(INSTALL) Art Exhibition at Go West!

For the third year of Franklinton's Go West Festival Chris Sherman and Nikos Rutkowski have coordinated a show revolving around various concepts of installation art. Each participating artist has been given a room in to explore various concepts and media.

Go West is taking place Saturday, June 11 · 4:00pm - 9:00pm
Please visit 937 W Broad St. in Columbus Ohio during this one day only event.

...& by the way, it's free!

The following artists and their projects are:

Sara E. Adrian presents a painting environment exploring the veil between myth, modern primitivism, and urban decay. For more information about the artist please visit http://saraadrian.com/

Tyrome Stewart- an interactive installation involving video and movement.

b.b. Grimm presents a collection of mail art gathered from a global network of poets, vispo, artist, & others inclined to collaborate and exchange art through postal and email. Mail art has come from around the world such as Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and every corner of the U.S. including Columbus, Ohio's own Visual Poet John M. Bennett
For more information about the artist please visit http://www.bbgrimm.com/

Keida Mascaro is showing selected abstraction film pieces. His work mainly focuses on people's triumphs and tribulations, finding charm in the shadows of human existence.
For more information about the artist please visit http://KeidaMascaro.com/

Chris Sherman- an instillation focused on the exploration of light.

Victor Nombre (aka Nikos Rutkowski)- an environment involving a sculptural dragon.
For more information about the artist please visit http://www.nikosfyodor.com/

The Facebook event page is http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120271111392628

For more information about the rest of the festivities at Go West, please visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103634786393306

Countdown

Go West is one week away. Starwood (where I will be vending) is a month away. I'm stoked, but there's much to do, but I'm just going day by day & doing what I can when I can. I'm ordering supplies for the Starwood festival so that when Go West is over I'll be able to put those ducks in rows. More limited editions will be ordered. I got stickers coming, and I may experiment with other things that look like fun. It's not so much that I want to see my stuff on things, but more that how I think people interact with art is more in the things we use vs going to see a show. Both are important, the thoughts and emotions evoked by a creative experience can't be underestimated but also so are the create reminders that we carry that may happen to be a compact mirror, or refrigerator magnet.

But more about that later, on with the show.

So, at Go West, in the building at 937 W Broad Street is Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski, Keida Mascaro, TJ Stewart, Chris Sherman & myself will be showing installation art & video. Mail artist b.b. Grimm is presenting a collection of work gathered from a global network of poets, vispo, artist, and other interesting folks from around the world. I know some of what the others are doing. Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski is taking a room to do a large sculptural piece (I know what it is but I ain't sayin'). Keida Mascaro will be showing some of his films, I believe he may be debuting something. TJ Stewart is doing an interactive piece, & Chris Sherman is doing something with light. If you come you may be overwhelmed with what b.b. Grimm has to show, those mail art exhibitions always have so much to look at. As for me, I'm taking over a whole room, & it will be the largest thing I have ever done to date. The space is a derelict building that is about to be renovated, so we get to do almost whatever we want. What I'm doing visually will be a combo of paint and paper, and I'm exploring a crossroad between myth and urban decay. Using the idea of Shinto spirits, that every thing and every space has a spirit or essence I'm remaking the room be... not a temple or sacred space per se, but a space where the idea can be recognized. I'm not leaning on any particular mythos I can tell you that much. I'm communicating my impression of what might be there, if such things existed (it's up to the viewer to want to believe in fairy tales).

Of course, scientifically, logically it's just a room in a building left alone for too long. A commodity to be transformed for financial gain which will hopefully help renew that part of Columbus. Just for a moment I want to divorce from linear thinking and explore untold stories and dream about what might be, and share that so that maybe other folks may dream a little more too.

So yeah, next update will probably have photos and maybe a video if I get around to that. As always we shall see what happens next!

here is Michael Hedges - All Along the Watchtower

Lughnasadh, I wish I had my camera.

So yeah, that was yesterday (August 1st). For those of you that are unfamiliar Lughnasadh (or Lammas) follow the link, but commonly it's to celebrate the first harvest. Interestingly enough the holiday falls in the same weekend with the Ohio State Fair. I don't know if I'll make it out this time, I have a bunch of deadlines. Ah we shall see.

One of the things I like about Columbus is that it's filled with a weirdness. Not an obvious weirdness or a funk. You can't come to my town and just stroll down the street and see random weirdness randomly. It's like the rest of Ohio, you have to be willing to look beyond the surface, get out, investigate, be open, and you will surely meet some interesting folks, and see some unexpected things. This place does not fail to disappoint the curious and the persistent. So, yesterday I met up with a friend to go to a drum circle. There are a few advertised around town, but neither of us have been. Generally we only get a chance to drum at Wisteria during festival, which isn't -that often-, maybe three or four times a year, & we never get out because we are antisocial artists. So we go, down to Como Park. There is a network of bike trails that run north to south along the Olentangy River, with many pocket sized parks like this one. We pull up and see more people than we expected drumming under one of the permanent shelters. As we got closer we saw people dancing, wearing brightly colored costumes and outfits. One person looked like she was wearing a plushy chicken headdress with a rainbow skirt and bright yellow ruffled leggings. There were a couple children in handmade costumes that looked part octopus, part jellyfish, and part sock monkey, all stitched in an array of bright fabrics. They ran around, climbed on things, having a grand ole' time with their parents who were also dressed in festive fashion. I asked one of the folks who... well I suppose hosts but he more guides, if that was normal. He said with a smile 'no, they just came out of the forest'.

The drum circle vibe was pretty friendly and chill. There were plenty of drums and other instruments left for people who just happened by. One of which was a gent who looked like a very serious biker, in his mid 40's I'd say. He stood for a while, still half mounted on his bike watching us. Then one of the guys offered him a drum, & he took off his helmet and gloves and soon he was in the thick of it drumming away for what seemed to be the very first time. He was still there when we left. This runs on every other Sunday from 2 to 4, or whenever. I'll come back when I have time. Some of the folks there also play with fire, poi, staff, and the like. I gave my info to one of the guys who will hopefully get in touch with the dude who hosts that gathering which is on Tuesdays. That would be great to get in with the fire community here.

So after we left we then went to a friend's house and met up with people I had not seen in a very long time. I was invited to a Lammas party, which had a very lovely potluck, and for games to honor Lugh we took turns hacking at cantaloupe heads with a medieval looking ax and shot a small crossbow at a target. There was much hilarity, and it was good to see old friends.

and now, back to work.

Here is Cottonbelly, Give Thanks & Praise

just working

Nothing very exciting to report right now. I've been working on my stuff, and trying to keep to keep drama down. The thumbnail is a rough draft for a painting I am working on. I think my scanner has been going buggy and is about to die because I should be getting better scans than that. Ah well. Technology joy.

A friend of mine and I went to the Cleveland Museum of Art yesterday. Heard much about it, and it was pretty sweet however it's still under construction so their full collection still isn't out. So yeah that was inspiring for me. Driving around Cleveland, you can tell it's a place that once had money, but half of everything is falling apart. You have this row of gorgeous churches in what was once a decent neighborhood next to a crappy looking McDonalds, and a Dollar General. Also there was much leaning of porches and sagging of roofs. Sign of the times I suppose.

Here is Porcupine Tree - Time Flies

Go West and Birds of C.A.W.

Last night the Franklinton Arts District put on their Go West festival. Quick readers digest for you @ The Other Paper about the neighborhood here. Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski asked me to take part in the 'Horror Show' section of the block party, and so I did! That painting is below, titled 'Terrible Vision'. It's painted with acrylic with copper leafing and an iron oxide background, size is 16" x 20". Not the greatest photo, I need to retake it as the flash makes the background look more sparkly than it actually is.

Looks like everyone had a great time! My photos from what I had a chance to see are here. I got there kind of late as I had to work on stuff, more on that later... I also shot a short video, sorry about the blurriness, I need a better camera I think.


What I've been working on is the book for art show The Birds of C.A.W that Helma Groot and myself are curating, & I'm also getting the rest of the printing stuff ready to go. The opening will take place on Saturday, June 19th from 7 p.m. to midnight at CS Gallery, 66 Parsons Avenue Columbus, OH. The opening will feature live painting by Heather Alexander and a performance by Colleen Leonardi.

The artist participating in the show are:
Mabi Ponce de Leon
Terri Maloney Houston
Laine Bachman
Jamie Hesper
Megan Coyan
Melissa Vogley Woods
Angela Matteson
Kira Scott
Stephanie Rond
Judy Gerdeman
Patty DeMarias
Peggy Mintun
Lisa McLymont
Wendy Yeager
Barb Vogel
Kim Glover
Katie Niewierski
Brittany Leigh
Cyndi Bellerose McAfee
Colleen Leonardi
Yvette Vandervelde
Sara E. Adrian (of course!)
& Helma Groot

The amount of talented women here is just crazy! I've seen much of the work already and it's going to be a great show which will consist of smaller works of an avian theme. The book will be available at Wholly Craft in August, but will be available online sooner and I will of course let you know when that happens. The rub though is I won't be there for the opening as I have agreed to be in Wisteria. More about that later. I'll be leaving this Friday the 18th, & I intend to update then with an announcement of a special guest blogger that will update you during the week I am gone.

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy, however the major sweatin' is over with (huzza). My G-ma is hanging in there...

So, I think you may need some music. Here is Culturcide with Fake Dancing

Wha? Blog what?

Back in the mid to late 90's I used to 'blog' a lot. I never called it that, I don't believe that word was in the general public lexicon back then. But I did, and I was very prolific. A part of it exists still on http://iam.bmezine.com (don't bother, unless you're a member you can't get in). Around 02-03 about the time I moved to Colorado I gradually stopped posting so much. You know, life happens... I have gone back into it occasionally. Every damn social media site offers a blog, & I just don't feel like cutting and pasting all over the place, so the purpose of this is to consolidate, and I need to get into the practice of regular journaling.

I tend to take a conversational tone. Imagine you and I are sitting in some cozy coffee shop, and I'm telling you a story, or ranting about something I heard, or saw. Generally that's how I tend to write. Like my art, I get personal. Oh, I'm not going to tell you about the date I had last night or anything I'd consider to be terribly private, and I don't want to give you some emotional drivel that will make you claw your eyes out afterwards asking 'whyyyyyyOHGODWHYYYYY!!!!'. But it's going to get personal. I wish I was one of those objective people that can make art in a scientific detached kind of way so I would not have to second guess; 'is this really a good idea?!'... but I find doing it that way to be boring honestly.

And who wants that?

By the way, that's why I call this a diary, it's more in the vein that I approach these things. Oh, and about the name (someone asked me what it meant, so I feel obliged to explain). Whetstone, is one of the old names for the Olentangy River which flows through Worthington Ohio, my home town (pronounced Ole-n-tan-gy, not Old-and-tangy). I've traveled a bit and lived elsewhere, but (a bit to my own annoyance) this is where I seem to always return to. The river is not impressive by most people's standards. In fact most people don't seem to be impressed by the geography of this area of the world at all. No mountains, no grand rivers, very few caves and very small hills (if there are any hills at all). But I've spent some significant moments around that body of water, and I think it's indicitive of the area. It's not obvious, you have to look carefully, get in it, and pay attention, to see it's beauty and find it's secrets.

Also, a whetstone is a flat stone used to sharpen tools, especially knives.

Sometimes I find obscure or rarely used words to name my work, because I don't want to just -hand it to you-. Maybe I should, people expect things to be so easy (just give me what I want, right now), but if everything was easy, we wouldn't learn anything. If there is a deep meaning behind the name I don't suppose I'd tell you, but really it's just a name that works for me.

If you want to know more about me, a proper introduction would be to go visit my website, the rest you'll find out as I go.