Reading the Times and about Pocket Utopia artist Tattfoo Tan

From today's New York Times:

With the help of students from P.S. 307, Tattfoo Tan, a Malaysian-born artist, has installed a mural on Front Street in Brooklyn, based on his "Nature Matching System" place mat. Like the place mat, the mural, made of 10-inch wood squares painted by the students, is a reminder to eat a kaleidoscope of fruits and vegetables, he said.

(I will draw on this later.)

Do I do laundry or make art?

What I've noticed about doing these drawings on the cover of the newspaper everyday is that often the photo behind the cover is even more interesting. There's this powerful effect in the unveiling of the cover to discover sometimes an even more telling photo. The photo behind the cover photo is often more graphic, although it is always in black and white, and often more intense.

This process of drawing, cutting out, and then discovering what's behind it all is a real metaphor of my current methods of making art, needing space (and time) and providing space and opportunities (art-making, showing and space) to other artists out at Pocket Utopia. There's a connection there for me and it's black and white and not on the front page (and continues to reveal itself day by day).

Breathing space

After having an allergic reaction to an antihistamine in medicine I took for the flu, I had trouble breathing, sleeping, and being normal for about 12 hours. Let's just say it was worse than the flu. Somehow around the 13th hour, my throat opened a little I was able to breath enough to get myself out to Pocket Utopia and work on the news of the day.

Art Auction

While I've been waylaid with the flu, my friends over at Recurring Films have been busy organizing an auction to support their latest film making projects. Here's a link where you can bid on my drawing!

RECURRING FILMS ART AUCTION IS LIVE!

It ends on Monday, February 25, 2008
Buy Art and help make a movie happen!

Click here:

Recurring Films has organized a small works art auction featuring
international New York-based artists. All proceeds will go towards
our new short film AUTOPILOT, currently in pre-production. Because
AUTOPILOT is a fiscally sponsored project, you're purchase is tax
deductible (to the extent permitted by law, of course).***

Participating artists include:
Noriko Ambe, Scott Andresen, Melanie Baker, Michael Bilsborough,
Lishan Chang, Ernest Concepcion, Cesar Cornejo, Anna Craycroft,
Nicolás Dumit Estévez, Franklin Evans, J.B. Herndon & Celina Paiz,
Yoko Inoue, Rossana Martinez, Allan McCollum, Marcie Paper, William
Bryan Purcell, Igor Pusenjak, Mike Quinn, Rebeca Raney, Adele Roder,
Kristen Schiele, Austin Thomas, Ka-Man Tse, Lumin Wakoa, Viola
Yesiltac, Lisa Young

visit: Recurring Films

Lightening my load

For the next few days I'll be working at my friend's studio. I'm leaving everything there for the next few days, so that I can come and go, without having to haul everything back and forth. We all get to breathe, thanks Fred!

Out of Order

I can't get down to the basement to work a little bit because the elevator is out of order, so I'm in the hallway in front of the elevator. I figure no one will disturb me here. I'm working right in front of the elevator.

The light isn't very good and the floor might be a little dirty, but I get to say hi to all my neighbors walking up the stairs (Yani just passed me, walking up to the 6th floor, and a few minutes ago Anita was out here surveying my spread). This moment is definitely a freespace...Going up?

A corner moment

Here I am working away in the studio of Elissa Levy last night. She is one of my favorite artists. She even put a pillow behind my back. She also let me use her gel pens! Pocket Utopia will be editioning a print of her's in April. Can't wait!

Drop and draw!

The other night I sent the boys out for dinner, they walked out the door, and I just sat in the hallway and worked right where I had been standing a moment ago. I've been drawing on the cover photos from the New York Times everyday and it's been a really intense project. It's a type of editing this drawing, my mark making done daily with customized and craved rulers now un-straighline instruments on the faces and places of the news from Bhutto to Obama and from Kenya to ticker tape parades downtown. It seems to fit my life right now, slightly unpredictable, mundane, incredibly boring, punctuated, only occasionally, by a passing marching band.

Today I worked for 5 minutes in perfect peace and quiet

My secrets are out. I need new hiding places (and I've got them). Today I set up a momentary studio in the conference room of Grant's school only to be outed by Grant a few minutes later. He wanted mommy not school, so I had to feign the urgency of mysterious errands, return him to class and vacate the premises.

Now it's time to go collect him. Who knew my locations, methods and even materials (particularly special items selected off of Etsy) had to be more closely guarded? Even a perch of mine, a private one, has been copied (even though the copy is pathetic). Let's just call that one "pathetic perch!" From now on it's mum's the word for this mom-artist!

Right on

The pictures above are from a dinner party of all women artists. Lots of fun and discussion that feminism is a daily practice (yes, that's right, practice) of generosity. Give, eat, and make art (life)! Do something nice, make something nice, just do it.