art market this weekend

I love this market going on at the Sugarhouse Garden Center.  Definitely put it on your schedule if you are local.

MOA at the Y

 I went to the MOA last night to see the Carl Bloch exhibit and while I was touched by the way he captured the life of Christ in his beautiful paintings and enjoyed seeing the familiar paintings in person, I wish I would have gone at a less crowded time. 

I prefer being able to take it all in without feeling squished in with so many others, but I'm glad it is drawing crowds because his work is really exceptional.

I spent the majority of my time wandering the other exhibits and took forbidden photos of this giant block of books. 
{such a rebel, I'm waiting for someone to contact me and tell me to take it down.}

 A war poster exhibit was also going on downstairs that I would have loved spending more time enjoying.  As you know, I'm a big fan of WWII history and the vintage posters are so pretty.

My favorite poster in the exhibit.

{link for war posters}

A Man of Many Colors - meet Bill Thierfelder

Photo by CLIFF SATRIANO, "Photo Stories, New York"

This week I continue profiling artist friends with a man whose philosophy and approach to life I admire as a fine example of a Jack of All Trades/Renaissance Man. His passion for contributing to the social good while pursuing a wide spectrum of interests sets a wonderful example for others, so I’m pleased to introduce Bill Thierfelder of Long Island, New York. This week some of Bill’s artwork will be featured at The Gallery at 40 South in Patchogue, NY - opening this Saturday, April 16. 

Bill has a long list of credits, but when I first met him I knew him more as the Professor of English at Dowling College and as a friend of a friend of a friend! Since that time I’ve discovered his many talents and gathered a respect for his philosophy and approach towards life, which finds it equally important to enjoy his artistic pursuits while giving back to the well-being of the community. He does this while maintaining a zest and curiosity for life. Over the years I’ve enjoyed gazing upon his colorful artistic pursuits, read some of his clever science fiction novels, heard him give well-researched lectures on historical figures, and cheered him on as he’s raised money and awareness for local organizations. Bill has continued to utilize his experience in new ways and continually develop himself through time, a key element for all Renaissance Men to embrace.

"Opus 5B" by Bill Thierfelder - January 2011

I put forth a few questions for Bill to answer to give a greater glimpse into this knowledgeable and well-rounded man:

1. How do you describe yourself as an artist?
Eclectic. Art, writing, and motivational speaking form the core of who I am as an artist--with occasional forays into music composition. These are the ways I “speak” to the world around me. (I also listen that way, too. Exploring art, reading, attending lectures, and listening to music all fill up the spiritual well.)

2. What are the main genres you explore as a Jack of All Trades?
Writing, Drawing, and Motivational Speaking.

3. What is your favorite medium to work and why?
In my writing, I love to experiment with narrative possibilities and multiple perspectives--viewing the same set of characters or incidents from multiple angles. Why? Because I feel connected to the idea of perceiving things in multifaceted ways. All this rooted in my study of phenomenology and existentialism. In my art, I enjoy using some of the basic “childhood” tools--crayons, markers, ink pens, and colored pencils. Art was one of my first loves and I continue to use the media I used back then.

4.  How do you organize your time to complete work? Any trade secrets to successfully being a Jack of All Trades?
I work on something when it feels right. Sometimes that’s in the morning, but most times it’s afternoons or evenings. When I create, I need to step away frequently and do other things and then come back, so I might end up working on a lecture for a library, a piece of art, and a short story all on the same day, switching off from one to the other with other things in between. So I guess you could say that I work in “sound bites” of fifteen minutes up to an hour or so before I switch off to something else. Fortunately, I switch gears easily because even though I may stop working on a drawing to head off to work on a story, the piece of art is still percolating in my head. Maybe a good comparison or metaphor might be choral singing. The complete work is really made up of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses working together to create harmony. So art might be the sopranos, writing the altos, lecturing the tenors, and my other creative “stuff” (like cooking and gardening) the basses. I am the “complete work.” When you ask who I am, I’m those four separate voices working together to make a whole.

"Beethoven Piano Concerto 5" by Bill Thierfelder 2008

5. What and who have been major influences and inspirations for your work?
 I love William Blake who meshed his writing and his art into a unified whole. One worked with the other. My list of favorite writers is endless, depending on the mood. Toni Morrison, Walt Whitman, the English Romantic poets, Emerson, Thoreau, existential writers, and all those grand Canadian ladies: Shields, Atwood, Munro. As for art, my “temple” is the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I can wander the galleries for hours, absorbing everything I see. The American Museum of Natural History and The Metropolitan Opera have also been and remain favorite, important “watering holes.”

6. Do you have a story you would like to share about the circumstances behind any particular work?
 I think all my work--the drawings and the stories--are very much informed by my day-to-day feelings and ideas. I really don’t write or draw anything “autobiographical” in the sense that I re-tell specific incidents. But I use my feelings and ideas as a launching point. A lot of my sense of isolation over the years (some of it self-imposed for self-protection) can be found in the kinds of characters and plot lines I create. My need to organize and synthesize (which is rooted in the emotionally unstable life I endured as a child) can be found in all my art. On the surface, it’s an abstract, seemingly spontaneous and colorful explosion of vivid colors. But if you look carefully, you’ll see that each drawing is really constructed from intricate layers of geometric shapes and or repeated, intricate design “bytes.”

7. What is next for you?
 My work as an artist is getting increasing recognition--I’ve been shown in Manhattan and at two different Long Island galleries in just the first four months of this year. I hope to see that trajectory bloom. I also continue to write stories and keep submitting them; someday “the break” will come. I don’t write for myself; I want to share with others and create a conversation. And I love my motivational work shops called MAKING WINGS: LIVING DELIBERATELY--what better thing to do than to help people see that they are treasure, that they can live meaning-filled lives, and that within them are all the tools they need for spiritual, emotional, and physical contentment.


You can discover more about Bill Thierfelder on his website: http://www.makingwings.net/

And for more of the  photographer Cliff Satriano's "Photo Stories NY": http://photostoriesny.com

"Final Exam: Question Three" by Bill Thierfelder 2009

"Final Exam: Answer Three" by Bill Thierfelder 2009

fresh entry way

Earlier today I was talking with a client about art options to go above a console she is considering for her entry way.   I love the console for the shape, and the fun french phrases scrawled all over it so I thought something light and colorful would compliment it well.  

She has lots of red in her home and while her taste leans more towards the traditional, I couldn't help pulling a few fun options I liked for the space knowing her personality and love of color.  

 So the ones I chose to pair with it would be a little too bold for her, but she did love the floral that I did show her.  Pair it with a great lamp and a few accessories and she will be on her way to having a great entry way.

Market Monday: Deco MOD Walls

 I don't believe at all in coincidences so when I met Ann last week I knew it was the perfect time to launch my idea for a series called Market Monday featuring talented people and their wares.

I was at a very dear friend's home last Thursday evening about two bites into my delicious Cafe Rio salad and ready to start a movie when the door bell rang.  It was some family stopping in with birthday wishes for her and when she unwrapped her lovely home made gift  I really hoped this girl had some kind of shop set up to sell her goods because I wanted one too!

Lucky for me, and for you, she has not one etsy shop, but two!

Deco MOD Walls was my first stop when I got home and jumped online to check her out and ideas immediately started forming of ways I could use this fun product.

{possibly the 'tween' room I've got in the mix? I could see these pretty flowers on her wall below her wall mounted flat screen.}

The second shop, Annzania, is dedicated to her folk art that I almost instantly fell in love with one of the prints she had called 'Nesting'.  I say she had a print because it is now on its way to my house and I can't wait!  If you're local and have ever gone to the Art Market in Sugarhouse you'll recognize her work.

Then I found her blog {I think I went a bit blog stalker}and she does family portraits too!  Her talent seems limitless.

And the good news for you?

She's offering my readers 20% off this week!!

Enter SPARROW20 at check out.

Happy shopping and be sure to become a follower to hear about upcoming market Mondays and other fun things going on here.

'tangled up in blue'

My draft of a painting of Bob Dylan that I've wanted to try for awhile now.  Watercolor is still a daunting medium for me because it is so unpredictable.  Though that is the appeal of playing with it I suppose.  The scanned image here seems washed out, but the painting propped up next to me looks more vibrant and has some depth to the shadows.  I'll try to play that up in the next try.

I've had Boots of Spanish Leather playing to get me in the mood as I've been blending ultramarine, cobalt and payne's gray to find the perfect mix.  Such a beautifully haunting song, it'll forever remind me of a night it came on my ipod while I was way out to sea somewhere off the coast of Nicaragua.  I love those chance happenings when life has a soundtrack. 

{lyrics can be found here and inspiration for my monochromatic water color here.}

Fun timing to try this painting since I was browsing the blogs as it dried and found this Paint Party going on over at Room Remix - the blog and decided to play along.  Go check it out here.

CPARS Part 2: The VALENTINE PEACE PROJECT

Federico Hewson in Amsterdam on Feb. 14, 2010

Holidays are moments filled with all manner of ceremony and traditions passed on for generations. Since talking last week a bit about Contemporary Performance Art Rituals and the fact Valentine’s Day is close at hand, I thought it would be great to focus on how one individual, Federico Hewson, is leading the cause to redefine (and ReBegin) the way we perceive the tradition of giving out flowers on that special day (and others) with his non-profit initiative, The Valentine Peace Project (The VPP).

Imagine walking down the street and suddenly coming upon a group of people passing out free Fair Trade produced flowers. Attached to the stem is a refreshing poem about world or inner peace that was written by school children or famous authors submitted to The VPP website. It isn’t about forcing a religious perspective, but about raising awareness of peace, conscious practices, and Fair Trade products. I love it for it’s simple, refreshing take on a ritual that has been mass marketed as a romantic event and excuse for selling sugar and flowers that leave a massive carbon footprint.

Federico and a happy flower recipient in Amsterdam 2009

I’ve participated in handing out the flowers on many occasions since its beginning, and the response from people can be so amazing. I’ve had several experiences where the receiver of the flower was filled with joy by the receipt of the flower, or was moved to tears by the poem. One lady gave me a hug because she had never received a flower on Valentine’s day before. Being a giver of flowers is so rewarding, and there is definitely an energy transfer that takes place as you hand out flowers imbued with messages of peace. In time, with enough people participating in this new type of Contemporary Performance Art Ritual, it could bring about a real transformation in our relationship to peace.

with Rochelle Palkowitz at the Downtown LA Art Walk on Feb 14, 2008

Federico shares the following about his labor of love:

The Valentine Peace Project started as a community project in 2005 to open up the definition of February 14 as a day to not only celebrate romantic love - but love in all its many faces - friendship, basic human connection and community, and to underline the work of peace building.  Love and peace is normally a cliche 60s slogan - but what does love mean outside of romance and next to spiritual practice?  Where is peace in our relationships, in our hearts, and where can we locate it in a global community still plagued by deadly violence?

Moving into the 21st century the Project is now evolving into a social enterprise to be a vehicle for many of our 'symbols of love' to 'work for peace' via products or gifts of love giving to conflict resolution on many levels - a business with a social development goal.

But this is about The VPP as a performance ritual - a ritual that started by writing a poem or message of peace - rolling it into a scroll and giving it away or wrapping it around a flower to handout on the streets.  With thousands of Fair Trade roses donated in the Netherlands together with thousands of poems the city of Amsterdam has been and will be blanketed February 14 in citywide peace performance art with individuals making cards, passing out flower poems, performing music and folding origami to leave on cafe seats or hand out to tourists.  

Children participating in Peace Education project in Amsterdam 2009  that includes putting the poems on flowers before handing them out

"Make something beautiful and give it away.  Energize, underline and help manifest the true integrity of love."

Flowers, poems, cards, thoughts of peace - tied with a ribbon or wrapped around flowers or chocolate or shared virtually - these have been the rituals of the Valentine Peace Project for five years now- reflecting, promoting and acting upon the work of love and the promise of peace in today's connecting world.


SO…Take action - write or find a favorite poem on love and pass it around this February- and check out the website  at www.ValentinePeaceProject.org to become involved!

More pictures of The Valentine Peace Project in action can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/geminirise

while singing a song of peace during "Love & P's"party at the Pollination Pavilion on Feb 14, 2010

Shakuntala & Kuva look great with flowers at the Downtown LA ArtWalk on Feb. 14, 2008

Rochelle is one happy woman who loves to pass out flowers for peace!

CPARS Part 1- Contemporary Performance Art Rituals - Clean Square

Performance Art: an unconventional form of theatrical performance that can occur using a variety of media, anywhere, anytime, and for any length of time
Ritual: a state or condition characterized by the presence of established procedure or routine

Performance Art Rituals are an ancient art form, connected with the power of community gathering, prayer and ceremony. Think about Native American Rain Dances, African Warrior Dances, Catholic Mass, Jewish Seders, and Weddings as a few examples and the deeply rooted cultural roles they play. There is a certain type of sacred power that performing such rituals contain, an energy that comes from a traditional routine passed along for generations. Some new age practitioners and scientists are even looking into the energy fields that are created over time by the repetition of such events, but more on that another time.

Contemporary Western life contains "minor" forms of performance art rituals: one could see a morning cup of coffee while reading the paper or the attendance of an annual sport or theatrical event (like the Super Bowl or Nutcracker) as types of it. Today marks the 2nd Anniversary of the historic Presidential inauguration, which is a good example of one. It was indeed an event attended by a large number of people, involving various performances and a traditional practice passed down for many generations (the swearing in, among other elements). I feel that creating personalized performance art rituals in your life is a great way to manifest more vital creative energy. 

Clean Square from Jason Jenn on Vimeo.


For me personally,  today also marks the 2nd Anniversary of the collaborative creation of my own contemporary performance art ritual: the Clean Square Project - created on a busy urban sidewalk just three blocks away from my loft in MacArthur Park. It was performed at the same time as the inauguration as a symbolic gesture of cleaning up the energy of the past administration and paving the way for a new reality. I really love the message and visuals this project conveyed, and while I looked forward to the creation of many more, some unfortunate issues prevented it from happening. Still, I happily share this footage as an example of what is possible with Contemporary Performance Art Ritual and hope that someday soon it may be revived by its collaborator.

Click picture for larger view

Change Your Perspective

Changing your perspective can offer such profound improvements in accessing more out of your creative life and it's a wonderful exercise to take on as we enter this new year.  So much can be gained by this simple concept. I don't think too much needs to be said about it, we all know it, but just forget to utilize it enough. Try to more actively/consciously take this concept on in the weeks ahead.

If ever you feel stuck creatively, altering your viewpoint can help shake things up, offer a new insight,  and get the energy flowing again. If you find yourself running up against the same challenges, rather than just approaching it in the same way, try out a new one. You could very well be pleasantly surprised by the results. In fact, a new perspective can simply be getting someone's outside opinion or advice. It's a tool for both art and personal life, and really aids with understanding people who might otherwise seem so strange. A rigid way of looking at things is not a strong one, just stubborn.

I think the following pictures show the concept rather well.

Perspective 1 - a quick snapshot shows off the leaves, but looks rather bland

Perspective 2 - a closer look and skewed angle brings more energy to it

Perspective 3 - a view from above creates a bold visual statement

So, how can you apply this concept immediately to something in your art or life?

Try it out in a variety of ways, and share the results!

Tabula Rasa

A blank slate, a clean slate, a fresh start, a new page...

The new year offers new opportunities to take on the transformative process for Your ReBegin. It's a great time of year to start up new endeavors, but also a great time for clearing the slate for what last year was.  Don't skip over the important step of clearing the decks! Allow yourself time to be with nothingness. You can't fill a container that is already full, so after the mad rush of energy that was likely expended toward the end of the year holidays, means January is great for recharging the batteries. Take a breath and allow yourself to slow down a little - empty out. And within that period of nothingness, comes renewed inspiration for the journey ahead.

In the cycle of life, winter in the northern hemisphere is time for slowing down, breaking down the life from the previous year to use as fertilizer for new life.

Worried about past mistakes or overwhelmed with too much on the mind? This is a great time to unleash any baggage or past hindrance to your creativity and tap into your pure potential. Wipe everything else away and start from scratch. Enjoy the refreshing beauty.

Do you fear the idea of nothingness, emptiness? Frightened of a blank canvas, the blank page? Embrace the void as a great place to be - let yourself sit with that for as long as needed. We tend to feel like we have to fill our lives with busy-ness in order to feel alive, but we are part of nature and need to follow the natural rhythm. Just as fields benefit from being fallow from time to time to replenish their nutrients, so must we to recharge the creativity we expend. All manner of life is working beneath the surface, unseen to the eye, but with processes most important for us. Our unconscious mind will come up with all manner of creative ideas to birth out of the blank slate.

HAPPY NEW YEAR (in the Gregorian Calendar that is) 

2011 is a wonderful new canvas for life: 

Enjoy what manifests!

wish list: new pillows

 I've been playing with the idea of having some pillows made for my bed someday really soon.  The problem is I'm a bit of a wandering soul these days and maybe it isn't the smartest thing to have anything made when who knows where I'll be next and what I'll want then?   

Rational me says, "You're just fine with your mishmash of bedding and sad pathetic flat pillows that feel more like rocks than pillows." The Designer me says "But grey will always be your favorite color, and mixing it with that green you love can never be a bad thing, and you'll love having fluffy new pillows..."

Ladies, ladies!  Please.

So to help with the decision, I made this {above} last night to go above my bed using all those colors to see if I really do love them.

That was silly.  Of course I do.  And I love the geometric pattern with the velvet coral...

Sweet dreams.

Walk: Make Art Whatever the Weather & Artist Profile: Yozmit

Here's a photo to emphasize that taking art walks is a necessity no matter how cold it is outside!

When it comes to inspiring urban environments to walk among, New York City ranks high and mighty. It's a city of numerous stimulating sights and sounds. It can be flourishing and pulsating, gritty and intense, vibrant and exhilarating, and at times overwhelming! This past week I was happy to trade in the t-shirts of Los Angeles for the bundled up layers of the Big Apple. I love the ease of moving around a city built for pedestrians, and even though my cheeks got rosy and my fingers numb at times, I was thrilled to be exercising my feet, and in the process my brain (see last week's post about the neurological benefits of regular walks).

Even though I saw shows (a few Broadway, an edgy alternative dance and an intimate cabaret) and art exhibitions, nothing quite thrills me like taking long walks in the NYC streets. And after feasting upon images of all sorts for several days, I ended my trip by meeting up with some fellow artist friends for a couple of photo shoots. This week, I focus my attention on Yozmit Mukta Avalokita, a very multi-talented gender-transcendent artist, fashion designer, performer, musician, and spiritualist.

Yo and I met several years ago in Rachel Rosenthal workshops. We've performed and collaborated in several pieces together. When I first moved to MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, Yo was my neighbor and welcomed me to the 'hood by taking me on my first walk through the park (which I have subsequently documented diligently during many a dog walk) and to lunch at Mama's Hot Tamales (a fixture of the community). His home for the past several years is NYC. I visited her in spring while she was involved in the performance recreations of Marina Abramovic's "The Artist is Present" exhibition at MOMA and it was great to visit once more this month.

I wanted to mark the occasion by taking photos of Yo for part of a new series I'm working on pairing up artist friends with digitally manipulated flowers that expresses part of their artistic personality (you'll see examples in time - these pictured here are pre-process). When Yo choose the lotus blossom, I thought shooting Yo underwater would be great. In asking Yo if he knew of anywhere we could do that, he declared Central Park. I was thinking a tub or an indoor pool. Somehow the freezing temperatures didn't seem to phase her, but I didn't want to risk her catching pneumonia.

She assured me that meeting up in the park and seeing what happened was the best way to go. I liked and trusted her approach. It didn't take long for us to find the perfect spot - a section of a pond near the southeast corner was covered with a thin layer of ice. So Yo stripped above the chest and laid out partially on the ice.

Because the process of making art is a very spiritual one for Yo, he mentioned that after the initial shock of cold, it didn't seem to bother him very much - it was a matter of mental discipline to ignore it.  A little crowd gathered around us, shocked that someone would brave the elements like she was.

After the shoot we continued our reunion by strolling around the park and talking about the importance of walking in the artistic process. We discussed spontaneity and being open to the surprises of nature - how surrendering our minds allows for an experience of transcendence. At times we took notice of the placement of leaves on the ground or little birds foraging for food. At one point Yo was elated to come upon an arrangement of tree branches that reminded her of the exact image she had in a dream the night before and showed me her sketch of it in her journal.

During our time together I definitely got the sense that Yozmit's spiritual and artistic growth is combining in beautiful ways. I got to hear an early track of upcoming music that combines pop/dance sensibility with spirituality. The lotus blossom's roots in the murky depths and beautiful flowering bloom above the water is the perfect representation for her.

"Walking is something very ordinary, but something very special, like the present moment...life."

- Yozmit

Yozmit is currently doing a series of "walks" - part performance, part meditative art pieces in which she dresses up in her self-designed and made costume/fashions and moves through various locations. To see more of Yozmit's art, ranging from the shocking to the spiritual - go to: http://yozmit.com/

Yozmit in full regalia during one of her performance/meditative walks in Bedstuy, Brooklyn recently.
Photo by Jonathan Balthaser

Natural Resources 2: The Walk of Life

 

I thought I would continue sharing some pictures from a wonderful afternoon spent walking along Puget Sound in Seattle in early November. I like to capture still photographs and videos of the environment to study and remind me of the beauty of the natural resources. Those images can stand on their own, come in handy as components in the future in any number of ways through collage or art pieces, or serve to inspire a completely different work. The key is going on an artist’s expedition/walk and opening up to the surroundings.

Taking long walks that allow an artist to clear the mind, gain from the environment and receive inspiration are key ingredients in a myriad of creative consulting methods. Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way considers regular walks one of the three basics. It is a theme I’ve heard echoed by many mentors and read in many books on the subject. I have certainly found immense value in them and will continue to explore the theme in various ways during future blogs. And now, science agrees to the great benefit of walking!

Various scientific studies* have shown a good walk is not just good for the body, but excellent for the health of the brain in building connectivity between brain circuits. Apparently there are several distinct brain circuits, one of them called the Default Mode Network (DMN), which dominates all brain activity when people are least engaged with the outside world, which includes the act of passively observing and daydreaming. Having greater connectivity enhances a myriad of brain functions and can help stave off the decline that comes with aging. While the studies focus on how important it is for aerobic/brisk walking once a week for a full year to see results, I would postulate that taking walks with a creatively-focused agenda can do wonders as well. 

Creative walks keep the mind curious and engaged! Walks are also excellent for problem solving and stress reduction. There’s a history of great minds gaining key inspirations when they went out walking. The act of movement and shift of location and energy resources likely shift our thinking as well, allowing whatever challenging puzzles are on the mind to take on new arrangements and solutions.

Some recommendations:
Employ a variety of approaches to your walking experience. At times you can keep it brisk for exercise and other moments slowing down to carefully observe the natural resources around you. Take in the big and small views. Keep a curious mind and make a game of your walking experience.
DON’T answer your phone; talking to someone else keeps you disconnected from the world around you and you’ll immediately lose those brain benefits. DO take along any or all of the following: a camera to build up your own personal library of image, a little sketch book or notepad along with you in case you need to draw or write something down, a tape recorder to record your voice or song. 

Each walk offers up a new batch of features and a new way to connect patterns of the outside world that can enhance your inside world’s neuro-circuitry. Each walk will offer up a little treasure to savor.

So I know it might be funny talking about the importance of walking during the wintertime for the northern climates, but come on, what are you doing still sitting there?

Go give your brain a walk!

* for specific details and study info read this article: 

http://daol.aol.com/articles/walking-boosts-the-brain?ncid=webmail