o look the new shepard fairey! call yr lawyer.

Elizabeth Peyton (who primarily paints photos found in magazines) is now all public eye for painting, from a photograph, Michelle and Sasha Obama. Washington Post says Peyton AMAZINGLY painted the photo-cum-paint portrait in ONLY five days. uh. you are painting from an already incredibly well composed photograph. I should hope it can be done in five days, unless its oh, a MILLION BY A MILLION FEET and you stretched your own canvas. (unlikely) The Post and Peyton call the resulting painting 'transcendent'. I am this close to submitting it to FAILBLOG.
Am I ever going to hate on artists getting credit or being more well known? to put it simply, no. To be a little more in depth, I feel that there is a huge line (huge. not fine) between painting from a photo and getting credit-and using live trace/vector maps to mass success-and having a provocative concept and execution of a work. Both Shepard and Peyton navigate around fair-use copyright laws which allows them to place viewer emphasis on the reinterpretation of an initial moving photograph and onto something more publicly seen as 'arty'. Seriously, kind of fucking nonsense. I am so over it. FOR SHAMMMEEEEEE because right now, Peyton and Fairey are no better than those douche bag kids that traced all their projects to get by in studio and claim that their 'work is just as viable. or not.

not so handy

Ok. Specific vagary: nothing drives me up the wall more than a shitty illustration with a overtly flourished signature. Perhaps its a cornball still life where in the fabric is rendered to look like cardboard instead of, you know, fabric. Maybe it's a depiction of light reflection off a glass' rim that is conveyed with a five point christmas tree STAR. Then to cap it all off, right in the cornor, carefully exacted, is a fucking Ben Franklin 2.0 insignia.Seriously, if your signature is the only thing someone can remember about your work, you might need to work a little harder on your rendering skills. This goes for that calender of animal illustrations that I thought was done by children with disabilities, but was really executed by art-lovin' adults. What happened to the good ol days of the self-deprecating artist? Now everyone is pushing their crappy chalk pastel drawings on innocent bystanders and trying to tell the internet while working on their reality show clip reel. Not every child, or adult, is the next Plato, Homer, or Da Vinci. Not everyone is gifted and talented if they did possess above average (or average) intelligence they would have powers of comparison and see that, really, that shit kind of blows and if you tell me how awesome it is one more time I will likely snap.

kittttiez

Conversely to W, this months FLAUNT is pretty righteous. The cover(above) is done by Hisham Bharoocha, artist, RISD grad, former member of Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, and pretty much an all around enviable dude (see this on point Vice interview esplaining this). The entire thing is devoted to aural pleasures, including a fashion piece where looks are illustrated and paired with songs, ex illustration of a designer outfit which exemplifies part of an Ariel Pink song. On top of all of this, a thoughtful look at the life of Prince. Really, I am not asking much from printed media, just for it to tell me more about things I am interested and maybe show me some new tricks. Flaunt, for sure, consistently delivers.

literally Bravotv, you are going to make my head explode

Bravo picked up a new reality series called "American Artist" which will be in the style of ProjRungay where contestants have to produce a painting, sculpture, etc to be judged by a panel. Sarah Jessica Parker will be hosting and/or producing. I AM GOING TO VOMIT BLOOD EVERYWHERE! THERE IS SO MUCH WRONG WITH THIS PREMISE! Here, I will make you a handy list in ascending order of criminality:

1. SARAH JESSICA PARKER IS NO TIM GUNN and has NO art leverage. She went to school for design and had a perm. She has line at Steve & Barrys which manages to be condescending to the customer AND hideous! Her hook nose self was fortunate enough to land a role where her wardrobe was dictated by someone with actual talent.Nice resume.

2. Project Runway has, unfortunately, secured a trend-crazed audience who knows very little about actual fashion or actual design. So now, everyone who can pair a shirt with a pair of pants thinks they have the talent to be a designer. Art is even more of a vicious world where a smaller percent of actually talented individuals receive any credit. Just because you can write your name this does not make you an aspiring artist. I see enough of these doodling assfaces IRL anyways I don't need this show to bring more out of the wood work. You know, the ones who bring their sketch book to bars, to do 'portraits' of women. Cause you know, dudes that can pencil in your visage as seen through the downs-syndrome photo shop filter are worldly and you should be so lucky to bed them. (If you would like to see actual working artists who actually do shit on tv, pls see vicetv: art talk)

3. I am EXTREMELY skeptical that these contestants can create anything of merit on the spot. Why? because art is generally starts as a feeling, a response, and provokes the same. I would call what these contestants produce 'visual representations' and not art because to have 30minutes to concept and map out then however long, 12hours probably, to produce is not enough time. Even on P.R. they have behind the scenes help, sure the contestants look like they are doing all their own sewing and patterning and steaming and finishing, but again. 12 hours from concept to product. Are they going to have someone prime the canvases? make a base wire structure for the sculpting, pre-mix all the guache into the desired colors?
And then to have it judged by a limited panel and all of middle america? That is an accident waiting to happen. Who in the art-sphere would actually BE on the judging panel? My high school art teacher? Bob Ross? Not even Bravo has a big enough budget to get anyone worthwhile on that panel at least anyone who ever wanted to work again. Because art is subjective, everything can be construed as art as long as it retains concept and follow through. Example: Was Vito Acconci masturbating under a false floor while fantasizing through a loudspeaker about those walking above him art? Yes. The viewers of the tv show will get themselves in a rabid fervor decrying that this is art and this isn't art and this is but this isn't. So even, if by some fluke, a genuinely talented individual is on this program their portfolio will get torn to shreds. Though, given Bravo's producers 5 season history of accepting just-forward enough as to seem creative to the midwest singles that are the shows primary audience, but not forward enough as to actually do anything lasting, I don't think that will be a problem on 'American Artist'.

This entire premise trivializes, in the public's eye, the work of actual artists and designers. The contestants are immature in talent and mentality and that is how the viewers 'see' any artist or designer. Art/Design is not a made for tv drama it is hard work that deserves a little more respect than a horse face show host and a prime 1 hour time slot. What will be the next show premise? Next American Industrial Designer? Where the applicants feel that because they have sat in a chair and have rode in a car that they are qualified to design the two?

And to think I woke up feeling like maybe I wasn't going to drink today...

ooga booga man

I accidentally came upon OogaBooga while randomly googling for fancy vêtements and I am fucking psyched that it popped up! Where else am I going to find Calvin Johnson mix tapes or 5$ Ian Svenonius DVDs?! Are you kidding me? is this a music/art/rare trinket wet dream? They also have a great assortment of clothing and accessories to appease the vain fashion B in me including such trixy to find online lines as Bless and Opening Ceremony. If this wasn't enough to make your /my slightly inebriated head spin, they are having a pretty epic sale as well right now. So, if you didn't spend your entire stimulus check on "untraceables" (read: 'dro/'alch) spend the rest here.

puppies and models and model puppies!

it is imperitive that you look at this jezebel article that contains a gallery showcasing japanese artist Nagi Noda's hair sculptures that look like animals. the girls are cute too.

icy land

Studiobility in Iceland has a running exhibit of Gudrun Lilja Gunnlaugsdottir an Icelandic designer. Coolhunting made a post of her wares and I cannot get over the curiosity cabinet. It is so clean and functional, but intricate and vibrant. The overall project, titled "Soul of a Nation" will exhibit at the Reykjavik Art Museum in 2009. Mark your calender.

woooood

Audrey Kawasaki: Mayoi Michi exhibit in California has already sold ever single piece being displayed. All are oil on blocks of wood, but still appear ephemeral and light. pretty pretty princess.

in a whole new time and space

go to marion-b.com and be transfixed. the bio is endearing; it recounts that while her mother was in her 172hours of labor in Bonaire (Island of Netherland Antilles) she walked around fanning herself and soon to be present baby Marion Bolognesi with ostrich feather fans and consuming Iguana stew. and the illustrations are out of the fucking galaxy. Marion B also showed at Art Basel and i am disappointed that none of her work was featured in any of the articles i read. it clearly rules.

by way by way

shuffling through my post its i found one labeled kitsunenoir.com. well, good thing for you&me that it is a really nicely laid out blog with posts on graphics, art, design, and generally visual pleasure. doubly good that KN links to typish: a blog where readers email to add to the “inspirational, provocative, intoxicating, exquisite, captivating, photography, designs, type, art, fashion, and packaging.”. a lot of the images are overtly provocative (teen boys love the internet too) but the majority are really pleasing (above image) and the best part is you can press refresh all day long for new images. like the random button on tinypic, but more design oriented.

more on t.koh and the gold leggings

ok, if that below didn't make sense deal with it. however if you really got to the end and wondered what the fuck i was talking about with terrence koh and the balenciaga leggings i'll enlighten you. koh was interviewed in the fall/winter edition of purple (which is so good you should buy/steal/own/re-read it) and over the course of the interview he possibly gives maruizio cattelan ecstasy, has them both dress up in slick leather and chiffon s+m women's underwear that his boyfriend made for the interview, sings yellow submarine, declares he will stop reading at age 35 because he loves it too much, tells how sometimes he takes tranquillizers and goes to the museum of natural history just to look at all the animals, and notes that some of this art is made just so he can buy expensive clothes, like the balenciaga leggings which he plans to wear while he rides his bike. now, that may sound really shallow and coarse, but 1. he delineates shortly there-after that money, like everything else is a thing and the value of an object is null because the happiness that obtained object gives you is the most important thing in the equation. and 2. if someone really wants to give you tens of thousands of dollars for something you made with the intention of selling for clothes that is just smart business practice. he notes that he makes more expensive art for buying more expensive clothes as well as more personal art for change and impact on life.
and 3. he sounds like the best party friend anyone could ask for.

if you like miami so much maybe you should marry it

art basel is going on right now and i'll admit, i've been lazy and the only thing i've read the past week were the instructions on big brain academy, but i've caught up somewhat. fyi: art basel is a week long gallery show in miami's new museum of contemporary art, but like miami itself, it's pretty beat and no one in their right mind would voluntarily go there unless they really like tanning and hair gel. new york times wrote a kind of sad article on it, depicting how the gajillion artists involved display in booths not unlike those in a craft fair and comment that
"the art is heavily scripted, raucously colorful and monstrously proportioned. Parties and people-watching crowd the field of vision"...."Statement-making works are otherwise scarce. A few halfhearted gibes at the market, like the fake A.T.M. by Elmgreen and Dragset, are quickly absorbed into the briskly commercial atmosphere. Merlin Carpenter’s slapdash text painting “Die Collector Scum” sold the first day." it gives the vibe, also, that the only people buying are art-nouveau-riche, but i think the comment on merlin carpenter half ass painting i just put down shows that pretty well.
on one hand the artists who's work is selling are making out like bandits since the majority of attendants are better versed in spotting the richard prince for vuitton nurse outfits than any of the nurse paintings, even if they had a lit up sign and a free martini bar affixed on top of them. on the other, for the artists that aren't doing so well, the excess of the whole debacle glosses their work into the booth next to theirs and next to theirs making it unidentifiable and really just wasting their time. i mean, i'm not saying everyone who professes to be an arrrteeesteeee should really put effort forth and pursue that (i think you can follow and conjure my references), but even i am not so cruel to put a young, possibly naive, person into a situation where someone could easily throw candy colored liquor up on or crash into their work all while potentially destroying their ideas of their works worth and giving them a harsh introduction to the art world. over-all the whole situation feels like some bizarre real life pretending to be real life reality show in a microcosm where-in the known winners win despite their flaws and no matter how good your work is you are presently a nobody and nobody cares about nobody. however, the whole deal being in miami (have i let you know i have nothing but contempt for miami? because i do. i hate it. big time) should set off red-flags in anyone trying to be serious about anything. though, deerhoof and iggypop played and terrence koh was there so now he can buy a spare pair of balenciaga gold leggings or maybe the new latex robot outfits for spring 08? j/k i love t.koh

exit entrance

We got a new magazine at work today; Exit. Its nearly 11"x14" format, bi-annual, and over 300 pages. Termed from their own site: "Exit is a new cutting-edge, limited-edition, bi-annual, super slick, glossy, image-led magazine.", and it's true. It is all photo work and fashion. No prices, two articles, and a mere 19 ads in 300 pages. There is a list of stockists in the back, but otherwise it was a purely visual experience of epic photos, art, and innovative fashions along with a section on portraits/portraits as beauty.