My Weird World

Featuring:
Weird World I
Goddess Night Equinox & Bonnie's Birthday Celebration At Eris Temple
A few of my favorite things



Hey! Everyone, I know time between posts have been a little stretched, but  life gets in the way and things have been getting busy in my world.  But that doesn't stop me from wanting to share with you the things I encounter when I'm out and about.  This post is about the things seen and experienced that seem a little strange to me, but hey everything is weird depending on how you look at it. Let me take you on my weird journey which starts, oddly enough near home.

Weird World I
One of the weirdest things I saw was a bug! yes, a bug! I was doing my daily walk, trying to enlighten my mind and relieve a little stress by enjoying a beautiful day. I'm a cloud watcher and I see all types of animals and figures in the clouds.  What does this have to do with the bug? Nothing, just giving you a little visual perspective.Lol Seeing nature up close can be, well, weird. I saw this brown big eyed bug resting on the trunk of a tree.  It looked dead, upon closer inspection, I realized it was alive and kicking! I was so fascinated with it, I took a picture.  It could be a cicada or some other bug, don't know, just know that it has big eyes and it almost looks like part of the bark. I immediately started thinking about the show "Monster Bug Wars" on the National Geographic channel.  That's the show where they talk about the insects abilities, strengths and weaknesses and pit them against an opponent insect. They fight to the death! one eats the other.  I would like to think these aren't staged, but rather natural occurrences in the worlds of insects. I find this show fascinating, but I like nature shows, especially about insects!

Needless to say, I don't want them crawling on me, that equates to instant death for the insect, but I would like to examine them under a microscope. It seems kind of interesting to see them alive in their environment which often conflicts with my own, is fascinating. To dissect them and study them, is the ideal conflict and resolution to my bug fascination. In a previous post, I talked about the butterflies and dragonflies I encounter near my home.  To watch them flutter about, while not intruding in their world is almost meditative. One minute you see them, and the next they have blended into their surroundings.  My favorite is the preying mantis.  Several live in the bush that houses the schmoo outside my door. Love the way they capture and kill other insects that I find annoying, but they also bite off the heads of their male suitors after they have mated. Cool! Unfortunately, human females don't have that option, Damn!

The weirdness in the world isn't limited to insects. People are weird too and they ride metro!  There are the daytime weirdos but the night time weirdos are the best.  If you ever catch the last train of the night, a lot of them will be on the train. They usually spread out, some the only weirdo insight.  What makes them weird is not how they look, but how they act, sometimes it's a combination of both. Coming home Saturday from Philly, we were on the last train of the night.  We saw groups of people who had stayed at the local bar until the last call for alcohol stumbling their way onto the train. They were hilarious, they sway with the rhythm of the train and don't topple over. Weebles Wobble but they don't fall down! There were people who went to some secret costume party, but forgot to tell each other they were going, they come together on the train in some weird cataclysmic explosion, causing extreme eye/ear pain cause they are soo loud in every way.  But those who unknowingly make themselves look weird are best, they have no idea how they look! Weirdness is not limited to one place.  There was plenty of weirdness in Philly, which I will explore in Goddess Night. Read on!

Goddess Night Equinox & Bonnie's Birthday Celebration At Eris Temple

This past Saturday was my friend Bonnie's birthday celebration.   My husband and I left Saturday afternoon and rode up on the Megabus.  When we got there we went into the 30th street station to wait for our friend and use the bathroom.  While waiting, we stopped at the train station pub for a beer. I noticed that the mugs of beer seemed to glow on the bar.  I took a photo, the glow, not to prevalent in the photo, but I was interested in the reflections that the mugs and other bottles of alcohol showed. What I got was several beer guts and preoccupied patrons. oh well.  So I focused on the bottle line up and took a picture of that. What my eye saw and what the camera saw didn't quite mesh.  But that didn't stop me.

On our way to Bonnie's Bash.  It's also the Goddess Equinox, and I'm excited to see all the performers. The space was small and sparsely decorated, except for this circuitry board collage on the wall.  Bonnie is a founding member and editor of Certaincircuits, which publishes poetry, short stories, artwork. Calls for submissions go out regularly. Bonnie performed with her band. There was spoken word, face painting and beer.  The people were fun and very nice.  They made me feel welcome and wanted.  Sometimes artists don't feel that way in certain social situations. 

painted faces trio

Zig Zag Handmade

As the night progressed the painted faces and costumes really started to shine.  I missed the Zig Zag Handmade costume.  We had to be on the last bus back. But I did  get to talk to the girls with the painted faces and I met and talked to Stephanie Noor, who does spoken word. Her poetry was profound. A weird world of artists, of which I was a willing participant. 

Stephanie Noor

These are some of the photos from the party. Make sure you see me, got my face painted by Ebony Malaika Collier, I also bought one of her abstract pieces. It was a wonderful trip to Philly.  Always want to go the events Bonnie has, not always able, but its great when I can go. Bonnie looked great with her headdress, people were there in many different forms and fashions. Check out Certaincircuits.org created by artists for artists.  If your ever in the Philly area, stop and check out local events.  There's a lot going on!  Thanks Bonnie!

Bonnie

Moi

Jeanine Campbell & Lora Bloom

Bonnie, w/Lora Bloom & Jamie Campbell

A Few of My Favorite Things

Continuing on the weird world theme.  I am a big fan of graphic novels.  One of my favorites is Fables.  I love the fairytales with a twist! I have about eight books that contains issues 1-81. I'm behind on the story but that doesn't keep me from checking out whats next in the Fable world. I want to give you a clear concise over view of what these books are about so I did some research.  You may be surprised of how much TV has borrowed from this book and Grimm Fairytales.

Fables is a comic book series created by writer Bill Willingham, published by DC Comics's Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The Adversary" who has conquered the realm. The Fables have traveled to our world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown. Fables who are unable to blend in with human society (such as monsters and anthropomorphic animals) live at "the Farm" in upstate New York.

Willingham reinterpreted many of the characters, evident in the divorce of Snow White and Prince Charming due to his infidelity. Another principal character is the Big Bad Wolf (calling himself "Bigby"), who has not only reformed, but gained the ability to take on human appearance, and serves as Fabletown's sheriff at the series' beginning.

The main characters of Fables are public domain figures from folklore, mythology, and literature. Bill Willingham has said the only considerations in deciding whether or not he chooses to use a character are "is the character or story free for use?" and "do I want to use it?" Most of the characters seen so far are from European stories. The major exceptions are Arabian fables and American fables, from the fable world of Americana appearing in "Jack of Fables", such as Paul Bunyan, Black Sambo (now known as Sam) and the Lone Ranger. Most of these characters appear primarily in the Jack of Fables spin-off.

A television series based on Fables was put into development by NBC in 2005 for the 2006-2007 Television Season. The show received a script order and was developed by Craig Silverstein and Warner Brothers Television but was not developed any further than the scripting stage. NBC would later go on to produce Grimm, a police procedural set in a world where fairytales are real.

On December 8, 2008 it was announced that ABC had picked up the rights to develop a pilot of Fables for the 2009-2010 television season. Six Degrees creators and executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner were writing the script for the hour long drama, again set up at Warner Brothers Television, while David Semel had come on board to direct. There has been no news since concerning a series based directly on Willingham's series and, in late 2010, he said "[t]he TV show that was prematurely announced is probably dead." Instead, ABC has announced a new series called Once Upon a Time, which features fairy tale characters such as Snow White and Prince Charming exiled in the "real world". The show's creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, stated that they "read a couple issues" of Fables but believe that while the two concepts are "in the same playground," they are "telling a different story." Once upon a Time didn't do well in the ratings.



Grimm is back for season 2 on Fridays at 9pm. Grimm is an American police procedural fantasy television drama series. It debuted in the U.S. on NBC on October 28, 2011. The show has been described as "a cop drama—with a twist... a dark and fantastical project about a world in which characters inspired by Grimms' Fairy Tales exist," although the stories and characters inspiring the show are also drawn from other sources.

Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt of the Portland Police Bureau learns he is descended from a line of "guardians" known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures (called "Wesen"; however the characters here use a mispronunciation of the German, rendering it like "vessin" instead of "vay-zen") of the world. Throughout the episodes, he must battle against an assortment of dangerous creatures, with help from his friend Monroe (who is a reformed creature), and his partner Detective Hank Griffin.

Many of the episodes are loosely based on stories written by the Brothers Grimm, albeit with considerable artistic license. Other episodes are based on other sources, including fables and legends, not written by the Brothers Grimm.

Funny how things that were popular when I was growing up are now popular again thanks to modern technology that can expand on the visual/special effects and make it more spectacular for today's audience. The realistic imagery that's depicted sets the imagination ablaze thinking that this could possibly be real. Grimm is a lot easier to follow, jumping back and forth between past and present became confusing and was one of the problems I felt existed in Once Upon a Time.  

Hope you enjoyed My Weird World. Maybe its not so weird to you, just the quirkiness of my likes and dislikes.  Either way, I can go from bugs, to graphic novels, to TV shows and monsters.  I am a true Dexter fan, love crime shows about serial killers, and people who kill, my favorite is  Deadly Women. I also read 100 Bullets, Sin City and other graphic novels dealing with killing and death in some way. This side is my "dark passenger",(as Dexter would say) it gets a thrill from all this. I personally, wouldn't hurt a fly......until it lands on me. lol

Until next time, see you at the....

Same blog time, Same blog Channel.

Art N Motion

Featuring -
Revisiting the Corcoran Gallery-An Alumni Perspective
Touchstone Gallery Opening
Sandy Spring De-Installation
Artist Corner-Finding Your Muse

On Friday I made my way downtown to a familiar place, a place that I haven't been to in a while. A place where my memories and delusions of grandeur were fueled with creative enthusiasm and a free spirited willing mind begging for an education made of dreams. Well, here I am ten years later, going for an interview for the Arts 101 Program. My how things have changed, while some of the people remain the same.  

After my interview which went great, I decided to walk through the Gallery. Its marble floors, and high ceilings looked the same as it always does.  Glad to see the change in artwork in the permanent collections galleries. You can't take pictures when looking at the art, but I managed to find pictures and descriptions of the main exhibits going on.

A pivotal figure in the history of modern painting, Richard Diebenkorn (1922–1993) was an innovator whose work inspired legions of artists and greatly advanced the lexicon of abstraction. 

The Corcoran is the only East Coast venue for Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series, the first major museum exhibition to focus on the artist’s most celebrated body of work. The exhibition features more than 80 works, including large-scale paintings, smaller paintings made on cigar box lids, mixed-media drawings on paper, monotypes, and prints.

Both Diebenkorn and Rothko share a similar style of working abstractly. As celebrated as they are, I fail to understand the concept of color blocks, grids, the whole process. It's interesting to watch the viewer who chooses to sit and stare at them contemplatively, perhaps trying to figure out the purpose of the painting. However, what experience a person gets out of the work is personal and unique to each individual. The Diebenkorn exhibit is fine for some, but one that I walked quickly through. 

Robert Colescott, Auvers-sur-Oise (Crow in the Wheat field)

The new permanent collection installation highlights the strengths of the modern and contemporary art holdings. These galleries provide a sense of the breadth of practice and the range of ideas that animate postwar and contemporary art. Major works are presented by Lee Bontecou, William Christenberry, Robert Colescott, Rob Fischer, Ellsworth Kelly, Martin Puryear, Sean Scully, Jessica Stockholder, Anne Truitt, Andy Warhol, and others.

I love this painting! so much symbolism. A great painter Van Gogh was, his mental state was the greater question. The painter, covers the same ear that Van Gogh cut off, as his portrait looms at the crest of the wheat field. It is one of the first paintings viewed in the   Modern and Contemporary Art Since 1945. Part of the permanent collection.

RICK WALL, SAFE HOUSE #3 (ASYLUM), 2006, COPPER OVER WOOD, STEEL, AND LEAD 24 X 24 X 5 INCHES

“The artifacts are grounded in utility and have a functional honesty that gives them considerable aesthetic heft.” -Rick Wall

Rick Wall, who has been producing sculpture and furniture for over 40 years, has been teaching at the Corcoran since 1981. As he plans his retirement, this exhibition presents a selection of his sculpture and furniture, which often includes found objects, such as well-used machine parts.

Don't remember having a class with Rick, some classes were hard to get into, and I believe his was one. If he taught metal sculpture, had him in foundations sculpture, but then again, "it was long ago and oh so far away..."lol  His work is really interesting, it's sad to see him go.

Making my way to the school, I noticed it's changed, a lot.  I made my way to where White walls gallery is/was. It used to be a long hallway ending with the photo lab.  Its not quite like that anymore, and white walls is really just that now.  Everything changes with each new generation that comes along, but it's always interesting to see what's now vs what was then. The selling point for us was White Walls Gallery, and the Hemicycle Thesis Exhibit.  Now, they have a separate gallery for thesis exhibits. 

Walking down the hallway it all came back to me. I was a single parent and worked hard to have the opportunity to fly on a wing and a prayer, starve, & struggle for the sake of my art, mostly to have as close to a real college experience as possible was the ultimate high for me then. Thought I could conquer the world! hehehe, "what a fool believes he sees, the wise man has the power, to reason away."-Michael McDonald. Bumped into a few instructors that I had the wonderful experience of studying under.  Bob Devers, is one that comes to mind. His passion for ceramics is inspiring and makes me want to run to the nearest clay studio and play with glazes. Also, chatted with long time security guard Quashie and my good friend and former boss John Dickson who is now the Dean of Student Affairs. Upon entering his office, all his coffee pots of all kinds glint from the shelves on his wall. They were phenomenal to look at in such a small office.  But they reflect and give the office a larger look when the illusion is at play. His office is where part of the photo lab used to be, and a teachers room. (Sorry, no pictures, too dark).

It was nice to go back and see the new and enthusiastic art students in the hallways. They smile and say hi, everyone somewhat like family in the small school environment.  But I'm no longer a student, would prefer to be on the instructor end, more like a parent in the family to guide and share my experiences in the art world. Any takers?

TOUCHSTONE GALLERY OPENING

Leslie Nolan

Another great opening at the Touchstone Gallery.  The work was fresh and vibrant, picking up the fall coolness in the air with the use of color. The pieces are energetic much like its creators and there is always a new artist that I haven't met. My best friends (the bartenders!) Nicole and a new guy were there for good conversation. Want to be in the know, talk to the event staff. Then make your way to the artists. Opening night is always a bit chaotic for the artists, so its hard to get a decent interview, but I did get there a little early and got some good pictures.  The people are always interesting to observe, some to talk to, others to walk away from.  

Some familiar faces like David Alfuth came through,and Susan Feller to name a few. I met Rosemary Luckett, who works with wood, and Charlie Dale whose work Color Grids resemble the abstract quality of Rothko and Diebenkorn, it was great to talk to them both. While waiting for my good buddy Leslie (I've got to have her painting in my house!), I met artist/educator Janathel Shaw who had two of her pieces in the show. They are actually behind Nicole in the photo.We had a great conversation, talking about education and art.

There was a great guitar player who played wonderfully. Never got his name, but he was fun to talk to. Eventually, Leslie shows up and the evening is complete.  We chat for a few moments, promising to get together for margaritas and art talk. Can't wait.

The show was a great way to top off a Friday night. The turn out was a little light, left more wine  for me to drink.lol

Sandy Spring De-Installation

Recently, I was in a show at the Sandy Spring Museum in Olney Maryland. As part of the WCA-DC, we exhibit as a group in the metropolitan area. I hung the show back in June and now I'm taking it down. Sandy Spring Museum was a nice venue and overall the show went great. What impressed me the most was the outside where the walkway and entrance had a gazebo type look with vines and foliage growing on some of the beams. I just thought it was cool to see. If you get out this way, check the museum out, the grounds are beautiful.

Artist's Corner-Finding your Muse

Lately, it's been difficult trying to balance all that I do.  One of the things that I have not done, is give into my muse.  I have new stone, new tools and new ideas, but yet nothing is being done.  After several conversations with a few of my artist friends, it the consensus that we all need to give in and let the muse take over.  Stop putting everything else in your life first.  Of course, there are some thing more important that must take precedence, but some things can be put aside for a few hours. We all know, that when artist are productive, we are nicer people. We must remember to socialize, and talk about our work to each other.  Isolation comes in when we don't have that outlet and we don't leave our studios to interact with others.

Often, we complain about much more than our art. The trick is to get it off your chest and let it go. This isn't free therapy.com! Part of being inspired is to know there is hope in an idea or a suggestion, not wallow in the depths of woe is me! I can do that at home by myself, don't need company for my misery.  Motivation to produce work helps keep things positive.

So stay tuned, there are more pieces coming from StoneWomynArt....now I have to dust, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, walk back and forth, and scream bloody murder! all before I can sit down and do my work. Guess whats not being done, the muse is calling.lol  

Get out there and explore your world! The internet will be here tomorrow! Thank you for reading my blog, and until next time, I will see you.....

Same blog time, same blog channel!