Yay! Dolls and a Show!

Tomorrow night is the second Square One art event entitled GO! at the Ritz in Tampa's historic Ybor city. Bar none, this is one of the most gratifying events in the area, for both artists and appreciators. As I set up my work today, I was once again astounded by the variety and potency of the talent present. The Tampa Bay Art Scene is truly fecund, so much so that it may burst it's boundaries at any moment, garnering the national recognition it richly deserves. Organizers Gary Randall and Okesene Tilo have managed to assemble a roster showcasing an incredibly inclusive and eclectic array of art, music, and fashion while affording all us creative types dignity and respect for what we do, nothing short of a miracle in today's world of bullshit art ass kissing and ostentatious exclusivity. Their youthful enthusiasm, networking savvy and generosity evokes a celebratory and harmonious energy that eclipses many other established events I've been a part of. All of this and none of the art sucks! Representatives from Tampa Bay's established art community such as, P$ynner, Robert Wegman, Treza Bettencourt and Carolina Cleere will be exhibiting side by side with art show virgins such as Malisha Dewalt, whose photo-realistic pencil drawings are absolutely dumbfounding in their accuracy and completely gripping in their subject matter and tone. This event promises to be a pure celebration of creative flow, free from the tedious political posturing and jaded snobbery that afflicts so much of the art world. What a very Caribbean way to roll...

As if this is not enough to lure you there tomorrow night, I've finally finished the "Series of Endless Desires" dolls I've been toiling over. Yes. One can toil over dolls. They are companion pieces to the series of paintings I'm working on bearing the same name.The series ponders the question " Are human desires truly endless?". I don't know the answer but I intend to paint each one until I find out. The dolls can be are seen below and can be purchased at queenofqueens.etsy.com. Click the pics to see the full frontal.

Monday again...

I'm sensing a pattern here. Can you feel it? Are your arm hairs standing on end?
So, I busted ass last week to prepare for the islandsfest at Davis Islands and although the organizers were lovely people, and the day , something out of a fairy tale about good weather, The event itself was a little...meh. I'm still learning about outdoor festivals so it was a good teach and I did meet some very cool peeps who had nice things to say about my Sea Dragon Plates and Paintings. I also finally met artist Carolina Cleere who's work I've admired for the past couple of years. I love the dreamlike quality of her mixed media pieces...especially the more disturbing montages. They're like tequila candy with a worm inside and I like that.
I also like that I was able to add a beautiful painting by Julie Jewel to my art collection. Her work is symbolically rich, deeply personal and utterly gorgeous. Go look at her art and read her blog too while you're at it. She'll be showing in Massachussetts soon, so if you're lucky enough to live in the area go see her stuff in person!

Recall above when I mentioned my ass busting session for the islands-fest? Well, it's the latest of many such sessions and I'm sure some of you will relate to the fact that when I have a lot of work to produce I tend to spread out all over the place. Since I share space with my loved ones this activity isn't always gleefully welcomed. I came to a realization this week that people who do not produce art really don't comprehend the process. I was exhausted after "the session" and although I cleaned my ground zero disaster site up, I left another randomnly organized super-fund site on the dining room table. By Sunday, it was causing duress. I certainly had no intention of leaving it there for days but shit... One extra day would have been nice. What I'm getting at is that I feel really drained after a big art attack. I need a little time and space to just shut off from it afterwards. Additionally, it helps me to SEE the things I'm working on. It keeps me motivated. When I have to put everything away and take everything out, over and over it kind of fucks with my flow. I think there's a misconception that because I am gratified by what I do that it isn't hard work. Conversely, I don't want to be unfair about my needs as an artist. I don't really WANT to invade the common space in my home, but not having to travel somewhere to work seems to keep me on track. I'd love to have a dedicated space inside my house, or a shed or something but there's no way that's happening in an apartment with two adults, two cats and a teenager. Then when I talk like this I feel like an ingrate. It's all just so confusing.
There's a real battle going on surrounding all of this right now and I just don't know how to resolve it. The art demands to be in the world.

It. Demands. It.

I have no choice but to submit my will to what it wants...and for this I am told that my "dreams" are making "everyone in the house" uncomfortable.Conversely my peeps can be very supportive; coming to shows giving me the space I need to paint in our small home. I suppose it's the inconsistency that is hard for me to handle. I'm not able to switch the creative flow on and off when it suits people. For years I suppressed the demands of my muse and well, I guess I just can't anymore. I don't know how to keep the peace and do what I'm meant to, fulfill my cosmic obligations. I suppose if I look at the issues more critically they go deeper than a pile of random shit on a table. It's not something I neccesarily want to confront in any real way but sooner or later I suppose avoidance won't be an option anymore.