Photography first

A PORTRAIT OF AMERICA LEFT BEHIND: A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDY OF AMERICAN TOWNS AND SPACES $1429/3000, 42 days to go

I have fallen for small town America and the things left behind. I use a term in Latin called “res nullius”, meaning: An object or place that is left behind and ownerless. So, in a sense, I am claiming ownership with a photographic plate, attempting to portray a place and time that I see. Displaying a “truth” thru a frame – a photograph, a decisive moment.

insideout brazil 2010 $745/2400, 73 days to go

This is where I need YOUR help. Kickstart my first stop to Brasil, where for over 20 years the Movimento Sem Terra (Brazil’s social Landless Workers Movement) has successfully occupied unused land where they have established cooperative farms, constructed houses, schools etc. and of course there are the famous favelas of Rio.

Floating Doctors $510/500, 13 days to go

Proceeds donated go to the final preparations to their sail boat, medical supplies, equipment. In exchange, the team’s photographer will provide photos and documentation

Floating Doctors is the world’s first globally mobile medical team to utilize a green energy platform—the expedition sailboat Southern Wind—to deliver medical relief to thousands of people in the most remote coastal areas of the world. Through preventative medicine and education, Floating Doctors will leave no carbon footprint, but only long lasting health benefits in her wake.

Music Next

I know, I’ve mentioned it before, but this is the one project that I’m following that’s going to have the hardest time completing funding, as the price is high at $20,000 – even a couple bucks could help Kim Boekbinder record her album. Sticking in the low $2000 for a bit now, and 42 days to go.

I’ve kicked in for a number of projects where I didn’t know what was going to come out at the end of the deal; knowing only the smallest bit about the artist, and trusting testimonials and sounds-like anecdotes, and the like. Sxip is the latest one that I’m kicking in a couple bucks for. While the idea of an artist baking me pie was appealing, $3000 was a bit steep for a couple slices of a likely quite bad pie. The $100 level was also tempting… I mean, who can’t use a very very special custom made hat? I just can’t be certain that I’ll be able to attend a show in NYC on any specific schedule.

Check out some of the audio and video on Sxip’s site and decide if you want to help an artist make a CD; for altruistic reasons, or because you can get a hat or pie or something else.

…or both

Sure, he looks like a horrible flesh-rending monster, but that just makes you a speciesist bastard if you let that stand in the way of just hanging out and getting to know someone who is just a bit different than you. I mean, if you cut him, does he not bleed? Well, okay, technically he doesn’t bleed. Okay, and his exoskeleten is made of a strange super-hard metal alloy that you’d be hard pressed to cut through, but I stand by the saying none the less.

HELLO PUNY EARTHLING, I HAVE BROUGHT YOU A PRESENT!

WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?

I ALSO HAVE CHEEZEY SNACK ITEMS AND CARBONATED BEVERAGES AND SCRABBLE!

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?

BE MY FRIEND, PUNY EARTH HUMAN!

How can you say NO to that little face…

I spent the day doing some long overdue store maintenance; verifying that everything that was for sale in my etsy shop was filed properly, scanning things I’ve never listed, and uploading those images. About 20 new, never before listed pieces went up on the site today, all for super low prices as usual. I sell the ACEO / artist trading card pieces at $5 each for unique, hand-painted design, and that’s cheap.

Need to fill up the moving and travel funds and pay down some debts by summer, so I’ll be listing a bunch of things over the next couple days on etsy. I might need to open a separate account to handle the big box of packaged photos that I need to list too… So much stuff…

Feel free to buy them through the Etsy store, but if you’re reading this here, just send funds directly to paypal@foo.ca and I’ll only ask for $2 each, plus shipping of $3 total up to about a dozen or so. Save, save, save.

As a Canadian citizen, I have been invited to attend and sell my artistic works in a show in the US. How do I import items for sale and sell them in the US?

If I am traveling with my artwork (paintings and jewelry), and plan to sell the work myself (I will not be creating new works while there), what am I going to have to do in order to be in compliance; can this be done without paying bonds or applying for entrepreneur visas?

Under NAFTA, the way I (not a lawyer…) read it, it appears that work that is created in Canada or Mexico out of 100% Canadian or Mexican components isn’t subject to duties on import, but I’d like to know ahead of time that if I show up at the border with $10,000 (retail) worth of artwork, that I’m not going to create any problems.

Is there a form I need? I have everything labeled as made in Canada, and have my suppliers’ assurances of the origins of all of their products in North America. Nothing is protected or restricted (no animal skins, fruits, vegetables, food products etc etc)

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Thanks

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Two to three months of backlog in responding to emails? That’s insane. I guess I’ll just call them.

Sent by lizzeedee on July 23, 2008:
i get that this is art and all, but i have a pet pigeon, and about screamed when i saw this. to me, it’s as if i say i don’t particularly care for babies, and found one gutted somewhere, took a picture of it, and put it on etsy, with no warning to the general public.
is there any way you could put a ‘mature’ or something across it, so that other pigeon lovers like myself aren’t so unpleasantly shocked?
i would appreciate it, and i’m sure they would too.
thanks in advance.
lizz [trooper's mom]

I responded very simply;

Life is shocking. Life is mature.

I don’t believe that this is a mature image in any way, shape or form.

I’m contemplating using her words, unattributed as an endorsement in the description of the piece.

“To me, it’s as if … i don’t particularly care for babies, and found one gutted somewhere, took a picture of it, and put it on etsy” – Liz

Pigeon lovers. Honestly. Oh, the image at the top of this post holds a link to the piece on Etsy should you wish to be SHOCKED or OFFENDED by the world around you.

I don’t think that there is anything transcendental in my painting; well, not for the viewer, at least. If it’s pleasing to the eye, the mind, or on some other level (I haven’t heard them make any sounds…), then that’s all that’s meant to be. I just make the things to make them, and the transfer of ownership is secondary. I’d be happy to be able to live simply off the proceeds from the sale of the work, and don’t really attach any deep meaning to any piece.

As such, I’ve been attracted to the Art Vending Machine projects that I have seen pop up in a variety of locations. I keep thinking of ways to bend my products to the limitations placed by the vending machine formats, and I may have a couple interesting, yet cheap enough to produce that I won’t lose money…

Distroboto in Montreal, QC vends works up to 4″ x 3-3/8″ x 5/8″, and all artists will receive $1.75 per item sold.

Art-o-mat in Winston-Salem NC (potential irony) takes pieces up to 2 1/8″ x 3 1/4″ x 7/8″

Artmoney doesn’t involve vending machines, but it’s about commodity none the less. Really making money… size: 12×18 cm (4 3/4 x 7 inches)

Here’s a brief glance into the current state of the latest little custom project; pictures of some major steps, including a recap of pictures from posts I and II for direct comparison.

Prepare the blank cards

Sketch and ink the designs

Start colour

Complete initial underpainting

Layers later

Nearly there. I have a red to heighten, a second layer of a darker green on the green bits, and some re-inking to do. If you can’t / don’t stay inside the lines, re-draw the lines.

Again, anyone looking for paintings or photos; custom or otherwise, you can find them at http://xinit.etsy.com

The first layer of paint goes in for the background; “Mars Yellow” which is something like an orange toned iron oxide red. Good for a first layer. With these, I’m likely going to put the second layer down as a titanium buff / naples yellow for a more cream coloured base with hints of earthy … well, marsy… yello peaking around the edges.

Inner spaces will likely pull underpainting colours from a pool of cadmium orange, a bright yellow of one shade or another, turquoise, a light green… and then final colours of alizarin crimson, burnt umber, burnt orange, brown. Might do some washes to give some additional depth to parts of the pieces. We’ll see how things go.