artist of the week :: ann strassman

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i know it seems obvious that i would like ann strassman's work - bold portraits on found surfaces. its an easy fit for me - but what i find interesting about her work is the inclusion of the found markings on the boxes. she incorporates the stickers, labels, and printed words into the pieces in interesting ways. its something ive never thought of before.

beyond that, the marks she makes are quite beautiful. it seems that she studied the paintings of alberto giacometti.

here is her artist statement from 2007:
"a riot of pigment applied with an athletic force-coming together to create life.
there are no metaphors-just the magic of paint. "

see more of ann's work at the kidder smith gallery

iron & wine with blitzen trapper in buffalo

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these two beastly musical forces met up for a late show in buffalo at ani difranco's babeville.

although i knew blitzen trapper's music, i didnt realize just how amazing it was. if you like roots music and indie rock, or both - check these guys out. i was blown away. here's a video of a show in may '08 (although its missing songs from their great new album 'furr')...

...and that was just the precursor for the gorgeous musings of iron & wine (you can download the concert for just $10 here). sam and sarah beam started the show slowly... then built in a new member as the songs went on - adding piano, accordian, violin, bass, xylophone, hand percussion, and drums slowly throughout the first 6 songs. once the band was all on stage, they simmered their way through much of the amazing 'the shepard's dog' along with other wonderful re-workings of older songs. they ended the show with another sweet, mellow duet. it was a powerful show.
spend some time with them below. you wont regret it.

artist of the week :: jonathan 'viner' weiner

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according to his website, jonathan weiner (aka: 'viner') “uses layers of symbolism, both conscious and subconscious, to construct somewhat ambiguous narratives that invite and challenge the audience to be an active participant in the viewing experience.” although that seems kind of convoluted, it make sense if you think about it... if you look at his work, it leads you somewhere, but its up to you to make the conclusions. which (in my humble opinion) is what art should do.

i am always impressed by viner's use of point of view, color and form stylization, as well as veiled metaphor/symbolism. they take me on a journey... in a tim burton, twisted fairytale kind of way.
not only are his paintings beautiful and worth looking at, but his drawings are great too.

here are some links for further perusal...
jonathan levine gallery (also the site of the most recent exhibit of 45rpm favorite shepard fairey)
myartspace>blog interview
fecal face interview with nice visuals (you can also check out info on future a.o.t.w. jeremy fish here)

webster varsity radio on the 90.5fm WBER

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if you are by the computer (listen here) or by the radio (listen here) weekdays between 4-5, you should be tuned in to webster varsity radio. we broadcast on 90.5fm WBER rochester, the only station that matters. we have 19 senior student djs, broadcasting from our studio at webster thomas high school.

farkazi, dj c, & jem snagglez on thursday are the duder's new favorite djs - he was rocking out all afternoon! (he's groovin' to talking heads below)


if you aren't familiar with WBER, you should be. it is a listener-supported and volunteer-operated station (minus one employee, fellow music junkie and 45rpm favorite, joey guisto), playing alot of music that you wont hear on any other local station... along with the best of the music you may hear smattered on other stations.

there is a great history of wber on wikipedia in case you are interested. its a quick and interesting read.

wilco's jeff tweedy gets the 'colbert bump'

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Thursday night Stephen Colbert welcomed 45RPM favorite Jeff Tweedy to his guest stool for a hard hitting interview in which he proposed new and more rocking names for the Wilco frontman (Jeff Silky or even better, Joffrey Velvet) and also questioned the political propriety of offering free MP3s on the Wilco site. ("Are you a socialist? ... That sounds like 'Let's spread the songs around.'") Jeff explained that no, they are just really lousy capitalists, and went on to share Wilco's relatively deep history with Senator Obama and their request in '05 to play the forthcoming Presidential Inaugural Ball. (Barack's response is definitely pre-Audacity Of Hope.)
And not to be outdone by Joe The Plumber's pending music career, the band joined Jeff on stage for the world premiere of the spirit-of-the-times rocker, "Wilco The Song." Which should probably be named "Wilco The Band," but still, good zing, Joffrey Velvet.
[thanks stereogum]


[interview]


["wilco the song"]

artist of the week :: ben aronson

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atmosphere... thats what i love about ben aronson's paintings. they capture the feeling of the place, which can be so much more interesting and important artistically than the realistic look of the place.
pay special attention to the brushstrokes in the closeups of each image... how it informs our understanding of the atmosphere of the place... how he feels in that place, and how we would feel if we were there with him. if you have ever been to san fransisco, you would agree with me that these paintings perfectly capture how it feels to be there.
aronson was born in 1959. he earned both his BFA and MFA from boston university school of fine art, where he studied with phillip guston (who opened his eyes to the west coast figurative painters like thiebaud and diebenkorn). you can see the influence of all 3 artists in his paintings.
enjoy!

artist of the week :: clive smith

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a fan favorite during our drawing 2 slide show last week, i thought that clive smith would make a fitting 'artist of the week'. he is a comtemporary figurative painter born in england in 1967. one of his big breaks was in the representing representation show at the arnot museum in elmira, ny (2 hours south of rochester) in 1999.
smith explores the human figure and the frontiers (both real and imagined) that confront us all. click on the images to enlarge them, and look at the great texture in each piece. the brushstrokes help convey the message. he currently lives and paints in nyc.
strangely, there is another contemporary artist who shares his name who you may find if you search the internet for him. if you are interested in seeing more images of his work, see me.

finally... some good concerts...

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its been a long, concert-less year so far in 2008... but it looks like we're ending the year on a high note here in western new york.

and its about time.

ryan adams & the cardinals were here a few weeks ago... you can read my review (and hear the show) below.

iron & wine (with new sup pop-ers blitzen trapper) come to buffalo on november 14th. i have wanted to see them live for years. i CANNOT wait for this show.

ani difranco returns home to buffalo on november 29th. she will be playing at babeville, a church built in the 1800s that was going to be demolished. in 2007, ani bought the beautiful building, restored it, and now it is used as a concert venue, banquet hall, as well as the headquarters for her own righteous babe records.

then, to cap it all off, WILCO is coming to rochester's auditorium theater on december 6th. if you like getting your face melted off, you need to buy yourself a ticket when they go on sale soon.

all we need now is a solo eddie vedder tour stop, and my year will be complete.

artist of the week :: shepard fairey.

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so now all of you in my classes have been exposed to one of my favorite artists. his name is shepard fairey and he is the creator of the OBEY phenomenon. you've seen the giant logo and the 'make art not war' poster plastered everywhere in my world...

many of you have asked me questions about him, so i thought link you to a bio on him, as well as to a catalog of his prints (both via thegiant.org), as well to a san fransisco gallery that just had a big show of his work. (many of these pieces i had not even seen before, so when i stumbled upon it i was really excited.)

thegiant.org :: bio page, catalog of prints
white walls gallery sf :: shepard fairey: the duality of humanity

ryan adams & the cardinals

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on october 28th, ryan adams & the cardinals will release their new album 'cardinology'. i've been listening to it all day as i painted the living room (i think i went through it 4 times), and let me tell you.... it is amazing. sublime. its the perfect soundtrack to a sunny fall afternoon. a little bit country, and a little bit alt-rock'n'roll.

on a related note, we saw ra+tc at the auditorium theater a few weeks back (aaron from aaron's alley was there!!!) and it was a wonderful show that translated well on the soundboard recording, which can be found at thearchive.org ... check it out!

WSA logo design contest

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Hey Webster ART students...

Every year, WSA holds an annual soccer tournament called the Lakefront Classic hosting over 200 teams. They are looking for someone to create a new logo for this tournament. The logo will be used on brochures, apparel, and anything else they need to use it for the tournament.
The winner will be awarded a $100.00 check.
All entries must be submitted to kimberly_lanzafame@websterschools.org on behalf of WSA by Monday, November 3rd. (If you are going to hand-draw it, I would be happy to help you scan and fix it)
*This contest is ONLY for Webster High School Students

(This is the old logo for your reference)

room 57. finally coming together.

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ahhhh.... home...

we're making progress... not anywhere near done yet, but finally there is electricity, lights, computers, and... CABINETS!

thanks to austin keppeler for the new piece above the door.... he tells me there's more to come.

the picture makes the room look way more enormous than it is... but i thought you might all like to get a flavor of the new space. click it to make it bigger.

keep checking back for more moving-in-related comments and pics.

peace.
stahl

register to vote.

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will you be 18 by november 4th, 2008?
if so, have you registered to vote?

this election is an important one - just about everyone agrees that we as a country need to dig ourselves out of a big global and national hole (bush's approval rating is currently 33%).

no matter which candidate or party you support, IT IS YOUR CIVIC DUTY TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. if you don't, you can't complain.

if you have not yet registered, the deadline is october 10th, 2008:
- rock the vote (register online)
- nys board of elections (download and register by mail)
- nys board of elections (register online)

do your part. make your voice heard.