Pre-apology
Please excuse the lack of posting over the next few days. My dad is in hospital with heart trouble and all I can think about is him. My dad is one of my biggest inspirations and I love him very much. I am sure he will be fine, he is fit and healthy and should come through with flying colors, but I admit to some trepidation still.
Small Nudes
I am working a lot in small scale at the moment and full color. the fun of working like this is I can explore poses and the different effects that colors and textures can create. I am very tonally orientated which makes working with color a rare delight and a fun form of expression. it’s a very unforgiving media which adds a level of complexity, especially as I am not working with a model.
Tags: Art, creating art, nudes, painting
Oh to be Nudist again..
I was watching Queer-eye earlier today, resting from an enormous and wonderful Thanksgiving. This episode was the one with the nudist. watching this episode really made me think about nudity which, lets face it, is never far from my mind.
They discussed the equality that nudists feel, that skin is the great equalizer, how it is about being comfortable in your skin and in your own body as well as with others.
Lately I have been happy to find myself gaining more comfort in my skin again. I used to be a bit of a nudist and there is a wonderful feeling of freedom in it. When inhibitions get in the way it can block many things, including, I believe, creative expression. I usually paint nude or just in my shirt so I have something to put my iPod in (no comments from the peanut gallery! 
).
I truly believe the body is a beautiful thing, It is mysterious, surprising, expressive and powerful. I really never grow tired of it.
Nudity Sells… and buys!
by Johnny Naked
“The Ever-Changing Naked Picture Project” — his title for the 30-some photographs generated so far, as people of all ages and sizes disrobe for his camera — began in January. The entire series went on display at Gallery 825 on Oct. 20 and will continue through Nov. 17.
The project is ongoing. Until a few days before the show’s closing, Naked will accept requests from anyone willing to become his next nude model in exchange for a copy of the previous photo. Most of the models have been artists, but there have also been some who signed up after seeing the project at the gallery or online.
ART – An art fee that’ll make you blush – Los Angeles Times – calendarlive.com:
There’s something about this concept that really speaks to me, it’s about accepting all people as beautiful and embracing the figure and ourselves. at least that is what I get from it, no doubt many others see renewal of life, a demystification of nude art, a chance to be a part of a work of art or maybe just a chance to be an exhibitionist and see a new side to yourself.
Whew! does it sound like I have been writing proposals and creating submissions? that and I am constantly looking at different angles in art, trying to see how different people might see the same concept. I personally like my works to have individual meanings and completely different meanings. if it means the same thing all the time then perhaps you aren’t touching your audience enough..
And yes, to answer your question, I probably would have participated in The Ever-Changing Naked Picture Project .
Tags: art show, art world, creating art, nudes
Phew! Goya Returns
Children with a Cart, by Goya
NEWARK, N.J. – FBI agents in New Jersey have recovered a 1778 painting by famed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya that was stolen as it was being taken to an exhibition earlier this month, the agency announced Monday.
FBI recovers stolen Goya painting – THE ARTS – MSNBC.com:
The stolen Goya has been returned. The media blitz is largely responsible for the return of this wonderful Painting with tips coming in all over. I was afraid that this theft would turn into another snafu like the Munch thefts.
Goya is one of my inspirations, he is responsible for the first full frontal nude, which created a big stir. His beautiful Paint strokes and use of light and shade fascinate me.
Discovery
Do you remember that I mentioned that I muffed a piece the other day? well, it goes to show that nothing is beyond redemption.. This composition came to me one night and I have been sitting on it and cooking it up. At first it represented my body issues and was a representation of body dysmorphic disorder. then I started working on it while I was starting to re-emerge from my cocoon. that is when it all went haywire. the Original concept wasn’t working but I wasn’t quite ready to embrace a new meaning. it became a big ol mess, just like me.
Then, last night I was taKing it down to move aside and forget about when it struck me. and I started working on it, working back into the image with pastels. Suddenly the whole work started to glow and change. Each line had a purpose and a meaning. I got into the zone and was pretty excited with the outcome. It became less about issues and more about rediscovering myself. The glowing lines represent the joy I feel about finally reintegrating all parts of myself. They are colorful, but strong all moving together to create a cohesive whole.
Tags: Art, creating art, impasto, Nude, painting
Checking out Nude Models
Scotland’s most famous nude model was the young Sir Sean Connery, who posed for students at Edinburgh College of Art. In April 2002, Glasgow City Council was ridiculed when it ordered a touring arts workshop to make sure its life models were fully clothed.The Royal Academy of Arts roadshow was allowed to use the models on every other workshop.The enhanced disclosure checks are usually required for teachers, doctors and other professionals working with children.
The Sunday Mail – NEWS – NO NUDES ARE BAD NUDES:
The Royal Academy of Arts is looking to make it’s life models undertake the same checks that professionals working with children need to take. I admit to some curiosity, in all of the life drawing situations I’ve been in the model has not talked to the group, just disrobed and posed. I assume that the check is to make sure that the models aren’t exhibitionists or something.. Maintaining objectivity is important which is why none of the models have chatted after taking off the robe.
I know quite a few people who may not have been able to maintain objectivity while drawing Sean Connery though.
Tags: art news, censorship, creating art, nudes
Apology
I realize my posting has dropped off a little lately. I have been spring cleaning and picking up different parts of my life, relaxing into myself again. I have articles piling up here and paintings I want to do, applications and everything. My blog is one of my most important marketing tools and I feel terrible that my posting has dropped off, but every so often we all need a break.
I worked on a painting the other day, an image that has been plaguing me, and it didn’t go well. unfortunately if the white pieces go wrong there is little that can be done. whenever a painting doesn’t go well, I tend to hide away until I can make it work, anything art related tends to bug me when a painting goes wrong. I need to put it aside and do something else, I work best with goals so I am going to work on that this week.
Body art
Well, something I have been waiting for for over 10 years has finally happened – I finally have some ink.
This was one of the most profound experiences of my life. it was almost 3 hours straight but during the whole process it was as if time just stopped. It was meditative and felt like a scouring of my soul. everything that has happened, all the self-doubt and fear is gone. It struck me that my belief in this thing is so strong that the symbol has become an object for change in me. The symbol isn’t what matters, it’s the belief that has the ability to change. For some it may be religion, for others it may be their family or a cause to fight for, all symbols of importance to that individual. The belief is the key, I am finally learning how important belief is and how powerful. This may seem a silly thing to believe in, but it isn’t any sillier than other objects of belief.
The fact that it is permanently engraved on my skin, to know that I suffered for it, is allowing me to take back my self, to own who I am. This is a symbol of strength, sensuality, confidence and power. It represents me, a me that I lost a long time ago. Now I am taking my self back- I finally feel like me again. Believing in this symbol is allowing me, ultimately, to believe in myself.
I was afraid I might lose this feeling, then I realized that the only way for me to lose it is to let myself lose it.
Critical Nudity
Their bodily proportions insured that their nakedness aroused little in the way of public indignation. They were about as sexy as the Macy’s balloons, and their seemingly inflated blandness lent them the cheerful and benign look one associates with upscale folk art. The sculptures were a shade less ingratiating, a shade more dangerous than one of Walt Disney’s creations, but in no way serious enough to call for critical scrutiny. Though transparently modern, Botero’s style is admired mainly by those outside the art world. Inside the art world, critic Rosalind Krauss spoke for many of us when she dismissed Botero as “pathetic.”
The Body in Pain:
This review of Botero’s latest show fascinates me because of the critical views. I frequently wonder if the goal ultimately, in art, is to gain approval from the art world at large, or the regular populace? can you have one without the other? and if we were to choose one, which should it be?
Approval from the art world opens doors to museum collections and critical acclaim. Approval from the Common Man ™ paves the way to sales and people’s hearts. One could argue that by capturing the attention of the populace you can gain critical recognition, but the argument could also be made that by playing to the crowd you are eliminating the chance to be critically acclaimed.
I think there is a strong philosophy that art must be complex, deep and obscure to be appreciated by critics and conversely that non-artophiles should have difficulty comprehending the enormity of works. Both are complete bosh in my most humble opinion. I think an artwork can have beauty, strength, complexity and depth and should be able to stand on each leg on it’s own, thus giving something to everyone. Art should be accessible for everyone, whether they hold a PHD in art appreciation or walked in off the street and have a velvet elvis on their wall. There should be something in it for everyone – even if it is just boobies
Nudes banished
The High Plains Arts Council board of directors, which oversees installation and maintenance of pieces in Benson Park Sculpture Garden, accepted “Triangle.”There were a few conditions for the move. “Triangle” will be viewable only from paths and walkways in the park. It cannot be seen from streets and a church surrounding the garden.
cbs4denver.com – Loveland Commission Votes To Move Nude Sculpture:
You may recall I covered the start of this story back in August. Well the decision has been made to relocate the sculpture to a less visible and presumably less offensive area. I don’t know what the council seeks to gain by relocating this work, all they are doing is drawing attention to the sculpture and to their prudishness.
Presumably, for this sculpture’s development as a public art piece, a proposal would have been sent to the arts council detailing the theme, construction and appearance. there would have been diagrams or photos or some representation along with strong description. A selection board would have acted together to approve the piece and its location. so what happened? they must have known the piece involved nudes. It is going to cost a lot to move it, on top of the price the council already paid for the sculpture and its original installation.
In the end, is it worth it? Is this piece offensive enough to warrant such extreme measures?
Tags: art news, censorship, nudes
Eros
Iris, by Rodin
Some exhibits are merely allusive to sex but others are highly explicit, possibly shocking some viewers. “Eros is not always sex, but it is in no way pornography,” comments curator Ulf Kuester. Organizers of the show, mounted at the Beyeler Foundation museum at suburban Riehen, say it is the first ever to present such a range of erotica.
On view are paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos, films and artistic installations, on loan from museums and private collections in the United States and Europe, as well as from Beyeler’s own stock of imagery.
EROS in Modern Art: Broad Swiss show focuses on sexuality in modern art – iht,europe,A&E Switzerland EROS in Switzerland – Europe – International Herald Tribune:
I would love to see this exhibition, Sexuality and sensuality explored by some of my favorite artists. The Posing of Iris is some of the bet I’ve seen, so dynamic and raw while still maintaining sensuality and Rodin’s masterful organic feel. No Doubt there will be a lot of people who object to this, but for now it’s wonderful to see how attitudes have shifted to allow a show like this to happen.
Tags: exhibition, inspiring, nudes, Rodin, Sexuality
I’m Nude in New York!
Well, my work is anyway. It’s a very naked depiction of myself, very raw. This is a small scale work I did in response to a show in New York requesting small pieces on paper. It is a self portrait based on an sketch I made during some pain soaked night. I don’t remember making the sketch but it appeared in my book and freaked me out so I decided to expand on it.
This isn’t pretty, it has several meanings, most of which should be pretty obvious. it’s the first self portrait I have done in years and isn’t representational so much as psychological. I did several small scale works for potential inclusion in the NY show but ended up choosing this one. I could have gone with something subtler but I thought, ‘hey, this is New York, It’s my first international show I am going to put in something raw and really personal and striking.’ This could be a good idea or a stupid idea but I would rather stand out with something like this than blend in with a safe nude.
Self Destruction
There are times, when everything is going particularly well, when I start in on a self-destructive bent. I’m not aware that I’m doing it, I just stop trying. Like my blog, everything was going so well that I started to lose interest in writing, result – loss of readership and exposure. Like my art, I haven’t been painting enough even with all the great ideas I have. I am letting applications slip. There is a NY show that I have been looking forward to for ages, I’ve got an idea and a half done work, but I am afraid when i am in this state that I might let it slip and not send the work or something.
I don’t know why I do this. I have plenty of excuses, I’m in pain, I’m a bit depressed, I need to re-order my studio (a daunting task!), Liam is home so we have been doing stuff together, the list goes on. and they are all reasonable excuses but I wonder if there’s something more.
This condition is a very difficult one to live with. Most of the resources about it are suicide related and my particular case is not only rare but severe because of it’s location. I don’t want to whinge, but sometimes I just want to give up.
Art really does help me. It helps focus my energies on something, I feel less pain when I am painting, and I use my time when i am flat on my back, unable to do anything, to work on my career building.
I seem to work best when there is a goal, I try to set them for myself, but every so often it just all becomes too much. I want to succeed in this more than anything so it hurts me when I notice I am self destructive. hopefully by identifying this I can stop the loop and move on.
Tags: Art, blogging, CRPS, Pain management, chronic pain
No Porn Please We’re Artists
Grow …initially took down all nine paintings. But then she decided to display them covered in brown paper from the shoulders down. Each is now adorned with an essay from the National Coalition Against Censorship that states nude paintings don’t constitute obscene material, which it says lacks serious social, political or artistic value.
“It was kind of a play on [the police] saying we could display them if the obscene parts are covered up,” Grow said of the new display. She’s considering modifying the presentation to remove the brown paper and cover the “offending” parts of the painting, and maybe the eyes, with extracts from obscenity case law.
heraldsun.com: Complaint labels West Village art &…
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What a clever way to turn a complaint and a censorship issue around. Most galleries are used to dealing with random wackos and Grow handled this particular complainant by explaining that the works were art and not pornographic in nature. they tried to establish a conversation but the man stormed out and called the police who felt a need to come down to the gallery to appease the old man who voiced the complaint. It was asked that the works be taken down but the director refused to admit defeat and cleverly used censorship documentation to support the works and the display, enhancing the works for everyone.
It’s sad when people assume something about the nature of a piece without looking at it. The complainant clearly saw nudity and equated it with porn without giving the pieces or the curator a chance to speak to him. When something like this happens I tend to wonder if it is a guilt deep inside the person that makes them judgmental. Maybe the man in question likes porn. Maybe, just maybe, he actually liked the pieces and believed that was wrong and blamed the curator rather than exploring why they made him feel the way he did – he might have lost an opportunity to understand himself better. I think it’s sad when people look at the face value of things and avoid looking beneath the surface of anything. they set up walls around themselves allowing nothing in or out, when everything is on the surface how can change and growth be affected?
Tags: art news, censorship, controversy, nudes, nudity
Inspiration: Sketches become reality!
This is the coolest concept. Imagine sketching in the air, creating a raw 3d model straight out of your mind, that is captured in realtime on a computer and then created just as you drew it using an advanced plastic molding method.
I want to play with this so much. imagine the organic creations that could be realized, the pure raw content. so unfettered – I love the combination of pure concept, no materials, organic output through highly technological means.
Click on the image to go to their site, read more about the processes and view a video
The Trouble with Mice
I have been having a nightmare of a time with wireless mice. My RF belkin one had horrific reception and lousy battery life. I ordered a bluetooth one on sale online only to be sent the RF version. After much to-do I finally got the mouse I requested. it worked well with good reception but ate titanium batteries for breakfast. I had to change them about once a week.
So I finally gave in. Or rather, after I was about to hurl both mice in a howling rage, Liam got tired of my ranting. I have given in and gotten rid of the last remnant of my seedy windows history and bought a shiny new Bluetooth Mighty Mouse. It has had mixed reviews but I just love it. It’s precise (laser), efficient, shiny and white (because it’s by Apple), and worked perfectly first time. It’s also comfortable to use which is a plus. I can monitor my battery levels on screen and if it is anything like the keyboard the batteries will last for ages.
so why, you may ask, has it taken this long to buy this mouse? well really this is a lesson to me. sometimes cheaper isn’t always better 
I tried to save money by buying another cheap wireless mouse and trying to save money but ended up losing even more. This seems to be a metaphor for the whole mac/pc world to me, A PC is cheaper to buy. you can really save money by buying no-name parts, but by the time you add up all the pieces, the replacement pieces, the parts you need to upgrade it, etc, then it is about the same price, if not more, over the life of the machine. I guess it’s about quality in the end.
Tags: apple, mighty mouse, bluetooth
Nudes of the Month
The Latest Nudes of the Month is up at barebrush.com and I’m in it! I admit I am a tad surprised at the choice but there is an exciting feeling to having my work looked at by a Chelsea gallery owner. It’s hard to get noticed in the artworld, there are so many artists out there trying to make it. It’s a feeling of validation to know it was seen and acceptable.
I’m doing more of the white paintings, we have a floor covering now so I don’t make such a mess (these paintings are oogy) and I have some ideas that I am very excited to start.
Tags: Art, creating art, nudes, competition
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