Animal Behavior

Duck Duck Goose

Got to speak to Goose Gossage, the Yankee closer in the late 70's, this morning on the radio. This dude could hurl.

The lost art of giving head

Narrative structure

Here's a flash animation with an interesting Narrative structure.

Nice Kitty

(thanks Kelly)

Hellbent on Autun

Will be going to France soon to check out churches and museums in the northern part of France and the Loire Valley. Autun is out of the way but worth the excursion to see Ingres' St. Symphorian painting in the cathedral. You Beantowners know the amazing painted studies in the Fogg for this giant history painting Ingres worked on for 10 years. (Well, maybe you don't, but you should.) The cathedral has the Giselbertus Last Judgement tympanum in there as well, so we are going.

As captivating and strange as the Giselbertus is through its design and proportions, the Ingres has one of the strangest figures in art history. Look to the left side of the painting for the mother holding the baby and check out the pipes on her. That's the amazing thing about Ingres, he was so academic and rational in his approach but ridiculously romantic in psyche. Perhaps in Ingres mind, the security of a mother's arms could only be achieved through the proportions of a dwarf. What a glorious nut. Can't wait to see it.

We will be renting a car to drive around France. I went with the economy car, which looks a little smaller than a mini cooper. European cars are a little different than what we have over here. Even with a European car, I'm sure we will be recognized as Americans by our looks, speech, and manner. I was thinking that since it is inevitable that we will be pegged as Americans and most likely be associated with Bush and all that is bad with the states, it might be nice to have a vehicle that shows the brighter sided of the states....the side i'm proud of.



I passed by this vehicle on my way to Starbucks this morning. Had to stop. Jeff Brown is the owner. "You make this?" "Every inch of it," he answered. Stylin'

Hopskotch Road Rage Remedy (everything reminds me of something else)

Came out of the studio to find a hopskotch design leading to my car. Initially, I saw it as some sort of Jessica Stockholder installation (she used to have a studio down the hall from me). And then I saw this scrawled nearby.



Usually you see Tommy + Jane or some other 2 names. It seemed hard to believe that these names were spelled correctly. Jovonny (Giovanni?) and Xyomara. But there was Eva, clear as day, leaving one to ponder whether Eva was the matchmaker or, who knows, maybe it was a love triangle.

After abiding by the rules of hopskotch to get back in the buick, I was driving on the post road and passed a car lot with a plastic sign that said "bob's quality used cars." The sign had partly melted from past Summers and it looked like a tree had fallen on it.

There was a big gash from top to bottom that had split part of the car symbol on the sign.

This reminded me of the sign for the Star Diner, down the street from the studio. The place is a dive, but not without it's charm. There are a couple of bullet holes in the windows I like to sit next to, and it has 70's styling with little 50's juke boxes at each table.

The culture is very different than it was when those jukeboxes were popular. What brought this to my attention was salsa music pulsating from a table across the diner. Back in the day, the jukeboxes probably gave you a range from pop to motown. Historically an Italian neighborhood, it's now predominately Puerto Rican and African American with a few old school Italians. The range of song choices on the jukebox reflect the neighborhood and the incompatibility of the cultures. A device that was initially intended to bring people together, now was an amplifier for individual claim on the neighborhood. When you pop a quarter in and it starts playing your tune, you have a volume button you can push to make sure everybody else hears it too. With tunes from Nas, Dirty Old Bastard, Menudo, Ricky Martin, BeeGees, Willie Nelson, Neil Sedaka, and ACDC, there is atleast one song for everybody, and a guarantee of 50 that will annoy you. It would be great to get as many different music enthusiasts in there at different tables all pushing the volume button fighting for the status their musical tastes rightly deserve. I imagined in my head something like the Warriors.

This little diner scenario reminded me of an invention my brother came up with. He's a pretty smart guy to begin with, but there was something about that invention that was a bolt of wicked lightning genius. Here's a pic of my brother in 4th grade. Doesn't he have that crazy bad ass inventor look to him? exactly. Well anyway, his invention had to do with road rage.
Most of us have experienced this to some degree. (how many times have I fantasized about plowing into some jerk [cop] repeatedly?) Well, obviously you never want it to get to the level of serious violence. So my brother asked the question where can it go after you've flipped the guy off, and he's returned the favor?
The answer, my friend, is a plastic finger extension you could slip on your middle finger to make it just a little taller than your fellow driver. Imagine the astonishment when he realizes he's been one upped and starts laughing.

strange film

what can you say except, "he likes to chop down trees."

a 'ting a byoodee

A swan we got to feed while camping. I tend to overlook beauty, but how could one overlook a creature so seductively gorgeous?




One gets inventive while camping: long exposures with a dancing bug candle. (now we too are painters of light)
Roland as an angel of death.

Kelly's bad ass drawings of a bunny and a swan are below.

Hello Sunshine

Sometimes it's the little things that brighten your day.

Braggin' rights

Put up my artsite and within two days made a sale. God Dam this internet thing works. Sold two paintings today. Made $5,150. 5150 is the California Police designation for a mentally disturbed person or for you laymen (and laywomen), a really bad Van Halen Album. I see it as a sign from God (whoever she is) to continue the general nature of my paintings, and just when I was going to opt for bambi pictures. (Ann Craven already beat me to the punch there)

What this sale of paintings translates into is a trip to France, and 5 phone calls worth of bragging rights. (4 of which I've already used up) Whose your Daddy?


ps laywomen- is that who greets you when you get off the plane arrival to Hawaii?

To Play or Not to Play

3 Reasons to learn the guitar:

Skip James

Elliott Smith

Minor Threat

2 Reasons not to:

You can hear some rare Elliott Smith stuff here

Anniversary

At this time last year I had a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Here is some footage. The motto there seemed to be "Work Hard, Party Hard, but if you can only do one, make it the latter."





I've forgotten the name of the girl from Scotland that provides the commentary, but it is just as entertaining as the footage.



Abe is the musician on the right, and the sole Yankee fan in Vermont.



I apoligize for the lame audio. I had some pretty good bruises on my arm from multiple jumps.

(I actually worked hard in Vermont, but video footage of painting is a little less exciting) (which reminds me, there was an older lady there that made an unedited video of herself painting with a really bad Jazz (upbeat kenny G) soundtrack. By unedited, I mean an hour and a half of close ups of a brush smearing paint on canvas. I'd consider Abu Ghraib over experiencing that again)

New Kids on the Block

A few new pieces. The extremely populated painting is in progress. I'm trying to create another body of work this Summer and will be looking for shows (group/solo). If you discover any that might fit my work let me know or send people to the art site. Feels gooooooood to be in the studio.


untitled cut paper on toned paper, 18"x12"


Blue Shooters, 18"x12", acrylic on canvas panel


untitled as of yet, 30"x 28",acrylic on canvas panel,

((((((((Labor is a daunting and glorious thing.)))))))))

The Prodigal Son

Hi. Sorry for the lack of posts, folks. Been in the studio as of late. Trying to salvage what hope is left in painting (and there is hope). In the midst of putting up a site for art work at www.lewisart.blogspot.com

Cheers,
Nathan

ps grew up with a repro of this drawing and one by Rubens.