To all whom speak their minds; even against the odds.... To the free thinkers who won't be silenced, putting their thoughts into the world, and to the people who are not afraid to dream. This is for you. Love ya all!
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I ventured to the Seattle Art Fair this weekend. After meeting a partner in crime for coffee, we journeyed into the labyrinth of contemporary art. A world of men wearing ascots with shorts, plentiful wine and an electricity of weirdness in the air. Rows upon rows of international and local galleries. Einar and Jamex de la Torre glass work was exhibited (I enjoyed their new direction), as well as Joan Miro and Damien Hirst's work. (Seen it, not my gig) My favorites pieces consisted of repurposed items that the artists so cleverly integrated into their work, some of the 3D sculptural pieces I enjoyed as well. I'm seeing a trend in stainless steel, for a sculptural medium as well as casting in resin. (Resin casting is something I've wanted to do for a while) A lot of deconstruction in 2D work... Cut up paintings reworked, to make a linear visual image. Also digital images of looped videos. Pictured is a one of favorite works, I should have got the artists name but was so focused on the work, and not getting in others way, I didn't. My curiosity came more from the materials used, and if I was drawn to it. A thank you to Aron, for not bringing out the duct tape and allowing me to ramble my endless fractured art thoughts in the excitement of viewing some amazing work! I can assure you Kurt & the gang didn't read the whole Divine comedy.. (yet every asshole bought the tee shirt) It was just a facade we all wanted at that time- as poets, artist and dreamers... Just because Dante visited hell, it doesn't mean we must reside there. The Divine Comedy isn't what it's portrayed.... Sure it's a map to hell, but also to heaven- let's not forget the ending! Don't check out before you see the end! So I thought glass wasn't in my vocabulary, I had pushed it out of my head which was really difficult given my passion for it. However the stars aligned and pointed me onto the path of a piece that I never finished... I've been toying with a form that I cast, just never finished it because I couldn't figure out how to give it a punch of interest. You know, that fireworks factor.. The ingredients for my cocktail of madness: Pilchuck's auction extension + love for glass + a passing upon Rodin's Gate + walking into Dante's Inferno - one muse + my son being gone + a garnish of Goya's black paintings = The piece I'm about to embark on... Pure ecstasy if it turns out, hell being the process of inspiration.. The egg form is my ode to modern sculptural art, yet whats being created on inside the egg is what I'm looking forward to! My friends and I always question if it's "good art" or not.... Perhaps cruel, however I judge by if its aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and/or if there was a thought process behind the piece.... Is there an unspoken dialogue? Some of my favorite works are in which I am fooled by my initial thoughts.... Some comes from studying the artist, others it's just taking the time to absorb the piece and viewing it from a different perspective- be it up close, far away or at a different angle. I wish I could give you good examples of pieces that I was blown away by having a different perspective- in consolation I'll show you works that could be a surprise to the viewer. On that note the seattle art museum SAM has an amazing artist that you might enjoy... Yayoi Kusama- and her Infinitely mirrors... (it's like walking in another dimension) a play on light and space..... Ever been with someone for a long time? I'm talking like physically or sexually.... You went places you never went before, and after the moment you felt exhausted? Today that was me- slicing a persons mind with a knife because there was too much to talk about.... Having your thoughts skip with pleasure isn't a bad thing, yet after the fact you are so brain dead you wonder what the hell just happened? I was told "men can't be those sort of complex creatures, who understand symbolism in art" -so I offer a video I adore to placate the male mind. I seriously don't think men are that simple or else I wouldn't have taken the time to study their thoughts with such immense pleasure... In no particular order my favorite Marilyn quotes: "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." "Ever notice, that what the hell is always the right decision?" "I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." "I restore myself when I'm alone." “I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”  Took a break from painting to spend the weekend on the Peninsula camping with my son.  So I decided to paint the Edmonds fountain with the Starbucks building in the background in oil... This is my second attempt at oil painting and I'm three days into it. I now know why Van Gogh cut his ear offf! Oil painting is a painful experience., The paint likes to smear and unlike acrylic paint, doesn't dry right away. Why oh why did I decide to do a structure with straight lines? I should have done trees or a organic landscape. If someone would be so kind to offer me lessons or advice on oil painting I'd be forever grateful. I'm about to lose it, and throw a brush across the yard!  I gave it the title of "Pandora's Box"..... Yeah, it's supposed to have "hope" in it.  My evening was spent on the Edmonds beach watching natures fireworks. The sunset reminded me of opaline glass, hues of translucent blue, with flashes of reds and yellows. Did I just say that- "natures fireworks"? Ok, someone get me a bowl of organic granola and some Birkenstock's. Ha! Really, this deeply superficial girl likes to tread thru life's challenges gracefully, in a pair of cute heels! Shitkickers, by Marilyn Minter and Lane Fernando, the Anchor & The Undertow I know of a few artists, who have pieces like the nautilus, ones that never get publicity viewed (unless posted to a website) rooms, or garages filled with work, that don't go onto the market. Only in death do the pieces come out from hiding either to be highly desired or at goodwill. That brings me to why I love Rothko so much. He had family who protected him and his work, until and after death. They understood the emotional value he put into his painting. The first time viewing a Rothko painting online I didn't realize why they were so valuable. It was only after reading his life story and psychology behind his work and viewing the scale of paintings in person I understood. So I pose the question; is it that art or artist's mind/heart that people fall in love with? I sincerely hope it's the latter of the two.... "If you are only moved by color relationships, you are missing the point. I am interested in expressing the big emotions - tragedy, ecstasy, doom."   To my amazement the nautilus kind of turned out, it's not perfect, nor am I. However I learned from this casting, every time I fire a new design, there is always something I can do differently. The depth of the piece isn't what I expected, but it was all the glass the plaster investment mold would hold. (The most embarrassing/frustrating thing to have happen in kiln casting is for your mold to have the dreaded "diarrhea of glass" in the kiln. Aka- mold breaks) Next time; if there is a next time, I'd put the glass in flower pots above the piece. I'll be doing some serious coldworking to finish this one!  Today my chambered nautilus shell was placed in the kiln with a bunch of System 96 glass. I took photos of the positive in clay before I cast it in the investment. This is sort of an experiment, because I have never cast with system 96, only fused their glass- they really don't have a casting schedule for it on their website. A big thanks to Chuck Lopez for creating the schedule. The nautilus has many symbolic meanings. As the mollusk grows, its body moves forward into the new larger chamber and produces a wall to seal off the older chambers. The empty chambers are used to regulate buoyancy. A cross-section of the shell of the Nautilus will show the cycles of its growth as a series of chambers arranged in a precise Golden Mean spiral. For myself, the nautilus is a metaphor of spiritual growth during the transitions of life. Passing through time and the chambers or doors perception that keep us growing and changing. Oliver Holmes wrote, in a poem entitled The Chambered Nautilus, "Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul….Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!"  I will be attending this opening, Sabin has influenced my work. Just reading about his show reminds me of Johnny Cash and when he covered, the song "Hurt". The insight most have at 82 in life reflection is pretty powerful. The Long Game July 6-30, 2017 Opening Reception: First Thursday, July 6, 6-8pm We are proud to present "The Long Game", a solo exhibition of juniper and bronze sculpture and original sketches by Hib Sabin this July. A print and digital catalog will be released in conjunction with the solo show, available only through the gallery. Hib Sabin (Non-Indigenous) returns with a body of work that considers ideas about age in a world where youth is lauded, applauded, and sought after with religious fervor. Now in his 80s, Sabin turns his critical eye and dexterous carving hand upon himself, with work that reflects upon the timelessness of the human condition, the desire to revisit the past with a discerning eye, and a fearlessness of what lies beyond the known. “The Long Game” is partially inspired by singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s final album, released in 2016 just a month before his death at 82. Sabin--also 82--found deep resonance with Cohen’s mentions of ‘leaving the table, being out of the game’, and recognizing the growing desire to move beyond the hustle and games and seek something new. What does it mean to leave the table, to fold the cards and seek out a different game, a different table, and new players? What kind of sight does it take to peer beyond the pool of light on the baize and see something out there? Sabin utilizes animal characters--Ravens and Owls in particular--to explore the states of the human soul, and convey the power and grace of age, aging and agelessness. |
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