Open Studio Day Setup

 

Wearing the Professor Hat for a Day.

Yesterday my man Josh needed a break from teaching his drawing class so he could get his paper done. Somehow after buying pitcher after pitcher of beer the previous night before he convinced me to babysit his class for a class period. Sometimes to be a good friend you have to be willing to be a sucker.My standard practice is to tell people to fuck off if they are trying to talk about important shit while I’m drinking-especially if a favor is involved. When I drink I get way more apologetic and sympathetic  than I normally am. The memory of the drunken phone calls for apologizing for shit that wasn’t my fault still haunt me. My art mom says happiness is having a short memory- I wasn’t blessed with that. The sucker quote is 100 percent my own.

I don’t have a short memory, make a good sucker, and happiness usually evades me. What I am is a great friend and filling in for Josh was no big deal. I actually needed to get away from this drawing that only becomes more troublesome the more I work on it . Actually this drawing is a painting because it reminds me of the troubles that painting once gave me. I’ll get to that later when I am ready to post pictures of it.

Teaching was me walking around making sure everyone had solid ideas and sitting around drawing in my sketchbook for a couple of hours. I taught the class in a old Bobby style and a Fred Stoney style. It was an intermediate drawing class so their effort is the measure of their work. It’s funny how your professor’s attitudes rub of on you. That’s another reason it’s important to pick grad schools were their are people you want to influence you a person. It’s funny to share space with cocky  undergrad student that don’t give a shit who you are or about the small accomplishments you have on your resume. You appear to them as some random dick that is making them do a project for a grade. My scenario was worse because I was a sub and had no impact or control on their futures. My love for art and desire that everyone loves it as much as me would probably make me a poor teacher, it sure as hell has made my a poor friend at times, because I call bullshit what it is. Honestly I don’t know if I could stomach giving a student an unworthy grade. My mind keeps going back to all the work I put in , which to some seems insane, but I just call it 100 percent effort. When you love something, 100 % is the only thing you want to give.

I don’t know if any of these kids love art but they all stayed and worked the full time. One snuck away with the- “I'm going to buy art supplies excuse.” Did I care? Not one bit. He had his project near complete. Go smoke. Go fuck off for twenty minutes. I’m just sitting  here cycling through my own thoughts via sketchbook and making sure no one burns down the joint. I came up with an idea that ties a couple of things together. I wanted to do a big drawing concerning my influence of video games, samurai’s and the book of Five Rings. I drew basketball men because NBA Jam was one of the best video games ever made.So many quarters where spent in the arcade at the Southbrook Mall in Memphis.I also thought about Mortal Combat, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, Karate Kid. I think I have a new idea combining my interest.

I’d like to think being around a group of people hammering away at ideas was inspiring in some way. I’d forgotten what it was like to be in a drawing classroom environment. Seeing kids head down staring at their own work is a good feeling. Still ,I never think that I want to be a teacher. I enjoy the making of art too much to set teaching as a goal. I think it takes really special people to do this job and they all should be commended. Grad school is not the place you go to refine your teaching skills or improve your chances for employment.The time in grad school should be selfish all about you time.Maybe the next time I have to fill in for someone I’ll come away with a different take. For now I am happy to stay in my studio most of the time and pretend I will never have to teach someday. Enjoy the Sketches.

Later,
Your Pal AL

 

 
P.S.
And this last one is of my teacher’s butt. She has a really nice butt. Haha..just wanted to see if you were paying attention-Honestly

Check me out!

                   

http://www.manifestgallery.org/nda/inda2008/index.html 

I just got my copy today. I can get used to being in print. I am still short of my publication goal for the year but hopefully I can change that!

Me,Myself, and I

This is the first video I’ve made in After Effects. It still is a bit buggy but I’m ok with my first attempt. My 2d drawings call so my 4d drawings will have to wait.

Later,
Your Pal AL

I Love Yellow Lately

Today I needed a break from my studio and just felt like being in a hardware store. The hardware store is a place for the lost and  people in need of fixing something in their life. What I needed to fix was my sink. Wisconsin water is not up to my standards.I keep having to by filters for my faucet , which break after a a few months, or deal with the white chalky residue in my water. I hate to think what I drink when the filter goes bad.

Maybe I just needed an excuse to enjoy the day. Today was a pretty ,yellow day.In this last picture it looks like the color red is  trying to defend itself but yellow is too strong. I love fire hydrants as well lately. I haven’t seen a good work of art about a fire hydrant yet. Maybe I should try and make one. If I ever run away to my cabin in the woods I’m going to make yellow landscape paintings with red fire hydrants. That thought is now part of my 40 yr plan.

Is bad to daydream about new work when old work is not finished? My next thought should have been--Maybe I should finish the drawing that has been consuming my life. I want to finish this thing and send it out into the world.I have to tip toe around it because it is so big.  I’m being bullied in my own space by my work. How am I going to get this thing on the wall. I guess that is tomorrows problem. I will be excited to have it up for display soon.

A Break From the Rain

I took a walk to get away from the computer screen and enjoy a rain free day. Tomorrow the rain is supposed to return and stick around for anther 4 or 5 days. Last week was a very rainy week so today I had to take advantage of good walking weather. Walking is something I enjoy because it slows the pace of the world down. When walking you can see things that you normally miss viewing in a car or a bike. I think walking provides more time for thought. It seems like people don’t about things anymore. How can they with cell phones stuffed in their face? How can anyone think about anything when they are surrounded constantly by people? I think quiet time scares most people and the PSP toys, Ipod gadgets, and endless amount of chatter about unimportant shit, I hear while on the bus is proof I am right. If you can’t tell Fall makes me want to hibernate and be alone.

I want to turn this into a face.

  

 

Self Portrait

Bill Plympton – Animations I like

http://www.plymptoons.com/biography/anishorts.htmlI

I was hoping “Eat” would be online. I really enjoy his work;they are twisted and uncomfortably funny.