The View from the Edge of the Universe

The Light's Different Out Here

My art collection showed up last week and I was very relieved to find that nothing had been damaged!  I had a semi-major freak out though, when I started unpacking the photos and the color on all of them seemed well, off.  It wasn't until a few days later that I realized that the color's not off, the light in the Pacific Northwest is different from Atlanta and it shows up markedly in the works. 
The light here looks just like the light in Jeff Wall's photos.  Same for Roy Arden's.  It's less yellow.  It sort of a pale white light instead. 

At least I hope it's the light.......

Iron Artist 2006....Helllllooo PDX!

Hello Portland and thanks for a great first-art-experience for me as a new resident of Stumptown. Scrap - The School and Community Reuse Action Project - is an organization (located right across the street from my new home) whose mission is to promote creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.  It's one of those things that Portland seems to thrive on and it was a trip to take in Scrap's Iron Artist 2006.  The party, uh event, centered around a timed three-hour “sculpt-off” where 10 teams of “scrap artistsas” create sculptures from reused materials provided by SCRAP and other local reuse organizations such as The ReBuilding Center, Free Geek and the ReStore.

Here is the winner (left) and my favorite:
All in all it was a pretty cool scene and something that could have never taken place in ATL.  Folks, Bohemia is alive and well in PDX.  Next up for me is the the Oregon Biennial - a huge deal in this state - where I'm looking forward to seeing the best Oregon has to offer.  It will be interesting to see the work with no knowledge of the artists.  Of course I'll have to throw in my two cents as to who I think is the best!
Until then, a few more Iron Artist pix:

You Too Can Be Jack the Dripper

Here.   It's lots of fun.  Click your mouse to change colors.

Bye y'all!

Today marks my last day as an Atlantan.  It was nearly 20 years ago to the day that I arrived in the ATL.  I stayed my first night in a Days Inn on Chamblee Tucker Road.

Here are some of my parting thoughts:

Things about Atlanta I'll miss:
1. Grits
2. Fireflies
3. Kudzu
4. Howard, Jimmie Lee, Mose and Lonnie
5. BBQ
6. ya'll - the word and ya'll - my friends

My two favorite art shows:
1. Todd Murphy at Vaknin Schwartz
2. "This is the Future" Dos Pestaneos at Saltworks

Two predictions:
1. The Westside will eclipse Casteberry as the go-to arts district (second choice is the 4th Ward)
2. Julian Cox will prove to be too big a force for the High and will Ned Rifkin his way to a curatorship at a world class museum.  Not that the High is chopped liver though.  If you like photography, get there now.  Its packed I say, packed to the brim with quality pictures.

I'll be here in PDX to welcome ATL with open arms when ya'll swing by my new neck of the woods for Jupiter '06.  TaKe care now y' hear?

Jake and Dinos Chapman: August's Best Buy

Love 'em or hate 'em the Chapman brothers' work is almost always memorable.  I also think that they have made some of the best art books of the last few years and now White Cube in London is offering "Another Nice Etching by Jake and DInos Chapman".
Edition of 150
Etching printed on 300gsm Somerset TP
Paper size 55 x 46cm (Image size 25.5 x 32.5cm)
Unframed
Signed and numbered
£300 + VAT  (About $600)

The print, completely repulsive, is vintage Chapman and one of those examples where the artist actually made a special edition that is really a first rate work.  If you have any inkling for the Chapmans here is a "right" print at a "right" price!

If $600 is too rich for your blood, check out one of the Chapmans' recent books, Insult to Injury, where the boys' defaced Goya's are all reproduced.  Its one of the best art books of the last 5 years.  The reproductions are so good you could frame them.