I’ve been making doilies since high school. Are they old-fashioned? Yes. Out-of-fashion? Never.
Giant doilies will grace the walls of my show. Join me to see them, and so much more.
My Dead Friends
Ulysses
629 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Jan 15 to Feb 19
Wake and Last Rites, Jan 15, 6 to 8 p.m.
My first solo show is on Sunday, 6 to 8 pm. I know you want to come see the art, but I know it is WAY more important to you that I have some decent food and drink.
Here’s what we have going.
The food and drink will follow the vintage theme – everything in the show is meant to represent my grandmother’s era, when people cooked, cleaned, kept house, embroidered samplers and in the 40s, everyone was shocked to discover that ladies could, in fact, build weapons.
On the food side, I’m going to prepare my grandmother’s tomato cheese mayo jello mold. I’ve never made a jello mold before. I’ll also be making her patented soda cracker pie, which has GOT to be a depression era recipe. With the state of the economy, I’d probably get good at making pies and other edibles based on soda crackers.
We will also have a few snacks that actually taste good. Grandma’s coconut cream pie is on my list.
On the drink side, we will be serving Keystone for the cowboys in attendance, and Dead Orange Blossoms (gin and o.j., shaken with ice) for the lovely gentle ladies who would enjoy a nip or two.
Food is art, art is food.
See you on Sunday, and by the way I’m supposed to put tuna in the jello mold, and also make a banana carrot stir fry to prevent strokes. But I just cannot go that far, not even for art.
blood running down my vest
For hmm at least four years now I’ve been paying tribute to my cowboy/pioneer heritage by mixing textiles with spent bullet cartridges. It all started with The Bullet Bra – a costume I was asked to make out of industrial materials. If bullets aren’t a useful industrial material, what is?
I became interested in wearing bullets on more than just my bra, and I’m now refurbishing denim cowboy style jackets with bullets. I’m calling this series “Bullet in my Shoulder” after an old Frankie Lane song I listened to as a kid.
I don’t want to give all the pieces away, and in fact, some of them haven’t yet been made. But here is my favorite, a mating of a pioneer girl and an old school cowboy I like to call “Blood Runnin Down My Vest.”
Oh and guess where you can see them and maybe take home one of your very own? The My Dead Friends Show, Ulysses, opening Jan 15.
In college I worked out on a stair stepper that would proclaim at the end of the workout: “Goal Attained.” It was my favorite part of the day, every single time. I am stoked to be worthy of the right to scream “Goal Attained” once again. I not only achieved one of last year’s goals. I over achieved the mutha.
One of my 2011 resolutions was to improve my photography skills. I wanted to photograph Utah architecture, which I love, and put together a show based on buildings.
Well, I got my resolution half right. I’ve taken at least 10,000 photographs this year. I’m sure 9,000 of them are crap. I’m very happy to have 1,000 photos that I love. The part I missed – only about 50 of them are of architecture.
I’ll be showing about 70 of this past year’s photos at “My Dead Friends,” my first solo art exhibit at Ulysees on January 15. I hope you will join us for the wake from 6 to 8 p.m. If you come, you will get to see The Fourteenth Ward, my belly dance company rock out and hear Christian Coleman wail The Blues in memory of my very best friends – the domestic arts. They are dying. Drive through windows, sweat shops and. . . well some misguided aspects of feminism* are nailing the coffin closed.
I am setting a new goal for next year. I want to write a cookbook and photograph my recipes in a way food has not been photographed before. I want to show the photos and recipes in a gallery. I want it to be beautiful.
Hope to see you at “My Dead Friends.”
a poem is a naked person -- bob dylan
if they say you cannot paint, by all means paint -- van gogh
* I am a feminist.
** All my photos were taken with cell phones. I love it that they are so technically improper.
This fall I’ve worked on a number of different projects, including a new series of artwork that I will be hanging at the Whole Foods in Trolley Square. My artwork will be up through December, with a reception on December 7th from 6-7 pm. Please stop in and say hello or, if you can’t make it that evening, I hope you’ll drop by their delicatessen and check out my recent work while you’re shopping.
Much love and thanks to SLUG Magazine for the opportunity and continued support. And also Whole Foods for sharing the walls. I appreciate being able to get my artwork in front of people who may never go to a gallery or art related event.
I’ll have the two new pieces below on display, along with others not shown here. The two images below are part of a series of digital paintings that I made using Adobe Ideas, and are printed out as very high quality giclee prints. To order your copy, please visit our store at: artduh.bigcartel.com
Whole Foods
544 South 700 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84102
facebook.com/wfmtrolleysqr
 Burn |
 Grow |
Hannah in Air
Aerial Arts of Utah will present a student showcase called “Aerial Rendezous” on Saturday. Performances are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The 4 p.m. performance includes the youngest students. The event is free, but donations are accepted. My friend, Hannah Mount, will perform in the show case. I’m super proud of her.
Here’s the deets:
Saturday, November 19 · 4:00pm and 7:00pm
1301 E. Miller Ave. (3128 S)
Salt Lake City, UT
I asked Hannah about her interesting hobby and here is what she said:
“I was looking to do something different shortly after I moved to Utah,” said Hannah. ”What’s awesome about the show is we each have a different style and each piece is very reflective of our personalities. My piece is very introspective and shows a side of me that not very many people get to see. It’s a peek into my mind and the emotions that drive me.”
Do you have more art than you can fit on your walls? I do. On Saturday, if you take it on down to Art Access, you can trade with someone else. Details are on the attached flyer. Happy spit swapping. . . er I mean art swapping.
The 14th Ward, Anna, Rachel and Jessica
In July, Todd and I started The Rubber Room School of Dance and Flexibility in our garage. With our 5-year-long extreme home make over winding down, we finally had space to stretch out and do some of the things we love. The garage is now The Rubber Room, and my performing belly dance company, The 14th Ward, has already become quite amazing. We’ve packed at least a year’s worth of technique into just a few months, and we are already performing.
Come see us in our vintage-inspired antiqued costumes at the People’s Market between 11 and 1 pm on Sunday, October 23. Our line-up includes a traditional Egyptian belly dance piece, followed by a techno-flamenco-tribal fusion number to Shake Break Bounce by the Chemical Brothers, and wraps up with a performance art-inspired dance to a remix of songs I love from musicals, most notably Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Rent.
The company includes talented beauties Rachel Hayes and Jessica Payne, who are not only performing after a few months of practice, but are also choreographing. Both lovely ladies are experienced dancers from the days of yore, Rachel in modern and Jessica in belly, and are excited to reignite the dance flame after responsibilities like kids, jobs and higher education began to compete with creative bliss for their time and attention.
Come out and support The 14th Ward, and let us know if you are interested in any of the classes we have to offer. I am also offering beginning and intermediate belly dance in the Rubber Room, and Portia Early teaches restorative yoga on Fridays at 5:45.
Picasso. He's dead.
Art by someone dead
Celebrate Halloween by dressing up as a dead artist and heading over to The Hive’s Dead Artist’s ball for food, music and prizes. It will be held at Fat’s Grill and Pool 2182 South Highland Dr Salt Lake City. The event is coming up on Saturday, October 22, and the fun starts at 7 p.m.
Live musicians will include: Christian Coleman and the Blue Zen Band, The Mountains Lost and Sofa Sly. Salvadore Dali mustaches and Frida Kahlo eyebrows will be available at the door, and winners of The Hive’s photo contest ‘A Dance With Death’ will be announced and on display.
Yep, dead.
"The United States of Corporate America Murdered the World One Soul at a Time ~ OR ~ The Triumph of a Dark Vision" - by Todd Powelson
I believe that most business owners are honest people. Most corporate workers and executives are great people. They are working hard for their families, employees, and community. Providing goods and services the rest of us use, make life better, and sometimes propel the species forward. That is honorable and noble.
But if you or the corporation you represent are using money and success to buy off a politician or influence over public policy, gain unfair advantage, steal from or are exploiting your fellow man, then you are a disease and a cancer. You’re influence needs to be removed before your contagion spreads! If you are a politician who is accepting this dirty corporate money, you are a whore, selling yourself to the highest bidder. Scratch that, you’re an untreated STD, making life unbearable. You don’t represent the people at all. You’re a greedy pig with a smiling face and an uncomfortable itchy crotch, getting fatter and fatter. Better be careful there piggy, there are a lot of people who still enjoy bacon.
We here at ArtDuh support the Occupy Wall Street movement, Occupy groups around the country, and Occupy Salt Lake City.
“But wait”, I can hear you say, “What does it all mean, Mr. Natural? The protesters don’t stand for anything. What are they protesting? What do they hope to accomplish?“ C’mon. Deep down, we all know what has inspired these protests. The protesters are pointing out and raising awareness of widespread corruption, theft, lack of representation and injustice. We’ve all seen it. We’re paying for it. Corruption in our politics, banking, finance and business. Whether or not you’re comfortable with the status quo is something else entirely, but you’ve seen the corruption. It’s an important thing the protesters are doing because if we are able recognize, accept, and face a problem, we’re able to change it. It is also important to remember if you are not corrupt, the protester’s are not calling you out. Or, at least, I never would.
You can read the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City by clicking here. Are there any points listed that you haven’t seen or can’t recognize?
“But they don’t offer any kind of solutions, only a list of complaints.“ To some extent, I agree. But at the same time, I think you’re expecting too much right now. Many people are just waking up to how bad things really are. Do you think Thomas Jefferson just woke up one morning and thought to himself, “I think I’ll write the Declaration of Independence today at lunch”. No. I am sure it took him years of observing suffering, corruption, injustice, not to mention conversations with friends and the public before he was ever even moved to the point of writing. And then, it was another good ten+ years before the U.S. Constitution was finalized and put into place.
“That Obama sure has messed things up for us hasn’t he, he’s a real sun-o-bitch.“ Maybe. But our problems didn’t start with him. The ball got rolling with Richard Nixon and (bank sponsored) Fiat Money, and probably even earlier. Our financial problems became obvious when George W. Bush & Co. were allowed to let free market policy go unchecked. Or at least, it was deregulated way too much. Big business and banks had a big damn party, a party we are still paying for. I’m sure it was profitable for George and his friends, and they are still partyin’ down. If people are as selfish the free market suggest, then selfish people are going to take you for everything they can… and they sure have taken us, haven’t they.
The system is broken. Our government has sold out to the highest bidder. Accept it. They’ve pretended to fix the marketplace with trillion dollar band aides, but we are still hemorrhaging money, jobs, public services and homes.
Adam Smith (1723 – 1790, Scottish social philosopher and political economist), whose ideas are cornerstone for our current free market system, basically believed a successful economy needs to serve an individual’s greed, self interest, and selfish desires. If the economy serves those selfish desires, he says, an “invisible hand“ will come on down and balance out the marketplace, cast aside ideas that don’t work, and embrace those ideas that do. Okay, great. But doesn’t it make sense that this invisible hand would serve and be easily manipulated by selfish people? Greed and selfishness are not admirable human qualities. I’m not a religious person, but isn’t greed one of the seven deadly sins? If we pursue and indulge it, greed will lead to our downfall. We are not just greedy monkeys. Sure, we might all have that side embedded into our nature and we need to recognize that, but most of us also have so much more than that one character trait.
Looking out for yourself and trying to control as much of the world’s resources as possible doesn’t work. Making sure that every time you give, you get more back than you need just doesn’t work. It might seem to work for a few people for a little while, but not for long. Because we live on a finite planet, it’s impossible for greedy behavior to go on forever. Consider this: when people share what they have (a skill, talent, time, food, money or whatever), they make friends and build community. When people exploit and take from others, they make enemies.
Money is just a symbol. It’s an abstract concept. We give money it’s power and meaning. The meaning of the symbol resides only in our heads, and we can change our mind. Why base our economy on greed and self interest? Wouldn’t it be better to base our economic system upon satisfying more admirable human qualities? There are so many noble human traits to choose from. We can change the paradigm of what money means if we want to. If we are able to change, the whole world will be better for it. If we don’t change, we are in serious trouble.
youtube.com | No Way in US System to Vote Against Banks
youtube.com | Chris Hedges – Occupy Washington D.C.
nytimes.com | Panic of the Plutoctrats
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23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism – by Ha-Joon Chang
