A new piece and a comment on Damien Hirst's Spots

I painted a new piece that is basically a series of squiggly lines with some of the created areas filled. It is a pretty simple piece from a simple process. It's been sitting there waiting for me to decide whether it is finished or not. I've been coming down on the side of "Finished!" knowing of course that unfinishing is always possible whereas continuing to paint can have disastrous and irrevocable results. So here it is as of today.

Squiggles #1. Acrylics on canvas, 24 x 20

Then this morning's NYT had an article on the painter Damien Hirst who is filling all 11 of Larry Gagosian's galleries across three continents with about 200 paintings -- all his famous spot paintings that go for upwards of $1.8 million each. I like some of Hirst's work; he's inventive, talented and unafraid. But his spot paintings.....not so much. So when I look at one of the paintings like this one....

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

You can buy the above print (signed edition of 300) here for just £10,000

....I think mine's not so simple after all. There's much wrong with the art scene these days and the fact that the spot paintings will move to the Tate Modern afterwards is one indication. This isn't as bad as a Jeff Koon's balloon dog but I don't think it's museum quality either. (And I'm not claiming mine is better. YMMV as they say.)

A couple more news ones

I was playing with simple ink lines in blocks on white watercolor paper.  I'd done a similar one last year that worked out well and now lives happily on a friend's wall in the Bay area.  This one is a bit different in that I cut up the blocks and pasted them on a black background.  It's also simpler.

8 Figures.  Ink and acrylics on paper.  6 x 18 or so

The second has gone through many changes and many fixes.  I think it's finished now.

Caged.  Acrylics, watercolor crayon, ink on canvas.  16 x 24

New pieces

I've been working a reasonable amount lately, trying some new things, succeeding some, failing lots. Heh, volume is the road to quality. Here's two:

The first started as a beach scene from a photo of a family vacation. It never worked though you can barely see two legs in the upper left that survive. Sort of my usual technique:

1) Make some random lines and shapes with pencil, ink, oil pastel, gesso with ink, whatever.
2) Come back a couple of days later and see if there is any there there. 
3) Work with the there.
4) If it fails, repeat.

Beach Nude. Acrylics, ink, oil pastels, watercolor crayon, etc. on canvas.  24 x 36

The second is more structured in design, technique and result. Working again from a photo of my son Andy, I wanted to try breaking the piece into blocks.  So here it is:

Andy in Fourths. Ink, watercolor crayons, acrylics, maybe oil pastel on watercolor paper.  9 x 13.

Oh and I forgot....I am actually trying to lose the "two spaces after a period" while typing thing. It drives Karen nuts!

West End Poet's Festival is tomorrow!

The Town of Carrboro is sponsoring a wonderful and free day of poetry tomorrow, Saturday October 15th starting at 11 and running till 11 that night.  It will be at the Carrboro Century Center Century Hall and feature a Post's social and dinner at 6 with the East Cackalacky Band . 

The local group Sacrificial Poets will host a youth slam at 9:15pm in conjunction with the festival. Open for ages 13-19: 3 rounds with 3:30 time limit per poem. The winner will earn a spot in the 2012 Sacrificial Poets Grand Slam Finals. Top three poets will also receive prizes.  The full schedule is below:

West End Poets Festival

October 15, 2011

11am-11pm

Carrboro century Center

Final Schedule

11:00-11:15-             Marta Nuñez-Pouzols

11:20-11:35-             Chris Slydel

11:40-11:55-             Guillermo Parra

12:00-12:15-             Alice Osborn

12:20-12:35            Joseph Fletcher

12:40-12:55-            Ricky Garni

1:00-1:15-             Malaika King Albrecht

1:20-1:35-             J. Peter Moore

1:40-1:55-             Jodi Barnes

25 Minute Break

2:20-2:35-            Dianne Timblin

2:40-2:55-             David Need

3:00-3:15-             Hassan Melehy

3:20-3:35-             Magdalena Zurawski|

3:40-3:55-             Allison Curseen

4:00-4:15-             Jay Bryan

4:20-4:35-             Grey Brown

4:40-4:55-             Maura High

5:00-5:15-             Tyler Johnson

5:20-5:35-             Susan Spalt

6:00-7:15             Poets’ Social with Special Guest the East Cackalacky Band
Southern Buffet Dinner will be provided
Carrboro Century Hall

7:25-7:40-             Joanna Catherine Scott

7:45-8:00-             Chris Vitiello

8:05-8:20-             Laura Jaramillo

8:25-8:40-             Patrick Herron

8:45-9:00-             Brian Howe

Sacrificial Poets will host a youth slam at 9:15pm in conjunction with the festival. Open for ages 13-19: 3 rounds with 3:30 time limit per poem. The winner will earn a spot in the 2012 Sacrificial Poets Grand Slam Finals. Top three poets will also receive prizes.

A new piece - Keith Richards

I figured I'd go back to some tried and true to get me out of this artistic dead end.  So I had this photo from the NYT of Keith Richards and here's my take on him.

Keith Richards, Ink, pencil and oil pastels on watercolor paper, 12 x 16,

 Not the greatest photo of it but it'll have to do.