OKC's Paseo Arts Festival

 I spent a lovely afternoon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the annual Paseo Arts Festival. The Paseo is the arts district of the area originally the home to hippies and bohemian counter culture, it evolved and evolved to the chic hot spot it is now. (if you stop down there for food I recommend the Picasso Cafe. The pizza was mediocre but their quinoa tacos and chili were amazing. Vegan friendly to boot.)

The festival brought artists from all over the United States not just Oklahoma. There were dozens of jewelry and pottery artisans. When browsing their wares it always amazes me to see how one medium can produce so much variety. It is the reason I love art so much. It is as individual as the artist.

I won't be critiquing the artists I mention here because I thought they were the best of the lot and I want you to enjoy them with out being encumbered by my opinions and viewpoints, lol.

So I don't repeat myself, PLEASE visit these artists websites they offer so much more than the one or two photos that I craptacularly took.(I did receive permission to photograph the work. I always ask and so should you. ALWAYS! It is only polite.) 

Like for instance, Daniela and Vladimir Ovtcharov. Their website is extensive with incredible work. So check out all the artists here! I couldn't photograph Daniela's work-her booth was too crowded-but was able to snap a few from Vladimir's (another reason to visit their site).

Vladimir Ovtcharov's The Sea Inside

Vladimir Ovtcharov

Vladimir Ovtcharov's Dandelion

Next I came across Chris White. Incredible encaustic works that are perfectly stressed. You can't really tell due to it being a photo but in person these pieces have a play of shine and matte, and according to Chris they feel wonderful to the touch. ( I didn't touch them with my grubby hands, I had just been eating cinnamon sugar pecans. What? Nuts are good for you.)

Chris White

Chris White's Spring Biscuit

Across from Chris was a collective gallery that held a lot of emerging artist work. Not all the artists were there but I did get to speak to Caleb Shelton, a photographer who uses a 360 panorama technique that he then puts together to create his “Little Planets” He doesn't have a website per say but he does have a tumblr, so go hook up with him there.

Little Planet by Caleb Shelton

Little Planet by Caleb Shelton

In the same gallery as Caleb was this piece by  called Catfish by Matthew Klapper. He wasn't there so I couldn't talk to him about his work or find a website for him but it's still a fantastic piece.

Catfish by Matthew Klapper

I came across Steve Nowatzki's etchings, they are truly fantastic. This was my favorite. But the glare on the glass (silly Oklahoma sunshine) is kind of distracting so visit his website, which he says is still under construction but has a test gallery up so you can see it. His “neglected” gallery, as he called it, is here.

Steve Nowatzki's The 11th Hour. 

I came across Sean Corner's booth, he was diligently working away. He said he doesn't have a website, sadly but this is a taste of his work here. He seems to be very active on the arts festival circuit so keep an eye out for him!

Sean Corner

Sean Corner

Then I came to an Oklahoma artist Jan Brieschke. She has had a nice long career as an artist and teacher. She developed a really cool style she calls fractured light and these amazing reverse glass paintings (which isn't really done anymore so it's wonderful to see it revived)

Jan Brieschke. This is the"fractured light" technique she  created.

Jan Brieschke. Reversed glass painting. I am SO sorry about the glare. It's such a beautiful piece.

Black Widow Should Be Cropped

"oh hai, i jus gunna take sip, kay?"

I found this image on Pinterest. I like it for the most part. It's cleavage-eh, clever.  Black Widow being all bad ass, the visual pun of casually flicking Vampire Ant Man away like an annoying mosquito is amusing.

Quick before he starts to sparkle!

But there was something....something I found off about the image. Ah, the composition. It's almost perfect. Almost. But in obligatory :lets cater to sexless males" style they added an unneeded element.

Boobs.

You see, I wouldn't care if the boobs where there if :
1.) they actually fit into the composition and made it stronger. (which they don't)
2.) didn't look like there an after though that looked like the editor said "Hey! moar bewbies!"

"Go read porn will you"

See? it's stronger. The hand becomes the emphasis leading the eye to the whole point to the image. Ant Man trying to suckle Widows sweet life juices. Aside from defying every law of gravity, Natasha's cleavage was little more than wasted space. It interrupted the flow of the eye.
You should always have the view stay focused on your message. Not boobage.

Actually the boobs themselves aren't the problem. There is simply too much Widow to focus on the action at hand. You see, you can still be sexist and objectify women (hell, this one makes it more blatant. Top Cow would be proud)

"oh hai, we think you can't get a date since that is the stereotype of comic reader, fat, pimply, socially awkward, basement dwelling MALE ONLY chuds, so here are some boobs. We understand. We love you"

You are still able to focus on the message of the image AND get your cleavage on.  These were merely cropped, not magnified in anyway. Thus is the importance of good editing. You have to cut out the non-essential for the story. Especially if you are wanting to use it as a cover to get buyers.
Your message needs to be clear and concise. Whereas sex does sell, remember if you want staying power there needs to be more substance.

The Purpose of a Sketchbook

There is this disturbing trend that touts sketchbook pages as finished art. Just google sketchbook and you will see  a ton of images of finished drawings, paintings and mixed media work.
This is not the purpose of a sketchbook.

Granted, there are bits in my sketchbooks that I am ridiculously proud of. But a sketchbook is a work book. You use it to practice, problem solve and frankly give yourself a safe space to create crap.

I have a friend who tears out anything that isn't a resolved, polished drawing. I asked her why, she explained she wants to give people a good impression. She is denying herself the saftey of the sketchbook. She is also denying the people who leaf through her books the delicious process of visual thinking.

I blame museums.

They take sketches from artist and display them. I have no problem with this, EXCEPT they only display the finished "artsy" sketches. This gives the impression that you are supposed to do perfect work all the time. This is simply impossible. For every great work, there are dozens of mediocer-even awful pieces.

For all the artist, whether professional or hobbiest, please keep in mind you are under NO obligation to show anyone your sketchbooks.
And friends, family and connoisseurs, don't be rude and ask- or worse help yourself. It is a private world in those books. If you are invited to glimpse in those worlds consider it a privilage.

Dore's Summer

I always say the best way to view and understand art is to gauge the emotional reaction you have to the art in question. I can tell you the backgrounds of the artists. I can tell you about symbols the artist used. I can tell you what it means to me but ultimately your reaction to it is the key to understanding the piece.

In this review, I have to say i was taken by surprise and awestruck by this painting.  It hangs in the delicious Museum of Fine Arts in Boston MA. When I lived there I had the privilege of seeing it often.
Paul Gustave Dore was a french artist. He was born January 6 1832 and died January 23 1883. He worked primarily as an engraver, his most well known work was the illustrations for the bible and the divine comedy. Which is how I was introduced to his work.  He was also a gifted sculpture. There is a bas relief housed in the MFA Boston that I am going to review soon.

Another example of my mad photography skills xD

This work is awe inspiring not because of the size (damn thing is huge) it the content. In the painting the startling element is the scythe. It seems out of place. Around it is vibrant lush life, but it is still too early for harvest. So the scythe lies there, impotent. However, death is patient. it will wait. it will be calm  for death knows there are cycles and seasons to everything. For now life triumphs.

All in all, it seems to me the overall message is one of hope.

St. Cecilia by Bernardo Cavallino

Bernardo Cavallino was born in Naples in 1616 and is thought to have died of the plague somewhere around 1656. Almost nothing is known of his background or training and it is hard to pinpoint if the many paintings attributed to him are his as less than 10 are signed. His work is noted for it's intense expressive religious allegory. The most famous example is probably the Blessed Virgin.

This painting however, is St. Cecilia. Patron saint of musicians and church music because it is said she sang to God as she died, which is impressive after a botched beheading.
Not to mention them trying to steam her to death. Why is the martyrs always seemed to get the horrific deaths? Don't just shoot them or anything. (Ooooo sorry St. Sebastian)

My crappy photo taken this year at the MFA. The security guard noticed my delight when I found her and tried to see what the hell I was looking at, lol.

This painting is probably one of my most favorite in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. (Here on out known as the MFA). You can see my crummy photo here. Since the MFA hasn't completed their renovations they have her tucked away in a temporary gallery hiiiiiiiiiiigh up on the wall. I took it with max zoom. Fortunately, I was able to find on the MFA website a professional photo for your enjoyment.

This is the MFA's professional pic, I found it at  http://educators.mfa.org/galleries/slideshow/1352

What strikes me so about this work is the composition. The blood red scarf flowing around her obviously aloft on the holy energy her music is producing as she channels Gods favor. Wrapping around her, it continuously moves you back to her serene and beautiful face.

Without the scarf, this could be called "Young Girl Playing the Violin" it would be a typical genre piece and like many others that fade into historical obscurity. But this is no ordinary young girl. This is a holy woman. God's chosen saint. A martyr. She plays music for the soul. Even the light that pours on her is from above and left, not humble earthly light, as from a candle but God's own light.
St. Cecilia playing her violin is a holy act and we are privileged to witness the ritual.

Ode to a Still Life

So I had been working on this still life. Still lives get a bad rap in the world for being rather generic, and I could go into the history of Dutch genre painting and the role still lives played therein. That will have to wait for another day.

Still lives are a great tool for an artist to use. They are still, free models the artist can use to flex their muscles. A still life can be explored for a long time and still not exhaust the possibilities of composition and light. Setting up a still life isn't taken lightly. You have to put in  a variety of elements in order to create a sustainable interest. Should it be monotone or a riot of colors? How about textures? the possibilities are truly endless.

This sketch was done over another in progress abstract  I was bored with. I may not do anything like that again as the strong blues interrupted the coloring of the mask and cloth, but it can be good to let go of control from time to time.