30 September 2009

Magazine Haul

I found a listing on my local Freecycle group for free magazines:



The bulk of my raw materials usually come from my uncle, but this load will last well into the new year. I foresee a lot of tearing and sorting in my near future...
A big "Thank You" to Lynda and family for being such voracious periodical readers!


And here's a bit of what I've been working on:



This is part of my first order! Paper bowls make lovely Christmas gifts, so please e-mail me ASAP if you'd like a price sheet: sallymackart [at] yahoo [dot] com.
Once I complete these bowls, I plan to start work on more paper animals.

28 September 2009

Modern Knight

Another inspiring pod about a great artist. This time it's NYC based Ted Riederer, who makes armor and skulls from records:



As for my own artwork: I've been working, but I haven't been photographing. I hope to have some shots up by the end of the week.

22 September 2009

J-E-L-L-O!

This little pod is just delightful! Artist Liz Hickock works in JELL-O, making moulds of San Francisco's Mission District buildings, and casting them in the famous snack food:



I really love how Hickock's choice of medium allows for fun expression of color and light. It reminds me of childhood, though I admit I didn't eat much JELL-O growing up. Maybe I'm reminded of watching The Cosby Show with my grandparents. Still, good memories!

14 September 2009

Autumn Distraction #1: The Getty

Summer is finally starting to feel like it's over. It's often hard to tell when summer is finished here in Southern California: We don't have the lovely Fall foliage of the north, and the temperature seems to hit ungodly heights even after Labor Day. However, the temperature has begun to drop, and I'm starting to think about packing up my shorts and breaking out the sweaters.

Even with Autumn weather just around the corner, I still find myself being pulled from my work. So instead of the fun summer distractions I shared over the past months, you can look forward to some Fall ones!

First up: I visited The Getty Museum this Saturday for the first time in about five years. Museums are some of my favorite places. I love the quiet, the dim lighting, and the thrill of discovering a "new" artist or art form. This visit introduced me to photographer Irving Penn, who is famous for his work in Vogue magazine.

The Getty exhibition, Irving Penn: Small Trades, focuses on Penn's work during the early 1950s, documenting the uniforms and work tools of skilled tradespeople in London, Paris, and New York. His photographs are visually stunning, but even more special as they capture a moment in time that is nearly lost. Many of the trades depicted in Penn's photos no longer exist in this modern age (milkman, street sweeper, rag and bone man), and many that have endured are slowly dying.

A Parisian Busboy. (Photo from The Getty website.)

I encourage anyone who can make the trip to Los Angeles to check out this exhibit. It is a very beautiful, interesting, and funny show (I would really like to know how Penn found a deep sea diver in NYC...). The exhibit runs until January 10, 2010, and I may even try for a second visit myself!

05 September 2009

Are you serious? [A rare soap box moment]


Awhile back I linked to a Current TV pod about street artist Ellis G. (a.k.a. Ellis Gallagher). He does some really cool work where he roams the Brooklyn streets and outlines shadows with chalk.

However, it seems the NYPD does not think Ellis' work is awesome at all. His Facebook status recently informed us fans that he was taken into custody for breaking anti-graffiti laws. This isn't the first time Ellis has been arrested for his art, but I sincerely hope it's the last.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for keeping punks and thugs from deliberately defacing/damaging public and private property. This, however, is completely ridiculous. Chalk is water soluble, and is in no way permanent. The point of Ellis' work is that it's temporary, and subject to fading and changing over time. If the NYPD wants to go after Ellis' for covering Brooklyn in chalk, then they better be prepared to arrest or fine every six year old kid who does the same. Oh wait... apparently they do that already.


Current TV Programming + Chalk = Yet another reason I need to visit NYC (7/5/2009)