artist of the week :: ben aronson

atmosphere... thats what i love about ben aronson's paintings. they capture the feeling of the place, which can be so much more interesting and important artistically than the realistic look of the place.

pay special attention to the brushstrokes in the closeups of each image... how it informs our understanding of the atmosphere of the place... how he feels in that place, and how we would feel if we were there with him. if you have ever been to san fransisco, you would agree with me that these paintings perfectly capture how it feels to be there.

aronson was born in 1959. he earned both his BFA and MFA from boston university school of fine art, where he studied with phillip guston (who opened his eyes to the west coast figurative painters like thiebaud and diebenkorn). you can see the influence of all 3 artists in his paintings.

enjoy!

friday wisdom.

studio in art :: artists to research

frank gehry

frank stella


pablo picasso

the 3 artists we'll be basing our sculptures on are shown above... dont forget to do your research!

i look forward to hearing what you find out.

artist of the week :: clive smith

a fan favorite during our drawing 2 slide show last week, i thought that clive smith would make a fitting 'artist of the week'. he is a comtemporary figurative painter born in england in 1967. one of his big breaks was in the representing representation show at the arnot museum in elmira, ny (2 hours south of rochester) in 1999.

smith explores the human figure and the frontiers (both real and imagined) that confront us all. click on the images to enlarge them, and look at the great texture in each piece. the brushstrokes help convey the message. he currently lives and paints in nyc.

strangely, there is another contemporary artist who shares his name who you may find if you search the internet for him. if you are interested in seeing more images of his work, see me.

finally... some good concerts...

its been a long, concert-less year so far in 2008... but it looks like we're ending the year on a high note here in western new york.

and its about time.

ryan adams & the cardinals were here a few weeks ago... you can read my review (and hear the show) below.

iron & wine (with new sup pop-ers blitzen trapper) come to buffalo on november 14th. i have wanted to see them live for years. i CANNOT wait for this show.

ani difranco returns home to buffalo on november 29th. she will be playing at babeville, a church built in the 1800s that was going to be demolished. in 2007, ani bought the beautiful building, restored it, and now it is used as a concert venue, banquet hall, as well as the headquarters for her own righteous babe records.

then, to cap it all off, WILCO is coming to rochester's auditorium theater on december 6th. if you like getting your face melted off, you need to buy yourself a ticket when they go on sale soon.

all we need now is a solo eddie vedder tour stop, and my year will be complete.

friday wisdom.

see the full lyrics :: ani difranco "present/infant"

artist of the week :: shepard fairey.

so now all of you in my classes have been exposed to one of my favorite artists. his name is shepard fairey and he is the creator of the OBEY phenomenon. you've seen the giant logo and the 'make art not war' poster plastered everywhere in my world...

many of you have asked me questions about him, so i thought link you to a bio on him, as well as to a catalog of his prints (both via thegiant.org), as well to a san fransisco gallery that just had a big show of his work. (many of these pieces i had not even seen before, so when i stumbled upon it i was really excited.)

thegiant.org :: bio page, catalog of prints
white walls gallery sf :: shepard fairey: the duality of humanity

ryan adams & the cardinals

on october 28th, ryan adams & the cardinals will release their new album 'cardinology'. i've been listening to it all day as i painted the living room (i think i went through it 4 times), and let me tell you.... it is amazing. sublime. its the perfect soundtrack to a sunny fall afternoon. a little bit country, and a little bit alt-rock'n'roll.

on a related note, we saw ra+tc at the auditorium theater a few weeks back (aaron from aaron's alley was there!!!) and it was a wonderful show that translated well on the soundboard recording, which can be found at thearchive.org ... check it out!

WSA logo design contest

Hey Webster ART students...

Every year, WSA holds an annual soccer tournament called the Lakefront Classic hosting over 200 teams. They are looking for someone to create a new logo for this tournament. The logo will be used on brochures, apparel, and anything else they need to use it for the tournament.
The winner will be awarded a $100.00 check.
All entries must be submitted to kimberly_lanzafame@websterschools.org on behalf of WSA by Monday, November 3rd. (If you are going to hand-draw it, I would be happy to help you scan and fix it)
*This contest is ONLY for Webster High School Students

(This is the old logo for your reference)

"wait for yours, ry!"

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ryan meyer... may you rest in peace my old friend.
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you will not be forgotten.
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somebaby is almost 6 months old!

is he the cutest thing ever, or what?

friday wisdom.

i know its long... but well worth the read.