If you’re in the Boston area on May 1st be sure to check out the “150 x 150″ preview at the Laconia Gallery.

150 artists with works for $150.  Stake out your favorite on Friday and get their at noon on Saturday to grab it.  I have been a fan of Scott Listfield’s and would be interested to see what he brings.

The Iceberg

Grand Canyon

Post-Nuclear Guggenheim Visit

During the 70’s and 80’s Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel interviewed scores of popular artists, crafts people, musicians, fashion designers, directors, photographers, etc.  Jim Dine, Robert Motherwell, Frank Gehry, Lee Krasner, Bill Blass just to name a few.  Terrific glimpse into the past.  All of the interviews can be found on YouTube.

Below are a few from the Made in America series.

Sam Maloof – Woodworker

Albert Paley – Metalsmith

Sandy Fox – Quilter

Blank Canvas is a superb idea created by the students of Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication in London to raise funds for their graduation show. Not wanting another boring bake sale, the students went to some charity/thrift shops in London and bought some items then sent them to their favorite designers and illustrators as “blank canvases.” The below booty was then worked on and sent back. A selection of the customized work can be found here.

The auction takes place on April 30th at the Vibe Bar on Brick Lane. If you can’t attend but want to bid on an item, simply email info@blankcanvasevent.co.uk with what item listing you are interested in and your highest bid. I assume the item list will get updated closer to the 3oth.

The impressive list of 50+ participants can be found here. One of them, kozyndan, couldn’t be more deserving. I met the talented duo in LA back in 2004 and bought the print below which now hangs in my daughter’s bedroom.

Click the image. $20 signed and shipped!

I had a chance to check out the “Insecta Fantasia” exhibit by Jennifer Angus at the Newark Museum last month. Besides being a collector of rare insects, Jennifer is a Professor of Textile Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  So it’s really no surprise that she pinned up all these insects into intricate patterns to look like wallpaper and textiles. This exhibit comprises two bedrooms in the old Ballantine House (Ballatine Beer) which the Newark Museum has owned since the 30’s.

Jennifer did all the textile work on the wallpaper as well. The resulting color combinations and patterns are beautiful and mesmerizing.

This is good….no….this is perfect.

Stand By Me | Song Around The World

Mark Johnson, the film maker and producers web-site HERE

Bill Moyers interview with Mark Johnson

Photo District News recently posted 14 rare color photos from the FSA (Farm Securities Administration.)  The Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division which owns these FSA photos has a huge collection that you can view here. Lot’s of terrific old rural scenes, Great Depression shots, laborers and WWII images.  You can search for certain key words or by photographer.  The color ones are great to see as most of the photos of that era were obviously shot in B &W.

A couple books on the subject that might interest you can be found here and here.

This will provide some of you with 10 seconds of fun and perhaps hours for others, and it’s printable……

Jackson Pollocks Hand

The web-site, Reference Library, is the brainchild of Andy Beach and as the name implies, is packed full of rare and useful reference for artists, fashion designers and history/nostalgia enthusiasts. Andy manages to cull though and find the lost gems of yesteryear. One stroll through RL and you will be hooked. Well, now you can meet Andy and actually see, touch and even purchase some of his incredible finds. Andy and I talk from time to time and he recently emailed a few images of what to expect this coming Friday at the Kiosk store in Soho.

Kiosk Mini-Exhibition #8: Reference Library
November 28–December 7
Opening party on Friday, November 28, 7–10pm

Kiosk
95 Spring St. between Broadway and Mercer
Second Floor
New York, NY 10012

kioskkiosk.com

The 18th Annual Jersey City Artist Studio Tour took place recently and one of the interesting happenings are the guitars Mark from Metropolis Music hands out to some select local Jersey City artist. These are $100 Stratocastor knock-offs and this year had some really interesting designs. Click here to see them. Here are a few images of Kirks’ new ‘basketweave’ guitar coming together…..

Made using natural vegetable tanned leather and held down with escutcheon pins. All the metal hardware was tumbled to a dull finish.

Here are some images of his 2007 ‘patchwork’ leather guitar

We are fortunate to have two very prolific artists living next to us. Agnes De Bethune and her husband Tom O’Flynn. Agnes is a realist painter who has been hunkered down most of the summer at their Newport, RI studio/home. She has been painting for over 40 years and the walls of their Jersey City home proves it. She is represented by the Hammer Gallery in NYC. She is a skilled gardener, graphic designer, Pratt instructor and community activist. I hope you appreciate her latest work……….I will get to Tom another day.