Art Battle 2009

Another year. Another Art Battle at the Russell Industrial Center. On April 17th, I drew nearly non-stop for three hours on a huge 30" x 40" canvas. I didn't win, place or show but did have a handful of offers for the piece I did.

Starving artists myth

Here's an illustration I've done for friend and CCS Admissions counselor, Lori Watson. She needed a piece of art for an upcoming seminar to parents of prospective artists.

I've personally have always hated that term of "starving artist". As a working artist and a person that teaches the senior level course in Portfolio Presentation, I have to convince my soon-to-be graduates that there is hope for them. I will often question WHY they chose to be an artist- and often have to remind them of the passion that they started when they went into this field. It should be nearly a religious calling that we choose to be artists; it's about our drive, determination and wanting to be happy in creating art.

While the economic times might be tight at the moment, there are still many opportunities for a creative person to ply their craft. Creativity doesn't just happen at the end of a brush, marker or pencil. One has to be able to re-invent themselves and find those markets. If anything, there are probably more diverse fields now for a creative person to step into now than ever before.

I hope Lori does well with her seminar and convinces those hesitant parents into letting their kids go into a field which I call my hobby, my job, my career and most importantly- my passion.

Ann Delisi's Essential Music

Being a huge fan of eclectic music and the dee jays that play that sort of music, it's welcomed relief to have Ann Delisi back on the airwaves at WDET 101.9 FM every Saturday & Sunday from noon until 4:00.

What she does so uniquely on the Detroit radio airwaves (and for those not in the listening area, online) is that she researches her music and then seamlessly blends all genres of music on the air to make an intelligent show. It's not the pre-packaged playlists that you hear on every other station. Just this previous weekend she played varied musicians such as UB40, Joan Osbourne, Ray Charles, Bell X1, India Arie, all the way to Detroit's very own Jamie McCarthy and Jill Jack (playing local music is also another goal of the show). While I don't adore everything that Ann plays, her selections have also exposed me to other genres of music that I would've never heard on any commercial airwaves. It's literally an education in music.

The show definitely harkens back to a much more intelligent time in radio when the audience relied on the voices heard on the air as authorities in music and news.

Modernist tiki sculptures

Three tiki sculptures I just recently picked up. They are all exquisitely carved, assembled and painted. I have yet to find out much about the manufacturer or any details about them other than their construction was mentioned in a 1961 Popular Mechanics magazine. The tags that are around two of the darker ones read: "Polynesian tiki handcrafted by R.E. Evans- San Diego, CA". They're barely a foot tall and about two inches across at their widest point. They're not my usual ceramic fare but I think they still have a unique cool modern feature to them.