February 17th, 2008 admin
Just a brief post to let everyone know that Issue #21 has been published. It has been awhile since I have worked on ZAF622 so it is good to get a new issue published.
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February 14th, 2008 admin
There are so many truths in that little video. Don’t you think?
this post sponsored by Beet Street.
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February 6th, 2008 admin
I just spent some time looking around for blogs by Fort Collins artists. I did not have much luck. I had trouble even finding a regular web site of a Fort Collins artist. But I know many of you have web sites. Where are they? Ever consider doing a blog? 
I ask that question because search engines like blogs. That makes it easier for people to find you. And oddly enough bloggers like blogs. Which also makes it easier for people to find you. That is because bloggers form a huge network on the internet of writers and readers. I think I should use an example to illustrate what I am trying to say…
Yesterday I posted a small piece about a gallery in Los Angeles. I found that information because the gallery had blogged about it. Since I liked what I saw I shared it with my audience, the 3 of you. And maybe, just maybe one of you also liked what you saw and got in touch with the artist of the piece you liked. Bottom line is an audience of readers in Fort Collins Colorado was presented with work from artists in Los Angeles.
This could happen if you had a blog of your art. An art blogger in New York or Glasgow could find your blog and share it with her audience. Someone in that audience could really like what they see contact you maybe even to buy a piece or two.
Blogging is a simple tool to add to your self promotion efforts. Blogging is easy. Blogs can be free. If your already doing a newsletter of some sort you should be putting it in a blog.
But you say you don’t know anything about blogs. Reading Art Palaver may be the extent of your blogging experience. Well I can help you move beyond that. Through a series of posts I will do my best to help you get started in the world of blogging.
And if any of you artists out there have web send me the addresses. I would like to start working on a artist’s links page both on Art Palaver and ZAF622.
Posted in Art on the Web | 5 Comments »
February 5th, 2008 admin
I should let you know that I purposely do not write about comics as much as I want to here on Art Palaver. If the word comics is a little too low brow we can also call them sequential art. You see I am a big fan of the genre and believe that here in America comics are under appreciated. Like any medium there is a lot of bad meaningless work happening but there is also a lot of amazing statement on humanity being made as well.
One of the men we can thank for comics surviving through the years is Stan Lee. Mr Lee has created many many characters through out the decades that have become staples of our pop culture landscape. His work has also been a major influence on many kids who grew up to become writers and artists. And these days his creations seem to be ripe for the picking for the movie studios in Hollywood.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well the Gallery 1988: LA has put together a show of work inspired by Stan Lee and I just wanted to share it with you. Below are some of my favorites. Click here to see more. (Thanks for letting me get a post about comics out of my system.)
Posted in Art on the Web | 2 Comments »
January 30th, 2008 admin
Some of you know of my other project, ZAF622 The Fort Collins Art Webzine. You also know that it has been on hiatus. And though you can not tell yet that hiatus is officially over. I have already done some interviews and am getting them hammered out and ready for publishing. I am also going to once again attempt to publish an actual "zine" to go along with the website.
The big word there is attempt. Last summer I tried it and it did not turn out so good. But I did learn from that experience and I hope to use what I learned in publishing the next one. For those of you not familiar with zines and zine culture it is basically a homemade magazine. Usually printed on copy paper and hand assembled then hand distributed around the community. The Matter Book Store has a nice little zine section if your interested in checking some out.
I’ll be sure and post here when I publish ZAF622. Thanks for all the inquiries as to ZAF’s fate, they helped me find the energy to start it back up again.
Posted in Art on the Web, Fort Collins | No Comments »
January 18th, 2008 admin
Just came across an interesting practice artists are doing. It is called shopdropping, the opposite of shoplifting.
SHOPDROPPING strives to take back a share of the visual space we encounter on daily basis. Similar to the way street art stakes a claim to public space for self expression, my shopdropping project subverts commercial space for artistic use in an attempt to disrupt the mundane commercial process with a purely artistic moment. The photographs act as a visual journal of my travels over the past few years. Displayed in nonlinear combinations the images remix the traditional narrative of the passing of time. The vibrant individuality of each image is a stark contrast to the repetitive, functional, package design that is replaced. Shopdropping gives voice to the pervasive disillusionment from our increasingly commercial society. A voice that is, paradoxically, made possible only by commercial technological advancements.
That was taken from shopdropping.net.
It seems I am seeing more and more art that is made and then just left in public spaces. I’ve even heard of cities that have walls available for public creation of art. I wonder how official Haystack Rock is?
(Thanks Lost in E Minor for the tip.)
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January 10th, 2008 admin
Solid Art Collective, the creative machine that was started by dRE Williams has a new website. I could write a long paragraph telling of all the great things Solid Art Collective does and has done but I am going to take the lazy route and tell you to just go see the new website for yourself. Just click the pretty picture below.
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January 4th, 2008 admin
I am a bit ADD, I work in a lot of mediums, never able to settle in one. But I have a few that I spend a lot of time in, one of them being Photoshop. I currently work with Photoshop 7.0. I also spend a lot of time reading about Photoshop and searching out new ways to use the very deep and rich software. Currently new information will be based on Photoshop CS3, the latest and greatest version of Photoshop. I still use 7.0 because CS3 is around $800. I have to admit that I have found myself believing I need to upgrade in order to do certain things. In other words I use having an old version of Photoshop as an excuse for not creating. After seeing the work of Bob Staake (thanks Drawn!) I am reminded that it is a pretty lame excuse. Mr. Staake is an author and illustrator who works in Photoshop 3.0. His illustrations are beautiful.
In all mediums there is the potential to use lack of the latest and greatest materials for not creating. It is hard to avoid. But I know the most important thing is to work. Work with what you have. Do the best you can with the resources in hand and the rest will come.
Click here to see a video showing Bob Staake in action.
Click here to see his website.
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January 1st, 2008 admin
Sorry for leaving without saying “good-bye.” Just got back from a holiday trip visiting family from both sides of the aisle. That meant stops in Lancaster County Pennsylvania and Chicagoland Illinois. One area seemed void of artistic activity and one had more than I could take in. I’ll let you guess which one is which.
Now I am back and ready to get to work. First thing on the agenda is to get posting here on Art Palaver. Next will be firing up ZAF622 again. Time to get back out there and meet artists in order to share their story. The other item on my Fort Collins art plate is the Fort Collins Art Festival. Big or small we need to make it happen in 2008.
I have lot of ideas for ZAF622 and Art Palaver in 2008 but I believe it is better to talk about something you have done than something your going to do, so you’ll just have to wait and see.
Thank you for your continued support and welcome to 2008!
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December 14th, 2007 admin
Fort Collins Non-Profit Coffee House, Everyday Joe’s, has released a 19 song CD download of Christmas tunes. This is part of the statement released by Everyday Joe’s:
“One part of the vision of Everyday Joe’s is to give back to the community as much as possible…whether that be monetarily, through in-kind donations, not charging for the use of the building, and now, through a free CD compilation for you.
Love, Everyday Joe’s- vol. 1: No More Gloom is now up for download by clicking here. This is an idea that had been brewing in our minds for some time and to see it come to fruition is fantastic. All the music on the album was donated by musicians who have played here. This will only be available for a limited time (until about Jan. 1) so don’t dilly dally. Get downloading!”
The compilation includes Aboyandhiskite, Winderous Igloos, Eric Peters, Josh Dillard, Luke Flowers, Trace Bundy, Eva Holbrook, Kate Hurley, The Blackthorn Project, Tim Coons, Listener Project, The Apprentice, Jeremy Lister, Jonah Werner, Andrew Osenga, Katie Herzig, Aaron Strumpel, and Sleeping At Last.
The download is complete with album art. Click here to get it.
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