Examiner.com

So, it looks like I am taking on a small gig on at a website called Examiner.com.

I am currently their Boston "Museum Examiner" which means I will be covering museums and galleries in Boston for them, maybe some artist features dabbled in there, with a small slice of typical Eidsvig lunacy.

You can see my first post at Examiner.com and subsribe to my feeds as well. I think. Plus, there is a goofy picture of me with "Pichers and Catchers" in the background that looks like the pitcher is punching right through my head. Ouch.

Hope you enjoy. And for any of you in Beantown today, the new gallery at 12 Farnsworth is a stop on the First Nite destination list. Stop by and check out "Pink Angels" and "Flight Pattern" when you can.

Happy New Year!

Merry XMAS from Plymouth, Mass.

Well, as many of you may know, Boston has seen a flood of new movies being filmed here over the past few years (seriously, thank Affleck and Damon for creating movie mania in Beantown) due to serious tax breaks being offered filmmakers by the state of Massachusetts.

As some of you may not know, Plymouth, Mass, both America's and Kurt Eidsvig's hometown, has made a major bid to create a movie studio to enable more movie making in the Bay State.

All that said, it was still a little strange when I spied this image on Yahoo photos today with the caption:

'Hollywood East' sign at Waverly Oaks Golf Club in Plymouth, MA. (PRNewsFoto/Plymouth Rock Studios)

They must have heard about my extra work in the Surrogates. Seriously, this photo was taken like a mile away from my High School. Do you have any idea how many times I sat in High School thinking, "this is the most boring place ever, nothing ever happens in this town," and now, it is "Hollywood East???"

Happy Holidays everyone.

White Out

No, not the liquid paper product that people sniff when there are no good drugs around. That is spelled "Wite-Out." I am talking about the snow.

Someone asked Boston today what the deal was. Boston replied that it "forgot how to stop snowing."

It is ridiculous.

Has been snowing here nearly constantly since Friday afternoon. It won't stop. It is like the Celtics this year. It is like Puff Daddy muttering incoherently in the back of a Biggie Smalls track "I thought I told you that we won't stop." It is like the blizzard of '78 only later. It is like a snowstorm. It is nice to be inside.

That is one thing that fascinated me on Friday: People acting as if the apocalypse was here. It was about to snow in Boston in December. Tragic.

I have said over an over again, weather like this makes me think of Ron Schreiber's poem "tomorrow will really be sunday," which ought to be posted somewhere on the 'net. Also makes me think of "The Best Thing About New York City Is You and Me," as remade by They Might Be Giants:

It's snowing, it's snowing, God I hate this weather... now I walk through puddles just to get us back together...

Pic above is from Wite-out.com

And yes, I like the pattern the screen makes on the other photos.

And yes, there is a website named wite-out.com

The Role of Photography in My Work

Had an email question the other day on the role of photography in my work... namely to the 2007 pieces (as found in the gallery on http://www.kurtcoleeidsvig.com/).

I decided that the role of photography in these pieces is akin to Brad Pitt's role as Floyd in the movie "True Romance." Now, Pitt doesn't get a lot of screen time in the picture, he is someone of a bit player in the script, but his character is absolutely wonderful (I once remarked in a screen writing class that this was my favorite character of all-time in the movies) and essential for the movie. Much like the use of photography for these paintings.

In my email response I offered something a but different. Here goes:

As far as photography in my creative process... this varies. Depending on the work I will often use found images (magazines, internet, comic books) either as collage matter (I may photocopy and glue down or just cut and glue down the original before applying colored paint over it), or as a basis for the larger "main" image (as with the women looking in mirrors).

When I use a found photo for the "main" image, I generally spend quite a bit of time on the computer altering it digitally. That is, cropping, warping (stretching it out, rearranging elements, etc.), and changing color shemes. I use an old Adobe PhotoDeluxe program that I keep recycling on my computers. So, I play with the size, dimensions, proportions, and cropping while experimenting with different color schemes and levels of detail. This helps me get an idea and a plan for what the final painting might look like.

Also, I have used my own photography as a source of collage elements. And last year I ran a contest called "Model Consumer" where I offered a $300 prize for the winning photo of entries that took a photo of themselves in a mirror in a clothing store dressing room. Part of this was to get more people involved in the photo end and creative process of my work and some of it was to get a new range of images to play with in creating painting/collages... part of it was a lot of something else's altogether, I would guess.

All that said, as I am playing against ideas of "image" and "images" I like preserving the basic idea that most of what I am doing is creating a singular work, a painting. Rather than a print or a digital photo or something. So, the final products are always paintings worked over collage elements.

-----

I like the Brad Pitt answer better.

Pic above is from e-stoned.com

The First Show

Have mentioned over the past few posts that two of my pieces ("Pink Angels" and "Flight Pattern") have been selected to be included in a show at the new gallery at 12 Farnsworth Street in Boston.

The show is comprised mostly of larger work, as the curators wanted to explore really using this new space. The two pieces of mine that are included each measure four (4) feet by six (6) feet, or 48" x 72".

They are calling the show "The First Show," for reasons apparent enough, and have scheduled an opening for tomorrow, Friday, December 19th from 5 to 8 pm.

The show will run into late January and gallery hours are as follows:

Monday-Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday 11am-5pm
Sunday 11am-3pm

My Vocabulary Did This To Me, Yellowcard Coincidences & What I’m Up To

So I picked up the Boston Phoenix yesterday and came across an article/book review on the new compilation of Jack Spicer’s poetry, “My Vocabulary Did This To Me,” Edited by Peter Gizzi and Kevin Killian and published by Wesleyan Press. Those who know me, or know this blog, know that Spicer is on my All-Star team of influences. The fact that a new Collected is coming out is absolutely essential, as his books are largely out of print.

Friend, confidant, and poet extraordinaire Martin Cockroft had planned on using Spicer’s former “Collected Books” for a course a few semesters ago and found he couldn’t since the book was out of print… it was nearly a hundred bucks to score the old paperback.

I told him he should make his students buy it anyway, as it would be worth that much more than the other trash they were required to read. Luckily for everyone, Martin seldom listens to me.

Recently I met with my MFA thesis advisor, teacher, and poet extraordinaire, Joanna Klink, and she said something about teaching Robert Duncan this semester and I asked after Jack Spicer (the two were former friends turned rivals, as Spicer thought Duncan sold out). She filled me in that this new volume was about to drop, and was the hot thing in poetry now… which of course I knew nothing about. So I was excited to see it getting some airtime in the Boston Phoenix.

I’m happy to see Jack in action again, if for nothing else, to see his old poems in a hardcover format. There is plenty to know about Jack, and as I have said before, two non-poetry poetry books I recommend to any aspiring poet include “The Last Avant-Garde” by Lehman and “Poet Be Like God,” a bio of Spicer. Basically, the guy was a ferocious alkie, was out of his mind (he thought he could control pinballs through telekinesis, that Martians were dictating poems to him, and after swearing to never watch TV… got angry when he saw it that no one had ever told him how wonderful it was, etc.) and was an extraordinary poet who still has yet to be fully appreciated.

Also, all poets should be confronted with Spicer’s “Poetry As Magic” workshop questionnaire that participants in his workshop were required to fill out before being granted admission. The questionnaire is included in the “Collected.”

According to Robin Blaser, Spicer’s last words on his deathbed were “My Vocabulary Did This To Me.” I’ve never believed this, mostly because Blaser, too, seems bananas, and it seems a too poetic demise for a poet. But it is a good story anyhow.

In my world of influences I have Spicer (1925-1965) on one side of the country, Frank O’Hara (1926-1966) on the other—both magnetic leaders of a movement (San Francisco Renaissance for Spicer, New York School for O’Hara), both tragically dead at 40 (Spicer of alcoholism in a hospital room, O’Hara of an unfortunate meeting with a dune buggy). They are like rival gang leaders (they disliked one another) whose fight emerges in my poems from time to time.

The Phoenix article isn’t bad: http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Arts/73434-Review-My-Vocabulary-Did-This-to-Me-The-Collecte/

The photo above is from The Phoenix site as well.

Hard to pin down how much Spicer is in my poems. I steal from him mercilessly, his lines get varied slightly and dropped into mine, his ideas on art and poetry influence mine greatly, and I love his work. I worked on a series of poems that were me thinking of Spicer, travel, airplanes, barrooms, jukeboxes, and love that is titled “Pinball Music.” A few of these poems have appeared in journals (Borderlands, South Boston Lit. Gazette, and the recent Kerouac-inspired anthology, Where the Road Begins).

Basically, if I gave you three poets to read, Spicer would be on the list. Here is the funny part: There is a review in the Phoenix, Spicer is the bomb, and the world is crying for real poetry… and there are no copies to be found. I checked a couple Border’s and Barnes and Nobles and they didn’t have it. You will likely need to do what I did, shop Amazon, to get a copy of this gem. Go do it!

Yellowcard Coincidences

I know that my blog starts to look like a Yellowcard fan forum at times, but give me a break… I love them.

But this isn’t a fan-drooling account of how Yellowcard’s “Gifts and Curses” is one of my fav songs, or how I wish Ryan Key would get his ass to Beantown. Rather, I had an interesting coincidence this weekend.

I finally watched the movie “Big Fish” (thank you NetFlix) after it had been recommended by countless advisors over the past 5 years. I would gather this has something to do with my endless stories of my father, Al Eidsvig, who was the epitome of a “Big Fish” (although his stories… joining the army at 14, playing pool left-handed, wrestling a grizzy, are actually true), as his stories have become a part of me. I often say things like, “it’s like my father used to say…”

-Shit in one hand and wish in the other and see which fills up first.
-Women are like busses, there’s another one coming in ten minutes.
-If your nose runs and your feet smell you’re built upside-down.

(yes, I added the grizzly part above)

Anyhow, many people have recommended the movie to me. Maybe also due to the shoes being cast over the telephone wire (which shows up in my poem “Counting”). So, thank you all for the recommendations over the years, the movie was great… Then again, how can you go wrong with Obi-Wan Kenobi?

How strange is it that my spell-check didn’t catch Obi-Wan? This is included in Microsoft’s dictionary?

Anyway, I watched the movie and liked it, and then that night I was on YouTube. There was a video “recommended” for me by their program, and I clicked it. It was titled “How I Go, lyrics” or something. Now me being recommended Yellowcard videos is nothing new from YouTube, as they are my staple. BUT, it is strange that I clicked on one (I hardly ever do) and here is the weird part…. I am listening to the song (which I have heard many times before), and reading the lyrics, and I am like “WHAT??? This is about Big Fish!” Which I just finished watching like two hours earlier.

Of course I’m not the only one to have understood this connection. I was shocked and did some googling, some Wikipedia-ing and this is common knowledge… that the band wrote a song about the movie (my first search was for the soundtrack which I figured the band had provided the song for…. but no). Plus, there are other youtube vids that feature clips of the movie, etc.

The weird part is just the time proximity and the connection. Jack Spicer would understand. He thought he was a radio for Martians for crying out loud.

I loved the movie, like the coincidence, and there is tons on YouTube and otherwise about this. The song is a lot better now that I know what they are talking about. Even though I usually prefer their peppier stuff.

Pic above is from Wikipedia.

What am I Up to?

As some know, I’ve been working on a long piece of fiction, or a screenplay, or a couple of long pieces of fiction, or something. This is a horrible thing to tell someone, a s it sounds pathetic, but it is true.

Anyhow, I am also listening to the Jonathan Lethem audiobook, “You Don’t Love Me Yet,” as read by the author. Almost once a minute I either laugh out loud at how cool his writing is, or how funny it is, (and how unbelievable it is that he kicks so much ass), or think “you gotta be kidding me,” it is so good. Basically makes me want to hang up my cleats.

Also, looks like the Farnsworth show will include the new painting, “Pink Angels,” as well as “Flight Pattern.” More on that when I know.

Pic above is from Amazon.

Wet Seal, the Wu, and 12 Farnsworth

Wet Seal & The Wu:

So, tonite I am minding my own business, enjoying the Christmas lights in the common, and then in Downtown Crossing here in Boston, and I walk past the women's/girl's clothing store Wet Seal. And what do I see on one of the mannequins? A Wu-Tang Clan tee shirt. A Wu-Tang Clan tee shirt?

Now, those of you that know me well might think that the scene then turned into an Andrew McCarthy/Kim Cattrall interlude circa '87 and I went in there, snatched the mannequin and we are married happily ever after now. But no, my emotional response went the other way. Who the hell authorized the selling of Wu Wear at Wet Seal? Was this the RZA, AKA Bobby Digital? What would Old Dirty say if he were here right now (besides "Shimmy Shimmy Ya?"). Is this how the older generation felt when kids in the nineties started wearing bell bottoms, listening to the Doors, and dressing like Oasis... I mean, the Beatles? It is terrible, this appropriation of my youth. Where are the days of the Wu-Tang Clan selling singles of "Protect Ya Neck" from the trunk of their car circa '93? Above, see the pic from the Wet Seal website.

Farnsworth:

So, I dropped a piece off today for the group show at 12 Farnsworth. Then I got a call that they wanted to include Pink Angels as well... so looks like I will have two large pieces in the show. More information to come on the opening, etc.

And yes, today was the first day that I realized that the road this gallery is on shares a name with P-Diddy's butler, the infamous Farnsworth Bentley. Pic above is from http://hate.blogetery.com/

For more on Farnsworth Bentley I recommend the Chappelle show, namely the sketch on making the band.

And Back to Wet Seal and the Wu:

Basically, the GZA summed it up best in "Protect Ya Neck," lyrics courtesy of http://www.sing365.com/

The Wu is too slammin for these Cold Killin labels

Some ain't had hits since I seen Aunt Mabel

Be doin artists in like Cain did Abel

Now they money's gettin stuck to the gum under the table

That's what ya get when ya misuse what I invent

Your empire falls and ya lose every cent

For tryin to blow up a scrub

Now that thought was just as bright as a 20-watt light bulb

Should of pumped it when I rocked it

Niggaz so stingy they got short arms and deep pockets

This goes on in some companies

With majors they're scared to death to pump these

First of all, who's your A&R

A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?

But he don't know the meaning of dope

When he's lookin for a suit and tie rap

that's cleaner than a bar of soap

And I'm the dirtiest thing in sight

Matter of fact bring out the girls and let's have a mud fight

Below, see the video for Protect Ya Neck. Do these men from Staten Island really look like they are peddling ladies' fashions? Then again, if you must wear the Wu-Tang ladies, please check out the video for Ice Cream (from the revolutionary "Only Built for Cuban Links" album by Raekwon)... now that is when the Clan was really pushing the Wu-Wear.

I miss hip-hop.

As For Art:

I am not sure what all of this has to do with art or my studio, besides the Farnsworth bentley Gallery. But my next poem might be titled "Amends Letters to Unique Ason."

Yours truly,

Dirt McGirt

Pink Angels, Deepak and 12 Farnsworth

Pink Angels:

Quick update today to post a completed pic of "Pink Angels," as seen above. I am not 100% pleased with the pic, as the colors shift in this pieces a lot, depending on the light. This pic isn't completely right either... it seems a little too blue... but it is the best I could do after taking a number of pics in different light and adjusting the contrast on the photos (and intensity, etc.). The problem is it isn't a consistent color scheme because of the light and reflections... one that needs to be seen in person, I guess. I am wondering if this is because of the blue under painting. Regardless, here it is.

De-pizzle:

So, today I am in Au Bon Pain in Copley and who do I see? Deepak Chopra. It was completely random, and he was wearing his red eyeglasses (which are a trip) and then was later text messaging on his phone. Kind of weird to think of famous people eating lunch at Au Bon Pain and text messaging. But, there he was. we spoke briefly, and he was very nice. So, there you have it, my brush with fame for the day.

12 Farnswoth:

There is a new gallery space in the Fort Point neighborhood in Boston on Farnsworth Street, near the Flour bakery and coffee shop. They are holding a group show and it looks like they are taking one of my pieces for the show. Will post more when I know.

Painting "Pink Angels"

Above, see a video of me working on the piece “Pink Angels.” There is a really, really horrible in-progress shot posted a few weeks back (my apologies to all you blog readers as well as all my photography teachers over the years). Anyhow, I think it is about in the can. May do a bit to it, but I am pretty pleased.

Why non-representational? (let’s not get into how useless I think that term really is, as well as “abstract,” but they are what we’ve got… but, does the painting not really “represent” something??? and how is abstract? isn’t taking 3-d and making it 2-d an abstraction? oh, wait, I am in the middle of a tangent…

Ok, but why non-representational? I am not sure. I am really not sure what pulls that trigger. But, I like the painting, so here we are.

By the way, the music is Yellowcard. I was on a Youtube playlist frenzy while painting this thing. Yes, when my mouth is moving in the video, I am singing, not just madly talking to myself (as with the tangent above)… send a thank you note to me when you get a chance that I laid the Yellowcard over my sounds. Singing? Not my strong suit.

As for the painting. I have been in the middle of two books lately: “Elaine and Bill: Portrait of a Marriage,” by Lee Hall and “The Judgment of Paris” by Ross King. Think I already said that if you were going for one de Kooning book do “An American Master,” but the Lee Hall is interesting. Also, the “Judgment,” is a great book… good in-depth look at Manet, which I hadn’t had as much of in the past (my Impressionist studies were centered much more about Monet).

And yes, I would say the painting is influenced by these sources. Also, by one of de Kooning’s comrades-in-arms, and possible mentor, Arshile Gorky. When I was 23-ish I had a drawing course with Sam Walker at UMASS Boston I was introduced to Gorky’s “The Liver is the Cock’s Comb,” and did a subsequent series of imitations of Gorky’s style of biomorphic abstraction (another horrible term). This, and de Kooning, were certainly whispering in my ear as I painted. For that matter the Sam Walker/Gorky tag-team likely influence my working methods in general regardless of what I paint. So, there is that de Kooning connection.

Here is something else: Was reading about 19th Century painters using a heavy black background to make things “pop” off the canvas. I have never tried this. Weird. In my at least 20 years or art and painting formally I have never done this. My oil painting training included using a yellow or bright background to give the appearance of luminescence. But, I wanted to experiment with this dark background… so I used a heavy blue to start. I like the results.

The other interesting intersection here is the idea of the line, and the idea of Manet and de Kooning. Lots has been said for Manet nearly outlining figures with his heavy black lines. And de Kooning was drawing first, often with charcoal and then re-working and re-working. Here, I got near the end of working the forms and really wanted to experiment with use of heavy black. I always hear a Rosenquist quote when I touch black (something like “you never use pure black paint, you always mix it,”) and I mixed this black with silvers and bronzes. I laid it down very, very heavy at times, and like how that plays against the harmony of the thinner lines and the other colors.

I also liked the flatness of some of the colors (pink for one) against the worked-in tones of some of the others. Set up a nice set of distance shifts.

One of the problems in these paintings for me is in the naming. It is always easier to name my “pop-ish” pieces, as the titles often indicate dual meanings or deeper digging to be done. Here, I felt there was some sort of wide-screen epic going on in the undulating faces, forms. I think if Rothko using colors as characters in a drama. There is definitely a drama here, a set of introductions, some conflicts, tension. But all that said, I saw the pink, and the blue seeping through and I thought I might as well steal from de Kooning again: Pink Angels is the name of one of his amazingly brilliant works.

One of my gauges for a painting, and when it may be done, is in my enjoyment in looking. I like looking at this.

I hope you do too.

And yes, I use Styrofoam plates sometimes for palettes. Get off my back.

Wu Tang and The Onion

I would be remiss in my twin roles as Rap Historian/Wu-Tang afficianado if I didn't post this article from The Onion today:

Staten Island Historians Piece Together Genealogy Of Wu-Tang Clan

NEW YORK—In what many are calling the most comprehensive study of its kind, Staten Island historians Robert Wilburn and Charles Tinsley have successfully traced the lines of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan all the way back to 1993 A.D.

The monumental undertaking, which is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the field of hip-hop genealogy, used a series of historical records—including Wu-Tang Forever, Iron Flag, and 8 Diagrams—to piece together the group's vast and intricate ancestry.

"Through our exhaustive research, we have pinpointed not only the start of the Wu-Tang Clan's reign, but also the very moment of its legendary downfall," said Wilburn, who has authored numerous books on the House of RZA. "Indeed, we now have conclusive proof as to why all the other wannabe MCs bowed down to this dynastic force."

According to Wilburn, it took trained scholars hundreds of hours to parse out Wu-Tang's complex lineage, with experts in nearly every discipline studying the group's dope oral traditions, as well as its customary and often fresh style of dress.

"It was an immense project," said Tinsley, who coauthored the 450-page genealogical report. "For instance, it took us months to conclude that Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus, Osirus, Dirt Dog, and Peanut the Kidnapper were all the same person."

"Still, a number of exciting new discoveries were made," Tinsley continued. "We learned that RZA does in fact come from the same royal bloodline as Prince Rakim, and that Method Man, as many have suspected in the past, always holds the mic sideways when bustin'."

In all, nearly 300 descendants of the Wu-Tang Clan were identified and cataloged by the two historians, including Buddha Monk, Hook Ninja, K-Blunt, Tommy Whispers, Kryme Life, and Trife Da God.

Tinsley was quick to note, however, that the total number of Wu-Tang descendants was impossible to calculate, and could very well reach into the tens of thousands.

"While the Clan is generally associated with tales of conquest, slaughter, and 'bringing da motherfuckin' ruckus,' it must also be noted that its members were prolific lovers who expanded the empire by sowing their seed all across the country," Tinsley said. "Who knows, perhaps my very own children are direct descendants of Ghostface Killah."

Emerging from the slums of Shaolin—located near Wudang Mountain in Park Hill, Staten Island—the Wu-Tang Clan went on to form the largest contiguous rap empire of the late 20th century. The Clan flourished under the rule of RZA, who led his lyrical assassins into a number of heated freestyle battles, and introduced them to a string of new influences, including Kung Fu films and silver-age Iron Man comics.

"During its height, the Wu-Tang Clan acquired a great deal of wealth and notoriety," Wilburn said. "One need only look at Ol' Dirty Bastard's dental records to get a sense of the incredible treasures they possessed."

Despite conquering nearly 80 percent of the rap world, Wilburn said that the Clan's downfall was inevitable. Seeking even greater riches, and fueled by internal feuds, key members such as GZA, Raekwon, Masta Killa, U-God and Inspectah Deck soon set out on their own.

This dynastic split, Wilburn claimed, is what makes the Wu-Tang Clan's lineage so hard to piece together.

"Tracing the exact origin of descendants like Lord Superb, Maddam Scheez, Free Murda, and June Lova is nearly impossible, as only a small percentage of their personal records were ever released and firsthand accounts often differ greatly," Wilburn said. "However, our greatest challenge may be that many of the artifacts from this era have been completely lost to time."
"Many believe that the location of the original 36 Chambers is buried somewhere beneath what today is the Staten Island Mall," Wilburn continued. "Unfortunately, unless that T.J. Maxx shuts down, and the mall's food court goes out of business, we may never know the truth."

"Still, one thing remains certain," Wilburn added. "The Wu-Tang Clan was nothing to fuck with."

See the story at: Staten Island Historians Piece Together Genealogy Of Wu-Tang Clan

Pic above is the famous Wu-Wall as pictured at 187 E. 6th Street circa '99. If I wasn't a sell-out I would still have that thing up.

De Kooning Quotables

I've just finished reading "Elaine & Bill: Portrait of a Marriage," by Lee Hall which was decent. Would say if you want a better read to do the "De Kooning: An American Master" by Swan and Stevens (which is masterful in itself). But, this one was better for Elaine, and had some good stuff.

Here are some quotes, all from the Lee Hall, with page number in parenthesis:

(pic above is from fourfiveone.com)

“I met Mark Rothko in Washington Square Park, in the Village. I remember it was late at night and there was this kind of husky man sitting on the left side of a bench and me on the right with no one else in the park. I didn’t want to speak first in case I was mistaken for a queer or something. ‘Nice evening,’ Rothko finally said. we discovered we were both painters. A couple of days later he came to visit me in my studio and that was the beginning of our friendship.”
-Willem de Kooning (p. 13)

Bill’s habit of drinking coffee all day, along with his anxiety about his painting, often kept him awake at night. Restless and depressed, he took long walks along the dark lonely streets of Manhattan. A friend returning from a party just before dawn one morning remembers: “I was walking along the street and saw a figure coming near me. And when the street light fell on his hair, I knew it was Bill. He had that luminous blond hair that caught light. So,” he continued, “I walked toward him and greeted him. He nodded his head and I fell in alongside Bill and we walked and walked. After a but, down near the docks, we sat for awhile on some empty wooden boxes. Bill said, ‘You know, Elaine is very beautiful.’ And I agreed. Then he said, ‘Elaine is very beautiful to a lot of other guys, too’ Well, what could I say? He was right. But I knew that he was really trying to say that Elaine was breaking his heart, that she was out with some other guy. But that’s all he said.” (p. 36)

"The first man who began to speak, whoever he was, must have intended it. For surely it is talking that has put “Art” into painting. Nothing is positive about art except that it is a word. Right from there to here all art became literary." - Willem de Kooning (p.98)

"Style is a fraud… It is impossible to find out how a style began I think it is the most bourgeois idea to think that one can make a style beforehand. To desire to make a style is an apology for one’s own anxiety.” - Willem de Kooning (p. 110)

“The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think. All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves. When a man ploughs his field at the right time, it means just that.” -Willem de Kooning (p. 151)

At the dinner party, Elaine Benson found herself seated next to Bill de Kooning, who seemed shy or preoccupied. She initiated conversation, saying, “We’re just back from Las Vegas.” Bill said, “That’s nice. I’ve always wanted to go to Las Vegas.”
“Well,” Elaine asked, “why don’t you go?”
“You see,” he answered slowly and solemnly. “I’m a painter. And the trouble is, if you’re a painter, you get up in the morning and you work for awhile. Then you have something to eat. And then you go back to work. You stop and you worry about what you are doing. And you work some more. Then you stop and have something to eat. Then you’re tired, so you watch some TV. Then you go to bed, but you worry about what you did in your work that day. So you get up and you work some more. Then you go back to bed, and you worry.”
…
“So,” said Bill, “on what day would I go to Las Vegas?” (p. 218-9)

Completed Work: Forgiveness, 2008

Above, see the image of the completed piece, "Forgiveness." The piece, shown in-progress on November 11, 2008 is 36" by 48".

I ahve been reading the book "Elaine and Bill: Portrait of a Marriage," by Lee Hall, so that may explain the dip back into retro-Abstract Expressionism a la Gorky and de Kooning. I actually started thinking in grays, and thinking of exploring lots of tones within the gray scale, but even in the early layers of paint I started mixing purples and red with the grays and then I liked that so much I kept going.

As someone mentioned to me recently, I certainly like vivid colors. There is something about taking dramatic contrasts in terms of colors and then making them harmonize that seems central to my project whether I am trying to push back on Abstract Expressionism or Pop or both.

That is a long excuse for why this is not just gray.

Painting Sticker Shock Part II

What is that term to describe something that is boring... "it is like watching paint dry?"

Above. see the slightly more interesting footage of me painting "Sticker Shock" last winter. The Goldfinger album is the same as last time.

I am not sure this version could qualify as exciting, but it is sure more interesting than the other one. Amazing what a little editing can do.

And yes, I can teleport now.

Painting Sticker Shock

As part of my pre-winter cleaning I came across some video of me working on the painting Sticker Shock last winter.

Not a terribly exciting video, but what I am supposed to do? I am an artist and I have a blog. I guess this is par for the course.

The music is from Goldfinger's "Open Your Eyes" album which I listened to like crazy while painting this monster.

Yes, I am looking forward to the pending lawsuit from Goldinger. Nothing says "Dealing with a shaky economy for the arts" like getting sued.

Enjoy.

Answered Prayers and San Francisco

So, I have been doing some pre-winter cleaning, which includes my computer and files. A few things I have come across I am not quite sure what to do with, and am considering making like 58 blogs so I can keep story ideas, poems in progress, photos, painting ideas, other writing, etc. in a place that is easy to get to.

Yes, I know this is probably like a hundred years behind the times, but I am a tad slow.

Anyhow, I found some pics of my last trip to San Fran a few years ago and some photos of City Lights books. One of my ideas was to take random self-portraits in random mirrors all over the country. Above, see Self-portrait in City Lights Books.

City Lights is like the mecca of poetry for the West Coast, if not the US.

As for the answered prayers, I was reminded of a trip I made to the Art Institute of San Francisco, and that Iw as doing some serious soul searching as to what my next move should be. The Art Institute is like this cathedral to art with a huge courtyard and a beautiful view of the city. Sitting in one of the classroom/studio spaces I tried to get in touch with my spiritual self, my higher power, God, whatever you want to call it.

"What should I do?" I asked.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the folding chair in the corner.

The bottom three pics are of City Lights. The top one is the universe talking to me.

New Work in Progress

Not the best picture, but check out some new work in progress.

Full Moon Through The Skylight With Raindrops In November

New Work in Progress

Above, see new work in progress. The piece is acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48"

Perrotta at UMASS Boston

Went to see Tom Perrotta read from his book "The Abstinence Teacher" at UMASS Boston today in the new Campus Center.

Above, see a pic of Tom, as well as some of my sketches during the reading. I am trying to organize a number of ideas/art projects/blog entries/writing pieces and there is no better time for me than when I am listening to some really good words.

By the way, the reading was great. Go get the book.

He's Alive

Well, I haven’t been so sure on what to report on the blog for quite some time, but since my friend Martin Cockroft recently contacted me to check for a pulse due to my eerie blog silence, I figured it was time to at least let cyberspace know I am alive and breathing.

As I’ve said in the past, it is difficult to blog about writing. While, if I am focused more on painting, I can comment on what is influencing me, or comment on my progress. Writing about art seems like a nice break while writing about writing seems like treating a headache with a hammer.

So, what have I been up to? Artistically, I have been working on a long piece of fiction. I have been trying to reconcile my ability to go on endless tangents of description and voice with actually formulating around some sort of plot. This led me to some exploration in screenwriting and plot development and using some tricks of the trade to try and bring voice, image, and plot together. In my twenty years of playing with fiction (note how many stories I have published) I have always been sidetracked by plot and character development. Maybe this is common enough, but it is extremely disheartening to get 100 pages in and discover you don’t believe that anyone cares what happens to these characters anymore. I believe I have remedied this in all my development work with this piece in progress, but we shall see.

As a side note, please say the above “He’s Alive” in true Frankenstein format. As another side note, perhaps the greatest take-off on Frankenstein of all time came in the movie “Better Off Dead,” with a Frankenstein-esque hamburger who was armed with an Eddie Van Halen guitar and did a David Lee Roth impression.

As another side note, might I suggest anything from the “Live Without A Net,” movie on YouTube if you are itching to do a Van Halen catch-up. No quibbling on Red Raider vs. DLR.

So, here is a bit of catch up on Eidsvig:

OPEN STUDIOS

Fort Point Open Studios is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the 17th, 18th and 19th of October. I won’t be opening this year, as since I have been so focused on writing, and continue to work on this one piece, I felt it might be a bit difficult to shift gears and prep for open studios. However, it is looking like a great turnout and I would urge anyone and everyone to come and check out the new work from other artists in the neighborhood.

For more information see: http://fortpointarts.org/

THE BLUES

In the past few weeks, the universe has randomly presented two stories by two very different writers to my front doorstep. I found myself listening to Elmore Leonard’s “Tishomingo Blues,” as a book on tape (there may be none better in popular fiction to study plot at the feet of) while reading “Reservation Blues” by Sherman Alexie. I didn’t even think anything of the “blues” connection, but oddly enough both referenced Robert Johnson, the famous-famous blue musician, and the infamous crossroads.

While Leonard used the “blues” to represent both music, as well as the dress uniforms of a Civil War reenactment, Alexie had his characters creating songs on and off the Indian reservation and a certain sadness throughout, of course mixed with Alexie humor. But, bizarre that I should find them both at the same time. Should probably add that I have been gravitating towards writers who I know in my bones can weave a story mixed with humor and drama, and also, that the story I am working on involves music and musicians.

As a side note, I read Alexie’s “Indian Killer” before “Reservation Blues.” While I like RS, “Indian Killer” was easily one of the best works of fiction I have read in a long, long time, if not ever. Check it out.

INSPIRATIONS

I am not sure if I mentioned it on the blog, but I have been Netflixed, which is a verb, I guess. Get your Netfix. Get your fix of flix. Net-fix. Anyhow, I have been renting movies on the internet.

This is especially good for someone like me who loves obscure art movies. I don’t mean French films. I mean documentaries about artists. For instance, “The Mystery of Picasso,” which lets you watch Picasso painting— was actually shown in one of my art classes at MassArt a million years ago (OK, make that 14-ish), but of course, I could never find it at Blockbuster. I think I tried to buy it somewhere once and it was on sale for like a million dollars (in this instance a million translates to 100 instead of 14), which seemed like a lot for a VHS tape.

All that said, I recently rented the 1997 documentary “Inspirations,” if only to see a bit of Roy Lichtenstein painting. So many of the art movies are bad— like where they tour around a museum and just talk about the work— but the ones where you see the artists working are fairly amazing. I was amazed, again, at Lichtenstein’s use, and love of, the line. It did nothing but solidify my reverence for this man. I love the idea of him strapping paintings to the roof of his station wagon and heading for Leo Castelli’s. But, alas.

Anyway, the other great surprise in this piece was the bit about David Bowie. Both for visual artists, and musicians, I would think this is a great little picture of his work. However, there is also a part about a program he uses to formulate song lyrics from found material that was wonderful— great fuel for any budding poets out there.

POLITICAL POEMS

So, Cockroft is at it again. See http://wazoofarm.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-in-my-dreams.html for a few of his new poems.

I have read out loud, and thought and thought…. wondering about the charge of words. Thinking what it might mean to mention the word “oil,” now in a poem, or how Katie Holmes can mean one thing on Dawson’s Creek and then the world changes altogether.

At first, I thought, “Sarah Palin” means too much. She means too many different things. The difference is that when O’Hara used James Dean or Spicer, Billy the Kid, they were already immortal. They could be anything in a poem. Sensitive, insecure, powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, ugly, comic, tragic. But people aren’t ready to have Sarah Palin be anything— the U.S. is too polarized, to filled with opposites. She means hope to some devastation to others. Death and life. It doesn’t have the distance of a Marilyn Monroe. We aren’t ready, democrat or republican to have Sarah Palin be that human. She is either God or Devil, not nervous or confused or able to fall in love or snort while laughing. No one is ready to see her like that, no matter what they have invested.

And then I read Martin’s poems. He is able to do things that poems should not be able to do. He is maddening and wonderful.

Long live Cockrofts.

ART IN PROGRESS

So, yes, I have been dabbling with some things. A collage here, a sketch there. Above, see what I have cooking.

The outlines on the one are ready for some collaging in— consider it my attempt to again fuse some sort of expressionism with pop, and in the second is an example of my use of canvas for rolling extra-large sketchbook.

I have no idea when these might be done, if ever. But art calls to me, maybe even especially, when my hands are in the words.

Website Update

One of the things that has been on my "to do" list for a long time is a website update for http://www.kurtcoleeidsvig.com/

If you click on the "Art" section and check out the galleries, I have created a gallery for 2006 and one for 2008.

Attached here, see the images "Snake Charmer," from 2006, and "Pitchers & Catchers," from 2008.

Hope you enjoy the new galleries of completed work.

Blog Consultant

One of the things I have been doing while I have been slacking on my own blog is helping out on my Mom's blog. I take the pictures and she supervises. Pretty decent deal. Pay is lousy though.

You can take a look at:

http://nancycole.blogspot.com/

Final Shots from the Courthouse Show

Yes, I haven't posted in forever. Yes, I know. Yes, I am the worst blogger ever.

But, attached, see some final shots of the show "Reference Point," from the Moakley Federal Courthouse. The show came down June 30th.

If you didn't make it to the show, there will likely be some of these pieces at Fort Point Open Studios for you to take a look at.

Happy Summer.

Connecting Rauschenberg and Audubon

So, I have been reading the book “John James Audubon: The Making of an American” by Richard Rhodes over the past couple of weeks. For anyone who doesn’t know, I typically try to read nonfiction when I am trying to write something myself. I am far too prone to copying rhythm and voice unconsciously if I read fiction while I am trying to write fiction. Or, at the very least, I start comparing my first drafts to writers like Vonnegut and Hemingway— which isn’t fun for anybody and leads to a lot of abandoned paragraphs.

Basically, my “fun” reading over the past few years has been lots of biographies (Franklin, Lincoln, Einstein) some other pieces (Mayflower) and the occasional artist bio, or critical work thrown in (Matisse, Picasso, Courbet). Of course, I don’t like to read artist bios while I am painting as I start comparing my sketches to de Kooning’s, which is also no fun for anyone.

All that said, I came across a passage in the Audubon book last night that reminded me lots and lots of the video on Rauschenberg I posted last time. From page 211, where Rhodes writes:

“He had more in mind than simply scientific illustration: he meant to make art. Art, an older discipline than science, would substitute its reverberant verisimilitude for the life the bird had lost, revivifying it just as he had fantasized in childhood. Restoring life to the inanimate was an emerging theme in the cultural dialogue of the day, a hope projected perhaps from the transforming success of technology.”

Interesting to me here was the idea of Audubon, who truly loved birds, killing them to pose them for the sake of art… and some 130-140 years later (the passage is dealing with Audubon in about 1822) Rauschenberg talking about giving ongoing eternal life to an animal that was seemingly hunted and stuffed. Of course, the idea of giving life to the inanimate (whether the page, the paint, the sculpture, etc.) is likely inherent in all art (the act of the artist becoming creator for a moment), but this concurrent theme of reviving the hunted prey, or allowing the death of the hunted prey for the idea to live eternally is so similar in each of these artists it was hard not to say something about it here.

It has been especially interesting to me to consider Audubon in terms of art, which I really hadn’t before. I’d picked up the book thinking of an immigrant tracking through early America… and had likely considered him a scientist and a naturalist more than anything. I also had some vague idea of him spending time in Key West at some point… so I was interested in that.

But, of course, I was silly not to think of him as artist first. And his life in art, and independence in art, is interesting in relation to Courbet— the free-spirited artist traipsing through the countryside and free from the trappings of the bourgeois life. The big difference being that Courbet used it as a marketing technique and Audubon seems more intent on survival— feeling his artistic skills to be his most marketable talent. All while pursuing new birds feverishly. What would my portfolio be like if I walked nearly 20 miles a day in order to draw?

There may be some underlying claim here that Audubon was pure American and pure artist, and somehow intertwined as the first of each, and for that reason it is an interesting read.

Above, see some pics of Audubon’s work. The first is from Smithsonian.com and the second is from the University of Delaware Library.

RIP Bob Rauschenberg

Today marks a sad day in American art as announcements are coming out that Bob Rauschenberg died yesterday at the age of 82.

One of my favorite things to do in solidifying my place as an artist is to refer to Robert Rauschenberg as “Bob” Rauschenberg. This seems to make one more of an artist than 50 years of training might.

Above, see a pic of Rauschenberg from http://www.jackmitchellphotographer.com/.

In all seriousness, anyone who knows me understands that Rauschenberg is among my favs. Visiting his 2 Furlong piece at the MassMOCA (which was showing at the same time as Rosenquist’s “The Swimmer in the Econo-mist,” another masterpiece) was a major moment for me. In fact, I went back to the MOCA three different times to see them both while they were showing.

Above, see a shot of "The 2 Furlong or 1/4 Mile Piece" from MassMOCA’s website, http://www.massmoca.org.second/

The second is from:

http://art-smart.ci.manchester.ct.us/waddell/wad-massmoca6.html. Also, check this link for many additional iamges of this work.

While I likely (no, definitely) prefer Johns, Rosenquist, Lichtenstein, and some others of that time period in their actual production (that is, the art they created), in many ways anyone in art today owes a debt to Rauschenberg. He was very, very daring and interesting, and all of us who make assemblage or collage stand somewhat on his foundation. His process was essential in opening up art in Post-Abstract Expressionism.

I will not get into the whole soap opera of Jasper Johns and Rauschenberg and their individual success and break up. But it is fun 1950’s gossip if you want to Google it.

I am never far from Rauschenberg, as I have a print of his piece “2 Furlongs or ¼ Mile” that hangs in my office, and I had a print of his "Retroactive I" in my office at the University of Montana. Yes, to all you former students and fellow teachers— the office I never showed up to office hours in.

Above, see a shot of my office wall in 617 Midway and a shot of "Retroactive I" from AllPosters.com.

Anyhow, for those of you looking for other artsy gossip, check out the story on Rauschenberg erasing a de Kooning pencil drawing. It is one of the best passages in the book “de Kooning: An American Master,” by Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan. There is a youtube clip on this below. I love the idea of de Kooning knowing full well the intention and goals of Rauschenberg and his participation in this.

Back to the 2 Furlong piece, I have a personal theory that this piece is Rauschenberg’s attempt to capture a visual timeline of post World War 2 American Art. Looking closely, one sees all the players… the Pollocks, the de Koonings, Jasper Johns, assemblage, conceptual art, truisms, earthworks, etc. It is just one man's opinion. But, then again, you are reading that man's blog.

And below, I am posting another YouTube piece on Rauschenberg discussing his work, Monogram.

Thank you Robert Rauschenberg. May someone continue your life like a found stuffed animal. Good luck on your next group of work.

The Fifth of May 2008

Maybe I should be doing a Cinco de Mayo post, but I missed posting this two days ago. Above. see "The Third of May 1808" by Francisco Goya.

From Wikipedia:

The painting's content, presentation, and emotional force secure its status as a groundbreaking, archetypal image of the horrors of war. Although it draws on many sources in high and popular art, The Third of May 1808 marks a clear break from convention. Diverging from the traditions of Christian art and traditional depictions of war, it has no distinct precedent, and is acknowledged as one of the first paintings of the modern era.[3] According to the art historian Kenneth Clark, The Third of May 1808 is "the first great picture which can be called revolutionary in every sense of the word, in style, in subject, and in intention".[4]

Pic is from Wiki too.