Meatloaf Valentine

Bryn made a Valentine's Day meatloaf with red food coloring so it would look "pink" and candy sprinkles on top. Although he makes really tasty meatloaf (and this one was no exception) it was still rather creepy. Like when Heinz made green ketchup.

I'd gotten him a book as his gift and decorated the bag for it at a friend's "Valentine's Craft Party" earlier this week. So that's what the second picture is.

Self Portrait Sick Day

I was supposed to go to the State Capitol to lobby for the current interior design legislation but I've come down with something and thought it would smarter not to go. It is annoying because I'm not throwing up or have a high temperature, but I feel generally crummy and have no appetite (which is how I KNOW that I'm sick).

So in an attempt to still get something done today I was working on making a self-portrait. Originally I was only going to make one and use it for two things, but I did the watercolor one first and didn't like it so well, which prompted me to do another one with color pencil. Of course now I think I like the watercolor one better, but whatever.

One of them will be mailed to the Eiteljorg Museum for their Facing West exhibit. Anyone can make a self-portrait for this and I thought it would be fun to do. (If you want to participate, more info here. You should totally do it!) Or maybe I'll send them both efforts.

The other thing making me do self-portraits was more important. Had to come up with one for the Worldstudio/AIGA Scholarship I'm applying for. I'll probably use the watercolor one for that, even if I don't have long hair anymore.

They were pretty easy, and I totally cheated and based them on photographs of myself. But it was fun to do and a nice break from designing things to actually making things.

Enfoodle!!!

Saw this today at Kobo on Capitol Hill. (The title is "Enfoodle.") LOVED IT! It is by Bellevue artist Ken Taya.

A cool riff on Andy Warhol's soup cans with a Japanese flair.

The nice thing about prints is that they tend to be fairly affordable. This one was 11" x 14" and only $40 unframed (edition of 100).

The Harsher Side of Noguchi

I really like Isamu Noguchi's work, from his iconic furniture (that really cool coffee table) to his artwork (like the "Black Hole Sun" sculpture at Volunteer Park in Seattle). But I was looking through a book in class today and ran across the above photo. It is a sculpture he made in 1934 and is called "Death (Lynched Figure)."

Definitely the most representational of his work that I've seen. And the most disturbing!

But pretty powerful too.

Video Art at the Henry

Went to the Henry Art Gallery yesterday to check out the current exhibits. There was a cool, small photography exhibit that had been curated by one of my art history teachers, a larger exhibit focusing on the photography of Richard Misrach, and an exhibit featuring four separate video installations.

The Richard Misrach work was pretty fascinating since the show mainly looked at his large scale photographs of people on the beach. But the video installations were what have really stayed on my mind. Guy Ben-Ner's Wild Boy seemed kind of crudely made (it was shot entirely in his home), yet managed to touch on powerful ideas of family and domesticity.

What really blew my mind was the portion of The Rape of the Sabine Women made by Eve Sussman and the Rufus Corporation. The photo above is a view of the installation. I didn't see the whole thing, but what I did see was pretty compelling. I plan on making a trip back to specifically watch the whole thing. It was filmed in Berlin and Greece and is full of richly disturbing visual imagery.

Note: The Henry Art Gallery offers free admission to college students with ID at all times, and free admission to everybody on Thursdays!

Museum of Glass

Bryn and I went to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma last week. I'd gotten free passes for volunteering this fall at Pilchuck Glass School's annual auction and figured I should go and check out the museum now that I actually knew a little something about art glass. We had a fun time, although not because we were particularly wowed by the museum. From what (little) I had heard about it, I was expecting to be wowed. Instead I was underwhelmed, and it was equal parts the art I saw and the museum itself.

Of the exhibits on view my favorite was the one featuring work by Dante Marioni. His pieces are so precise in their craftsmanship that one can't help but be taken in by them. I especially liked his cases of goblets that invoked collectorly feelings and the large patterned acorns. Also on display was Contrasts: A Glass Primer which had some really cool pieces. Too bad it featured cheesy words stenciled on most of the display cases that labeled objects with words like "translucent" or "vessel."

A collection of opaque white glass objects by Daniel Clayman was starkly contemporary. The better ones reminded me a little of Richard Serra's work, although smaller in scale and in a much more fragile media. The weaker ones just seemed like the results of a foundation design course--really cool and interesting, but not pushing the envelope. Of course there was a Chihuly piece on display for a limited time, The Laguna Murano Chandelier. It is a beautiful piece of work; but, like most of his work, there doesn't seem to be much of a deeper meaning.

I was glad I had free passes. The ten dollar admission seems kind of steep for the smallness of the museum. My limited experience with glass at Pilchuck this summer left me with the impression that making objects in glass can be very seductive. Unfortunately, viewing glass objects doesn't always elicit the same type of emotion. And don't get me started on the "Chihuly Bridge of Glass" that connects the waterfront with the rest of downtown Tacoma. *shudder*

To be honest, I was more impressed by what we saw in the Traver Gallery located next to the museum. They had a selection of Chihuly objects that were all hideous in varying degrees, a room of Preston Singletary's work--that I loved, and most of the largest display area was taken up with work by Catherine Grisez that was fascinating. Her works combined glass, metal, and gemstones in intriguing ways to achieve a complexity that was lacking from most of the glass objects we'd seen that day.

I guess I left with the feeling that there are a lot of skilled people working in glass. But in many cases, without a deep level of thoughtfulness and strong concepts to ground the work, there isn't really much there besides pretty things to look at. Chihuly helped bring a lot of attention to glass art in general, and in the Pacific Northwest in particular. That this museum celebrates that growth is great. Where the opportunity lies is in being more critical and serious about the field. I'd say the curators could really do a lot more work to help people understand why the objects being shown are museum-quality. I wasn't always convinced.

Homework Update

Studio presentation went well yesterday, as did the Art History test. We got to watch Casablanca and then write about that. Since I hadn't seen Casablanca, but have been meaning to, it was perfect.

Right now I'm on break checking email. Just finished my interior design history test which I certainly didn't ace, but also didn't bomb. Considering I missed the last class and only studied for 30 minutes before class, I'll take it. Now I have to go back and turn in my hastily written research paper and give my last presentation of the week (about my research topic).

If I liked Art Deco when I decided to write about it, I'm sure ready to move on to something else at this point.

Monothon 2008

A couple of the prints I made at Monothon 2008 at Crow's Shadow Institute, plus some photos I took on the drive down to Pendleton, OR. All of this went down last weekend and I had a lot of fun! (Even though I drove over 500 miles just to spend three hours in a print studio. It was worth it.)

Don't Drop the Art

Volunteered last night for the Pilchuck Glass School's annual auction held at the Westin downtown. I'd found out the day before that I had been switched from the packing room to being an art handler. They told me to wear dark clothing and no jewelry, so I figured I'd be in the background toting artwork here and there. Imagine my surprise when I was handed a packet and told that I would be carrying about seven pieces from the display area up to the stage during the live auction. Did I mention that it was a stage-in-the-round? In the middle of the packed grand ballroom? And if the piece couldn't be set on the pedestal that I had to stay up there, walking it around and around the stage until it sold?

I was absolutely frightened at first that I would end up tripping or dropping something. Some of them weren't too bad, but there was one huge clown-shaped vase that I worried about carrying. (Especially since it was valued at $23,000.) There was also the challenge of dodging waiters and guests while carrying pieces down the aisle as the night progressed. One piece did get broken, but luckily it wasn't by me. Overall though, I had a lot of fun once I got the hang of it. And it was good practice for getting over stage fright!

Spruce Street School

Our Studio class went on a construction site visit today (I swear to God, this year has been field trip after field trip--not that I'm complaining) and from the 10th floor of the building we were able to look down on kids playing on a playground built on a roof. The place is Spruce Street School and is only a block or two from my school (which is visible in the background to the right). Seems like a perfect example of the potential for adaptive urban re-use. I've walked by the building before and you can tell they have something up there, but it was fun to be able to look down on it and actually see it!

And the heights don't end there. A volunteer orientation meeting I attended tonight was held in the Presidential Suite at the Westin. I can tell you that the view of downtown and Elliot Bay and the sunset is spectacular from the 47th floor. I should have taken a picture, although I didn't think about it until after I'd left. Oh well. Tomorrow night I get to be an "Art Handler" and help carry pieces on and off the stage at the big Pilchuck auction/gala. Wheee!

Dwelling #199

I feel like an art collector right now. Why? Because just this week, I paid more than twenty-five bucks for a piece of art. And it isn't merely a framed poster, no! It is a real, bona-fide, original painting. It was't planned. I took Snotty to Madrona for lunch at the Hi-Spot and we were wandering around the neighborhood checking out cool places afterwards. I had no plans on buying anything, I was just looking. And yet, when we walked by a store called Jaywalk, I clutched Snotty's arm and said, "We have to go in there." And we did. And I saw Dwelling #199 by local artist Graham Fracha hanging on the wall and suddenly I knew, knew, KNEW that I had to own it. So much for quitting my job though. Now I have to pay myself back the money in savings for next semester. But it was worth it.

Picasso and Boob Jobs

Just a random thought: did Picasso help influence the contemporary trend towards breast augmentation?

Think about it. Suddenly Victoria Beckham makes sense. She's thin enough that you can see her in her entirety from any angle, plus she has the "pasted-on" geometric boobs. Posh Spice is a Cubistic piece of performance art!

I was actually going to watch the next part of a documentary about Picasso I got from the library in a few minutes, but it seems that the disc has gone missing. I'm sure it is around here somewhere, but I don't feel like digging it out. Perhaps I'll watch Le Divorce instead. I've got a French theme going with my dinner tonight. Found a frozen goat cheese tart--from France!-- on sale at the grocery store and also picked up a bottle of wine--also from France!-- that has a label I can't read. All I know is that it is dry and fruity and crisp and tastes damn good. Plus it was under ten bucks, so I can't complain at all.

Maybe its better if I don't watch the documentary tonight anyhow. Bryn is working late and I can enjoy Le Divorce without any distractions since it does delve into "chick-flick" territory. Besides, Picasso may have mostly worked in Paris, but he was so very Spanish; I should get a bottle of rioja to finish out those discs.

Monothon is ON!

I've been craving some print studio time ever since I was at Pilchuck this summer. Well, it turns out I will get a chance to do some printing before the end of the month after all! Where? At MONOTHON 2008!

The second annual Monothon at Crow's Shadow Institute in Pendleton, Oregon takes place October 24-26th, and I have a time slot to participate on Sunday the 26th. All prints created are available for sale with the proceeds going to benefit Crow's Shadow. This means I will have to get the weekend off (note: I might be leaving my job anyhow, and not because it is terrible but so that I have more time to focus on taking care of things at home and school), and then Bryn and I will drive to Yakima on Saturday, spend the night with family, and I can do my thing on Sunday and we'll head back to Seattle that night.

The only thing I will get out of this is the joy of printing and contributing to a Native American focused arts organization. I'm in. Gosh, but I'm an art nerd!

Inspiration = No Sleep

Due in part to too much coffee at too late of an hour (5 pm) yesterday evening and a general tendency towards getting involved in new projects while avoiding the ones that have looming deadlines, I was up until 5:30 am this morning tinkering with my website and hashing out some art ideas. The website is looking better (www.anthonycallaway.com) but I still have to go into school and power through the stuff I really should have been doing. Namely, the digital presentation and physical process book that is due tomorrow. *sigh*

What I'm kind of excited about though, is the possibility of taking some of the prints I made at Pilchuck this summer (see example above) and creating postcards and magnets for resale. I could sell them directly on my website and also market them wholesale to gift stores and bookshops. I've taken the first steps toward putting this plan into action (which is what kept me up so late) and today will sneak in some time to work on getting better quality images of the pieces I like best. At best, it could turn into a venture that brings in some income while also shamelessly self-promoting my work. *crosses fingers* At worst, I wouldn't have invested too much into it and would have a bunch of things to gift to friends, family, and strangers.

Anachrotechnofetishism?

I'm not sure what to think about steampunk overall, but I do really like the anachronisms that exist within the genre. The nostalgia of the aesthetic also is fascinating when combined with technology. A nice counterpoint to the fear of robots/computers taking over that is so prevalent in things like The Matrix or I, Robot.

Today I went to the show Anachrotechnofetishism: Artifacts by Pioneers of American Steampunk at Suite 100 Gallery in Belltown (2222 - 2nd Ave). The gallery is small and cozy and one is easily able to get up close and personal with the objects. There were paintings, photographs, drawings, jewelry, and constructed "things" all over. One of my favorites was a keyboard that had been redone in brass, wood, and old typewriter keys. Oh yeah, and the show closes on October 3rd, so if you want to see it you should hurry!

But the piece that really stood out for me was the one pictured above, which is Mechanical Womb with Clockwork Fetus by Seattle-based Molly "Porkshanks" Friedrichs. Moving beyond most of the objects there, this one seemed to have something extra to say. I'm still thinking about it tonight, which is more than I can say about most of the other pieces I saw. What I'm really left with are questions:

• What is a clockwork fetus and what will it grow up to become?
• Does this come from a world where humans are obsolete?
• Would a male artist have ever decided to deal with this type of subject matter?
• What would Sarah Palin think about this artwork--would she want to ban it?

I like that this work deals with themes of procreation and artificial intelligence in a way that is both romantic/tender/sweet and also uncomfortable/scary/weird. If I had a spare $8500, I'd buy it.

Painters of Light

Our lecture today in my Modern Art History class today was focused on (among other things) Impressionist painters. Of course we talked about Monet and how the Impressionists were focused on using paint to explore light, color, and atmosphere. Which got me to thinking about the phrase, "Painter of Light" that is bandied about by that great painter of the "Mall Art" genre: Thomas Kinkade. It even appears on his official seal. He has it trademarked. Yikes.

Don't even get me started on Thomas Kinkade. His artwork impresses me about as much as all of the Wyland killer whales did/do. Which is to say, not much at all. It seems like the type of artwork that appeals to few other than evangelical Christians. Or other such groups that (and I'm generalizing here) prefer the comforts of blindly following religious-based doctrines than of intellectual exploration and growth. And did I mention that Kinkade is a devout Christian? And his four children all have "Christian" as their middle names for just that reason?

I think we all know who the real painter of light was.

Captain Underpants

I went on a last-minute field trip with some other Cornish design students today to the Cedar River Watershed Education Center up in North Bend. It was blissful and idyllic, as expected. The weather was perfect, the drive was scenic, and the Center didn't disappoint either. I loved the cool green roofs on parts of the structures and the awesome public art installation which involves water droplets beating drums in a courtyard and some crazy neon in tree roots (above) on the inside.

And then after we had exhausted the possibilities of the site, we headed back to the city and enjoyed a three-hour lunch at Tutta Bella where I got a really good juicy story from one of the girls about how her summer had gone so far. It is too involved to recount but does contain such highlights as: a boat trip from El Salvador to Hawaii; Captain Underpants; a big storm; a leaking fuel tank; an aborted journey; a breakup with a poorly timed comment the next day; drunken diving off of a yacht with Australian girls; a sprained wrist put in a cast in Acalpulco; removal of said cast with a dremel tool in a basement; surgery to correct misdiagnosis that was actually a double fracture and a new cast; and lots of Oxycontin. I think she won the "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" award. But I did wear my mustache necklace, which was much-admired. Perhaps I won the "Best Accessory" award?

Beyond that, I think I might be sick. I thought it was just allergies, but it is feeling less hay feverish and more like a cold/flu/curse. Or perhaps I'm just getting old. When I was taking Kate home late on the 4th of July I realized that I was thinking to myself, "I'm so tired! It's after midnight!" and "It is so hard to see when driving at night." These are thoughts that I wasn't expecting to have for another twenty years or so. Is 30 the new 50? WTF?

And then this afternoon there was a big sign posted in our lobby on the wall above the mailboxes and in the window announcing to UPS/FedEx/DHL/Post Office delivery people that they should not leave packages as they have been disappearing from the lobby lately. That really gives me a big warm, fuzzy feeling about our apartment building right now. Especially after our recent storage locker break-in. So much for living in a secure building.

Pilchuck Madness: The Aftermath

Yikes! So I guess I waited a little too long between posts. Anyhow, the last two pictures are from the bonfire party we had on our last night. As you can see, it was good times.

Friday morning, Bryn showed up at the crack of dawn to pick up me and Jane (I offered to let her hang out with us since her flight didn't leave til 9pm). On our way back to Seattle we stopped at the Tulalip Casino for our second breakfast of the day. I think that was the best mimosa of my life. It was strange stepping from rustic cabins in the forest into a glitzy, shimmering mini-Vegas. Jane was wearing her bedazzled cowboy hat from the auction party and amusingly enough, it fit right in there. We played some slots on our way out too as the above photos can attest to. (Oh, and if you take photos in a casino, you'd better do it surreptitiously.)

We spent the rest of the day on a whirlwind Seattle experience: Top Pot, vintage clothing store, bespoke men's clothing store, sculpture park, Pike Place Market, Traver Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, a shoe store that sells Jane's jewelry, and more. Then we ditched Jane at the airport and came home and passed out.

So, after a full weekend that involved working for three days I have a day to catch my breath and regroup.

Pilchuck Madness #11

The t-shirts showed up! You can see me with Jane up there, showing them off. They turned out really well and I kept seeing more and more people running around campus today wearing them.

Also found out today that the people who fund the scholarship I received will be on campus Wednesday evening and wanted to meet me. Not sure if I should be nervous or not, but at least I'll get to thank them in person.

Tonight one of the TA's for a class, New York artist Erica Rosenfeld, gave a demonstration where she was cooking with hot glass. She was also wearing cherry earrings, a red apron, and pink cat-eye glasses, but I think that happens to be part of her glass-blowing persona. We watched her and a team of people blow a big bowl and then place it on some fresh molten glass from the kiln. Then they poured water in the bowl, added a colander with greens, and slapped a lid on it until the bowl eventually broke. She tossed them with sauce in a different bowl and promptly served them. Fun to watch, and possibly to eat (I didn't partake).

Pilchuck Madness #8

Last night was the Student Auction and Party. I had made some monoprints (see above) based on the chipmunk I did for the t-shirt contest, and together they sold for about $100. They managed to raise about $8,000 last night. Half goes toward scholarships and the other half toward supplies for the campus.

I did end up buying a couple things, one was a print in the silent auction for $10 and then I managed to snag a glass sculpture for $40 during the live auction too. Which was fortunate, because there were lots of good things, but most of them were $100 or more. There were definitely some steals though... If I come back, I'm going to have to make sure I have some cash available. As much as I hate to think of art as an investment most of the time, it would be a great place to start or add to a collection.

I've been having a TON of fun in the print shop. I was in there most of the day today working on some pieces inspired by basketry designs from my tribe. Good times!