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Nailing It…

by John Glashan

Exploding Paint Tubes

A boring but pragmatic post:  If any of you should be lucky enough to be flying off to somewhere exotic and are considering taking your tube paints, I have some information you need to know: When I flew to Mexico in January I packed my tubes according to airline instructions, that is in small bundles in zip lock bags. They arrived in perfect condition. On my return my packing was hurried and sloppy and I threw all of my tubes into one large plastic bag. When I unpacked at home I found all of my tubes in the condition that you see in the photo. Some tubes had exploded and all of the other tubes were covered in the exploded tube’s contents – Yuk! I have been slowly cleaning but before I clean them all I thought I should show a pic of how all of them were on arrival. Actually I don’t understand why nothing happened in one direction and, I assume, cargo hold pressure blew some tubes open in the other direction. However, Be Warned – it can happen and you should pack accordingly. I suggest separating tubes in small bundles in Zip lock bags so that if exploding does occur only 2 or 3 tubes are affected.

HAPPY YULE

Kathryn, Gus, Janet, Karen and PG (and all of our readers) – My warmest wishes for a happy solstice and a very merry Christmas to you and your families.

with love from John

What Do Pictures Want?

Just wanted to pass on this book that was posted by a fellow blogger. The title is: What Do Pictures Want? – The lives and loves of images. By W.J.T. Mitchell.

The summary from the book jacket reads:

Why do we have such powerful responses toward the images and pictures we see in everyday life? Why do we behave as if pictures were alive, possessing the power to influence us, to demand things from us, to persuade us, seduce us, or even lead us astray?” “According to W. J. T. Mitchell, we need to reckon with images not just as inert objects that convey meaning but as animated beings with desires, needs, appetites, demands, and drives of their own. What Do Pictures Want? explores this idea and highlights Mitchell’s innovative and profoundly influential thinking on picture theory and the lives and loves of images. Ranging across the visual arts, literature, and mass media, Mitchell applies analyses to Byzantine icons and cyberpunk films, racial stereotypes and public monuments, ancient idols and modern clones, offensive images and found objects, American photography and aboriginal painting.

I find this idea fascinating and will be on the lookout for this book.

For all of you print makers I recently noticed how the treading of boots and shoes creates leaf prints on the sidewalk – very cool. I have recently been in correspondence with  beautyanddreams (on my blog roll) and have been given pause to think about who we are; who we become, when we approach a blank canvas – tabula rasa. In what ways do we change from our everyday selves? What is our mind-set as we set out on a new visual adventure? What thoughts predominate as we begin to paint, draw, photograph and how do we ‘converse’ with our creative project of the moment? This process fascinates me and I ask myself whether we all have the same foundational approach at the beginning. What thinkest thou?

On the Street

Today I saw a very tiny sticker on a lamppost, it read: “nerd is the dynamite in life’s roshambo”. What do you make of that?

I also wonder if you have been noticing the new ‘Walk, Don’t Walk’ signs. The city artists have been having fun incorporating a 3D tonal element in the walking figure and the hand. They are shaded but they also have black lines and dots within the images. What do you make of THAT?

When last there, 2 years ago, I noticed that in some European cities the ‘Walk’ figure is animated and actually walks…

I have been invited to hang my work at Perch Restaurant (109 – 1701 Powell St.) through the month of December. On December 3rd, I’m having an art show opening & holiday tweet up and it would be great if you could come!

I’ll post more details on my blog as we get closer to the event.

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