P.S.

I'm pleased with my blue treasury I created on etsy tonight. :-)

craigslist, not just for amateurs anymore

In the sea of craziness that is craigslist, you will see a wide range of characters. We've all heard stories (both horror and amusing) of the experiences you can have when trying to sell things, of people standing you up, or trying to scam you, or when you check the personals or roommate listings, every entry reads "Just looking for someone normal?!". Craigslist is its own little microcosm of the internet world, and so entertaining that two gals, Katie Goan and Nitra Gutierrez, actually crafted a play called Kidnapped by Craigslist.

Well, the artists' section tends to follow the same pattern, with a significant portion of the promotional listings leaving you feeling a little confused as to what you just saw.

Today, however, I was browsing happily along, because I ran across a few awesome artists!

Vegas artist M. Mellon spoke to me on several levels - please be sure to check out his website, as I only have room to post a couple here. I often have the discussion with non-classically trained artists (whether it's visually art, music, anything) about why training is important, and usually the argument is that the untrained artists are worried their pieces would become too polished, and uninspired, just clinical or technical.

Mellon here is someone I admire for being that well-rounded artist. He has managed to master technique, demonstrating a understanding of anatomy and communicating through his figures' posture and gesture. His figures in ink and acrylic are equally matched with his more fluid and abstracted watercolors. He maintains technique and understands his media, while still keeping originality.

Three of my favorites:

"Death's Waiting Room" - I will be directing Sartre's No Exit this summer, and this is exactly how I pictured the room. Saving this one! My next favorite piece also reminded me of a scene I imagined.

Below is "Pleased to Drown," which, with that title, I can only hope to imagine that great minds think alike. I immediatly thought of the final scene of Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Having moved apartments several times, I've finally settled down enough to unpack my boxes of books from high school. Getting to revisit some of this literature has been a joy, and even more of a joy to discover these paintings that so closely matched my imagination!

And, "Internal Landscape Six."

An alien seahorse. Clearly.

OK, enough love of Mellon. I also want to take a quick moment to appreciate San Francisco artist Hiroko Sakai. Here are a few teasers showcasing her varied styles, but you'll want to check out here website too. A great example of modern surrealism, with a twist of humor.

i don't know why i'm surprised

but there is a LOT of political art on Etsy! (I'm posting early this week with the excitement of the Inauguration.)

Even the classics, those artists who were paid by patrons to create what they wanted, found ways to insert their own messages, points, or even jabs. Politics have frequently found their way, whether openly or sneakily, into artistic creations.

So, in the spirit of this week's Presidential Inauguration, I bring you some of the Obama art that caught my eye.

First, this Circles of Change bracelet by tafurious. This is a bracelet I would wear regardless of theme, because I love the simplicity of design, and how each circle has a different texture. The words "hope" and "dream" stamped in two of the circles just add to the small surprises you find looking at this bracelet.

Next, I fell in love with this mixed-media painting by StormOne. I'm immediately drawn to his smiling soulful eyes. What is he looking at? If I didn't know this was Obama, what would I see? I love the jazzy feel of this painting. I feel like he could be inspired to start playing a double bass at any moment.

Then I stumbled across some Hope. Hope on a Rope, that is!

With the seriousness of this election, it's great to see some (loving, not mocking, in my opinion) playfulness!

I don't know if want Obama grinning at you in the shower, but this is sure to start your day off with a smile. And everyone will love this Obama, because he's purple (both red and blue friendly), vegan, and smells like fresh air. Thank you, dugshop, for making my day.

Additionally, if you thought Obama was just going to restore our country to fabulousness, you were wrong. O-Balm-Ah (by themefragrance) will also restore your skin. That's right, folks. You can put Obama on a rope, and you can also put him in a jar. Here's hoping the new President can heal our economy and reputation - but no matter what, we know he can heal our bodies!

With all this great Obama floating around,

let's all jump on the hope train.

breaking my first rule...

I had to. I had a request. A snippet about Paul Rudd:


According to IMDB, Mr. Rudd has 3 movies in post-production. Thank you for making my 2009! I'm a sucker for comedies, so I'll be seeing "I Love You, Man" and "The Year One" (been a fan of Michael Cera since Arrested Development, and did you see the rest of this cast?!?!).



Besides. Paul Rudd is hot. Here's proof:

Told you.

Now onto more important things! This is an art blog after all! And while Paul Rudd may be considered a piece of art, let's get to the real stuff.


Shortly after college, I moved to NYC to try out grad school, and then I ended up selling my art on the plaza in Union Square.


While I was there, I made friends with quite a few of the other street artists, and we'd often barter or give each other "fellow artist discount"s. This is how I began my own collection of art.


My very favorite piece of all time acts as the centerpiece for my living room. It's acrylic(?) on canvas, and it is entiled "The Hidden" by artist Cypha. I was drawn to the African imagery because I have a tendency to be attracted to international and eastern pieces, but I was especially drawn to how the abstract lines of the masks and leaves just blend into each other as if it was a geometric pattern.
I'm now very familiar with the piece, and the faces peeking through the bushes have become household friends, but at very first glance, the faces truly were Hidden. Every time I took a closer look and saw another face, it was a little joyful surprise.



Once I moved back to Seattle and knew I could make a permanent home for The Hidden, of course they needed a frame! How does a starving artist pay for a custom frame?! Well, they build one of course!


But what the hell do I know about framing?! What I do know is how to raid my dad's scrap wood pile and cut 45 degree angles on a power saw.


When I first told my parents about my intentions to build a frame out of two-by-fours, they stared at me with the usual, "What the hell?" and, "Shouldn't we research this first?" and, "Yuck! Two-by-fours! Eeeewwwwwww...." And I stared right back with, "Trust me, fools."


And just like when I was 5 and tried to dress myself with polka dots and stripes, etc., it somehow all came together.


Step 1: Build a frame. You all are smart, and I know you can work this out! It involves 4 - 2x4s, with 45 degree angles to join them together. You'll also cut (on the back side) a 1" x 1" groove to the interior side of each 2x4, so you can set the painting into the frame.






Step 2: Stain or paint the frame. I was VERY impressed at how well stain, on cheap wood, exposes beautiful grain.

Step 3: Hang your beautiful painting in your awesome new custom homemade frame which didn't cost $400.

Step 4: Stick your tongue out at Mom and Dad. You knew you rocked.

tune in thursday nights

Welcome to the new blog of stir, your local artist's boutique under the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle.

A little about what I'll be doing here: Writing about anything creative or arts related! This may be sharing new projects I'm working on that will be available at stir. Or it could be instruction on a new technique I'm playing with. Or it could be sharing with you other cool artists I've discovered.

While I primarily focus on photography and painting at stir, this blog will cover the creative as I come across it in my daily life: 2-D visual art, 3-D visual art, architecture, music, dance, performance, cooking, even bartending!

So if you get a little thrill for the creative, please visit again. I'll be updating this blog Thursday nights, PST.

Best,
Kimberly @ stir