bassline

333//366 (alternate): high keyed

Yesterday was a busy one. I had to get up to the studio, pick up three new paintings and deliver them to the gallery for the upcoming Winter Group Show. While there, I also talked with Bridgette about what I'm planning for my upcoming solo show taking place next April. I'm excited about it because its going to be a different show than what I've done in the past. There will be new paintings and works on paper, along with a different component that will add another layer to my work that I haven't explored before. I'm not saying anything about that last part because details are being worked out and its going to be a surprise.

( home stuff )

271/366: me and mr. sydney

What else do you do when you don't feel like thinking of anything else? Grab the cat! He sat still for a bit since I"d just woken him up from a light slumber, but as soon as he realized that he was being used for my selfish purposes, he balked and squirmed his way out of my grasp. Not only that, but he left behind a stinky cat fart.

Guess I deserved that one :P

269/366: hoodie kind of day

Today's weather demanded a little more warmth than yesterday since the temperatures dipped with the clouds, wind and, later, rain that arrived on the scene this evening. It's that time of year again when the weather is as fickle as a toddler's eating habits. I do like fall, though. It's second to spring and is followed by summer, then winter.

268/366: back to work

Today was my first full day back in the studio in almost almost a month and-a-half. I thought it was a shorter time, but with thinking about the time-line of events leading to our big move almost two weeks ago, it's been that long. I"d been there a couple of times, but only for a studio visit and a couple of other times to take things back and forth.

Today, I was there to actually work. I finished prepping the two panels above to paint on and worked on a smaller painting that I began two months ago. It felt good getting down in it with paint on my hands again. I felt like I hadn't skipped a beat since the beginning of the 'break'. Before the upheaval, I was getting set up for a big fall push to dive into new works for my next solo show in April. I feared that the time out of the studio would set me back, but if anything, it's given me more energy and drive.

......

It's possible that I inadvertantly caused someone to call 911 when I was at the studio. I was adding the last coat of sealant to the wood panels and was playing the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction. For those of you familiar with the film, there's a fiery monologue given by Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) , just before he and fellow hit man,Vincent Vega (John Travolta), let loose with a volley of gunshots in the direction of a cowering con. Well, on the soundtrack, the monologue and gunshots come at the very end of the cd.

I had the volume up kind of loud and didn't think much about anyone being able to hear it since I'm four floors up. The problem is that the volume of the 'gunshots' is pumped up on the cd. Within three or four minutes of the cd ending, a fire truck shows up across the street. I think a couple of the firemen went into the store on the first floor to find out if anything was going on. I didn't think much of the possible coincidence until they left a few minutes later. It was kind of funny at first, but then I thought about the possible scenarios of cops running up the steps, busting into the studio only to find me there painting and later having to explain that I didn't have a gun and wasn't shooting at anyone. The last thing I want to do is draw the attention of cops on edge.

250/366: we were hungry

*nom, nom, nom* A day of packing will bring on a hunger like no other...

Found my new buddy, the blue shark (he needs a name), at Ikea yesterday. I couldn't help myself and had to have 'im. You know that feeling when you were a little kid and found that toy that just rocked your world? Yeah, that was me yesterday. I teased E with it through most of the rest of our trip through the store.

Now, I want to take him with me everywhere I go.

Yep, still a kid...

Shadow Pattern

Good morning, LJ!

It's too early to be up on so little sleep, but we're heading up to New York for another one of our day trips. The main attraction this time are the New York City Waterfalls project by Olafur Eliasson. Other than that, we have a couple of other stops, but we're keeping it a relaxed kind of day.

213/366: pattern recognition

I was taking a break at the studio watching passers-by on the street below. I like tracking the patterns of pedestrians, drivers and bicyclists as they move past each other on their way to wherever. Recently, I've been thinking about basing some works on my observations, but haven't yet figured out the best approach in terms of what media and materials I want to use.

There were plans to get a lot of things done yesterday, but the best of my intentions were waylaid by a summer cold that has latched onto me. I only managed to seal the surfaces of a couple of large wood panels that will be used for paintings soon. I tried finishing up a small painting, but the marathon sneezing fits saw to it that tissues, not brushes were what I was going to be holding most of the day. The day wasn't completely lost, but it sure felt like it.

I'm heading back up there this morning to straighten up the space a little in preparation for a studio visit with Bridgette and one of her clients later today. I'm meeting with Bridgette first to show her some new works, then the client is scheduled to meet us later to check out some older paintings.

......


Yeondoo Jung

I Want to Be a Singer
c-print
2004

I'm completely taken by the photography of Yeondoo Jung. The images above are from his Wonderland series, where he did photographic versions of children's drawings. And like the source materials for this project, some of Jung's interpretations of the drawings are mimics rather than faithful reproductions. Also, check out his Locations and Bewitched series.

209/366: adjustment

I was setting up a painting to photograph last night after work. One of Bridgette's clients is interested in some available works from 2005 that I didn't have digital images of, only slides. She needed the digital images to send via email before his visit to my studio later this week.

I have an 'ok' set-up for photographing paintings, but could really use some tungsten floodlights instead of the regular incandescent ones I have now, which cast a yellowish light over the image. I can correct some of the problems on the computer, but the results are still usually a little bit off. I did manage to get the images pretty close to the originals, though. I have some money coming in soon, so the bulbs are on my list of supplies.

I had to dig through some works to find the ones needed for this mini project and wound up finding some works on paper from this same period. I hadn't looked at the drawings and paintings on paper for the past three years. It was kind of surprising to see them because I'd put them away and almost forgotten they existed. Even though I've moved on to other work, I really like those pieces and have resolved to document them this week.

197/366: tuesday sun

Yesterday was one of those days when I didn't feel up to doing much of anything for my daily self portrait. Luckily, I'm becoming better about seeing and taking advantage of photo opportunities that I might have overlooked previously. I think that's been the continuing lesson of this project: being more aware of the moment and trying to make the most of it.

I was at work when I took this. Late afternoon on a day when, mentally, I was just barely getting by because of bad sleep the night before. I wanted to get a shot in before I got home because I knew wasn't in the mood to deal with it at all later. The window shade was up in the office and the sun was on it's way down. The light of a late summer day has an amazing quality to me. There's something about the sun's golden glow late in the day that makes the spaces it inhabit seem...I don't know...otherworldly, magical, perhaps?

11/366: wtf?!?

Not really, this is just one of the few expressions I tried out this morning before I got started at work.

I did frown a lot when I was a teenager. So much so that I thought that I'd have etched permanent lines in my face by now. That hasn't happened yet, but the lines are a little more easily visible than in the past. I don't think about them that much now, but I wonder what I might think in ten or twenty years. Will I even care? Probably not.

In contrast to the look I have in this photo, I had a pretty good day and got home just before the big storm that broke out almost two hours ago. The lightning-strewn gray skies have given way to the more placid, postcard-worthy pale blues and corals of sunset. We've just had dinner and I'm catching up on today's Tour de France stage.

Professional cycling has gone through some tough times over the past couple of years with the numerous doping scandals coming to light. It's no secret that some riders have cheated throughout the Tour's history, but the latest shakeups have happened because the race's organizers and teams are taking a harsher stance against drugs and blood  doping through rigorous testing of blood and urine. It's not all fool -proof, but something had to be done to get professional cycling out of the hole it's dug for itself over the years.

The distance in the realities of being a Tour cyclist versus the ordinary person who bikes for transportation or recreation is the same as the distance between baseball players and their fans. The passion for both sports runs deep for fans and participants, even if most Americans couldn't care less about the Tour. Despite the problems, I still like the Tour because there's a beauty and grace amid the grueling distances, crashes, and determination that those guys show on the road. I'm still amazed that anyone can deal with riding over a hundred miles a day at very high cadences and through all sorts of weather and terrain that goes from the very flat to mountainous and back.

I'm glad I learned to ride a bike when I did, but I do wish that I'd have done it much earlier. Regardless, I'll always love the feeling and anticipation of getting on my ride and just going...

Playing Field I

Another view of the game pieces where I did my self portrait Sunday morning. In addition to the dominoes, there are representations of chess pieces, bingo chips and Monopoly pieces. ( 2 more )

Palmed

Another from last night's 'bald' session.

E is having a difficult time adjusting to my newly shorn appearance. She woke up, looked at me, and muttered, "Hmm...still no hair".

I, on the other hand, am enjoying the feel of air going across my scalp. I'm also enjoying the feel of my hands going across my head. It's almost sexual in a way. The immediate thing I noticed looking in the bathroom mirror last night was the difference in skin shades between my face my scalp. Obviously, it's been hidden under my winter pelt of hair for months not exposed to direct sunlight. The lightness of my head made it look like I had some kind of special effect appliance on to simulate baldness. I'm sure it won't take long for it to even out with the rest of my exposed skin.

174/366: game theory daydream

Hanging out with the domino sculptures in the Municpal Services Building plaza, center city Philadelphia.

No matter how much I see and experience, nature always manages to amaze me with even the smallest of things.

Some things never go out of style. That's what I like about canvas Chucks. They've been around for ages and while there have been a few variations, like this year's "thigh high" style, the basic Chuck has changed little. I'm far from being a purist, though. I like that they're made in various colors and patterns.

What I won't do is pay $90-something for a pair of Chucks designed by John Varvatos.