SWAN Day 2014

So, I know no one looks at this blog...but JUST IN CASE...I wanted to establish that I'm not really a visual artist anymore...or rather, I'm not trying to be a professional visual artist. I have continued to be involved in music and have been very happy with doing so...so that's what's going on. So what?!

One thing I am really excited about is being a part of Swan Day CT 2014. My band, Dancy, made the bill. Dan (my partner) won't be able to make the show, but the guys in Labor of Giants have got my back and it's going to be a great show! We've been practicing and preparing, and there will be more news to come...but I'm sure it's apparent that I don't update this blog very often, so if you read this, and you're fascinated, which I'm sure you are, you should follow the Swan Day CT facebook page. Who uses this many commas? I mean, really, WHO?

...and that is why you keep coming back

Thanks for visiting my blog.

I know, I haven't posted in a while. I've actually been neglecting this blog so much it's become a dumping ground for spam and all of the publishing settings have changed (bah!).

I'm a bad blog writer.

I'll try to do better.

Super-busy

I know, I know. I'm a bad, bad blogger. I've been super-busy with Dancy and Labor of Giants. I'll have to share more of what I've been doing. I also have a few paintings in the works, but not done yet (never done!).

WTF have I been doing??

Good question. Since this is an art blog, one would think I might post art on it every once and a while. It is true that the frequency of my posts have been waning, but before you shame me for being a bad artist and not drawing in my sketchbook all the time to post it on the Internet, realize that I have been making art. I've crossed over to the dark side: music. Shit.

I think that the transition from visual art to music has been relatively smooth. I'm an artist, I'm used to no one giving a crap about what I put my heart, soul, and time I should be sleeping into. I know there's no money in it. Plus, I can design all the press kits and album covers or free. Though when you play music with a bunch of guys who have actually studied music, it can be...intimidating.

Being out in the world is a little weird too. Artists are notoriously shy, and I am no exception. I've spent a big chunk of my twenties staring at my feet and smelling of turpentine. It's a little daunting to have to have a voice and make eye contact with people. But I think it's been good for me. I've made a lot of new friends.

I'm in two band right now: Dancy and Labor of Giants. Dancy plays around the Manchester area. Labor of Giants has an EP. I designed the cover:

The inspiration for the design came from the "cat scans" I did a few years back. I always wanted to work in that medium again and as we recorded the songs and they started to come to life, it felt right.

I don't feel like I'm a good designer, but I faked it as best I could. I figured if I kept things very simple, it would have the quiet impact I was looking for. I hope it worked out. I think it did. I hope.

Because I have an art degree I feel moderately confident about my abilities as an artist, but as a musician...I'm not so sure. No one has told me to fuck off yet, so I've kept on going. I guess that's what artists do.

You wanna hear the EP? Here you go.

And here comes the trickle...

I've been exploring abstract work, which for me, requires a lot of restraint. I tend to overwork my paintings. I tried allow the paint (and gravity) do its thing with little intervention on my part.

Mainly, I'd apply a layer of paint, manipulate it a little, then walk away. This is a very slow process, since paint requires time to dry, but the time allows me a chance to really step back and look at what I'm doing and where the paintings are going. Perhaps, if I wanted to delve deeper, waiting for paint to dry has given me time to look at where I'm going as a painter, or as a person, for that matter.

...And where am I going? Good question. I think it will take a lot more layers of paint to find that one out...

"Slip into the forest"

"The moon is out"

Gravity

No pictures yet, but I am very excited about some new pieces I've been working on. They're almost done, and will be posted soon. Gravity is involved in some way, hence the title of this post. And paint, of course.

I Dream of Alaska.

"I Dream of Alaska" Acrylic on Canvas

I just finished this earlier today.

I obsess. It's a bad habit and I've been working on breaking it. I spend far too much time on the details of paintings, focusing on one square inch after another to the point where I can't see the big picture because my nose is glued to the canvas, or bristol board, or whatever the heck I'm working on.

The last thing I experimented with before my "sabbatical" was the dripping of paint. I thought it would help me loosten up. I placed a canvas on an easel, spread a watered-down wash of paint all over the top, and let gravity do the work. After a few layers of this, I worked on the lines formed randomly and tried to work with them. For a while, I worked against them until I placed the canvas on its side. I saw a landscape, so I went with it.

In spite of its questionable politicians, I have always wanted to live in Alaska. Not that I'd ever move there - its so far from all my family and friends - but it's a nice dream. This landscape isn't based on any specific place, but it's what I see when I dream about Alaska (in the summer, that is).