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.

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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.