“Barry McGee lives in San Francisco—he was born there and he lives there,” critic and curator Richard Leydier opens in an essay accompanying the artist’s current solo exhibition, I’m Listening, at Perrotin. “This fact is important because his art would be profoundly different had he chosen to move to another American city.”
McGee draws inspiration from the West Coast subculture he grew up within, surrounded by skaters, surfers, and street artists. He has long been interested in marginalized communities, societal outcasts, and those seen as subversive.
The artist is a key figure of the Mission School, which emerged in the early 1990s through the work of a number of artists who were connected to the now-defunct San Francisco Art Institute. Other influential artists include Margaret Kilgallen (1967-2001), Ruby Neri, Claire Rojas, and more, all of whom explore the intersections between urban realism, graffiti, American folk art, and “lowbrow” aesthetics undergirded by social activism.
McGee adopted monikers like “Twist” and “Lydia Fong” in his own graffiti writing and also explored painting and printmaking, which he still taps into in his expansive, multidisciplinary practice. He explores “dynamic panel assemblages, complex patterns reminiscent of op art, and immersive installations that explore the human condition,” the gallery says.
I’m Listening erupts with color, pattern, and texture through a bounty of sculptures, paintings, prints, and assemblages that reimagine everyday objects. Surfboards are cloaked in optical geometric patterns in acrylic paint, and McGee’s signature grimacing, cartoonish faces appear on collages or in place of labels on glass bottles.
“I focus on everything that is shitty on our little planet right now,” McGee says. Expressions of disgust or surprise are paired with playfulness, though. He adds, “I also celebrate all these incredible things that humans invent to stay positive and healthy.” I’m Listening continues through May 24 in Paris.
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Eli Akins of Waldo Street Pottery is a mostly self taught ceramist in downtown Atlanta, GA, with a focus on large bonsai containers. “Finding a voice within a rigid set of parameters while making art for other artists is the challenge with Bonsai Pots”.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
How did you grow after the diagnosis?
Coming out of what I refer to often as a fever dream which was a couple of years of those brain tumors causing a lot of problems. I couldn’t believe the energy that I came back with. I started walking slower, thinking slower, everything was slower and I just came out of it with a ton of energy and a ton of drive. And I have been in this studio every day, when the sun comes up it’s that time.
This is a little tongue in cheek but how is clay better than the music industry?
I can speak only to myself and I am just doing my own creative thing, but instead of supporting others with their creativity I am supporting myself with my own. I think that’s what’s satisfying about it.
How many hours a week do you spend time in the studio?
Fifty or sixty hours I think. I am in the studio a lot, I love it. I live across the street from it. I walk to work every day. I walk home for lunch and come back and work until the sun goes down.
Do you have a specific style of Bonsai that you like to make your pots for?
Not necessarily style because I appreciate all of the styles. What I really appreciate the most is deciduous trees and broadleaf evergreens. Pines and junipers don’t really speak to me like maples and elms and beech and hornbeams do. I appreciate trees that drop their leaves in the winter time.
What do you typically have on coming over the speakers in your studio?
A lot of Grateful Dead. Live Grateful Dead shows. What I have learned from that that is they have made thousands of shows and in my lifetime I will make thousands of pots. None of their shows are perfect but they all have a little bit of magic in them. I don’t think any of my pots will ever be perfect but hopefully they have a little bit of magic to them.
What’s your other hobby?
Other hobbies? Bonsai! A lot of time if I need a break I just go outside and prune or water or feed the trees or whatever I need to do. So Bonsai is a big one and I have a wonderful support group of friends that I like to take breaks and go see a show and go hang out and have fun and have a good time together.
A Synchrotron is one of several types of particle accelerators, speeding up electrons, protons, and various other subatomic particles along a cyclical path. The powerful machine serves as a circular speedway with a synchronized magnetic field, emitting high energy X-rays that allow researchers to render details at atomic and molecular levels—all of which would be impossible to view with more ordinary scientific tools and techniques.
This formidable concept of capturing the unseen lies at the core of Charles Brooks’ work, as he photographs the small but vast interiors of musical—and most recently scientific—instruments.
“Geminhardt Elkhardt Alto Flute”
Continuing his Architecture in Music series, one of the photographer’s latest highlights has been working with a 1717 Stradivarius violin. Describing the stringed subject as one of the most extraordinary instruments he’s captured so far, he shares, “it was a rare opportunity, and photographing it was both an honor and one of the most nerve-wracking shoots I’ve undertaken.”
The photographer’s recent exploration of the Australian Synchrotron may foreshadow an exciting shift into a new realm of instruments. In the meantime, you can find more on Brooks’ website and Instagram.
If you are like me, an artist and content creator, you produce a large amount of content. Shooting films, artwork, studio, and events takes a lot of time and investment. This creates a need for the safekeeping of your videos and other digital files. Storing everything on your computer might not work well because of space limitation. The files may get corrupted or deleted by accident. Moreover, the digitization of the video introduces another problem – complex cyberattacks. It’s heartbreaking to lose the entire content in seconds due to it. So it’s important to find and keep a safe and reliable place to permanently store the backups of your files. Here’s how to do that.
Choosing the right multimedia backup storage solution
Multimedia data takes lots of space and the storage tools may differ. First, consider the initial platform you’re using. For example, if you are a MacBook user, you can connect your Mac to iCloud for automated backups. Here are several options to do this:
you may sync the computer to another Mac to transfer data to it.
you may transfer the videos to an external hard disk that you can connect to your computer to transfer the files manually.
you can also buy storage space from other cloud-based solutions and do automatic backups.
Other strategies about how to backup Mac include saving your files in email.
If you’re a PC user like me, you can back up your files to a cloud platform like Google drive or Dropbox. You have to buy storage space there to keep large files on their cloud.
Backups & security
Both high-resolution digital files of art and video take a lot of space. If you produce your video content daily and want to keep it safe, you have to use a backup platform that offers reliable storage space and strong security defenses against the cyberattacks. The chosen platform should allow you to add your own layer of security and optional upgrades. Choose a strategy based on the following.
● Technology available. Choose a program that runs on the latest technology to benefit from the latest security features and upgrade plans.
● Location of the solution. Is it in the cloud, data lakes, remote servers, or local disks?
● Backup types. Some solutions allow full, differential or incremental storage backups.
● Encryption and recovery needs. Encryption boosts your data safety. Pick a platform that lets you recover your data easily.
Organizing your videos for backups
Due to the increasing volume of digital files produced, you must set up and maintain an organized file system. This saves you time whenever you need to locate, share, or edit your files. Have separate file folders with names and dates for easy access. For example, I have a big ‘art’ folder that’s subdivided into many smaller folders like ‘Art 2018.’ Or you may want to organize the folders with the names based on location, like ‘Greece 2018,’ etc. I also delete my so-so files and keep the best ones only for better organization and future use.
Creating automated backups
An automated backup relies on a program to run the processes that allows a fast recovery of files. Automation saves you time, cuts on stress and minimizes errors. It ensures consistent protection and progress of your videography work.
Choosing the right backup systems
The backup platforms have different pricing, storage space, and support. Here are examples of video backup systems that you may choose for your art studio or office.
Hardware
This storage relies on hardware located locally or remotely. You may buy an external hard disk that looks like a black box to use it at home. For that, you can buy a Desktop external hard drive with a different capacity levels that’s between 8-24 TB (terabytes of memory space). Price varies depending on size anywhere between $145-600+ You plug it in to your computer with a USB cable and transfer the files for backup or storage. The Desktop Hub and Expansion External Hard Drive work in similar fashion. You can keep these hard disks in your studio for easy access.
You may also connect your computer with either a local or remote desktop server as a backup system that you can buy and set up at home or studio. You can set it up to make automated backup of either all files or specific folders from your main computer.
You can also use a large 128GB-512GB Extreme PRO SDXC Memory Card that you normally use for your digital camera. It holds quite a lot of video and digital images. However, these cards can become unreadable in a few years or a specific file can get corrupted because of various reasons.
The problem with all hardware is that it fails at times. Solar flares or other problems can cause permanent file corruption. I had a folder with my files shot in Nicaragua. A vast majority of them became unreadable because something happened to the hard disk on my computer and affected that particular folder in ten years after my trip. That’s why it’s best to store the most important files using a cloud-based service.
SaaS
Application-based, SaaS (software as a service) models let you use storage space based on demand. It allows you access art and video editing apps online. You don’t need to download anything or configure complex software. SaaS is a good option for people who work collaboratively because of a quick and easy access and system integration.
Conclusion
Your choice of storage should be based on the amount of data you produce and want to keep safe. Backups enhance data security for video artists. Consider the number of videos you produce monthly. Consolidate your visual files and segment them for easy data storage. Choose the backup platform that’s secure, scalable, and affordable.
From larger-than-life double-bobble hair bands to a wall of elaborate braids, Tiff Massey spotlights distinctive Detroit style. Trained as a metalsmith, the artist employs the power of material and scale to highlight the city’s neighborhoods and Black identity and culture.
7 Mile + Livernois, Massey’s solo exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, takes inspiration from the crossroads at the heart of the city’s Black business and fashion district, where the artist grew up. The area will soon be home to a new arts and community space that Massey is spearheading in an effort to guide and celebrate local kinship.
“Everyday Arsenal” (2018)
Personal adornment is central to the artist’s expression, which she channels through jewelry, sculptures, and mixed-media assemblages to underscore Black style with a focus on her hometown. “Whatupdoe” and “Everyday Arsenal,” for example, respectively transform a contemporary chain necklace and silver rings into monumental installations, creating terrains of portal-like tunnels and interlocked angles.
The “ancestral flyness” of the artist’s parents and previous generations also provides a limitless well of inspiration. “How they adorned themselves has definitely been influential not only to how I adorn myself but also to the ideas that I have within the works,” Massey says in an interview for the DIA exhibition catalogue. “Detroiters, when we step outside, we step outside. We want people to see it. We want people to see us. And that has left a tremendous impression on me.”
7 Mile + Livernois continues through May 11. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Baby Bling” (2023)“Whatupdoe” (2024)Detail of “I’ve Got Bundles and I Got Flewed Out (Green)”
Founded in 2020, Pure Street Photography celebrates a diverse array of captivating sights and image-makers around the globe. Coincidental timing, uncanny interactions, and moments that are stranger-than-fiction figure prominently in the platforms’s curation.
To support their community, founders Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao launched a grant competition earlier this year, with winners announced this week. Topping the contest is Ayanava Sil’s “Crown of Fire,” which captures the instantaneous chaos during a Diwali celebration as a child dashes with sparkling streaks trailing behind. “It’s a flash of magic caught in time, where light, joy, and imagination come together in one unforgettable frame,” Sil says.
Ayanava Sil (India), “Crown of Fire”
Others include Amy Horowitz’s bizarre image of an older woman clutching her bag while an enormous snake slithers up to the window where she’s seated. Joanna M. similarly builds curiosity tinged with the absurd as she photographs a proud beagle posing for paparazzi.
See more of the contest’s winners below, and follow Pure Street Photography’s Instagram, a trove of visual wit and chance encounters.
Anna Marzia Soria (Italy), “Optical Illusion”Joanna M. (United States), “Celebrity”Holger Kunze (Belgium), “The Double”Valeria Ciardulli (Italy), “Spectators”Julachart Pleansanit (Thailand), “Rahu”Mary Crnkovic Pilas (Croatia), “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Below you’ll find a collection of essays I’ve written in my personal journal over the years. These essays cover topics and feelings artists experience yet rarely share.
Can you just do? On artistic sensitivity, self-doubt, jealousy, happiness, failure and work
As artists we’re able to fall deep in dark pits of self-doubt, uncertainty and melancholy. We question our purpose, hold on to negativity, and doubt our abilities because it’s hard. It’s really hard to work against the grit to pursue our calling – something that has been given to us at birth. Sometimes the psychological pressure we feel being a working artist is tougher to overcome than the financial burden we all face at times.
“DO” is the theme of LeWitt’s 1965 letter written to a fellow artist Eva Hesse, who was tormented with self-doubt. In this video Benedict Cumberbatch reads the letter that’s incredibly moving no matter how many times I listen to it.
On comparisons, failure & jealousy
Many artists are riddled with jealousy or a paralyzing fear of not being good enough or of not being able to achieve greatness. As a result we draw endless comparisons and feel bad about ourselves. I often see how jealous other artists are of me despite their achievements and accolades.
I think about the mastery of others differently, although I must admit that I also compare myself to others. First, I look at the talents of others as a high bar to reach up to, as a place to aspire to and to be inspired. I find other artists’ work incredibly inspirational to me, and I also learn from art and artists a great deal. Second, I look at other artists I admire not to give up because they are good and I’m not. They are talented and I may fall into this trap thinking that there is no time in the universe to ever get close to their level of mastery. Perhaps, I’ll never will, but why would I give up on all the fun and joy that art brings me?! Why would I limit myself and stop painting just because someone else is better?! See, comparisons don’t move you forward, they stop you from even beginning doing something meaningful in your life, and as a result you end up achieving nothing, complaining about the circumstances you’re in. I release myself from this weird feeling of jealousy. I replace it with a feeling of gratitude I’m here to create!
Failure takes a big part in my life. For every finished painting there are a few that end up in a trash bin. I get rejected often. I also fail in some relationships with people, and fail to communicate my boundaries that get pushed, pushed to the wildest extremes at times. Failure is intense, frustrating, hurtful. Failure paralyzes. Failure grounds me to the floor so hard I can barely breathe. Over the years it’s getting harder to recover from it. However, failure doesn’t stop me from trying to achieve what I want. Failure is a signal to do things differently, to find a new approach. And finding this new way takes a lot of energy that often rivals my desire to let it all go in flames.
If you are a gifted person, it doesn’t mean you got something. It means you can give something away.
Carl Jung
On Artistic Sensitivity
Artists are also extremely sensitive people, and react to circumstances and opinions on a much deeper level than others. That’s one of the reasons why we see so many talented actors, writers, painters and musicians self-medicating a ‘weakness’ that’s been defined as a ‘mental illness.’ I think it’s more complicated than that. I see sensitivity in young art students. What I can control they can’t yet, and those emotions often arise and confuse them.
Yes, the sensitivity that artists have makes us different, different in having a natural gift that actually keeps on giving, if we nurture it. It can become the artist’s ‘strength.’ We’re able to see something beautiful in mundane places. We are able to move people emotionally. We go down in history as innovators in thoughts and movements. We make the world less ugly and more humane. Artists bring light and beauty into this world and it’s a wonderful contribution into this world if you ask me.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo
On self-limitation & work ethic
As artists we’re creative. However, we often impose limits on ourselves via dated beliefs and social norms. In the beginning of our journey we may want to conform to norms. However, those norms and limitations stifle our natural creativity. Allow yourself to experiment with new materials, play with your ideas and paint what you want to paint! Also, take art classes to learn new or different skill. Despite having all the college degrees I have, I often buy new classes online because I want to learn new skills in digital painting, illustration, business, finance, etc.
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Stephen King
Also, it’s super important to work through your artistic problems. If I gave up on every painting I created I’d be in the same spot I started 25 years ago. By working through my problems, finishing up every painting I learn to problem-solve and evolve. I improve my artistic skill and creativity by not allowing myself to give up on something that’s frustrating at the moment. I usually take a break from work that doesn’t look good and come back to it at a much later date. This pause allows me to see things differently and I am usually able to fix problems on canvas within minutes instead of hours or days spent on it in the past.
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” — Michelangelo
There is no cute formula for success in painting. It’s hard work every day. Other artists’ achievements inspire me to move forward, those artists become my guiding stars. That’s why I have no jealousy towards my peers, because I can see what’s possible in due time and practice. We fulfill our dreams with our own work, not the work of others.
I believe we succeed eventually, because we refuse to quit. Although it often feels like a dead end where there is nothing to go by, when words like ‘nice work’ or ‘good stuff’ can get you only that far. But a strong will, belief in myself, and the internal love for my craft keeps me grounded.
On a bad day 🙁
Powered by the ruthless force of frustration, I run with a steep incline, at the speed number that meets my level of emotional pain. The soles of my worn, running shoes fly over the rotating black belt; they build endurance, the survival tactic. And I run as my legs ache and they beg to slow down, but I refuse, I flush out my hurt with tears. My heart’s stomps blow my ears, and I override it with trance beat. My face deep red, I run. I track the whooping breath in my lungs. My insides burn like fire, and I run. My skin prickles, and legs are about to cramp. I’m acid perspiration. Unstoppable I become, feel the rise of resistance to my failures, to painful words and encounters, to the insensitive world that drowns, but teaches, teaches me to survive. And that’s how it feels on a bad day. Drenched in sweat, I run on a treadmill of artist’s life.
On a good day 🙂
The joy of painting runs inside me like the cobalt blue river. The snowflakes dance above its glossy surface and trickle down in my limbs. I feel the rise of divine energy and melt into another place, the forth dimension. It’s there, there I create. Through the looking glass I fall, where I hear no judgement and see no stop signs. The round clock on my wall quits ticking. Like a sweet fragrance of blooming roses, my joy flourishes and invigorates me. And that’s how it feels on a good day.
It’s one of those rare instances where you can see someone as powerful as Madonna being so vulnerable. Her speech explains so many things that underline her internal motivation for the work she has done as a female singer. She talks about sexism, misogyny, and feminism in the music industry receiving the award at Billboard Women In Music 2016.
“Be the Hero of your own story” by Judge Judy Sheindlin is a book for every young or young at heart girl to read. It explains the importance of independent thinking, and how you can open yourself up to opportunities. It’s available as a free download at Judy’s website: http://www.whatwouldjudysay.com/
On Happiness
Is happiness a persistent state? Numerous books have been written about this subject. A million coaches preach that happiness is your ultimate goal to achieve to live a meaningful life. Everyone wants to get it. And if you admit that you’re not living it, you are the one who doesn’t work on yourself. But is it that simple? Because it sounds like judgement to me. Happiness can be illusive. It’s just a moment in time. A moment of curiosity, connection, love, awe and joy. Those moments could be numerous but emotions are not constant if you’re a sensitive person. Changing emotions are like a river that runs, turns and shifts quite often. Every bump on the road presents a change in emotion. Happiness is just one of the emotions in a big spectrum of feelings. Yes, we can prioritize this feeling to have beautiful daily experiences but there is no guarantee to feel it even when we work on it. It shouldn’t be work… Recently I met a person who emanates happiness. I can see the sun rays beaming from his chest. Can he feel as deeply or understand someone else as well as someone who experiences other states of being? I think it depends on a person… I know a woman who is always happy like a little girl. That’s fantastic because life is easy and fun for her. But when I have a closer look at her personality, her emotional spectrum is shallow. She experiences a limited range of emotions that pass quickly for her. While she enjoys her happy days, she is unable to comprehend the other person’s point of view or emotion.
A range of experiences makes up a person. And when peace arrives, it transforms into a state of serene happiness. Because when you’re at peace, you feel connected to yourself. Happiness isn’t permanent but becomes notoriously present inside the person to become whole.
Omnipresent Love, colored pencil & mixed media on paper
On dreaming big
The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.
Les Brown
As a child I didn’t learn to dream. As an adult I spent two decades of my life figuring out how to dream big. It involved a lot of inner work, parting with established rules and social conditioning. I became ambitious. A word that’s attributed to successful men, ambition often describes women in a negative tone as heartless go-getters. However, a healthy dose of ambition is necessary to grow professionally. As parents we should encourage development of natural abilities of our children to form lifelong interests, and as adults we should take responsibility for ourselves to develop ambition.
I believe that long-term success is never accidental. It’s hard work and sacrifice mixed with obsessive desire to overcome the impossible, mostly overcoming my own limitations. Some people spend years complaining and waiting for a miracle to dawn on them, but I think that’s finding excuses and not working on your fears get you nowhere. By challenging myself and accepting failures I’ve been taking many steps forward in becoming who I am today. However, what I’ve been missing in my life is a role model or a mentor. If you want to succeed in anything you dream about, find a strong mentor in your field. Mentorship helps model successful behavior. It also cuts down on frustration by doing the art business efficiently. You can waste years figuring stuff out on your own.
I also understood that gaining the right direction is a lot more important than speed. We want to have quick results, but life is rarely quick to deliver what we want. And understanding exactly what I wanted took a lifetime for me. Goals and aspirations may change over time. It’s ok. But if you’re serious about your career, concrete goals with due dates on my calendar make a big difference for me that give measurable results.
I often find myself in consistent hard work pushing through frustrations and failures daily, but I have also noticed that it’s not enough to break me through the ceiling. It’s not enough to have the talent. It’s not enough to work hard. It’s not enough to exhibit. You have to find greater meaning in anything you do, which benefits others and is unique to you. Now I know that the most important thing for my soul is to encourage art students to succeed professionally, and this is where you find me with my students, podcast and writing these days.
On finding support
When relatives and family are not great supporters of your art, search for like-minded people to support you emotionally, intellectually and professionally. Also, remember that your family’s absence of support is not because they don’t love you, but because they are also scared of your financial instability being an artist. This fear gets projected onto you and actually holds you back before you even start doing anything towards reaching your goals. Artists at heart who decide not to pursue creativity as a career often become depressed, because they remain unfulfilled and not seen for who they truly are. Therefore, it’s vital for parents to be supportive of their children’s attempts early on to give them the tools and the opportunities necessary to jump on a train on time and to encourage a positive mindset to achieve meaningful results in the future. It’s much harder (but still very possible) to establish yourself artistically later in life.
As a person, artist and teacher, I’ve seen a lot of discouragement and criticism that brings people down before they even think of pursuing something of importance to them. Over time it creates a timid mindset where you simply agree that it’s useless to dream big, or worse, you don’t even know that you can dream. So, instead of coming to the road filled with adventure and discovery, people turn to a comfortable sidewalk of boredom and in-the-box thinking. At the same time, when children get constant praise and 10 golden medals are given to all 10 places, there is not enough improvement and attempts to pursue higher goals. This is where a mentor comes in. He or she is capable of enough encouragement, yet can give a constructive critique, passing his/her skill and wisdom to the next generation of artists.
Every person searches for acceptance, understanding and love. We want to be accepted for who we’re. But the truth is that there is no personal growth, if we don’t look at ourselves from all sides. Surrounding ourselves with good friends who are able to encourage and nurture our gifts often help us overcome the worst pitfalls we have. It’s a blessing. We should nurture those friendships.
The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.
James Baldwin
On belief in yourself & purpose
Sometimes it’s difficult to find meaning in life if it’s not survival. Finding your own path or purpose is a different game. When we finally find ‘it’, fulfilling our purpose becomes a choice whether to pursue it or not. We can live in a depressive state of mind because of these two opposing reasons. If we don’t do what we love, life is meaningless. When we do what we love, problems and circumstances can be so overwhelming, we end up having a depression. What’s the cure? I think it’s about finding strength inside yourself. By being yourself and not looking for approval from the ‘outside’ world is a difficult task for many. I find my purpose in capturing the most beautiful side of the Universe in my art, and I’ve trained myself not to care what others think of my creativity.
One of the most important things in life is to believe in yourself. Don’t say you can’t do this or that. Don’t doubt your abilities. Believe that you can. And learn how to do it. This simple belief system has changed my life. Shifting my mentality, I opened myself up to learning and achieving so many things without relying on anyone else or finding excuses not to do it. Our insecurities, excuses and doubts kill our inner confidence, and if you can’t really believe in your abilities and yourself, your mind says ‘no’, people feel it, and you stay where you are. Dream big. Move mountains. Believe.
This simple word ‘happiness’ didn’t resonate with me for years remaining elusive and meaningless. The pressure to “feel happy” hovered over me like a guillotine, coming from all corners of the universe-the TV, magazines, family. Every outlet fixated on the idea of promoting happiness… Why aren’t you happy? Isn’t it funny how our culture sets the standards? You are either in or out.
I’m so incredibly fortunate I live a lifestyle that many cannot even dream of. I love my entire day from morning to late night. My lifestyle allows me to focus on my job-painting, and not to worry about tending gardens, providing for a large family, or simply looking for clean water, like in the African nations or Latin America. It’s my pure luck to live in a place with infinite opportunities.
I’m incredibly fortunate that I have the talent and I’m an artist. Although it’s been a very hard road to travel, today I understand that what I actually possess sets me apart from others. I used to be upset, thinking salespeople of vacuum cleaners (no offense to all sales associates, please) didn’t have to struggle with attitude, misery, and years of hard work during and after grad school. Now I see that although every job must be respected (a good plumber is always in demand), my work is no different from the work of others, yet it makes me different.
I contribute to society on the emotional level, not the material one. I know that my art leaves legacy, even if it looks insignificant and much less important than the invention of a light bulb or the Internet. I’m leaving a record of our time… Like any contemporary realist artist, I capture the beautiful in response to my surroundings and ideas. As I’ve learned to value myself for who I am, this blog entry is devoted to those artists who struggle to accept and value themselves. It is possible to stop the high-speed train at any moment, if there is enough willpower inside you to embrace change. Stopping my own self-destruction wasn’t easy. Thinking negatively about myself, crossing busy streets ignoring traffic, dragging one day to the next–all were unhealthy habits I couldn’t get rid of…Don’t let your memories, events or people dictate how you think about yourself. In your mind, let negative and disrespectful people go. No matter how you try to nurture your relationship with them, they won’t change their stance on life, and that will continue bringing you down (even if they don’t mean it). Stop feeling worthless by making room for people who appreciate you for who you are and value your opinion. As your outlook slowly starts to change, you begin to attract new and different people into your life; people who inspire you to create, live, and smile.
*Originally published in 2013.
What makes an artist great is the ability to access the inner world we all have but that most others can’t access.
Rick Rubin
How to find your artistic voice
How long did it take you to paint that? “My whole life.”
Jackson Pollock
This is the most persistent question people ask artists to open up a conversation. They also want to gage the retail price of artwork to the number of hours spent working on it. Unlike the production of manufactured goods, this formula is not applicable to artists and art. It’s the fact that classically trained artists spend years, sometimes decades learning and developing a unique style and voice that can’t be measured by this simplistic formula of counting hours spent painting one artwork. Put professional artist in a room with anyone else interested in painting and ask to paint a tree. Both artists will spend equal amount of time on art creation but the result will be different. It takes years to become good, not hours spent painting one piece.
Art is within reach. We always find what we’re looking for if we truly seek it. It takes time and effort and our willingness to change to make things work in our favor. Learning to express ourselves visually is a need. Without having this inner need the artist remains an illustrator or a good craftsman. To develop your unique visual language you must dive deep inside your soul to understand your WHY. Why do you create what you create? What does it accomplish? What do you want others to see in your artwork? These are the questions that are always there inside my painting process.
When I went to art school at the Oklahoma State University back in 2001 I was lucky to have an oil painting professor who was I dare say old, probably in his early 80s. He had his convictions teaching art – painting large, having few rules, not worrying about the subject itself. His artistic belief was rooted in the American abstractionism and skillful realist figure drawing. He used to say, “It’s not WHAT you paint, it’s HOW you paint it.” I couldn’t disagree more with that statement back then. I thought that the subject of painting or the story behind it was vital to the very nature of painting. But I also thought that the unique way the artist handled the paint was important. I still think of the professor fondly. Before and after graduation with my MFA degree at Penn State, I commuted to New York taking art classes in classical figure drawing. I felt I had no talent. I pushed myself hard to learn the skills. I believed that the WHAT in painting required solid understanding of figure drawing. Two decades later painting full-time I believe that it’s not WHAT vs. HOW. Truly creative artists have mastered and combined both concepts in their art. So the subject is just as important as the unique handling of the paint. It’s important to experiment and innovate. Today I tell stories in my art using figure, color and symbols but I’m also pushing the boundaries of traditional painting techniques. While I rely on art history and skills I gained to depict the world realistically, I like to experiment with color, mixed media to create unusual surfaces and effects. So it’s not just WHAT I paint but HOW I paint it as well.
Artist’s path can be thorny, most unpredictable and definitely complicated. People avoid living such a life, many artists never make it in the profession, choosing stable comfort instead, working jobs they dislike. But true artists at heart are artists at every aspect of their lives. We can’t resist the thrill of adventure, self-discovery and limitless learning. We love to capture beauty in ordinary places, of seeing beyond the obvious, of expressing emotions without words. And that, my friend, is a blessing. Musicians, poets, writers, painters and other creatives often live in a tormented reality that eventually bares the fruit of labor.
Understanding and use of geometry and geometric construction has been a staple in art and architecture for centuries. All ancient churches, domes and palaces have a thorough understanding of geometry and geometric design to reveal the ethereal beauty of the Universe. We can notice a repetition of geometric shapes in nature, mainly in flowers and plants. Realistic drawing starts with understanding and sketching of a big geometric shape to get the right proportion, form, perspective and scale of any object you draw. It can be a difficult task to start drawing complex geometric shapes in the beginning. Therefore, we need to slow down and spend some time drawing basic geometric forms like rectangles, circles, squares, and triangles by using a ruler and a compass. Next, we begin learning how to draw more complex geometric shapes like pentagons. So below you’ll see how to draw a pentagon step-by-step. Moreover, you’ll discover why the pentagon’s shape is such an incredible part of math.
How to Draw a Pentagon
A pentagon is a shape with five sides.
This illustration shows a perfect geometric construction of a pentagon.
Step 1. Draw a cross. Start with a horizontal line and a vertical line crossing in the middle.
Step 2: Draw a circle. Use a compass to draw a circle with its center at the crossing point of the lines. Don’t change the compass size after drawing.
Step 3: Measure the side. The side of the pentagon will be slightly longer than the radius of the circle.
Step 4: Make arcs. Without changing the compass, put the compass point where the circle meets the horizontal line. Draw arcs above and below the circle.
Step 5: Draw the center. Find the middle point where the lines cross (the bisector) and mark it. Use the compass to draw an arc from the top of the circle down to the horizontal line. This makes a shape called a golden ratio!
Step 6: Use the compass. Keep the compass the same size and put it in the middle of the bisector. Draw an arc from the top of the circle to the horizontal line.
Step 7: Draw the arcs. Using the same distance to make four more arcs without closing the compass. Put the compass at the top of the circle and draw arcs where the last arc crosses the horizontal line.
Step 8: Complete the shape. Go around the circle using each arc as a center for the next arc.
Step 9: Draw the pentagon. Finally, draw lines from each point where the arcs meet to make a pentagon shape. Voila! Your pentagon is complete.
Don’t worry if you don’t get a perfect pentagon on the first try. You can keep repeating the process until you get a hang of it. Also, get yourself a good compass that holds the precise width and doesn’t slide on your page. To make the process more fun, you can outline and color the pentagon shape with some Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.
The use of a Pentagon in Architecture & History
One famous building with a pentagon drawing shape is the Pentagon building in the United States, where the Department of Defense is located. The Pentagon’s shape helps use space well and makes it easy for people to move around inside.
The pentagon originates from the Greek words “penta,” which denotes five, and “gon,” which means angles. Pentagon is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon.
Ancient Eastern Orthodox church in Athens, Greece
Greek and Roman architecture relied heavily on rectangles, squares, and circles for their structures. These shapes were favored for their simplicity, stability, and the ease with which they could be constructed. Pentagons, while mathematically understood by these civilizations, presented challenges in large-scale building due to the need for precise angles and calculations. So while the Greeks and Romans liked how perfect and beautiful the pentagon was they preferred using rectangles and squares in their architectural designs. The majority of temples, houses, and public buildings were rectangular including the Parthenon in Athens. This allowed for efficient use of space and strong, load-bearing walls. Often used for courtyards, public forums, and some temples, a square provided a central and symmetrical space. A signature element in Roman architecture, the circle was used for grand structures like the Pantheon’s dome. The Romans mastered concrete construction, which allowed them to create vast, circular spaces.
Rose Window featuring some pentagon-like flowers, Cathedral in Vienna. Photo: V.Winters
The pentagon shape was used in some Medieval construction of pentagonal tracery windows and churches interior space design. We might stumble upon some Gothic architecture with pentagonal rotundas and towers, like ‘Pillars of light’ in the Saint Mary’s Church in Freistadt and the tower of the Clarissine Church in Bratislava. Examples of pentagonal tracery windows can be seen in the Notre Dame of Paris, Saint Gereon Church of Cologne and the Notre-Dame of Nürnberg. (Source: Pentagons in medieval architecture, September 2018. authors: Krisztina Fehér, Balazs Halmos, Brigitta Szilágyi).
Cathedral of Prague, Photo: V.WintersChurch’s exterior detail showing the pentagon shape, Metz, France, photo: V.WintersPentagon shape shown in the book “Islamic patterns” by Keith Critchlow. You can get this book on Amazon although it’s an old one and is out of print. Some retailers sell it as a used book.
Finally, the pentagon in Islamic art and architecture serves as a building block for geometric creations based on circles. In some Islamic geometric art, particularly the “girih” style prominent in Iran, the pentagon can be a component for creating complex, interlaced patterns. These patterns showcase mathematical principles and divine beauty through repetition and symmetry.
You can see the pentagon shape in contemporary art and craft as well.
Mathematical Explanation Of The Universe’s Construction
Math helps us find and connect to beautiful patterns in nature. With its five sides and unique angles, a pentagon is a wonderful example. We can notice the pentagon shapes in flowers and plants, like in the ‘morning glory’ or sliced okra. Math is a unique language that helps us understand the hidden workings of cosmos where the pentagon appears in natural and man-made things. Math gives us exact measurements and calculations essential for building solid structures, designing rockets, and creating new technologies. Geometric constructions seem to be the epitome of a divine beauty expressed in mathematical language of numbers, circles and lines.
Where To Learn About Math Tutoring
Fortunately, people can get easy access to math classes online on websites like Brighterly without attending a physical classroom. Brighterly is an online platform with tutors who are experts at providing tailored math lessons to your kids. They offer individualized, fun and flexible learning experience for children.
If your child struggles with math and needs help in math tutoring, online math lessonsprovide children with great opportunities to study mathematical concepts on your terms.
The article is written by Veronica Winters with Jessica Kaminski.
On artist sensitivity, jealousy, self-doubt, failure, work and dreams
As artists we experience a wide range of emotions. All people have them but we tend to feel them much deeper. In this episode I share my thoughts about artistic sensitivity, jealousy, self-doubt, failure and work. I also tell you how I’m learning to dream big as a creative. I hope this is helpful to you if you feel stuck or unaccepted for who you are. Dive into the world of visionary art and explore the emotions and beauty behind art creation.
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