Things I see
Nov. 8th, 2012 10:03 amA gold lady, suspended from the wall outside a clothing boutique in my neighborhood. With no arms or hair, It's spooky yet intriguing. Plus, that's the shortest hoopskirt I've ever seen:
A random antique Caddilac, parked outside the building where I work. The neon pink flamincos added a nice touch:
A random antique Caddilac, parked outside the building where I work. The neon pink flamincos added a nice touch:
Things I see
Nov. 7th, 2012 11:18 pmThe building where I work is located directly on the Spree river, and across from it on the opposite bank is an empty lot populated by squaters. They set up a camp on the space in hopes that occupying the land will save it from being developed into more office buildings (as much of the land along the Spree already has been).
Here are a couple pics I snapped during my lunch break yesterday as I walked through the little shanty town:
They've been living there since the spring, but I wonder how much longer they'll be able to stay before the cold forces them out. Berlin winters aren't as bad as Chicago winters, but they're still pretty sucky, and I definitely wouldn't want to be calling a plastic teepee home come February. Although, who knows. Maybe they are magic teepees.
Here are a couple pics I snapped during my lunch break yesterday as I walked through the little shanty town:
They've been living there since the spring, but I wonder how much longer they'll be able to stay before the cold forces them out. Berlin winters aren't as bad as Chicago winters, but they're still pretty sucky, and I definitely wouldn't want to be calling a plastic teepee home come February. Although, who knows. Maybe they are magic teepees.
Teufelsberg
May. 18th, 2012 10:09 amYesterday was the German holiday 'Himmelfahrt' (which sounds like 'Himmel Fart' and always makes me laugh). Everyone had the day off, so a crew of friends and I went out to Teufelsberg, which is an old abandoned listening station located in the Grunewald forest, on the west edge of Berlin.
Standing in the middle of the domes and speaking was like talking into a microphone; everything was wildly amplified and it sounded like my own words were beind spoken directly into my ears by an outside source – a very strange sensation.
( See more... )
Standing in the middle of the domes and speaking was like talking into a microphone; everything was wildly amplified and it sounded like my own words were beind spoken directly into my ears by an outside source – a very strange sensation.
( See more... )
Things I see
Oct. 3rd, 2011 10:11 pmOn Saturday I learned that a nice gallery here in Berlin is interested in my work. A friend of a friend sent my website link to the gallery owner and I guess he liked what he saw. I tried to get over to the gallery to introduce myself on Saturday, but I had to work all day so I didn't get over there until 8pm and the place was already closed. It looked like a nice gallery though, and it was in the middle of the gallery district. I'm going to try to catch up with them some time this week.
Today was a bank holiday today so I worked for a few hours in my studio and then went for a long walk along the train tracks, through Treptower Park, and then over to Kreuzburg near where I work. There are a lot of strange empty fields and crumbling buildings in Berlin, which I find fascinating. Here are some of the buildings I saw today while I was out walking:
Today was a bank holiday today so I worked for a few hours in my studio and then went for a long walk along the train tracks, through Treptower Park, and then over to Kreuzburg near where I work. There are a lot of strange empty fields and crumbling buildings in Berlin, which I find fascinating. Here are some of the buildings I saw today while I was out walking:
Some photos from Berlin
Apr. 17th, 2011 06:44 pmBecause I know I don't post enough photos of the amazing new city I live in, here's a photo I took with my iPhone as I left the art gallery on Friday night:
And here's one of the Hermanplatz U-Bahn station, where I often find myself waiting for trains:
You can see the sign that tells me which train is coming and how many minutes are left until it arrives, although the glare has blotted out the place where the number of minutes are shown – it's never many, though. 10 at most; usually more like 4 or 5 – I LOVE public transportation here. Cabs actually take longer to get you from point A to point B, so I never take them unless I have a ton of heavy things.
Things I see
Sep. 18th, 2010 05:58 pmI walked to the post office to pick up a package and I took a few photos along the way.
Someone had dug a deep hole beside the sidewalk and placed a bathtub at the bottom:
I discovered some chandelier-like hanging sculptures under the train tracks at Nobel and Kinzey. I've never been under there before because it's a dead end, but it was really cool and there was a lot of graffiti on the walls. Graffiti is a rarity in Chicago because the city has a "Graffiti Blasters" program that immediately removes any street art that is created.
The "plant" in the pot below was actually twisted rebar:
It's too bad Chicago is so graffiti phobic. We've had problems with gangs here though, and keeping graffiti off the walls is supposed to help keep the gangs under control. I used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot of gang activity – my street was right on the dividing line between two rival gangs (Spanish Cobras and Latin Kings). The gang bangers would deal drugs right out on the sidewalk in front of my building; we called it "the drive-up window." There were occasional gun battles, and a policeman was killed on our corner one year. I was so relieved when I finally moved out of there, back in 2004.
Someone had dug a deep hole beside the sidewalk and placed a bathtub at the bottom:
I discovered some chandelier-like hanging sculptures under the train tracks at Nobel and Kinzey. I've never been under there before because it's a dead end, but it was really cool and there was a lot of graffiti on the walls. Graffiti is a rarity in Chicago because the city has a "Graffiti Blasters" program that immediately removes any street art that is created.
The "plant" in the pot below was actually twisted rebar:
It's too bad Chicago is so graffiti phobic. We've had problems with gangs here though, and keeping graffiti off the walls is supposed to help keep the gangs under control. I used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot of gang activity – my street was right on the dividing line between two rival gangs (Spanish Cobras and Latin Kings). The gang bangers would deal drugs right out on the sidewalk in front of my building; we called it "the drive-up window." There were occasional gun battles, and a policeman was killed on our corner one year. I was so relieved when I finally moved out of there, back in 2004.
Things I see
Aug. 2nd, 2010 11:26 pmI walked around Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain until the bottoms of my feet felt like they had turned into bruised pulp and I took the train back to the neighborhood where I'm staying. Today's mission was to research studio space here in Berlin but I think I'm looking in the wrong places. I've emailed a couple people for advice, so hopefully they can point me in the right direction.
It's raining here now, and I'm having a chill night in. I was going to do laundry, but I forgot to buy detergent. I like to use "Denkmit" when I'm over here because the name amuses me. Same thing with Blend-a-med toothpaste, lol.
( There be more photos here... )
It's raining here now, and I'm having a chill night in. I was going to do laundry, but I forgot to buy detergent. I like to use "Denkmit" when I'm over here because the name amuses me. Same thing with Blend-a-med toothpaste, lol.
( There be more photos here... )
Things I see
Jul. 10th, 2009 02:14 pmThis has to be the strangest thing I've ever found in an alley - several sets of plaster teeth:
A little black box just sitting on top of a dumpster getting rained on. Of course I had to see what was inside the little drawers, and of course I had to stow it in my bag when I discovered what was inside.
A little black box just sitting on top of a dumpster getting rained on. Of course I had to see what was inside the little drawers, and of course I had to stow it in my bag when I discovered what was inside.
I worked on the red and green painting for three hours last night and had a horrible time. I had to keep wiping it down because I just couldn't get it right; I really like this painting and it would be so easy to fuck it up. It was just one of those nights where nothing I did was any good - NOTHING, and I was sobbing and cursing and there was thinner everywhere and I was surrounded by soiled paper towels and wads of masking tape and open cans of paint. I should have stopped after the first few attempts went south, but I couldn't let it go. Around midnight I wiped the canvas down one last time and gave up, feeling completely defeated.
And then I made a discovery that will revolutionize how I move forward with my work. Rather than build a bonfire of every painting I've ever done and declare myself a failed artist, and rather than call it quits and go to bed, I got a small glass of water and a #6 brush and started wetting down some of the areas on Glasser. I needed to move forward with something, anything, and I figured that I could do a quick experiment with glaze and then call it a night. Instead, what I discovered was a way to brighten the colors of my paintings - not by rubbing them with oil (which renders the paper transparent, but ultimately yellows the surface and accelerates decay) - but by removing the lint and pulp from the surface of my paintings without damaging the paint below.
This is the holy grail I've been searching for. A way to have a clean surface without the use of a resin or oil. I stayed up until 1:30am removing layers of pulp, and then got up early this morning to continue. It's slow going, but it's effective.
You can see the bright colors starting to show through in the areas where I have worked, primarily on the top and left:
Glasser,
20"x20"
paint, paper & asphalt on canvas
In other news, I saw a building being demolished on my way in to work. I wonder who lived in the pink room.
And then I made a discovery that will revolutionize how I move forward with my work. Rather than build a bonfire of every painting I've ever done and declare myself a failed artist, and rather than call it quits and go to bed, I got a small glass of water and a #6 brush and started wetting down some of the areas on Glasser. I needed to move forward with something, anything, and I figured that I could do a quick experiment with glaze and then call it a night. Instead, what I discovered was a way to brighten the colors of my paintings - not by rubbing them with oil (which renders the paper transparent, but ultimately yellows the surface and accelerates decay) - but by removing the lint and pulp from the surface of my paintings without damaging the paint below.
This is the holy grail I've been searching for. A way to have a clean surface without the use of a resin or oil. I stayed up until 1:30am removing layers of pulp, and then got up early this morning to continue. It's slow going, but it's effective.
You can see the bright colors starting to show through in the areas where I have worked, primarily on the top and left:
Glasser,
20"x20"
paint, paper & asphalt on canvas
In other news, I saw a building being demolished on my way in to work. I wonder who lived in the pink room.
Ich habe Sachen gesehen
Sep. 27th, 2008 11:56 pmI'm not normally all into motorcycles, but this one had me transfixed. There were little red LED lights highlighting the rims and various nooks & crannies along the sides. It looked extremely futuristic and I wondered who had left it there with all the lights on like that. A drain on the battery, I would imagine, but mesmerizing, too. Half of me screamed "Show-off!" and the other half screamed "Neat-O!"
This made me giggle. I pass this fountain every day on my walk to work, and on this particular day someone had thrown soap into the water. YAY bubble baths for all!!!!
I went down to Pilsen today to check out all the galleries and studios. There's a girl in the Lofts building that I talked to at length; turns out she did a hand modeling gig last week at the advertising agency where I work. She was in a commercial we shot, too. Anyway, doing acting and modeling is how she finances her artist lifestyle. Funny how we both sell our souls to advertising so we can be fine artists on the side.
I went to about 10 different galleries and studios. I think the highlight of the day was a creepy/strange/awesome video art piece done by a guy from St. Louis. His piece reminded me a lot of my own work, so of course I had to pick his brain ;)
Then I went exploring. I found a huge warehouse filled with used hotel furniture and furnishings. Five stories of dusty crap. It was amazing to behold, almost like one big giant art installation, or something in a dream. I kept thinking about all the countless people who had slept on the beds and used the drawers. It was kind of creepy. This is the corner that had all the drapes:
Yeah. That's a lot of drapes.
This made me giggle. I pass this fountain every day on my walk to work, and on this particular day someone had thrown soap into the water. YAY bubble baths for all!!!!
I went down to Pilsen today to check out all the galleries and studios. There's a girl in the Lofts building that I talked to at length; turns out she did a hand modeling gig last week at the advertising agency where I work. She was in a commercial we shot, too. Anyway, doing acting and modeling is how she finances her artist lifestyle. Funny how we both sell our souls to advertising so we can be fine artists on the side.
I went to about 10 different galleries and studios. I think the highlight of the day was a creepy/strange/awesome video art piece done by a guy from St. Louis. His piece reminded me a lot of my own work, so of course I had to pick his brain ;)
Then I went exploring. I found a huge warehouse filled with used hotel furniture and furnishings. Five stories of dusty crap. It was amazing to behold, almost like one big giant art installation, or something in a dream. I kept thinking about all the countless people who had slept on the beds and used the drawers. It was kind of creepy. This is the corner that had all the drapes:
Yeah. That's a lot of drapes.
Things I see
Jun. 9th, 2008 04:29 pmWork was slow today so I ducked out and walked over to the art supply store and picked up some paint. I always feel strange when I leave work during the middle of the day. It's like I'm playing hooky or something. Everyone at the art store knows me, it's kind of funny. They always give me a discount, even though I'm not a student:
It's been really windy here in the windy city as of late. The poor trees in Lincoln Park took a beating.
O came over yesterday and we huddled inside with the air conditioning on. It was in the upper 80's, maybe even into the 90's, and super humid. Here is O reading:
It's been really windy here in the windy city as of late. The poor trees in Lincoln Park took a beating.
O came over yesterday and we huddled inside with the air conditioning on. It was in the upper 80's, maybe even into the 90's, and super humid. Here is O reading:
Things I see
Apr. 27th, 2008 01:55 pmWent to a party at Wesley Kimler's studio last night. It was like some kind of awesome dream; great people, lots of booze, and amazing art all over the place. ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
madresal and I walked from painting to painting, examining the surgeons and soldiers, sipping our drinks and wondering about all the people wearing floppy rabbit ear hats (turns out they were all in the band). There was a guy dressed in black leather who stood on a giant rubber ball and rolled around juggling things, too. It was all pretty surreal.
madresal and I walked from painting to painting, examining the surgeons and soldiers, sipping our drinks and wondering about all the people wearing floppy rabbit ear hats (turns out they were all in the band). There was a guy dressed in black leather who stood on a giant rubber ball and rolled around juggling things, too. It was all pretty surreal.
