I Know They're Out There Somewhere

This Iggy Pop was a gift from a wife to her musician husband, a friend of mine from grade school. Here is my original post featuring the piece. It looks awesome right above a light like that, between more art even! Sid Vicious, Iggy Pop and the White Stripes. Doesn't get much better.

I love getting pics of people's pieces in place. I've only gotten a few, which you can see by clicking on "owner" in the label list at the end of this post.

I'd also dig pics of the stickers I've sent out, if people've stuck'em somewhere. My wife and I have ours in the corner of our rear windows. I'm looking forward to the day I first see one on somebody else's vehicle.

So if you have a piece of Vinyl Art or a VA logo sticker stuck and haven't sent me a photo, please please do. I'll feature you in a post unless you tell me not to, as well. Or if you know someone who has a piece, tell them! Thanks!

Peace.

Topsy Turvy, Icky Thump

Well. What a day! Talk about a rollercoaster. It started out pretty crappy. Inefficient, frustrating, anxious-making. To boot, I left my phone in another room and didn't hear my wife calling repeatedly for about an hour. No emergency, but it left her worried and me pissed at myself. She did get a Slurpee out of it. Orange Cream.

And I did get this painted. Been wanting to paint The White Stripes for a long time. They are, after all, one of our favorite bands. Jack White's new band, The Dead Weather, rocks as well.

Then about 15 minutes ago I got an email. A VERY cool email. I'll be able to share the details in my newsletter. I've got to keep it slightly under my hat. If you want to subscribe, please just email me. I'm currently giggling kind of uncontrollably.

Peace.

I've Been Doing This 3 Years?

This Zappa is one I'm going to send to Vinyl Killers this year. It'll be my 3rd year participating in the show. It feels like so long ago that I started marketing and selling my Vinyl Art. It's gone by so fast.

It's interesting to look back at something you've done for quite awhile, day in, day out, and see how things have changed, progressed. When I started out, I had vague goals, vague ideas of what I wanted to happen. Beginning with the end in mind, as Covey says, but broadly. My main goal was exposure. And it's happening! Kinda cool.

Sure, day to day sometimes it seems like nothing is happening in a broader scale. But looking at a chart of RSS subscribers that looks like the best stock chart ever is encouraging. My goal is for that to continue, for more people to hook into my blog and hopefully read a good number of posts. I know there're a lot. I'll be highlighting my favorites.

Let me know which you've dug!

Peace.

Centering On Action

So I noticed my website wasn't centered on our laptop. So I centered it.

I'm in the process of revamping my site, as always, doing it myself on my built-from-scratch site. Mostly I'm modifying the layout and navigation, but some content too, like yesterday with the "About Me" page. Today, I realized that my site is informative. That's great. But it doesn't have what they term a "call to action".

Apparently sales sites are supposed to lead the visitor to action. Who knew? Like, I'm supposed to show people where to go and what to do to buy my work? Sheesh.

So I'm working on it. I've got an idea for the homepage that'll hopefully be more clear but not too pushy/hard-sell-y/commercially. My friends at the Brentwood Art Center made bumper stickers that said "Buy Art Now!" I don't want to be that transparently blunt, but I want that to be the main option. Secondarily the focus'll be on my email newsletter and this blog, to keep people interested if they aren't going to buy a piece right away.

I think that's the strategy, right?

Peace.

Voices You Love Or Hate

I am extremely picky about voice. Back as a teen, the singer was always a deal breaker for me. That's why I listened more to groups that harmonized, like CSNY or The Beatles or Jefferson Airplane. There were those like Peter Gabriel or Midnight Oil or The The who were decidedly unique that I loved. Then there were those that I hated. I never could get into Rush simply because of Geddy's voice.

So here are a few that I've found people either go crazy over or can't stand, starting with Beck. For me, it works. His voice compliments his musical style, lo fi. His voice is lo fi. I love it as an additional instrument in his wacky arsenal.

Next is Thom Yorke of Radiohead. I've never been a huge fan. And, yes, you could say I hate his voice. Sorry. I've grown to respect it, and the band's music is innovative and intellectually intriguing, but I usually pass on listening.

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has a far more captivating voice than Hetfield from Metallica, I think. When he gets all weird and metallic sounding, I love it. It works so well with their music. Kind of like Axl when Guns 'n' Roses first hit it big.

Jonathan Davis of Korn. God awful, to be honest. His voice works because their music is god awful. But it works. So again, I hate his voice but do respect it.

Iggy Pop has one of those weird voices, like Lou Reed. Just weird. I love Reed's because his music is so powerful, raw. Iggy's I frankly have never gotten into, and as of now at least, I have to say I can't stand his voice.

I am extremely grateful to Gilmour and Gabriel for both supporting Kate Bush early on. I love their voices for sure, though you can be luke-warm about them. With Bush, you can't. Again it's how it works into her music that makes me love her voice, soft and grating at the same moment somehow.

These are just a few. Ones I've done paintings of I love. My paintings can be like voices, some I either love or never want to see again, but some are just so-so.

What singers would you add to my short list and do you love them or hate them?

Peace.

Tom Waits' One Red Eye

Like trying to lay down a track with a jackhammer outside, a loud record label usually distracts, detracts from a piece. It's hard to look away from a bright red dot in the middle of the sky.

So I put it in the middle of his eye.

Peace.

Expecting Excitement

Hoo, I've got some exciting event news coming up! I'll definitely be talking about it in my next newsletter. For now, I'll say it involves this and these and some other stuff.

Last night we saw the Kings Of Leon at the Mesa Amphitheatre. Here's a video a guy uploaded of the opening song. He's got a few more too, good quality. It was a perfect night and a great show. Caleb was amazed at how many people showed up, and he had a good time despite some apparent issues with how it sounded to them onstage.

It's really exciting to see the band get so popular. We became fans after the release of their previous album, "Because Of The Times". Their new one is awesome, and their show has just gotten better.

Tonight might be another exciting night, but you'll have to wait to find out. Me too!

Peace.

Weird Independents

As we're going to Austin next week to visit family, I won't be painting or posting for a week.

Austin prides itself on being weird. Painting David Byrne, listening to Genesis' "Foxtrot", I remembered how I used to pride myself on being weird as well. It was a defense mechanism to hide behind my shyness. It was easy for me to be weird, to be introverted, to be closed off even from myself. Labels do that, make it easy to hide. I decided it was better to be independent, separate even, from people. I did everything myself, didn't ask for help, and would kind of go out of my way to make it really hard to try to help.

Thanks largely to my wife, I've opened up dramatically over the past 8 years, realizing how wonderful it is to be connected to humanity. The decision to promote my Vinyl Art wouldn't have gone the same way before I was ready. Everything happens for a reason when it does.

Another thing that happened way back with a pervasive impact was my mom telling me she'd seen "Stop Making Sense" by the Talking Heads. She loved independent films. It rubbed off on me. I used to watch IFC and Sundance constantly. Here're some movies I remember being seriously impressed with that one might consider weird:

Big Night
Stranger Than Paradise
Smoke
Johnny Suede
Tank Girl
Orlando
Pi
Bagdad Cafe
Hugo Pool
Equinox
THX 1138
Wings Of Desire
Kafka
Monster In A Box
Romeo Is Bleeding
Wilder Napalm
The Straight Story
Slaughterhouse Five

See any you remember? What're the movies that pushed your film-watching aesthetic into new territory? Come on, let's be weird!

But let's be weird together.

Peace.

David Byrne 03/05/09

Manifest(o) Choice (Or Change Your World, Yourself)

"If you can't change the world. Change yourself. And if you can't change yourself then... change the world." Matt Johnson of The The

This past week I've been following breadcrumbs online, discovering new ideas and people. New to me, at least. And that's one of the beauties of the web, for while we do have to pay webhosts and service providers for storage and access to our information, it's always there. Somewhat removed from space and time, people around the world can happen upon what you've put out there at any time. Like I wrote about last time, everything is new for somebody. And truthfully, every action is new for everybody, every time. Every time is a choice. It's a matter of waking up, taking control of that choice. Own it.

Hugh MacLeod, aka @gapingvoid, comes up with some brilliant distillations of thought and reality. Currently, he's working on uniting his tribe using the description of "crazy, deranged fools" or CDF. These are people who take control of their lives, not necessarily changing them, just recognizing that they have control, have the ability to be creative with intent in whatever they are doing. It's about intent.

Hugh's developing take on creativity is going to probably produce a manifesto of some sort. Manifestos are meant to help manifest a desired reality. Usually political, like the Communist Manifesto or the US Declaration of Independence, a manifesto is developed by an individual or small group who wants to change the world, really change it. They then publicly put forth their document and sign it, allowing anybody else to join in the cause by signing as well. Hugh has created an email subscription-based newsletter.

His ideas are in good company. By different routes, I came upon @KathySierra's Clueless Manifesto. This again goes to the beauty of the Internet, as she wrote it on her blog back in February of 2006. Also, an extremely smart and forward-thinking person in the ways of the economy, Umair Haque, wrote his Smart Growth Manifesto this just past January. Both of these, in their own contexts, discuss how this world needs creative people, people who don't see limitations and status quo, who take things as they are and decide if they think they can be better, and then do it. Anybody can be creative in any setting, it's just that it's the people, the connections between, and the authentic creative contribution to humanity that matter. Individually, or en masse, we can wake up.

I've been long interested in how people or small groups of people get so passionate about something that they want to take over the world with it. @chrisguillebeau is very inspirational with his Brief Guide To World Domination. The interesting thing about manifestos is that they usually are more about the individual than the world. Our world as we each see it, is a matter of perception. What we do in that world is a matter of intent. Manifestos publicly declare that intent.

What would be your manifesto? The act of writing it is powerful. So do it!

Peace.

Matt Johnson 02/22/09

We're Gonna Give It Back (Or It's About You)

You know that feeling that flows down your spine, washes outward until your fingers and toes tingle when you listen to music that moves you? That what Vinyl Art is about, what I want to connect you with, who I want to paint for you.

I've been asked by a couple of students via email what, if any, meaning or message my art is meant to convey. I've responded saying that I'm not very good at talking about the specific pieces, that any meaning is to be found by each observer. I've never been good at talking about my art's motivation other than the general reason I create it. I hate artist statements. They usually come off so pompous, like "look at me and the big words I can use to completely destroy the meaning of my work." I like my art to speak for itself. In that sense, it is the medium and message.

But I've realized that my art does have a message, that it is meant to communicate something. It is meant to be the physical record of a story, your story. Each unique piece is meant to connect you to your music, your memory, your culture. I want you to be able to look at my painting and hear that music in your head, be transported back to when you listened to it over and over and over, and maybe, just maybe even give you that physical rush.

I want to make your toes tingle.

"Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil does it for me. How about you?

Peace.

Available - Peter Garrett 02/17/09

When Vinyl Is Better

When you buy a $6 Tom Waits album because the slight hiss intensifies his voice and the occasional pop makes the music unique to your copy.

Peace.

SOLD - Tom Waits 02/04/09

And There'll Be No More Lies

Where I end and you begin.

Peace.

Thom Yorke 02/02/09

On The Cusp

I liked the inaugural poet's poem. It was oddly cold on the surface and warm underneath. It looked forward to the possibilities. I'm doing that now. Beck always does that with his music. He's one of those musicians, like Prince, who always sounds fresh. No matter what album you listen to of his it sounds innovative somehow. I love his uniqueness and creativity.

A cool thing about this record, which I bought new at a local record store, is that it came with an access code to download the album recorded at the highest quality possible for an MP3 directly from the vinyl master. So I get the record and the MP3s, which works out since I painted on the record. I did record the record with my iRecord as well.

I've sent the Santana and the Lennon to the gallery, and I'm waiting on the Mariah Carey record. It's certainly a relief to have the details all worked out. Now it's just the time pressure, which the gallery is feeling more than me because they still have to do the reproductions. So I sent the first two before physically receiving the contracts and initial deposit to give them more time. They did send me a scan of the signed check, and they still need the last portrait, so I felt okay about it.

I'll bend over backwards to be able to say "yes" to someone who wants my art. As long as you're on the up and up and I trust you're not trying to take me, I'll try to make it work. All you have to do is ask.

Peace.

Beck 01/28/09

This Is Cool

After writing yesterday's post, I got to pondering what is cool.

John Lurie is cool. Having worked with Tom Waits on music and movies, the man is who he is. And so SO cool. I mean he was in Stranger Than Paradise, plays esoteric, raucous, funky jazz, and can't fish worth a damn. Come on! He even dies with Willem Dafoe in that last one while ice fishing. Really, he does. It's in the documentary category.

He's in the group with Glenn Gould, David Lynch, and William S. Burroughs. Yeah. He's that kinda cool, too cool for shoes.

Peace.

John Lurie 12/04/08

What Will Matter

I was sitting at a local drive-through getting lunch for 7 people at the end of last week and I saw a sheet of paper posted inside with that heading. I don't know what the rest of the page said in smaller type, but that phrase struck me. Especially during the Thanksgiving break.

What will matter?

Beyond being a dang good thing for employees to ask themselves, the question goes to intent and the fundamentals of life. Hanging in a fast food joint.

So, what do you think?

Peace.

SOLD - Iggy Pop 12/01/08

Would, For The Absence Of Light

This Leonard Cohen is for this upcoming show in Ottawa here opening December 13th. Half of the proceeds from the silent auction of the pieces will go to a local charity for kids.

Subtle smudges. My other tool besides the brush, my finger, spreads dots of wet watered-down paint into tapped tiny suggestions of light, of volume. It creates basically an organically-edged wash, softened shade. The black vinyl still dominates, pulling the face back into the depths.

The depths.

Peace.

SOLD - Leonard Cohen 11/12/08

The Notes Are For The Soul

Speaking to and for his fellow black man, beat poet Gil Scott-Heron proclaims words are for the mind. Music is for our souls.

Indeed.

Take some time and, after watching that historical YouTube video I linked to above all the way through, wander around YouTube. Listen to something you remember from when you were growing up. Listen to something it then calls "related" that you have no idea about.

Also, you can give my radio station a try. Listen to what I like and what Yahoo! thinks I might like.

Feed your soul.

Peace.

Gil Scott-Heron 10/16/08

Real Gone

Value is strange, no? It isn't real, but just as it is determined by humanity, it also determines how humanity will act. Fear, greed, judgement, comparison are all born out of value, even though it is relative.

In today's world, it seems the media has no time to explore depth. Hence the extreme importance placed on packaging, image, facade. The storefront of our world hides the turmoil within. Discord develops along with broken people. Where is reality? Who is Britney Spears?

Value is flattening. When a cost is placed on something, it becomes a commodity. It is spoken of as though all it were was that cost. Money, something intended only to hold value in the interest of making trade more efficient, has become all people see. People are in general so focussed on amassing more value, they do anything but. They collect, they exploit, they greedily look for every way to take advantage in order to get more money.

When was the last time you thought about the people who make the goods you buy or provide the services you use? They are selling their LIFE to you, as you are to those who pay you in your job.

We need to appreciate PEOPLE, not the value they create for us to take. I'm lucky in that, firstly, I get to do what I enjoy, and secondly, I usually get appreciation for what I do. I get to feel connected to the goodness in people. It is there. Behind the ever thickening facade created by societal value lie suffering, broken real people.

Where has your real gone?

Peace.

Buy Now - Tom Waits 09/30/08

The End Of Pop

What is pop?

Not generally believing in categories, I'm not sure what is considered pop. I thought pop was short for popular, no? I don't know that it matters terribly, but we should get our words straight.

Does it have to do with when something is popular? If a release is widely popular when it's first released, is it pop? If a release becomes popular over time, is it not pop?

Or does it have to do with the perception that a release is meant to capitalize on the style of music that is currently popular?

Or is it just the style of the music or theme of the lyric?

The folks at Wikipedia seem to have difficulty nailing it down too, talking about how the meaning's changed and how it refers to the musical structure, the themes of the songs, the intent of the musicians, and the commercial and critical success of the release. Yikes. Even Wikipedia's editors are looking for someone to do some "cleanup" on the article. And popular music, which is distinguished from pop music, appears to be about as vague.

Maybe we should throw pop away.

No no, the word, not the music.

What do you think?

Peace.

Kate Bush 09/16/08

Stick A Fork In It

This is two shots of the same painting. The shot on the left is from my previous post. The shot on the right is about an hour later after I realized the piece wasn't done.

How do I know it's done?

When I look at the piece and say "Dangit, now I don't want to sell it."

Nice double-edged sword, huh?

Peace.