Photos of a Transformers action figure should NOT be considered portrait photography. 

Throw Away Art

New Orleans weather is brutal. Outdoor temperatures can be deadly for most of the summer months. As we have been building the new outdoor art space, it became apparent from the start that are that was displayed out there would either have to be built to handle the heat, or would have to be brought inside after each and every show. 

All of the art in the "evolution art" series was built for outdoor display. But that still left a lot of empty space to consider. 

Last year I built 5 huge sculptures that were the first works in the evolution art series. These were high rise buildings that towered five and six feet high. It was our original intention to display these pieces in the outdoor art space also. But during a freak accident, one morning around 6am all five sculptures came crashing down and were destroyed. This wasn't the fault of the sculptures. We think that one of the shelves they were sitting on gave way, sending all five sculptures sliding off the shelf to land on the ground in a pile of debris. 

Such is the luck of an artist sometimes! 

Merging Still Life with Digital Art

Still life art and digital art work very well together. In still life, its all about how we arrange the objects to create a pleasing configuration. In digital art its all about how we are able to morph those objects into something different.

If we bring the two art forms together, unlimited possibilities emerge. In this image, we've created a temple scene still life using real leaves. 

The Problem of an Artists Inventory

What do you do with too much art? 

I've been creating for so many years now, that I constantly run into serious space issues in my studio. Our home is not small, but it is a simple fact that there is art everywhere. Art that sometimes gets damaged, art that gets lost because it gets placed where it shouldn't. 

So what do artists do when there are space problems considerations, especially those of who work in very small spaces? What do you do with the work when its not selling? What do you do with it when it stacks up to the point where one piece of art is destroying another because its all pressing in on each other? You've given it away, you've shoved art in friends faces to the point where people run and hide when they see you on the street because you might shove more art at them. And if you do successfully give away a great deal of it then where does it put you in terms of the value of your art?

Labyrinth Project Creators Journal - Diana Whiley

Author: Diana Whiley
Adelaide, South Australia

05/09/19


As a writer and artist I move from one to the other, each contributing,rounding out my ideas, and as often taking me in new directions.

 My favourite haunt in my city of Adelaide is the Art Gallery. At one time I spent three months going each week to view a different painting and responding to it. 

Back then my default was writing poetry even as I worked on my novel. But I was also fascinated by the artists, their personalities and motivations – all fodder for background information as character most often drives a story. And woven into its fabric, is its theme, which could be about belonging, a journey into the mind or as many other permeations. Epic journeys and coming of age. All important in understanding the character as he or she moves forward. 

Besides writing speculative fiction I have also written literary and general fiction. One story I called, “With These Hands,” was based on my own experiences as a child. 

My youngest brother was born with several disabilities. When he was an infant my mother massaged his legs and arms. Pushed them into shape, trying to get his brain to make new pathways. 

It worked. When he was three years old he did walk.  My mother’s persistence had paid off and I like to think it rubbed off on me. I lost it for a while but it was still there waiting. 

Persistence plays a large part in finding an audience; being read, viewed and heard. As do setting goals and creating specific projects.

I am currently making a commitment for the next few weeks to draw every day - a face or figure using many of the pictures I’ve accumulated from magazines. Fashionistas, dancers and musicians, of the latter David Bowie who loved to change his look.

The reason behind the exercise is my intent to write a graphic novel.   My figure drawing needs work.  The writing I will create and revive from that dialogue I mentioned in radio plays. And once again read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series.

The Forgetful Artist - Memory and Art

"There is so much I don't know. And so much I do know, if I just took the time to think about it."

I've made forgetfulness an art form. I stumbled upon the idea of actually training myself to forget techniques that I've learned. Now why on earth would I want to do that?

Its simple really. When I forget a technique and relearn it later, it returns in a different way. I do not allow a technique to take root in my head so completely that I fall into a pattern of creativity that excludes everything else.

A lot of artists learn something new and that's where they remain. They find a comfort level in repeating the same technique in slight variations over and over. I'm not putting that down. I think there are benefits to learning something and then exercising it over and over again.

I am an experimental artist in every fiber of my being. I revel in a piece of art so challenging and enigmatic that it is almost beyond my grasp to create it.

The Air Maiden (Completed Sculpture)

Finally we've gotten the new outdoor art space to the point where we can begin using it for projects. The first is the large piece of deadwood which will be cleaned and preserved first before becoming art. It will need a large plinth to support it, so the search will be on to create the base while working on the deadwood. 

The preservation process will take several weeks. The wood has to be tested, cleaned and anything that is too rotten will be carefully removed. The process is similar to working on bones in an archaeological dig. Along with custom made tools, I use a set of dental tools to carefully remove debris, old bugs, weed growth and the occasional cocoon, until the wood is clean and the remaining parts are strong. 

Once that is finished I will apply multiple layers of spray epoxy to preserve the erosion and grain of the wood. 

An Artists Memorial to Notre Dame Cathedral

The day Notre Dame burned, I cried. It wasn't for the religious implications of the fire, but for the artistic implications. To lose such an amazing structure and all that was contained within it was like a gut punch to the stomach. It really made me dwell on how much we have lost and will lose in the future and that we have so little control over all of it. 

This is the nature of art and one of the reasons we should always cherish the art we have around us now. 

Notre Dame, like any other piece of art (and yes I consider the whole cathedral a piece of art), will not survive. Its been lucky so far to not allow history or nature to wipe it from the earth. But we have to face the fact that as artists everything will eventually perish, including ourselves. We also have to teach ourselves and those around us to not just see the art before them, but to see the art over time. 

The Mona Lisa is still with us after so many years, but how many of us look at her with an eye towards who she was, the history of her creation, the journey she has made to be here today? 

It is the same with Notre Dame. For a few moments during that fire, the world stopped and considered more than just the building, but the whole of her history on this earth. 

This is the magic of art. The way most of us look at art, its just like a snapshot image. We say "oh pretty" then we move on, never considering the entirety of the creation. If anything is learned from this fire, I hope its that we take a little time to look at the entirety of the creation.  Its important. 

With the image above, I am beginning a series of memorial art for Notre Dame with the goal in my own mind to cherish this art completely. Because she may not be here tomorrow.

~Grey~

Art Behind the Scenes - Last Remnants of Man (Artist Grey Cross)

"Last Remnants of Man" was one of the most depressing pieces I've ever created. The piece was part of a climate change series, so right away the subject reflects a somber mood. I think because I was born and raised on an island in the Atlantic, the use of a ship and a lighthouse made it all the more gloomy for me. 

The Work of Photographer Nicklaus Ransom

"Wrapped in Plastic 18"

He wanted to do ugly, the specific phrase given to me was "Saran Wrap and nightmare fuel". Out of the full set we did, this one was my favorite. Its a lovely kind of ugly. There's a softness in it that's just slightly out of place, and I love it for that

Turning Old Art Into New Art

The above piece of art was originally created 8 years ago. The contours on the piece were made by taking a discarded white sheet, dunking it in a flour/water mixture and then arranging it on the canvas to create the patterns and raised areas. Once it dried it was sprayed with a fixative to keep its shape. It measures 4 feet high by 2 feet wide.

Now here was the problem with the original piece. The contouring technique was a success and one I would use again over the years. But I did not consider the overall weight of the piece. I'd mounted it on a very heavy piece of thick plywood which made the piece nearly impossible to hang properly. So the piece was placed in storage where it remained for many years and in that time it was dented and abused and in no way appropriate for selling or displaying.

When we moved into the new studio the piece was moved and I considered just pitching it. But I hate to waste anything including my early process art.

So today I decided to take steps to do something with it. First I cleaned it thoroughly, taking off dust and debris. Then I spray painted the whole piece in a gold and copper paint. I was surprised how well it had held up despite its abuse. 

It is essential that you have faith in your own creative skills. If you fail to believe in yourself then anything you create will also lack that essential faith. This does not mean that you shouldn't challenge yourself to always do better. But don't doubt yourself. This is as much a skill as any you may acquire in your creative journey. Never forget that the your task is not to create pretty pictures but to create something that lets others glimpse the universe through your eyes.

Believe!

Behind the Scenes - Through a Dirty Window (Artist Grey Cross)

It is not hard to find drunks sprawled out in every position in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Its such a trope for street photographers who are visiting the city, that I rarely bother anymore. I remember once where a fellow slid down a pole in slow motion to end in a heap at the base. His upper torso slowly flopped forward until his forehead gently touched the bricks of a garbage choked gutter and he began to snore. What he never realized was that there were at least a half dozen people snapping madly at his inebriated form. I walked away with a sigh. I never even bothered to try and capture the image.

But every once in awhile I see someone that I can't resist. When I passed this fellow it was 4am. There was something about his bald head and the curve of his neck that entranced me for a moment. I didn't try to force it. I took only this single image and hoped I'd gotten it right. 

It is a challenge to create a surreal image from such a basic photograph of humanity. There is a fine point where the image either remains a street photograph, or it transforms. If you miss the moment it often turns into crap. Color becomes very important. Consider this same image without color. It would not be the same. The jaundiced yellow orange moves the image to another level where (at least for me) I experience the nausea this fellow is or will experience very soon. By adding the color into the window instead of the background it moves the image to a more gritty location in the mind than the original (which was a Krystal Burger). Adding the final crack in the glass lets the viewer past the window and into the scene.  

The photograph is just the starting point. As I've said before, the difference between a photographer and an artist is that the photo is the end point for the photographer, but the beginning point for the artist. 

Behind the Scenes is a look at the stories and methods behind the art. If you have a piece of art that you would like to talk about, let us know! We'd be happy to share your stories.

gcsartno@aol.com

The Work of Artist Marko Alabaster

"Shattered Island"

I witnessed from a far the end of an era.  The closing of a place i was very fond of.  A haven.  Nothing could have prepared me for the passing.  The end?  Or was it a beginning?  Behind this mountain heralds a new dawn raising its head out of the devastation. Hope! Progression! Life!  

This piece is still available for purchase
£150

Conducting the Celestial Orchestra - An Artists to Authors Short Story by Libbi Rich

Artists to Authors is an exploration of the how art influences authors. Artist Grey Cross has opened his entire portfolio to any author who would like to choose a piece of art and create a short story around it. You can find more information on the project at: 

The Artist to Author Project

I. 

I watched the moon eat the sun, and I listened to the celestial orchestra.  

It wasn’t until later that I became the conductor. 

II. 

They want me to speak, but I am far too occupied. 

“Sarah, say ‘cookie,’” my mother coaxes, a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in her outstretched hand, hope and fear in her tired eyes. A cookie would be nice; I like the sweet crunch and crumble in my mouth, but the noise of it distracts me, and I must not get distracted. 

I sit and listen and move my hands, making sense of the music that fills my head. Leading the gentle waves of strings through their sad, but lovely, path among the brightness of the trilling woodwinds.