Get your print on.

I don't care what digital ways you preach, nothing can replace a great screen print. Here are a few people who do it right.

White Rabbit

Alison Rose

Beetnik Aesthetic

Urban Posture

Photosynthesis

Sonnenzimmer

Vahalla

Anne Arden McDonald

Especially in today's multilayered, multitasked environment, even artists no longer dwell in singular disciplines. Especially here at SAIC it's not about what you specialize in, it's how much you specialize in. We've become a world of dabblers. A prime example of this is Anne Arden McDonald. I was first blown away by her jewelry -- natural and organic forms I found very unique. But then went I went to her site, I realized that she was not a jeweler or a photographer or a sculptor or a talented eye in the world of contemporary installation. She is all these things. And you should see it for herself. There's a reason she'd an out of business cards by the time I stumbled into her booth.

Notebookers unite

For those known for their incessant need to record in their Moleskine, good news is here. Randl / Chikabird, a handmade clothing and accessory company creates wallets, refillable notebook covers, and screen-printed clothing for everyone. And they have an Etsy store, so geography is no longer an excuse.

About time

In hopes of remedying my ghost-town of a blog, I am now back on the post train. Finally settled in the city (after what three weeks?) I find it is time to share some of the experiences I've been having and some of the things I've seen.

The highlight of my day today was the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago's Wicker Park. For those who missed, I'll give a short summary (and some great links) to enjoy.

Words

Norman Brenner said that, "The intermediate stage between socialism and capitalism is alcoholism." For some strange reason this holds truth for me upon reflection of our current societal values. Another statement that holds truth is that the Didgeridoo is an instrument whose splendor often goes unnoticed. Even more splendid is the musician himself. I snapped this when I was riding my bike through park city this weekend for the Kimball Arts Festival. The shells strapped to his legs served as a makeshift percussion ensemble.






-- Post From My iPhone

Dabbling

Sun time is fun time. So is experimentation with an iPhone camera. Purists call it cheating, I call it my backyard plum tree.


-- Post From My iPhone

Finally.. some art for the art blog

These last three pieces will hopefully be the end of the Kashmir focus... I got more into oils and washes. I also, had fun loading on the gesso, waiting till it was nearly dry, then scratched the hell out of it for some textural goodies. Enjoy.

A few spring occurences

The temperatures have finally risen and we all know what that means -- more downtown festivities. Kate and I rambled about town the last few weeks, and stumbled upon quite a few things to do. Not to mention, I enjoyed lurking the conversation of an old english professor (recently laid off and, naturally, emburdened with a darker, more cynical view of life) holler and preach about what would have upset Neitzsche about our current society. Apparently his prana flow was in a terrible state that day. (He said it, not me.) It's amazing the people you stumble on in Nobrow. I highly recommend taking in a deck of cards and listening to the colorful conversations that permeate the place.

Today was Record Store Day at Slowtrain. We mobbed down from Alta just in time for Band of Annuals.



...And the day before (Friday) was a gallery/fashion stroll on Broadway that I stumbled upon, on my way to see "Sin Nombre" (killer, by the way -- or 'modern as hell' as Cassady would put it.) Regardless I found a great pair of subterraneans playing on the street, (the guy on the right strums a washboard as percussion and lefty plays the harmonica/banjo.)


Kayo gallery was a happening spot as well, a real blackdress affair with a gypsy jazz group that reminded me of Pearl Django. Couples were cheektocheek, tangoing right and left. Oh yeah, and the art was cool too.

Saw Bruce Cockburn three days before that, (Tuesday.) Not my artist of choice, but he has a lot to say, and rips on the guitar. I managed to snap this before an authoritative woman with a laminate around her neck shredded my ear about photography in the 'theatuh.' Gotta hand it to Wagner though, the acoustics were great.
..And just a few shots from Liberty park on the first, warm Saturday of the season (God knows, how long ago.) There were some great kites and it gave Greeley (the bear) and chance to practice his social skills.

Tom Thumb?

There've been a lot of allusions to Tom Thumb lately. What's the deal with this little fellow?

Tom Thumb is a traditional hero in English folklore who is no bigger than his father's thumb.

Tom Thumb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My previous 'Wanderlust' post has a poem in which Rimbaud references him, and so does Dylan. This is one of my favorite tracks from 'Highway 61 Revisited:'

"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"

Noteworthy

My concentration search has lead to uncover a lot of great photographers. Among them is Steve McCurry. Famous for his work with National Geographic, McCurry is well known for the photo of the girl with green eyes -- taken in Peshawar. Although this photo has become world famous, it is not even close to being his best. Here are a few, but I suggest you visit his website. There are many galleries but its worth your time. He has an entire photo album on the use of light. Feast your eyes, friends.

'A wanderer by trade'

I watched 'I'm not there' again yesterday and forgot how great it was. It lead me to do a little more digging into a few of Dylan's personas. So as I sit up here at Alta, more content than a hibernating grizzly bear, I thought it would be a good idea to read a little poetry by Arthur Rimbaud. I found a great one called 'My Bohemian Life:'



I went off with my hands in my torn coat pockets;
My overcoat too was becoming ideal;
I traveled beneath the sky, Muse! and I was your vassal;
Oh dear me! what marvelous loves I dreamed of!

My only pair of breeches had a big whole in them.
Stargazing Tom Thumb, I sowed rhymes along my way.
My tavern was at the Sign of the Great Bear.
My stars in the sky rustled softly.

And I listened to them, sitting on the road-sides
On those pleasant September evenings while I felt drops
Of dew on my forehead like vigorous wine;
And while, rhyming among the fantastical shadows,
I plucked like the strings of a lyre the elastics
Of my tattered boots, one foot close to my heart!


My wanderlust is getting out of hand.

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Wordplay.

When you're bored, you should play with your words. People just don't do it enough.

Ocurrences

Beyond the occasional deja vu, I find we also journey through periods of our life in which something continues to reappear. Sometimes it is an idea, or a person, sometimes it may be a phrase. Regardless of what it is, you stumble upon this serendipitous, inconsequential motif. Some people call them signs, but I prefer not to view it in that way. In "Cat's Cradle" Vonnegut outlined a belief known as Bokononism in which people were interconnected by a karass. The people in your karass were often completely random -- sometimes even your enemies. But they were in your karass because they would play a role in your life, as a stepping stone in your mental or physical journey. This has been happening to me a lot lately and whether you are a Bokonist, superstitious, or of some other religious or philosophical affiliation the recurrence exists all the same. For me it has been a bluebird. And it will not leave me alone. Here are a few of the ways he and I have encountered one another.

I:

Charles Bukowski is most known for his rough and real depictions of American life in his novels. But it was only recently that I was introduced to his poetry. A friend told me I should look at one in particular. It is entitled, "Bluebird."

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?

(courtesy of americanpoems.com)

II.

On my list of current books to read is one entitled "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau, (coincidentally we also read "Civil Disobedience" yesterday in class. Regardless, the name has been on my mind. In a public restroom yesterday, I saw this quote written on a bathroom stall.

"The bluebird carries the sky on his back."

- Henry David Thoreau

III.

In my studio art class I recently worked on a piece that was supposed to conceptualize a Chinese I-Ching hexagram. Mine was called revolution, a concept the Chinese believed was related to the moulting of animals and the changing of the seasons. After a month, I went back to it yesterday, removing it from the wall. It needed something. Over the black silhouette of a bird I had illustrated, I absentmindedly began to doodle over it in pastel. I took the piece home later that day and a friend came over. When he saw it, he said, 'Hey, I like your bluebird.'

Charles Bukowski. Courtesy of Anders Hornstrup via Flickr.

Waking Life

Recently I've been pursuing films of a particularly creative caliber, specifically, ones that make the mind truly think. "Waking Life" a 2001 animated film by director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused) truly stranded my mind out to sea. But after a lot of consideration, it is safe to to say that although my mind was lost, it was lost in a good place. A remote island, if you will, where suddenly life seems a little more interesting. This movie explores many views about the nature of life itself, in a beautifully animated format that complements its subject matter with perfection.

"I see this as a realistic film about an unreality," Linklater says. "The gestures, the sound, the human expressions all seem real, but this reality is then re-interpreted artistically. It becomes a kind of moving painting."

Animating a Waking Life

Even for those uninterested in the complex and vivid language of this movie. (It delves into ideas of existentialism, nihilism, social Darwinism, and even physics to say a few.) Equally fascinating is the animation itself. Constantly moving and changing in color and style, every scene puts amazing emphasis on the human form and its interaction with its surroundings.

[T]he rotoscope technique – which, in a sense, allows the filmmaker to trace over the photographic image - complements the ambiguous dream/wake duality of the film: it’s reality and yet it’s not.

The Animation Pimp » Blog Archive » Waking Life: The Truth is in the Animation (Montage Magazine, 2004)

Different artists were used for each scene, giving each space and character a unique personality. This adds another layer of existential fragmentation while, at times, playfully poking fun at some of the characters. At the same time, the lack of a cohesive style along with the shifting, floating, dislocated backgrounds and landscapes keeps the viewer on edge, at a distance.

The Animation Pimp » Blog Archive » Waking Life: The Truth is in the Animation (Montage Magazine, 2004)

Happy surface day!

On Friday, Mary and I decided to call in sick and take a personal day up at brighton. We got there around ten and snagged a couple pairs of the Live Life 2s and filled our pockets with vitamin water. To say we had a good time would be an understatement - i'm currently fighting a very strong impulse to empty my bank account and buy a pair. Regardless it was a super awesome time!
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Manxy

The Kingsbury Manx is releasing a new album soon, one of there EPs, "Well, Whatever" is very promising track for when the mood is of mellow nature. Listen to it on their myspace.

Concentration time

I finally finished a few of the aforementioned pieces I was planning. They are based on the conflict within current Kashmiri culture. The LoC stands for Line of Control, the dividing border between Pakistani Kashmir and Indian Kashmir. For more info, check the archive.

Alpenglow

Caught some great alpenglow on my way to work. A reminder of why I like it here.
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Saucey

In my recent venture up to Seattle I was surrounded by neopolitan pizza, conceptual frenchmen, and crustaceans. After a few days of slinging my 40 pound portfolio about the city, I was able to enjoy a little downtime on the ocean front, where Pike's Place makes the Farmers Market look like child's play. The following is a triptych of images I snapped in a small nook that sold only hot sauce. Talk about specialization.
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