Earle Stanton Olsen 1926-2011

My wonderful father-in-law, who painted in full passion until nearly his last day.

All of Me

Q: What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians?
A: A drummer.

We like to put people into boxes–roles that are defined by simple rules. Like: a musician is someone who makes “complete” music: melody and harmony and rhythm. If a person doesn’t make melody or harmony, how can he be a musician?

Designers? We like to say that we are problem solvers, but the larger culture thinks that we make things beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »

Emerging forms, more iPad thoughts, finger creates art…

I got an email this afternoon from 20×200, a wonderful site that sells art at consumer prices. Today’s featured artist is Jorge Columbo, who creates images using a painting app called Brushes that runs on his iPhone.  And although the images feel traditional, there is something appealingly new about them. Aspects of photoshop and fingerpainting shine though in combination to offer some new angle on the streetscape.

I’ve also been collecting my thoughts on the iPad, and was struck by a comment by Columbo in this morning’s promotional email:

I do not have an iPad yet, but will surely get one. I have drawn on one already, and loved a larger screen. (I’m tired of mixing phone calls in with my art supplies). One day we’ll be able to draw on touch screens the size of a door. Compare the early iPods—2001: heavy, grey screen, no pictures, etc.—with current ones. Doesn’t it make you feel like this one iPad is ONLY the beginning? The basic thing for me remains: no visible tool. Finger creates art, period… The other key point is portability: a regular digital studio is now in your pocket. It’s not so much a toppling of status quo, more like a broadening of alternatives—shooting a movie in black-and-white film now doesn’t mean the same it meant a century ago—back then it was the single option; now it’s a choice among many.

In another blog post I read this morning, David Sheilds wrote:

Art, like science, progresses. Forms evolve. Form are there to serve the culture…

Sheilds doesn’t make the technological argument (that new forms are made possible by new technologies) but he doesn’t have to. The forces of change are multivariate.

And I’m buying Brushes.

The best music for Omnigraffling

A dubstep mixtape, stream it while you can from:

Blog » India Calling | Mad Decent.

Change of pace: a poem

Here’s a poem I wrote this week in response to prompt: consider a flower. Fathom it deeply. Write a poem about becoming congruent.

The Crocus

The flower doesn’t know
that I don’t know anything
about the flower.

Except Read the rest of this entry »

Coney Island

click the picture or here to download

Why Am I Doing This? Part 3

Click the picture or here to watch the video.

Portrait of Parts

Click here to watch.