25 Disegni

I love Blu--artist behind the famous MUTO animation. The image below are his drawings that were included in 25 Disegni, a publication of artists drawings. Each soft-cover, 48-page flip book features two artists, one going in either direction. Alas, the one seen here, featuring the work of Blu and Eric Ailcane, is sold out...but there are other interesting books to buy here.

Eric Ailcane (great website--check out his exhibition installations)

Peter Plagens: A Painting as it's Painted

Untitled
mixed media on canvas, 96 x 144 in.
2007

Peter Plagens is a painter and critic in New York.
What is unique about his website compared to other artist websites is the slideshow of the above work in progress, "A Painting as it's Painted."
You can also read his essays and see examples of his other work. And make sure to read his artist statement while you are there--since he is a writer it's quite good.

I came across Peter Plagens because he reviewed the book, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton in the current Art in America. The review was so good I had to see who this guy was. I do think his work is really interesting.

As far as said book, here is a quotation: "In [an art] world that has jettisoned craftsmanship as the dominant criterion by which to judge art, a higher premium is put on the character of the artist. If artists are seen to be creating art simply to cater to the market, it compromises their integrity and the market loses confidence in their work."

More on Seven Days in the Art World
More on Peter Plagens

Wisdom by Andrew Zuckerman

One of my favorite and most influential quotations ever is included in this film/book:

"Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work."
--Chuck Close

See more

Buy the book

i left this here for you to read

This is a great project by Tim Devin, a Boston-based conceptual artist and writer.

From the website:

About this magazine
Each month or so, we release a new issue of "i left this here for you to read." We then leave them in public places (such on park benches, on buses, in airports and dentists' offices...) for anyone to take--free of charge.

Currently, we distribute our magazine in Boston, New York, and LA. We only print about 50 copies of each issue, and don't reprint any past issues. Sorry, we can't mail you any copies--we only send them to contributors.

Email us at i.left.this.here@gmail.com

They accept submissions of writing, art, and even objects. And they automatically include every single thing they receive. Of course I sent them something! Go here for more info.

Bruce Mau Design

I'm in love with Bruce Mau Design.

Need some good advice on being a creative person?
Read his Incomplete Manifesto. Then buy Massive Change.

From the Publisher:

Massive Change is a modern illustrated primer on the new inventions, technologies, and events that are affecting the human race worldwide. The book is a part of a broader research project by Bruce Mau Design intended to provoke debate and discussion about the future of design culture, broadly defined as the "familiar objects and techniques that are transforming our lives." In essays, interviews, and provocative imagery aimed at a broad audience, Massive Change explores the changing force of design in the contemporary world, and in doing so expands the definition of design to include the built environment, transportation technologies, revolutionary materials, energy and information systems, and living organisms.

Must-Have Book: Design and Art

Just read a great review of this book on Design Boom

(can you tell I'm spending way too much time on that website today!)

content: design and art were once two very separate fields, this distinction is no longer clear. the recent coining of the term 'designart' is a clear signal that the already complex relationship between the two fields is becoming even more complicated. the roots of the crossover between the two can be traced back to the beginnings of modernism in the works of john ruskin and william morris, closely followed by early avant garde movements like the de stijl and the bauhaus. these approaches aimed to integrate art into the design of objects, communication and architecture. however the subject evolved to a new level when the work of minimalist and pop artists began drawing comparisons to design. since this point, the relationship between art and design has become both combative and harmonious; the distinction both blurred and clear.this book examines this ongoing debate through an anthology of writings dating from 1957-2005. it combines the ideas of artists, designers, curators and critics to shed new light on the growing debate. the works in the book are collected from different sources and threaded together to create a consistent narrative from the divergent perspectives. they do not necessarily discuss design versus art, but instead touch on it indirectly. many are focused on art or design exclusively, however placed in this collection the reader becomes more critical, reading the debate into the writing. during this process the similarities between the two fields become obvious, but at the same time the differences are also made more distinct. the aim of the book is to be speculative, pushing the debate forward but making no conclusions. the book creates dialogue, asking as many questions as it answers. it makes no promises to provide a conclusion, it leaves it up to the reader. the way the book reveals the similarities and differences between art and design does however lead the viewer to one conclusion: there is no conclusion. for now, the world of art and design are as different as they are the same.

is it for me? this book contains a very comprehensive collection of writings from many of art and design's greatest minds. they can be read individuallyor collectively. the book is ideal for both artists and designers and anyone interested in the cross-over between the subjects. it is a great source of inspiration for any creative mind.

Click here for more books reviews from Design Boom

This cross-over, as they call it, is exactly what I am interested in for the context of my gallery.

P.S. Check out the new Eclipse Gallery logo!

Influential Magazines??

I want to ask you--what magazines in the art, craft, and design fields do you find the most influential and inspiring? I am in the market for some new magazine subscriptions. I'm tired of magazines such as ArtNews. All you get is the same old advertising and articles. I don't learn anything from magazines like that.

Some of my favorite big publications are Fiberarts, American Craft Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, Niche, Print, Frieze, Etc. I would actually be more interested in any smaller, independent produced publications that influence art, craft, and/or design.

Anybody have a publication they can't live without? Comments needed please!

More Love for Faythe: Handmade Nation

The Craftivism show was awesome, and Faythe happened to take some great pictures of the installation and opening, so check them out on her Flickr.

I was pleasantly surprised to be able to buy a book (and get it autographed) that Faythe co-wrote with Cortney Heimerl. Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design is an intriguing look at a slice of makers from the USA, and I read the entire book in one sitting. Find the book here. But to get it autographed you will have to find Faythe--you might catch her at Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery if she isn't traveling.

The book is based on a documentary that Faythe filmed, which is coming out soon.
Click here to watch the trailer!

Mankind Mag

Mankind Mag is published by one of my new favorite people, Erin from Design for Mankind.
The most recent issue is Feets & Feats. Online = FREE. Preview it here or download it here.
Print = $8.95. Purchase it here.

I visit Erin's website everyday. It is very inspirational and interesting :) Had to share...

Zine Review: nonsensical number ten

This zine is by Annie Yu. I really enjoyed the narrative, biographical content of this zine, which chronicles a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. You can buy it here for a mere $2. Check out her other work on Etsy as well, which includes various collages, notecards, and other zines.

Annie also has a GREAT blog! And see even more interesting images at her Flickr.

Mail Art from Pod Post

There is still time to send Mail Art to Pod Post for possible publication. Scroll down a few posts for more details. I sent them a mixed media 3-D piece, sort of jellyfish-like.

Visit their website!

Mail Art Publication Opportunity

Hurry Hurry! Send some Mail Art for the chance to be published.

Visit Pod Post's awesome website.

New Artist: Eleanor Cardwell

Eleanor Cardwell is the latest artist I've accepted onto The Emergence Project. I know I haven't been posting a lot about The Emergence Project, because I wasn't planning on representing any more artists right now. However, when I received Eleanor's e-mail and saw her amazing, ethereal images, I was more excited than I had been about an artist in months and knew that I had to get to know her and her artwork more.

Eleanor Cardwell specializes in artist books and works on paper, which I find to be highly intriguing. If only I wasn't in the middle of renovations for my gallery, I would be buying a lot of her work. I thought the least I could do was make her a page on The Emergence Project. You can find more on Eleanor's site here. Her blog. Or her Etsy.

I hope to eventually host a show for Eleanor's work in my gallery.

(BTW, I have decided on the name Eclipse Gallery. Thanks to all of you who participated in my survey. I appreciate all of the feedback I received, and the gallery name reflects the most popular choice. Thanks again!)

Surreal Collage Mini Story

I love cutting up words/phrases and making surrealist stories. I've been doing this with newspapers, books, and magazines since I was a kid. Here is a little book I did last night when I had insomnia. The mount is paper that I handmade from onion skins and filler pulp. I am going to bind this with wire.

The books I sampled from were:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (my fave book ever)

Animal Farm by George Orwell

An old children's science book

The Wandering Uterus Zine

I'm working on Volume Two of my zine. This is such a great outlet for all of the writing and photography I do, among other things... In this next issue there will be lots of words (and still a lot of images). Also I put some Mail Art in this issue.

*******************

This is a poem written by a high school senior in Alton, IL, two weeks before he committed suicide:

He drew...the things inside that needed saying.
Beautiful pictures he kept under his pillow.
When he started school he brought them...
To have along like a friend.
It was funny about school, he sat at a square brown desk
Like all the other square brown desks..and his room
Wasa square brown room like all the other rooms, tight
And close and stiff.
He hated to hold the pencil and chalk, his arms stiff
His feet flat on the floor, stiff, the teacher watching
And watching. She told him to wear a tie like
All the other boys, he said he didn't like them.
She said it didn't matter what he liked. After that the class drew.
He drew all yellow. It was the way he felt about
Morning. The teacher came and smiled, “What's this?
Why don't you draw something like Ken's drawing?”
After that his mother bought him a tie, and he always
Drew airplanes and rocketships like everyone else.
He was square inside and brown and his hands were stiff.
The things inside that needed saying didn't need it
Anymore, they had stopped pushing...crushed, stiff
Like everything else.

(source: The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gotto, Oxford, New York p. xxvii)

It's almost done, I just need to go get some brightly colored paper for the cover and start hand-binding them. Let me know if you're interested. I accept comparable art or zine trades or else $5.

New Book!

The other day I got a phone call about an interview I had done about six months ago with Lee Rowley, whom has since written a book, "How to Market and Sell Your Art, Music, Photographs, and Handmade Crafts Online"

He let me know that my interview was included in this book and that he would be sending me a copy! What a pleasant surprise! It looks like a great book and a much needed updated resource. I'll tell you more after I read it!

Here's the link