Beantown Beautiful

Not only is Beantown opening its doors for people all over the world to come and enjoy the city prior to Monday's marathon, but she is shining gorgeous springtime weather all over the Back Bay and the common today. I mean, you know it's a nice day when you see Snowy Joey's Ice Cream truck parked in Copley Square. Observe the marathon tents, the swan boats, the mass of people on Boylston Street. Observe the sun shining down on Snowy Joey!

More Graffiti X - O's on Paper

Above, see a few shots of the new work in progress. I am still finishing up the large canvas x - O's and the mason board ones as well. Here, I am playing with some different colors and trying to solve some of the overall composition problems of the others.

By the way, it is 60 degrees in Beantown today. Is there a more gorgeous city in the springtime?

New York Stories & Loft Living

Every once in a while someone asks me about the deal with me living in a loft, how that came about, etc. I always tell them about being in art school and seeing a movie late, late on cable one night with Nick Nolte. To clarify, the movie had Nick Nolte in it. Nick Nolte was not at my house watching TV late at night with me.

Anyhow. The movie was New York Stories, and the Nolte piece, "Life Lessons," was written by Richard Price (Clockers, The Wire, The Color of Money) and directed by Martin Scorsese (ummm... the Departed and a ton of other amazing movies). It features Nolte as an action painter, and it features him prancing around his loft painting up a storm.

So, I am watching this movie like 12 years ago and think, "I want to do that." Some of this was because Nolte's loft in the movie had a basketball hoop too, which I still aspire to, but mostly it was because I thought painting like that would be amazing.

And it has been. Basically, I tell everyone about this movie and if they are close enough to me I force them to watch it. Nolte does a great job as some de Kooning / Pollock / Chuck Close -ish combination, and Scorsese turns Nolte into genius, Christ, genius, tortured soul and all back again. It is very well done.

Looks like I will be talking to some UMASS / Boston students later in the month and I have been thinking of the importance of studio and space to your work. So, I was thinking about Nick Nolte and this movie. Came home and checked youtube and found this compilation of painting scenes. Maybe that is another reason I like it. There are moments here that seem to portray exactly what it feels like to be involved with a painting at times for me.

And on the topic of the Color of Money. What is better than Tom Cruise wearing a Toys R Us tee shirt that says Vince on it and playing pool with Forest Whitaker? Someone told me recently they were naming their child Vince and I thought of Tom Cruise chewing gum and playing pool... dancing around to Eric Clapton's "it's in the way that you use it."

Being Stalked By The Little Man and Shepard Fairey Kleptomania

As 617Midway readers know, one of my new preoccupations is with the little man that adorns signs from bathrooms to gas pumps and otherwise. Imagine my surprise when I found that the hunter had become the hunted. I have been travelling with my camera to see if I could pick up new and wonderful ways the little man is occupying his time. Especially when paired with words, these signs seem more and more preposterous to me. The little man truly is skewering himself in a variety of odd and interesting ways in order to advise the general population of safety. If that isn’t sainthood, what is?

So here I am, travelling around and looking for the little man. Then what happens? I leave the door of my studio, and he is right there waiting for ME. They waxed the floors here at Midway Studios and the little man was right outside my door when I left, staring at me. He is clearly stalking me.

And not only was he staring right at me… he was doing some sort of interpretative dance move. Could it be “The Electric Slide?” Could it be the Kid'n'Play kickstep?

In other news, my friend Sarah today asked me via text if Shepard Fairey was aware that he was copying Kurt Cole Eidsvig. An insightful question that cuts to the bone, as I keep drawing and painting these yellow/red/white/black works and every time I do, I think about how bad I am stealing from Fairey’s palette. I am a Fairey kleptomaniac. I admit it.

But then I took another look at this yellow, red, and black sign the little man was dancing on and realized that he is stealing from SF too. It made me feel better.

And seriously, if you haven't seen House Party yet, of have never warmed up to Kid'n'Play, go find a copy of this cinematic classic.

X's and O's Anyone?

Above, see some shots of a work in progress from this past weekend. It is approximately 16" by 20" (ish) and is paint and pen on mortar board.

Mosaic on St. Anthony's Shrine, More Electrocution Warnings and The Birth of Adam

In keeping with the theme of random Boston shots showing up on the 617Midway Blog, above see the mosaic at the rear of St. Anthony's Shrine in Downtown Crossing. Also, see another picture from my continuing look at signs and the little man who continues to martyr himself for our sins of ignorance. The electrocution sign was across the street from the shrine. Or, wait... is that a sign to beware impending electrocution, or is the man an approximation of a cowboy and that is a bull whip? Or, it is a screen capture from the movie ET and that weird cable is the alien's finger? A poor rendering of The Birth of Adam from the Sistine Chapel maybe?

There's an art series for you: Take the little man and place him in iconic paintings down through the centuries.

But what a cool mosaic often taken for granted right there at St. Anthony's Shrine. And what a cool piece of found art right across the street.

Image of Birth of Adam is from Wikipedia.

Another X - O Update

Examiner.com

I have finally broken my dry streak with Examiner.com and posted an article on the Museum of Science in Boston today. Also holds some dating tips from 16 year-old Kurt Eidsvig. Who wouldn’t want to read that?

Signs

I’ve become fascinated with signs lately: mostly signs with that little man that graces restrooms and crosswalks. He is everywhere. And the more I look at him, the more I am amazed at the brutal experiences he puts himself through for our safety. Running into flames, getting zapped by lightning—he is a contemporary Mr. Bill (from the old SNL for those readers who are not as ancient as I). Or, maybe even a modern-day Christ—crucified over and over again for our sins of stupidity and ignorance. This poor guy is slipping in floors and bursting his eardrums for us, to save our mortal souls.

OK, maybe not. Although I am toying with a story where this guy is the new religious icon: That people wear the crosswalk dude on chains around their neck. That through the new religion of materialism, he is our God.

By “toying with as story,” I mean writing this blog entry. And posting these pics.

South Boston Basketball Academy

I mentioned my friend George Benner in a recent blog post. He is President of an organization named Round Table in South Boston that I serve on the board for. Their focus is art and athletics for youth in the community. I give them some input on art and art programs from time to time… strangely enough, they haven’t asked for my advice on the perfect jump shot.

Anyhow, George is also President of South Boston Basketball Academy. There is a nice photo of me and the guys on their site. You can check it out there, at the bottom of the page:

SouthBostonBasketballAcademy.org

Bluebeard

I have just finished re-reading Vonnegut’s Bluebeard for the umpteenth time. I am going through the whole collection. I’ve decided that this should be required reading for all aspiring artists—along with the bios of De Kooning, Rothko and Pollock. I know, no one asked, but it is a nice book. Not his best, certainly, but great having to do with art.

I am onto Cat’s Cradle now:

“Boku-maru?”

X’s and O’s

Also above, see a pic of the current painting in progress.

Hancock Dissolving

One of my favorite Boston images is when the John Hancock Tower dissolves into the clouds and fog. Looks as if it may just stretch into the sky forever. In fact, I wrote some poem at some time on this as a part of a bunch of back-and-forths with M.L. Smoker but can't find it now. I looked all over. Then again, does the world really need another Eidsvig "blue" poem.

I had a friend (Jess Barnett) read my chapbook recently. I think she said: "Boy, you're really into blue, huh?"


All that said, it was kind of interesting that I caught this shot of the Hancock a day before it went on the auction block. You can check the story here:


John Hancock Tower Auctions At Half Price.


I was going to bid, but do I really want to manage all that real estate?

Enjoy the pic.