All Blog Posts (1,846)

note: this blog is also at http://www.encausticize.com

May 10, 2012

We went to Artomatic to hang what's there, and i managed to fill most of two walls with paintings.  In one of my walls there is a huge honking metal door, which is locked.  I glued foam to the frame and was starting to figure out a cool backlit encaustic installation, but when we got to the room the foam strips…

my wife is into genealogy, tracing her roots all the way back to the basque region of spain.  what has that got to do with this blog on francis bacon?  well i have been fascinated by a few artists like basquiat, heirst, klee etc in this happy passion of mine called painting.  so in reading up some of their bios, i would encounter bar none, a section on who their favorite (or one that influenced them) in their art.  it got me thinking, like the chart my wife does with her learning exercise,…

an interesting video from tate. curator ann gallagher does a walkthrough with damien hirst himself on the exhibition rooms.  i have often thought that he is a good study for artist who wants to punch through the crowd and clutter. does he make great art? there are some gems (imho) but i'm fascinated more by the persona.

http://youtu.be/YWSb9QMlLoQ?hd=1

other videos:…

I thought I would share the photos I took on my second visit to this installation at the Curve Gallery, Barbican Centre in the City of London. I found it it very touching.

This description is from the Barbican website:

"A poignant meditation on family life and the artist’s own childhood during the Cultural Revolution, the installation comprises over 10,000 items collected by Song Dong’s mother, Zhao Xiangyuan, over five decades - ranging from a section of the family home,…

I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been visiting this site as often as I should, as there are soooo many wonderful, talented artists here. I've been in a rut lately and haven't done much creating and then I remembered Loving Mixed Media. I'm starting to feel the tickle of creative energy in my fingers. Thank you Gary and everyone else for the continued inspiration.

 I am donating a piece of artwork to charity and they require an art appraisal in order to issue me a tax receipt. I have an artists friend and gallery owner who may be able to do the appraisal for me but I need a good blank appraisal form to provide him with.  Does anyone know where to find good sample art appraisal forms? I did a quick search and havn't really found anything yet. I am looking for something with the appropriate categories that we can simply fill in.

Thanks…

Leading a class on found objects and printmaking at a materials re-cycle center in our area this month.  Business people donate lots of their "extras" and this center arranges them and sells them at very low prices to teachers and parents, mostly.  We have a group of early childhood educators that meet 5 or 6 times of year to explore materials and methods together with the idea of offering new and more complex experiences to young children.

i'm about to tick one item of my to do list for this year. to sell my works commercially. yay! so far i've 'sold' my works by donating pieces for our annual charity events.  and most often, given out to friends who i think will accept (or is the word tolerate? ;) my hobby. but i'm growing confident (thanks in part to LMM) that this, this passion of mine, can be something that i would love do more in the future. maybe pay the bills too. anyways... back to group show story.

i've taken…

Today I visited a major retrospective show of the work of Lucian Freud at the National Portrait Gallery. I have admired  his work for a long time and wanted to see some of the well-known works - it was a great collection spanning his whole career and I loved it. Wish I could have taken photos but well, you know how it is... anyway after the first hour it was HEAVING with so many people it was difficult to see the…

My vision of what I want to create with other artist-healers is so real to me that I know it already

exists on some other universe layer:

CREATIVE SANCTUARY

Artist healers  seeking sanctuary from worldly concerns  are welcome to…

im feeling totally uninspired i havent finished or started anything in months and it kills me to look into my studio and not feel anything i dont know what to do to find that spark but looking at my old works i discover i hate them all none of them express who and what i am now the factions and splits in my soul now make me feel almost regretful of time past by

YOUR EYES/VISION !!!

yesterday i had an eye exam and was diagnosed with FUCHS' DYSTROPHY!  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004550/

i'm still in somewhat a state of shock. all i was expecting was to have to get stronger glasses. this diagnosis has commanded my attention.  i will REALLY appreciate all that i can see. i will visualize and create more art than ever now while i…

can house paint (interior or exterior) be used on canvas??  i have several cans of left over house paint i'd like to use up.

For about a year now I've had a few of my assemblages in a couple of galleries in my area: Des Moines and Ames, Iowa. Eventually, I'd like to try and find a gallery or two in one or more of the "urban" areas in states bordering Iowa: Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Chicago for example.

My issue is: what's the best way for artists to find galleries that sell similar work? One simple answer is to drive to each of these cities and visit the hundreds of available galleries. This,…

Today I had a little trip down to Sussex, my favourite corner of the world... to see Mitsi Brown's solo show in the cutesy village of Alfriston. It was a perfect day and really warm for late March, clear blue sky and birds singing fit to bust - fantastic!

Here is a video of the day.

I painted…

http://nikkostudio.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-goodies-have-arrived.html

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

http://nikkostudio.blogspot.com/2012/03/mostly-removing-color.html

(Mostly) Removing Color.

Today I had a day out with Joan... we kicked off with a visit to the Mall Galleries to see the annual exhibition of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, including works by some of my favourites - Shirley Trevena, Lillias August, Bill Toop and many more. From there we took a Tube (how I loathe…

The   Creative  Spirit  leads me  into  many worlds.   I’ve  trekked   alone in the Himalayas  and lived  naked in virgin jungles of Hawaii.  I’ve  been   scientist,   monastic in a mystic order artist and  teacher.    I seem to  learn  the  same  lessons wherever I  am:   to have faith in the unknown; to ride the  wave of the moment;  to let go of  the illusion  of control;    to plumb the depths of mind and emotion  without fear  or  judgment.   And  best of  all --to…

"What is Constant in Art" is a question posed by my model drawing instructor.

So, what are some answers you could think of?