crawling baby.

crawling. talking. playing.
...oh the life of a baby...
its crazy to think that in 2 weeks he'll be one year old. where did the time go?

youtube friday.

banksy hits a few nyc museums with his own artwork.



for more info, and to see the artwork he put up, click here.

1,000 journals project book... missing.

at some point in the last year, i lent out this book. it was not returned... i love the book and would really like to get it back.

if it randomly has shown up at your house, in your dorm room, or in your portfolio... could you please please please bring it back... no questions asked.

thanks!

visit their website to learn more about the 1,000 journals project.

pre-college summer art programs.

if you are considering AP art for your senior year, and are going into either your junior or senior year in high school, there are a number of summer opportunities out there for you to extend your artistic thinking and abilities.

most, if not all, art colleges in the nation offer pre-college summer residence programs that you can go to (and in many cases, earn college credit through).

here is a list of ones i would recommend (linked where available):
columbus college of art & design (CCAD)
maryland institute college of art (MICA): baltimore
maryland institute college of art (MICA): tuscany
rochester institute of technology (RIT): see me for info, or call 475.4977 (this is a very cost-effective program taught by webster schroeder's AP art teacher bill stephens)
cleveland institute of art (CIA)
pratt
new york state summer school of the arts (NYSSSA)
savannah college of art & design (SCAD)
college for creative studies (CCS)
the art institute of boston (AIB)

artist of the week :: michael weiss

michael weiss is a baltimore-based painter who is a professor at MICA.
i am struck by the meditative nature of his work. its easy to get lost in the layers of lines and subdued glazes of color.

ap art show closing reception this sunday!

dont forget!
we'd love to see you all there.
i mean, how can you pass up free food and delicious coffee?

new artist links!

i just updated the artist links section on the right side of the page with tons of new contemporary artists for you to check out.

these artists are featured:
robert bellm, hsin-hsi chen, marco cibola, chloe early, regino gonzales, frank gonzalez, david hochbaum, matthew hollings, cody hoyt, sylvia ji, jon kassan, alex lukas, gerardo monterrubio, stina persson, bryan schutmaat, yuri shimojo, yuken teruya, jon todd, ebony truscott, word to mother, and zevs.

happy browsing!

friday wisdom.

BOOOOOOOM!

how have i never heard of this website?
its amazing.

herakut :: 'streetart' in the gallery (video)

this artist collective (2 artists who work together on their paintings) is creating a truly new visual vocabulary. check out how they create their painting surfaces - its about more than just painting something that looks nice. it really builds up from nothing.


here is a video of finished work from the same gallery show:


you can find many more videos of them working on youtube.

new t-shirt on threadless.

"sometimes i get bored"
hilarious because we've all been there...

found on threadless

artist of the week :: sylvia ji

while looking through my newest juxtapoz magazine, it was nice to find some actual good art... i found it in the add for the corey helford gallery (thank you!) in the form of sylvia ji.
ji's art is brimming with history. you can easily see the influence of both alfonse mucha's art nouveau, maxfield parrish's illustrations, and the art of spain and the day of the dead.
they are haunting and beautiful.
check her out on the web at :: sylviaji.com

new artwork :: digital painting

as many of you know, i have a student teacher, jackie sullivan.

she is quite an digital illustrator - but not in the traditional sense. she has been working with the ap students on a digital painting, and i was inspired and did one of my own.

the technique is as follows: start with an ink wash painting (b/w). scan it. paint the colors using photoshop and a wacom drawing tablet. add textures (in my case, pieces of my circle paintings and spray paint splatters). tweak.

jackie's knowledge of photoshop tricks and techniques was inspiring and excited the students as well as me.

the subject of this painting is the ornette coleman quartet (l-r): don cherry, charlie haden, coleman, and ed blackwell.

the title is "the shape of jazz to come". signed and numbered archival digital prints (on rives bfk) are available for sale. contact me for prices.

spraygraphic poster contest.

spraygraphic.com is sponsoring a poster contest and show in conjunction with hoodlums records in tempe, az. i know many of you that read this are designers or artists (if you are a student, you still count!), and love independent, local music... you should think about entering ::


SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BANDS POSTER SHOW

Spraygraphic.com is calling for designers and artists to submit original POSTERS for your favorite LOCAL BANDS from around the world. This show wants to showcase both the artist and the musicians they love by asking designers and artists to create a poster for their favorite Local Band. We expect to end up with a gallery full of diverse, compelling, and fresh posters from all over the world. More importanly, each poster helps support and spread the word about the hardworking Local Bands out their trying to make ends meet with their love for music.

The show will be at Hoodlums Records in Tempe, AZ on March 28th, 2009

artist of the week :: yozu suzuki

yozu suzuki's paintings contain layers upon layers of glazed and wiped-away paint, creating a subtle depth over the portraits that are painted within.
suzuki then adds other linear elements on the top of the pieces, referencing chromosomes, bar codes, and other elements that define something or someone. these not only add an interesting visual element to the pieces, but add layers of subtle meaning.
thanks to mr. stephens for the heads up on this great contemporary artist.

friday wisdom.

community arts day slideshows.

webster's community arts day was held on saturday... as always, it was a great event, showing one of the many facets of what makes webster a great district.

the day was filled with the arts - both visual and performing.

if you want to see the artwork that was hung there (grades 1-12), check out the WTHS art department website and click on 'student art gallery' on the left side.

friday wisdom.

ap art alumni slideshow.

i have updated our new art department website with a slideshow of artwork from my AP art alumni. i am constantly amazed at the work they create.

if you have a second - take a look.

ap art show 2009.

the show is up now, and looks great - it stunning to see so much great student artwork up in one place, all from 2 schools.

thanks goes out to all the webster art teachers for their continued support and education of all our ap students. without all of you, these artists would not be who they are today.

2 examples of the thomas artwork are below:

one cute baby.

how can anyone resist this cuteness? 7 teeth and counting. but he still cant crawl, which i guess is a good thing. but we're excited for when he's able to start moving around a bit.
he talks all the time - always so earnest - like he is really trying to tell you something important.

thank you all.

thanks to everyone who came to see my art exhibit at sips. and thank you especially to those of you who bought paintings. i sold out over half the show!
if you are still interested in any of the remaining pieces or a commission, let me know.
thanks again.
up next - jazz paintings at the little cafe in september.

mixtape :: march 2009

this is my newest mix. the perfect group of songs for the beginning or end of the day.
you can buy most of the songs on itunes, and the others can be found for free through google blog search.
also, i'll be happy to make you a copy if you give me a blank cd.

[the above image is taken from cgtextures.com, a wonderful, copyright free library of textures from around the world. you should check it out.
i just cropped it, tweaked the tones, and added text.]


01. antony w/ bryce dessner - i was young when i left home
02. u2 - tryin’ to throw your arms around the world
03. ben kweller - from hank to hendrix
04. neko case - vengeance is sleeping
05. m. ward - one hundred million years
06. radiohead - sail to the moon (acoustic)
07. bruce springsteen - the wrestler
08. feist & ben gibbard - train song
09. dan auerbach - trouble weighs a ton
10. tom waits - hold on
11. death cab for cutie - lightness (live)
12. pearl jam - black (unplugged)
13. uncle tupelo - fatal wound
14. van morrison - crazy love
15. cat power - dream
16. bon iver - re: stacks
17. ryan adams - times like these
18. the gaslight anthem - the ‘59 sound (acoustic)
19. jeffrey foucault - lodi
20. elbow - running to stand still

colbert on the validity of the HOPE poster.

who knew you could get a great honest debate about art on the colbert report. hes cynical and hilarious, yes... but he's also pretty darn smart.
(watch through the annoying commercial. its worth it)

shepard fairey. character approved.

i know you all know this, but this man is definitely one of my heroes. check out this sweet video from usa's 'character approved'...

new artist links.

i added 3 new links the the artist links section. 2 sketchbook artists, and my new student teacher. they will all be 'artists of the week' in the near future. stay tuned...

james jean::

linda zacks::
jackie sullivan::

doodle for google.

google is running a contest to come up with new creative 'google' logos for their webpage, from students in grades k-12... the theme is 'what i wish for the world'.

i'm sure you've seen the creative logos they have used for different holidays (major ones and random ones) throughout the year. the 'doodles' have to be turned in through your teacher - so if you are interested, let me know and we'll send it in.

check out the link here to find out more information. last year's winners can be found here.

the entries can be hand made or drawn on the computer.

sketchbook :: the path of awareness.

being aware of the world around us will not only connect us more to that world, but in that awareness, we will become better artists.

mindfulness is a buddhist philosophy that stresses being present NOW... not worrying about past, present, or future. being here and being fully a part of our world.

mr. stephens found this great sketchbook worksheet geared towards the mindful artist. i have amended it and attached it above. to download it, click it open into a new window. then right click and choose 'save image as'.

स्मृति

abstract expressionists at the albright-knox.

if you have time, you should check out this exhibit of abstract expressionists (1940-1976) at the albright-knox art gallery in buffalo. its only an hour or so away, and well worth the drive.

as well as seeing this show, their permanent collection is amazing.
the abstract expressionists are some of the most influential american artists in history, and certainly in the 20th century.

the show will include work from: helen frankenthaler, philip guston, jasper johns, willem de kooning, robert motherwell, jackson pollock, mark rothko, and frank stella.

check it out if you have a chance! it runs from february 13 - june 10.

directions
albright-knox homepage
more about the exhibit

artist of the week :: jasper johns.

when i was first really getting into painting in college, my favorite professor doug anderson introduced me to jasper johns and mark rothko. rothko's work was too cold and image-less for me, but johns' paintings spoke to me. his use of texture, collage, and simple yet emotive imagery i found to be very powerful.

the style in which he painted influenced my work in college - broadening my horizons from realism into a whole new realm of expressing myself. i have since continued to study his work closely and it has seeped deeply into my art.

this thursday, february 12, at rochester art supply's cascade art center, there will be a workshop / info session on encaustic painting. this was johns' main painting technique. contact classes@fineartstore.com for more details.