P(art)icipating

On Feb.4 a music-inspired group art show called Pink Noise will open at Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park, New Jersey. These pieces of mine will be included! They contacted me late last year about participating so it's the first show for me of 2012. Woohoo! You can see work from other participating artists at http://www.parlor-gallery.com/?page_id=2426

Also coming up early this year, I'll hopefully be participating in First Fridays in Las Vegas! Close to the strip, a few blocks north of The Stratosphere they apparently have a growing monthly nighttime shindig. I'm planning on getting a booth in March. I'll certainly share details when everything's set.

Now I just need to paint more paintings!

Peace.

Yule (b)Log

The weather in southern CA has been perfect for our 1st holiday season here. Just perfect.

We love the gloom.

We love feeling the need to be warm and cozy.

We love the warmth of family.

I was glad to be included in the 1st Holiday Sale at the Santa Monica Art Studios because my mother has her studio there.

And I sold the Louis Armstrong!

He went to a fellow who delighted in twice telling me how his father loves Louis, how he loves Louis, and how his 4 year old granddaughter now loves Louis. Beautiful.

I hope all the pieces that are being given as holiday gifts this year bring joy and delight. I know it's been a joy painting them.

Peace, and Happy Holidays!

On The Record Label

Stark white. Lou Reed was the 1st piece I painted with white acrylic straight from the tube, no gray. It was on a demo record, which I thought was appropriate at the time. Demos usually have a white label.

I hadn't thought of sharing the importance of the label until I was commissioned to paint on this Matisyahu album which also has a white label. The art of the record label is wonderful. It has its size constraint like what I do does as well. And it seeks to both brand the album, connecting it to the record company, and unify the record with the album cover art.

Historically, usually, the record labels seem to simply be a connection to the record company like those shown at http://dj-spyder.blogspot.com/2008/11/text-less-record-label-artwork.html without any album text. I love these because they are often instantly recognizable and add that nostalgic element to my composition.

Ones like the Matisyahu though make for a unique composition and sometimes a more artistic piece. I just finished painting all five members of The Strokes, each on a different album, each with a unique label. The grouping, then, has a different feel than, say the Zeppelin grouping shown at the end of http://superhypeblog.com/?p=5758, all with the standard Atlantic label.

I try to work with the label when figuring out my composition. I like to draw attention to specific songs or the album artist with the placement and size of the portrait. In this Matisyahu, his name becomes part of his eyebrow. In this Zach de la Rocha, one of my favorite pieces, the label became the camera lens.

When the label is light, or white even, sometimes I need to use black paint instead of white. Usually it's for the eye, like in this piece and that Lou Reed. Mick Mars is another that ended up with a cool composition highlighting the album title and using black on the label.

A goal I have for my Vinyl Art is to celebrate the creativity that has gone into producing the artifact, the record. The design and content of the label is a big part of that. They are, after all, part of the record.

Peace.

Die By The Drop

"the hardest decision you will ever have to make / lies underneath your fingers" - dead wax inscription

By L.Phelps

I've been thinking a lot lately about changes. About who I am. About what direction my life is going.

Fifteen years ago, I was a different person. I was young, idealistic, and thought that anything and everything was possible. I was half right. Anything and everything is possible. I was only half right about this because I made a gigantic miscalculation.

It's up to me to make it happen.

It's not that I am lazy. Far from it. I am a stubborn ass. If I set my mind on something, there is no stopping me.

The problem? I feel like my life is constantly being pulled in two directions. The life I am living. Safe, comfortable, predictable. And the life I could be living.

I am too scared to make the change.

Failing would be the death of me. The twist? Not trying will be the death of me too, just in a different way.

Showing Up

This past month or so has been busy! I've had 30-some pieces in a solo show at a restaurant in Pacific Palisades (http://prlog.org/11636808) and now 21 of those pieces are up in Santa Monica near the airport for their upcoming Open Studios show.

Also, a Laguna Beach gallery, AR4T, is showing 4 pieces as part of a group show called Heaven's On Fire. The timing was perfect for me to find and contact this great gallery in a great location.

I was able to do this all because I've been working on showing myself and my art a bit more professionally. Since I'm trying to support my family with my art, it's been important to get organized.

To that end I wrote an actual artist's statement and bio and compiled my resume. I also reworked my website (http://vinylart.info) and created a video (http://tinyurl.com/VApainting) that shows a good bit of my technique.

I'm showing up.

Peace.