fever to tell

Olivia Jeffries 


I'm always interested in this aesthetic. I like beautiful things. I like thinking about why things like this are beautiful. I like time. I like delicate things. I like pieces of her artist statement about things that move her: "the complex and unknowable nature of reality, an intimate moment which exists for just a second and is then forgotten or the impossibility of feeling how someone else feels..."

and you still refuse to speak

empty vessels

my secret self: you can't always be friendly, there just isn't time

In short: I don't like all of her pieces but I like thinking about them.

Turn yourself around

Back to blogging!

Although I can't say I love everything he makes,  Brenden Monroe's pieces are something I consistently use as a measuring stick for my own work. Our imagery is similar but (I assume) our motivations are distinct. I like his work specifically because it challenges me to recognize when (in my opinion) imagery similar to my own fails and when it succeeds and why... I think it's much easier to do with someone else's work first and then look for those things in your own rather than being able to be completely honest with yourself about your own work.

Pieces I like:
they feel organic and natural but of his own creation. These pieces bring me in and encourage me to think about what this is, what's going on, and why.

Pieces I don't:

have some sort of figure in them. Some of them, like "Morgan and Kat" below just seem too fantastical without any reference to anything outside of the painting. It's cute, not moving. His pieces that use the human figure fail to connect the abstracted imagery with the figure in a concrete way. I also find the figures themselves disquieting. He may be changing the figure to try to make it visually look like it belongs in this world he's created but I fail to recognize how, other than sharing the page, these two things interact.

Morgan and Kat

Awakening

Strawberries in the Summertime

I went gallery hopping in DUMBO with a friend this weekend. To be honest, I didn't expect much... I thought it would be ultra-hip and less than inspiring... but I found an amazing gallery filled with prints and books! I think in the face of contemporary art making practices that I struggle with, prints, and books are a way for me to keep a foot in the traditional while exploring the contemporary. I got to think here. These are some images of pieces that challenged me or made me think more about my own art practices and themes.

Donna Maria de Creeft

Ellen Weiner- Blue History

Emily Martin- Siftings

Sarah Stengle- Five Fragments from a Forest Sanctuary

I heard a rumor

I feel obligated to let you all in on a secret...

I've got a few things in the works, and can't wait to share them as soon as they're finished.

In the mean time, blogging may decrease in frequency, but stay tuned!

that what? that life is hectic

I had a great conversation today about one of my favorite photographers, August Sander, and I thought I'd share it with you.

If you haven't heard of him: He documented society as he saw it, in all of its forms. The Weimar Republic was a hodge podge of ideas, parties, and people. It's the name we've given the government between 1919 and Hitler's rise to power and the culture was populated by many artists and thinkers we still recognize today. It was home to Walter Benjamin, Bauhaus, Brecht's theater, Gödel's answer to Hilbert's second problem, Shoenberg's compositions, and Heisenberg (may have) come up with his uncertainty principle there. Sander decided to document this tumultuous time period and the diversity of his space and place.

He is known for his work representing all levels of society (the elite, middle class, workers, and outcasts) but I've chosen some of my favorites, which all happen to be working class people or outsiders.

 

The Bohemians, The Boxers, and Circus People

If anyone's feeling generous... I'd lovelove a copy of his giant book, People of the Twentieth Century.

geeky geekery

Alright, so after that last post, I've been completely immersed in science, so here's a lovely list of great things that  somehow combine art and science.

Lately, I've been reading "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out" by Richard Feynman (physicist, philosopher, innovator, kindred soul) and everything just looks like physics to me.. So first, this nuke hugger t-shirt is environmentally friendly AND under Obama's plans, the creation of nuclear plants could create a ton of jobs. Physics rules.

Want more physics in your life?: try Boomshine. is a chain reaction game, and the colors are fantastic. It also has eaten up a significant amount of my free time lately, so be cautious..

Physics and art?: this illustration by  electricboogaloo is adorable, and makes the scientist in me smile. Plus... who doesn't love elephants? (and juniper, of course!)

Confession: To save some money this year, I spent countless hours giving my sewing machine some sweet, sweet lovin' and  the three of us (Al Green, the sewing machine, and I) hunkered down for a few days to make some fabulous home-made gifts. Although I didn't make this geeky gift set, I wish I had! It's perfect for any geek-chic nerds in your life.

Last etsy find, I promise!: I've finally allowed myself some time to remember how much I love and missed reading. (in addition to Feynman I'm reading "The Holy Barbarians" - Lawrence Lipton... a book by a Venice beach beatnik about Venice beach beatniks AND whose son is James Lipton. How cool!) This adorable poster by dazeychic says it all! The colors are so pleasing and upbeat... and the solid coloring juxtaposed with the subtle details in the books makes the viewing experience complete.

More books, please!: For Christmas, I received a fabulous find from my beautiful mother. It's called Microcosmos, and is filled with these fantastic SEM images (Scanning Electron Microscope) that creates "3D" images of things. They're then artificially colored, and they're just really exciting. This is the officially the newest, and most beloved, addition to my coffee table. (Sorry coasters!)

Coffee table talk: Ted Talks. Some of the world's best thinkers, speakers, and doers can be found sharing their secrets, and successes, research, and/or general thoughts. Isaac Mizrah, James Watson, Richard Dawkins, and others can be found here. Topics range from optimism to climate change, string theory (physics) to Rick Werren, and from bread to glamour. 

Okay, well that's about as geek-focused as I can be in one sitting.. but I'd love to hear what YOU think! Leave any suggestions you may have of other nerdy things to check out (for all those squares out there).. I know I'd love to read them!   Until next Friday...