Monday, December 21, 2009
triple canopy
triple canopy is a cool thing. in their words:
"Triple Canopy works collectively with writers, artists, researchers and other collaborators on projects that deal critically with culture and politics, and the ways people engage them, both online and in the world at large. These investigations are realized in an online magazine as well as in public programs and print publications encompassing various fields and locales. We aim to present work and advance ideas informed by a multitude of disciplines and perspectives, and to disseminate them among a broad and diverse audience. Triple Canopy, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, was founded in late 2007; our first issue was published on March 17, 2008."
they are taking proposals for their next issue. get more info here
Friday, December 18, 2009
!nd!v!duals
ok these guys totally rock.
I love the roughness of the close-up pieces.
they have a show up at Coleman Burke Gallery in nyc until January 9th.
these creatures must rock in person.
Monday, December 7, 2009
15 Questions about Art :: Lisa Solomon
Lisa Solomon is an artist and educator best known for her body of work which questions and deconstructs the meaning of identity through the exploration of mediums traditionally associated with domestic crafts.
Born in Tuscon, AZ to a Japanese mother and a Caucasian father, she now lives and works in Northern California with her husband, daughter, 2 dogs, 2 cats and many, many spools of thread.
What is your earliest art-related memory?
I was 2, in Japan with my mother for her mother’s funeral. We sat around the edges of a room while a Buddhist monk chanted in the middle. My mom wore a black kimono with her family crest on the lapel.
It wasn't so much art related as it was my first really strong "seared into my brain" visual. That black fabric with the white crest and the whole experience is something that in some ways I think informs what I look at and how I look at things today.
Who has had the greatest influence on your work?
It’s impossible to name one person.
What are the main tools of your craft?
Research, thread, needles, colored pencils, acrylic, ink, small brushes [very very small], felt, pins, crochet hooks, wood, found paper, duralar, fabric, embroidery hoops.
Is a formal education important?
Only if it helps you.
What is the biggest misconception about art?
That it’s all easy and fun. I always get irked when I hear people say “Oh you get to PLAY all day in the studio. Isn’t that fun?”
As much as I love being in the studio, it isn’t always fun. Some days it’s hard and some days it's uncontrollably heart wrenching. What art-making IS is rewarding and something that I feel like I “need” to do - not just a “hobby” or something I do in my spare time.
Which is more important in art - concept or execution?
Both, equally.
What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?
I like so many things for so many reasons: Minimalism, pop art, dada, graffiti. I tend to like things with impeccable use of negative space, or interesting use of materials. I’m into hybridization.
It’s just got to hit you in the gut, or heart, or mind.... Then it’s working.
What is your favorite piece of art in your home?
Changes daily. I love my katherine sherwoods, my aurora robsons, my kimberly austins, my amy karol, alyson fox, jay kelly, lynn beldner, jason escabedos, grace munakata, richard shaw, ron nagle, lisa congdon, gracia habby/louise jensen, camilla engman, wendy crabb, alison garnett, elizabeth soule, miya ando stanoff, aida gamez, jennifer garrido, mati mcdonough, heather smith jones, andy phares,... and I feel like I’m leaving someone out...
I’m fortunate to have lots of cool art in my house [mostly traded or gifted].
If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Eve Hesse or Ruth Asawa
Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?
Too many to list. See above for starters!
What has been your greatest achievement to date?
That I’m still making art. And that I had a baby.
But you are probably wondering about art achievement and I don't feel like it's up to me to discern that. I feel like someone else can decide.
What has been your biggest roadblock?
Balance. Trying to balance everything. Family, art, day job....
How do you define success?
Being able to do what you love, and sometimes loving what you do.
What will be the name of your autobiography?
I could never write one - I think people would think my life is boring.
Ok, that would be it: My Boring Life.
What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?
If you are going to make a mistake, make a BIG one.
15 Questions about Art is an ongoing series in which we ask our collective favorite artists, writers, musicians, sleepy dreamers and object makers from across the creative spectrum to give us a glimpse into how they perceive art through a standard set of questions.
Please click here for the archives and check back next week for a fresh perspective.
Friday, December 4, 2009
You Are What You Eat, A Diary
Schlue's
Holy Crap Crepes
with KGB Mushroom Sauce
This recipe is an attempt to emulate the Crepes you find at the Silver Lake Farmer's Market on Saturdays. I affectionately refer to the Mushroom Sauce as KGB sauce in regard to the gentleman that runs the crepe stand. He is without doubt the toughest/coolest looking Master Crepe Chef on the planet. His crepes are simply amazing!
*Measurements are sometimes approximated, please use your best judgement.
Crepe Batter
(taken from the Betty Crocker cookbook)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 Tbs butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
Butter, margarine or shortening
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat with hand beater until smooth.
Crepe Filling
Veggies of your choice ( I prefer the following)
Zucchini, sliced or chopped fairly small
Onions (white, yellow or vidallia) chopped
tomato, de-seeded and chopped
avocado, sliced
mozzarella cheese, shredded
Eggs, 1 for each crepe
*Before adding veggies (minus the tomatoes) as filling, you will want to give them a quick toss in a saute pan with a little cooking spray.
KGB Mushroom Sauce
1 or 2 shallots, chopped finely
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of chopped mushrooms, whatever variety you prefer (and by all means up the measurement)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
---------------------------------------------
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs butter
1 or 2 cups 1%(or higher) milk
1 or 2 cups broth (either veggie or beef)
1/4 cup red wine
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Part 1
Over light to medium heat saute shallots and garlic with butter and olive oil (be mindful of your heat, you don't want to burn the garlic). Once shallots have started to become slightly translucent add mushrooms. Add a dash of salt. Continue cooking until mushrooms are cooked and looking good.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Part 2
In same pan over low heat melt 2 Tbs butter. Gradually add flour, garlic powder (a little goes a long way), salt, and pepper. Whisk to create a roux, adding more flour as needed to create semi-dry paste substance. Slightly brown roux. While whisking vigorously start to add milk. Continue adding milk slowly, by adding it slow you keep the thickening process going. Once you've added about 1-1 1/2 cups milk switch to adding the broth, following the same method, adding gradually.
Once you've created an amount you feel good about add the shallots and mushrooms from earlier.
Add approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine and mix in.
Taste--- this is where you can start to tweak the flavors as you please (more salt, pepper, garlic powder etc......)
Be sure that your sauce is loose enough, it should still pour easily from a spoon.
Turn Heat Off and cover with lid.
Cooking the Crepes
*for each crepe you will be adding an additional egg. You will also want to have a small pan on a medium low heat where you can flash saute your veggies (minus tomatoes and avocado).
In large flat pan, preferably a crepe pan if you own one, heat approx. 1 Tbs butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted ladle in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, be careful as to not add too much, crepes are supposed to be thin. Once you have ladled in your batter and given a good twirl around the pan, crack and add one egg. With your spatula begin to break-up egg and move it around, trying to spread/mix it evenly on the batter surface. Add a good amount of mozzarella,salt, and pepper--work the cheese into the eggs.
Once the underside of the crepe has good color and looks cooked flip crepe over. It may take a couple tries to get the mother of all flips right----
Add your veggies, cheese, and a little sauce. Let crepe cook for a little bit and then fold over in half. Flip from one side to the other a few times, until you feel the cheese inside has started to melt and it looks as you want it.
Remove crepe from pan and slide onto plate. Add a healthy portion of KGB sauce and a few wedges of avocado---perhaps some Sriracha for some zing!
Eat that S.O.B.!!
Hopefully you will say "Holy Crap".
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
15 Questions about Art :: Pi Ware
As a non-fiction filmmaker, Pi has created over 20 documentary films for such clients as Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., the Independent Film Channel, USA, and Disney/ABC and has been twice-nominated for an Emmy award for his lead editing position on the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award shows.
He currently resides in Hollywood, CA in a house that originally belonged to Orson Wells.
My earliest memory is a dream I had when I was 2. Grimace, the purple, bell-shaped walking tastebud from McDonald's, carries me through a neighbor's kitchen, slowly kidnapping me. I see myself in a mirror in Grimace's arms and feel peace mixed with equal parts dull fear. I awaken.
Who has had the greatest influence on your work?
The Coen Brothers.
What are the main tools of your craft?
Image, sound, music mixed together as a poet mixes imagination and language.
Is a formal education important?
No. But a critical and supportive community is.
What is the biggest misconception about art?
It lacks tedium.
Which is more important in art - concept or execution?
Execution. That's why the porn rip-off is never as good as the Hollywood film.
What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?
Love despite brutality.
What is your favorite piece of art in your home?
This lamp.
If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Paddy Chayefsky
Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?
The whole of Downtown Los Angeles
What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Creating a feature film that became unforgettable in the minds and lives of many people.
What has been your biggest roadblock?
How do you define success?
The ability to enjoy life while leaving the world better than when you found it.
What will be the name of your autobiography?
Too presumptuous a question to even consider answering...
What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill
Also: "Keep your overall tone consistent throughout the piece."
Please check back next week for a fresh perspective.
all sorts of holiday cheer
unique LA
arts and crafts
this weekend dec 5 & 6
12 days of christmas at ghettogloss
art and performance
Echo Park Shop Hop
holiday parade and shopping
dec 12
and just for fun, this thursday is bike night at the holiday light festival in griffith park. bundle up and ride your bike under the lights.
Monday, November 23, 2009
15 Questions about Art :: Sophia Allison
Currently, Sophia has a solo exhibition titled Home Home, Sweet Again at Underground Gallery through December 12. She lives and works in Los Angeles but still calls western North Carolina home.
***
What is your earliest art-related memory?
Around age 4, trying to sell my scribble drawings to retirees staying in summer cottages my family was renting. I think I made 15 cents!Who has had the greatest influence on your work?
Too many folks to name but mostly my Dad when he told me to just do something I love.
What are the main tools of your craft?
My hands and brain; my sewing machine and scissors.
Is a formal education important?
Depends on what the person needs to grow as an artist. My grad school experience turned me inside out; I hated it and loved it, sometimes separately, sometimes simultaneously. Ultimately it was good for me, but a formal education is not for everyone.
What is the biggest misconception about art?
That in order to make art, a person has to have natural born talent; that artists don't have to work at it; that utilizing intelligence and constant decision-making don't factor into it.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
Which is more important in art - concept or execution?
There's always a bit of both that factor into art. One doesn't necessarily outweigh the other.
What theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?
The handmade, the folky, the funky and the OCD-inspired with a twist of elegance.
What is your favorite piece of art in your home?
A Sarajo Frieden piece - it has great embroidery in it.
If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Tim Hawkinson, Andy Kaufman or Mick Foley
Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?
Meeson Pae Yang. Her systems-inspired installations and sculptures are beautiful.What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Finding a wonderful studio space in L.A.
What has been your biggest roadblock?Psyching myself out of things I haven't even tried yet. Dealing with my fear of talking to people about my work.
How do you define success?
When I leave the studio feeling that something was actually accomplished after a long work session.
What will be the name of your autobiography?
Boo
What is the best piece of (art-related) advice you’ve ever been given?
A painting professor once told me to get to that particular place in the creation of a work where I could enjoy what I was making, while I was making it.
And "Keep working" is another good piece of advice I've received over the years.
15 Questions about Art is an ongoing series in which we ask our collective favorite artists, writers, musicians, sleepy dreamers and object makers from across the creative spectrum to give us a glimpse into how they perceive art through a standard set of questions.
Please check back next week for a fresh perspective.
(All images property of Sophia Allison)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saul Bass, May The Force Be With You
Maybe you've seen this one a million times, but (for me at least) it never gets old. Someone in our galaxy with excellent taste decided to reinterpret the opening title sequence from Star Wars in the style of the late, great Saul Bass (with a Buddy Rich soundrack as an added bonus).
Not familiar with Saul Bass? Check out a great round-up of some of his better known animations here.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
what i am in love with right now
Monday, November 16, 2009
lost & found
One of my favorite children's books - Lost and Found - was made into a short film by StudioAKA.
It looks soo amazing. I love how they stayed true to the original illustrations by Oliver Jeffers. I wish I could make it to this screening tomorrow the 19th at the American Cinematheque.
I also wish I had a pal dvd player, so I could just buy it.
15 Questions about Art :: Sean U'Ren
Sean U'Ren grew up in the town of Mineral Point, Wisconsin and has been variously employed by Pizza Hut, Hardees, a few coffeeshops, a watch sales company, a telemarketing company, a Mexican restaurant, a slew of post production houses and a large agricultural company that sends kids out into the cornfields for hours of torturous labor.
He likes writing, reading, making and eating pizza, walking around on cold floors in bare feet, drinking coffee, traveling and all the usual crap. He has some survival skills but whomever heads toward him in a time of emergency expecting to buddy up should probably think twice. Don't try and stop him when he climbs trees, just let him go to it - he'll eventually fall and then that will be that.
***
What is your earliest art-related memory?
Listening to De Doo Da Da with a babysitter. I may have been about
Who has had the greatest influence on your work?
Whoever invented trees and sunlight.
What are the main tools of your craft?
The words I have collected right up til this point in my life. Pictures that inspire me. Music that inspires me.
Walking around is a
Is a formal education important?
Yes, absolutely. Later, though, you'll probably set it all on fire,
What is the biggest misconception about art?
That anything less than something that grabs you by the throat and
Which is more important in art - concept or execution?
All art is execution. But concept makes for more interesting dinner
What is the overall theme or aesthetic are you most drawn too?
In writing: Curiosity. A hero's quest for their parent's origins.
What is your favorite piece of art in your home?
A pen and ink drawing of Sam Winchester from Supernatural with a
If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Bruno Shulz or Arvo Part.
Which emerging artist do you think more people should know about?
What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Making a short film my father and mother really enjoyed.
What has been your biggest roadblock?
A need for acceptance and validation.
How do you define success?
Feeling happy at the end of the working day and having an ice cold
What will be the name of your autobiography?
So Good
What is the best piece of art advice you’ve ever been given?
It doesn't matter how many steps it takes to finish what you've
***
15 Questions about Art is an ongoing series in which we ask our collective favorite artists, writers, musicians, sleepy dreamers and object makers from across the creative spectrum to give us a glimpse into how they perceive art through a standard set of questions.
Please check back next week for a fresh perspective.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Balcony Project
Yesterday’s post about DIY art book publishing reminded me of a project by artist and graphic designer Mari Sheibley.
In November of 2008, Sheibley self-published a series of portraits taken of the visitors who shared conversations on her New York balcony over a 5 month period.
See selected images from the series here.
Additional images and the option to buy it here.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
So you wanna make art books?
Monday, November 2, 2009
Online Dives
An Interview with Dan Monick
Dan Monick's capacity for love is immense.
He loves his relationships - the good times and the trying ones, too. He loves inspiration, be it accidental or accidentally on purpose.
He loves old signage, ominous skies and foreign advertisements stapled in a noisy jumble of symbol and language to telephone poles. He loves objects so far removed from context that the meaning becomes lost in translation and the viewer is left with more questions with answers. He loves spinning a good story and using a photograph to tell it even more.
But looking at his most recent collection of work, it seems as if Dan Monick loves the quiet moments most of all - the ones that when strung together create the entire landscape of a life, but by themselves are fragile and fleeting. And all too often overlooked by the rest of us.
Dan Monick sits down with LittleBird Gallery to talk about all these observations and how they came together to create the narrative for his upcoming show.
***
LittleBird Gallery: Can you tell us about how the title for the show came about?
Dan Monick: My girlfriend [Catlin] and I were driving along and this Rod Stewart song came on - and funny enough, that’s where the title came from. But it seemed to have to do with everything going on… and then later when we were putting the images into sort of individual “chapters”, the theme pretty much showed up.
The last show [with Little Bird Gallery] was called “You Know Only You Can Break Your Heart” and this was sort of the next logical step.
LittleBird Gallery: When you are talk about chapters, do you see the exhibit as a whole telling a specific story?
Dan Monick: There’s no question I’m trying to tell a story - both through this and “Only You Can Break Your Own Heart” and to tell you the honest truth, they’re both about my girlfriend and our relationship. The previous show was the narrative about this two year period where we had broken up and the journey I went through in the time.
LittleBird Gallery: So this show is a continuation of that narrative?
Dan Monick: Kind of. It’s about what came out of that period; what I’ve learned since. Most of the images were actually taken with her nearby so, yeah; our relationship is really present through out.
Another part is that it’s a heavy nod to all the people in my life I have been influenced by. While I think everything is still shot very unconsciously, the trails and tribulations of the past few years put my brain into a spot where for the first time I could sort of consciously edit as I was going along.
For instance, this piece [an image of a table top at the end of a meal] was inspired by Steven Shore. I’d didn’t set it up on purpose but we were sitting there and I looked down and I was reminded instantly of this image [from the cover of one of his books] and so this was my little nod to him.
LittleBird Gallery: Commercially, you are known for your portrait work and yet the subject matter in this exhibit focuses on images of everyday objects - often in a state of disorder or decay, and almost always out of context.
Dan Monick: The funny thing about portraits - because I have done portrait shows as well - is that people either identify with the images in a really hardcore way or not at all. So I very intentionally stayed away from portraits in this collection.
But I’ve always shot stuff like this - little narrative stories. When I’d started out I didn’t know much about Robert Frank who I later came to find out was known for this style that I’d [unknowingly] heavily borrowed from. And it was kind of weird that I’d always shot this way and really wild to find out that these guys were drawn to photographing the corer of the room too.
As I did learn about guys, like [William] Eggleston and Steven Shore, I didn’t want to shoot like them so much as I saw they had these amazing characters and I wanted to live in there lives. So it wasn’t so much about documenting my life as it was about creating a fantasy world that I wanted to live in.
LittleBird Gallery: One of my favorite images of the show is the man in the ticket booth. It seems to comprise elements of all of the themes you have running through the exhibit.
Dan Monick: That was taken at the Minnesota State Fair… well, I wont ruin it by telling you the back-story, but there is this image that I love and when I saw this moment, I knew I could recreate it.
So, it’s kind of like doing a cover song, you know? I have thought about this image through out my life and when I looked through the viewfinder and snapped the shot… Well, it’s not a copy - it’s not perfect - but you still get that feeling. It works.
LittleBird Gallery: You leave a lot up to the viewer in your images - and I almost don’t want to hear the stories behind them in order to have my own experience.
Dan Monick: Good! Along time ago I remember people would tell me that as an artist you have to do this and this and this in your work for the viewer to get it and my response was “fuck that”. That makes no sense to me.
It’s funny because I’ve always got a camera in my hands and the idea with a camera is to capture the moment where something happens. But if it makes more sense to me to show the moments around the action because then your letting the viewer sort of fill in the blanks with their own story.
And I think that’s kind of nice.
***
“Dan Monick: My Love For You Is Immense” opens Saturday, November 7th from 7:00 to 10:00pm at Grain : 3135 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 in back studio and continues until November 20 by appointment only.
Interview by Bri Ana Drennon
Photo credits: All images by Dan Monick.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
sweet love
I know M already talked about Jeff Lemire on her blog - but I think he needs to be mentioned again. If you aren't reading Sweet Tooth go out and get the first two issues. {Issue #3 comes out next week on the 4th.} While you are at the comic store get Essex County. You will not be sorry. He's a little bit of magic.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Krank Press at Theodore Payne
You can pick up some awesome treats like her produce calendar:
or her odd birds prints:
if you can't make the sale you can always get her wares on etsy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
This Thursday... Barn Salon #2
This Thursday in Silverlake, Barn Salon is hosting their second event. The upcoming installment promises an evening of short films curated by Cole Akers, plentiful amounts of beer and better people watching than a Wes Anderson Fan Club meeting.
This coming Thursday, October 15th at 7:30pm
The Barn
748 Maltman Ave
LA, CA 90026
Monday, October 12, 2009
event today - Sejima@UCLA
image via http://www.bustler.net/