Art Goes Reality (TV)

On Thursday, May 14th, I posted "Artists on Reality TV," and it looks like it's really going to happen.

An article in the NY Times "Art Goes Reality," by Edward Wyatt on June 30, 2009 explains, "The series, which has yet to be named, will feature 13 aspiring artists who will compete in sculpture, painting, photography, industrial design and other disciplines to create “unique pieces highlighting art’s role in everyday life.”" Read more, including casting call dates.

If you're curious to know if I'll be auditioning, the answer is no. I'll most likely watch the show, but I don't have any desire to be on it.

Rubberband Ball

New rubberband ball news! While sewing the other day, I noticed that my family's rubberband ball, which currently lives on the next table, had some changes.

Notice in the picture above that the white rubberband on the front right, that even though you can't read it says Lees Market (in Westport Massachusetts), is now loose and hanging off the ball from the bottom edge. No changes that I can see on the back side (below).


I used to to post updates of our rubberband ball every two weeks or so, but then the ball sorta fossilized and didn't change too much. Now I do it when I see changes. If you'd like to see what it's looked like in the past, click here. To see what the first picture I posted, in July 2007, click here.

Pay the Artists

Check this out:

"Pay the Artists," by Felix Salmon, in The Atlantic, Ideas: Fixing the World, July/August 2009 :

"If the Obama administration is serious about stimulating the economy and creating as many new jobs as possible, one choice is clear: it should announce a massive increase in federal arts funding. Artists are among the very poorest citizens. When they get cash, they spend it both quickly and carefully."

... and...

"Arts spending is fantastic at creating employment: for every $30,000 or so spent on the arts, one more person gets a job, compared with about $1 million if you’re building a road or hospital. " Read more.

The Fashion Show

I've been watching the The Fashion Show on Bravo TV, and I like it. The show has a more educational slant than Project Runway.

Each week the designers take part in two challenges, a mini challenge, and the elimination challenge. The Mini Challenge is very short, and is usually educational from a TV viewers point of view. In the the elimination challenge, the designers are assigned a theme when creating clothing that is not only functional but also attractive. A variation of the winning outfit each week is offered for sale on Bravo TV's website.

I have to say that I've been sewing for 35+ years (that makes me sound old but I'm not), and I almost always learn something during the mini challenge. I also enjoy watching the designers create their clothing for the elimination challenge each week, seeing it as the models wear it on the runway, and listen to the critiques at the end. The canned lines like "you're hanging by a thread," and "we're just not buying it" are goofy, but otherwise I'm enjoying the show.

Isaac Mizrahi is the biggest reason to watch The Fashion Show. His fashion/design/sewing knowledge is worth its weight in gold. I've also been learning a lot from the comments of the guest judges.

My friend Elizabeth Barton wrote a post about The Fashion show that is a good read called An Interesting Exercise. Check it out.

The Fashion Show is on Bravo on Thursday nights at 10 pm ET/PT. If you aren't watching it, Bravo repeats each episode often, so it's not too late to catch up.

Project Runway used to be on Bravo. Check out past seasons. It's moving to Lifetime TV next season, which I'm looking forward to watching when it starts on August 20th at 10pm ET.

Really Good (Art) Advice!

Really good (art) advice from Edward Winkleman Thick Skin or Not: Send in that Application, posted on his blog on June 22, 2009.

I have recently applied for a grant, sent my portfolio to a few galleries, and also to an artist registry. I'll be applying for another grant, sending applications to a few shows, and sending some more portfolios to more galleries, all in the next week or so. I have no idea if I'll have success with any of this, but I'm trying. What are you doing?

Remember this quote from Woody Allen "Eighty percent of success is showing up."

Weekly Update - Front and Back Yard Installations

Every week since I installed them, I post weekly updates of my weekly front and back yard installations. Both have been rained on just about every day this past month, since they've been outside. A very rainy June in eastern Massachusetts, and in New England in general.

In my back yard is Fence Installation Series #1/16 as shown above. I'm enjoying how it seems to fit in so well around my plantings.


The clematis that is growing on the wooden structure next to this piece, is growing on my installation now. What a nice compliment from nature. This is a picture of it from the front side ...


... and this is a picture of the clematis from the back side. It's basiclally leaning on it right now. I wonder if it'll start to grow through the holes.


In my front yard is Fence Installation Series #1/22, as shown above.


It's a little floppy in the upper corners but you would be too if you got rained on a lot, and you were a piece of fabric.


There are some rust stains on the back top, from the black plumbing pipes that have been rained on at least once a day just about every day this past month.


There is a little rust on the front bottom left corner ...


... and here is what the rust looks like in the bottom right corner on the back side. This picture also shows what I think is splashed mud on the whole bottom. I don't think this is mildew because there's similar mud spots on the black piping below this piece, and there's a lot of dirt on the ground under it, unlike the backyard piece that has a lot of greenery and some mulch.

Another update in a week. Just so you know, rain is forecasted every day this week through Friday.

Another Fire and My Installation

We had an unexpected nice night last night with coolish temps for June, and no rain. Imagine that. No rain. (For those of you who are not in the northeast US, we have had temperatures in the 60's and 70's which are very cool for June, and rain just about every day this past month. That translates to only having had 25% of the usual amount of sunlight we would expect here. People are grumpy overall by it. Not me. I love to cool temps, and the rain isn't bothering me.)

So last night, after a marvelous anniversary dinner with my husband, we decided to enjoy our back yard, light a fire in our Chiminea, and quietly start working on a sculptural fence using cut bamboo our neighbor gave us from her garden, and pieces of some green construction fence to hold it together. This time my husband is the artist creating, and I'm his helper.

This is a picture of Fence Installation Series #1/16, one of my two outdoor installations, as viewed in the dark near the fire. Using a better camera didn't necessarily get me a better picture than the last time I took a picture of it in the dark. Oh well. I'll keep trying, and maybe some day I'll get a good one.

I post daylight outdoor installations pictures weekly. I will hopefully do that tomorrow, and when the bamboo sculptural fence is done, I'll post a picture of that too since it includes construction fence.