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...

in ,

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

in

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.

in

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.

in


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.

room 57 is rockin.

in

well, it looks like we will have a classroom after all. the floors and lights are in (although cabinets and sinks are m.i.a.).

friday at noon i'll be there with pizza for anyone who wants to help me unload - i can use all the help i can get. just shoot me an email at todd_stahl@websterschools.org if you want to drop by and help out! hopefully it wont be too long of a day..........

less than a week till the first day of school!

summer 2008 heavy rotation.

in ,

i'd say they never left my cd player... but they're on my ipod.
1. lucero - that much further west
2. beck - modern guilt
3. earlimart - hymn & her
4. kings of leon - because of the times
5. modest mouse - we were dead before the ship even sank
6. conor oberst - conor oberst
7. okkervil river - black sheep boy
8. u2 - boy
9. ryan auffenberg - marigolds
10. foo fighters - echoes, silence, patience, & grace
11. pearl jam - live @ bonnaroo 2008 (how did i miss this one?)

back to school, back to school....

in

to all my art family that is going off to college for the first time, or back again - i wish you all the best.

mr. stahl's top 5 things you must do this year at college:
1. watch tommy boy, old school, and superbad. 3 generations of hilarious.
2. play video games. (if you can find someone with an atari or nintendo 64, even better)
3. exercise... you laugh, but it will keep you sane.
4. keep in touch with important people at home. (i didn't always do this, and i regret it)
5. make art. make art. make art.

ap art 08-09

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hey ap art students...
only 2 and a half weeks left until school starts (although the room doesn't look like it)...

don't forget about your summer artwork - spend some real time on it - the more time you spend now, the less you'll have to spend when school is in full swing...
trust me - its worth it.

here is a link to the handout outlining your work thats due on the first day of school!
i look forward to seeing you all then.