Spread The Lovekin

Blame it on my soontobe 2 month old daughter, Abilene:

There have been brief precious sessions, after baby and mama call it a day, quick sketches and plans for bigger future things. I’ve signed-up again for Pro Arts’ Open Studios in hopes the deadline’ll get my scissors and brushes moving more vehemently.

Once again, the nice folks at Luka’s are showing my art. Luka’s is truly a cornerstone of the recent Oakland renaissance, having opened at the corner of West Grand and Broadway back before this zone took-on its current flavor. Back in the early days, most everything surrounding Luka’s was pretty unsavory.

Though the room is dim and the walls are dark red, I feel lucky to continue showing work at Luka’s. They support local artists by offering a commission-free venue to display and sell work, and their diverse crowds mean lots of different eyeballs might be peeping the art. Luka’s is the shiz!

Also of note, I’m now residing three hours up the coast in Mendocino, CA. Slowly setting up a small studio space up there, but am continuing the keep my space at Swarm Studios in Oakland. This duality presents interesting dynamics in my process; the energies going into my art-making seem dependent on where I am or have been. If I’ve been in the Town for a few days, city energy will play-into the art I’m making in Mendo. Same is true when I work in Oakland after being on the coast. I think it should prove an interesting catalyst for creating. Time will tell.

As uszh, been grinding the ol mental cogs trying to understand my creations. I tend to oscillate between thinking deeply on it and glazing over it. Of course, the truth lies somewhere between.

I’m fairly convinced that there is too much great art in the world for any one voice to be creatively omnipotent, yet concurrently we artists are all shining brightly within ourselves, sometimes so brightly we feel as though we’re the only star in the universe. It’s important for me to remember that, taken as a whole, our voices are muddled and diluted, so much so that future generations will be at a loss when attempting to discern which art bullseyes the truths of these times.

Now that I’ve had some time away from my most recent work, I’ve realized that I can’t succinctly describe what they all mean, neither individually or as a body, since these works are not an end-product, but merely one step in an organic progression of work. Will I ever be able figure myself out? Does my art actually mean anything?

I’ll be showing most of my newest work in August at Buzz Gallery – 2318 Telegraph Ave in Oakland. Stop in and say hey if you’re out checking August’s Murmur.

Not much new work happening this past month, too much “real life” going on right now. Need time to process and settle, then will likely bust out a bunch of fresh. Stay tuned…

These past two weekends I participated in Pro Arts’ annual East Bay Open Studios. Over 400 artists open their studio doors to a steady trickle of folks out on self-guided tours. Exhausting! but in all a good experience.

Once the art was done and hung, it felt good to finally stop moving. To be honest, leading up to the first weekend, I was dealing with a hearty helping of anxiety. The thought of communing with the public over my artwork seemed downright terrifying. Alas, it was good to talk about stuff.

Rather than park myself inside my studio, I tended to hang back and watch as people approached my space. It was interesting to see initial reactions—my art, it seemed, tended to either draw people in or push them away. Of those drawn in, some even stayed and surveyed for several minutes. These are the folks that I decided to approach and engage. And from them—through talking to them—I learned more about my art than fretting over this blog has taught me. Thanks people!