In My Studio... Apartment

You can't teach a dog to chew with his mouth closed

2010-10-27T17:48:00.001-07:00

I suppose this wasn't technically created in my studio... apartment. I woke up one morning chez Aaron with some lines in my head. I wrote them down, he improved upon them, I improved upon his improvements, he improved upon the improved... to the 4th or 5th power. We invited my mom to illustrate the story because she can draw like nobody else. And voila!

You can't teach a dog to chew with his mouth closed.

It's available at Bath Sense, soon at Books Inc and also Amazon.com. In fact, click this link here: and help us buy groceries

Solo Exhibit at Blue Danube Cafe

2010-08-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

Starting Thursday I'll be hanging new paintings at the Blue Danube Cafe. Where's this fabulously great totally awesome and incredible cafe? Glad you asked, Blue Danube Cafe is at 306 Clement St (between 4th Ave & 5th Ave. Get a coffee and buy my work. Or a tea, I understand if you're not in the mood for coffee. Runs for the entire month of September.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-danube-coffee-house-san-francisco

Leaving Tiffany's

2010-06-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

I covered over the Tiffany's painting. Something about it wasn't sitting right with me. So instead I mixed up some cobalt, zinc, interference green and orange. I always gotta mix in the complimentary color to give some weight to the hues. On top of that I layered a mix of black mica with raw umber which somehow came out green. Hmmm....

Like my fishy painting in the background (back right corner)??? That there was my 2001 senior thesis painting- it's probably the last oil painting I made. :D

SOLD SOLD SOLD!!

2010-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

SOLD! Gitane- 18" x 24" was sold today. HUZZAH!

Glare Progress

2010-06-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Brail! Art brail.

Marin Headlands

2010-06-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

I applied! For my 3rd time. The first time was so long ago that I filled out a paper form. Not this time round. Want to read my letter of intent??? Here it is:

This is my 3rd attempt applying to the Headlands. I decided this time to apply as a writing candidate. I have a story to tell, an excellent and interesting story that is loosely based on my experience working in a casino and having survived being run over by a truck.

You know the new concrete median on Market Street that prevents cars from turning right onto the Octavia on ramp? That was installed after I was run over at that intersection 3 years ago by a truck full of cement. You see, a fascinating story. In recovery I wrote because that was the only thing I could do. My body was full of pain. Black pain that I can't remember because memory suppresses that kind of stimuli. I wrote about pain and about injury and about living when I should have died. And then I began to get better, and I wrote less about the horrible things in life and more about the other things in life. I found I had more stories to tell. And so my story morphed.

As I recovered I regained mobility. I started painting again, abstractly in vivid colors that my eyes gobbled up. And from painting I developed an idea to needlepoint my abstract paintings into matching pillows. I find this very amusing. And I still continue to write, to work on my story. Making is a circular process for me. And a constant one.

My ambition has always been to make something, anything, that I care about. And to this end, making art and writing is easy. I only make what I love and what I am passionate about. My recent work travels many avenues. I write, I paint, I needlepoint. They all blend together into the collective creativity of art. However, the flaw in my creative structure is a lack of community. I make and create on my own without feedback, without collaboration without the people contact that the Marin Headlands residency program would provide. My ideas occur in the vacuum of my studio apartment. I look to the Marin Headlands for a community to push me further, to inspire me with their projects, to help me improve my ideas.

I need the environment of the Headlands to touch other people who are creating and to feel an environment outside of myself. I'm without the creative communal energy that studios provide. I want to be at the Headlands to make more and to develop my work further, push it's boundaries and be inspired. I think I'm the perfect candidate: I'm multi-disciplinary, I'm responsive to the inspirations of life, I'm communicative and open to change and learning, I'm hungry for experience, and I can tell a good story.

MWA HA HA HA evil laugh

2010-05-18T10:38:00.001-07:00

HA! Well, folks, here's the first highly flawed attempts at printing on needlepoint mesh. But I'll stitch it, right! You may recognize Glare on the far left (though it printed kind of funny and squish-like on the mesh) and then the ever cleverly titled MT1 on the right-left. It's not really titled MT1 but with 100+ paintings it's hard to remember a title when it is written on the back of the painting which is at my mom's house. You do know she is a collector of my work, don't you? Totally unbiased collector so she may be recipient of the first needlepoint abstractions.

Shame, shame, shame

2010-05-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Oh sad little cone head birdie. I was thinking of you this morning when I worked on these itty bitty paintings. You may be colorful, but you sure look ridiculous with your collar of shame. These paintings are 4"x6" and 5"x5". I masked them with masking tape of shame. But that is just temporary as I paint over the parts I dislike and protect the intersections of colorful beauty.

Herb & Dorothy

2010-05-12T17:32:00.001-07:00

Just watched this movie, Herb & Dorothy about the collectors Herb & Dorothy Vogel. And oh my god! I love it- I love the idea of immersing yourself in art, having it be your life, watching it grow and develop, enjoying it.

Besides which, I enjoyed the art featured in the movie. Hello, On Kawara, I am still alive. Pat Steir, Chuck Close. Which reminds me, when I was at NYU I once saw Chuck Close traveling via Rascal along University Ave. I froze where I stood, star struck. But where are you, On Kawara, where are you?

Honey Bunny

2010-05-07T13:29:00.001-07:00

Honey bunny fresh and yummy, or so Aaron says. This here is my new needlepoint. It's cheesy but we call each other honey so I figured I should make this for Aaron and myself. It's one of the bigger ones I've attempted. I'm testing different Bargello stitches to cover the large swathes of color. Give me a couple weeks and it should be completed!

Fingers Crossed!

2010-05-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Two leads on commissioned work today! HOORAY! One seems very likely- we're going to schedule a meeting for Monday or Tuesday next week (knock on wood)... the other was definitely interested which is good for the ego but not guaranteed. I will keep you posted.

Blue blue tiffany blue, that's the color of my room

2010-04-28T12:05:00.001-07:00

Left, the maybe finished chef d'œuvre. I think it's name is Sound & Vision. Anyway, was looking at some Tiffany boxes and Gerard Richter (oh how I love his work... shhhhh....) canary yellow and aqua blue. With a guest appearance of the purple copper.

I need more paint. Completely out of zinc white and was forced to use the hideous Titan Buff to mix up the light shade of aqua. But turned out not so bad, n'est ce pas mon chère?

Abstract Needlepoint Art

2010-04-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

And so, she has the canvas, she has the freezer paper and the arcylic to help the printer ink adhere. But does she have printer? No. No no a thousand times no. But one day soon, from this painting will be birthed a matching pillow. Awww.... it's a girl!

Banksy?

2010-04-26T10:20:00.001-07:00

Banksy Banksy Banksy.

Far left, Bangsy? My guess, not Banksy. Seeing as how he is British and in the UK they call bangs fringe. So. There's that.

All these street outlines. I can't identify the artists but with Banksy fever running high I like to think maybe it's a tribe of his followers set loose on the town. I like this picture I took of Leroy/jack hammer double teaming the hyrant. We discovered it yesterday on Divisadero at Grove. Most likely it's an artistic comment on the insane amounts of hammering and construction for the Divisadero Beautification project and not a Banksy piece. But maybe???? No, probably not.

Anyway, Banksy. What irritates me with this Banksy covering SF is that it's awfully convenient timing considering that the movie Exit Thru The Gift Shop is opening up, featuring art by Banksy and directed partially by Banksy. Or Bangsy as you see fit.

Warholian.com claiming that Banksy is the Andy Warhol of our time? Please. Don't get me started. Banksy is the popular kid in high school, not all that clever but people think he's cool. And in my opinion, that does not make top quality art. But sure, I'd invite him to my party. It's a kegger in my imagination- see you there.

Gigante!

2010-04-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Big wood panels. I mean, huge! Just huge. Too big for my easel so I've rigged up a multi-stool flat top to work on. I began painting thinking of lucky Chinese red. A red so orange it wavers on the color boundaries. To cover the surface requires a lot of paint. I mixed and mixed red, orange, white, phosphorescence, baby pink, green. The colors splattered on my apron and my jammies. Yes, that is what I paint in. PJ's & apron. Bandit watched me from the corner of his eyes.

I just love the color glowing in the morning light. The shadows from my windows remind me of Bertolucci's Il Conformista.

New Work

2010-04-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who is close to me knows that I've developed an obsession with needlepoint. So obsessed that I've been eating yogurt for dinner so as to spend more time needle pointing (less time cooking food, you know). I'm staying up late to needlepoint while watching Law & Order. I arrive at work late thanks to stopping in at the too convenient needle point boutique (Elain Magnin's on Sacramento St). I promise you, I still brush my teeth, but otherwise.... it's a slippery slope, this addiction.

But all this needle pointing has launched an idea for a new art work series. I've found a technique to laser print onto blank canvas and I have a secret plan to begin needle pointing my paintings.

You love these paintings? Why thank you! And would you care for a matching pillow?

Now to procure all the necessary equipment...