I try to rationalize my current artistic state as best I can every time I think about what I’m doing…or not doing. Which is often. Its not really a “me” problem so much as my situation has been in transition for over a year now.

The transition? A creative career.

Don’t get me wrong, my new job is awesome and if anyone asks, I’m quick to characterize it as “the job I’ve been training myself for since middle school.” I love my job (corny…I know but, its true). And it affords me the financial stability to see a nice future for myself.

But, as many artist will attest to, It leaves little creative room for my fine arts after hours.
An more times than I would like to admit, the couch and the reruns on cable look pretty good on most nights during the week.

After a day designing on the computer and thinking of color, text, shapes and pixels in attempts to make an image that not only I’ll like, but one my account manager will like (and his client will love!) its sometimes hard to shift into “painter mode” and create something where the primary tool is a brush not a mouse and monitor. Its easy to forget your creative spirit is with you when you leave the office.

Hey there cable! What do want to show me today?

In all honesty, I was already designating a good portion of 2013 as a “hiatus” year, so this low point is only temporary. I have a few major projects going on at home that are going to make things work for the better in the long run. One of which is converting my outdoor shed with the collapsed roof into a studio.

The pull create is still there…so much so that at times it feels a little hard to breathe. When this pseudo-psychotic impulse of creativity hits, I become a scatterbrain. Ideas and projects burst inside my head with full knowledge that most of them will never become anything.
For instance, the latest project I’ve immersed myself in is shooting video clips of trains
and trains and trains (a stupid amount of train shooting) lights and whatever else I find
mildly interesting on my daily lunchtime walks.

The project is to shoot everything in digital black & white.

The project goal? I have no f#*kin’ idea….at all.

The only thing I know is I like shooting videos and stills, but that’s as far as I can go with explaining why I’m doing it. There’s a final project somewhere buried in the back of my mind, there’s the poetry I’d like to add to the video these clips might find themselves in and then there’s the guitar music I practice, so that’s where the soundtrack comes into play (excuse the pun.) But, given I hate the way my voice sounds on tape and I’m still yet to learn cords, I’m no closer to finishing this project than I was in October 2012 when I thought this thing up….sux.

I’m guessing I’m going to have to deal with this low-energy flow of creativity outside of the office for at least a while longer. In the meantime, the studio will be completed, the videos will be stored on the hard-drive and the “pseudo-psychotic impulse” will have to keep nagging me with full understanding that its only a temporary thing.

I hope.

Thanx for viewing.
k!

I don’t know what happened, but it fell on me like a dump truck falling from a downtown building.

As an artist, I realize change in direction is a part of the gig. As soon as you think you’ll do “this,” it’s already turned into “that”…whatever “that” may be.

My latest change in focus was inspired by talk of “steampunk” around the office driven by sketches and renderings by my co-workers/designers. The best way to describe steampunk is: if the Victorian age had technology without the use of modern materials such as plastic, what would it look like?

If you’ve seen the movie “Wild, Wild West” featuring Will Smith and a giant mechanical spider, you’ve seen steampunk.

As a life-long painter, I’ve never tried working in functional art. Although, I’ve tried to create paintings that would be thought provoking and political in nature, the only functional aspect to the work was being able to spark conversation. It wasn’t something that could literally light up the room or even keep your hat off the floor.

As I looked over one of the designers shoulder at his computer monitor, there was a mixture of antiques, old metal, and machine parts. Handcrafted creations, interestingly formed and, best of all, functional. There were images of some of the most beautifully designed and exciting works of art I’ve seen in a while, and I wanted to make some. The introduction of steampunk lit a flame under my creative stove and it was starting to burn red hot!

That evening, I began collecting bits and pieces of machine parts, nuts, bolts, springs, copper piping, and other items scraped together from my outdoor shed. I put it all in boxes and plastic bags and went to the studio to start working on something…..anything.

After viewing and studying images found online, the ideas began to flow. Steampunk encompasses everything from small, bug-like sculptures and figurines to laptop computers and custom motorcycles. After getting a handle on the aesthetics of steampunk, the focus became, “What do I make?”

I realized approaching it like a painter, which was “eh…whatever happens, happens,” seemed to work best with the miscellaneous items at hand. And, because of the random nature of the materials, sketches and preconceived ideas were out of the question.

I started putting parts and materials together and stood back to see what the “thing” was telling me it wanted to be.

After a few nights with a torch and solder, some wood, copper, and an old alarm clock, my first steampunk functional artwork turned out to be… (drum roll, please!)

A paperclip holder.

The materials that made it into the final piece were a combination of copper piping screwed to a wooden base, an old alarm clock that still makes a cricket-like rattling sound when turned on, and some foreign currency to add
to the aesthetics.

The paperclip holder was the first stop on the steampunk path my creative mind is traveling on; the second was a desktop pen holder made from copper piping, springs, and a Campbell’s soup can. Currently, there are three lamps in the works at the studio.

Steampunk is the natural progression for the direction my work is moving in, and there is no telling where it’s going to lead.

But, what I truly understand is that sometimes inspiration is a whisper in the breeze and sometimes it shouts through a bullhorn.

I’m just glad I was close enough to hear it.

thanx for viewing…
k!

A conversation about the latest political works with the artist (RAMSEY) from 1-2pm with music by My Son the Doctor 2-4pm Refreshments and wine.

“HourTime” the new series is making its debut at the VISUAL ART STUDIO at 208 Broad Street, in Richmond, VA and so far I have realized one thing.

This work needs a broader audience…more so than what Richmond can provide.With it’s one night a month during the First Friday Art Walk, for the most part, art viewing in the River City is fairly pedestrian. With most of the public being directed to the arts only on the few nights they’re told art should be viewed.

It’s not the fault of any one person, place or thing, but as an artist who has worked hard at his craft for many years, I need more…much more.

Yeah, sure, some people may say to me that my work doesn’t warrant the attention of a wider, more consistent viewing public and they have that right to that opinion. But, I’m  not going allow that bullsh*t to keep my work from reaching beyond the bubble of a RVA and a public that only values art part time.

Just as I’ve heard over and over again:
“Live in Richmond, but make your living somewhere else.”

So, it maybe futile, pining for shows in the River City.

Maybe, politically charged works are not what people want to see or invest in. Which is unfortunate for an artist prides himself on the ability to illustrate political issues that can be interpreted in a variety of ways by the viewing public.

Maybe politics have dominated so much of peoples lives that art needs to have less meaning to it so people don’t have to find meaning in a piece and it can serve as just a “pretty….something” on the wall.

I don’t know what the answer is, maybe a pseudonym and pedestrian work maybe the ticket….something to think about.

But with the art viewing in RVA being as it is, it seems this body of work gets angry on the gallery walls when it’s shouting and no one is willing to listen.

Thanx for viewing.
k!

I wonder if the day will come when a cop with a chip on his shoulder or, a stick up his ass, will pull me over and arrest me just because I ask him why(?).

I wonder if that cop will be anti-Obama enough to take out his frustrations, with a president who’s black, and will threaten my life.

I also wonder if that cop will choose to kill me on the spot like Oscar Grant and make claims of why he did it.

Would that cop be believed?

Or will that cop take me into the station, gather other officers and beat me to death.

Or, because they’re angry, will they  find a crime to fit a black man, who lives on south side, in the “wrong” neighborhood and who lives by himself.

Will the prosecutor (who can’t ever be wrong because of personal political aspirations) convict me with no evidence and a white family that wants SOMEONE, anyone to pay for their pain?

Will the jury be of my peers or will it be all white? Will my lawyer be competent?

Will my State of Virginia set me to die despite my obvious innocence and the international outcry at the injustice.

Will the state kill me on a Wednesday…or Thursday night?

And years later…will the prosecutor call my mom and dad and tell them he made a mistake…and that he’s sorry.

Its all too real.

______

In the recent weeks  America has shown the world its true face. The blood-lust of the Republican right (Reich) was on full display when Texas Gov. Rick Perry said, so assuredly to a crowd of Tea Party supporters, that Texas has an un-failing justice system and no innocent man has been killed. The presidential candidate said in no small terms that if Texas killed you…you deserved it.

And oh, how they cheered.

Georgia is set to murder Troy Davis tonight. Although, the overwhelming evidence supports his claims of innocence, if something doesn’t give, they will kill him.

I don’t pray often…but, I pray for Troy today that his life is spared, and that this country will begin to realize what it has become. Some people just want to see a nigger die. Those people vote Tea Party and they have a presidential candidate that speaks their language, rising in the “polls”.

Personally, I feel guilty that I hadn’t said anything or added my voice to the call to save Troy’s life and its all too obvious now, injustice will happen again.

Looking at this situation as an artist who works more on political themed works that any other subjects, I never thought about the death penalty for inspiration. But now it seems there’s much for me to think about on this subject.

Race, class, politics, religion, justice and death will begin to work its way into my art in the style of Diluted Loss.

And its going to be dangerous.

thanx for viewing.

k!

In the past couple of months, I’ve had some time to think about what I’m doing as an artist and suffering thru frustrations of those internal battles. But I do consider my time in ( and out of ) the studio to have been very productive over the past month.

The latest work features a change in direction for my art. Being inspired by street art, employing the use of stencils and ,influenced by my experience with the “Theater Row” mural project ,  I’ve begun the challenge to my artistic ability by doing something I’ve never done before. Thanks to the shed in my yard, the left over paints from the mural and some salvaged wood, my first mural is on its way to completion.

Please view the 6 latest works from the studio that will have a few changes to them prior to the next public showing, but here they are for now.

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Thanx for viewing…

k!

A few months ago I entered four designs in the RVA Creates banner contest and although I didn’t win the big cash, the next best thing was to get my work around downtown Richmond.

Out of the four banners I submitted, here’s the two winners in a few of their locations.

Honestly, I have to admit, it is pretty cool to see something I created hanging as public art…

even if most people downtown don’t look up.

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Thanx for viewing…

k!

First I’d like to start by saying Diluted Loss is one of the proudest achievements of my life when it comes to my art, so it’s probably normal that I feel the profound heartbreak I felt on Wednesday June, 1st when I took it down, probably for the last time in Richmond,VA.

I don’t mistake that feeling as some anti-euphoric depression that its going be put back in the studio and stored away till next time a show falls my way.

The real depression creeping into my mood comes from the fact that this is the first year that I can remember since 2004 that it was showing on Memorial Day. Unfortunately, the Richmond Public Library was closed on that Monday. As well it should have been, being a national holiday, I can understand that.

But the fact is, for the entire day, and even now while I’m writing this, I feel like Diluted Loss missed a great opportunity to be relevant on a day or event that was much larger in scope and the point of the series has once again been lost in the wind due to my shortsightedness. Maybe not that, but for some reason or another I feel like this series has a lot to say and it once again missed a chance to be heard.

Damn, left out once again.

Realistically I know the show was under cut by the library being off the beating path Richmond’s monthly art event the First Fridays Art Walk promoted by Curated Culture, and most of the gallery activity is two blocks away on Broad Street.

Another thing that hampered the exposure of DL to the public was the show didn’t have the media coverage it should have had. It didn’t show up on the public radio arts calendar for the day, although it did get a off-the-cuff shout out from Ana Edwards on the Defenders Live program on WRIR, which was pleasantly unexpected.

Because of the subject being about black soldiers, racism and WWII, I thought I would surely get support from Richmond’s leading African-American weekly newspaper. Although, I could easily have provided them with photos and copy, they claimed to  have no one to cover it because of budget cuts and suggested I buy advertisement.

Unless I was Picasso at VMFA, Diluted Loss would get no support from the paper. Awesome….

Maybe they thought I was selling the show, but clearly I’m not and the subject matter was about black history, and its goal is to educate the public about racism and the issues black soldiers had to face during the “great war”….. but to no avail.

The conversation came to a swift end.

It wasn’t a total loss. During its run some friends took their own time to go and view the show and had an inspiring response to the art. A few collectors were there on opening night to see the new work and lend support. With its 4 new pieces, the show was clearly at it’s best! I heard good things from individuals who have seen the show and hopefully some people walking thru the marble hall that served as the gallery for the show, stopped to take a look at the work, showed their kids and had discussions about the subject of race, America and war.

Diluted Loss ready for a museum presentation outside of the boundaries of Richmond, VA, there’s no question about it. I’m aiming for next year in the Washington DC area and during Memorial Day Celebrations.

It may happen or it may not happen, but the prospect of having a more successful public viewing of the series makes me feel like there’s a future for Diluted Loss and the message it’s trying to promote.

And hopefully, a future for me as an artist in a world outside of the River City.

Thanx for viewing…

k!

I’ve been itching to do serveral things in the past few months to shake this annoying drought of creativity and a build up of frustration with myself as an artist. It really comes to head in my post “A Flood of Creativity & Questions” from a few weeks ago.

Although, I had no idea my words would actually become a tangible event in my life, I knew a change would have to happen or else it was “clock-out time” in the studio.

It all started one afternoon in downtown Richmond on Broad Street. As I was driving up and down the street, looking for a place to park so I could go to Lift Coffee and get my first cup of the day, I noticed a flurry of activity in a few places that seemed to be out if the norm for the typical pace of people walking up and down the street.

Altria & City of Richmond had created a public arts/mural project and this was the day volunteers were helping the artist get a start on their work.

After getting my coffee and spending a few minutes online at Lift, I took a stroll down the sidewalk. To my surprise I ran into Hamilton Glass, supervising his site that composed of two huge walls in which murals were to be created on panels that were fixed to the buildings. We shook hands and talked a little about the project and the road ahead for the work. He let me know the Altria volunteers were only there for the day and without even thinking about it, I told him to call on me if he needs the help.

Two days later, he did.

At the site, working on the erected scaffolding, I realized this was the event that I so desperately needed in my life. The specter of working with other local contemporary artist I respected (the artist, David Marion is also working on the mural), helping to create public art and volunteering was the “perfect storm” to shake me loose from the suffocation that was strangling my creativity.

All the things I needed to happen had come true in a months time!

The project is coming to a swift end, and there is lots of work to be done to bring the piece to completion and I’m happy to say, not only do I help with the painting, I was able to provide water when we were briefly cut off and , to my surprise, with the help of my best friend, I was able to locate a generator and lights when they were needed.

(Truthfully, I always wanted to be “that guy”, you know, the one who could make things happen….and damn if that didn’t come true too!)

But, the most rewarding side if the whole experience is Hamilton has asked for my opinion, as an artist, on some key elements within the work.

These things have made me feel as though the stagnation in my creative outlet has broken loose. When Ham(?) told me I was helping him out, I made it clear that he was helping me out as well by allowing me to help on such a grand piece of art.

The experience has made me understand what I’m capable of and has help me find what I was searching for in my career.

And the best part about it…. I feel excited about being an artist once again.

Thanx for viewing…

k!

I am an artist than can be compared to Picasso.

Yep I said it…

After being treated to the huge Picasso exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Friday by a dear friend of mine, I came to the conclusion that me and the world-famous artist, timeless historical figure and cultural icon have approached art in similar fashion.

Although his work has ultimately changed the way millions of people view art, while I was taking it in, I wasn’t in awe by the name (and the astronomical dollar amount) associated with the collection.

Not being blinded by the fact that it was Pablo Picasso helped me enjoy the pieces that struck me, walk pass pieces that didn’t impress me and look critically at a few I really didn’t like.

The great painter is known primarily for his innovation and daring approach to try imagery that defied the convention of his time.

My friend and I saw the work past the other museum patrons milling around the art and talking to each other or listing to the audio devices, and the experience lead me to reflect back on the many different approaches and experimentation in my artistic history. I began to remember paintings in my past that suffered a lost focus and were either stripped or “whited-out”, only to have new images created in their place.

Sculptures in steel and wood, oil paintings and found objects, I tried it all and I realized, if my whole artistic “career” was put on display in a retrospective showing, from the time before my college education up to the present, there would be a long line of successes, missteps and out right failures scattered along the path to the artist I am today.

Having that in mind made me appreciate his work even more, especially the pieces that looked like he tried a technique, then moved on to another piece with different material and style while only glancing backward.

As long as I’ve known about the great artist, I never thought I would have the opportunity to see his work in real life, even more so, I never thought comparing my own path to his would be possible. But, chances are, I’m not unique in feeling that way. The evolution of artists continue to follow similar lines with each other in trying new techniques and styles with success or failure behind each approach to their work.

As long as we continue to work and evolve without giving in to societal pressures that get in the way of doing what makes us exist as artisans, we’ll continue to innovate, stretch the imagination and display the human experience in a multitude of mediums.

I enjoy imagining, if he were alive and living in Richmond, Picasso would frequent my favorite south side coffee shop. He and I would sit down over a cup of joe and we’d have casual conversations, a few laughs and could relate to each other thru the experiences with our respective arts.

And quite honestly, that feels pretty good.

Thanx for viewing…

k!