Art and More Art

I’m excited because I just bought a piece of art, and I’m looking forward to its arrival. I’ve also got a piece on hold that I’m buying for a friend’s birthday. I can’t buy as often or as many pieces as I’d like, but it feels good to support creativity; it provides me or my intended recipient with something unique; and I know how great it feels when people buy my stuff!

Today I was putting some more work on my art pages when I realized that all the paintings I recently added had vanished. My web host must have had some kind of seizure. All is right again, and if you’re ever interested in seeing what’s new from me, on the left sidebar of my LJ home page, you can see links to One Word Art, True Colors, and a page of my other works.

It’s NOT TOO EARLY to pick out holiday presents, you know!

Last week’s Work of Art on Bravo was about opposites. I decided to shoot a couple of photographs (and thank you kindly, Kathy S, for being my model!):


(click here to see a larger version on a black background)

“Fists and Palms”

I shot tight fists versus open hands as a metaphor for opposites: stinginess and generosity. People speak of giving without expectation; I think such a quality is almost impossible for us. We clutch, we grasp, we want. We may not ask or expect to be repaid in kind, but we hope, perhaps for love, approval, friendship, gratitude, kindness, companionship, respect.

Often it seems the person who protests the most passionately that he or she gives without expectation most wants or needs repayment. A gift becomes an attempt at emotional leverage, and trust is replaced by fear of loss.

To see other contributors’ work, check out the Work of Art blog.

LJ Runway Monday: And Sew It Begins (PR 8:1)


Guess what?!? It’s a new season of Lifetime’s Project Runway! For me, that means a few weeks of stabbing myself with needles, hurling unruly bobbins across the room, and wondering what crazy misfire in my genetic makeup drives me to sew these challenges at 1:6 scale. But sew I will.

In the season opener, the contestants were gathered into a group with their luggage. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn–that’s Tim in my user photo with me–told them to remove one wearable item from their suitcases. Most people would think, This probably means I’m about to have to destroy an item of clothing. Let me take out something I can work with but I’m willing to sacrifice. In other words, NOT a thousand dollar pair of Dolce & Gabbana pants.

But I digress. It was a great first episo—-mmmbbhft.


Heidi: Welcome to LiveJournal’s Runway Monday! I’m Heidi Klum, and this season, I, along with my cohosts Mattel Top Models Barbie and Summer, will be doing the talking. Becks is here to sew, not ramble on and post spoilers for those who haven’t seen the previous week’s episode.

Barbie: I’ll be helping Becks pick her model each week.

Summer: And I’ll be her muse. If one of her designs displeases you, it’s probably because she didn’t listen to me. She’s very stubborn.

Heidi: This also provides us the opportunity to model Mattel’s Barbie Basics little black dresses. Don’t we look great?

Barbie: Yes, we do. And I’ve chosen a stunning model to wear the first design of this season. She’s Collection 001, Model No. 08, but this isn’t Star Trek, so her actual name is Maia.

Heidi: To try to adhere to the show’s challenge, in which each designer had to hand over an item of his–

Summer: –or her–

Heidi: –own clothing for the person standing next to him–

Summer: –or her–

Heidi: –to use, we asked former LJRM designer Timothy J. Lambert to dig something out of his wardrobe for Becks to use as the basis of her design. She then had a few minutes to pick out any other fabric and notions she needed, and five hours to complete her design.

Summer: Finally, we advised her to choose wisely from the Mattel accessories wall.


Maia.

Timothy’s selection.

Lindsey modeling Timothy’s selection.

Heidi: Ready to see what Becks came up with?

Click here, please.

Good times

Jim is here for a few days, always a good time, no matter what we do. He flew in to Houston in the middle of a mighty impressive thunderstorm with flash flooding. So dramatic.

Last night the four of us went to our favorite Montrose restaurant, Barnaby’s, then we watched the first two Toy Story movies on DVD in preparation for seeing Toy Story 3 in the theater. I think only Tom had seen the first movie years ago; the rest of us were Toy Story virgins. Many thumbs and some paws up (Pixie may think Pixar is another name for her own brand of magic).

I’m not sure what else is on the agenda, but it’ll be something, because when Jim visits, we always have an agenda. Maybe I’ll sneak in some Timothy James Beck conversation.

I finished the Work of Art project mentioned in my last post. Here’s a photo, and if you want the long explanation and more shots, check out the Work of Art blog. You can also see contributions from other artists, including one from TJB writing partner Timmy!

Getting in touch with your young inner artist

When I was ten, we lived in South Carolina. Someone or some organization decided to put together an art exhibit in an empty house at or near the college where my father taught. Anyone could submit works, and I decided to paint something while watching my father go through his paintings to pick out one or more to show. I don’t remember if anyone else in my family contributed anything.

I always loved it when my father painted. Oil was his favorite medium, although he also used watercolors, inks, and pencil. I liked the wooden box that held his supplies and his wooden palette. I liked the smell of the oil paints, turpentine, linseed oil, and mineral spirits. During the time I was making my “work of art,” he was painting on these pressed wood panels salvaged from the back of a bookcase:

Easy to see whose technique influenced what I paint today, although I judge his work far superior to mine for many reasons. And at ten, I was much more literal. Here’s my painting that hung in the show (my mother, bless her, kept it framed and packed away all those years or I wouldn’t even remember it):

Please click here for work of staggering genius.