Coffee With Clay: The Blog

This blog is old. New stuff at cautiousclay.tumblr.com

2010-05-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Need to start updating again

2008-10-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm finally feeling like it's possible for me to have this job, be this father and husband, and make my art. At least I FEEL like that. I did finish a new piece using the same materials I have my students use a lot: pastels, crayola markers, charcoal, and watercolor on paper. It actually works pretty well, and it's great to work on paper, since I have zero space at home for storing or even working on canvas.

The new abstract is "Morb Cack" over at laniru.deviantart.com

Star Wars Roleplaying Soundboard

2008-03-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'm getting back into the old West End Games "Star Wars the Roleplaying Game". I started looking online to see if there was anything like a Soundboard designed for adding sounds when you're roleplaying. Didn't find anything, so I decided to make one! http://starwarsrpgsoundboard.googlepages.com/home

Isn't spring break great?

spring break!

2008-03-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made it all the way to spring break in my first year of teaching. When I go back next week, I'll only have 10 more weeks of teaching until the summer. I have learned and changed so much this year that I can't begin to convey it in a blog. I do hope that since I am coming to the end of this first year of teaching, I can devote more time to updating all these blogs and online presences. I wish I had used this blog a lot more this year. It's just a bit difficult when you are spending every free moment writing lessons and preparing.

twin peaks new dvd coming out

2008-01-14T19:44:00.001-08:00

so little time

2007-11-08T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm just 7 or so weeks away from being done with the first half of my first year of teaching. I'm sure that could have been said with less than half that many words. But anyway... I've got a little more time than usual tonight, since baby Daniel is sleeping early for some reason, so I'm going through my websites and old videos and everything. The main thing I'm realizing is that my life has changed so dramatically. When I look at my websites and all the things I used to put time into, it feels so still and silent... like my life used to be this really quiet period of waiting. I didn't realize I was waiting... but it really was like my life was just sitting there, waiting for this era that I'm in now. I'm so busy now that I can't take time to make art... or even think about art, really. I know it will be different once the first year is done, but it is SO difficult sometimes. The schedule I'm on is just crazy, and I am just not a very organized person. So many people are relying on me, and I feel like people are constantly judging my performance.... and the truth is that they are. Being a teacher is a very public role, and your performance is under constant scrutiny by principals, other teachers, people at central office, mothers, and even the kids. I've never experienced anything like this at all. My hope is simply that time will make it easier. I can't wait until I can come home and ACTUALLY relax... not just sit and worry until it's time to go in again.

Bona Fide Art Teacher

2007-09-19T16:45:00.001-07:00

Where does that "Bona Fide" term come from anyway? I'll have to google that sometime. Anyway, just an update to say that I'm officially an elementary school art teacher now. It's amazing how it all happened, but it's a long story. It's enough to say that things have worked out in an incredible way for me, and I'm having trouble keeping up with all the change. It seems like forever that I've been in a limbo between being a student and being an adult. Now, very suddenly, over the course of just a few months, I have my career and I'm a father. I think I'm taking to the role nicely... but sometimes I do miss the time to do my creative loafing, surfing, blogging, etc.

More later.

New Dad on the scene

2007-07-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

I realize that there are way too many blogs out there in which people simply talk about their kids... but hey, I've got to at least MENTION that I just became a father! My son, Daniel, was born on June 25th... and I am LOVING getting to know him.

Youtube kills category browsing

2007-06-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Youtube is adding a lot in the way of features lately. Its "test tube" section with the Adobe "Remixer" is a good enhancement (though it would be better if you could remix videos uploaded by other users). But one change they just made is very troubling. In fact, it has ruined Youtube for me.

For a while now, it has been my habit to visit Youtube and view recent, popular videos in the "News & Politics" category. Youtube gave me the ability to browse videos in each category by organizing them by "most recent" "top rated", etc. I could further organize the results by using the buttons for "today", "this week", "this month", or "all time".

The latest change in Youtube's interface has disabled the ability to browse videos by category. Sure, the "Category" tab is still at the top, but now the page for each category (example) only shows "featured" videos, which have been selected by Youtube editors. There is a small "see more" link at the bottom of the page, but when clicked, it simply reloads the same page! Now it is impossible to find popular or recent videos in any category. You can only see the videos Youtube editors have selected!

This is an awful change that severely inhibits the ability to find relevant videos on the site. It also makes it very difficult for up-and-coming content creators to have their work seen, since only "featured" videos can be seen in each category. I am afraid it may part of an effort to "pretty up" the site, since it is now to be featured on apple tv, etc. But this change has made the site useless for me. Unless they bring back the ability to browse videos by category, Youtube is just ruined.

Too many of us...

2007-06-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

Are there MILLIONS of artworks on Deviantart.com? I sometimes find myself getting depressed about the meaning of making an artwork in a world where we are overrun with countless images... almost all of them just trying to sell us something... In such a world, it becomes literally impossible for any artist to make any kind of image that could have any kind of impact on society at all... or even be noticed.

When I look through DA, perusing the millions of heartfelt artworks of so many, many artists, I think each one deserves to be looked at and contemplated... Yes, there is a lot of "bad" work here... but even that work deserves to be looked at and taken in. There is merit in even the worst artwork. But there is not time. There is so much more art than there is time to look at art.

So I rush by, clicking and clicking, stopping only when something really catches my eye... having to ignore so many others. And I only peruse artworks because I am an artist myself. People who aren't artists would never come to DA... much less go to a gallery and really look. The TV shows and commercials give them plenty of imagery, and they can't be convinced that art would do them any good at all. There was a time when art was an important part of society. Now it seems like its nothing more than an empty caricature of what it used to be.

Art has been paralyzed by commercialism... What can we possibly do about that?

A new Video (June 7)

2007-06-07T02:57:00.000-07:00

A strange new attempt to be creative at this 3rd shift job of mine....

Thursday, June 7, 2007

2007-06-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I FINALLY figured out how to get the rss feed from my blog into my webpage... I had to use this gadget someone wrote to do it. So now I can finally just post to this blog instead of adding entries to my website. Googlepages is great because it's free... but it could use some work. Anyway, hopefully some better posts are on the way, since I'll get more visibility by having the posts in multiple places.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

2007-06-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the last month before Daniel is born. He could be born sometime this month too... I just keep worrying about whether or not I'm ready to be a father. Also, this job is starting to really get to me. I thought I would love having a lot of time late at night to work on things, but it ends up being really hard to make myself create art this late at night. I just end up wandering the internet... and it's getting really old. I really feel the fact that I haven't made any art in a long time... I need to figure out a way to start making some art and then just MAKE it. I have to make these nights more productive.

Monday, May 21, 2007

2007-05-21T01:12:00.000-07:00

Getting closer and closer to being a dad. It won't be very long at all until I see what it's like to be on the other side of the father/son thing. It's early in the morning, and I'm at Assembly Inn doing another night shift... the second of seven in a row. I started a new blog and I've been adding things to it. It's called "Candlebarn" and it's at http://candlebarn.blogspot.com. It's a lot different than this site.. and that's good. I want a place that I can really go crazy on and just post stuff. I want this site kept a bit more tidy. TIDY.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

2007-05-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my brother's birthday. Just realized that, and feeling bad because I should have sent him something. Anyway, I just started this new job working as a night auditor in a resort hotel. This is my first overnight shift (It's 6 a.m. ... almost done). It's pretty interesting trying to stay up all night. I had planned on drinking lots of coffee, and I brought some singles, but there is no working microwave to be found. I'll have to bring a thermos next time. I am hoping that I will be able to get some art making done during these overnight shifts... I'm really only doing this because my son-to-be will need someone home during the day, and this is a way that I can do that. I'm making absolutely no sense. I'm looking forward to going home and sleeping for quite a while.

Friday, April 13, 2007

2007-04-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

Ooh, I didn't realize until writing the date that this is a friday the 13th. That's creepy. Anyway, I just wanted to blog about a couple of pictures I've come across. These are pictures of a Godzilla playset I had as a kid. It was possibly my favorite toy ever, and I can't really explain why. What I loved the most was Godzilla himself... who was nothing more than a hunk of green plastic. There were no movable parts, no special features, nothing. But I really loved it. My parents bought it from Family Dollar for me and I'm sure they paid no more than 9 or 10 bucks. Today, this playset is so rare that it goes for hundreds of dollars. I lost all the parts to mine over the years, and, most tragically, I lost Godzilla himself when I was playing around in a college library as a kid. I still visit this library often, and you bet I still keep an eye out for my green plastic Godzilla.

Monday, April 2, 2007

2007-04-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

DONE! I really can't even believe it, but I'm pretty much done with graduate school! So now all I have to do is get a job. Hopefully this degree will make that at least somewhat easier.

I also really need to make some art. We're in a new place, and my painting stuff is all outside in a storage unit. I can paint out there when it's nice... but I think I'm going to have to get into the whole digital art thing again. Hopefully I can make some interesting stuff and post it in the next few weeks.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

2007-02-08T01:15:00.000-08:00

Student teaching is still going really well. I feel like I've already learned a great deal, and I know I am going to learn much more as I take on more classes.

I am really itching to make some art, but we just moved into a new place, and we put my painting materials outside in a storage building. There is a lot of room out there for painting... but it's so cold! Hopefully I can come up with a way to heat and light the place so I can make some new work. I'm also thinking about creating some new digital work. A new version of Blender should be out soon, so that should inspire me to make some new stuff.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

2007-01-21T01:16:00.000-08:00

A lack of updates lately because I'm very busy with my student teaching experience. It's actually going really well! I'm only two weeks into it, but I've already taught a few classes, and while I still get pretty nervous, I seem to be able to really put myself out there and be enthusiastic and engaged. I feel really good about it.

Of course, there is absolutely NO time for making art right now... unfortunately. Hopefully that will change soon, as I get my lesson plans written out, etc.

Oh yeah, and the other big news I haven't written about yet is that I'm going to be a father this July! I can't wait for that part of my life to begin. I have so much to look forward to.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

2006-12-10T01:16:00.000-08:00

Uploaded my old animation "The Flying Snowman" to youtube for the holidays (made in 2001 using Blender). Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

2006-11-21T01:17:00.000-08:00

I am ALMOST finished with my final semester of regular classes in Graduate school. I am still worrying about everything, because I have a lot to do in a very short amount of time, but overall, I think things are going well.

So much has changed in my life in the past few weeks. There are things that I can't wait to talk about, but I have to wait. I am still pretty nervous about doing my student teaching in January, but I am also really excited! My hope is that once I am in there, I will quickly overcome my fears, and start having a lot of fun being an art teacher. I know it's in me to do a really good job at this.

Friday, October 27, 2006

2006-10-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

I've been running around like crazy trying to get all these paintings done for my November show at Western. I am proud to say that there are no less than 5 new paintings in the traditional section... I'm also proud of some other things, but I have to wait to talk about them...

Wednesday, October 4th, 2006

2006-10-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

So glad it's October. I love how it's getting cooler. I've added a new portrait "Brother in Law" to the Traditional section. It's a portrait of my brother in law Dave. He rides bikes all over the appalachian mountains and is in terrific shape. I feel rather large next to him, lol.

Friday, September 29th, 2006

2006-09-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

New painting "Coffee Mug" in the traditional section. I'm proud of it because I haven't done a painting quite like that. I focused a lot more on detailed shadows, etc. It might be something I want to do a lot more of.

Wednesday, September 27th, 2006

2006-09-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

Man I'm looking forward to October! I really need some good cool, fall weather. Also, I've got the October show up and running at my new site http://www.contumacies.org. I am going to have a new show there every month, showing artists from deviantart.com.

Things are also heating up on the teaching front. This Stuckism thing has been a nice escape from the realities I've been having to deal with. I'm still shy about getting up in front of people, and teaching does not come to me naturally.

Still, my involvement with this Remodernist group and all these new thoughts have given me a confidence I didn't have before. Hopefully it will see me through this and next semester....

Monday, September 18th, 2006

2006-09-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

I like this manifesto found in this month's Artforum. It's in an ad for this exhibition
[link]

(I think the emerging presence of these artist's manifestos and declarations is a sign of positive change. Artists are finally starting to stand up to the establishment and go their own ways. Some always have).

MANIFESTO
For Abstractionists and friends of the non-objective

BE A FORCE

Don't shoot blanks

Black and Brown: that sh*t is the future

Triangles are your friend

Don't pretend you don't work hard

When in doubt, spray paint it gold

Perverse formalism is your god

You are greased lightening

Bring your camera everywhere

Never stop looking at macrame`, ceramics, supergraphics and suprematism

Make work that is so secret, so fantastic, so dramatically old school/new school that it looks like it was found in a shed, locked up since the 1940's

Wake up early, fear death

Whip out the masterpieces

Be out for blood

You are the master of your own universe

Abstraction never left, motherf*ers

If you can't stop, don't stop

Strive for deeper structure

Fight monomania

Campaign against the literal

ABSTRACTION FOREVER!

Friday, September 8th, 2006

2006-09-08T01:22:00.000-07:00

It's completely pointless to have that blog when I'm basically "blogging" on the front page of this site. I'm shuttin' it down. I'm still not entirely happy with what Googlepages can do, but it's turning out to be enough, especially since I'm also posting more than ever over at Deviantart.com.

Lately I'm so excited because the Remodernists group over there has really taken off. It's wonderful to see how the effort it takes to start something up can really pay off. More than ever, I think that art is becoming vastly more democratic. People are forming their own little groups and eventually there will be so many different kinds of galleries for different kinds of art. Everyone will have a place in the artworlds (plural) of the future.

As far as what is important or significant... I think it's utter folly to confidently say in one's own time what will stand out as significant in the future. The high art world is totally collapsing. What remains after that collapse will be a democratic art, where different groups of people with different aims can establish their own goals and priorities. I realize this situation already exists to a degree, but there is still the lingering, dying notion that the art in the high galleries is the important, significant art. This notion will die completely soon.

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006

2006-09-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

(added new painting "Plisteen" in the traditional section...)

Worthy vs. Unworthy pursuits:

Unworthy:

Trying to be cool
Trying to be relevant
Trying to be original

Worthy:

Making art that expresses your own real journey through life.
Trying to get better
Putting your honest self out there

Thursday, August 31st, 2006

2006-08-31T01:23:00.000-07:00

Added a new painting, "Scared But Still Going" to the Traditional section. It's my second painting since reading about Stuckism, and I really think things are changing in my art in response to that. These portraits are evidence that I'm back in the world, with people again...

Saturday, August 26th, 2006

2006-08-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

Added a new painting "Uncle Bobby" to the Traditional section. I'm going to work this semester on doing a lot more figural painting. I think it's a strength that I haven't focused on. Reading stuff by Billy Childish, particularly THIS interview, really makes me interested in exploring heartfelt, honest art.

Thursday, August 24th, 2006

2006-08-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy. Not only am I fully loaded with grad school classes, etc., I am just loving reading stuff online about Billy Childish and the Stuckist art movement. It's been going on for like five years and I really had never heard of it until a few weeks ago.

I've gotten so into their idea of "remodernism" that I started a group of remodernists on Deviantart.com. Here's the link:
http://remodernists.deviantart.com

Anyway, it's really making me solidify some of my beliefs about what is important about being an artist, etc. If anyone is interested they can go to the stuckists website and read all about it!
http://www.stuckism.com