John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Watch Helen Gregory make a painting

On Friday evening, an exhibition of St. John's artist Helen Gregory's work opens at The Rooms' art gallery. Unrequited Death is in line with themes that Gregory has been exploring for years, about decay, death, natural history and found beauty. I've gotten to know Helen through the years, and am looking forward to the show. (You have lots of time: It runs until May. The curator is writer Lisa Moore; in February, Gregory will give a lecture on the exhibition.)

Here's a fascinating video on Helen's process, using thousands of images taken in stop-motion fashion, and then speeded up considerably. (And keep an eye on the cats!)

Some painterly graffiti

From this collection of artful graffiti, some of which is really impressive.

A thought on artists and citizens

"An artist may have burdens the ordinary citizen doesn't know, but the ordinary citizen has burdens that many artists never even touch."
- Patti Smith

A thought on pencils

"Art is a fight to the finish between black charcoal and white paper."
- Gunter Grass

Artful glimpses at the bottom of Royal Albert Hall

On Monday, Royal Albert Hall in London will let spectators see some art that could be viewed otherwise only by staff, road crews and performers lingering in the loading bay, far below the stage. On the walls are graffiti-style depictions of people who have performed at the Albert Hall. More details of the LOAD exhbition here; click here for a set on Flickr of what it looks like.

A thought on innovating

"I'll play it first and tell you what it is later."
- Miles Davis

A thought on a love of your life

"It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction."
- Pablo Picasso

The analogue Bob Dylan

Not that many years ago, I had a stack of often unspooled cassettes. Nothing, however, that spilled out to form the likeness of Bob Dylan, nor the other musical icons pictured here.

A thought on memorials

"I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.' "
- Andy Warhol, who died 22 years ago today (Note the can of soup at the bottom...)

A thought on comedy and drama

"We participate in a tragedy; at a comedy we only look."
- Aldous Huxley