Cocoon of Rock

 

This just in! I love gold.

Day 176: Golden

Call me old-fashioned, but I love CDs. I know, it’s kind of like hearing someone make a case for the 8-track. But there’s just something about the sound quality that is lost in the digitization of it. I especially love listening to CDs in my car, which has a single CD capacity (gasp!) since it’s an ’03. It also has a cassette tape player, which I rediscovered the other day while changing CDs on the drive to and from SF.

Detail of splashes of watercolor & photocopy transfer of the fishhook stitch

I suppose I knew the cassette player was there, but I’ve never used it. The last tape I even remember owning was a Boys II Men cassette in sixth grade. I think I remember being surprised that the cassette function was even there when the car was new, now that I think about it.

Why dots? Why not?

But I’m thankful for the CD player, because listening to a CD in the car nice and loud with the windows up is almost a holy experience. When the bass shakes the pennies in the door, the singer’s voice hums fuzzy in my water bottle, I am ensconced in sound, swaddled in melody, immersed in the rapture of rock.

I didn't dip a cup in paint, btw, if that's what you're wondering. 😉

Floating on a MUSE-made cloud of awesome this morning as I made a canvas run, I returned to spend several hours on the new cityscape.

So far from done. I haven't even done a single window yet. Sadness.

After making some (slow) progress there, I created another mixed media piece like yesterday’s in gold, orange and blue. Including a dictionary page, map of the bay area, Victorian key images, stitching references and sewing patterns, this 8×10” painting is an abstract loosely based on my love for my unofficial hometown, San Francisco. Which reminds me- Happy Pride Week to my LGBT brothers & sisters!

P.S. Which MUSE songs inspired this blog post? Tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, & 8 off of their debut album, Showbiz.

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Where did my edge go?

"R", an 8x10" mixed media painting on canvas.

Day 152: R is for ROCK!

I was into punk as a teenager. I have some fond memories of Bad Religion concerts, like the time I saved some junkie from killing himself at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz with a swift elbow to the sternum and met Greg Hetson in the same night by eavesdropping on tata-flashing groupies.

Whenever a song like “Brick” by Ben Folds Five would come on the radio, I’d get annoyed and switch it. My friend and I crafted the moniker “sad bastard music” for these sensitive man songs. Yet here, only a scant decade later, I find myself enjoying bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay. What happened? When did I become a softie? Where did my edge go?

I’d like to think I could still attend a concert and enjoy it. If I get there and find that “all these kids” are annoying me, I’ll have proof I’m getting old. Next time we can afford tickets to something cool, I’m going to be totally prepared to rock out. With earplugs. Hey- no need to be old and deaf, right?

Detail shot of painting showing dictionary page

So, ladies and gents, ArtProject2010 has made it to month 6 free of any nervous breakdowns. Yay! Some new stuff is on the horizon for June. This month, you’ll see:

Blog post titles! Instead of just the day number, I’ll title each day’s post to give you a hint as to what snarky or sentimental topic lies therein. Day numbers and artwork titles will be included in the body of the posting.

Hands & Hands– The “Old & New” series continues with my first month-long project. I’ll be finishing up a 4 foot square oil painting of a metalsmith’s hands I started over 4 years ago and taking a photo of my paint-splattered hands each day. At the end, I’ll be able to display the hand photos next to the giant hand painting, hopefully symmetrically assuming my “math for art majors” course in community college covered stuff like this.

Videos! I’m working on another speedy slideshow like this one to show months 3 & 4, plus a video showing the commission piece from start to finish. (Stay tuned, Bruce!)

Flickr! I finally started uploading images to Flickr. Are you on Flickr? Find/friend me! I’m trucdart.

Radiation table from vintage physics book

Today’s daily art piece is a mixed media painting incorporating bits of vintage ephemera with the letter R as the theme. I am considering making one for every letter of the alphabet since I liked the C & D ones so much.