August 10, 2008

One of my long time favorite writers is Jack Kerouac. Jack Kerouac was a prolific writer who passed on sooner than anyone would have wanted. Both Kerouac and I share a story telling style where we use(d) the same real "characters" over and over again to represent certain moods, traits or feelings that these people are chosen to represent.

I have three characters in particular that I use: a blue eyed tall male, dark haired curvy woman and curly red haired woman. The dark hair woman is usually me or the protagonist. Occasionally the character representing me or the protagonist will show up in a disguise such as Smokey the Bear in the painting "Fear Based Choices". The other female and blue eyed male are real friends of mine that I use their physical attributes to represent "fear, desire, confusion or compassionate, etc.- whatever the mood or feeling is that I want to convey.

To insert these people literately into the story would be wrong they are simple other views of myself. In the painting "The Mermaid and the Kitchen wench. The Mermaid (red haired woman) represents desire which the protagonist (dark haired woman in the galley viewed through a window) represents longing and looking for other possibilities. The three men on the top are oblivious to what is going on with the women involved as they are in their own scenarios.

August 8, 2008

On Monday my one and only child will celebrate her 19th birthday. Those of you who have kids will know what I mean when I say that my daughter has grown in a heartbeat. Meagan is a gifted dancer, has great style and a flair for the dramatic.

This weekend my daughter, her friend Carrie and I will be going to Pittsburgh to accomplish three goals: Have Ethiopian food, shop at a great consignment shop in Squirrel Hill and pick up her Gluten-free birthday cake from Gluuteny (a gluten and dairy free bakery in Pittsburgh).

On the actual day of her birth my daughter and I follow the tradition of "birthday spa day" which we do twice a year on her birthday and mine. She will be having a manicure, pedicure, facial and I most likely some waxing. I on the other hand am looking forward to a long massage. We began this tradition of "birthday spa days" several years ago when no one was around for her birthday. Summer birthdays are difficult in that people tend to travel in the summer and tend to be away in August.

August 7, 2008

Not Quite Dead
2008
6" x 12" x 10"
Acrylic on metal file box with fimo, moss, string, metal bell, foam core,wood box, silk

I am nursing a pinched sciatica today which was caused by stressing my left hip to such an extent that it went out causing a pinched nerve as a result. After a trip to the chiropractor I optimistically though I would be "fixed" and today I could resume my rigorous schedule of gardening, hiking and berry picking but my 50 year old body tells me otherwise.

So faced with another day of sitting still, which I do not do very well, it occurred to me that I could start a new painting. Several hours later I am still figuring it out. I have the sense of what I want to do subject wise and will wait patiently for a "cartoon" of the painting to appear in my head.

While waiting I figured out that kneeling does not bother your sciatica and I managed to weed the garden a good bit. Today the only preparation for the upcoming show will be to paint the "Not Quite Dead" pedestal with a fresh coat of white. I made the pedestal for this piece so I could have a small pocket for handouts concerning this piece and my inspiration for creation. Since "Not Quite Dead" uses the "N" word I didn't want to give the impression that the piece was a hate piece. It is about hate words and how they still exists and will do so until we all accept each other as we are without unwarranted malice, hate or fear.

August 6, 2008

Part of today was spent pricing art work for the two person show coming up. The Gallery I will be working with gets 50% of the total price. I decided on a price for one of the larger paintings which is sized at 38" x 38". Next I multiplied 38" x 38" to get the square footage of the painting which is 1444". Assuming that a painting of this size could sell in the Pittburgh art market for about $3000 I then divided 1444 into 3000 which is 2.07 or $2.07 a square inch. I then had this formula to go by for pricing the rest of the art work.

August 5th

Roots
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"

Today I've decided on the art work to be taken to Pittsburgh for a two person show coming up:

1. A Silver Titter Stole My Baby
2. Jackson’s Trip To Heaven
3. Summer ‘07
4. Meanwhile Back in the Congo
5. Menstruation Theater (Installation)
6. The Wall (Installation)
7. Distractions
8. Big Gulp aka Soft Machine
9. Fear Based Choices
10. Hermit of Halfmoon Hollow
11. Roots
12. Secrets
13. H. B. Meagan
14. I Had a Dream
15. Steph & Sharon
16. Family Album (sculpture)
17. My Struggle w/Morality
18. Two Women By Pond
19. Untitled
20. I Don’t Beleive (sic)
21 .Not Quite Dead (Sculpture)
22 Red Riding Hood
23. photograph frame

August 4, 2008

Steph and Sharon
2001
acrylic on plexiglass
48" x 30"

Several hours were spent today running errands for the upcoming show. I needed to drop a slide for printing at the photography house. The print will be an 8" x 10" image of a painting "Things Are Better With Soup" which I painted a few years ago, had photographed and then decided I did not like, turned the painting 180 degrees and painted "Summer '07". I left as many remnants of the earlier painting as possible. For this show I thought I would include this photo, framed to match the painting it goes with.

Also a trip to Old Main Frame Shop was needed to frame one more piece that I uncovered this weekend. It is amazing how different a painting looks with each frame you try. I was down to five frames ultimately choosing a frame that compliments most of the other pieces of art as they would be shown together.

The last errand was to Home Depot to buy a piece of chain to make a hanger for Steph and Sharon which is acrylic on plexiglass. The chain is to be wrapped around two large bolts that I inserted through the plexiglass and tightened with nuts.