Wednesday, February 17, 2010

FOOT IN THE DOOR 4

Don't know what FOOT IN THE DOOR 4 is? Been living under a rock have you? Ashamed of yourself? You should be.

Foot in the Door 4 is an open exhibition for all Minnesota artists, which takes place every ten years at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Since 1980, Foot in the Door has celebrated the diversity and enthusiasm of Minnesota's visual arts community. Its the state's largest art exhibition that's all!

While some optimistic artist I have spoken to see this as a chance to get their "foot in the door" of the art world - No, No and no - the title actually refers to the fact that all art entered has to be able to fit into the 12 by 12 inch box called "the curator". Anyone living in Minnesota can submit something so yes, there is a chance that the work you lovingly spent hours on to depict a little part of your soul will be hung next to a squirrel duct-taped to a brick (as long as the squirrel tail is tucked into the 12" area...or tail-less in which case you may as well have just used a gopher or something. Think it through is all I'm saying)

I submitted a piece called "The Skeptical working men's club". I am working on a few projects involving myths and legends and such at the moment so it was good practice for that. The actual piece has been made to look a little more 3- dimension by layering the same image over and over again and is framed behind glass in a shadow box.

Apparently almost 5000 artists submitted stuff this year so its a bit of a "Where's Waldo" ("Where's Wally" for all the British out there) situation as mine gets swallowed up in the ocean of 12 by 12.

The opening reception is this Thursday the 18th. Its going to be packed.....I am both looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measures.

(This blog does not support the attachment of squirrels, gophers or any woodland creature to bricks using duct-tape (or preferred adhesive) with the exception of maybe ground hogs. Smug)

Illustration Friday - Adrift

Ideas I wish I had first:

1. E-bay and/or Facebook (I don't mind either)
2. Peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwiches.
3. The word "Shenanigans".
4. The Dolly Parton song "Working 9 to 5"
5. David Bowie.
6. Teenage mutant ninja turtles.
7. Gummie bears.
8. Illustration Friday.

This weeks I.F topic is "Adrift". My original idea was to have a lot of empty space and one little character. The first thing I did was of a little spaceman cut off from anything. I still plan on doing this but on a bigger scale. My end piece was cobbled together from a bunch of ideas I already had for other work and from suggested title. I didn't always have a cannibalistic theme to it........thats the third time I've used that sentence this week. Please send help...or groceries.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

FivetoSix charity show or what you should be doing tomorrow night.


There comes a time when you really should be somewhere. A time when anyone who is anyone is at one particular place. That time is now....well, more specifically...that time is tomorrow! So what are you doing tomorrow? That? No you need to do THAT...you sicko. You need to be at FIVETWOSIX. Yes, as always your bidder of last minute art news is here to tell you about something I should have mentioned a long time ago.
FIVETWOSIX is proud to announce Go LIVE Go RED in conjunction with Go Red for Women http://www.goredforwomen.org/ American Heart Association, MCTC and U of M Design Department, many local artists, neighbors and friends.

February 12 from 7-10 PM

Enjoy seeing the winning designs and meeting the designers of the Red Dress from Heart of Fashion, the MOA show Feb 6th at MOA Macy's court.

Watch hair and makeup stylists create a look for each model wearing the winning designs.

View a very special art show centered around the heart submitted by local artists. All for sale, all from the heart with 25% going to American Heart Association.

Food tasting from Cheeky Monkey and Crave restaurants.
Sip wine from Solo Vino.

MUSIC: DJ Mike Swoop

10.00 DONATION

ART * FASHION * MODELING * MUSIC * MINGLING

I have a piece there which I will post later as its also linked to something else I am working on. Go along if you have time...or if you don't have time. Its charity damn it! Also food from Cheeky Monkey! How can you not go? How?!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Illustration Friday...My 2nd first attempt.



In a former life I was really bad to technology. Insulting video machines, doubting calculators, kicking small robots and getting into arguments with Speak and Spells. This is what I assume anyway, its all that can explain why in this life technology hates me. Sorry technology. Sorry.

Technology's last jab at me came when it seemed to post my last illustration for the Illustration Friday blog but in fact it didn't. You bastard technology.

So here is my second first submission to Illustration Friday......MUDDY

My first thought was Mudskippers but I figured that it may be quite popular and I wanted to keep away from pigs and hippos. Our sink has been playing up a bit this week so the inspiration probably came from the clogged drain.....I just hope its mud.
I didn't really have a lot of time this week so knocked it out pretty quick which kind of shows but it was a good little experiment for me in regards to mixing water colour and pencil (which is what I did it in) my scanner also didn't do me any favors. Damn you technology. Damn you.........nothing is ever my fault of course.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Illustion Friday


I have been getting e-mails from www.illustrationfriday.com for what seems like months now and have never really managed to get anything done in time.....like everything else in my life. Not quite sure what I on a day to day basis when I am not doing this kind of stuff. Probably don't want to know.

If you don't know the site, Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation. You can even submit a topic....guess what? I haven't done that yet either. One day, one day.

Anyway, there is a little extra incentive this month through escapeillustrationland.com who are running a competition to win a copy of Drew Struzan’s new tutorial DVD, Conceiving and Creating the Hellboy Movie Poster Art. For each week of February that you submit work your name will be entered into the draw (so if you do one then it'll be in once, 4 will enter you four times genius!)

For more info on submissions do this....

So anyway, here is my first submission to Illustration Friday - FOCUS.