Cagney King - Artist - Blog

A Little Party with Soul

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:55:49 GMT

Before embarking on a journey with the soul purpose of exposing your heart, soul and passions it becomes necessary to explore each one of those and make sure they are all in check and in good health. So I held a little informal gathering to spend some quality time with each of them. Strong apologies to doubt, fear, anxiety and inhibition...definitely NOT invited.
In planning for this year's ART Miami trip I am excited, nervous and full of wonder at what I will see and who I will meet. Last year was such an incredible journey and I learned so much; all of which will help bolster my courage to get out of the studio and into the pulse of the Art world. For me, this takes courage alongside a jigger shot of gumption.
So, number one - is my heart ready to be exposed? Yes. Actually, too late really...for in each painting it already is, and now I must keep my heart out there to protect and defend and stand up for it the best I can. Right then - Onto number two - what about my soul? First I have to think about having one...OK, check...it showed up. No RSVP, of course...but never-the-less there she was. Next, I have to connect with it. I guess this is what is meant by 'soul searching'. Digging deep and breathing shallow to let my soul surface so that I can take a good look and have a long chat about holding on to our dreams and seeking them out together in a healthy and hearty way. My soul and I had quite the deep and emotional discussion and eventually we came to terms and decided that we were indeed on the same page.
I fear my soul suffers from depression and is often times afraid to come out and stay exposed for long. But I said to soul - "Fear and depression are like shadows. They are connected to us and are always there, but we cannot always control their appearances. We must learn to face the light when we can so that they will follow behind us and never be allowed to lead. Sometimes they will come to us with sharp, bitter and harsh edges; and sometimes they will be short, diffused and fuzzy. The trick, my darling soul, is not to let them distort our dreams. Accepting the dark shadows is the beginning of controlling them and will be the ultimate in self-control and patience." With this, soul was satisfied, on-board and content to stay on the creative path, albeit from afar.
Now it was time to deal with passion. Passion is a bit of a wieldy, driven and wild character who is always dancing about and screaming out from within me, reminding me that to paint and create is to really live and be. "The hell with soul!" Passion screams, "Screw 'em all...just dance with ME in your studio!" Clearly...passion is on-board.
So you see, keeping heart, soul and passion in check can sometimes be a daunting task. All the while dealing with the step-children - fear, doubt and inhibition. It is necessary to love them all, but we must not give in and spoil them so that they think they can get their own way all the time.
So ART Miami 2012, here we come. All in tact and ready to show you who we are and experience all the wonderful things you have to offer.
Wish us luck!

Paint Out Loud!

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:21:49 GMT

Peace - Mixed Media - 48x48" [122x122cm]

Music, mayhem, fizzy pops, tears, laughter, drips, mud, spatter and spray. Then there were explicatives followed by more experimenting and exploring. That pretty much sums it up.
However; that just isn’t fun now is it? Right then, I’ll back up a bit and explain.

Paintings are like small representations of relationships specific to me.
Friendships formed and nurtured into a breathing bond.
As they are discovered there is excitement, discovery, sharing, touch, intimacy, laughter, tears, anger, frustration and connectivity. A special and secret bond of knowledge forms in their energy that represents what it means to be together. Known but never spoken. A creation of spirit and meaning between me and the canvas that ebbs and flows, pushes and pulls throughout the process.
Then, it's over. Done. To be no more. Finished and set against a wall to reflect a memory of what was and our time together. To strike an occasional match to remind me of what it was like to be loved and occupied during that time, and to understand as clearly as the quick and acidic smoke of sulfur will fill a room, waft and then disappear, that it will never be again between us.
Much like being pulled out of a hole, exposed, discovered, examined and then tossed aside to rebuild the next go round.
The paintings will live with me forever because I created them and I can destroy them at my will. I think to be able to truly love my paintings it means I must be able to harness the ability to both build it up and destroy it so that no other may possess it in the same way that I do. That said, I also believe that releasing paintings into this world as it exists, and allowing it to take on a life and journey of its own, takes all the more courage.
And then...I start over again. Dedicated to the idea that the next painting will be better; it has to be better.

And so it goes.

Below I have provided a link to view DEKIT Magazine. My painting 'Poetry Pants' is featured on pages 26 and 27 along with my Poem, 'Ants in my Cornmeal'.

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

Paint Under My Nails - Interview

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:44:53 GMT

I have mentioned before that I have found great satisfaction in virtually meeting, sharing and communicating with Artists through various social mediums. When things aren’t going so well in studio and I need inspiration, I have never been let down. I can always find a chat, share a technique or an idea, or find links to artists in new worlds and lands that re-charge my batteries. I have formed friendships that have evolved from the avatar into the real.

Such is the case with Amanda Beck Mauck - http://amandabeckart.com/home.html.

Amanda is an incredible mixed media artist, and I was thrilled when she asked me to do an interview for her blog: Paint Under My Nails - http://paintundermynails.blogspot.com/search/?q=cagney+king

She asked some very insightful questions and genuinely took an interest in my work and the meaning behind it.

I hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed thinking and walking it through with Amanda.

Crazy Times...and I'm not dead yet!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:02:41 GMT

Emerge - 48x48" - Mixed Media

Writer’s block, creative cramp, time crunch, worm hole, time warp, cave dwelling, disappearing act…I don’t know what to call it really. I just know that it seems like days run right into each other creating an endless loop of working, doing something that needs done and running to keep up!
I don’t know what else to say, but I will say this! To all of you who have been SO Kind to reach out and ask where in the hell I got off to…Thank You so much! You have spurred me on and back to the business at hand which is my ART! [...and NO, I do thank you for asking...but I am not dead...yet].

As many of you know, from January to April I work two full-time jobs in order to afford my studio and supplies for the rest of the year. Well worth the effort I think, as I continually work toward my goal of working less and painting more! This busy time does NOT keep me from painting in studio completely…but it does keep me from working as much as I would like. Oh hell, the truth of the matter is that I'm never in-studio enough to suit my line of thinking or taste...so there is that bit to bed.
But do have heart! In the meantime, I have also been busy meeting with fellow artists and mentors for advice and shop talk, researching artist opportunities – always researching and learning; I managed to finish two paintings...count them...TWO, and have even done a couple of interviews of late to help keep my finger on the pulse of my art career!

The most recent interview was with Bangstyle and Werks Project Agency [WPA]. [http://www.bangstyle.com/category/art/] Bangstyle is in collaboration with WPA [http://www.thewpa.tv/about-us/]. Werks Project Agency hails from Los Angeles and is an advertising agency who’s creative and projects are based on local fine artists. They believe that “…great art is the best communicator of the message and results in groundbreaking, memorable campaigns.” I, of course, agree!

They are in process of putting together a book of 48 featured artists and I was chosen! Below you will find my interview responses. I’m very excited to see the final book, get introduced to the other artists and read their interviews!! I promise that when I get my hands on a copy of the book I will certainly have it available in my studio.

I have also done another brief interview with DEKIT. Dekit is a website dedicated to “Exposing the art of creators.” [http://dekitdekit.com/about-page]. They also publish a digital art magazine and offer up the latest in urban art, music and fashion. They were particularly interested in Poetry Pants, the creative process and the poetry behind the painting. Good ol’ Poetry Pants!

So you see…it hasn’t been all work and no play!

You can certainly check out the finished two paintings by hopping over to my work page. Angry is a 48x48” canvas and pictured above is my latest called ‘Emerge.’ Emerge is also a 48x48” [122x122cm] canvas. Emerge was a sort of social media collaboration piece between myself and the virtual acquaintence and admiration of an artist named Ricardo Miguel from Lisboa, Portugal. He is an incredible art photographer, and I worked off some of his photography, and he is working off of some of my paintings. So very cool, and a wonderful virtual share! And finally, currently up on the easel and consuming my mind is a new 36x72” canvas in progress…so do stay tuned!

So…have no fear! Cagney is still here! [I guess I should have removed the writer's block from the list at top...appears I did have a little bit to say after all...(insert sheepish grin)...]

Do enjoy the interview, keep your e-mail and posts coming, and until next time – ROCK ON!

Q: Where do you find inspiration most often? Dreams, observing society, etc?

A: I seem to find inspiration in the everyday world around me. I have become focused on the idea that society is so over stimulated that they have become desensitized. With my latest contemporary figurative work, I strive to capture not just an image from some part of the world in turmoil, but the humanity behind it. I over emphasis the emotion in my paintings, in order to try and get people to stop, look and feel what they are seeing. Not just ‘change the channel’ or ‘link to the next page’. I am very affected by the pain, fighting and self centered egotism of nations and people. It all seems to over-ride their ability to think straight. At the same time, I am always curious about how, in the same moment, a people or society can feel so strongly about something and put everything they have left in the world, including their life, toward the fight for whatever their cause. I draw a lot of inspiration from national news events, the newspaper, science, history, mathematics and social disruptions.

Q: Who is your favorite artist of all-time and why?

A: Wow…this is a tough one! My study and appreciation of other artists is always evolving. I appreciate the historic trials, tribulations and contributions of artists such as Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Whistler etc. My heart has always spent time with the modernists as well. Krasner, DeKooning, Rauschenberg, Rothko, Giacometti, Rivers etc. In today’s world I am enthralled with Jenny Saville, Lucien Freud, Ai Weiwei, Herakut, David Choe, Guy Denning, Matt Small, Russ Mills, Hung Liu, Vhils…the list just goes on and on. The fact is, I am always searching and reading about artists of my time and from the past. As I evolve, so does my pursuit in researching and reading about other artists. I would also be remiss if I failed to mention the numerous artists I have virtually met through the artistic social mediums. I try to reach out and start a dialogue with as many artists as I can whose work I am particularly drawn to, or that seem to share the same passions. Sometimes, I almost feel guilty spending so much time reading about them on their website and studying their paintings that I feel an obligation to reach out and connect. That is one thing great about the website community. Each and every artist in my opinion has something to bring to the table and share. I think we can all learn from each other.

Q: Do you tend to work in quick spurts or is it a very time-consuming process?

A: I work both in spurts and over time. I will work and re-work layers in what seems like furious spurts; but will then slow down, back off, study the work and contemplate the next step or focus on an area that will need to be re-worked. Each painting takes me on a journey. I will have an idea of where I want to go, but perhaps a happy accident or a spontaneous decision will take me in a completely different direction. The entire process however; is never rushed. I spend a great deal of time on each painting. Paintings will span at least three months, and sometimes even longer. At times, I will even think I am finished and set the work aside, but then down the road will notice something and will put it back up on the easel or wall and change or add something on the spot.

Q: When you're creating what are standards to get your creative juices flowing (i.e. music, coffee, cigarettes, etc)?

A: Music and beer (my fizzy pops I call them) are probably my studio standards for working. It seems I always have both going right along with the paint. Painting for me is like a communicative dance with the canvas and my eclectic and diverse selection of tunes seems to literally add to the process.

Q: What city has inspired you the most to create your art and why?

A: It might sound cliché, but my first instinct is to blurt out Florence or Venice, Italy. This is where, after years of studying paintings in books and at University, that these paintings suddenly came to life right in front of me. The history, the brush strokes, all combined and filled my every sense. I wandered through the Guggenheim in Venice like a blubbering fool! I was so overwhelmed that I will never forget that moment of actually experiencing the art up close and in person. Later I had the opportunity to travel to Madrid, Spain. I had the same experience in the Museo Reina Sofia. Even set the alarm off whilst looking too close at Picasso’s Guernica!

It is these incredible experiences that will always stay with me in my modest little small town America studio.

Loft Artwork Interviews Cagney King

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:25:07 GMT

It has been interesting over the last few years to realize how artists can delve into a social media and turn it into a sort of pool for sharing – making it our own. Sharing everything from triumphs and disappointments to struggles in the studio to everyday life as an artist. The key word is sharing. As I have immersed myself into the various and sundry on-line social opportunities specifically designed for artists, there seems to be an ever-growing repertoire of contacts and ‘followers.’ Not only does this open up opportunities for discovery of other artists and their work and techniques, but it also opens up opportunities for connections and friendships outside the given forum. Such is the case with Laura Warburton. www.loftartwork.com & www.laurawarburton.com
Laura is an artist hailing from Toronto, Canada and is the Owner of Loft Artwork. This quote will give you a little insight into Laura:

"It’s NOT about what you look at…It’s about what you SEE…Brushing, carving, scraping and pouring various materials, gels and mediums on canvas aids in creating an organic textured feel that hopefully captures and holds the viewers eye. Painting and paintings are emotional to me. I believe that when you walk into a room and you notice the art on the walls... and you really want to ”look” at it... then you are in front of a great a piece of art.”

SO, you see, when Laura asked me if I would consider doing a guest blog by answering some interview questions she had prepared, of course I was thrilled. And considering the depth of my appreciation of her work and philosophies, I was actually more than thrilled.
I am pleased to share with you my interview with Laura here and below. Please enjoy it and do take the time to visit her work and website.
Until Next time!
Rock On and Enjoy!

Art Miami Re-Cap

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:22:01 GMT

Hello everyone!

I want to first say Thank You for all the encouragement and support offered for my trip down to Miami to visit Art Miami • Red Dot • Miami Solo • Art Basel • Scope!!
It was a fantastic trip and I have a lot of work ahead of me in doing follow-ups. I learned SO much and met so many fantastic people!! I am very anxious to connect with them outside of the hustle and bustle of the shows.
I was able to attend a great deal of the event, but found myself running out of time and I can’t help but think that to see everything would have taken yet another whole week!
I can’t explain how so very cool it was to immerse myself in the Art, with the Artists and the Gallery and Representation side of the business. Everywhere you look is creativity and explosions on canvas, in installations and in sculpture…it is incredible and very overwhelming.
Each day brought new energy, new meet and greets and new adventures. The feedback I received on my work was very positive and encouraging…my head is just spinning and I feel as if I have a slight case of vertigo!
Now it is time for me to try and bottle up some of that energy, buckle down, and get back to work in studio and keep building up my body of work with a new found enthusiasm and gusto.
Keep your e-mails and comments coming! I love the sharing and the discussions, but especially love hearing from you all! You can either e-mail me directly or connect with me via this blog or my contact page.

Until next time!
Rock-on!

Destination: ART Miami

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:23:07 GMT

On the Easel - In progress. Click to View Larger Image.

Tomorrow I will set out on a journey to Miami, Florida to attend Art Miami. This journey will take me to a magical place where galleries from all over the world will be gathering to celebrate, promote and discuss ART. I am going to tuck my portfolio book under my sweaty little arm pit, swallow hard, gather all the gumption, grace and guts that I can muster and talk to as many people as I can about my art.
Yep…I’m going to do this…I’m pretty sure…no…I AM going to be brave and do so! [I have a back-up plan…my sister, friend, and biggest fan is going to be behind me pushing all the way]

To all that have supported me and encouraged me and been by my side up until now, I thank you! For it is my friends, fellow artists, family and foes that have given me the courage not to give up on my dream of becoming a full-time artist and pushing my art even further out into the world.

I’m not sure what adventure awaits me at Art Miami; but I am keeping my expectations real. At the very least I hope to garner some feedback and criticism that will help me become stronger as an artist, and as a painter. I am already anticipating filling my head with art that will be represented and presented by art galleries and artists from all over the world, and that is exciting in and of its self.

I will look forward to sharing with you all when I return, to let you know just how the journey un-folded! In the meantime…wish me luck and...guts!!

ON THE EASEL

I received an e-mail from a great friend and follower of my blog that inquired about where the ‘on the easel’ blog updates had gone! Well, my bad! I have been holed up in my studio and definitely taking pictures along the way of my work…just have been hoarding them to my self! I apologize. To make up for it I have included a snap [above] of the piece on the easel at this very moment! I am in the beginning stages with only about six layers into it at this point…many more to go!
It is a 48x48” canvas, and a continuation of my current series, which can be viewed here.

Keep your e-mails and comments coming! I will be reading them and re-reading them to keep my engine going over the next week and beyond!

Until next time…ROCK ON!

A Word on Painting

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:40:01 GMT

"Trust NO One" - Mixed Media - 29x71"

It is an odd feeling I get when I finish a painting (or at least make myself stop working on a painting). I’m not sure they are ever really finished…just complete enough to allow me to want to go on to the next canvas. I still go through and add strokes or adjust lines on ‘finished’ paintings that live in my studio, even though they have been ‘done’ for quite some time.
When I finish a painting, especially one I have worked on for a long while, it is a mix of feelings actually; but I think more of a sadness that the conversation and dance with the painting/canvas has come to an end, and now I have to let it be on its own out in the world to face the eyes of strangers.

Painting for me has always been like tackling a set of challenges that need to be worked out and solved in order to meet my expectations of the visual message or story I’m trying to portray and convey. Someone asked me the other day if I’m ever really happy with my paintings in the end, or if I ever feel disappointment. I immediately responded that I’m sure I don’t feel disappointment, but I do always wonder if I have done the canvas justice or not.
After thinking it through more later, I guess in truth it is a disappointment, but not because I’m not happy with the end result, but because our painting story has come to the last chapter even though I refuse to read the words – the end.

I admit, there are times I am disappointed and the painting just doesn’t work, and just didn’t exist as I had wanted it to exist, and so it must be abandoned. Not forgotten mind you, just set aside to tackle at another time.
I know that I have satisfied my end of the bargain with a painting when I find myself really wanting to look at it. Very close and far back, I move back and forth taking in the subtle details I have worked in with each layer. I find myself evaluating my performance as a painter. Did I technically execute this painting, and solve each challenge the best that I could have? Such is the case with the painting pictured here.

As I work through a painting I make notes in a notebook about what I wish I had done different, or how next time how I can better achieve an effect, or how I can add a layer here or there with a different medium. In between I will swatch a dab of paint to remember a colour mix I liked.
Before I begin my next painting I review all my notes, start to finish and I challenge myself to figure out how I can be better as a communicator, a painter and a creator to my canvases and for me.

As my latest painting dries, I am beginning to go back through my notes, as I am already sketching out the next idea and have a fresh canvas on the easel eager and ready to go. I have also noticed some additional work that will need to be done on this painting when these current layers dry…

At any rate, the goal is always the same. Paint for myself first and hope that others will like it enough to want to look at it close and far back. People don’t have to like it, I just want them to want to look at it, and maybe even think about it.

Cagney in a Pea Green Boat!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:38:28 GMT

Some time ago, the Arts Council of Indianapolis promoted an e-Zine called The Pea Green Boat, and indicated they were looking for submissions. After checking it out I decided – “What the hell? I might look good in a Pea Green Boat...” and submitted some of my paintings and a few poems for consideration.

Well – Lo and Behold! They accepted three of my paintings! They chose “Find Your Place”, “First Law of Thermodynamics” and then “Poetry Pants” as an illustration to my Poem – Ants in my Cornmeal. This is the poem I wrote and the very same poem that Poetry Pants is centered around.

I am happy to share with you that the summer edition of The Pea Green Boat is OUT! AND…they used “Find Your Place” for their cover art!!!

Fun, fun, fun!!!

You can view it here, or by following this link. http://peagreenboat.site-kitchen.com/summer-2011.html.

If you are a skimmer…here are a few details for you:
My Poem and Poetry Pants can be viewed on Page 19.
On Page 26-27 spread you will see “Find Your Place” used as an illustration to an essay by Jeffrey Shokler called Touching the Sky.
On Page 43 you will find “First Law of Thermodynamics” as a companion piece to the opinion article called: Christian Mediation: Is it Christian to Meditate?

This was a really fun project, and the anticipation of submission to published has been fun too!

I do hope you enjoy it! Do let me know what you think, as I LOVE hearing from you!!
Until next time...Rock on!

The Pea Green Boat (PGB) e-zine is a product of Cathy Weber of the CR & K Group, LLC. The PBG e-zine is copyright © CR & K Group LLC, 2011, (P.O. Box 3568, Carmel, IN 46082)

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Numbers - Our Binary Code

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:33:45 GMT

I have been putting a lot of thought lately into the idea of numbers and their correlation to our existence. Alright, alright…for those of you who really know me…I always think about numbers! But stay with me for a few ticks as I work this out with you all…

It seems of late that I have had a strong desire to work numbers into my work. I reveal them, draw them, write them, spray them and stencil them as I work on through my many painting layers.

Since you asked, here is what I have been thinking about -

It seems to me that we are represented and identified by numbers at so many levels and in so many ways. From the time we enter this world we are measured by our weight and length – a set of numbers that verifies we are indeed here. We are then assigned a set of birthday numbers. These numbers will then follow us along year after year – growing as you go. Sure they will start out fun and innocent enough; but then they will evolve into landmark numbers. For example there is ‘Sweet’ 16 and the ever popular ‘Thank God I’m finally’ 21.

Then of course let us not leave out the biggest identifier of all! The Social Security number! The magical number that identifies you as a legal and working citizen and is linked to some bank of dwindling numbers somewhere on the 3rd floor of the white house I think. I’m sure you have heard the giant sucking noise when they refer to it on the tele or in the news. That social security number then leads to other important numbers of identification such as bank account numbers. And even a passport number that will allow you to get through airport security and hopefully land you into a proper seat number. Hopefully a nice even number by the window, and not by a talky, smelly person with screaming child in tow!

Numbers identify where we live - our house address, and certainly our zip code. And numbers are what are assigned to those beautiful little talky boxes we all carry around, but don’t like to talk into because texting is so much the better.

Numbers identify the car we are driving, the license we carry to drive said car, and then the numbers are even kind enough to remind us how many miles over the speed limit we are driving. I especially like the digital orange, easy to read displays that glow warm at night. And if you care to notice, there are even number signs posted here and about to remind you how many miles over you are traveling and softly wink at how fast you should be traveling.

Numbers mark the days of the month, the year and they even dare to tell us what time it is. Your shoe size, your ring size, your hat size, your shirt and pants size…hell even the size of your socks…

Numbers, numbers, numbers.

So I believe that it may not be just my love of math and numbers that has unzipped my sleeping bag of sub-conscious to creep slowly in its feety pajamas and onto the canvas; but a realization that numbers seem to have become the binary code of our human existence.

Well now that we have gotten that out of my system, I will probably go back to cross-correlating Fibonacci numbers with Pascal’s triangle and then try to figure out what it all means to my life.

RECENT NEWS!!

Recently three paintings were accepted into the Annual Will Vawter Show put on by the Hancock County Arts Council. The three are Transitions, Take Control of you Horizons and Throw. Take Control of Your Horizons took First Place over-all in Mixed Media and Transitions took 3rd Place. So not a bad show of it! The artist reception was fantastic, and I always enjoy the opportunity to chat about art and techniques with new artists.

I also submitted and had work accepted into the Indianapolis Arts Council Show called Contemporary Figurative Work and held at Gallery 924 in downtown Indianapolis! I had two pieces accepted – Pleadand Find Your Place. This show was a great success and the artist reception allowed for some great artist networking; and I received lots of great comments and feedback on my work. A really great night indeed! Here is the 4 Star-review from NUVO: http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/review-contemporary-figurative-work-at-924/Content?oid=2290319.

Here is a video re-cap of the show done by Dan Cooper for the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Check out my cameo appearance!

Reach - Mixed Media - 48x48"

The show runs through July 29th so if you are downtown pop in and see it! It is an extraordinary collection of works from a great group of artists for sure! Not to mention the really cool space that holds it all!

And finally, here is a first look at my latest painting, “Reach.”

Do keep the comments and e-mails coming…Until next time! Rock on!