“The meaning of the work is in the doing of it.” Cy Twombly
I made my list of everything I have to do before I leave, all the stuff I must gather and fit in the bag, and I've started on dumping stuff in the refrigerator if I know I can't eat it in a few days. Today I spend at the studio and hopefully get 'The Girls' in completed shape- well, completed enough that I won't have lost my thought-train by the time I get back. And these days that's easy.
A few days ago I saw an actress with an extreme hairdo on a talk show. It looked just like an actress from the 80's signature style but I absolutely could NOT grab her name from my mind tunnels. It really worries me when this happens, but I tried all my 'tricks' to grab it as it floated by to no avail. Then, predictably, at 3 AM I woke up with a start and there it was, sitting on my head and laughing at me. Grace Jones. Then, of course, I absolutely couldn't remember WHY I was trying to remember 'Grace Jones', WHY this stupid fact was so bloody important...
I think that in advancing ages, the mind is like a big file cabinet that is simply overstuffed with the parts of a lived life. Sure, you can go through it, but dumping anything is very difficult- it usually simply ends up in a different filing system that has to be accessed in some convoluted way that hits at 3 AM. From now on I'm calling it the Grace Jones System for Unrecoverable Thoughts.
You simply have to wait her out.
10. Read Trade Journals. Whenever I read an art publication or a trade journal devoted to art, I find at least one important item to add to my store of information. These magazines bring an overview of the whole art world right into your studio-and they are chock full of the kinds of facts, opinions, and analyses that will keep you up-to-date in your chosen profession.
Even the advertising in these magazines can be critical to your career, because by perusing the ads, you can determine what kind of work interests art consultants, private dealers, galleries, and museums. The editorials and feature articles keep you apprised of new opportunities as well as the names of key players at various institutions.
There are many different publications, so make sure to familiarize yourself with many of them in order to decide which will be most helpful to you. Be sure to read art magazines that are specific to your work, whether it is painting, prints, sculpture, photography, or crafts. And don't neglect the many newsletters in your field.
Regional art publications are another resource that should not be neglected. For example, on the West Coast, there is Art Week, and in the South there is ART Paper, and in New England there is ART New England. By reading these magazines, you will keep up with art events and active artists, dealers, and museums in your area. Finally, the national and international art publications keep you connected to the art world in the United States and throughout the world, without your having to travel to major cities.
Hope you've found this interesting. S.
As technology threatens to replace the printed word, there has never been a better time to reimagine the book.
Inspired by the way silkworms weave delicate cocoons from a single strand of silk, this pavilion at MIT was created using a base of robot-woven threads wrapping a steel frame, completed by 6,500 live silkworms which were let loose upon this primary structure. Watch a fascinating video here-
Interior Design - James Friedman, Photographer, from his statement:
'Curiosity led me to cut my collection of golf balls in half to see what the cores looked like. To my surprise, what I found inside inspired me to consider that I could discover, in the unlikeliest of places, elegant formal qualities and surprising metaphorical possibilities. Interior Design has moved me to be enthusiastic about abstraction, an exciting corollary to my work as a documentary photographer.'
made from thousands of tiny green plastic soldiers
The conceptual installations of artist Ole Ukena have a certain subtle humor. However, the installations don’t seem intentionally funny as much as the surprising innocence of a young insight. Each installation seems to pose a simple question that isn’t easily answered. Appropriately, Ukena is also the founder of a foundation that organizes collaborations between artists and youths worldwide. Ukena says of his process;“I am not limiting myself to one medium. I simply can’t. It’s a constant adventure, finding new materials in the countries in which I travel, encountering objects or phrases that can be transformed into specific, meaningful pieces. While my work often displays a strong conceptual nature, I am also very drawn to the intuitive.This balancing energy forces me to step out of my mind and just create. These forces are like my left and right hand. My works try to create a map of the human mind, in an attempt to tell a tale about the very nature of it with all its possibilities, limitations, irritations, and hopes.”
1 comment :
Hey! I can't believe how you described the inside of your head like a filing system where things get put in the wrong file! That is how I think of mine!
One time I saw something on telly about the BBC film archives down in some climate controlled tunnel somewhere. The films were classified somehow and were stored individual solid rooms with gaps between - like rows of separate 3rd pig huffandpuff proof houses - to keep any potential fire from damaging the whole lot.
I think visually A LOT. From that point on, I just know there are all these rooms in my head. Each room is full of filing cabinets. sometimes someone lazy just chucks things in the wrong room and I have to go through several before I can find it when I need it! LOL
Okay, now I can read the rest of the post! But I had to tell you. ;-P
Sandy in the UK
thank you for reading the above to the end...if you did!
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