Doing the Nudie Flapperesque Bunny-hug Shimmy

San Francisco always offers me visual delights, good food, weather I love and interesting friends. My good friend John Held, Jr., a mail/stamp artist, curator, gallery director, fluxus plus archivist and fake folk artist, always offers up interesting conversation that teeters on the edge of bizarre. A few weekends ago the bizarre intellectual exchange got visually physical.

He invited me to an event in a four story victorian mansion off of Alamo Square, just a 90 degree angle from the famous seven sisters. He wasn't sure what the attire would be, so I put on the good ol' go to lil' black dress and my three inch heels. I teetered precariously on my left over heels from my big moaning performance of the Vagina Monologues at the Henry Fonda theatre. San Francisco isn't the park right in front of the event type of town and I found walking four blocks uphill to be a challenge, maybe even a performance piece of its own.

We make it up the stairs to the double doors of a dark green, amazingly restored victorian with a square, glowing crow's nest perched four stories at the top, waiting for my arrival. We walk through the doors to the blaring sound of scratchy, 1920's music and a mingling mixed crowd. We pay the $40 dollar suggested donation and weave our way through the house. In the main room, with moody lighting, five semi-nude women in thigh-highs, long strands of pearls, fantastic headdresses, see-through sequins and wearing thick red lipstick lounged cat-like as if in an opium den.

Chairs were placed in a semi-circle around them with very serious looking men and women sketching in small journals and on large drawing boards. Brushing enthusiastically by me, one woman stated, "I'm inspired to write some poetry!" The cynic in me chuckled as I wondered about her inspiration..."On the chair she sat, much like a painted cat, posing like Jessica Lange, wishing for the music to change and hoping she doesn't look fat."

Oh yes, I was inspired too. For a small donation you could grab a few art supplies, some wine and join the drawing party. I did, but was soon discouraged by my lack of focus and lazy sense of line. I folded my sad little drawings, shoved them in my purse and proceeded up the stairs to the crow's nest. Atop this mountain of a home I found a 360 degree view of the city that offered me more sense of awe than the lovely ladies in peek-a-boo panties.

I turned to John and thanked him for bringing me to the nudie, flapperesque non-barney-mugging, visual feast. This was truly the bees-knees, the cat's pajamas as I sunk into the comfy chair perched atop the city in my nest.

Our love child.

I was swept up with a dizzying love affair. I connected with so many artists I can't remember all of their names save a few. I have no regrets only beautiful memories.

I remember the night I hit send and my life would forever change. A heated exchange with a sensual, sonic artist led to the beginning of an artistic collaborative art piece now waiting for the day it sees light.

Artistic collaboration is new to me and I'm thrilled about the possibilities of this newest connection with Alex. Alex, an audio visual artist from Hampshire, England lectures Sonic Arts at Farnborough College of Technology and works as a music therapist in Broadmoor Hospital, where he is conducting research into the rehabilitative potential of sound with violent crime offenders. As Alalpine and Pausal he experiments with sound, image and space.

Alex asked me if he could use some of my images to create a sonic film of sorts. Flattered, I enthusiastically sent him off some digital photos of my art work. In his hands, he will create amazing work. So, what will our love child look like, feel like and sound like?

So, I sent him images like this:




Take those images and mix them with his genius like this work titled:
sarah paul

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or this work titled:
sue jim

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My clock is ticking and this is exactly what my maternal artist within needed. This is truly a happy accident.

Hot and Heavy

I’m in a torrid love affair. Its exotic and has taken me to places that overwhelm my senses. It has disarmed me from my trowel of skeptic wall building. My love makes me ache, laugh, wonder, think and has brought out in me a boldness and taste for experimentation.

I’m in love with Myspace.

I know you might dismiss my love with a sarcastic mumbling of “fad follower” or “isn’t she in her 30’s?”. Kids, teens, young adults, generation y’rs know what I’m talking about and maybe even you x’rs and baby boomers have a closeted relationship with my lover. I find myself gushing at inopportune moments about my addictive love. Most recently, I have not so secretly rambled on endlessly about my paramour with a few stuffy co-workers. My honeyed words were met with that condescending “you are kidding me, right?” look.

So, this entry isn’t so much my giddy, schoolgirl scribbling on my spiral notebook, but it is my summation in my artistic defense.

You have the obvious plusses so often shared:
It’s a Networking tool. I keep up with my friends easily. I’ve learned more about my friends this way. I have made new friends in my community and in other countries. It is better then having your own website and is updated more easily without a ton of technical skill. I’m a musician, comedian, filmmaker, artist and this is how I promote me. Yes! All of those are true, but it gets better.

As an artist, I have posted my work, my website and my blog on myspace. Since I posted bulletins and increased my search for new “friends”, I have seen a 50% increase in visits to my blog and website.

I have increased my connections with exciting and talented artists like: Craig Atkinson, Graphikland, Joey D., Emmanuelle Pidoux, Ludovic Debeurme, Gregoire Dalle and Antoine Josse.


Looking at their work, commenting on their pages has inspired me and opened up new opportunities too. Such as the new Cafe' Royal web-page out of the UK offering another avenue for art sales. You have Picture Ping Pong organized out of Oregon, bringing together the artists from all over the world to connect and show together.

I’ve expanded my artistic interests thanks to the help of my friends: Alex Alpine, Prabes Limbu, Ljudbilden & Piloten, and Rich Ferguson. My heart strings are strummed by their work.

It isn’t just visual artists that inspire me and my artwork. I have Tom Mitchell, Loren Dent, Royal Parish Narvalo, Richard Saunders, Its Jerry Time, and Cook Off!. We have to remember to feed our creative hunger with all art forms.

Of course, the artists I mention are only a small sampling of the talent swimming in the Myspace love tank.

So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I plead not guilty to fad following. A fad eventually ends. This form of networking will not end. In fact, it will expand, evolve and become critical to the survival of artists in a political environment that is cutting funding or placing restrictions on funding forcing artists and art organizations to change their output to meet standards of the masses.

You can pass judgement on me or you can join me, my friend.

Sketch Comedy Writing

This week was my first week of my Sketch Comedy Writing class at The Groundlings theatre with instructor, Sean Hogan.

It was a hectic week due to having my Improv class two nights with my sketch class crammed in the middle. I have one more week of this chaos before it settles down to just my sketch class.

I get to my sketch class and we do the usual introductions. I have some interesting folks in my class from a cast member of the Gilmore Girls, a programmer/computer/writer guy, pianist/keyboardist, BMW dealership administrative assistant, former pop-singer, animator/artist, stand-up comic and soap opera actor and everything in-between. My instructor, Sean Hogan, is an earth conscious, goofballish dream boat of about 6'7. We start off the class with our introductions and lead into a short exercise to get us started working as a group. We Roo, Roo, Roo children's games. This is a quick exercise for us to think of all the children's games we can think of and report out in round robin style. Then we each took a minute to list what we thought made a good children's game. (i.e. no small parts they can swallow, brightly colored, interactive...etc). We reported those out to the group. Then we began naming the opposites of what makes a good children's game. That spurred on our list of horrible children's games like "My Little Leach Farm" we would then try and pitch. This exercise demonstrated how we could break down the normal into the bizarre "What if..." scenarios found so often in sketch writing.

My other Groundling class, Basic Improv, has been kicking my ass. I've been beaten down almost to the point of tears. Now, I'm not a cry-baby but holy cow can my instructor so easily point out all my improv faults. However, this has been a great learning experience. So, I went to my sketch class wondering if I should just drop it because I need a don't beat me up anymore break.

It doesn't hurt that my Sketch instructor is a cutey but he is also warm and supportive. I left the class with a happy high and about 4 sketch ideas while driving my 2 hour trek home. I purchased a small voice recorder and have been having fun talking into it and testing out character's and voices.

Things to do...

It is the first day of the new year and like many I am wondering what new and exciting things will I do in 2007. For me, it is not so much about New Year Resolutions, but how can I create, perform and basically be more than I am at this point in my life. I have 5 themes I'm focusing on this year:

PERFORMANCE
I have already started by signing up for Sean Hogan's Sketch Writing class at The Groundlings. My class starts the second week of January and I'm giddy. I'm wrapping up my Basic Improv class with The Groundlings this month too. Basically, Basic is meant to kick your ass and remind you how much you suck. However, I'm taking my suckage in stride and learning.

ART
My mind spins constantly with art project ideas, but I can hardly seem to get my art act together. The wierd part is I feel more inspired then ever before, but can't make it into the "do it damn-it" mode. I have been reading a million art mags, checking out some amazing artists on Myspace, just looking at what others are doing and I feel overwhelmed and behind. So, my vow is to quit obsessively buying art magazines and start doing. "Do It Damn-it!" is my motto this year.

GEEKDOM
I plan on geeking out this year too. As stated below, my 4,566th goal is to make a stop motion animation. I don't know what software to use, I don't own a digital camera and I'm not sure what goofy little story I want to create via animated drawing, however...I shall overcome!

LOVE
I'm going to regularly send out love to my fellow artists by leaving comments on their blogs and Myspace accounts. I feel creatives need to be supportive of each other plus we need more good karma in this world.

MONEY
I'm not sure what I can say about this one. I need more and I need to care for what I have.

Goal 4, 566...

To create something like this by Ljudbilden



If you know what software they use...let me know! I'm still researching it.

Sleeping Soundly.

I’ve been taking improv classes in the evening at The Groundlings twice a week. The drive has been daunting, but two days ago I had an extraordinary experience. George Clooney let me stay over at one of his apartments in Hollywood. I met his assistant, a tall and striking Asian woman in her late 20’s at the apartment complex. She helped me with my luggage and opened the door to a modest one bedroom apartment. It looked a little haphazard, but she explained that the cleaning lady had not been there to clean since the last guest, Eva Hesse. Holy Crap I thought, Eva Hesse, wow! As she gave me the tour, she pointed out an orange and yellow patterned comforter that was shoved under a bench and said “Don’t use that...it is dirty...from the time with Molly.” She opened the closet with some of George’s clothes shoved off to the side. I noticed a couple of brown v-neck sweaters and something particularly peculiar. There were about 20 pairs of men’s white underwear hanging on pant hangers. She pushed them aside and said I could hang my clothes there. I couldn’t wait for her to leave so I could call my friend Alicia! She handed me the keys and her card with the added note to call if I needed anything.

All I can say is afternoon nap dreams are vividly specific!

Melissa Borders-Stevenson

I’m standing on the edge of a retreating lake, a wide open mouth with blackened, jagged stumps as teeth. I’ve walked into a crowd of people who know and love each other. I’m seeing the hippy youth behind the character lines of hugging, crying and laughing people. I see Tim, the only one I know...I walk up to him, hug him and re-introduce myself. It has probably been two years since I’ve seen him and only briefly at that. He’s wearing a leopard print beret and a mimosa stain on his shirt. I hug him, look in his eyes and weakly say, “I had to come.” He tells me to grab a red nose out of the box on the beach.
I do, and self-consciously put it on my nose. Draped over two tall mannequins made of PVC pipe are the costumes of Sojourner Truth and Amelia Earhart. These two famous women in history were brought back to life by another famous woman in history, Melissa Borders-Stevenson. I was standing on the beach of her memorial. Her life was brought to an end on October 15, 2006 in a car accident.

She is the new “famous women” in history. Melissa, an actor, performed 39 diverse women who made an impact on history and women through what she called, Biologues. She researched a women like Sojourner and weaved the woman’s history, accomplishments and thoughts into a monologue as Melissa put on the character of this women. Melissa, a tall, slender blonde in black leotard seamlessly slipped into the great woman of Sojourner for children, adults, corporations...anyone that wanted to see and hear a one-of-a-kind experience.

Melissa is the new famous women in history because she took her passion for women who made a difference, her art of writing and performing and her need to educate and made it her life’s work. She, as all women, have come far since the 20th century when most nations first won the right for women to vote. Most importantly women fought for the reevaluation of their traditionally viewed role in society. It wasn’t until as recent as 1963 that the Equal Pay Act required equal wages for men and women doing equal work.

I remember when I first met Melissa. I worked with my company to hire her to perform for our celebration of Women’s History month. She stood in a bland, gray blue room in her black leotard in front of a sedate group of office workers and blasted us with her energy and passion. She made us weep and laugh. She did the same for thousands of children and adults throughout the United States. This was the first time I truly felt hope as an artist. Melissa showed me more than just my need to know my own history. She inspired me, by living the fact that I had the right to choose my own creative path.

I’m standing there on the beach of a mountain lake when a smiling women walks up to me with her arms outstretched. She introduces herself as a childhood friend of Melissa’s and wants to make people feel welcome. It was the first time I could share my grief with someone that also knew and loved Melissa.

Tim walks toward the center of the crowd and rings Tibetan style bells. The crowd stretches out wide in a circle while Tim’s Sister, Prairie Flower and Brother-in-law, Cactus Bob strum their banjo and fiddle and sing. About 250 of us grow quiet and I turn to Melissa’s childhood friend and we grab on to each other. My throat grows tight, and tears run freely as 250 of us, with red, sponge noses honor the memory of my hero, Melissa-Borders Stevenson, a famous woman in history.

Stolen entry.

This post idea is stolen. I stole it from my new blogger friend, Deanna. However, I am hoping by openly professing my kleptoblogo tendencies, that I will be forgiven.

Moo cards! They are all the rage and you need some too. They are tiny, easy and fairly inexpensive business cards...and did I say easy?

So, here is what you do:
You get a www.Flickr.com account
You upload your pictures
You click on www.Moo.com
You follow the three easy steps
You get your precious little cards in about 10 days

I have an art crush!

Periodically, I get art crushes. They hit me hard. You know the feeling when you lock eyes with someone and you feel a connection that makes your chest expand...well, I get that with art.

I (heart) Josh Greene's art projects! While attending a recent “Agency Team Member Development Conference” in Phoenix, Arizona I couldn’t stop thinking about his art projects. With a name badge placed boldly on my breast, I am tasked with finding my “new buddy” to get to know. I have a sheet to fill out that asks important questions such as:

What’s Your Name?
What can you tell me about your family?
Do you have any pets?
What are your hobbies?
What is your current work responsibilities?
What is a little unknown fact about yourself that you would like to share?
What else would you like to share that I haven’t asked?

I find my buddy, we swap answers to our questionnaire and dutifully complete our task for our report out session during the morning meet and greet.

But I find my mind wandering to my very real art crush. My buddy is chatting away about golf, children and three dogs, but he can’t compete with my scrolling images of frolicking in and out of a Josh Greene project. Maybe I could do dishes at his apartment after his weekly dinner, or take the photo of him handing out a leisure check, or make the phone call that you have just won a Service Works grant.

My mind now reaches deeper into the darker regions of my fantasy art crush...I need more, I want to reach out to my crush. Is it too daring?

I’m going to do it. Reach out via a sensual virtual touch. I figure there is a reason my thoughts went to Josh’s work during my “new buddy” exchange. I will send the above mentioned questions to Josh and will post if he chooses to make that connection.

I will sum up my school girl art crush with one word: Giddy!

Wax Works - O'Hanlon Center for the Arts

Wax Works
Oct. 3 - Nov. 3

O'Hanlon Center for the Arts

Mill Valley, CA


Sponsored by the artists of the

West Coast Encaustic Artists Organization

Entrance to Main Gallery
























My political piece..."When Silent"

O'Hanlon Art Center preview!

It has been a tough weekend with my Groundlings Theatre audition coupled with studio time. However, I'm closer to being ready for my O'Hanlon Center art show in Mill Valley.

By the way, I passed my Groundlings audition and now I am granted the honor of paying them money to take their class!

Here is a preview of two of the three pieces going into the show. Unfortunately, I had to hold up my laptop to get the photos so keep in mind they are blurry and backwards!

Two steppin' never seemed so hard...

Two steps to my studio. That doesn't seem so far. It is just across the hall, but stepping into it has reminded me of my need to go to the gym. Once you get there and step on the elliptical machine, take a few steps, get into a groove and 45 minutes later you feel thinner and sexier. That is what the studio does for me. Maybe it doesn't make me feel thinner, but definitely sexy. Dipping my hardened brush into the hot, silky pool of wet pigmented wax makes me melt. The heated sweetness intoxicates me. Once I get into my studio groove it is my Prozac, my St. John's Wort sprinkled with a tad of Horny Goat Weed.

I have two weekends to finalize my work for an upcoming show at the O'Hanlon Art Center in Mill Valley, CA. I am excited to be included in a group exhibition of West Coast Encaustic Artists.

So, I putting on a little Kenny Rogers to set the mood for some two steppin' right into my studio.

Studio Muses

Zoey and Ella Mae are resting up for a big day of cleaning the studio. They have a pretty big job ahead of them!

"dumb"

I have a history with the word "dumb." Frankly, it haunts me. Not haunt in the Oleander N.L. Belardes scary way, but in a traumatic childhood learning lesson way.

I was in 3rd grade and there was this awful girl named Tina. She was tough and had a mouth full of sass. Now, I wasn't a frail little imp, but I didn't like to fight. I would hold my own, but never initiate. As my father said, the only time you hit is if someone hits you first...then nail em! (Dad didn't say the "nail em" part...it was inferred.)

We were in line in the gym waiting for PE class to begin when she started in on me. She shoved me and I said stop it. I know words were exchanged, but our scuffle was broken up by the start of class.

After PE we went back to our country classroom. I was still fuming about the shove. I looked over at her tootheless snarl and scribbled my anger on a piece of paper. When the timing was right, I dropped it on her desk. Scared, but excited about how I was giving her a punch that would scar.

The teacher gathered us back to our desks and stood in the middle of the classroom. She had a look on her face like we were in big trouble...or someone was in big trouble.

"Tina had this note dropped on her desk. Does anyone know who put this on her desk?" Blank and innocent looks flash. "Well, the person who wrote this should be embarrassed because they are truly the 'dumb' one. For that person's information 'dumb' is spelled 'D-U-M-B' not 'D-U-M!' The class giggled, Tina snarled and I faked the yeah, that is stupid huh look.

My first dumb movie!

Credit: This dumb movie wouldn't be possible without the amazing photos of San Francisco artist Jan Stevenson







disclaimer: the twilight zone title is a work project title...this was made as a test/practice run to see what I could do with photo stills on iMovie.

My muse...

My cat Potsina died on August 1st. I took her into the vet because she just didn't seem herself and two days later I had to make the decision to put her to sleep. My heart broke. I had left for the weekend to be with a friend knowing she wasn't feeling well. Work also called on Monday. I was slated to take a mandatory curriculum development class the entire week so no taking off to tend to my cat. I called in late to take her to the vet on Monday morning and went to the vet after the first day of class to be told she might have cancer. Tuesday morning I received the call that she did have cancer and it was at a level 10 on a scale of 1 - 10.

Tuesday afternoon I held her in my lap for 2 hours and wept. She went from growling to clinging to me in my arms. I sat huddled in the corner with her on my lap and 6 other cats staring out of their cage at the two of us. For two hours I told her everything I loved about her even when she was at her shittiest. (Which secretly and sometimes not so secretly I rewarded with my pride.) When it was time to make the decision I held her in my arms and cried openly in front of the vet and the assistant. They let me stay with her until I was ready to go.

So, what does this have to do with art? Quite frankly, I'm not sure. I think I secretly want to be more like my cat. As some of you know, I work a Monday - Friday job as a Corporate Trainer. I always do and say the right thing. I coat my words with sugar and have thin relationships with my co-workers. Again, what does this have to do with art? Well, in my Monday - Friday job I am a team player and work with my team at coming to consensus. Being a team player and coming to consensus doesn't inspire good art. In fact, it inspires mediocrity. This goes to making nice for a paycheck or making art for the sale.

I had a conversation with an artist who talked about how he only looks to the master's and that contemporary art is basically, bunk. I disagree. I have seen a lot of art either going for the shock/gross out value (think B horror film) or for the walk in the field of daisies sweetness (think of the sappiest chic flic). That seems to be the struggle. Who or what are you making art for...what group of people/thought are you trying to come to consensus with in order to validate your existence as "artist?"

I think to my cat Potsina and the 12 years of attitude she displayed. She was teaching me a lesson and I didn't know it. When she was happy, pissed, uncomfortable, hungry, needy...I knew it. I know, I'm putting human feelings to an animal. I think I need to have animal feelings toward my life and art. Lately, I have been reaching out to old acquaintances and new acquaintances because I have been feeling needy. I have been speaking frankly at work. I am not pursuing relationships that make me pissy. When I like someone I tell them. I am looking at my artistic direction through a new, more critical lens. I am working toward being genuine in my person and in my art. I'm taking naps when I need them.

Potsina is inspiring change in me and a new self-evaluation that goes deeper then I have gone.


Thank you for the life you lived on earth my precious little muse.

A note of admiration...returned!

It seems I am playing badminton with good karma. Clive King wrote me a kind letter in response to my note of admiration.

I had an interesting conversation with my friend Bess last night about that 6 degrees thing that seems to be going on regularly in my life lately. We had a late night conversation about the evolution of consciousness in mankind, the Indigo children, UFOs, The Dead Sea, Atlantis, art and cellular trauma. In the middle of all this we talked about connections. Connections from our dreams, what we read, who we talk to and what does all that mean...what message is being placed in our lap to say LOOK at ME!

My note to Clive made a mini-connection. He happened to mention that he was opening a show in Jacksonville Florida with an encaustic artist Tim McDowell and wanted to know if I knew his work. I thought I did, but googled him. Well, he was featured in my professional acquaintance Joanne Mattera's book, "The Art of Encaustic Painting" an amazing detailed book on encaustic medium. I made a connection with Joanne after visiting her website and asking to consult with her. She gave me some good advice and direction and hooked me up with the West Coast Encaustic Artists. Now, I'm participating in a show in Mill Valley, CA at the O'Hanlon Art Center.

Again, it is about connection and reaching out to your chosen community. We can encourage connections to happen, but also need to pay attention to the small connections that present themselves.

So, I have my racket and a bucket of those rubber-nosed, mini-dog satellite collar thingamabobs and am ready to play a little Karma Badminton!

A note of admiration...

I believe that it doesn't matter where people are in their career or how untouchable they may seem it is good karma to pass along a genuine compliment.

I happened to actually pull away from my recent addiction to MySpace to actually search the internet for something useful for my art career. While searching for grant and fellowship opportunities, I got sucked into the never ending twists and turns of the hyperlink warren. No furry dead things found, but I did find an amazing artist. Clive King. Wow, his work is big, obsessive and captivating. His drawings were so captivating that I googled him. I found very little about him online...a shame. I did, however, find that he is a Professor of Drawing at Florida International University. So, as I drilled down further with my seemingly stalker tendencies I found his bio page. At the top of his page was his email address, so I just simply emailed him my admiration. That simple. I had nothing profound to say, nothing seemingly bright or witty just plain...hey, man...I dig your work. OK, not in those words, but that was the basic message.

I'm not expecting a return message, maybe it won't get to him but I did send the love out there because it was just something I had to do.

Check his work out here:
Clive King

Puppy Papers Needed!

Like a puppy, I was eager for some verbal petting. Squirming in my chair I downed a plastic cup of white wine before heading up to my time in the spotlight at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Normally, I prepare and practice what I'm going to say, but I thought I would wing this one so I would come off comfortable. My heart was pounding and of course, I started sweating again. I'm not sure what this recent trend of me, my art and sweat would be but I'm not a big fan of it!

So, I swagger up to the front and do the obligatory (but sincere) thank you's to the museum for the show and hosting first Thursdays for the community. In a classy artist fashion, I pull out some materials from a plastic grocery (Von's to be exact) bag. I start off by telling them my background then into my imagery and finally my process in making my work.

It was interesting to see the difference in my presentation from work Julia to artist Julia. Work Julia doesn't smile as much as artist Julia. Work Julia certainly wouldn't make four references to dead animals as artist Julia did. Yep, dead animals. Now, I'm not a fan of hunting but I found myself referencing my father's need to blast poor defenseless animals to hang on the wall. Now, in his defense he eats the meat and hunts within the legal boundaries but that doesn't make me appreciate carcass filled walls of the family home. I then referenced my favorite tool I use in making my work...which is also used to skin seals in Alaska. Nice, huh. Yep, artist Julia mentioned that lovely bit of trivia too. Luckily, I believe I humored the audience with the strange, artist Julia persona and I had a brief, but ego stroking moment at the end of people wanting to continue conversation. Unfortunately, there were no more mentions of dead animals and the puppy in me finally calmed down.