From the stable to the gate.

From the stable to the gates. Acrylic, cloth on board. 2009

Dive within.

David Lynch, Eagle Scout.

Cinephilia and Beyond has very kindly compiled a one stop shop of online Lynch documentaries. I'm a compulsive doco watcher so lists like this are great but should come with a warning: You'll feel the need to work after watching these. I recommend you have cheese and Ants at the ready. Click the picture to dive within.

Why do you go away?

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” - Terry Pratchett

 

Thierry De Cordier.

Crâne Froid

de Vogel

MER DU NORD, Etude n°1

MER MONTÉE

Follow this link for some information about Thierry De Cordier. Enjoy.

The eyes don't see...

The Saturated Life

A lil recommendation from the bomb site that is my bookmarks. The Saturated Life is a podcast featuring some of my favourite visual Artists. I've been trashing the hell out of this for the last few months and can't get enough. It does have quite a niche, painting, pharmaceuticals and their natural bed fellows, spiritualism, (and thankfully) hard work, but it fills it nicely. I always leave imagining all the other Artist I'd like to hear speak and wait with bare knuckles till the next up-date. Have a look and tell me what you think. Better yet, if you know of any other good art podcasts, please let me know. I'm dosing up to ease my documentary come down. Click on the pic to be whisked away.

His Message was Love...

His message was Love, and market saturation.

Another Place - Anthony Gormley

Another Place - Anthony Gormley

 A short ride from central Liverpool is Crosby Beach. It's rather unassuming as far as beaches go but familiar along the British coast line. The name promises pure powder, mysterious "d" rays and the kind of fun which in days to come will haunt adult life. What's in a name. The sharp wind and stunted dunes hide a place many visit but few care to share. Dreams linger, but for moments as they are swept, crashing skyward. Reality is cutting and lazy as it chills, funded by the Irish Sea. Persistence and prosaic life alone, could drive this scene. 

Another Place - Anthony Gormley

 One hundred cast iron figures stand, dreaming out to sea over a two mile stretch. Weighing 650kg, paralysed by life's weight, frozen even to the brutal liquid ice beating the all the but submerged. I've read emergency numbers have been called to report lost souls and bizarre gatherings on these sands. I'm not sure the reality is any relief. I'm prone to assign in the fashion of the long gone west but experience is the mind's scar. This is not a vantage for me. This is Another Place.

Anthony Gormley's website is here.

Masao Kinoshita

Ganesha

 More often than not, when I find an artist I really like, words become rare. The jaw stopping Masao Kinoshita is no exception. His hybrid forms, fully developed despite an apparent lack of gravity or bound by protective layer, haunt, with potent Zen. The Japanese artists resin figures span children's play room with the likes of "Teddy" to the Hindu spiritual plains with "Yoga Asura".

Teddy

 

Yoga Asura

 His work is impressive to say the least but when you take into consideration the the size, Yoga Asura for example is 650mm in height, the detail is mind blowing. I'm particularly envious of his ability to create impossible biological structures, like the multiple shoulder joints of Ganesa and still maintain a natural posture. If this is not enough, his work is peppered with just a glimpse of tiny geometric elements, alien in biology and hinting at some mystic pathway or unimaginable heavenly attribute. The whole again takes hold, the angles slip into the peripheral and we are left with Kinoshita's fleshy Gods, puzzled at our inaction and adolescence. I love this stuff!

Ganesa

Ganesa

 

For more impressive sculptures and drawings from Masao Kinoshita you can visit his website here or his Japanese blog here. Please, if you find any detailed information about Kinoshita building techniques and materials, let me know.

Get them off me! - Channard Institute patient.

I can't get much worse than this.

I talk to myself. A Lot. I'm sure it is an amusing thing to see but when one is in full blown, animated conversation it can be a little embarrassing. One of the most hurtful and common manifestations of mental illness is the internal dialogue becomes pronounced, consistent and dark. Running over events or retracing conversations begins taking more of the day and rather than solutions or appreciation, the sufferer finds critique and judgement. It's starts small, just like the dialogue but soon, as in the words of Mr Reznor, becomes a downward spiral.

Internal dialogue is a constant for everyone. It's so normal most people hardly notice it. I guess that's because it tends not to be nasty. Friends are always taken for granted. My current daily routine is working very well at the moment. It begins with a ten or fifteens minute away, outside at 4:45, sipping on my coffee. My internal dialogue starts as soon as I reach the door, with art. A nice change. It's great and I almost always come to some kind of conclusion which spurs me to begin the day. It's ritual now. Every day is the same refreshing, supportive voice. When I noticed this was happening I thought it was so cool I started taking notes of the conclusions with the intention of posting them here. I doubt any of these statements will mean anything to anyone and most probably sound like rubbish but considering the alternative, constant abuse, fear and bating I hope you might see what I'm getting at. So from this week, here are my first thoughts.

-Maybe the bird should be white?

-McDonalds is yoga.

-More photos, lots more photos.

-I'm making icons, not religious or spiritual but desktop icons.

-Not too natural, not too human, no cartoons!

-I need to learn to paint granite.

-Cast it with armature already in-place.

Simple but for me small, supportive and challenging celebrations of success and inner peace, or the beginnings of it. Mr David Lynch talks about Transcendental Meditation with this analogy "An actor does not have to die to act a death scene. They only have to understand it". I subscribe to that. I don't buy the torched artist bullshit. One does not need one to have the other. In-fact the one without the other is superior and a better head-mate. One of the most interesting things for me to think about is, I believe in Chaos Magic. To a degree. I find it hard to believe we could control our lives by magic, the world and the chaos is too complex but I can't help but believe this internal dialogue is powerful beyond anyone's imagination. Of course we know of the importance of confidence and self image but I honestly believe it runs a whole lot deeper and more complex than psychologists would believe and physicists could map. I'm not sure where that leaves us when suffering from depressive disorders but I know it means being better is as important as it's always been.

The Chariots of the Gods

Dogū

I've managed to win a few battles with everyday life lately and get around to getting my Etsy looking a little more like a place to buy things. I seriously need to relieve some shelf space around the flat, it looks like an archaeology department exploded in here so don't be shy! You'd be helping a brother out.

Cursing Nails, African fetish

I've listed my Dogū in three colours, a few African fetishes and my Moon Child. They seem to be getting a bit of attention but we'll see. I've also managed to work on a couple of longer running projects - my Mountains of Madness prop collection and a few fine art sculptures. One of the larger art pieces has really become a labour of love. It's easy to underestimate these things at times but I'm hoping it'll all be worth the work. I've also finally had the printing of my certificates of authenticity completed too. I'm really happy with the final product and from now on selected item from my Etsy with come with one of these bad boys. I do love photoshop but I'm certainly no pro so it took some doing. The first to go out with one will be the Fairy Fossils. 

Fairy Fossil

Not really a Miskatonic item I hear you say? No. With the Etsy and specifically my Mountains of Madness set, I'm attempting to go beyond the books and fill in some of the questions the stories pose while extending the universe a little. Universities are strange places after all. More of that some other time but if you have a moment, stop by my Etsy if you get a chance. I'll sort you out.  

"And the weird turned pro." - Sam Raimi, DEATH MACHINE

synesthesiagarden.com

Just a heads up. Synesthesia garden is a "Weird art and style" blog I've just sorta stumbled across a couple of months ago. I'm dig'n it! Lost of great Photographers, Drawing Artists, Architecture and bizarre couture.

I loved this work by Elizaveta Porodina and the following dreamy work by Nicholas Alan Cope and Dustin Edward Arnold. 

 

Elizaveta Porodina

Soak up some of this stuff and keep checking back. It's our mission to keep blogs like this alive! Enjoy.

Nicholas Alan Cope and Dustin Edward Arnold.

Sleeping dogs.

Some days sculpting can be tough. Like to today's glooming afternoon sky. I'm lucky though today as it started with the good news that my entry into the "A book about death" open exhibition arrived at it's new home safely. Swings and roundabouts eh. 

It'll take years before that photo you took will look like the person you lost.

The call is open until 30th September 2014 so if you are interested you still have plenty of time to check it out. Here is the wordpress site of curator Sonja Benskin Mesher and the facebook group is here. Look after yourselves.

Tickets please?

From Thursday 19th June to Sunday 22nd June 2014 the Wigram Events Center will be hosting the Christchurch Art Show.

From the site: 

The Christchurch Art Show is the South Island's new premier annual art sales event. The show will make its debut this June in the 1500 square meters of space available at the Events Centre in the Wigram Air Force Museum.

Our event is a stellar opportunity for new, emerging and established artists to showcase and sell their works in our three day art extravaganza!

Artists! Apply now. Promote yourself and your work to the public of Canterbury who love art. Network with other artists, socialise, show and sell a body of your work to a large public audience. If you are an artist then be discovered!

The Christchurch Art Show Opening Night provides the opportunity to preview the art works prior to the public viewings on the weekend show days and to see our first awards presentation.

There will be a large selection of artworks available over the three day show. If you are coming to view and buy then you can discover something beautiful to take home and adorn your wall. Come and see the art show! Be a part of Christchurch's unique identity and become a part of a vibrant Christchurch.

Sounds like a great event and although I'm not really sure what "be discovered" means, it could be a good opportunity for emerging artists. Time will tell as to how "open" this event really is. I suspect however, we can read a little into the fact it is a ticket only event. I hope I'm just a pessimistic bastard and this is oriented towards a community/educational/inspirational event as well as making some cash (cause I'm not a hippy). I'm kinda gutted not to be there for this one but if you are please drop me a line and give me the gossip?

A Book About Death

My entry is off.

 
From the site- A BOOK ABOUT DEATH was launched as an underground, global art project in September 2009 at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery in New York City, New York. It was conceived and curated by American artist Matthew Rose as an open, unbound book on the subject of death. Taking the name, A Book About Death from the artist Ray Johnson, Rose paid homage to the founder of mail art and at the same time offered artists to explore the theme of death through post card sized works in an edition of 500; thus the “book.” The NYC exhibition was extremely well attended and set off a series of exhibitions around the world – ABAD – numbering thus far, 27, the most recent taking place in Australia. With an archival set of the New York ABAD show (487 works) new exhibitions touch upon particular, local themes but draw from a growing and global well of artists. All exhibitions invite artists to mail in their works, usually in post card format.

For more inforation check out this link.

Sometimes it's nice to be anonymous but sometimes you just need a friend.

Sometimes it's nice to be anonymous but sometimes you just need a friend. 140mm high

 

Gaia, The birth of an end. Photography by Kerry Mitchell.

Gaia, The Birth of an End © Kirsty Mitchell

Here is a short but stunning film of the creation of one of Kerry's works. Filmed and edited by fxmedia.

Kerry Mitchell's Blog is here.

Look but please don't touch

I've been meaning to post this for a while but I've been traveling a bit and the internet is sparse in China.

Cthulhu idol

The mighty Propnomicon posted this picture of a piece he'd made a while back. I am partially taken with the stone texture although the sculpting work is very good as well. 

I've not worked much with polymer clay much and am in the process of remedying this at the moment. I love using new materials and this has been on my do-to list for years, it's creations like this one that have attracted me. Click the photo and check the comments to find out a little about it's creation or better yet, get some of this stuff under your finger nails!

The bottom of the info chain

3301

I only just heard about this. Really interesting stuff. It seems the suspicion lays with the usual suspects, I think they do anyway but none the less, truly cool and art no-doubt in many forms. Shit like this makes me wish I was cleaver.

Dragon Blood - Serpent Scales

The very beautiful Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento Italy is currently the home of the very entertaining exhibition Dragon Blood - Serpent Scales. I was there a few weeks ago and despite my diet of Vino Rosso, I was lucky to figuratively stumbled on it. As if visiting a castle as intact and functioning as Buonconsiglio isn't enough, the exhibition is amazing. It's subject is slightly loose but mainly centred around myth and early 19th century assemblage rooms. Enough said! 

The myth of Actaeon

Wandering the grand halls you'll see sculpture, paintings, architecture, and drawings, 17th century-masters to Egyptian mummies and gaff from before there was a sideshow. 

This is no Fee jee mermaid, it is an original.

I wasn't able to get too many photos of the show as the security were pretty intense but if you find yourself in the wonderful hills of Trentino the show is definitely worth stopping in to see.

Fountain of Neptune, Piazza Duomo Trento

I would suggest trying to get a little Italian under your belt before you go as the citizens of Trento, for the most part seem a little anti visitor compared to other more "touristy" parts of Italy but still worth a look. Like I said, even just going for Dragon Blood - Serpent Scales would be worth it.

Visit Trentino

Extremities, organs and associated paraphernalia.

If you are a keen reader (Hi Nan!) you may remember a post I did a while ago about my Witch's hand and heart. Well the project had a point and direction which I didn't really touch on back then. The goal was to produce a couple of artifacts, storage for said artifacts and documentation to support a long, interesting but readable history. Well and am pleased to say I think I have finished. 

For the Glory of God

I've also produced a Witch's finger (Check out this fantastic one on Propnomicon) as a smaller project along with an aged accompanying letter and photos from the original seller of both items. So here's the story,  On the 25th of may 1951 The good Rev S. Jones contacts Mr C. H. Williamson of the Newly established Isle of Man witchcraft Museum. The Reverend has a rather expensive roof to fix and a church vault full of rather distasteful relics the diocese wish to distance themselves from. He snaps some pictures and toddles off to the post office. The deal is done. 

 

Cursed Finger

Mr Williamson takes delivery of the items, cleans em up, dresses up the cases a bit, archives them and issues his admission tickets. Happy days! In 1958 and in line with the attitudes of the times, favour falls from the struggling Museum and it is closed. These two items, being of sensitive materials and historical importance are again sold. The London Museum takes delivery, another set of archives tags are added and a new warehouse becomes their home.

Now if you are a keen eyed devil, I'm sure you'll notice the original post about the Witch's hand is dated the 9th of November. This was the first time I've created prop documents and photos of this age and I have to say it is a huge under taking. Not only the research involved in finding probable situations, but places, people, understanding their motivations and language are all part of the story and just as important as the main props. Then there's the ageing. I've worked with wood a bit and am comfortable with my ageing process but paper and photos are a whole different kettle of witch's brew. There's finding historical paper and photo sizes, stamps, postage marks, making authentic envelopes. I could go on and on. I can't remember how many versions of the photos I've taken, printed, then aged and tested. I know I'm up to six completed versions of the envelopes before I was happy and the letter. Oh god! The letter! lol. I certainly have a new respect for anyone producing this type of material but what joy! I really can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this project and how satisfying it has been. 

My Etsy

So, what's next. Well I am pleased to tell you I've opened an Etsy. It's been in the works for a while and the  Witch's hand and heart was always to be my first listing. I've been working on a few other things as well to go on there such as the Fairy fossils and the Dogū so please check it out and let me know what you think. More listings to come. Thank you for stopping by.