I have been creating some shirt images for local groups and events through West Side Design in the city of Tuolumne. Here are are some designs/illustrations that will be walking around in the coming months:
Sonora Art Show Success!
There isn’t much to do out here in the foothills, but there is a small group of people looking to change that. Last night those brave enough to expose themselves to new music, images and ideas headed to the Frog & Fiddle in downtown Sonora. The Frog & Fiddle has become the new hot spot for interesting night life in Tuolumne County. The outstanding art of Forest Stearns provided visual entertainment for the evenings festivities. I met Forest through the Returning Show last summer. He is a great guy, terrific artist and an eager contributor to the new arts culture of Tuolumne County. Soon enough I will have collaborations and interviews with Forest to post for now if you missed out on the fantastic Art Show last night here are some images:
{Forest Stearns and Duane}
The art of Forest Stearns is always impressive and inspiring.
The DJs were doing their thing.
{LURV}
{Nisus}
A great time was had by all.
Josh Ryan, my friend
I see that many people have been searching the blog for information on the sad story of Josh Ryan. Here is what I have for you:
A few weeks back I posted an excited rant on the new screen printing business my friends and I were working on. Josh Ryan, the guy who brought us all together to get excited about the project ended his life last week, Tuesday the 24th of February. Josh was one of the nicest, most out going and personable people I have ever had the pleasure of calling friend. We met in high school and got to know each other on the wrestling team. We were the same weight so we had to wrestle off for the varsity position every week. We lost connection (like I did with most people) when we parted ways for college. We reunited when we both moved back to Tuolumne County. He would always ask me about graphic design and screen printing and propose the idea of working together. It wasn’t until recently that we really started working together and setting up the business plan with our partners. We had met with potential clients, attended community meetings and signed up for volunteer work together. He was always talking about the future and setting up plans for us and the print shop. The last day I saw him I had brought him to the print shop I use for my relief printing. He was really excited to learn the craft and start a new painting. We made plans to meet the next day to work on a project together. The next day came and I couldn’t get a hold of him. I didn’t think much of it because Josh didn’t have a working cell phone. Later that night Calen called me and told me of the news. I was in a state of disbelief and denial for the rest of the week. It is still hard to believe that my friend, someone whom I had been working so closely with, could be feeling how he did without ever showing the slightest hint of depression, distress or angst. Know that nothing is so bad that you need to end your life. Attend his memorial and you will see the hundreds of people loved Josh and would have done everything in their power to keep him here with us today.
A memorial will be held in Josh’s honor this Sunday, March 8th at 1:30pm at the Sierra Bible Church.
Forest Stearns & LURV!
Come check out some sweet images from home-town-artist turned bay-area-bad-ass Forest Stearns and get your dance on to DJ and electronic sets by NISIS, LURV & DJ ILL TONES. I know I will be there.
Artist Survey #14: Lindsey Lutts
I met Lindsey during preparations for the Returning Show. The punk rock attitude captured in many of her photos contrasted nicely with the clean photography of other artists (check out her web page for more examples). She grew up here in Sonora and has since moved to the Bay Area. Despite the distance she is always willing to make the drive up to the foothills to help with our struggling youth art scene. Look for her work at the next foothill art event.
(Ocean Necklace by Lindsey – Silver hand made chain mail all soldered
with turquoise and hydrologic press silver charms etched in acid.)
Name: Lindsey
Location: San Francisco
Medium(s): Photographer, Metal Artist/ Jewelry, Ceramics, Knitting, Graphic Designer
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Starving Artist maybe because I am still trying to figure out how to do it for a living. It’s hard to consider myself an artist when everyone thinks they are an artist. Anyone with a finger can push a button on a camera. It takes a lot to stand out in the world today and to not blend in with the masses.
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Photolindsey.com but it is very out of date. Myspace.com/photolindsey has weekly updates of musician/band photos.
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Ever since I can remember.
Who/What inspired your interest? Almost anything can inspire me, a color or combination of colors, a smell that reminds me of a time, a feeling, the way light falls upon something, and pretty much every kind of art.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? My family has always encouraged me be artistic from the time I could hold a paint brush. We made ceramics, paintings, and various crafts all the time. When I was 12 I took an underwater photo with one of those plastic disposable cameras that came out pretty cool. I think it still might be my favorite photo I have taken. Right away it stood out so my Grandma took it to get enlarged at a photo shop. Someone there saw it and bought a large copy for his law office wall. When my Grandma called me from the print shop and asked me if she could sell it and than brought me a check, I realized that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
What is your day job? Accountant (yeah boring I know). I have worked in many types of photography jobs in the past but sold out for the higher paying job. I am not sure if I would recommend it but I have learned a ton that will help me when I decide to start my own business.
Why do you create? It is the only thing I do that makes me completely one hundred percent happy. It is my escape from the world but it is also my interpretation of the world and how it affects me.
Is there any recurring theme in your work? I go through different phases and if I figure out what they are at the time I am shooting them instead of after, I go with it and try to stick with it. It is usually just one word like decay, serenity, or sound…
What do you want from your work? I don’t think I want it to give me anything but I will give to it. Does that make sense at all? Haha
What do you want viewers to take from your work? To see me. Also if my work provokes a feeling inside someone no matter what the feeling is, it is successful.
How often do you work on personal projects? Always. I consider it all personal.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I work for a small magazine photographing bands and submit to many other magazines monthly. Some of my photos will be in AMP Magazine’s next issue. I recently set up a studio in my house so I am starting to shoot a lot more band portraits, families, kids, and pin ups.
Does your art support you financially? No, that is my ultimate goal though.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes, like right now I am at work and really need to be at home working on some Riverboat Gamblers photos for a magazine. If I wait too long, other photos will be used.
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? It is really hard for me to go anywhere without a camera. I am trying to think of an instance when I do not have one with me. I think I am always working and looking for things that inspire me. It could be something as simple as a color or texture or something amazing that is just about to happen around the corner and I am ready for it. If I did not have my camera I would miss it. I have this strange kind of fear that I am going to miss something and in turn am constantly shooting. I do other things in my spare time but they always end up becoming about the photos that I can get while doing it.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? Gaslight Anthem, American Steel, Get Dead, Dead to Me, Samiam, The Clash, Drag the River, Devil Makes 3, Johnny Cash…
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas next week. Hundreds of bands and record labels form bowling teams and come from all over for a crazy week in Vegas. There are tournaments and shows going on the whole time. The teams all make their own uniforms and come to bowl and drink 24 hours a day. This is one of my favorite things to photograph every year.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I don’t think so but I know a lot of people who have. I have only lost parts of myself and my time by not doing more art.
Do you work on multiple projects at once? Always. Imagine trying to take just one photo, or trying to choose just one after a shoot.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? Sometimes. I make handmade jewelry and that is much harder to part with than a photograph. A photograph can be duplicated in its raw form but Jewelry can not. I once spent over 200 hours on one piece and don’t see myself selling it anytime soon.
Artist Survey #13: BZ Smith
I was introduced to BZ at a post-Thanksgiving celebration in 2007. We found we had many things in common, including the dream of seeing Sonora as an artisticly centered community with heavy youth involvement. Ever since she has been introducing me to local artists, designers, board members, organizations, entrepreneurs and festivals. Until recently she was a member of the Central Sierra Arts Council with which I try to volunteer as much as possible. She is an advocate for youth arts and nurturing the future of our community as well as preserving it’s rich history. I really can’t say enough great things about BZ, her open heart or her sharp mind.
Name: B.Z. Smith
Location: Tuolumne County
Medium(s): Mixed Media, Storytelling.
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? Performance artist & dabbler into visual arts
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? www.thestoryquilters.com for storytelling information. I have an award-winning CD published with Cynthia Restivo and Bill Roberson by that name: The Story Quilters. It’s available at CDBaby.com and in Tuol-Co at Mountain Bookshop
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? In the womb.
Who/What inspired your interest? I have a crazy artistic family. It is in my genes.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? Yep. In the womb.
What is your day job? Art.
Why do you create? I have to create. My heart, my mind drive me to create, to build, to get messy!
Is there any recurring theme in your work? Childhood journeys come up a lot. I’m just finishing a painting called “Childhood’s Dreams.” It’s about my forever quest to live in France, to remove myself from American culture, and live in the dream-state of Romantic Paris—a fantasy world that does not even exist! Another recurring theme is my relationship with nature—the sea, earth elements. Within those themes, I have a signature that I’ve developed that I call “tangled.” Wires, beads, bits of pottery that make up a tangled mess—a lot like my life.
What do you want from your work? I want the joy of knowing I’ve connected with an audience to express some common feeling or shared value. This comes up a lot in storytelling. I hope to make these same connections through my visual work.
What do you want viewers to take from your work? That same sense of connection. And I hope to leave a question dangling in the air that lets the audience/viewers ponder their own thoughts.
How often do you work on personal projects? Constantly.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? My storytelling? A lot. My visual art, not at all.
Does your art support you financially? Yes. My storytelling has given me a decent supplement to other income for many years.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? My art work does take up a lot of mind space!
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? Sleep.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? Well, the list is long…Today it’s Gogol Bordello. Yesterday it was Tim Minchen. It’s always Vivaldi and Mozart. Tomorrow it might be Polka Accordion. My musical tastes and experiences are very eclectic. I am all over the musical map!
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? The Strawberry Music Festival.
How long do you generally take on a piece? Storytelling—years. Each story sits in me, evolving over a course of time. I might learn a story to tell on the very same day, but that same story in two years will be completely different with a much deeper sub-text. It has lived in me, and I in it. Paintings—I tend to do the main piece rather quickly in one day. Then I let it sit for a while. Later I may change it, augment it—or even paint over it completely.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? Yes. I get so absorbed in my work that I lose sight of anything else. I make a huge mess, and it spreads into my partner’s space. Once my husband, the dear and departed Rick Thorpe, said, “Every time I create a new horizontal surface, you fill it up!”
Do you work on multiple projects at once? Unfortunately, yes. And this is what gets me in trouble.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No. Make it. Love it. Pass it on!
Artist Survey # 10: Ben Deutsch
I have known Ben for the majority of my life. We attended the same elementary and high schools and his brother and I were good friends growing up. He is a multi-talented kid who had tried his hand at many different art forms including music, screen printing and now photography.
Name: Ben Deutsch
Location: Sonora, CA
Medium(s): photography
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? artist
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Hopefully, if I play my cards right in a local gallery.
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Oh, about four or five years ago when I started venturing out more and more.
Who/What inspired your interest? My surroundings. sometimes you see things that just have to be photographed.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? As a young child. color crayons, finger paints… you know
What is your day job? Right now… trying to find a day job.
Why do you create? I have no idea.
Is there any recurring theme in your work? Not intentionally.
What do you want from your work? Satisfaction.
What do you want viewers to take from your work? I want them to see what I saw, and feel what I felt when I took the shot. The idea behind it is to show people something that they haven’t seen before, or a new perspective of a common object.
How often do you work on personal projects? Most of the time.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I haven’t yet.
Does your art support you financially? Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes. Taking the shot, developing the film, printing the picture, and mounting it can take a couple weeks. It’s hard not to think about it when you’re not working on it.
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I’ve been known to spend hours sitting around playing music. I also have this inherent fascination with fishing.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? At the Drive-In, Chuck Ragan, Austin Lucas, Minus the Bear. Ask me again tomorrow.
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Dentist appointment?
How long do you generally take on a piece? On average from start to finish… 3 weeks. Although I have film that I shot almost a year ago that I am just now making prints of.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? No
Do you work on multiple projects at once? All the time.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No, because it usually goes somewhere where it is appreciated.
Artist Survey #9: Corey West
Corey is a local artist who’s work has exploded in our county. She is a really hard worker, attending all of the festivals and craft fairs in the county. She also beautifully frames and mattes work. I go to her for all of my presentation needs. Even Jesus was prepared by her!
Name: Corey West
Location: Sonora, CA
Medium(s): mixed : watercolor, acrylic, ink, collage and found objects
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? well- good art has good design – so shouldn’t artists be designers as well?
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Ventana Gallery (Sonora), San Francisco Design Center (Hinc Showroom) www.coreywest.artspan.com
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? I don’t remember not having interest in artistic forms of expression.
Who/What inspired your interest? It has always been there, but my dad helped me grow my interest by encouraging it.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? It has always been around me.
What is your day job? I work in my studio full time – painting and custom framing
Why do you create? That is hard to answer. Creating art is such a part of me… it is who I am. I can’t imagine not creating…
Is there any recurring theme in your work? Not necessarily.
What do you want from your work? I want my work to inspire me to keep learning and growing.
What do you want viewers to take from your work? There is a lot, but basically if I can make people smile, give them inspiration – I am happy. My work is happy – there is so much doom and gloom out there and if I can portray a happier life then I am doing my job.
How often do you work on personal projects? As much as possible.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? Often, but even the commercial work and commissions I have a way of turning them into personal projects (makes it much more fun to do).
Does your art support you financially? Pays the studio bills, but that is all for now.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? If I am not in the studio painting I am thinking about what I am going to work on next.
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I don’t have spare time. I take care of my baby and run a business where I do framing, painting, make purses from repurposed fabric, jewelry…so there is no free time.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? I listen to my baby’s musical toys more than anything so the only thing stuck in my brain is the abc’s!
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? A friend of mine is working on opening a gallery in the Oakland area and showing my work…I am very excited about that.
How long do you generally take on a piece? It varies. Anywhere from a day to a week sometimes more.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? I have never been in a situation where it would be an issue.
Do you work on multiple projects at once? Yes.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No. My work is very personal, but once it is done I move on. And besides, if I am ever going to make a living at this I have to be willing to part with it.
Under the Bridge
There is not a whole lot of graffiti around my town and even less worth mentioning. Being up in the foothills of California we don’t see a lot of graffiti. Most urban influence on the local culture dissipates soon after you pass the Central Valley. We don’t have the vast spans of concrete or dark allies that act as a breeding ground for street art, but if you look hard enough you will find some.
