Labyrinth Project Creators Journal - Jerry Randolph Gilmer

Poet: Jerry Randolph Gilmer
New Orleans, Louisiana USA

07/16/19

THICK WITH GLITTER

Sometimes I'm amazed...

Scratch that.

I'm Often amazed at just what little inconsequential thing catches my beat.

Idiosyncratic synchronicities that latch onto whatever bit of me that falls over from dehydration before it'll willingly stop writing.

The fact of the matter is that it's seldom anything that I'd assume Should matter.

The small inconsistencies are endlessly bugging the crap out of me.

Like?

Well...why is it that I find the length of a neck more tantalizing than the whole of a gorgeous body?

Or?

The Artist and the Hidden Enigma

People like minutia. They like tiny details that they are not sure others catch. The more simplistic something is the easier it can be forgotten. Detail is something that make some movies and video games so successful. Its not just great effects but great attention to details and settings. The minutia.

Pornographic Surrealism - Conceptual Art

Can low end pornography become high end surreal art? This page is for conceptual art created in  "Pornographic Surrealism" series.

Its an interesting concept. Pornography in any form is about as real and gritty as it gets. It has the ability to offend and turn us on at the same time while never losing that base of reality, regardless of how surreal the sex being performed may be. It is grounded in our dreams and our nightmares. Yet translates to a reality that most fear and desire. It is grounded in emotions that we cannot even name.

This is not about human nudity. This is about taboo acts only seen in the privacy of our minds. Its not meant to be art because that would be a reminder to us of the things that we both loath and covet within ourselves. To place it upon the wall of a museum would be the ultimate travesty. An invasion of our private fantasies.

The Coventry Project

A few months back I was asked to participate in a project to develop a surreal set of images based on the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in Great Britain. This massive cathedral was reduced to rubble during World War II. The art would be used as the cover art for a new CD being put out by the Royal Canadian Air Force Band.

This has been a real eye opener in what can be achieved with digital art. The ability to subtly manipulate and create emotions within what is basically the same base image is fascinating to me. A shadow here, a specific color change and the emotion of the whole image changes. 

While no decision has been made yet on whether they will use any of the images, its still been an interesting project to be involved with. 

These are the current images under consideration.

The Work of Artist & Photographer XXX Zombie Boy XXX (aka David Storm)

AS ABOVE SO BELOW
Acrylic painting on antique window backlit with LED lights and dimmer

Reflecting the cycle of life from death from life. The ever recycling energy of organic materials returning to Mother Earth, feeding the roots and giving life back. 

Available at Secondline Arts and Antiques on Decatur Street, New Orleans)
$900

The 2019 Summer Body Painting Series

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED FREQUENTLY. PLEASE GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO FIND THE LATEST UPDATES

At the request of several of my artistic colleagues, I've decided to post my working notes for the summer body painting series here as we proceed through the series. With that in mind, I'll update the page each time I add new notes to it. Please feel free to comment or place questions at the bottom of the page.

Background

For those who have not either participated or seen photos of previous sessions, I'll give you a bit of background. 

When a body painter works, their focus is traditionally only on the painting in front of them. Some painters create abstract body art, others create elaborate creatures, or designs upon the human form. 

For me the process is a lot more complex. The painting of the body is only one step in a long process. 

I can break down that process into four stages. 

Labyrinth Project Creators Journal - Diana Whiley

Author: Diana Whiley
Adelaide, South Australia


07/04/19

Tapping into my own experiences is one part of how I create the backgrounds for my characters. 

 I try to use all the five senses - smell, taste, sight, sound and touch. In each of these are numerous variations, personal experiences.  Taste can be salt spray from the sea. A lover’s warm skin. Fragrances lingering as an aftertaste. 

One of my strongest memories comes from the smell of apricot jam cooking. A ritual. My introduction to the seasons as I stayed over holiday times at my Aunt’s farm. 

We cut apricots together and I tasted more than a few. Later the jam jars lined the pantry shelves, amber and gold jewels I can still see clearly. As I do many other experiences on the farm, many a first. 

The orange hills around the farm I likened to dunes from afar and heard whispers on the wind of ancient people and times. The Murray River, brown-green and dangerous. I’d been afraid of the slimy reeds on my skin and the opaqueness of it since swimming there.  A fear that remains and I often think of such things when writing.

When at home the house was filled with music. Mum and dad played the piano - my dad often pulling out his flute. My younger brother and I learnt the piano. He added the clarinet, his reed- crooning sounds like smooth jazz nights. My eldest brother strummed the guitar. 
It was only my younger brother and I who played together, and realize now, how often we stuck together through the underlying, sad notes in our family.  

Individual experiences make each of us unique. All help to form responses. A stepping stone. 


I imagine who my newly formed characters could be, and what formed their core values and what eventually changes them.  Endeavor to make them recognizable in the way they think and act. 

Tips for Artists on Avoiding the Worst-Case Scenario When Moving Their Prized Artwork - By Brittany Fisher (Guest Writer)

For artists, a big move can be a super stressful situation. The worst-case scenario for any artist is settling into their new space only to find that much of their prized work has been damaged during the move. Even if you have mover’s insurance, money can’t replace broken art. It’s vital that you know what to do to minimize the chances of this nightmare scenario. Here are some tips.

Pain, Struggle & Surrealism - Conceptual Art

Last year I did some experimental work on converting screen captures of the California wild fires to surrealist art. My goal was to show the pain of the event, while at the same time casting it into the realm of surrealism.

I watched countless live feeds of the fires, having in some cases to distance myself from what I was seeing. I was not just watching from afar. I was trying to place myself in the shoes of those watching their homes destroyed by the flames. After several dozen decent screen captures, I set to work with just a single image to experiment with the concept of pain and surrealism.

Today's Mystery Art

Who Are You Child?


First person to answer the question wins. 

Win a free metallic print by Grey Cross Studios. We will post the winners name here once its solved! Feel free to post your answer at the bottom of this page, or on any social media where the image is posted.

Tips From the Art Studio of the Strange & Unusual

ENTER HERE ALL YE WHO WOULD LEARN OF STRANGE SIGHTS

Its amazing all the little personal things we discover while we work. Here are a few of my own personal (and sometimes peculiar) techniques. I will add to this list so check it out again

Pearlescent Paint - Pearlescent paint can be found in most art stores, usually near the metallic paints. Whats different is that rather than use it as just another paint, by using just a small amount, you can glaze over almost any other paint. This allows the color to still be seen beneath and creates a depth to the surface.

Styrofoam - Styrofoam has many more uses than people realize. It can make a darned good canvas substitute. Using a flat piece allows you to dig or melt into the surface, creating interesting surfaces and depths. You can also melt or cut through creating an opening which can be back lit.

Today's Mystery Art

Who Am I? 

THADDEUS STEVENS

Today's winner is Sarah Lynn Mayhew. Sarah guessed the answer on Twitter and wins a free print! 

Check back soon for a new piece of mystery art! 

Win a free metallic print by Grey Cross Studios. First person to answer the question wins. We will post the winners name here once its solved! Feel free to post your answer at the bottom of this page, or on any social media where the image is posted.

The Work of Photographer Ubo Pakes (New Work Added)

"The Man With the Bubblewrap Hat"

"In and around Carbon Market in Cebu City there are plenty of cargadors. Young (and not so young) men who carry the goods from the trucks and so to the shops and stalls. Mostly they have pushcarts, but they are also capable of carrying 40 kg of rice on their heads so that their hands are free... Quite often they then wear a towel or bag around their heads for cleanliness and protection. I was touched by the trick of this man by using bubble wrap. Practically and fashion sense in one"

"Man With a Beard"

This man was hanging out at Cebu City's Taboan Market and his nice beard just caught my eye. I asked him for a photo and he was just too happy to comply.

The Last Reef - Climate Sculpture

"The Last Reef" is part of my climate change series. This piece of dead wood was carved out by termites creating a fantastic patterning on the wood.

This is the True Nature of Evolutionary Art

The rules are broken, as well as the art. 

The first instinct of an artist when their art suffers damage is to fix it. In Evolutionary Art, the opposite applies. In the photo above you see a piece from the Evolutionary art series called Dr Grimm's Freak Circus and Petting Zoo". The original piece standing 7 feet high was created for a show six months ago. When the show was complete, the piece came back to the studio and became a permanent piece of art in the outdoor art space. 

Until now, its pretty much stayed as it was originally created. Then the lower torso of the skeleton fell off. Evolutionary Art teaches us that the art can take on other forms as it degrades, thus "evolving the art" to a new form. 

If you look at it, the piece just became much more interesting because the lower torso is laying there. The art just became something totally new. 

Now I can do one of several things. I could put the lower torso back on the piece of art. But that would not make it evolutionary would it? I could leave it exactly where it is and do nothing else. This would suit the doctrines of the art form but may create a small tripping obstacle for guests visiting the art space. Or I could move it slightly to eliminate the obstacle and I could add something new onto the piece where the torso previously was. Its all about choices. 

But if I want to stay true to the art form, then I will not choose choice #1. 

Its quite a fascinating art, where nature and time do a lot of the work for the artist. We just have to make decisions when something does change. 

Now in your minds eye, zoom this piece out 5 years. Its now 2024 and the piece has been in place for a very long time. But the artist (yeah thats me), has chosen to work with the piece each time nature destroys part of it. What does it now look like? Is there anything about the piece that is left from the original or has it changed so radically that is now totally a different piece of art? 

This is why Evolutionary Art is so fascinating. It is what is and then its something else. 

Intriguing, isn't it?