Velvets Fan

Bean; A quick finger painting I did this morning, via Brushes on iPad :)

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:52:30 GMT

Bean; A quick finger painting I did this morning, via Brushes on iPad :)

Dr Lakra; Untitled; Ink on vintage magazine; 2004

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:49:26 GMT

Dr Lakra; Untitled; Ink on vintage magazine; 2004

Richard is currently reading: The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year (Paperback)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:49:46 GMT

Richard is currently reading: The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year (Paperback) by Jay Parini
bookshelves: currently-reading

Richard marked as to-read: After Dark (Hardcover)

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:49:22 GMT

Richard marked as to-read: After Dark (Hardcover) by Haruki Murakami
bookshelves: to-read

"“They need to quit playing video games, throw away their Auto-Tune program an..."

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:38:00 GMT

"“They need to quit playing video games, throw away their Auto-Tune program and cut three strings off their guitar.”"

–Jack White in NME, 3 things new musicians should do

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:58:48 GMT

http://www.last.fm/music/Hot+Chip/_/One+Life+Stand

Richard marked as to-read: Let the Great World Spin (Hardcover)

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:30:34 GMT

Richard marked as to-read: Let the Great World Spin (Hardcover) by Colum McCann
bookshelves: to-read

Richard marked as pecking-away-at: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose (Hardcover)

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:28:00 GMT

Richard marked as pecking-away-at: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose (Hardcover) by Tony Hsieh
bookshelves: pecking-away-at

I went and saw this exhibition, Judy Millar's Giraffe-Bottle-Gun, at Te Papa ...

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:10:53 GMT

I went and saw this exhibition, Judy Millar's Giraffe-Bottle-Gun, at Te Papa in Wellington. Millar is a thoughtful and innovative artist. I also relate to her a lot, for example this quote: New Zealanders "reflect on things from quite a large distance."

Certainly my favorite New Zealand artist and I'm really pleased I got to see this exhibition (it was originally displayed in Italy as part of the 2009 Venice Biennale). The size and scale of the art works is what really bowled me over. But also she has a unique style, all her own, with painting - which I like and admire.

This sums up why Juxtapoz is my favorite art magazine: "...what about the vir...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:45:13 GMT

This sums up why Juxtapoz is my favorite art magazine: "...what about the virtuosity of imagination, forethought and craftsmanship? What about all the capable people who can draw and paint and sculpt and shape? [...] The fine art establishment has pretty well purged itself of resplendent and beautifully executed representational imagery."

Amen to that! It's also why I'm going to do a drawing class next, to complement the acrylic painting course I did earlier this year.

The first issue of Juxtapoz, Winter 1994

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:36:08 GMT

Open publication - Free publishing

"Using the pseudonym Fiddle Tim, Francis Bean Cobain’s first exhibit, titled S..."

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:13:46 GMT

"Using the pseudonym Fiddle Tim, Francis Bean Cobain’s first exhibit, titled Scumfuck, of notebook drawings centers around a portrait of GG Allin, “the only among the dozen drawings included in this exhibition to reference fame of any kind,” has not only demanded the attention of the art community at large, its sold out completely. Exhibiting her father’s proclivity for privacy in everyday life (quite the opposite of her mother), “The fact that this subject sought fame at any cost juxtaposes the chosen anonymity of the artist.”"

–Juxtapoz Magazine -

via Juxtapoz Magazine - A Few Words from Os Gemeos | Features

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:33:42 GMT

via Juxtapoz Magazine - A Few Words from Os Gemeos | Features

"On developing their style: Antropofagia [cannibalism] is the instinct to impr..."

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:12:23 GMT

On developing their style:

Antropofagia [cannibalism] is the instinct to improvise and recycle everything that man can create, to change and reconstruct things for better visual communication. Brazil is one of the best places in the world to create art and express yourself. People are open to that, and open to receive and transform what you give.

–Juxtapoz Magazine - A Few Words from Os Gemeos | Features

Brendon Wilkinson; Untitled; Watercolour on paper

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:54:43 GMT

Brendon Wilkinson; Untitled; Watercolour on paper

Brendon Wilkinson; Shh; Watercolour on paper

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:53:44 GMT

Brendon Wilkinson; Shh; Watercolour on paper

Brendon Wilkinson; Untitled; Watercolour on paper

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:48:52 GMT

Brendon Wilkinson; Untitled; Watercolour on paper

Brendon Wilkinson; saw some paintings by him at Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt today that I quite liked.

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:47:37 GMT

Brendon Wilkinson; saw some paintings by him at Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt today that I quite liked.

More here:

http://www.ivananthony.com/artist.php?id=15&table=details&artist=wilkinson

http://www.artbash.co.nz/image_detail.asp?id=1105&img=1698

My Morning Jacket - Hopefully

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:16:30 GMT

http://www.last.fm/music/My+Morning+Jacket/_/Hopefully

Modigliani; Donna dagli occhi blu, 1917. I hadn't seen this one before. It se...

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:26:42 GMT

Modigliani; Donna dagli occhi blu, 1917. I hadn't seen this one before. It seems rare, as Modigliani didn't often paint the eyes. Legend has it that he only painted the eyes if he could "see the soul" of the subject.

Update: I'm advised that this is a portrait of Lunia Czorowska which he painted while travelling in Côte d'Azur, in 1917. It belongs to a private collector, no mention of the name.

Fly My Pretties - Singing in My Soul

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:04:53 GMT

http://www.last.fm/music/Fly+My+Pretties/_/Singing+in+My+Soul

The Cramps - Domino

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:27:36 GMT

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Cramps/_/Domino

Playing Colors, Not Notes

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:49:39 GMT

Jimi [Hendrix] insisted to close intimates that he played colors, not notes, and that he "saw" the music in his head as he played it. His description of his creative process has an eerie similarity to what Dr. Hoffman wrote about his own first acid trip: "Every acoustic perception . . . became transformed into optical perceptions."

Excerpted from Room Full of Mirrors by Charles R. Cross.

Daniel Barenboim - Mendelssohn: Song Without Words #6 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 30, "Venezianisches Gondellied"

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:24:42 GMT

http://www.last.fm/music/Daniel+Barenboim/_/Mendelssohn%253A%2BSong%2BWithout%2BWords%2B%25236%2BIn%2BF%2BSharp%2BMinor%252C%2BOp.%2B30%252C%2B%2522Venezianisches%2BGondellied%2522

Modigliani drawing (3)

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:11:05 GMT

Modigliani drawing (3)

Modigliani drawing (2)

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:10:42 GMT

Modigliani drawing (2)

Modigliani drawing (1)

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:10:07 GMT

Modigliani drawing (1)

Awakening; Brendan Monroe

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:19:13 GMT

Awakening; Brendan Monroe

Competitors; Brendan Monroe (via June 2010 Juxtapoz issue)

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:13:33 GMT

Competitors; Brendan Monroe (via June 2010 Juxtapoz issue)

Harmony; Brendan Monroe

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:13:15 GMT

Harmony; Brendan Monroe

Richard's Top 10 Songs/Concerts of 2010 (Jan - Jun)

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:38:21 GMT

Richard's Top 10 Songs/Concerts of 2010 (Jan - Jun)

This list, from last.fm, shows the top songs or podcast concerts I've listened to this year. Again, it's probably not entirely accurate - as Last.fm doesn't count everything. But as I scan the list, it captures my favorites.

There are 4 Jimi Hendrix songs on here, all from my favorite album of the year: Valleys of Neptune. This is a posthumous album that was only released in March this year. The title track is amazing and I'm sure I've listened to it more than the 35 times listed :)

I was really into Band of Skulls for a time, although I have to say I haven't listened to them lately.

There are two wonderful live shows listed here: #2, Smith Westerns live at SXSW; and #5, Joseph Arthur, recorded by KEXP this year. I have listened to both shows over and over. Alas I didn't catch Smith Westerns live when I was at SXSW, but the show was thankfully recorded by NPR. Simply put, it re-established my faith in romantically-charged garage-y rock n' roll. It's loose, energetic, harmonic, youthful guitar rock. And who can resist dreamy romantic lustful lyrics like this? (I can't)

Oh, yeah-- I wanna take you home
Oh don't you know, oh don't you know
You keep runnin' through my dreams
Just be my girl
Out there in this world
Be my girl
Out there in this world

Oh, damn-- I love the way you taste
Oh don't you know, oh don't you know
You keep runnin' through my dreams
Just be my girl
Out there in this world
Be my girl
Out there in this world

Joseph Arthur's live show was notable for employing loops to record various guitar and drum sounds live on stage. He also sung and painted at the same time. It was a wonderful solo performance, with lovely lyrics and hauntingly beautiful music.

Richard's Top 10 Music Artists for 2010 (Jan - Jun)

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:15:05 GMT

Richard's Top 10 Music Artists for 2010 (Jan - Jun)

According to last.fm, these were the artists I listened to the most in the first half of this year. It's not completely accurate, as not all of what I listen to flows through Last.FM's Audioscrobbler. But it's good enough.

I have had big Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix benders this year. Miles more so in the first few months and Jimi in the past few months (if you add together #2 and #10, then Jimi is only a bit behind Miles). Both were incredibly inventive musicians, each with a unique individuality that was and still is incomparable. Ironically though, both were very similar artists. I's aplenty.

Wilco is at number 3, a) because they are a great band and eclectically brilliant, and b) because I saw them play live in Wellington earlier this year. Band of Skulls (#6) is another band I saw live, in Austin at SXSW - I saw them twice.

Richard added: Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix (Paperback)

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:25:17 GMT

Richard added: Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix (Paperback) by Charles R. Cross

Judy Millar: A Better Life; 2010

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:16:49 GMT

Judy Millar: A Better Life; 2010

""It’s no secret that the New Zealand art world has had an uneasy relationship..."

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:14:00 GMT

""It’s no secret that the New Zealand art world has had an uneasy relationship both with her international rise and with her work for a while now. I think this is caused by three factors. First, her work demands time, and a lot of people either don’t want to, or don’t think they need to, give it the extended attention it asks for. Second, there’s a fixation with the idea that her work is primarily about abstraction, which it isn’t, and it’s therefore written off as decorative and out-of-date. Third, and perhaps most importantly, it looks out from New Zealand rather than in, participating in a global conversation about the relationship that painting has with the real world it both seeks to represent and be a part of.""

–Anthony Byrt about Judy Millar; http://eyecontactartforum.blogspot.com/2010/05/judy-millar-currently-has-show-at.html

Judy Millar: A Better Life; 2010

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:59:44 GMT

Judy Millar: A Better Life; 2010

"Millar's installation, then, is not just an object that we are asked to quietly inspect. Demanding, playful, and sometimes outright confrontational, it pushes and pulls us towards new experiential discoveries. In doing so, it holds the promise of a better life; an optimism about our experience of the world around us, and the vital, human role that art plays within it." (see full quote here: http://www.likeyou.com/en/node/17586)

RM: Judy Millar is my current favorite New Zealand artist. She lives half a year in Auckland, NZ, and the other half in Berlin.

Richard is currently reading: The Captain's Verses: Love Poems (Paperback)

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:34:39 GMT

Richard is currently reading: The Captain's Verses: Love Poems (Paperback) by Pablo Neruda
bookshelves: currently-reading

Richard added: Home Game (Paperback)

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:33:56 GMT

Richard added: Home Game (Paperback) by Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis is one of my favorite authors, so I read all of his books. This was good and I certainly could relate to it, being a father myself. It felt a little like a quota-filler, as it was mostly drawn from Slate columns. Still, amusing and worth a read!

"Timestamp Artist Statement 2009 We can never really revisit the past beca..."

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:19:14 GMT

"Timestamp
Artist Statement 2009

We can never really revisit the past because the mind invents too much as we attempt to stitch fact and memory together. My images evoke the sensation of looking at something from an earlier time but there’s no attempt at historical accuracy. These are pictures made with the sensibility of an invented past as could only be imagined in the present. Just as the color and texture of a period film can date it more closely to the decade of it’s making rather than the era it portrays, my images bare a timestamp that will inevitably grow more apparent with age. Through projecting contemporary ideas, aesthetics, and experiences through the lens of traditional methods and motifs I aim to link past and present by revealing enduring commonalities."

–Saul Chernick

Saul Chernick: Smile; 2009, Ink on Paper

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:13:43 GMT

Saul Chernick: Smile; 2009, Ink on Paper