BASSACKWARD

The space is really shmood (furnishing just ok.) from...

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:04:20 -0400

The space is really shmood (furnishing just ok.) from plataformaarquitectura

he he he… Reality used to be a friend of mine. ...

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:59:38 -0400

he he he… Reality used to be a friend of mine. Atheist’s credo.

A film poem directed by Jesse Rosten and Written & Read by...

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:00:06 -0500

A film poem directed by Jesse Rosten and Written & Read by Kallie Markle.

ARG, this piece is so problematic…
This is an example of a difficult dichotomy I have been battling for a while in my visual work my writing & in my appreciation of art and media concerning nature.

As the me who is passionately in love with nature and the environment I loved this video.

As a media artist; a fine artist, the piece was a massive failure…

As a commercial artist, this is an effective and successful project.
Its attractive, sensual, beautiful, rich, concise, clear, and to the point.
(even if it seems general the main point is that nature is beautiful, resilient, and permanent.)

But this is where the conflict exists.

As far as art is concerned, this thing SUCKS.
Extremely.

Its an illustration as opposed to a piece of art.
It uses the language of advertising to pull at the heartstrings.

There are no questions posed, no questions answered, no tension, no nothing.
If you are honest with yourself you will watch this and say: “So what?”, and move on with your life.

If you are an analyzer, you will admit that:
Its a dishonest
empty
saccharine
sirupy
a frustration inducing EMS, REI, Columbia wear, Nike Outdoor lifestyle advertisement

Its main success will be to sell even more fuchsia + sea foam green colored outdoor gear, made from environmentally correct but petroleum based micro fibers, to affluent city middle managers.

Why am I so mad about this… why am I so mad… arg.

I think its because I have not found an answer that satisfies me for any of this myself.

I perceive that most of the art that is made about nature and the environment, is either unthinking, culturally ambiguous, using the un-informed uniform of hippyism as support; or at the opposite extreme a slick illustration of the commercial world, focused on selling a vacation or more subtly as this piece does, selling a life style/ideal which will in the long run create consistent consumers of expensive goretex boots.

In the end, there are just a lot of reasons why making art about/for nature is so difficult.

One is partially because nature itself has done a good job representing its worth/qualities/challenges etc.

Another, is that even though contemporary art has had some successful environmentally minded artists, very very few contemporary artist address it directly in their work.

Its difficult to tackle, and the pitfalls are many.
Even the most successful ones like Ansel Adams, Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson, or even Monet, are always on the verge of being just illustrative in the case of Ansel, and hippy in the case of the rest.

Or perhaps the real issue is that so few contemporary artist are really able to sustain their careers away from a few urban centers?

That artists as social chaotic creatures who require the urban experience to affect their work?

I don’t know.

I have been thinking about this one for at least 18 years and I am not any closer to an answer.

I know that I photograph nature a lot; badly; usually like drunk party snapshots. I don’t want to deceive myself into thinking that shooting nature with the most technical acuity possible will result in my “capturing” its pain, its beauty, its emotion, or the emotions it gives me.

But part of me really wants to. Part of me, for whom nature has given so much, wants to celebrate, worship, fete, protect, question nature and its intricate relationship with humanity.

But this will just take its time… perhaps someday I will find a way.

In the end while viewing this short, all that I kept thinking about was how I loved the animation “Princess Mononoke” and how I wished there where more pieces like it.

Its been a while since I posted some true Steamworks…Some...

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00:07 -0500

Its been a while since I posted some true Steamworks…
Some gorgeous bikes, and rocking early 20th century steam stylins…

yea boyiii…

Regresiones (work in process)Apparently these are not so new,...

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:00:06 -0500

Regresiones (work in process)

Apparently these are not so new, but I just saw them for the first time yesterday.

A lot of composite work is generally passable, but this work in progress by Alejandro “Alex” Castro has a really interesting, sensitive and expressive quality to it.

In some ways it is sad and frustrating, a reminder of the destruction we have wrought on our planet.

You can find more of his work here: Behance (he needs to move to Dripbook.) and his blog here: Formamag

This is a trailer for The Illusionist, an animated film written...

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:36:01 -0500

This is a trailer for The Illusionist, an animated film written by Jack Tati before he past.
It follows the work of the Triplets of Belleville and is beautiful.

Here is the site for the film, which is also excellent: (even though I HATE flash.)
lillusionniste-lefilm.com

Go see it!
The IMDB info

Amos Two Bulls, Lakota Sioux, by Gertrude Käsebier, ca. 1900 I...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:57:53 -0500

Amos Two Bulls, Lakota Sioux, by Gertrude Käsebier, ca. 1900

I found these amazing portraits and images of Native Americans at the turn of the 19th century on Flickr from random Library of Congress streams.

This is probably not universal, but all I feel when I see these is extreme sadness, and frustration that to this day, native cultures of the world are constantly under assault, by “civilization”… What a different world it would be if humanity was not such a destructive force, and considered its actions.

Bone Necklace, Oglala Sioux council chief, by Heyn Photo, 1899

Three Horses by Edward S. Curtis, ca. 1905

Mosa, Mohave girl, by Edward S. Curtis, 1903

Thomas American Horse, Oglala Sioux, by Heyn Photo, 1899

Joseph Two Bulls, Lakota Sioux, by Heyn & Matzen Photo, 1900

Sego, Shoshone, by Rose & Hopkins, ca. 1899

Edward S. Curtis: Navajo chief, ca. 1904

Sunflower, Dakota Sioux, by Heyn Photo, ca. 1899

Stella Yellow Shirt, Dakota Sioux, with baby, by Heyn Photo, 1899

Goose Face, Dakota Sioux, by Heyn Photo, ca. 1900

This seems appropriate to post on this here State of the Union day.
These represent all those who have lost everything due to the policies of the Union…

These are from Flickr streams referring to specific Library of Congress Collections:
Library of Congress Edward S. Curtis Collection
Library of Congress Frank Rinehart Collection
Library of Congress Heyn & Matzen Collection
Library of Congress Rose & Hopkins Collection

James Jean, Spread from Sketchbook- Sasha Grey, Ink and Acrylic,...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:00:06 -0500

James Jean, Spread from Sketchbook- Sasha Grey, Ink and Acrylic, 9 x 10”, 2009.

Very shmood work by James Jean.
An artist who has done a lot of traditional comic/graphic illustration work; recently though, I have been attracted to his less illustrative more expressive paintings.

Sink II. Acrylic on Wood Panel, 12 x 12”, 2010

PR3 LE Slipcase. Acrylic & Digital on Paper, 10 x 14.5”, 2009

Phillip Lim. Acrylic & Pastel on Wood, 24 x 24”, 2010

Singers. Acrylic on Wood Panels, 18 x 47”, 2010

Tango. Oil on Two Canvases, 60 x 96”, 2009

Rickshaw. Acrylic, Oil, & Pastel on Two Canvases, 60 x 96”, 2009

I also found this interesting collaborative project between James Jean and Kenichi Hoshine whose work I also like: A Polite Winter

James is immensely talented, with an amazing range.
Definitely go trough his site completely if you have a minute or thirty.

I have always been fascinated by Andy Goldsworthy’s work....

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:01:01 -0500

I have always been fascinated by Andy Goldsworthy’s work.

It has attracted me as it is at the confluence of some of my most ardent interests; conceptualism, environmentalism, naturalism and to a certain extant modernist thought.

Here are some of his older pieces, I found them on the flickr stream Old Chum which has pretty random great stuff on it.

I can’t seem to find the pieces names/dates for some reason, so please comment names if you know them.

Wow is all I can say about the above, the reflection and setting are magical.

The following pieces from sculpture.org.uk

Big Bang Big Boom, 2010 by Italian artist BluThis is one of the...

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:29:16 -0500

Big Bang Big Boom, 2010 by Italian artist Blu
This is one of the most amazing stop animation pieces I have seen.
I got a glimpse of it in August, and I kept thinking about it, until recently when I bumped into the collab work he has done with Os Gêmeos. a lot of nice work from him can be found all around europe and all around the world.

Hombre Banano, Managua, Nicaragua, 2005

The suckiest thing about being a Man who likes to dress well is...

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:16:00 -0500

The suckiest thing about being a Man who likes to dress well is that you risk looking like a Wanker.
In fact I can say with assurance that this is the case. In the US dressing well with get you identified as an “asshole”, “a fag” (not my word), or more consistently “an uppity wanna be”.

Even so, the dandy in me says fuck you to all the lazy mother fuckers who for the past 4 decades have reduced male style to 3 options:

“giant boy in tennies”
“metrosexual/dandy/gay”
“asshole guido business douche”.

I want to say clearly and loudly, fuck you, useless baby boomers who felt that hats where too formal, traditional and reactionary; who feel that baseball caps are acceptable head gear for men past the age of 15.

Fuck the lazy tards, who believe(d) that putting on a nice suit, and looking like a suave finely dressed man is too much work.

fuck em.

Even in the poorest hood of the poorest town of Haiti; the sketchiest corner of Kinshasa/Dakar/Yaoundé/Cape Town; the smallest town in India; men try their hardest to look and dress with an assurance and style reflecting their self worth.

Some pushing it to the bionic extreme, such as “Les Sapeur”* in Africa and the Caribbean.

Sadly the homogenization of style that has been occurring with the domination of hip-hop “culture” since the 80s has also made its mark the world over.

Baggie droopy, and otherwise unflattering jeans dominate the male ‘fashion’, with T-shirts, hoodies, construction worker boots, basketball shoes, and baseball caps further destroying any hope of a real revival of style around the world.

What can you do?
Well I for one call bullshit.
I don’t mind becoming even more of a dandy as I grow older, because in the end only you decide how to present yourself to the world.

Here are some western men, in western clothing, the super wanker metrosexual dandies for you.
Not all are greatly attired necessarily, but all have elements of goodness and fine style, and have at least TRIED!

*I am working on a post on the ‘Sapeur’ very excited about them.

Blu + Os Gêmeos, make some beautiful and amazing street art....

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 14:02:06 -0500

Blu + Os Gêmeos, make some beautiful and amazing street art. Blu is responsible for one of the most amazing stop animation paint movies ever, and Os Gemeos are just plain wonderful.
Everywhere I have seen their work, I have loved it.

This Giant piece in Lisbon, wraps around an abandoned building.

Nas montanhas de Fafe, Portugal, by Feliciano Guimarães.This...

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:01:07 -0500

Nas montanhas de Fafe, Portugal, by Feliciano Guimarães.

This amazing small house in the Mountains of Portugal is an other example of really simple and inventive way of dealing with the lack of traditional building supplies.

Here is also a short video.

This wonderful small cantilevered river house in Portugal...

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:00:26 -0500

This wonderful small cantilevered river house in Portugal designed by Correia/Ragazzi Aquitectos is a great inspiration for a potentially completely recycled small house.

Perhaps using discarded highway overpass sections? (An idea my friend Jack the architect was playing with years ago.)

Its making me feel even more pressure to make some serious cash in the next 2 years… Dang 40’s why you coming so soon?

The only catch with this house is the interiors. which looks like some high end un-original, absolutely un interesting high end modernist Ikea inspired show room.

So much more could be done with this…

This work by Shigeru Mizuki is both fun, beautiful, and...

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:00:36 -0500

This work by Shigeru Mizuki is both fun, beautiful, and imaginative. It represents Manga style illustrations of the anatomy of Yōkai Daizukai, or traditional japanese folk demons.

I found this on the wonderful site pinktentackle.com

Above: The Fukuro-sage — a type of tanuki (raccoon dog) found in Nagano prefecture and Shikoku — has the ability to shapeshift into a sake bottle, which is typically seen rolling down sloping streets.

It brings to mind one of my favorite books by Jorge Luis Borges, The Book of Imaginary Beings describing the life and mores of fantastical, classical, mythological and literary creatures.

The Kuro-kamikiri (“black hair cutter”) is a large, black-haired creature that sneaks up on women in the street at night and surreptitiously cuts off their hair.

The Makura-gaeshi (“pillow-mover”) is a soul-stealing prankster known for moving pillows around while people sleep. (…)

These are some amazing steam punk looking fireplaces made out of...

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:41:09 -0500

These are some amazing steam punk looking fireplaces made out of recovered marine antiship mines…
The are designed and created by Estonian Mati Karmin more at marinemine.com

Nice way to recycle WWI, WWII, armaments.

Shader version of workshop desk. 4 different states of a...

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:31:07 -0500

Shader version of workshop desk.

4 different states of a classroom+workshop model.
A really impressive example of modern 3D modeling + compositing skills, by Studio Aiko.

Daylight version

Night time version

Sunny Day version

Flash version

Skilllllllz.
Definitely check out the site for hi-rez imagery. The level of detail is astonishing.

Vladimir Tretchikoff, ‘Melon Time’My chance...

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:15:06 -0500

Vladimir Tretchikoff, ‘Melon Time’

My chance ‘discovery’ of Vladimir Tretchikoff.

It always freaks me out when I find out about an artist, whose work supposedly dominated a time period, but of whom I have heard, seen, read nothing about.

Apparently a ‘Maverick’ a la Palin, he was one of the most commercially successful artists, of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
This was despite the fact that the ‘serious Art world’ completely shunned him, calling him the ‘King of Kitsch’.

The few exhibits he had in the US drew record crowds, and engaged the popular media’s attention.

Yet in all of my years of studying art history, I have NEVER seen a mention of him or his work.

When I started reading about him, I thought I was seeing a complex practical joke; like the created persona “Mr Brainwash” set up by Banksy/Shepard; but VT is very much a real person.

The work is very very strange, and I just can’t seem to put my finger on why.
There is just lot to pause about…

In the end, maybe its because the paintings are both technically excellently executed (like Norman Rockwell) but also strangely naive, affected, chauvinistic and patronizing.

This quality is taken to such an extent, it is easy to question wether his aim was to challenge ones perception of his intent.

Is this seriously his perception of a ‘black boy’, or is this him questioning your gaze of a ‘China girl’?

This is especially true in his depictions of ‘the other’ - wether in his is portraits of women or his depictions of other races.

Here are some examples of the weird.

The Chinese Girl, 1950’s

Coon

Dying Swan

Fruits of Bali

I would love a completely tiled kitchen with professional...

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:46:06 -0500

I would love a completely tiled kitchen with professional surfaces… in my future bed and breakfast, ah to dream.

I love this Chair.

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:30:07 -0500

I love this Chair.