Summertime blues

Generally, I don't really like the summer. It's too damn hot and muggy, and lately it's been raining a lot. However, I've grown to reluctantly embrace summertime because with the exception of a short period at the very end of the year, it's the only season when I can take significant chunks of time off from my office job.

Lately I've been at the office 3 days a week, leaving me with 4 day weekends--wish I could do that year round. Next week is my last week before taking 19 consecutive days off. That time is crucial to my studio practice. I spend a lot of time anticipating my personal summer "residency" so that I can be prepared from day one when I get into my studio. Those 2+ weeks are coming up real soon, and I'm excited for them, but simultaneously worried that I am not prepared enough to take full advantage. It's time to start really cracking down on the game plan.

Maybe it's a bit early, but I'm beginning to be filled with a sense of dread for the end of the summer. Once the time off is over, I'm back to work full time and it's harder to make it all happen in the studio. The office job gets busier, and I begin my Mandarin classes again. This all happens at the beginning of autumn, which is otherwise my favorite season. But it's sort of a nice challenge to try and keep the summer momentum going into the fall.

I'll be in the studio for the next 3 days...

Call for help - plastic bags

I've been working on a project that involves fusing together plastic bags into single sheets of plastic, which will be used as the raw material for a sculpture. I've been saving plastic bags from grocery stores and so far I have a lot of them, but I still don't have nearly enough.

I have lots of white bags already. What I really need are colored bags. I am collecting all colors, but I have a particular need for brown plastic bags.

The lack of bags is beginning to slow down the project, so if anyone out there can donate some bags, please contact me.

Storage in the studio

I moved everything out of storage and into my studio this weekend. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated and it didn't feel like I had as much stuff as when I first moved it in. It actually packed up quite nicely into the corner and doesn't take up too much of my work space. Eventually I'll probably put up some sort of permanent storage system.

Part of my motivation for doing this was to save a little bit of money each month, but more importantly, I'm hoping that having to physically face the amount of stuff I have everytime I walk into my studio will help me be more careful and thoughtful about what I make. My relationship to "stuff" is conflicted, in that I'm reluctant to throw things out, but aspire to minimize my belongings down to a few favorites or heavily used items and I hate to generate waste. Already I'm looking at the pile and plotting about what I can get rid of. This situation has been playing a big role in the way I'm trying to change the way I make my art.

The Upsetter (quick review)

After seeing The Upsetter movie this past weekend, I have to say that it is really good. Lee "Scratch" Perry is an amazingly unique and interesting artist who has fully integrated his art into his life. His music, art and life are one and the same -- he lives his work. For that reason, I'm glad that Ethan and Adam chose to let Scratch tell his story mostly through his own words and actions. Seeing Scratch perform various actions and ritualistic performances puts his work in context so that you can really begin to understand where it ultimately comes from. An accompanying narrative fills in the blanks and touches on Scratch's tremendous influence on other musicians, without turning it into every other music documentary or VH1 special by leaning heavily on artist interviews. I've been listening to Radio Scratch on upsetter.net for the past two days now.

The Upsetter

This Saturday, July 5, 9:30 PM at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is the NYC premiere of The Upsetter: The Music and Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry. The film is part of BAM's Afro Punk Festival.

Over the last two years, my friends, Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough, have traveled the globe with Lee "Scratch" Perry, visiting his roots in Jamaica, his home and studio in Switzerland, and touring with him while he played various venues across the United States. Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Scratch perform at B.B. King Blues Club. It was an amazing show and Adam said it was one of the better performances he saw throughout the filming.

Anyway, I'm really excited about the movie, so I'll definitely be at the premiere. Ethan and Adam will both be there to introduce the film. It looks like it's the only showing currently scheduled in New York, so I recommend not missing it. Check out the teaser above.

Scratch in his studio.

Sew what?

My mom gave me her old Singer sewing machine. She recently had it tuned up and the guy who fixed it said it was a good machine. I'm going to bring it to my studio this weekend and if I have enough time I'll play around with it a little bit . I don't know how to use it yet, but it came with a book written during a time period when apparently the idea of a man using a sewing machine was inconceivable.

"A wonderful world of color and design is open to the woman who sews."

The book seems like it will be helpful as far as figuring out the various parts and functions of the machine, as well as learning proper sewing techniques. One of the projects that I'm currently working on will require lots of sewing, so I hope I get the hang of it pretty quickly. If this works out, it could open up a whole lot of options for making work that avoids the typical weight and storage issues of most sculpture. Either way, I figure it's a useful skill to have.