04 July, 2008

Happy Freedom Day, America. Woo.

02 July, 2008

There's something about vehicles that are powered directly by natural forces or by converting our body energy that is very elegant and wonderful to me. I love sailboats and bicycles especially; I love being on them, I love that they are silent or very nearly silent, and to me they feel totally independent and free. They may not go as fast as other, fuel-powered vehicles, but they are fun in a way that is much more subtle and raw and is ultimately more deeply satisfying than the fun that is brought by high-speed, high-noise excitement.

If you live in the Portland area, please come by my art studio tomorrow evening (Thursday, the 03rd). I will be having an open studio from about 6:30 to about 10:00 for First Thursday, and would always like to meet a reader.

28 June, 2008

I've been meaning to reactivate the store for some time now, so now I have, and in commemoration of this day I have also made a new blue tshirt with спайдеров снежка on it, from a comic on this page. Enjoy!

27 June, 2008

There's this interesting distinction that I've been thinking about between making artwork with some kind of goal in mind, however specific, and making artwork in the sense of experimenting freely with a certain medium. It's nice to sometimes disregard the final outcome of a project and simply enjoy the process, explore the limits and possibilities of whatever it is that you're working with. When I make artwork like this I tend to keep it to myself, because it is not necessarily meant to communicate or express something to other people the way a results-oriented piece of artwork is. I like to have certain parameters when experimenting with art--I'll choose a medium, e.g. 2D collage with magazines, scissors and glue sticks, and stick with just that medium. Exploring the creative possibilities within such parameters is much more interesting to me, and I think much more beneficial as creative exercise, than it would be if it were a mixed-media free-for-all with no specifications. The limits somehow create this power, like isolating a muscle to lift weights. After trying some different angles and processes I may change the parameters, introduce other elements, or now that I have felt out the medium and know how to use it, begin a project that is more results-oriented.