fun with taxidermy!

Submerged Art,
originally uploaded by JulianBleecker.

A friend of mine took me to an art opening last Friday in Venice at Flux. It was an artist reception for Kyle Ng, celebrating his recent works related to bee-keeping, taxidermy, and [I would argue] Western child-rearing. I most liked the two taxidermic dioramas installed indoors (another was outside on the roof); one featuring a furry, tangled, blob of small mammals being suspended by helium balloons, the other a NHM-inspired, porcupine-inhabited snowscape featuring a faux human arm protruding from the ground, wearing a two-fingered bar ring. The first installation lacked the finesse and gleam of the latter... although, overall, I tend to favor the photographs made from each of the installations. (The photos being pieces in their own right.)

I found a snapshot of another of Ng's taxi-sculptures, which is this mouse I've posted. I wish that little guy was there! I have a feeling I would have liked him most of all. ... I am fascinated by taxidermy, and of course, love its presence in contemporary art. It will be interesting to keep a eye on Ng and see if and how he continues with the form.

GLAMFA 2008 is in the works!

Earlier this week, I went to Christina's house to shoot images for the promotional cards and posters for this year's GLAMFA (Greater Los Angeles MFA). GLAMFA is an annual art exhibition, produced and juried by art graduate students of the Fine Art Roundtable at California State University, Long Beach. The show features and represents students currently in MFA programs throughout SoCal (CSULB excluded--but an open studios event is held in conjunction with the show). We all work hard on the show, and fortunately it proves to pay off, as GLAMFA has become a notable event in LA's art sphere. (Propers go out to McLean, who has been working extra hard answering questions, and compiling & readying submissions for jurying day.) So, pencil us in for Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at the Cal State Long Beach gallery complex! You can also keep your eyes open for updates and previews here on zee blog, and at www.artgrads.com.

Until then, here are some little morsels of GLAMFA goodness--thanks to Ms. C. Shurts for her food stylings, and to thee one Mr. Shurts for his amazing fly-wrangling abilities.

GLAMFA of the Olde English variety. This version will likely not get used, but we loved the Mexicano nod.

mmmm... flan....

...and here is another "typeface", with a detail contributed by little Grace Shurts.

making the zine...

Last weekend, three of my friends and I took a little road trip out into the desert. (If you Los Angelenos think it's been hot, you ain't felt nothin'! Try 115!) We saw the giant dinosaurs from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, had date milkshakes, trekked through Joshua Tree National Park, played mini golf, and got bit up by horse flies at the Salton Sea . However, the peak of the trip (and verily the reason for it) was going to Salvation Mountain. Salvation Mountain is a diamond in the rough (the rough=Mojave desert). It is a huge artwork made of bales of hay, adobe, paint, dead pieces of tree, and found refuse (car doors, tires, baby food jars...). It was built by the one Leonard Knight--one of the sweetest, most love-filled human beings I've had the pleasure to meet. If you ever have an opportunity to go, take it! . . . So, Erik "Cinnamon" Buckham, Will "Strawberry" Wadsworth, Kristin "Peachface Killa" Peach, and myself are attempting to funnel the love that Leonard sprinkled on us into a little zine inspired by our journey. (Stay tuned for the zine!) We got together at my place last night to start in on production, and also to watch one of the most ridiculous movies ever, Double Down. (Some would say it is ridiculously AWESOME.) Anyhow, here are a few images we've compiled thus far;

Will's "Maracasnake." Inspired by a little friend we met on a Joshua Tree trail.

"Leonard, I Love It!" by myself.

Erik's desert ninja. We saw him on a billboard...

Kristin's contributions are with her in her notebook... she needed to take it with her on yet another trip she is taking this weekend. Be assured, it is good stuff. I do have this affect she left at my house...^ some peach sparkling wine she brought to share for the session. It was girly-delicious! Yes... soo... do stay tuned for the forthcoming mojave odyssey zine. : )

takin' it back...

I just poured some resin for the new work I mentioned in the last post--waiting, waiting. I scanned a bunch of older work to (sort-of) continue from the way back post...

perspectives of the kitchen.

This pair of drawings isn't anything spectacular, but it definitely informs some of my recent photographic work of emptyish domestic spaces (see the Interiors slide show in the side-bar). I did these in a beginning drawing course, 2002.

Halloween with Holga, 2003

I came across these negatives that I never printed from... I never really liked the particular quirk of my glass-lens Holga (actually a Woca)--how it doesn't expose a largeish corner of the frame--but coming back to these now, I appreciate it.

Diptych with Roommates, 2004

I shot these with my good ol' plastic-lens Holga. The roommate on the left is still my roommate! The roommate on the right is no longer a roomie, but he is an awesome artist.

TV star, 2004

This was an old, broken tube TV I was playing around with one day...

television, 2004

...I ended up pulling it all apart and photographing the different components. Here's a solarized print of the shell, which is now a hanging plant-basket in my dining room. The rest, below, are a few other blasts from the past.

Ana, 2001

Jonsi of Sigur Ros, 2003

white on white, 2004

And, lastly, here is a shot of me, finishing off a 2003 roll.

takin' it way back...

Wow, so, I thought I'd kick off the blogging by covering some older stuff. I'm takin' it way back. :)

I made this when I was ten. If I wrote a book today, I think I'd still dedicate it to my Grandma.



Here I am, napping with Grandma.


The beginning of "My Hobbies," from my "autobiography."

I chose this excerpt from my "autobiography" as it is somewhat relevant to what I'm working on now. I'm buying doll house items on eBay, which will be used in some sculptures in conjunction with the House images (as seen in the side-bar slide show). Gosh, I still love mini-things.