June 15th 2009

it's been some time since I blogged last, it was my birthday last week :) and I didn't do much too creative except get some great ideas of what I want to do with acrylics and visited the MoCA in N Adams. I so love that place. And I did post new art work on the site and around the internet as well as marketed myself at the Topsfield Strawberry Fest......

So, you ask, Can you elaborate? Sure!

I want to do large scale painting of insects. I'm talking like 6 foot by 6 foot paintings up close and personal of the bug world that co-exists with us. It will have to wait til I get my own personal studio ( i just don't have the space to store paintings that large) but in the mean time, I've been doing some watercolors of bugs but I think with my new found love of acrylics that this may get me closer to that goal.

the MoCA in N Adams is the Museum of Contemporary Art. This is BY FAR my favorite art museum to visit. Funny, because I live in Boston which is home of the MFA, the Isabella Stuart Gardner, the ICA and countless galleries. And I do enjoy visiting those as well, but there's something about what the MoCA finds and brings in that's just awesome. It's housed in what used to be the Sprague Electric factory and the layout hasn't changed at all. HUGE rooms BIG art and some great exhibits. There was a consistent theme in one of the shows about being an artist. And what can an artist do to separate themselves in order to stand out before all the other artists in the world, and as I'm looking at some of the pieces, as an artist, I can relate because I go through this every day. I remember being at the Corcoran in '89-90 and that was the year that the whole Maplethorpe controversy came out and the museum had banned the showing of the photos. There was a big rally, and then after that all this "controversial" and some really BAD art came out. Like the piss Christ.. (do you remember this??http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ ) and is it art? or is it just there to make you feel revolted??? I guess it is a feeling.... but then my point is that it was there to stand out above all the other art that's out there. I don't think you need to disgust people, but hey I did remember it, didn't I'???? I love painting and doing my art, but would much rather be doing landscapes or being an animal artist - painting LIFE and everything that I find is pleasing. I'm not a dark person and I wonder if that hurts my chances of being successful as an artist.... I hope not. There was another exhibit there; Ben-Nur is his name and he made short films using his family and classic themes from stories. Video is certainly not my favorite medium (a loop of someone doing the dishes with some eerie music in the background.... ???) but this guy's work was entertaining as well as thought provoking. His things were simple and enlightening. http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=450

Yes, I finally made my way over to Kinko's and uploaded some of the better pieces that came out of my studio this spring. More dogs & kitties, but the acrylics and I did a painting of my nephew when he was a baby. Jason called it eerie.... I don't think it really looks like him, but I was trying to "break out of my box" which I think is a good thing to keep doing. I think I need help with flesh-tone colors....... what do you think??

and then there was the Strawberry Fest. The weather was gorgeous and there were quite a few people walking about. I didn't make the booth cost but not to surprised about that. It was my first show of the season and I don't have a whole lot lined up. I'm different that way. I had people around me telling me that this was their 22nd show this season. Ugh! I can not do that. I did mention to some of the vendors that I'm trying to spend more of my marketing efforts online and one woman said that the internet "scared her". Well, I guess it's not for everyone but I'll be damned if I'm lugging 100lb tupperwares full of paintings when I reach my late 40s. Shows are a pain in the *ss. You got to do them but I'm realizing that it's much more than that. Especially when a lot of my work is all about calling me back for a commissioned piece.

until next time.....