Art Talk: Fred Stonehouse

Art Talk on Thursday:

KU’s printmaking department  hosts visiting artist and Wisconsin scenester Fred Stonehouse.  The print department, with a lead from Micheal Krueger, tends to acquire visiting artists who are trendy scenesters in whatever city they are from.  These visiting artists also often specialize in marginal-type art.  According to the Spencer, "Stonehouse's style reflects outsider and folk art influences. “ Another review of his work says this; “Often encompassing religious or surreal contexts, his paintings are a materialization of his nostalgia for familiar cartoon figures of the past, blended with the artist's own delicate balance of humor, beauty and derangement.”
Stonehouse will also make an edition of prints with printmaking students while he is here. 

The lecture is Thusday at 6:00 at the Spencer Museum Auditorium.

Nerd Nite on Wedesday: Down Home

Wednesday brings another Nerd Nite to the Blue Room at Pachamama’s in Lawrence. It looks to be a good one!  The focus this month is in conjunction with the hillbilly/meth aesthetic of  the Read Across Lawrence Book "Winter’s Bone."  The lectures are:  “Behaving Bad: The Dirty South (mostly) in Literature”; ‘The chemistry and biology of Meth”; and ‘Picking and Plucking: A short history (and demonstration) of the fiddle and banjo.” Seating is limited, and we think this event will fill up fast, so otherwise typically late scenesters must be prompt. Starting time is 8:00, but doors open between 7:00 and 7:30. 

Why did Warhol choose soup for his pop image?

The mundane subject matter of Warhol's soup cans were new and puzzling to the art world when they first were on display 50 years ago in Los Angeles.  A neighborhood gallery stacked a pyramid of actual soup cans in its window along with a sign that said "Get the real thing for only 29 cents."

Why did Warhol choose soup for his now iconic image? Warhol's response is that he ate Campbell's soup every day for lunch.  Christopher Knight, art critic for the Los Angeles Times,  says "Frankly, if you buy that, you might also be in the market to acquire a bridge down in Brooklyn. "

Night has a theory about the subject, and says the soup cans may have a deeper meaning. "Soup was essential studio slang, the conversational lingo among New York School painters when they talked about their work.  Specifically, soup was the metaphor used by William De Kooning-the most successful artist of the era-to characterize his robust Abstract Expressionism.  If soup worked for him, why not Warhol?"

Target tackles Warhol
Campbell's said Wednesday that a new limited-edition line of Warhol-themed condensed tomato soup cans will go on sale at most Target stores across the country.  The cans, priced at 75 cents each and are intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the pop artist's first paintings of Campbell's soup cans. 
We think Warhol would LOVE this!

A website we love: Spoonflower

"Camping" by Bora

We are always looking for cool new sites for artists.  We just heard about Spoonflower. See it here: http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome
This site allows artists to create images at home that can transferred to high quality commercial fabrics including silks, cottons, or organic blends.  The site is fun, and has a fabric of the week contest.  This week's contest is "camping."

"Camping Crests" by Retrorudolphs 

"Camp Firefly" by Wendy

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KU'S OPEN DRAWING

The fall session for free open figure drawing at KU has started.  The sessions are in room 405 of the Art and Design Building, from 11:00-2:00.  The upcoming dates are Saturdays: 9/22, 10/20, 11/10, and 12/1.  

Iconic Christ Image: Why do we love it?

The "it" story of international art this week comes from Borja, Spain, where 80 year old Celia Jimenez took it upon herself to touch up a fresco by Elias Garcia Martinez of Christ wearing a crown of thorns in the Misericordia church.  The net has embraced the Jimenez image, and it is now an icon.  There is something very memorable about the Jimenez image.  

I think we love this image because it is so child-like and innocent. 
We will not be surprised if the Jimenez painting  lands itself in the prestigious Maryland's Museum of Bad Art someday soon. 

Fresco Before and After

On a crepe

Finding Creative Flow in EIght Easy Steps

Had enough excuses for not getting started with your creative project?  Here are eight strategies that Karen created to help her through her creative anxiety. She presented them last night at Nerd Nite.

1. Realize that you want flow. 

2.  Infinite choices can be paralyzing, stick to your goal. 

3. Clear your mind of chatter. 

4.  Create habits or rituals. 

5.  Do not overanalyze.  Never ask, "Why am I doing this?"

6.  Self deception is a good thing.  Athletes call this "Championship thinking."

7. Know there is a time limit on creative output. 

8. Do not regret the choices you have made.

Stay tuned.  Karen will expand on these ideas and the data to back them in upcoming blog posts!

Based on presentation of Karen Matheis from LFK Nerd Nite on August 8, 2012. 

Nerd Nite on Wednesday

Nerd Nite is this Wednesday.  Travis and his crew have put together what looks to be an interesting night of presentations of "Smarts and Crafts." We even love the poster for this event!

Of course, Nerd Nite always emphasizes the nerdy side of any topic. Admission is free.   Speakers start at 8:00, but get there early; seats tend to fill up at Pachamamas for Nerd Nites. 

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Today we think about Andy Warhol.  August 8 is his birthday!

Grave of Andy Warhol.