Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Upcoming show in the Couve
Another year has passed and its finally time for the Vancouver Recycled Arts Festival in Vancouver, Washington. I've blogged before that its my favorite show, but it really is. I meet fun/interesting people and convert them to Creepy Baby Factory addicts. This year's show will be great...and it will kick off two new series of artwork. The first is hand crafted creepy voodoo dolls made by yours truly...and yours truly's partner. We used recycled fabric for the bodies and picked up a few unfinished cross stitch kits from Value Village for the embroidery thread. I re used the dye from the vinyl babies and stuffed them with dryer lint from my own dryer. PRESTO BANGO!! Creepy Voodoo dolls for everyone...or at least the first 8 people to buy them.
I should call them diet dolls as they kept my hands busy in the evenings instead of snacking while watching TV. I can't help that I'm addicted to lousy TV shows.
Voodoo dolls will be one of the new series, the other is the porcelain doll series. At any one given time, at any thrift store/Goodwill there are porcelain dolls stacked up like a cord of wood. Tons of them, hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions, trillions...I don't know what comes after trillions, but there's a lot of porcelain dolls out there. When I first saw them as a "raw material" for my artwork I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. You can't dye them like a vinyl doll. They have limited posability like a Ken doll. Wrapping them up in plaster makes me look like a one trick pony. I pondered. It only took a few minutes of tinkering with one to figure out what I could do with a porcelain doll.
Not all porcelain dolls are created equal. There are ones that are massed produced that one sees repeatedly in thrift stores. There are ones that are purchased on TV by famous performers from the 70's. There are ones produced in such small quantities that one buys them from a website after receiving an invitation via email, complete with online code and date/time slot.
The older the doll the easier the wig/hat/hair come off. The more hand sculpture the more the doll looks like a cyborg when all of the facial features are painted. I prefer dolls that are not smiling. If they are smiling and have crazy eyes they might make it into the shopping cart, provided there aren't any other dolls without smiles. Just like anything else, I have to set a limit, set a standard and set a level of quality that I want my work to represent.
The dolls take very well to metallic paint. When fully painted the porcelain dolls look like cyborgs. They have human features but absolutely no expression. The viewer of the artwork will bring the expressions to them. The porcelain dolls traded in their wigs, hats, dresses and finery for a more modern approach to fashion. One completed porcelain doll has a dress made from plastic sheeting strips. The plastic came from a bag that once held a comforter. Few ways exist to recycle plastic like that, so now its a dress for a copper colored doll. Another porcelain doll wears a gown from dryer sheets, all hand dyed and all hand sewn into place. Other porcelain dolls will wear garb from other recycled resources. I am giddy with excitement over the anticipated reaction from the patrons. I was not this excited wen I debuted my first table of Creepy Babies. The expression of slight shock and disbelief but also of awe and wonder.
I expect to have 4 porcelain dolls in the new series. They take more time to create. Several layers of thin paint, several hours of hand stitching materials into place and several day's time to complete one doll. They take longer to create and they use more materials to create, in other words...bring your wallets, these bitches won't be cheap.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
4th year Recycled Arts Festival show stopper...
Alright so I don't actually stop the show, I'm just a really good artist participant. This year was a little nerve racking as my partner was one of the panel members who scored artists to be considered for the 2012 show and would not tell me how I scored or who the other artists being considered. However the wait is over and I received the email confirmation that I am in the Vancouver Recycled Arts Festival for a 4th consecutive season. I'm excited, especially since the Eugene, OR RE-Art show was cancelled for 2012, the Vancouver show may be my only show this summer.
I've been slowly but consistently making new work. Its times like this that I think Bridezillas have the right idea and shove a tube up my nose so I can save time by not eating. I manage to create one new piece a night and just as I'm getting into the groove, its time to wrap up and go to bed. While I rarely get a full day for creating work...I can only imagine what I could produce given a full 8 hours...but then in 8 hours one could take a nap and watch a movie.
Last year I bought two large sun tea containers filled with jewelry at Goodwill. They were half price and full of good crap to make artwork with. I have about 20% of it left. Its more jewelry than I've used in my lifetime of creating artwork, but damn its hard to find little metal bits. Its not like its sold by the gallon size bag at Value Village. I spent several years amassing a decent sized selection of metal junk to use on Creepy Babies and sculptures and now most of its been used. I kept all the misc hardware from setting up new bookcases last year. Its hard to pimp art without crap.
In addition to talking about my own art, I also think its relevant to associate art, and other forms of creativity to relevant topics of the day.
For example...the naked guy at the airport. Why is he getting fined again? In Portland being nude is considered an art form and is not illegal, except for any lewd displays in public. I may have the legalities incorrect but it was stated he was wearing traces of bomb making chemicals. I'd get naked too if it meant I could clear my name of being a homegrown terrorist. That's the last thing I need is being considered "dangerous" at all times, everywhere...no thanks TSA. But it does beg the question...what if I was carrying a nude painting as a carry-on and it exuded traces of questionable substances? How do you get a nude painting more nude than it already is? How do you cavity search a canvas?
And kudos to him, chunk monkey, for baring it all. When I gave a rat's ass and went to the gym it was always the same. The hot, muscular, well tone, ample chested, big armed, stud muffins, were wrapped up in towels from their neck to their ankles, or they arrived in gym clothes and left in sweaty gym clothes, sans shower, while the overweight, elderly, chubby, saggy, droopy, wrinkly, flabby eyesores were more than happy to walk around without a stitch on and always did. I'm starting to think that the longer a person carries extra pounds the more they become comfortable with their body. The fat is actually the voice of reason. "I'm not going anywhere you might as well show me off."
The other day I saw a facebook post...it was a placard held by a sporty young man and it stated:
"Its just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie."
Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Look it up on the web...its usually affects women but has been affecting men in a exponentially higher percentage.
I make the assumption that older men (I'm seeing men in their 60's and up) not being concerned with body image. They didn't grow up with ken dolls and GI Joe. The toned, well defined action figures of the 80's and 90's gave an impression to boys across the nation that big arms, big pecs and 6 pack abs were the norm...and also to be exceptional, like a superhero, you must look this way to be accepted.
It may have not had the impact we all think it had as not every boy in the USA had these toys. What do you say about boys who had cars? I've yet to hear about guys who want to be 6-7 feet wide with limbs like huge doughnuts. Perhaps these are the men who talk fast, have anxiety disorders, ADHD and drive fast.
Studies upon studies can only tell us so much. Personally, I would like to have a more healthy looking profile, and despite working out for nearly 3 years, I have only managed to add 1.5 inches to each bicep. It was a lot of work and a lot of money spent on pre work out drinks, post work out drinks and meat.
When I wanted to look better, I never made the connection to Ken dolls. I just wanted to look better to feel better and to attract men. I attracted more men as a chubby looking tall guy than I ever attracted as a thinner college boy. The difference in weight from college to 3 years ago was approximately 50 lbs. I did manage some slight, and I mean slight, definition in my shoulders and biceps. I'm still carrying around 40 pounds and the weight loss is slow and metered only by diet. I just don't have time for exercise.
I barely have time to create artwork using the Ken dolls. Its still one of my favorite mediums. The familiar figure gets a lot of attention and I always sell out at shows in the summer. The more central the figure is to the work the more popular the piece is. The more animated the body looks the more attention a piece will draw. No one seems to get the irony of a gay man using Ken dolls for artwork.
Now that I'm on the verge of 40, my extra fat has converted what little body dysmorphic disorder I had in my teens into a strong self esteem and razor sharp wit. It never occurs to me that I might fail at something, it doesn't seem possible that I don't have good ideas and I am certain that my creativity has absolutely no boundaries. I continue to be more comfortable in my own flabby skin and I look forward to the day when I can say to myself "Big Daddy, you have no choice but to get naked and show all these cops that you don't have a bomb on you." Until then I will continue to make art, with Ken, but only one of us fully clothed.
JP
I've been slowly but consistently making new work. Its times like this that I think Bridezillas have the right idea and shove a tube up my nose so I can save time by not eating. I manage to create one new piece a night and just as I'm getting into the groove, its time to wrap up and go to bed. While I rarely get a full day for creating work...I can only imagine what I could produce given a full 8 hours...but then in 8 hours one could take a nap and watch a movie.
Last year I bought two large sun tea containers filled with jewelry at Goodwill. They were half price and full of good crap to make artwork with. I have about 20% of it left. Its more jewelry than I've used in my lifetime of creating artwork, but damn its hard to find little metal bits. Its not like its sold by the gallon size bag at Value Village. I spent several years amassing a decent sized selection of metal junk to use on Creepy Babies and sculptures and now most of its been used. I kept all the misc hardware from setting up new bookcases last year. Its hard to pimp art without crap.
In addition to talking about my own art, I also think its relevant to associate art, and other forms of creativity to relevant topics of the day.
For example...the naked guy at the airport. Why is he getting fined again? In Portland being nude is considered an art form and is not illegal, except for any lewd displays in public. I may have the legalities incorrect but it was stated he was wearing traces of bomb making chemicals. I'd get naked too if it meant I could clear my name of being a homegrown terrorist. That's the last thing I need is being considered "dangerous" at all times, everywhere...no thanks TSA. But it does beg the question...what if I was carrying a nude painting as a carry-on and it exuded traces of questionable substances? How do you get a nude painting more nude than it already is? How do you cavity search a canvas?
And kudos to him, chunk monkey, for baring it all. When I gave a rat's ass and went to the gym it was always the same. The hot, muscular, well tone, ample chested, big armed, stud muffins, were wrapped up in towels from their neck to their ankles, or they arrived in gym clothes and left in sweaty gym clothes, sans shower, while the overweight, elderly, chubby, saggy, droopy, wrinkly, flabby eyesores were more than happy to walk around without a stitch on and always did. I'm starting to think that the longer a person carries extra pounds the more they become comfortable with their body. The fat is actually the voice of reason. "I'm not going anywhere you might as well show me off."
The other day I saw a facebook post...it was a placard held by a sporty young man and it stated:
"Its just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie."
Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Look it up on the web...its usually affects women but has been affecting men in a exponentially higher percentage.
I make the assumption that older men (I'm seeing men in their 60's and up) not being concerned with body image. They didn't grow up with ken dolls and GI Joe. The toned, well defined action figures of the 80's and 90's gave an impression to boys across the nation that big arms, big pecs and 6 pack abs were the norm...and also to be exceptional, like a superhero, you must look this way to be accepted.
It may have not had the impact we all think it had as not every boy in the USA had these toys. What do you say about boys who had cars? I've yet to hear about guys who want to be 6-7 feet wide with limbs like huge doughnuts. Perhaps these are the men who talk fast, have anxiety disorders, ADHD and drive fast.
Studies upon studies can only tell us so much. Personally, I would like to have a more healthy looking profile, and despite working out for nearly 3 years, I have only managed to add 1.5 inches to each bicep. It was a lot of work and a lot of money spent on pre work out drinks, post work out drinks and meat.
When I wanted to look better, I never made the connection to Ken dolls. I just wanted to look better to feel better and to attract men. I attracted more men as a chubby looking tall guy than I ever attracted as a thinner college boy. The difference in weight from college to 3 years ago was approximately 50 lbs. I did manage some slight, and I mean slight, definition in my shoulders and biceps. I'm still carrying around 40 pounds and the weight loss is slow and metered only by diet. I just don't have time for exercise.
I barely have time to create artwork using the Ken dolls. Its still one of my favorite mediums. The familiar figure gets a lot of attention and I always sell out at shows in the summer. The more central the figure is to the work the more popular the piece is. The more animated the body looks the more attention a piece will draw. No one seems to get the irony of a gay man using Ken dolls for artwork.
Now that I'm on the verge of 40, my extra fat has converted what little body dysmorphic disorder I had in my teens into a strong self esteem and razor sharp wit. It never occurs to me that I might fail at something, it doesn't seem possible that I don't have good ideas and I am certain that my creativity has absolutely no boundaries. I continue to be more comfortable in my own flabby skin and I look forward to the day when I can say to myself "Big Daddy, you have no choice but to get naked and show all these cops that you don't have a bomb on you." Until then I will continue to make art, with Ken, but only one of us fully clothed.
JP
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
new inspiration...from Michael Jackson?!?!
In the history of writing this blog...and I use the term blog loosely...I have never written what inspires me. Usually nothing. Not, nothing, but I don't see inspiration the usual way artists see it. I get images in my head. Images of paintings and sculptures. The images are very vivid and very detailed, and most of the time I can recreate what I see in my head. Its like my brain has flashed a blueprint of what to create.
However, it helps to have visual stimulation in order to have my brain work on constructing the images. I filter all the crap I see everyday. Everything I see gets filtered, categorized and filed away in my head. All the images are sorted daily and matched up for possible painting and sculpture ideas. I dunno how it gets done, but I assume little brain gnomes do all the work. Multiple gnomes sitting around a table matching up colors, shapes, patterns and textures, surrounded by mile tall filing cabinets filled with images I've seen throughout my lifetime.
Earlier this winter I socked away several more images and the inspiration was almost instantaneous. A friend invited me and my partner to the Cirque De Soleil Michael Jackson show. Overall it was pretty spectacular. I was a little weirded out at times, but that's the magic if Cirque. There were several numbers which involved 20+ dancers and actors. The entire stage covered in activity as "Dancing Machine" blared from a myriad of speakers.
The best images were from that very scene as a dozen dancers came out dressed in copper, gold and silver. Dressed as if they were robots or cyborgs. Their shiny costumes limited their movement but they quickly flaunted a full range of motion. On dancer came out in large metal circle, almost like he was in a 10 wide frame. At each of his joints were fastened pistons that connected to the larger circle. He was wired to the circle but moved as if he was free-styling. He was amazing to watch.
The bright copper, the dozens of copper dancers and the music was phenomenal. Immediately, images of new works came flooding in. All I had was my cell phone to write myself a note..."Use copper paint in sculptures, Michael Jackson Cirque show". I just hoped that I would recall what I was talking about. I don't take a sketch pad when I go out for the evening, who does, but I knew I had some good ideas to work out the next day.
That's what been keeping me busy lately. Tapping into the inspiration from the images of that Cirque show. It will not be limited to just the mummies, there are also a series of porcelain dolls that have been turning out quite nicely.
I just submitted my application for the Vancouver Recycled Arts Festival in late June. With so many artist entering, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will accepted. The bad news for the upcoming summer is the cancelled Eugene, OR ReArt festival. There is not enough funding to put on the show this year. Hopefully a show of equal quality will come up. If not this Dancing Machine will be up to his Thriller in artwork.
JP
However, it helps to have visual stimulation in order to have my brain work on constructing the images. I filter all the crap I see everyday. Everything I see gets filtered, categorized and filed away in my head. All the images are sorted daily and matched up for possible painting and sculpture ideas. I dunno how it gets done, but I assume little brain gnomes do all the work. Multiple gnomes sitting around a table matching up colors, shapes, patterns and textures, surrounded by mile tall filing cabinets filled with images I've seen throughout my lifetime.
Earlier this winter I socked away several more images and the inspiration was almost instantaneous. A friend invited me and my partner to the Cirque De Soleil Michael Jackson show. Overall it was pretty spectacular. I was a little weirded out at times, but that's the magic if Cirque. There were several numbers which involved 20+ dancers and actors. The entire stage covered in activity as "Dancing Machine" blared from a myriad of speakers.
The best images were from that very scene as a dozen dancers came out dressed in copper, gold and silver. Dressed as if they were robots or cyborgs. Their shiny costumes limited their movement but they quickly flaunted a full range of motion. On dancer came out in large metal circle, almost like he was in a 10 wide frame. At each of his joints were fastened pistons that connected to the larger circle. He was wired to the circle but moved as if he was free-styling. He was amazing to watch.
The bright copper, the dozens of copper dancers and the music was phenomenal. Immediately, images of new works came flooding in. All I had was my cell phone to write myself a note..."Use copper paint in sculptures, Michael Jackson Cirque show". I just hoped that I would recall what I was talking about. I don't take a sketch pad when I go out for the evening, who does, but I knew I had some good ideas to work out the next day.
That's what been keeping me busy lately. Tapping into the inspiration from the images of that Cirque show. It will not be limited to just the mummies, there are also a series of porcelain dolls that have been turning out quite nicely.
I just submitted my application for the Vancouver Recycled Arts Festival in late June. With so many artist entering, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will accepted. The bad news for the upcoming summer is the cancelled Eugene, OR ReArt festival. There is not enough funding to put on the show this year. Hopefully a show of equal quality will come up. If not this Dancing Machine will be up to his Thriller in artwork.
JP
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