My life as an art critic - and other stories

As a contributing writer for WhiteHot Magazine of Contemporary Art since 2009, it's gratifying to find my knowledge of art history and contemporary art has grown exponentially. Each time I see a new exhibit or encounter the work of a new artist, my frame of reference expands. Every grain of knowledge is like a new found puzzle piece. It fits in, a magical explanation that gives me new insight on  where it came from and what came after.

I'm now writing art criticism for two publications. In addition to my ongoing work for WhiteHot Magazine, which has a contemporary fine art angle, I recently started writing for Cartwheel Art. This new Los Angeles based online publication has a specific niche focus on emerging artists, surrealism, outsider and street art. It's a little edgy and a perfect compliment to my continued writing for WhiteHot.

Does all this art criticism drag me away from my own painting and fiction writing, you ask?

It is a major time commitment, but it's something I'm passionate about. The challenge will be to make my own creative pursuits a priority. I'm working on that!

BTW - I attended art school before going to university for two journalism degrees. Of course, that gave me the foundation to paint as well as to write about art. I'm always seeking new ways to build on that foundation. I just picked up a charming and clever little book at the Getty Center Museum store, after viewing, Florence: The Dawn of the Renaissance - a lovely exhibit which ends February 10th.  I'm adding it to my tower of inspirational art reference books: 101 Things to Learn in Art School by Kit White.

I hope you'll visit both magazines and comment there as well!

A New Year's Promise

No, I haven't forgotten you.
I want to reach out to you
before it's too late.
Before you forget me.

Yes, it is another year.
I want to grasp the opportunity
like a kite string,
like a second chance.

I want to create beauty,
and make things happen.
Some of the same things,
Left dangling from last year.

But never mind that.
Let's start all over.
It's a rush.
Just the thought of it.

Yes! A new beginning.
An inspiring premise.
A thrilling promise.
A Happy New Year!

On turkey, art and letters

If you have been here before, you may recall a series of unfortunate events last year when this blog disappeared for a while. In the downtime, while Google negotiated to buy the site back from an Internet opportunist, it lost momentum. I got out of the habit of blogging weekly. In a phrase, things fell apart.

Since then, I've been reevaluating the direction I'd like to take here. I am still interested in children's books - both from a literary and artistic point of view - but I'm now focusing on writing longer fiction and fine art. More on that to come...

I think the process of transitions is a good thing. I hope you will agree.

On the subject of Thanksgiving, here's a silly poem I wrote that captures some of my feelings about this most delicious holiday:

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

Thanksgiving Day

Turkey dreams

Intrepid schemes.

Painted platters

Family matters.

Wild rice

fragrant spice.

Party dresses

Kitchen messes.

Pecan pie

I don't know why.

Turkey dream,

Whipping cream.

*

 Happy Thanksgiving!

The two-faced tree

Things have been so busy lately, I've had no time to write, or even think about writing. Art and life seem to intervene, preventing me from really engaging - in life and art - as though I'm suspended in a conundrum.

Too perplexed to untangle my prevailing quandary, the other afternoon, I broke away from whatever I wasn't fully engaged in doing, to take the puppy for a walk. Granted, walking can be a catalyst for resolving creative blocks, but that idea was nowhere on my radar.

This time, we went in the opposite direction down the same street as before (see post, below). As we passed the tree I'd encountered last time, the sun hit it from the west, lighting up the other side of the trunk. Imagine my astonishment, when I realized the tree had another face.

A tree with a split personality. Two points of view! Could they be compatible? Forget about my own predicament. Now, I'm more concerned about the two characters who reside inside the tree.

Have you had any interesting encounters while walking in your neighborhood?

A tree's POV

I took the puppy for a walk this morning before the heat descended. The air was still. Nobody else was around, but for some reason I had a strange feeling someone was watching.

Here and there, random grapefruits, limes, avocados and other fallen fruit decorated the grass. I checked the progress of a bunch of bananas around the corner from where we live - still a vivid green. Then, the ritual stop to smell a seductive rose.

Now conscious we might not be alone, I reflected on the last few weeks, sorry to realize summer is almost over. I had visions of making this a boom summer for creativity. Instead, the last two months have been a journey, although I never went away. Family dramas and other commitments consumed a lot of time and emotional real estate. I immersed myself in painting in July, but didn't make much progress on my writing. My writing group meets on Saturday, the first day of September. A new start.

I wonder what this tree has seen. A thousand stories it will never tell.

What about your stories of summer?  

The Caerus Summer Artist Residency

Caerus, the Greek god of opportunity

Making an opportunity for art
I was just introduced to a Greek god. Caerus (aka Kairos), the youngest divine son of Zeus, was the god of opportunity, luck and favorable moments.

For the next two weeks, the spirit of this god is being invoked by the Caerus Self-Directed Summer Residency.  This virtual artist's retreat - partly inspired by Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) was started by Northern California artists, Suzanne Edminster and Karina Nishi Marcus. I'll be joining them and 31 other artists who have shared a commitment to devote part of each day, from July 8th to 21st, to working in our own studios on a self-defined art project or theme.

Never mind that my ersatz studio is a dining room table covered with a canvas drop cloth. Committing to this self-directed residency has already required that I describe my proposed project - a series of paintings I've experimented with, but haven't devoted much time to working on - until now. Describing the project was an important step in the creative process.

I've only committed to a minimum of two hours each day, because I plan to write during this time as well. My goal is to make an opportunity for art. By painting each day I hope to create a habit - while learning to manage my time more effectively.

In the process, I will welcome the muse, in the form of Caerus. I hope he'll decide to become a regular visitor.

I will post about my progress on the virtual residency here.

If time is my enemy, here's my new friend

I've been remiss. It's been three months since I wrote a blog post. In that time, I've been focusing on a variety of things - including writing arts commentary and taking a great painting class with Quinton Bemiller.  That, combined with some part-time gigs, has left very few hours in the week for my creative pursuits.

Enter my new best friend - a cheerful kitchen timer I bought at my favorite store, Anthropologie. It has a classic face and a magnetic base which could be useful in the kitchen, but I'm using it to borrow an hour from the day to focus without distraction on my WIP.

A while ago, someone from the Westside Writer's Schmooze told me about the Pomodoro technique - a time management method based on using a tomato shaped kitchen timer to schedule work. I couldn't find a sturdy tomato timer, so I got this instead.

The ticking is a little loud, so while I write, I keep it in a wooden writing box my son Shane gave me:

Knowing I'm a fan of W. Somerset Maugham, Shane lined the box with pages from an old copy of The Razor's Edge.

When the bell rings, I'm usually surprised it's already been an hour.

It may be silly to play these time management games, but it's a helpful tool. What tricks do you have for getting it done?


BTW - Here's a link to my art reviews in WhiteHot Magazine of Contemporary Art.