Secondly - I got invited to exhibit a painting in a gallery in Long Island NY (!!!!!!!!!!!) Another one I can't do because they want a small thing and I don't really have anything small apart from Mrs O'Reilly Goes to Market and I'm not really prepared to pay $50 for 30x40 inches of wall space on top of postage and packing at this stage of my career - I mean, yes, it would be awesome to be exhibited in New York, but right now I have to be realistic in terms of what I can afford to do - I don't have an indefinite amount of money and that little gig would probably set me back about £50 in total at least - if it doesn't sell - total money down the drain which could have been spent on art supplies.
Speaking of art supplies, does anyone know of a good crackle glaze they can recommend? I want to have a painting glazed but so the varnish cracks and looks like an old oil painting - so far I've mainly been able to find pastes that you mix in with the paint which then crack, so the whole thing is cracked and I don't really want that - and the other thing the people in the art shop suggested was using an oil based glaze and then putting a water based one over it - but they also said that that is pretty uncontrollable so there's no guarantee of how it'll end up.
I am still finding this incredibly surreal - this whole being taken seriously by other people thing. I dunno - maybe it's because when I first made this decision, I had such a hard job of convincing my family and friends that I wasn't joking and that they should take me seriously - art is as much of a real job as any other desk job - it's just an unconventional one with incredibly unsociable hours - that now people are actually taking a serious interest in my work I can't quite believe that they're not pulling my leg! hah the life of a skeptic eh?
Another point is that although people like Rivy and my other friends all say they love my work, in my own eyes, nothing I do is good enough - which I guess is a good thing because it means it gives me the impetus to keep going and to keep striving to do better with every piece I do.
Now for the rundown in literature, art, music and photography from external sources (aka mainly from my shelf, the radio and deviantart)
LITERATURE: I'm reading Shirley Temple's autobiography at the moment - mainly because I'm a huge fan of Judy Garland, who, as we all know had... quite a messed up life. As much as I love her, I don't see the point in glossing over the truth and romanticising my idol. Now she was working professionally pretty solidly since she was 2 and there's an alarming pattern between child stars and drug abuse and how absolutely messed up they become - the first 4 modern examples that spring to mind are Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli (who I also love, but admit that she's had her issues in the past) and Macauley Culkin or however you spell it - so basically I was wondering given that she is possibly THE most famous child star in the history of entertainment to date - How little miss Temple ended up so NORMAL! I admit - I don't know much about her (yet) but being catapulted to international stardom before she was 5, having dresses with her name on the label, dolls made in her image, kids going to school with her face on their book covers and lunch boxes... how does anyone get their head around that and remain with both feet on the floor?? I'm only about 1/4 of the way through it at the moment and she's about 6, but it seems that it's largely thanks to her mum and dad that she survived this - most child stars mums are pushy stage mums who just push and push and push their kids to fame and then live off the profits - Ethel Gumm being a prime example (Judy's mum) siding with the producers against the best interests of their child for the sake of money, not nurturing them at all or really asking the kid if it's what they really want to do....
Shirley saw her mum dancing and wanted to do the same, so her mum took her to Meglin's dance school where she learned, she took her to auditions, but the only 'grooming' she did was to say 'sparkle' and Shirly just did her thing - when she came home she was a regular little girl - it's just that they kept moving to bigger and bigger houses as her income rose - she made mud pies, she got spanked when she was naughty, she got hugged a lot and encouraged but was always treated as their daughter rather than a star and i really do think this grounding is the reason why she's still here and people like Judy and Michael aren't and people like Britney ad nauseum almost aren't - or are in body but not in mind.
So. Here's to Shirley!
10 things art-wise that I found on Deviantart today that I liked!
Plague Parade-detail1 by *kuksi on deviantART
MENTAL how much work was put into that!
Portrait art deco 2006 by ~avacreat on deviantART
The Native by ~hardcoremiike on deviantART
I've always had a thing for Native Americans - probably me just being totally English and ignorant of the reality of things but in films anyway, they always come across as being so wise and totally one with nature, and respectful of the world around them, and to me, anyway, I think that is something we should all aspire to.
today i hope by *relaxeder on deviantART
Manhattan Bridge by ~LinaLightning on deviantART
London Street by *duytter on deviantART
this guy has really got the feel of london here perfectly... for me anyway ;)
Loch Glencoul by ~NewAgeTraveller on deviantART
Canterbury Cathedral Interior by ~fetch-a-spade on deviantART
Seascape Ireland by ~chalk42002 on deviantART
Robin by ~JoeyBee60 on deviantART
and now 10 for photography
New York by ~fiona438 on deviantART
.: remember tomorrow II :. by ~biszkopciik on deviantART
London
Charles might get embarassed by this coz it's one of his, but I think it's gorgeous, so sorry dah-ling, it's up and it's staying up!
A stroll on the beach.. by ~CharlieCreighton on deviantART
stars shine, stars fade by ~mediocre-matt on deviantART
hometown glory by ~muszka on deviantART
m ii by =Pretty-As-A-Picture on deviantART
Dream On by *antre on deviantART
My favourite photographer on Deviantart: '~CompleteSilence'
41413 by ~CompleteSilence on deviantART
Knight by ~MacKenziesPride on deviantART - i love the lighting in this, even if the photo itself wasn't painstakingly composed coz it's just for stock - still - i think the lighting is beautiful
If I Were A Butterfly by ~tenaciousc1 on deviantART makes me think of those silk screen prints! :D
aaaaand finally - my 10 songs of the moment
this is CRAP quality video, but it's such a sweet song
you can hear better quality of this here: http://www.myspace.com/lowanthem
'the horizon is a beltway' is also great!
ignore the pile of crap video - just listen to it
Hands down my favourite song at the moment
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