The Truffle Is, Like, Totally Undervalued

So I need to play around with illustration styles and such so I can have a developed style to pitch to Art Directors. Here is where you come in: Maybe you'd like some sort of art and aren't too picky about when you actually get it. I think I'd like to try illustrating some poetry coupling the words with abstract or maybe not so abstract images. You get to pitch poems to me: if I pick your project pitch at the end of it you'll get print ready files for your own use (and then if anybody else wants prints etc. I will make them super available and affordable.

Hit me with watcha got!

Also: It's national poetry month: how tie-in-a-licious is that?

I keep being torn while generating ideas for these between attempting an illustration that is more detailed and complex or playing it safe and doing my best to keep it simple since Illustrator is still mostly a mystery for me. This week the decision was easy. Rona is sick, sick, sick. Poor thing had a temperature or 103˚ this morning. So while attempting to explore some of Illustrators tools I still went very basic. Because I have a feeling that the rest of today and maybe even tomorrow will be spent either with the monkey™ or trying to nap. The cat is based off one Rona drew while we were coloring yesterday. Two years old and she managed to draw a body, ears and a tail!

( Clear. )

Also the man who hires freelance photographers and writers here in Abderdeen (I suppose he is not the man but he is the one I have an in with so we'll go with it OK?) should be getting back to me this week. So everyone cross their fingers, toes, tentacles or other lucky appendages for me.

The 1st five people to respond to this post will receive original, digital art from me. The catch of course is it is a meme. Stupid memes. But since I wanted some for me I've got to give back...

Status: 4.5 slots taken? It's hard to tell, hang on:

for sure: mrsbrewer, derbiser, belladonnalin and bryree and avicado

loveccarnievan and avicado must battle it out (unless you really want to leave it open to a more committed fifth).

More 'splaining (as I am not clear especially when I am in a hurry): you must offer art to the first five people who coment on a similarly (although maybe better) written entry in your LJ (here is where I caught it).

Kylie has joined me in my office today. She is working out the trajectory on my Spiderman Dart Pen, how much force my Big O action figure can withstand and slaughtering my tiny puzzle animal army. Actually one of my better days in the office really...

The week is thankfully over. It wasn't bad it just got filled up with lots of little things towards the end. My littlest sister turned 18 on Wednesday. Our truck was completely checked out by our mechanic. A couple of months ago we had to get a steering something or other replaced due to a federal recall. Since they had to work on the truck for free they of course came up with one to two thousand dollars of repairs that "needed to be taken care of right away." So of course the mechanic found some completely different actual problem, laughed at the rest and $93 later we were on our way.

All of a sudden Rona seems so much bigger than even six months ago. She is making sure she knows all her words and is constantly pointing out eyes, noses, mouths, tongues and whatever else she knows the words for two us. The most hilarious word she knows, armadillo which is of course, "dildo!"

And your art for the last couple of days: Yesterday I was out and about shooting some pictures for the Inlander's new media audit kits with a real honest to god digital SLR. I can't wait until I get my hands on one so I can practice with it. Raising my Usable Picture to Crap index from one in ten to something much higher...

( Spokane readers _love_ the Inlander... )

Despite the shilling-ness of it, I'm still really happy with the shot.

Pictures of the lovely Spokane Falls starting here ( under the Monroe St. bridge. )

Huzzah!

Octagons! Paper of the fuuuuuutuuuuuure!

So last night I went to hear Santiago Sierra speak. He claims he is not an artist but doesn't seem to insist that others are wrong when they discuss his "art" or ask him to give art lectures.

His "work" raises valuable questions: who owns a person? When people are poor you get them to do things they don't want to do for the sake of money. Which are valid and good questions. It points to how systemic exploitation of those less fortunate is.

Here's thing where, for me, it stops being "art" and starts being obscene. Sierra does not consider himself an advocate for change but merely a "chronicler." He is given FAR too much money to merely exploit the exploited in a different venue. Instead of a prostitute giving up her body for sex for money, Sierra will tattoo their bodies and pay they the same amount for sex. Or people needing money or jobs will be given a meaningless task (holding up a wall for five days in a gallery in exchange for minimal/minimum wage(s). How much value can this "art" have if not only is it not intended to make change but builds upon the very system of exploitation it reveals? Does the art have value outside of the intent? Or does its lack of social conscience invalidate it?