that ideas are like fish swimming in the ocean...all you have to do is go fishing. Yup, drop your line down there and pull up an idea. The best fish swim deep down, so you gotta get down there for the best ones. He meditates regularly, oh by the way. You can find some interviews with him on YouTube. I still don't know how to link sites, so sorry about that. I also came across his book about this when I was at City Lights Bookstore in SF last month. I forget the title, but it's probably at the big bookstores or Amazon too.....I'm not gonna do your research for it, 'cause, again, I can't link you up anyway. I promise I'll learn how to do it soon. How can one call themselves a blogger without this basic skill?

Last year I came across a comic book software in my Mac....called Comic Life (Lite) that's fun to play with...the piece at the top came out of that. (My ex-husband, a "serious" artist, unlike the photographers in this world, warned me not to show anyone these that I call "Late Night Comics" at the risk of being deemed shallow....)

Honestly, I don't care, and find it really fun to combine photos and thought bubbles.

Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps

2009-12-03T00:41:00.008-05:00

I get sickened by media types, fans, and all vultures of pop culture who crown and dethrone celebs in the speed of light.

Prior to this past Thanksgiving, any controversy associated with Tiger Woods dealt with him in respect to his sport.

Is he the best ever?

Should he control his behavior on the green?

Outside of the sport, he's one of the most non-assuming icons we've ever seen. Tiger has amassed a billion dollars in earnings over his career through winnings and sponsorships.* He is known as extremely competitive and quite charismatic within his sport, but away from the green he is undoubtedly dry.**

Which made it all the more shocking to hear about his current situation.

Tiger seems caught between trying to maintain his image and dealing with this matter privately. In his statement he says, "Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions." But they do. Even those who now condemn Tiger, expressed concern when the only thing the public knew was that he was in a serious accident.

What shocks me most is how insatiable the masses are. Gossip blogs are on fire; posting the infamous voicemail, with swarms of fans declaring how hurt they are by this situation.

Are you really hurt? Did you really look up to Tiger like that?

Even if you aspire to play golf, how does this affect your view of him?

Without question, Tiger Woods has made many contributions off the green including the Tiger Woods Foundation and a 35,000 square foot learning facility in Anaheim that serves thousands of local students. Does this flaw, though painful for his family, negate these contributions?

I have to say no.

If you go around putting people on a pedestal*** you are bound to be disappointed. No one is beyond reproach.****I believe that a price of celebrity is the obligation to be a role model (whether you like it or not) and that episodes of shame are extremely teachable moments.

What can I learn from a celebrity who never makes mistakes? How to be fake? Do I really want to be a caricature? Because at some point there will be a situation where that mask won't be enough. And this is where I need role models who fall flat on their face, admit their guilt, and rebuild.

*Including the best tasting sports drink of all time, Gatorade Tiger. I usually sip the Red Drive flavor while making a "whoosh" sound effect. Try it sometime.

**Tiger Woods probably makes Shane Battier look like Rick James.

***Especially celebrities or anyone else you do not know personally.

****If you are saying, "I know that already," then why are you so mad?!

The Boundary: The Price Of Doing Nothing

2009-11-24T15:37:00.004-05:00

On the first day of school I arrived to my math class early. It was a habit I had developed in college, I wanted to have first choice of the seats, because where you happen to sit on the first day – had a funny way of becoming your seat for the semester. In the back of the classroom was a mixed girl with long black hair. I could tell she was a freshmen, because no upperclassmen would ever be this exited about a math class. She waved at me, and after we introduced ourselves, she asked me to sit next to her. The only problem was that it was in the back of the classroom, and I was a front of classroom type of guy – I found it easier to fall asleep when I was closer to the boredom. As the rest of the class filed in, I saw a friend of mine, who sat on the other side of her. He was a class below me, a baseball player I had taken a liking to – although widely considered a scoundrel and ne’er-do-well, we would hang out on occasion and I had once used my influence to get him out of trouble. I turned back to the girl who was just happy to be alive, shrugged, and sat down.

We soon became a trio, studying and partying together. She was a wild child, with a temper and an unabashed sexuality that made many people uncomfortable – just the sort of “bad girl” that I become friends with. I decided that she would be my project – that I would help her deal with the somewhat murky waters of college life. One day we were having lunch together, and she seemed very troubled. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me that she thought my friend had raped her. That they had been hanging out and drinking, and that he had tried to make a move, and she had said no, and then she passed out, and then she woke up and he was inside of her, and then she passed out again. Unsure what to do, when I saw my friend I subtly asked him how his night went. He told me the same story as she did, that he had hung out with her, that they had gotten drunk together, passed out in the same bed, and he had spent the night there. The only difference was that there was no sex in his version. Not sure who to believe, my good friend or a girl I had just met, I pushed the incident out of my mind.

A few weeks later, I was sitting in her room having a conversation with both her and her roommate. Her roommate, a girl as equally rebellious and beautiful as she, was telling me about this room a floor above theirs that was known as the date rape room. The guys who lived there would get girls drunk, drug them, and then rape them. It was common knowledge amongst their class, but no girl would ever come forward to formally accuse them. Then she told me that last week she had become one of those girls. Next, my friend, re-told the story that she had told me a few weeks ago – and let me know that she had been very bothered about it, and was thinking about going to the Dean’s office.

As I sat in the room of these two freshmen girls who had been on campus for less than two months, both tell me that they had been raped, I was overwhelmed. For the first time it hit me, that my friend was a rapist, that I knew about it, and that I had done nothing.

As soon as I left the girl’s rooms, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. As I was eating my food, I look up to see my former friend sit directly across from me. I wanted to throw up. It was one of the worst feelings I had ever felt. I tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, not wanting to tip my hand that we were going to charge him with sexual assault. I left as quickly as I could, and threw up in the bushes outside.

That weekend, I get a call from a frat brother I had told about the incidents. His voice was shaking as he told me he had been at a party off campus, and everyone had left the house except my former friend and another girl. When someone went back to the house because they forgot something, the girl was in the bathroom, crying uncontrollably, saying that my former friend had raped her.

How to Use the Machines for Good - RJD2's "Ghostwriter"

2009-11-24T11:54:00.009-05:00

A number of my previous posts have discussed the use of machines and computers to process naturally created music, especially vocals, for sonic effect. As pervasive as technology is these days in our society, it is becoming more and more normal for pop music on the radio to be heavily processed, to include digital samples of other music, or even to have been produced entirely on a computer (crank that Soulja Boy).

While it may not hit the radio waves any time soon, RJD2's "Ghostwriter" is an example of a song which was produced entirely of samples pieced together electronically.

Listen to RJD2's "Ghostwriter"

Many of the samples you hear in songs on the radio are only lightly modified or often lifted exactly from the original song, providing a sense of evocation and sometimes tribute. Jason Derülo's "Whatcha Say" prominently samples Imogen Heap's classic "Hide and Seek," evoking the song's history and lyrics while presenting it in a new paradigm.

Jason Derülo's "Whatcha Say" on YouTube

Using a sample evocatively, as in "Whatcha Say," often results in the sample needing to be manipulated to fit into the new song, perhaps by changing its tempo or pitch, or by processing it further still. Regardless, the moment a sample in a new song reminds you of the original song, the use of electronic manipulation is clearly recognizable.

The samples in RJD2's "Ghostwriter," however, operate in an entirely different manner. Rather than evoke a popular tune from yesteryear, RJD2 pieces together older and more obscure samples to create an entirely original piece of music. From Wikipedia, the recognizable samples in "Ghostwriter" are:

"I Didn't Understand" Elliott Smith from his album XO.
"Secretary" by Betty Wright
The beginning of "Timesteps" by Wendy Carlos from the movie "A Clockwork Orange"

The point is that "Ghostwriter" appears to be a fairly apt name for a song which was created totally electronically, but hides this fact. I could picture it being performed live by the right group of musicians with absolutely no use of digital equipment at all.

Aside from some sundry reversed samples and volume swells, the guitar, drums, bass, horns, and vocal parts sound for all the world like they were recorded in the studio as primary source. The samples no longer sound obviously like samples, but instead sound like normal, intentionally composed and recorded parts. Its as if a modern painter stripped paint from the canvasses of old works and applied them to a new canvas in totally new styles and compositions as though the paint were being used for the first time.

Because of this, I think of "Ghostwriter" as a piece of music which was composed, arranged, and produced by a unique artist without the overt reliance on digital editing and effects. The trained ear certainly recognizes it as a work of sampling, but the digital equipment is used as transparently as possible. In this way, the machine stands aside and allows direct connection between artist and listener the way any live recording of a band would.

Its record album scratchiness and the varying ages of its samples result in an aesthetic which has been described as "amateruish," somewhat rough, raw, and accessible. I think the song celebrates this aesthetic with a wry grin: creating such a "human" work of art digitally is very hard work indeed.

Wet

2009-11-21T17:50:00.007-05:00

Stuck inside last week.... Not really, but not wanting to go outside much during the days and nights of wetness, I enjoyed my cave-like experience... listening to the rain... shooting photos through the windows and skylight....staying dry.

Dueling Film Reviews: JDub on Inglourious Basterds

2009-11-20T14:23:00.010-05:00

This week, WHayes and I are reviewing Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds." I ended up loving this film--in spite of Brad Pitt's atrocious accent--and I'll even say it might be Tarantino's most palatable creation yet. Normally his films are just a bit too heavy-handed with the blood and guts, but "Inglourious Basterds" balances this with outrageous humor and incredible acting, writing, and cinematic value.

I have found myself bombarded by the enormous marketing budget of this film. Because of how it's trailer pervades TV, the Internet, and theater previews, I feel like I've seen it a hundred times without even trying. Take a look if you're needing a refresher:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3738173977/

To be frank, this preview simply did not make me want to go out of my way to see the movie. The portrayal was simply too slapstick, too violent, and the scenes in it were too clearly out of context to have really been appealing to me. The shorter previews on TV are even worse: boiling a two and a half hour film down to a bunch of shooting, a silly portrayal of Hitler, and Brad Pitt's over-acting.

I guess I should have expected more knowing Tarantino's very serious, artsy auteur persona, but regardless, this film may have been wildly violent and strangely silly, yet these moments were framed in a very, very high quality cinematic production. The casting and acting were incredible, especially Mike Myers' contribution: far less campy than we've come to expect from Mr. Crazy Character Actor.

The point is that the previews for "Inglourious Basterds" turned out to be portraying something very different from the actual movie. Everything about it that would turn me off from wanting to see it was crammed together in the trailers, and everything that I felt made the film so exceptional was ignored. The notion that violently killin' Nazis and silly Hitler alone are enough to attract as large an audience as possible for the film does not compute for me.

Give me a trailer that is a purposefully transparent portrayal of what I can expect from a film, or else you run the risk of attracting too small or too narrow an audience. Let your work speak for itself.

Dear Universal Pictures,

Why?

Love,

JDub

Dueling Film Reviews: WHayes on Inglourious Basterds

2009-11-20T14:04:00.010-05:00

War movies have been, and will always be a method for celebrating humanity's pesky habit of proving itself worth a damn during moments of otherwise pants-shitting horror.

This theme (or even genre-tenant) didn't evolve in a vacuum: surely it has blood-ties back to the novel (hello Tolstoy), and epic poems before that (Gilgamesh, the Odyssey) and is a tenant I largely support. I can't imagine any other way to recount events involving famine, disease, strife and genocide on such a massive scale without anchoring it in some form of silver lining: a glorious battle, a resilient warrior clan, a hero. Without that focus, war movies would be PETA montages for the Faces of Death set.

This brings me to World War II movies. The sub-genre plays by the same rules as its parent category, albeit while working from truncated source material: lets face it. That War, because it was The War, became a sacred text, one teeming with the personal struggles of millions, some celebrated, many unnamed, and all linked by common tragedy. The pool of stories authors and filmmakers can choose from is virtually limitless. Why, then, does Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds feel like such a welcome relief from the culture that brought us hundreds of films on some of those shining moments? Maybe its because in the current age of Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and WWII in HD, the whole "based on a true story gritty realism" thing is getting, frankly, tired?

Granted, it looks amazing, but how is that not recycling the same idea over again? After a while, its gotta get boring. Basterds, a movie that's in no way a retelling of actual events, is what this next decade needs to succeed. Medium differences aside, its how Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 makes nearly $500 million in 24 hours: take the genre framework and do something fun with it.

Take the time Superman defeated the Ku Klux Klan. In a bizarre but brilliant maneuver against the organization, writer Stetson Kennedy managed to work all their secrets into the Superman radio serial, producing what I'll bet my manhood on was a series of fucking stellar, intriguing, and innovative broadcasts. How different is that from Basterds? If the point of the war genre is to tell those triumphant stories, and mixing in a little "alternate-history cartoon" (as NPR calls it) with the aid of a talented filmmaker can still produce an amazing product, then what are they/we waiting for? WW2 may be The sacred genre text, and I am not saying we need Third Reich musicals, but it's still just a text. There's always room for a different interpretation.

(photo credit: Francois Duhamel/TWC)

The Boundary: Sunday Steaks

2009-11-17T13:06:00.007-05:00

pub food
Originally uploaded by lomokev

On a little island in the Caribbean, a young couple goes to sleep tonight with a precious two year old and a story of a broken heart. This is their story and how a young intern was wrapped into the plot.

After a few weeks of my internship and a few Friday night drink-ups at the shop, one of the guys said we should head out to one of the ex-pat bars over on the south side to investigate the nightlife and force me out of my apartment to meet some ladies so I could "get lucky." I appreciated his efforts and joined him that night.

After an hour of struggling to call a taxi to pick me up and a $20 cab ride for 2 miles (still bitter 4 years later), I arrived at Aqua a bit too early. An MMA fight was on the bar TV and roided out guys were screaming at the screens with the passion of Rocky. I ordered my Carib and waited for my buddy. Two Caribs and a rum and coke later, my coworker arrived drink in hand and smile on his face.

He buys me another rum and coke and we find a place on the wood paneled bar to watch the MMA fight for a second time. Shop-talk follows, with discussion of the GPS work we've done and diving on the island. Nothing social lubrication would facilitate. After finishing another round, we head to the tiki patio outside and he notices a lady in his periphery. He looks at me and said, "I'll be right back." He slid his hands into his khaki pockets and moseyed over to the women.

After striking up a conversation and getting her number he came back. Hands now out of his pockets he looked at me and said, "Sometimes I like to push the limits." I stared at him blankly and waited for a follow up. I could tell there had been an internal dialogue raging in his head and I was catching the tail end. "Would you think less of me if I took off my ring?"

All I could think about was his wife who had just fixed the perfect gnocchi two nights before, how she had just decided to take a ladies trip over to Cuba, and how she seemed like the most loving person I had ever met. To my dismay I found myself shrugging my shoulders and showing no disapproval. He wrestled and twisted the ring off and slipped it into his cargo pant pocket. He led the charge to the next bar.

We arrived at Boca de something, a more urban dance club that further illuminated his subtle Hawaiian shirt. He handed me two more beers and agreed we would head out in an hour. I danced; lazily. We met some people from an accounting firm and I struck up a conversation about the world cup and became engrossed in the island's obsession with its mother, Britain. After 30 minutes of intense dialogue, I see my friend on the couch talking with this same jet black haired lady from Aqua. It appears harmless and its not my responsibility to babysit this 30 year old man. Right? I reenter the conversation with my disappointment in the fall of Real Madrid despite a Yankee scale payroll.

The hour or so flies bye and closing time nears. I take a lap around the bar looking for my ringless friend and decide to take one last pass at the bathroom. After relieving my self, I found my accountant acquaintances. I tell them that my ride is nowhere to be found and I think he may have slipped out with his lady friend. They offer me a ride back to their place for an after party. Not seeing a better alternative, I agreed and hopped in the back seat. Inevitably, my friend was the topic of discussion but their disappointment was not in how he may have left with someone else but how I got shafted with finding a way home. Everyone has a beer or two more and then someone says their heading by my place and would drop me off on their way.

I wake up the next morning and put many of the pieces together from the previous night while watching the morning matches of the World Cup and look forward to the US actually making a decent showing later in the afternoon. Around noon I get a call from my M.I.A friend and he wants me to come over to watch the game and have some steaks. After 3 weeks of living off of hot dogs and ham sandwiches, I jumped at the opportunity. I hopped on my bike and rode the 5 miles to the other side of the island just in time for kickoff. Potatoes, steak and even a salad were waiting for me on the coffee table with Landon and crew on the TV.

We chat about the US's chances. I didn't bring up the night before and it didn't come up during the match. Both of us devoured the steak and set back in the glory of gluttony. We moved to the back porch; he handed me a Miller Lite. The back patio looked onto the waterway and we just sat for a few minutes. Amidst the silence, my mind was replaying the two sitting there on the couch and how they were lost in the blur of the night.

"Crazy night," he sputtered. I nodded. While still seated, he began shuffling his feet on the concrete, like a self conscious child in the spot light. He hinted that he wanted to tell me something. "I haven't even told my brother this." I knew it was coming. Transitioned mumbling followed until, "I cheated on [my wife] for the first time last night."

I continued my steady, rhythmic nodding and silence. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes; the ones that he had sad were his last for the past 2 days. He lit and took a long draw, leaning back in his chair and looking over the waterway. He didn't look stressed. But for that matter, I'd never seen him stressed even when we were in a tropical storm aboard a tiny john boat, he was perfectly in control. Silence fell and he asked me what he should do. At the time, only 19, was perplexed at what insight I could offer. More silence. He vowed to give up alcohol, and the remainder 2 months on the island, he did not drink. All I could get out was jumbled advice about honesty, love, forgiveness; all things I think I had learned from wasted days watching Lifetime.

We shook hands, he thanked me for listening and I departed.

It was the slowest bike ride of my life. Reflecting, taking in the fact that only my buddy, the jet black haired girl, and I knew that he violated what I felt was the most sacred vow was tearing me up. That son of a bitch. He could not blame this on alcohol. He took his ring off after 1 beer. He followed the girl to the club. He had one intention. With the sea on my right, the disappointment in humanity fell over me. I had utmost faith in good men. Maybe he was hoping that I had stepped in the previous night. Gave him a nudge from the angel on the left shoulder or not stared blankly at him when he took the ring off.

After making the journey home, I finished a bottle of Appleton’s and passed out to replays of the US losing. I had high hopes.

Interview with Jaime Derringer

2009-11-16T19:41:00.004-05:00

Over the past year, we’ve literally stumbled upon artists, musicians, and future friends through the internet. While going through a plethora of design sites, I found Jaime Derringer. The name rung a bell but I couldn’t remember why (Oh yea, dummy. Design milk!. After going through her website and portfolio, I was moved to contact her to ask a couple of questions.

AS: As a multimedia artist, what propels between the different forms of painting, drawing, designing and writing? Is it seasonal? Do you find if you have certain emotions, you tend to gravitate towards one media over the other.
JD: It definitely comes and goes like seasons. Sometimes I spend weeks just drawing in my sketchbook. Other times I spend countless hours painting and then painting over that painting and then painting over that one. I think much of what I do is about the process for me. I can be a bit anal-retentive and somewhat specific about things, and I see how this comes out in my art. I don't think that I gravitate toward one particular media based on emotions, but rather inspirations.
Sometimes if I see a great painting, it will inspire me to paint, and then it becomes a bit obsessive (which also comes out in my art -- you can see it in the repetition of the shapes and patterns I often use).
The poems that you see on the site are from my lifetime, so I write a poem about every 3.875 years! I actually think I'm due for one soon...

AS: What media are you into right now? Any new long term projects?
JD: I have been doing some drawing lately, but not a whole lot of anything unfortunately. I just got over a painting binge in which I produced absolutely nothing. So, I'm taking some time away from the canvas in the hope that I can get inspired again. I enjoy drawing more than I do painting because I feel as though I have more control.
I am continuing my sketchbook series and hope to one day do a show of just sketchbooks. I think that would be super fun. In addition, I have my first big show next year so I'm really thinking hard about what I want to create and show.

AS: Who do you think is (are) revolutionizing art? This could be in general or in specific media.
JD: I think the Internet is revolutionizing art. With blogs like booooooom! and sites like 20x200, artists who wouldn't have previously gotten too much exposure are now getting loads of it. It's so easy these days to appear on a small art blog and then get picked up or noticed by more popular websites or shops. I also think that the Internet has helped break the ice in terms of art snobbishness. I tend to see less of that on the Internet and more support and encouragement. It's about sharing and creativity and community and being inspired rather than "good" vs. "bad" art.

AS: Where do you stand with art as a career? Full time? Part time with a random side job? How have you been able to make it over the years? Advice for the starving artist?
JD: Art is very part-time for me. I blog for a living. I run Design Milk and I also write for ShelterPop. In addition, I have a consulting/educational business called BAKERY. I like being able to do all of these things together because I enjoy each one of them. While I think that making art for a living would be amazing, I'm not sure I'd like the pressure. I like making personal art because I want to, not because I have to; I like the freedom.

AS: With your illustrated book pages, do the particular pages have significance to you? Please elaborate.
JD:Yes and no. The actual book pages do not have significance, but the art that is on them comes from what's on the page. Whatever that page makes me feel when I see and feel it, that's what my drawing becomes. I particularly like strange and unusual book pages, such as ones with medical illustrations or topographic maps, or foreign texts with torn yellowed corners. I like to think about who owned these books and how many people may have touched the pages. I hope that by my drawing on them I've given them some new life and a whole new future (rather than being trash!).

AS: Could you run me through the past year? Where you've been, people you met, things you learned about art and about yourself.
JD: Over the past year, I've learned so much about myself. Two of my paintings called "Discovery" and "Understanding" because that is exactly what was happening to me in my life when I painted them. I was beginning to discover myself -- both as a person and an artist. I've had a tough year and I think my art has reflected that. Basically, I haven't done as much in terms of art this year, at least not as much as I wanted to. Throughout the past 12 months, I moved across the country from San Diego, CA to return home to NJ, quit my horrid full-time corporate job to become my own boss, started a consulting business, and dealt with some emotional issues. I also came to many realizations, including my obsessiveness and perfectionism and how it actually makes the my creation of art harder. I have been making an effort to instead use the art to reduce and heal those issues. Art as therapy, I guess.

AS: Going out on a limb here but based on your graphic design portfolio, I would say you're of southern upbringing (much like myself). I find it's interesting that this side of you came out in the most modern form of art. How do you think the electronic canvas was able to facilitate this expression?

JD: That's funny. I'm from New Jersey. The only thing southern about me is the part of NJ I'm from.
I think my quirky illustrations and fun digital art is mostly from my sense of humor. I don't like to think I'm weird, but I like to think that my view of the world is slightly different than others, but in a good way if that makes any sense! All I want is for people to look at them and crack a smile or even just a little smirk. After I started creating these types of prints (mostly to hone my Adobe skills) I realized they were popular so I continued creating new ones. I'm just glad there are goofy people out there just like me!

AS: Is there anything you would like the Art Star fam to know about you or any upcoming shows?
JD: I'm looking forward to the next year -- I think it will be a better one for me and for my art. I will be participating in the second Incredible Print Show at Artstream Studios in December, and I have a show next August at a new gallery called Assemble in Seattle. My portfolio site is jaimederringer.com and you can purchase prints from my Etsy shop.