Little People Can Do It Too.

Scale is an important thing in art- Jasper Johns' flags would be an entirely different thing if they weren't so big. He created this mixed media on a large scale, and the size is really important to it; by engulfing your field of vision, the art work absorbs you while you look at it.

On the other hand, tiny things are easy to miss, especially when they are in unexpected places. But these little people are gems! My favorite is "NO" for the entry February 14th. The scale makes it incredibly poignant. And then it draws you in to some kind of narrative.

All of the works by slinkachu are incredibly interesting, and their size makes them much more interesting. These wouldn't be so interesting if they were large; I think that would be alienating for the viewer.

The role that size plays in artwork is important to thing about, especially because many painters create small studies as 'practice' for larger works. Something that might be a brilliant piece of work on a 4x6 photograph could be as exciting as waiting for your bus on a large scale. And think of people- big people are perceived as more intimidating than small ones; which is why bouncers are usually not short young boys.

Random Links

So I've been using Stumble Upon, that link generator that will supposedly give random links that you will like.

It's true! I love it.

So, some of the things I've stumbled upon.

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To continue the previous thought process of great minds thinking alike, where I was comparing artists and criminals, we now have a well executed site comparing computer programmers and murderers.

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And the Met Museum's Timeline of Art History which is great if you're looking for specific information, or an art history student, but not so good if you're just looking for some random art-related reading.

To find beautiful....

One of the things i love about being an artist is the way I see things. This is especially apparent shortly after a good solid painting session, or a gallery visit, or a good conversation about such things. I am not an observant person; I always wonder how missing persons ads are able to state : "Last Seen Wearing a Red Sweater, blue jeans, and a backpack." You remember that? I certainly don't.

But I notice these things and I find them beautiful.

the spiderweb I observe every time I walk past it (about sixteen times a week) and the way that it changes.

the way that the horizontal shirt-stripes fold around the body of the tall narrow man.

the smoke from the abandoned cigarette wasting away in the wet grass scudding across the blades and contrasting with the dark line of evergreens at the other end of the soccer field.

the drippings of acrylic paint and water when laying down paint that will cover it up.

when you lay down on on the grassy roof over the tunnel of the road, leaning your neck out over the edge, and feel the rush of air in your face created by semi-trucks in the middle of the night.

the unfinished edges of green silky moss on skinny fir trees.

a black squirrel on the patio, poking through the wet rotting leaves.

the dark imprints, dirty silhouettes, left by those rotted leaves on the sidewalk when they're washed away.

the way that my glasses make city lights twinkle

the way that the red lights up the underbelly of the bridge and the difference between that glow and the vibrant blue in the sky.

Art Generators

Jackson Polluck scribble generator. You can just move your mouse around and create a mess.



The Scribbler is a fun game- you put in a simple line drawing and it makes it awesome. These two drawings are from the Scribbler.

How about this? Ultimate Flash Face. Like a composite drawing......

Is there any value to these beyond amusement? probably not....

Creativity Links

Links that will encourage you to be creative, whatever that entails:

A Dress A Day. Erin advocates wearing what makes you happy and is appropriate. For her, this is a dress in interesting prints.

Money and Music through Blogging Away Debt. Tricia contemplates dreams and paychecks.

Neither of these are related to "art" exactly- but individuality, financial concerns, and dreams are oh SO applicable to me, as an artist. And as a lady who wore a skirt she made herself to the opera.

And this one? Well, I don't love cooking, but this is some beautiful inspiration.
101 Cookbooks Recipe journal. I probably won't make anything off of it myself; I eat things with no prep time.

The Intuition of Making

This red and black duo, dressed in red and blue, practically, makes these billowing garments:

and they give the way of thinking that produces such frivolous unsculptured garments at
Julien and Sophie's School of pattern cutting, password, Bananamilkshake. Fashion Incubator gives a place to start to investigate this diaphanous way of making clothing.

what I love most about this way of making clothing is that it isn't a pattern, it isn't a set of rules that you must follow one two three like a paint-by-number, in order to have excellent results.

I feel that art should be a series of questions asked about the creation process, not a series of steps. While following step by step instructions to sew, or to paint, can be instrumental in the learning process, the true joy can be found in this more intuitive method. You know how and why it works, which you can then apply to your practice without consulting some third party.

Questions I ask myself when drawing or painting:
Is the composition balanced?
Is it visually interesting, making my eye travel throughout the whole work?
Is there a whitest white and a blackest black- a complete range of values, tones, and shades?
Am I telling a story? What's happening.
How does this feel to me?
Am I using variety?
How do the colours interact with each other?

Questions that Julien and Sophie might be asking:
Do you have enough fabric to fit around the model?
Is the fabric interesting?
Should there be a skirt waistband or a top piece included?
How are we going to twist and fold the fabric?
Do you have some visually interesting draping happening?
What side would look best as the front? the back?

What questions do you ask yourself, say, about writing? about making a business plan? about calling in sick to work:

Does this excuse sound plausible?
Will they believe I'm sick?
Will the sound of the sewing machine make my headache worse?
Can I afford to miss a day?
Can I still paint or sew while I'm hacking up phlegm?

Artists and Criminals: Great Minds Think Alike

To be interesting, sometimes the artist is the bad guy....
Do you think that something is permissible simply because it makes an artistic statement?
Do you think that crime is always wrong?
Do you think there are gray areas? Perhaps located in an unused section of a Rhode Island shopping Mall?

Is it only wrong if you do it, but if you plan it out and don't execute it, then it's okay? Like Janice Kerbel's Bank Job?
What if it's on public property?

This kind of art will make you think. It's uncomfortable, maybe, and antisocial, but it does play its own role in society, I think. So does Bob Kerr.