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	Artists Blog Nov 11, 2007 I'm starting to have the urge to do work again. Its a vicious cycle. One day I can't figure out why I would ever do any more, then the next all I want to do is create something. I've had some new ideas and built up plans in my head, but I'm also trying to come up with some cool stuff for my students to do so I'm trying to focus my attentions there. July 20, 2007 Since the show last week I've been busy getting the finishing touches on our house before the new baby arrives. Today is the first day all summer I've really had nothing to do, and its driving me crazy. Normally I would do some drawing or something, but I've been questioning the reasoning behind doing art. I mean, its going nowhere (as evident by the lack of attendence saturday) so why keep doing more? It seems like all my ideas are beyond my grasp. I could paint another picture or build some contraption, but its going to end up in my closet so why waste the time/money/effort? July 15, 2007 The show last night went over really well. I was a little disapointed with the number of people who came out, but those who did attend seemed really impressed with the new group of work. The 300+ postcards, 100+ emails and 2 or 3 dozen press releases I sent out seemed to have very little effect on the number of people who showed up, which reflects the attitude towards art in this area pretty well I think, and it makes me wish I had just moved to New York when I was 18 instead of Florida. My friends and family that did come out made the evening worth wild though, thanks to everyone who made it. I had a few more ideas I wanted to try out but simply ran out of time, maybe next go around? The few new pieces I did exhibit were big hits, but the slide puzzle piece I thought would be huge ended up not functioning as well as I had invisioned. The presure to get work done brought back memories of my college days and made me wish I could make a living doing this full time. Over the past two weeks I spent between 10 and 15 hours a day working on art and it helped me realize I don't think I ever want to go back to a full time office job. Even going back to teaching next month is going to suck, but it will still be art, and the hours ain't bad. July 5, 2007 Has it really been 2 months since my last entry? I guess time flies when you move and are expecting a baby. I've been busy painting rooms and getting prepared for the little one, and now I'm prepping for a show too. I've finally found a location to exhibit and now I'm frantically trying to finish the pieces I've been working on. I've already had to cut a few of my ideas because of time and money constraints, but I've got a good group of new work that I feel pretty good about and I can't wait to get some reactions. May 5, 2007 Cinco De Mayo! I have been unable to locate an available space to show my work without resorting to getting involved with a crappy existing gallery that shows like 10 artists at a time, so my plans have been stalled out...again. Did complete a new piece for a contest last week though (check oout the interactive section of the gallery page) and I think I will be displaying it at the next art walk at the BellSouth tower. I can't wait to see what people think of it. I was thinking of trying to crank out 2 or 3 pieces in the next couple weeks to show as well, and I probably would if I weren't in the process of moving and wrapping up the school year. Maybe by the August Art Walk I'll be ready to get back into it, but I walked around the May Art Walk and didn't see much that impressed me. March 27, 2007 Got a package of CDs and autographs from Alicia Keys for my students yesterday. March 24, 2007 Less than a week until Art After Dark. I had hoped to have a solo show planned and ready to go by now so I could promote it, but I have had no luck finding a suitable location. Without a place to hold my exhibit there isn't a lot of motivation to finish work...so all of my pieces are still in various stages of completion or planning. March 4, 2007 Alicia Keys has a story up on her website about the portrait my students completed of her including pics of it and the students. Check it out on her website AliciaKeys.com February 23, 2007 The years is flying by. I am working hard on a series of new pieces and scrambling to find somewhere to show it all off. Art After Dark is also fast approaching so I am working on many different things. I have 5 or 6 different pieces in some stage of production at the moment, so my mind is constantly being pulled in numerous directions. On top of all this, Jen is about half way through our pregnancy and preperations are underway. The baby's room is 3/4 of the way done and we are making plans to remodel our bathroom as well as do some yard work. Luckily Spring Break is fast approaching so we will have some time to get things in order. February 5, 2007 February? I can't believe its been so long. 2007 is just flying by, but time flys when you're having fun I guess. I am working on pinning down a location for my exhibit and I've started some of the pieces. I'm also meeting next week to get the details on Art After Dark, which I will be participating in at the Florida Theatre. January 5, 2007 Wow, 2007! Its time to get ready for school to start again, but I'm also working hard to put together a show of my work. I have around 10 pieces in mind that I've sketched out and reworked several times, now I need to get some pictures and just start working. They are a lot more involved than my usual stuff, so much so that I'm probably going to need to seek out some help with parts of them form people with a little more experience, but ideally I'd like to have them done in time to put on a show for my birthday in March. That doesn't give me much time so I may adjust that date, but my first order of business is findindg a location. December 20, 2006 Today is the last day of school! I've been living for this break for a few weeks now. Especially after the Art Show we had at one school. I'm looking forward to some time to work on my own projects now, and I'm hoping that I'll be productive enough to have an exhibit of new work some time in the next few months. November 27, 2006 Started my third big cat today, stars and stripes. I'm hoping to get it completed by the end of the week. The first two cats are out on the prowl downtown already, and Super Kitty already has some damage. Looks like the cape cracked when someone sat on his back, so I'm going to have to do some fixing. Comcast called today too, their piece on me will air starting tonight at 7 and play every day this week. Look for me on channel 14 and 99! Also got an email today confirming my acceptance into Art After Dark this coming March. It should be a good opportunity to sell some of my stuff, which would be great considering all of it is simply stacked up in closets now. I'm also considering putting together a show on my own for all the new pieces I want to do. I figure that is the only way to motivate myself to actually do any of them, but it could cost as much as $1000 or more to put it all together especially if I have to rent a space to hold the event. November 21, 2006 Today is our last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, six days off! I've been stressing a little over some of our projects and I've squeezed in a contest the will bring Fred Taylor to our school too, so the break will be nice. November 10, 2006 School's out today, which gave me a chance to turn in my second big cat. One more to go! A 360 degree view of it is in the big cat section, and for the record, my living room looks so much bigger without that huge thing taking up most of the space. Wednesday I also found out my first cat was out on display so I swung by to take a look. I'll get some pics up soon, but he looks pretty sweet with the clear coat. I'm also working on putting together an art show for my kids at one of my schools, and I've arranged for Rashean Mathis from the Jaguars to stop by since one of my classes is working on his picture. Another class is doing a portrait of Alicia Keys too, and since she can't make it down for our show she is going to have a story about us done for her website. November 6, 2006 Wow, November already. The year is flying by. I'm working on some new pieces, but my time is very limited because of the Big Cats. Number two is almost finished, should be completed by the end of the week. I'm also doing a lot with the kids I teach, I'm trying to put together an art show for next month, but with Thanksgiving break in there (coupled with the fact I only see the kids every other week), it doesn't leave a lot of time to get stuff done. October 22, 2006 So, I didn't win the Red Bull contest. We went up to the opening reception last week and they announced the winners, some of the pieces were really good. Oh, and mine ended up growing mold on the inside, which is probably why none of the other artists used the liquid from inside the can. Oh well, it was still a cool experience, and I have a lot of stuff to share with my students. October 10, 2006 October already, wow. Tomorrow I'm getting interviewed by Comcast Cable about the newest Big Cat I'm painting. My students were excited when I told them it was going to happen a few weeks ago, but I just found out WHEN it will happen so I'm a little nervous. I just got an email with the questions, and hopefully afterwards I'll get a digital file so you can watch the interview here on my site. September 18, 2006 Ahh, another new week. Yippie. Jen and I have been busting our butts doing little home projects, and that has left either little time to do art stuff, or little energy. This past weekend we cut out a tree in our yard, which was exhausting. I had a lot of time Sunday to do work, but I was so sore and tired I couldn't get off the couch. Hopefully next weekend I'll get around to starting this next big cat...who knows when I'll squeeze in anything else. September 12, 2006 This week is flying by, my students have been pretty good so far and I've been busily trying to schedule in time to work on my stuff while trying to figure out what to do in class next week. I finished up my first big cat and turned it in on Friday last week, while we had her dad's truck, Jen and I swung by and picked up the next one so I can get started. This one is named "Maya" and is designed to look like a jungle. I think its been sponsored by Comcast? I didn't do the design of this one, but the artist for some reason couldn't complete it so I was asked to step in...and I figure "why not?" I've been taking pictures of the first one to class and the students love it. September 4, 2006 Its been nice having the day off...catching up on sleep, hanging out, working on art stuff. Now looking at going back to school tomorrow has me wondering what I'm going to do with these kids? Once a week I find myself scrambling to put some projects together, and I have no starting point. I am almost finished with Big Cat #1, and I'm moving along on some of my other projects as well. I decided to not show work at the Art Walk this Wednesday, partly to not be bothered by it, and partly so I can enjoy walking around looking at other people's work. September 2, 2006 Teaching is wiping me out. My Big Cat materials finally came in so I'll have it done this weekend. And I started the preliminary work on one of my new interactive pieces. Oh, and I was selected as a finalist in the Red Bull Art of the Can contest, so my work will be shown during the exhibition in Atlanta. August 21, 2006 I'm nearly done on my first Big Cat design, I'll try to get new pics up soon! I just have to finish touching up the cape and how it attaches to the neck, but supplies should be on the way so hopefully I'll get it all wrapped up this weekend! August 14, 2006 I'm starting my second week of teaching today. Things have been crazy, trying to figure out my schedule, locate supplies and flush out lessons for kindergarden through fifth grades. Its tough. In other news, I just heard my Red Bull Art of the Can submission was accepted for the October show! August 3, 2006 Tonight I will be showing some digital photography at the art walk downtwon, stop by the 11E building to check it out. I spent a lot of the day yesterday in meetings and such for my new teacher job, I'm excited but a little worried about what to do with a room full of kids. Anyone with lesson plans is welcome to send me some! I also realize I never mentioned my entry to the IceHotel design contest, hopefully I'll learn soon that I will be traveling to Sweden to visit the Artic Circle and carve out a room in the famous hotel. July 31, 2006 I QUIT MY JOB! Whoo-hoo! The financial worries of making a career change still haunt me, but the joys of getting the hell out of here make it all worth wild! I have taken an elementary art teacher job and will be teaching at two schools. Its not exactly what I was looking for, but I'm excited none the less. I will have more free time, better benefits, and more time off...less pay of course, but hopefully I'll be able to concentrate more on art and start making some money that way. In fact, I'm hoping to show some new stuff at the Art Walk this wednesday, but I'm waiting to hear if there is room for me or not. July 26, 2006 I've been doing some searching for places to show work over the last week or so, and I'm looking forward to starting construction of some of the pieces I've had in my head for a long time. On the other hand, I am very unmotivated to complete the photo work I intended on showing at the upcoming Art Walk. It seems touristy and uninspired. And while I think the imagery is good, and my photoshop work only makes it look better, I can't help feeling like its done only to make them easy to sell, and I hate art like that. I'd feel like Thomas Kinkade or Jim Draper, printing mass amounts of crap just because I can dupe people into paying for it. July 19, 2006 Last night I put the finishing touches on my entry for the Red Bull contest. I think it came out pretty close to my initial idea, although I did have some trouble with the materials. I am not very experienced with 3D/sculpture, so there was some trial and error, mostly error. Soldering was my first attempt at putting everything together, the metal of the cans did not take that very well. Then I tried epoxy for sticking the plastic together, but that was less than waterproof so I ended up using aquarium sealant, which got a little globby and messy. All in all I had a pretty good time, hope the people in Atlanta decide I mine is the best! (see pics) Also, I started working on my big cat last weekend. I didn't get very far so I don't have any new pics, but by the end of this weekend I plan to have all the prep work done and maybe even start painting. July 11, 2006 Picked up the Big Cat last night, emphasis on the BIG. I'm psyched to get started on it, but I have to be patient as there is an intense prepping process. I also talked with someone at Red BUll about getting some cases, so I will be meeting her tomorrow, which should give me the materials I need to finish my entry this weekend. July 7, 2006 Bonnie from Otis Smith called today, they have a Big Cat ready for me to paint. Now I have to find a way to get a 9 foot long sculpture to my house! Also I stopped by Reddi Arts yesterday to get some supplies, so I can start messing with the photos and other projects I want to do. July 3, 2006 Wow, its been a long time...the Poland trip was fantastic. Exhausting, but fun. Now that I'm back I am ready to get started on a bunch of projects. Two things have come up, the Red Bull Art of the Can contest, which seems like it could be fun, and the Otis Smith Kids Foundation "Big Cats for Kids", which is a public art project. On top of that I have all the work I wanted to do before I left, some photography from my trip and tons of remodeling work on our house to do. I look forward to being busy, but worry that it might get overwhelming. I guess we'll see. May 26, 2006 I realized that I haven't written in a while. I've been busy with a commission I am working on, not to mention trying to get our new house in order and get the details of our trip to Poland worked out. Also, I'm still waiting to hear about the job I interviewed for last week, which makes me think it has probably been given to someone else. I have been doing a little photography lately, Jen and I are holding our own little photo contest & I am hoping we get some good stuff out of it because I want to try out some new photoshop filters and maybe even print some of them out to sell. May 12, 2006 Last night was the opening reception and prize awarding ceremony for the NE Florida Juried Show at Wall Art Gallery in Fernandina. At the risk of sounding bitter, I was a little disappointed in the decisions of the juror. No offense to the winners, I just thought there were several other pieces that were a little more deserving. All in all, it was a great time and I met some wonderful artists. On a personal note, its moving time! Jen and I are finally moving into the new place tomorrow, which is a bit stressful. But at the same time I know that I'm that much closer to being settled in and will soon be able to start working on some new pieces. May 9, 2006 I have been toying with the idea of becoming an art teacher for some time. I think it might prove inspiring to help students grow creatively, and it may even allow me more opportunity to pursue my own art as well. To that end I have applied with the Duval County School Board and have already spoken with a number of schools about their respective needs. May 8, 2006 I had the opportunity to see a number of artists at the Shrimp Festival in Fernandina Beach this past weekend. I enjoyed seeing some new things, and critisized quite harshly some other stuff (to myself under my breath). I couldn't help but wonder, though, if this is what the life of an artist should be? Travelling from city to city with a pop-tent-gallery hoping to sell enough work to pay for the gas that got you there. I grew up with a much more grand illusion of life as an artist, and I struggle to locate that romantic artist's ideal. With the obligations of day to day life it's hard to find the time or money to put into my work. And when I do find a few minutes to dedicate to myself, I find that I am hardly ever motivated or inspired at the same time. It's unfortunate, I think, that something that use to come so natural and effortlessly is now something I have to work at and put effort into. May 4, 2006 Happy Birthday Jen! Last night I participated in the Art Walk downtown. It was a pretty good turn out, I got to meet a lot of great people and hopefully I made a few contacts for some commissions. I also enjoyed getting some reactions to my work, its been a while since I was able to get fresh input and it has inspired me to get back in the studio and work. Hopefully I can get some time to flush out some of the ideas I've been working on, look for them soon! Thanks again to everyone who came out last night and to the other artist at 11E for welcoming me into their space. May 2, 2006 I just got an email inviting me to show at this months downtown art walk. I don't have the details yet, but be sure to look for me at the 11E gallery tomorrow night. May 1, 2006 I drove up to Fernandina last night to drop off my piece for the NE Florida Juried show at the Wall Art Gallery. The show will be up during the Shrimp Festival, so it could mean a lot of exposure. If you're in the area be sure to check it out. April 28, 2006 Its been an interesting couple of weeks. Jen and I bought a new house and have spent just about every minute (and every cent) we have trying to get it fit for us to move into. That of course has left no time to do any art, or anything else, but I've been spending my days at work coming up with new ideas and plans that I can't wait to experiment with. Hopefully we'll be in our new place by next weekend, I'll keep you posted. April 18, 2006 Today I launch what amounts to version 4.0 of my art site. I wanted to make it a little cleaner and more pleasant to look at, I hope you enjoy it. I intend to keep up with this blog as much as possible, but it seems like I hardly have enough time to squeeze in any drawing as of late, so how often I add to this might work out to be a lot less than I intend. Lately I have been trying to move toward more interactive work. Something that truly engages the viewer. I have found that I still envision my work entirely in terms of portraits, however. The idea of painting landscapes or abstracts is the furthest thing from my mind.