June 2010 Archives

I am now to a point in my creative recovery (as it were) where the book that is my primary guide has put a seemingly strange restriction for this week <gasp> The exercise is reading deprivation for a week, yes, DO NOT READ ANYTHING!  This includes books, newspapers, emails, (assuming twitter/facebook/blogs) and the like.  The thought is that a lot of creative people are addicted to reading as such it is a crutch much like drugs/alcohol is to a more traditional addict and take away from other interests; it drains your time and can deplete the creative well.  So she suggests your time will be spent on other endeavors that need to be done, should be done and eventually every thing is done so the only other think you have left is play time.  Play is important even for us adults, clears the head and heals the soul.  I am not sure this will be the case; however she states that the people most resistant to the idea are usually the most rewarded if they follow through.  I am planning on trying it out <double gasp> so I will not be reading any twitter, facebook, blogs, books or newspapers etc... this includes numbing TV also.  I am going to take one exception, I will only read if it is related to the job hunt, but that is it.  <Yes I am a bastard that way, can't totally play by the rules>

 

I have a feeling that I will be writing a lot through the process, it might be interesting what little things come out of it!

 

I will report back next week, I really think it is going to be hard!

 

 

I have been working off and on in a sketch book that is called "deconstructing the box" it is a medley of random and often experimental art works mostly drawing, with some mixed media. It is a project that I have been using to, not necessarily get out of the box but more so it is about breaking the boundaries of the box and reinventing the box. It is like adding healthy water to my well and visual library. An evaluation of creative self...

The first one is older the rest are resent ones. Most of them are tagged de'x so if you want to see them just click on that tag!

Oh, as a side note, I find that text and words/saying seem to creep up into these works. Not sure why but it seems to work for them.

acrylic and marker

Yeah, it rained like a mother last night, here is a guy kyacking down grand and the other one is lyndale at lake street in mpls...

Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.

As a kid, I was a very persnickety person when it came to food, I was not easily feed because I did not like a whole lot of food. As I was talking to my mom this morning, she retold the story of how she tried to get me to eat carrots. She would tell me how rabbits had great eye sight and if I wanted to see as good as rabbits, that I have to eat what rabbits eat; carrots. In my little mind at the time, I thought I could get around this with a loop hole, I would just open my eyes as wide as I could and I would see better. Didn't like them needless to say until my teen years. I was a picky eater, in a meat and potato/non adventurous small town food tradition.

In the last fifteen or so years, my like for more interesting foods have increased exponentially. This is even more evident in the last five or so years. Now I am to the point that I think I am willing to try just about anything. Yesterday is a perfect example of this, we stopped at Lyndale Tap House to meet friends, while there Max got the happy hour Beer Mussels. Yes I have never had Mussels before, guess I am a bit scared that kind of sea food. Yes, very stupid of me, and I know that so I dived in head first and had my first every Mussel, and loved it even though I am still a little geeked out by shell fish. Will I have them again, yes and would I try to make them my self, hell yes.

Be brave, and expand your box is a great way to experience life fuller and for all my creative kids, doing things you never have done before is a great way to expand your creative well!

Pexa

p.s. I think I will be writing up some reviews soon too, I might start out with the Tap House, so come back soon to check it out!

last night some storms came through MN, most of the weather slid a little to the south or north of where I was but still there were some cool skys to be seen. I got to snap some nice photos:

Note, these are raw photos, no photoshop at all.

I am a part of an online drawing group called the figure drawing factory, and we do group projects from group models.  these drawing are from a project where we did quick 5 minute drawings or five different models, that was the only criteria.  I went a step ferther and did each in a different media.  the first one i did in marker, the second i did pen, third in charcoal, forth in pencil and the last i did a quick oil painting.  I know it is not technicaly a drawing but hey, rules are ment to be broken!

I am happy with most of them except the pencil one, it has some problems, the hands and the head are not what i want them to be.  five minutes is not a lot of time to get things right so i am ok with it...

 

click on the drawings to see them larger:

 

So the other day I had an interview for a serving job, in the interview I was told I should be a food, beer and wing blogger.  This kind of surprised me but confirmed something I am interested in at the same time.  Well I wouldn't mind working on such a project, I think however I will have to practice my skills on writing (which I have been doing anyway) so I hope you don't mind I do not that I sprinkle in some foodie type stuff with all my other directions.

 

Tonight's menu is chicken breast in orange bbq sauce on the grill, and Guinness marinated New York strip stake with buttered baby bella's and rice.

 

Chicken BBQ sauce

One orange zested and juiced

Bit of cumin, ancho chili, and ginger

and store bought BBQ sauce (I use Famous Dave's Devil Spit)

mix and marinate the chicken for several hours, reserve some for basting.

 

 

Grill chicken, baste and flip often with reserved sauce to build layers of caramelized sauce.

 

Use about a cup of Guinness, glucg of soy sauce, black pepper, ginger; let stake marinate for an hour or more, towel dry add more black pepper (ancho chili if you like it a bit spicier) grill to your liking.  Place whole baby bella's in aluminum foil with some butter and salt and pepper, grill till done.

 

So I have been thinking on the topic of "FOCUS" as of late.  I think I have been doing so because I fear I have lost what the meaning is to my own soul.  Focus, I will not define it, I think we all know the essence of the work and how it affects are every day, but did you know that the etymology suggest this:

 

Origin:
1635-45; < L: fireplace, hearth

 

According to dictionary.com I find this interesting since I really do not believe my earlier statement that I have lost the common meaning of the word, in hindsight, it is more likely that I have lost, no to strong, this is better, I put aside the FIRE of that I love.  The word I have been thinking of is just the place that the fire burns.  It has gone without fuel for a while and needs rekindling.  How does one rekindle the hearth of creative living?  Gets back which is his or hers? Feel the passion, become a beacon that lights the world and inspires others?  Well, this is easy and not so easy at the same time.  Personally I feel that it comes from doing, just doing, in a positive sense and by reaching out and giving back, all in a positive sort of way.  Finding and talking about the creative life, talking about creative ideas, by doing and being creative. 

 

I think I will leave it at that; will come back to this subject as I muse more about it, but in the meantime if anyone has some good insight for me, please leave me a comment or email me!

I had done a little redo to a painting, brightened it up a bit...

how do you like the new version?

 

first one was the original the second one is the new version.

Ok, I did this drawing for a project on the figure drawing factory from a pose that Lee had supplied a long time ago.  The pose was made into a circle (assuming photoshoped) so the pose was distorted.  I really wanted to use my new color pencils (derwent is my favorite since they are not so waxy) think it will take some time to get back into pencils, haven't used them in a long time!

As you can see, I cropped it quite heavily...