Oh hey. Long time.

Um soooo yeah! Lots of stuff has happened between now and then! 

I haven't painted in a few months...wahhhh. My excuse is that we moved and the new studio is a shambles. Is that the expression? "A shambles"? Anyway yeah but

I picked up the guitar again and am kinda diggin it in a big and different way than I ever have before. Like, I'm being pulled to it and I'm heeding the call and going on youtube and learning new stuff, like I'm really into fingerpicking lately, a style called Travis picking. It really all started a few months ago when my mom wanted me to go through all my old stuff in her basement and just get rid of it all, and I came across my notes in a wire bound notebook from the guitar lessons I took as a teenager. It is still so super handy and I took it home, went through them and gave myself a refresher course. And then went on youtube to learn some stuff. And also, I signed up for a credit-free course at MCC on a Beatles guitar class LOL. I'm looking forward to meeting other guitar peeps. I'm in a new town and I need to meet some peeps here to make it feel more like a home. 

Last night I feel like I had somewhat of a breakthrough with the guitar, I was practicing some songs and I was getting kinda bored with that so I went off on my own little jam thing and a song came floating to me, and I was singing, just whatever was coming to me. It wasn't like, an out-and-out song, just some words with the chords and some blues scales thrown in and it was really cool, I felt like I was finally developing some kinda relationship with the guitar. I want it to have its own soul and voice, I just need to get better with technicalities, building muscles in my wrist/fingers (especially my pinky, damn). It was wonderful and I wish I had recorded it. I have a small tape recorder from my mom's house that needs batteries and I need to get cassette tapes for it. But I really wonder, what do musicians use to record themselves, just casually? Not like a huge setup or anything, and something other than the phone which loses space quickly. Something simple and easy to playback. That's my quest. My quest is to get good at guitar and record myself practicing.

Elizabeth Peyton

Spent a brief moment this afternoon standing puzzled in the studio amidst my previous visit's mess. I then opened my book of Elizabeth Peyton's art and sat on the floor flipping through the pages, reading bits and pieces, staring here and there. I decided to take a walk down the street to the cafe I work at and order a sandwich and check out the book more thoroughly with a pen and my notebook. I jotted down ideas that occurred to me while reading the book, which now looking back, seem to be completely unrelated to the book:

-multiple eyes
-multiple features for a freaky affect
-double exposure mixed media
-relearn xerox transfer
-vintage postcard paintings
-small votive paintings

I'm drawn to how Elizabeth Peyton becomes transfixed by a certain person and must paint them over and over again. I'm drawn to how quick they seem yet how intense they are. They pack a punch. I love her drawings too and I think I need to reference her for future endeavors. I should print some of her images out and stick them in my scrapbook of delight (or book of shadows).

One of her obsessions is Kurt Cobain. Here are but 3 of many many many. I love them despite the fact that Kurt looks way too pretty in them.

amazing.

She also loves What's-his-face from Oasis. Liam Gallagher. How freakin' intense is this? Truly.

Sid.

Plus, she was born in Danbury and so was I. This motivates me for some reason. I bet we were both born in the same damn hospital! Perhaps the goddess of art who blessed her at her birth was also there for me when I was born! Yeah? Right?

true detective

So I recently finished the first season of the series "True Detective" and my mind is still blown, still thinking about the characters and their dynamics and struggles and the darkness and magic that was so deliciously portrayed. I'm not one to really sit down and become engrossed in tv series, I couldn't tell you the first thing about pretty much anything that anyone's watching these days, but "True Detective" was a rare exception. It was a sophisticated and intelligent work of art that I found was truly worth my time.

One of the things I found that I really appreciated about the show was the title sequence. The dark, double exposed and gritty images portraying a decaying landscape inside silhouettes of the characters, burning like end times. So I decided to do a little research and found this gem of an interview:

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/true-detective/

Some of my very favorite images from the opening sequence:

I've been reviewed and interviewed!

I just wanted to share this lovely review my friend Rachel wrote about me and my art. She also asked me a couple questions about my process and influences. This is pretty much the best thing ever:

http://www.tinysupernova.com/mariclarecole/

living with myself

How do I even start? That's how I'll start this entry. And I think that's the whole point anyway. I haven't really created since February. Except for these quick and sloppy and slapdash things that I drew just to freaking do SOMETHING AAHHHH

A bunch of crappy cell phone photos of off-the-cuff drawings that take literally a few minutes. Lately I am just having the hardest time sitting down and starting something. I let a billion things run through my mind and distract me from focusing. And because I'm anxious that I'm not creating anything really substantial or awesome, I enter this downward spiral of self-doubt. AAAHHH STOP IT BRAIN. Ironically if i just shut up my brain and sat down and DID SOMETHING I"D FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

Sometimes i drive myself freaking insane.

mumbo jumbo

Ok so I was thinking maybe along with posting stuff I make, I can post other people's stuff that I find super awesome and inspiring and write about why. I think that could be a helpful exercise in keeping motivated to create.

That will be a future post. For now, here's my latest shtuff:

I'm doing a series of vans. This one is #3. number 4 is currently in the works. I guess I should post one and two at some point when I have a good pic of them. 

This person. Actually this person is me. I took a pic of myself when I was crying. That sounds weird, but I did it. Then a while later, I was looking through my pictures for reference material and found that photo and decided to use it.

freaking roses man. I will master these mofos someday, I just know it. The thing is, I've been practicing drawing roses for a couple weeks now and they leave me so confused. I want to get over the confusion and get to the point of clarity. ROSE CLARITY.


bye for now

herro

herro world.

I painted this for my sister. Acrylic and fabric marker and sharpee on canvas

There's more too but I have to go do laundry now.  Later