Selling out or buying in?

by Michael Stodola (guest blogger)

Recently, public voting began for the 2009 Omaha Entertainment Awards. And being a fan of some art and entertainment in the Big “O,” I felt compelled to let my voice be heard – especially when it came to artists.

And when it comes to visual artists at large, Tim Guthrie’s name pops right to the top (well… right under Chuck Close, Roger Brown and Pollack). So, when he shot a message to me hoping for support, I was already lined up in his queue.

But almost immediately, he regretted the mention. Many of us know Tim’s modesty, and understand that any decent artist would lower their head when it comes to being recognized. I, on the other hand, didn’t wince at the thought of giving props to someone deserving of said recognition.

I went. I registered. I voted. (Just like Julius Caesar).

And a dialogue began. Is this shilling? Is it promoting a “just cause?” Could it even be considered affirmative action? (A controversial “ooooooooo” comes over the crowd.)

It seems quite the lofty debate, but at the end of the day it comes down to the difference between “good art” and “bad art:” INTENT. Yes, “intent” is my personal value system of any form of self-expression. Are you in it to answer questions? To explore feelings? To make a statement? Or just grab your 15 minutes?

And speaking of fame, isn’t art itself a form of self-promotion – and so those precious 15 minutes do hold some value, no? Isn’t the world just one large wiki? And the levels of thought/self/morals are in constant play. And I, like Mr. Potter, stand for the good guys – even if they are “pushing” their own agenda.

Tim’s opinions on torture are no less evident than those of Rush Limbaugh. The obvious difference lays in the eloquence of Tim’s protest verses the desperate dominance of some fat guy (yes, I’ll freely promote my opinion as well). And while there are a million levels of gray, art has always been the soapbox of the soul. From Diego Rivera’s “Man at the Crossroads” to any one of Warhol’s cans, it’s the artist’s ideals we’re digesting. Love or hate, and the world careens in that direction.

So reality follows: Tim needs recognition (both deserving of and as a requirement of employment), we are aligned with his thought, talent and character, we vote to support.

His intent is rather clear to me. He’s a seasoned artist making his way through the war-torn streets of American society. He picks up some trash; he polishes a few windows and plants flowers here and there. And just like the Facebook option, we choose to see MORE of him or LESS of him. Being a Creative Director in advertising, I feel compelled to fill more shelves with the product of Mr. Guthrie. And sell it. Sell it like a sunflower at Christies.

Michael Stodola generously contributed this post as a guest blogger. Although I am a bit embarrassed by Michael's kind words, I was happy to share them with each of you... I usually honestly don't understand why anyone would care a whit about the work I create, so this means that much more.

You can find more of Michael's writing here.

RNR Article

Chad Sorg wrote a great little article about my show in Reno. What I particularly love is the accidental juxtaposition of the advertisement below. Joel McHale looks like he is a part of the show.

Chad Sorg's free art

An artist friend of mine in Reno is currently giving away all of his art. He creates some very cool work and according the the words on his web site: "Chad Sorg doesn't want to store his artwork anymore. His vow is to give (yes give) away one of his mixed-media works of art per week for one entire year. The give-away of each piece will be televised right here. Applications for free Sorgs will be based on love of the work. (he IS, however, bribable.)"

Visit and show the loooove (apparently cute girls have the best shot). Here is the one I want:



Edit: Come on, let's introduce his work to the midwest.

Muto by Blu

Every few months, or so, I run across this animation and watch it again. Buenos Aires graffiti art at its best.

Plato's Deathmetal Tumors

Many years ago I was working with Lance Olsen on 10:01, an interactive novel / web site based on his original novel. He mentioned to me he would like to see a link for a fictional band formed by Mosh, a character in the novel. The band was called Plato's Deathmetal Tumors. Naturally, I said, "Sure."

However, I thought it would be a nice touch to also have a song on the site, so I asked him what the band was supposed to be like. I also created an album cover and called the album "Splatter Grey Matter."

Lance replied something to the effect, "A bad death metal band. Mosh is not a great singer."

So I took that and ran with it. I created a "bad" metal song called Krasin' (made with Garageband) and slapped it on our fake site.

I had forgotten all about it after all these years, but I ran across it recently. It is too funny. Just be forewarned it is bad... it seems right that you should know that before you visit the band's website.

Lilly & Bärpanzer

I acquired this lovely illustration from the Canadian illustrator Eric Orchard. You can buy his children's books directly from him. His work is friggin' awesome.

Arbor Aesthetics

This is a screen capture of a mini-doc I am doing on Arbor Aesthetics.

Search results

From week to week, this list can look pretty different, but this is the most recent (and random) 300 keyword searches that brought visitors to this site, according to StatCounter. This thumbnail is just a portion of the full list. Click for a long list:



Your browser will shrink the GIF to a very tiny size at the far left in your browser. To view it larger, just hover your cursor over the image and click on it when you see the little + zoom tool. Scroll and search for your name!

This Week in Journalism

From Pictures for Sad Children

Mike Dibb

When I was at the Blue Mountain Center, I met Mike Dibb, a documentary filmmaker from the UK. Mike learned of an inmate named Donny Johnson at the Pelican State Prison. He was introduced to him by a friend of his, Steve Kurtz, and he has been corresponding with him for some time. Donny has been in solitary confinement for 20 years. In order to try and stay sane, Donny began to create tiny paintings. Since he isn't allowed paint or brushes, he has had to improvise and has made brushes from his own hair, and paints by extracting ink from pens and by dissolving the coatings on M&Ms and Skittles candies for color. He started mailing them to Mike after they started corresponding.

Here is another detail:





And this is the back of the card he painted it on.

Beth Thielen and BerkShares

This is Beth Thielen (left) with one of her projects. Beth is another artist and activist I met at the Blue Mountain Center. She told us about an experiment in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts where they are printing their own currency which they call BerkShares. Exchanging $100 gets you $105 BerkShare dollars.



Beth sent me an email this morning (with the image above) and the message, "What better way to participate in an experiment for an alternative economic future than to buy my morning coffee with BerkShares!"

I took a snapshot of some of the currency. The top two are the fronts of bills and the remainder are the backs:



From their website, this is an explanation of BerkShares:

"BerkShares are a local currency for the Berkshire region. Dubbed a "great economic experiment" by the New York Times, BerkShares are a tool for community empowerment, enabling merchants and consumers to plant the seeds for an alternative economic future for their communities. Launched in the fall of 2006, BerkShares had a robust initiation, with over one million BerkShares having been circulated in the first nine months and over two million to date. Currently, more than three hundred and sixty businesses have signed up to accept the currency. Five different banks have partnered with BerkShares, with a total of thirteen branch offices now serving as exchange stations. For BerkShares, this is only the beginning. Future plans could involve BerkShare checking accounts, electronic transfer of funds, ATM machines, and even a loan program to facilitate the creation of new, local businesses manufacturing more of the goods that are used locally."

Douglas Adams

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

-- Douglas Adams

Janice, a college friend, had this quote on her site... couldn't help passing it on

NPR humor

This post appeared because I lacked internet access for more than a couple days in a row...

Until I return, enjoy some NPR humor from a webcomic I stubbled across:

Tea boarding

I found this image in a history book at the Blue Mountain Center. The caption read "The punishment of an English spy." They are water boarding him with tea. if you look closely, you can see a noose above him ... and making assumptions based on the weird looking legs, it appears he was also tarred and feathered, but I don't know. Either way, apparently we have been water boarding from the very first days as a country. But with Earl Grey. Interesting.

Edit:
Fun facts: Earl Grey tea was named after Charles Grey, the second earl in his line. He was Prime Minister to King William IV in the early 19th century. The legend is that the Earl was given the recipe by a Chinese mandarin with whom he was friends, and whose life he had saved. [link]

Tortures

by Wislawa Szymborska

Nothing has changed.
The body is susceptible to pain,
it must eat and breathe air and sleep,
it has thin skin and blood right underneath,
an adequate stock of teeth and nails,
its bones are breakable, its joints are stretchable.
In tortures all this is taken into account.

Nothing has changed.
The body shudders as it shuddered
before the founding of Rome and after,
in the twentieth century before and after Christ.
Tortures are as they were, it's just the earth that's grown smaller,
and whatever happens seems right on the other side of the wall.

Nothing has changed.
It's just that there are more people,
besides the old offenses new ones have appeared,
real, imaginary, temporary, and none,
but the howl with which the body responds to them,
was, is and ever will be a howl of innocence
according to the time-honored scale and tonality.

Nothing has changed.
Maybe just the manners, ceremonies, dances.
Yet the movement of the hands in protecting the head is the same.
The body writhes, jerks and tries to pull away,
its legs give out, it falls, the knees fly up,
it turns blue, swells, salivates and bleeds.

Nothing has changed.
Except for the course of boundaries,
the line of forests, coasts, deserts and glaciers.
Amid these landscapes traipses the soul,
disappears, comes back, draws nearer, moves away,
alien to itself, elusive, at times certain, at others uncertain of its own existence,
while the body is and is and is
and has nowhere to go.


Poems, new and collected, 1957-1997 / Wisława Szymborska translated from the Polish by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh.

Impromptu performance

Jorge Antonio Renaud and Paul Rucker at the Blue Mountain Center. This was an impromtu performance where the two decided to perform together without any rehearsal.

Hanging Artists, day 24

I have a couple of David James's abstract paintings. This is one of them. I worked with him when I taught at the University of Montana, Missoula.

Hanging Artists, day 23

These are chairs Tom Penrose recently refinished. Tom is the one that did one of the first paintings I posted under the tag Hanging Artists. I do not have these in my home, but I thought I would share, anyway. Tom rewove each of the seats and this is the result after he repaired them all. These comments are from his email:

"The wood is oiled teak, which is typical of Danish Modern furniture, so it rarely needs a refinish. At best it just needs to be re-oiled.

I haggled with a guy in Portland, since the seats were all destroyed by a cat. They are 1951 Neils Moller #71 chairs. They are an iconic mid-century design."

Hanging Artists, day 22

Okay, it has been a while since I posted images from other artists... This piece is a watercolor by Jana Donaho-Strong. It is based on a tight extreme close-up study of a surface of weathered rock. She dropped molten glass and burned black powder on the surface of the paper to get dark rich tones before she began painting. The white areas are spots where the paper actually burned completely away.

This American Life

I just got back from the theatrical live broadcast of This American Life with Ira Glass (huge fan). Wow. What a great experience. Chris Ware (huge fan) did images for the intro, as well as an animation for a song by Andrew Bird (huge fan).

I am usually reluctant to give an opinion about something so soon after experiencing it, but every story was well written and entertaining. Great production. I hear they will show it again on May 7th at theaters around the country. I’d recommend it. Check it out.

Edit:
Since someone asked in the comments, I thought I would share... the song Chris Ware animated is from Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire "Thrills" CD from about a decade ago and it is a song called "Eugene"