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Friday, December 31st
Visions of Sugar Plums Dancing in Their Heads for Art's Sake
I once did preliminary study of comparing art preferences of individuals while conscious or in the hypnotic trance. Although inconclusive, there seems to be the possibility that the art style we prefer in the conscious state may differ from what we prefer in a less self awareness state, such as the hypnotic trance. Strange? What's going on here? Do we deceive ourselves when we buy art that we "like" for our homes or select unaware that our choices are conditioned by social and cultural guidelines? For example, even if one covertly lusts for a pornographic work of art, would it be bought and hung in a Christian home where Bible study meetings are held? Is it not more socially acceptable to buy a generic landscape that simply mirrors the local region? The strongest local art market is for landscapes of palm trees and beaches in Hawaii, golden yellow and red trees of autumn in Oregon, desert cactus and Spanish stucco dwellings in New Mexico, and Cape Cod cottage waterfronts in New England.
Pygoya on 12.31.04 @ 09:12 AM EST [more..]
Wednesday, December 29th
Art for the Artist's sake - not the Galleries
 The Home/ Studio Show - Sunday the 12th of December - We opened the doors at 10.00am ( first callers arrived at 10.12am ) and closed the doors at 4.00pm ( last callers departed at 6.45pm ) We spent three weeks organising everything. Publicity, taking down interior doors etc, to facilitate a freeflow experience, and last but not least hanging the paintings. We eventually achieved the right combination after a week of trial and error. I say " we " but I actually stayed away from the hanging - I'm only the artist ! I prefer to leave that job to my wife Miriam and other volunteers, as the artist is too close to the work and looks at it with a different eye.
Michael my brother was in charge of accounts. Miriam , my wife , and Johanna, a good friend, were in charge of sales and greeting the clients. Richard, a good friend and who is my framer was doorman and was also put in charge of bubble wrapping. Cian my son, was the official photographer, Eoin my younger son, served wine and nibbles. I was delegated the most demanding job of all - drinking as much wine as possible ! I mingled and answered questions and tried to look relaxed, an extremely difficult task for the artist, after the months of being hermetically sealed inside one's studio ! We artists are so isolated in the studio that it is an ordeal when we come face to face with our buyers, but necessary if we want to contact the buying public. In fact one must be prepared to consider the studio as a gallery, a place to welcome on a daily basis our prospective clients . In my situation the studio is adjacent to the family home , therefore we use both the home and studio as galleries to display my work. In addition, my address is very accessible and quite close to the city centre.
John Nolan on 12.29.04 @ 11:40 AM EST [more..]
Monday, December 20th
Its been a whirl wind time....
Coming back from my trip out West where I was the JUDGE for the Scottsdale International Film Festival was truly invigorating. Great to see what others are doing in new media. From there I gave a lecture at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). Presented my latest DVD on wide screen. A trip to Tucson and then over to Los Angeles where I created a one hour multimedia event for Florida's Governor's Office of Film and Entertainment at Universal Studios. Taking in a side trip to the Getty Museum and a walking photo tour of Melrose Avenue. Nothing would be complete without breakfast at MEL's Diner on Sunset Blvd. (my favorite).
Laurence Gartel on 12.20.04 @ 12:00 PM EST [more..]
Friday, December 17th
Sheepish Behaviour
 My first experience of photographing sheep although interesting was not my most fruitful. I had chosen a rather neurotic bunch who were very easily spooked and always on the move. At one point, they halted for a moment, posing thoughtfully ...(I think), and stared at me with great suspicion; a perfect animal shot! However, not being quite satisfied with the camera angle , I made a terrible mistake , yes I bent my knees... Whoosh! Off they shot! One took off and they all followed “Baaa, look out girls! Scary knee bending at three o clock!”
Jessica Dunn on 12.17.04 @ 09:01 AM EST [more..]
Tuesday, December 14th
The Ghost of Artistic Christmas Past
 C.F. Payne shares an office with me here at the art college. Chris has been doing the back of Reader's Digest now for about a year and a half. And I've
been his model for Santa two years in a row. He says that it isn't because I'm fat or jolly ( actually my students think I'm a bit of a curmudgeon) but because I come cheap and when I crinkle my eyes and smile, my cheeks become little round dumplings just above my beard. I don't know if I should be flattered or bill him for my time. Ah well, I guess I should just give in to the image of being a jolly old grandfather type. 'Cha Cha' is what my grandkids call me. Cha Cha is Croatian for 'grampa' -- or so my wife tells me. She's half-Croatian and that's what they called her grandfather. He had a remarkably large bulbous nose and I suspect that Cha Cha really means something like 'hey old man there's a potato hanging on your face!' I wouldn't put it past her. My wife is an incurable practical joker. So there it is. Now I'm Cha Cha Santa... ho ho ho!
Walter King on 12.14.04 @ 07:59 PM EST [more..]
Sunday, December 12th
Labelling of Art
The art of creating, appreciating and living art does not know cultural, geographical or ethnical borders. Artists come from all walks of life with their unique individual interpretation of the surrounding world, emotions and cultural traditions. It is a very subjective and once only experience. Surely, in a case of every single artist it takes a different form of expressions, it uses different symbolic systems and touches different subject matter. The final appearance does have a lot to do with the artist’s life, his or hers experiences, surroundings and background. We are what we are and we express ourselves in a language we know and are comfortable with. The viewer is able to find what is special and appealing to him or her, not always being aware of encoded symbols or the circumstance of the work. And that’s when work of art crosses the boundaries known – history, cultures, nationalities and social systems.
Ausra Larbey on 12.12.04 @ 10:12 PM EST [more..]
Friday, December 10th
Off With their Heads
 Founder's response to "Crisis in Webism" - By Pygoya, so-called founder of "Webism" During recent months the harmonious online art group that call themselves "The Webists" has splintered into those who accepted the original manifesto and founders' guided leadership and those who clamor for democracy with all its forums, opposing parties, voting process, platform for dissent, jury for proposed events, need for funding, i.e., formal complex organization. At the height of bulk email communication professing a "crisis in Webism," it would have been insightful to organize a Web show entitled "Off With Their Heads!" (Ingrid Kamerbeek's and mine!) 
the charged
Pygoya on 12.10.04 @ 08:20 AM EST [ more..]
Monday, December 6th
Christmas Mood
Last year I wrote two wishes on my wish list and sent it to Santa Claus, who in my tradition lives in
Nuuk in Greenland. You might know his huge red mailbox in Nuuk.
He wrote back to me: Ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho,ho.
My son lives in Nuuk close to Santa's workshop, he e-mailed to me in November 2004, that Santa was still laughing.
1st wish was to have more than 250,000 views on my web site on one single day.
2nd wish was to have more than 1,000,000 views on my web site in one single week.
On 1st December I got mail.
E-mail from my son in Nuuk. Santa had stopped laughing.
See why.
Asbjorn Lonvig on 12.06.04 @ 10:42 AM EST [more..]
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