Considering that, among the podcasters I follow, there is one that is making a comeback after three years. Having been off the job through the new years, macworld, and a whole boat load of craziness that has transpired since then. Its been quiet, literally! When I started the daily blog for the SEA SHOW back in November 2008, <it is combined with an archived personal blog> I opted for as they happen alerts on breaking news stories, in a number of different topics, art and otherwise, that interest me.

Needless to say,  I was sifting across a number of links in earnest, trying to lower the growing total of unread messages in my inbox. I have an art vlog, and two to three other video projects, being a daily blogger is no joke but I’ve tried to give it a good run. :->

Since some of the unread mail is some left over Art Basel coverge from December that I had to sort through, there were some cool blog posts with a lot of photos. I really enjoy blogs with lots of photos, and of course if you’re going to critque art at least make a semi-rational and thought-out argument. I read a lot of “reviews” that don’t give me anything, but the ones I do find I enjoy, so I like to include them for you to peruse.

Maybe its because I am playing more games, love colorful things or objects that don’t appear to be art upon initial inspection, but a series of images with paper and art made themselves noticable to me in the process of skimming over articles, deciding which were from art websites worth keeping in my bookmarks or simply something strange on a blog will stand out to me, even if its somewhere you wouldn’t expect to find it, like a blog that may be based on something other than modern art – but may still yet be very interesting to look at. Others I visit, and just happened to be entranced by a particular image or a pleasant feeling I enjoy while I am exploring a cool new art website.

I found this image above in one of the articles that was tagged ‘basel’ and sent to my inbox. Its a bunch of pictures of art show and gallery parties in South Beach, definitely the sort of Miami Art Basel coverage I am interested! I’ve been keeping somewhat of any eye on things despite the lapse in my daily musings, and Art Basel is slowly making its way into the news. It seems like its an item of interest all year round! I could use

Either way, it was really good to get back into the groove at things in the art world, coming and going.  Keep it tuned, and we’ll try to do our best walking on the edges of art. In the future, I’ll try to do more daily posts.

They won’t be as extensive as they used to be, but I’ll continue to do what you enjoy the most, learning and commenting on contemporary art, and this is the place you will come to learn about quirky tidbits like the a strange new niche I have blogged about previously that just keeps coming up, that being Obama Art. Try a search on the SEA SHOW blog and see what you come up with when you search for Obama!

I hope this is the first of many times I help artists in their efforts to take it to another level. All the best to Dr. JohnnyWOW!

I’ve learned a lot of new words in my short time as a blogger. One of these, the terms deaccessioning, caught my attention since I was blogging on major museums that are in the spotlight of so many news stories. With the art world paying close attention to the drama unfolding in the museum community in Southern California, this controversial topic stirs up all kinds of art commentary, which I find interesting to read.

I don’t really filter the art news that comes across my desk, I usually read or pick over it all . I am trying to get myself in the habit of reading my alerts as they come in to determine whether or I should keep them in my inbox. But I don’t want to be a robot, controlled by a miniature computer in my purse.

Someone didn’t like the art that was chosen to be at the center of the spotlight. This controversial work stirred up passion as Europe struggles to come to terms with an ever changing set of circumstances.

I was blogging about Obama Art a couple of weeks ago and I got another Obama Art news article or so I thought. The process of filtering out news and information is a continual challenge for me. I do love to blog, but one has to sift through a lot of information and disseminate many differing opinions into a coherent and delectable slice of the arte life. We’re all living it. I just want to share!

Art Blogs always get my attention and I am sure there are hundreds but I like seeing all the different designs and color schemes used in the website layout. Art blogs are cool. And there are so many! I’m working on my blogroll but its taking a long time to accumulate the links from almost two months of consecutive blogging! I have to admit it is quite addictive. The only thing that would prevent me from fulfilling one of my most cherished roles is a matter of the most extreme urgency. Your humble host was rather occupied with a series of work and art related events in San Francisco around New Years eve, and shortly thereafter for Macworld 2009, causing the enjoying of a quiet hour in which to reflect to elude your poor author. Sometimes I come across blogs that are not art blogs but may mention or have a post about art. Sometimes there are so interesting or just hard to pin down that I can’t help but stare at the screen quizzically, asking myself, what the heck is this?

Macworld 2009 was nontheless a blast. But that’s another blog. I don’t have much to share photographically from last week, and the impending preparation which delayed the arrival of communication from your humble author and servant on the arts. We try to do it for you on so many levels, and we hope you love it too.

Being ever the humble servant of the arts, I like to make an effort from time to time to meet and work with new artists. So much time devoted to the show relates to video editing, so its nice to come out in person and spend some time working with an artist. An artist with this kind of talent that should not be ignored!

Also a percussionist in the amazing band The Galaxy Machine, Sean Little is an imminent master whose forms open a window into a world of intense drama and whimsy. A vision of a new world and way of seeing arrests you, and your perceptions are forever altered.

We hope to feature the work of our newest artist to one of our events in 2009. For more information on this years’ events, please visit the seashow homepage.

Mr. Sean Little was kind enough to engage your humble host in a quest to complete some art pieces.

We hope to debut some of his new pieces at one of the events we are planning in 2009. The SEA SHOW plans to provide ongoing assistance to this artist in the grant application process in so that he can finish some pieces in preparation for a joint show this coming year with other SEA SHOW artists.

I’m looking forward to working with Sean Little and all of the newest SEA SHOW artists that are joining us on this awesome journey to live the arte life.

Sean Little works in many art mediums. He uses oil paint, pencil, ink, gold leaf, and also etches designs.

The addition of a floating mount, fabric backing, and the addition of a frame lends a weight to these works that makes them all the more stirring.

Many of his works have a great deal of treatment after the initial design is complete, adding lustre and depth to his creations.

Exploration into line, perspective, and symbolism create pieces that engage the viewer on many levels.

Your humble host is really excited to have met so many new and incredible artists in the past month. It has been an incredible year and we only expect it to get better in 2009. Thank you Sean Little, for letting us into your world. vive la vie d’art!

We’ve been blasted with winter snow for the past five days and its been a busy month as I prepare to travel yet again. I always come back with trips with even more on my plate than I already have, so I’ve been distracted for a few days as I try to wrap up some projects before my business trip. This is my first lapse since my daily efforts about a month ago. I started a new blog, am sleeping odd hours, and have a twitch in my left eyelid.

Photo on Dec 22, 2008 from the deck

The word Basel is associated with banking and a city in Europe close to the border of France, Switzerland, and Germany. I’ve seen the long trail of news articles and blog entries with this word in it comes across my desk, and some of them are rather interesting. Between the mid-summer event in June in Europe and its Miami counterpart, bloggers can feed on the continual supply on art news. Since I am intrigued with this event because my interest is Contemporary Art   and    Beyond , its been the subject of many blog entries.

Recent news has shifted westwards since the end of Miami Art Basel in Early December to the west. It looks like the MOCA stalemate has finally ended. I just discovered that the fellow who offered a bailout for the beleagured MOCA (Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art) is one of the founders, and the latest news is that this morning (Tuesday, December 23rd) the museum will release news about its financial plan and new officers. You can be sure there will be a flurry of commentary after this, in fact it has already begun.

A very innovative use or incorporation of art into a public space is this library in San Jose that is using illuminated cell glass art that should be a model for public buildings. Tree Hugger also has an article on this new library. Artists exist and work regardless of whether or not there is a venue for them, but when it becomes available, as in the case of a property owner in Palm Desert who paid an artist to decorate signal boxes that belong to the city.

If I had attended Miami Art Basel, the stuff going on over at the so called Wall of Fame would have been ground zero for me, I always am interested and pursue awesome artists who resort to interesting measures to get their art seen. Its the future. Fecal Face is an awesome site has its finger on the pulse, with a ton of pictures of the gorgeous graffiti art that went on display by  this core group of artists during Art Basel Miami Beach.

The city has moved to regulate any future artist who choose to do the same. I went to an alternative public high school, so I was interested to read about a new public art school in Los Angeles for high school students that is supposed to open in 9 months. Hopefully it will represent a broad spectrum of students from all across Los Angeles. The San Jose Mercury chimed in on the ongoing debate about public art with its own commentary about the need for art in public spaces, adding richness to the experience of city living. The city of Santa Barbara is setting a great example in its work to recycle used items that would otherwise become trash and educating youngsters in the process. I guess my main gripe with events like Art Basel Miami Beach and the traditional Gallery/Museum scene is that there is very little of this interchange with the public.

Its really sad that the artists in Miami work tediously in the hope that they will have an audience for their art, but the community has no way to benefit from these art events and fairs. There is so much richness and excitement in the artists who I work with who are on the fringe and half of their work as an artist is just finding an artist or struggling to pay for materials. It is a touching experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I’ve often compared Seattle to a third world city in its rampant building. I was over in the Eastlake neighborhood, and I counted no less than nine cranes in my frame of view. Public Art is actually one of our initiatives that we are working on here in Seattle, in regard to the non-stop building that is going on, since our real estate market does better than most of the country. New Dehli is taking command of its public spaces for contemporary art. The push by local artists to create and preserve public art is a model for cities like Seattle whose face is being changed in a way that the common citizen has little or no control of.

I like the Visuals and concept of the slow painting website. Its got links to other art history website and blogs, and you can read about an exhibit on Greek Vase Painting in Manhattan in this recent post. Moco Loco is another cool art blog that I just discovered. I haven’t gotten in depth yet so I don’t know quite what its approach is, but its a modern and contemporary art blog with a clean design and colorful and cartoony art that I enjoy so much in today’s entry.

I try to support the artists I work with however possible, so when I got this information in my inbox about a limited edition book that is being released by the sculptor James Kelsey. If you are interested in his book, please read more about it here.

“Here are some of the pages. Don’t worry; in the end, the pages will be professionally bound into the portfolio, not strewn all over your floor like in the picture.

So HELLO to whoever is still reading,

For those close to me, you know I’ve been working on a portfolio project entitled, “This is NOT junk mail”. With the economy the way it is, this project was all but cancelled until a friend suggested I SELL a few of these portfolios to help pay for the $3,000 project, so, that is what I’m doing.

There are 160 Signed portfolios in this LIMITED EDITION project, and only 30 are being sold. The cost is $100 if delivered or picked up or $105 if sent to you. Number 1 through 18 are already promised or sold, so there are only 12 remaining.

If you purchase one of my portfolios, not only will it help a great experiment in marketing, but you will have something bound to be worth at least $100,000 at Sotheby’s after my death (don’t get any ideas – I’ve got my eye on you!); if it doesn’t end up worth $100k after my death, I’ll gladly refund your money, so there’s no risk for you.

BUT WAIT!!!! THERE’S MORE!

Um, okay, so there’s really not more, but I really wanted to say that.

Those who have already purchased one or more of these rare books did so sight unseen, but since they will be assembled THIS WEEK, I now have some images of the final product. These beautiful portfolios are approximately 5.5” x 8.5” and have laser cut stainless steel covers and backs. Every grind mark of every portfolio was done by my very own calloused, Band-Aid-covered hands.”

One of the most beautiful things about this project is the wonderful embrace I get when I meet new artist. Usually there’s a lot of interest all around so its great to meet new artists and they’re happy to meet me. I didn’t get to meet this singer the night that I filmed her performance, so I was really worried when I wrote to her almost a week ago and didn’t get an answer right away. I was kinda bummed.

One of the things I learned early on producing is to not always assume, to have an open mind, and to be flexible and patient. And confident! :-> So I waited patiently, and finally today Tiny Concept wrote back and gave me the green light to use the video on the blog. There were other artists playing that night, but I had already gone through three hours of footage. Next time I’ll bring more tape. I’m getting better at shooting continuously, however. I have a 4 gigabyte SD card and usually bring a few extra tapes. Once I get a second HD camera I can stagger the tape changes for continuity in the filming as well.

This song, like the other video log from this night by Syphilis Sauna, is also about a robot. This song by Tiny Concept is called My New Friend. The handheld footage is a little shaky in some parts because I moved to get a better angle.

I have used the same keywords for my alerts since I started this blog, and I almost never see the same blog twice. One that had a nice clean design and a strange image drew me in. It was of a potato with a nail through it, and it was on the LACMA blog, which is called Unframed. Much like Art Basel Miami Beach, MOCA has been in the news, so anything art and LA related in the news stands out to me.

LACMA is an acronym for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. MOCA Los Angeles still manages to fuel speculation in the art world in spite of its current stalemate and the eerie silence on the part of the challenged institution. A blog on the possibility of the museum, discusses the controversial practice of deassession.

Art By Paper Monster

Las Vegas doesn’t pop up on my art radar for obvious reasons but today, I did read an article about the revival of a Contemporary Art Center, which, according to the article, Beate Kirmse helped rejuvenate over the past year. I found it a little disturbing that while informational and seemingly positive in its overall efforts, this article by the Las Vegas Sun paints a nice picture, but it doesn’t address the really important issue, which should be the establishment of some measures on her part to make sure that the artists continue to get the recognition they need after her eventual departure. The article closes with her saying, “Maybe I’ll go back to the East Coast.”

I blog a lot about public art and how art can intersect with and uplift metropolitan cities and serve communities, so this article on a public art project that gives young artists a chance to display public art was the subject of an article in the St. Cloud Times website. Just yesterday I blogged about Art with Barack Obama as the subject matter, and it turns out there is a book on the New York Times bestseller list dedicated to illustrations of Barack Obama.

Paper Monster is a graffiti/stencil artist in Los Angeles that is making a name for himself. The tragic beauties in his stylized and crisp designs create interest with their beauty, but you can’t stop staring because of the amazing colors and layered compositions he creates in various types of media. He has some Obama art on his website too.

Sometimes I just happen to stumble upon the most random blogs, only to be completely arrested by a beautiful image that I have to mention. You don’t need to be a fancy art blog or a big topic to be worthy of mention.

There is a lot of strange and beatiful things hidden in the strangest of places and I’ve developed a little knack for digging them up. This blogger Karl Jones has been blogging since before blogging was cool, I don’t know how well-known he is because I am new to online publishing but this guy knows what he likes. I dig his blog because its a funky mix of cool tidbits and his really cool digital designs that he makes into computer desktop wallpapers.

Art by Karl Jones

Not PC is another blog that is not an art blog but has something out of the ordinary that got my attention because it had something interesting or useful about art in it. In this case, it was a venture into art & perception. I’ll be honest with you, my dear reader, I really don’t understand what his blog/mission is about. I wanted to include a short description in my mention of it but I am kinda stumped. Maybe you can figure it out. Its definitely not an art blog.

From the beginning, I had so much to say about the whole experience of diving into a relationship that went further than your casual observer with some of the most offbeat artists in the city. I’m never satisfied when obvious perks like wanting free videography or an attractive host might be yours as a result of my meeting and working with you. Sure, those things are tempting for an artist, but for me, I am making art. So I am thinking about other things too.

Its taken a lot of flexibility and patience as well as simple tact to get through some of these situations. I do know that artists are also busy making their own art, and it is somewhat of a stretch for them to give me yet another part of themselves and experience for the art I want to make. But it wouldn’t be the SEA SHOW without it. I am enamoured with the artists I have worked with from the beginning and who I continue to meet. To me, they are important.

The fact that the copius excitement that ensues with creative and intellectual interchanges occur is just icing on the cake. There really is a lot of potential, and its what’s really fueled my commitment whenever there have been challenges this past year and a half.

When I am in SF next month I’ll likely ponder these concepts and more in the Art of Participation exhibit at the SF MOMA.

Without speaking directly to circumstances, I am working hard to balance sensible thinking with my warm affection for the work and life of an artist. I think part of the constant challenge is finding that place where an artist can really step outside of his or her work, so that it can be elevated, heightened in a new way. This could be a flagrantly selfish pursuit, but I sacrifice and give so much that this is far too simplistic an observation or what motivates me. I suppose if you knew me personally, my motivations might make more sense. I know artists understand and like it, and as long as that is happening, The SEA SHOW must go on.

I run from social obligations all the time, despite my foray into art producing and attending a copious amount of art events. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say that the past two weekends have ended pretty pitifully. I can’t even work up enough courage to attend a party for the sake of a show. I did make it as far as the front door of Equinox this past Saturday. There were a ton of people, a binfire outside, and it looked pretty cool.

I noticed some of the exhibit was indoor/outdoor. I’m not sure what I was expecting, I definitely wasn’t dressed for it. I still dress like a Californian after living in Seattle for 4+ years. What can I say, I like to dress up. I wouldn’t dream of wearing jeans and fleece to an art opening. But that’s just me. The fact that it was snowing and I wasn’t dressed for it and the exhibit was going to close in 30 minutes convinced me to get home. Its 18 degrees today and still icy out there, but I should have taken one for the team and just went in. I’m just not used to the partying/socializing. The cameras and crew have become somewhat of a crutch of mine. Next week, it will be a top hat in addition to the Canon.

The public phase of this daily blog was launched on November 24, 2008. I’d been blogging for the previous year on the show’s myspace page. I also integreated a previous blog into this to show how much my life has changed since embarking upon the art journey. Its a big part of my world, and the new face of the show. So we hope you will subscribe to our blog.

This is in fact, a daily blog. It is trying to be, anyhow. This week I missed my first day since starting it.  A cold this week hindered my writing efforts this week. Don’t believe anyone when they tell you that blogging isn’t a full time job. If you have a daily blog, and you haven’t updated it, you think about it all day.

The travails of con-artists is not a topic I think my discerning audience would be interested in, but I would say 20% of the artists alerts I get are breaking news stories on notorious deceivers. Why is it that deceit is an adjective which can only be exclusively attached to the word art. :-/ I’m just being silly. :->

I’d like to do more of the vlog (video log) but I don’t want to start releasing a bunch of unproduced 1 camera hand held video, compelling as the artist or your Humble Host may be. A lot of the footage I shoot is incorporated into into future pieces. Every shoot builds on a large peice, so these are mini documentaries in the making. A lot of work, but  a lot of fun.

Village Savant is one of those blogs that I stumble onto while doing an image search or through some other random avenue. It looks like a nifty blog.  Other blog entries I read, and I can’t say that it helps me understand art better. It doesn’t mean that the authors’ personal opinion isn’t valid, its just that sometimes too much conjecture can muddle things a bit. We’re not all art history major, so we have to give our audience something they can understand. I’ll explain more on how Dr. JohnnyWOW! successfully broke through a barrier to the audience. Granted, their attention spans didn’t hold longer than a few minutes, but they were engaged and reacting while they were there. I wish I had a second camera to record the audience while I was busy filming the doctor.

Even if I don’t have time to look at the story, I do look at most of the alerts I get. One of the things I find so interesting is about all the different topics people choose to blog on. The art blogs interest me of course, and the more niche they are, the more novel I find them. There’s some pretty cool stuff out there, like this blog on Obama Art. I’ve seen Barack Obama poster but a blog actually devoted to the realm of art about the President Elect definitely got my attention.

Joanne Mattera had a blog post with some reflections on Miami Art Basel, and I got a chuckle out of her blog. I find her art commentary to be to the point and humorous. Check it out if you haven’t already. The Huffington Post published an article with few words and a lot of photos called, :Reflections of Art Basel:. I’m sure it was an exhausting week, but it would have nice to include a snippet of some interesting conversation or something. The pics are cool but I’m not clear what the reflections were of, there’s not much commentary.I’m ok with just photo blog entries, but I like to see either just pics or some informational commentary to go with the pics. This is another blog that fell short on its art basel reporting. It seems like a strange trend, but it definitely illustrates the range of coverage on a given topic.

On the MarketWatch website of all places, I found information on the first public art project to use solar energy. I like little offbeat tidbits like that.  California isn’t the only state where Art is intersecting with public life, Arizona too, is learning that there are ways to integrate art into the community.

It’ll be interesting when I compile the list of blogs I link back to for my own records. I would say at least a third aren’t art blogs. Hope you enjoy the variety of info, I do. I wasn’t sure whether to tweet or to blog about this strange art project, in which messages are sent to twitter when the baby kicks. Strange, isn’t it?

If I were in England,I should very much like to attend this event, a discussion on the value of Contemporary Art. With all the speculation that went on about sales at Art Basel Miami Beach, any collector or artist would find listening to this discussion worthwhile.

This blog, Grinding, is totally out there and I completely love it. The pics, how I wasn’t sure if it was an art blog in the first place, its all very cool. Culture Soak is another fun Art & Design website. Today they posted an article on a book about Emerging Contemporary Artists. It would be nice to get my hands on one.

I blogged about Macao and the Contemporary Art there, and noticed some other articles about Indian Art that I wanted to include. Art Market Monitor also posted some interesting comments regarding an Indian Artist and the collectors of his work. I might have a slighty sour tone in some of my art reporting, but its nothing like this scathing commentary on an Indian Art exhibit. Ouch. Does it really help an artist to be so cruel?

Street Art was a hitherto unknown art form upon starting this new segment of the blog. In Vallejo, California, a store selling graffiti supplies next to a graffiti art gallery is evidence that Street Art is definitely on the radar. There’s this discussion about whether or not Street Art is accepted in the larger art community. I would say that as much as I have read about it in the past three weeks that street art has nothing to worry about.