Big Cheese Country...Wisconsin...or the Big Cheesy

Valley Ridge Artist Studio in Wisconsin is coming up in a few weekends. So if you've been holding off from signing up...now is the time.Those who have never been...it is one of my favs. Bill and Kathy are the ultimate hosts and will even host "cow tipping" escapades

...well...not really....but they might if you asked nicely. They have a great property and with views to die for. Always a lovely selection of regional cheese...ask nicely and I'll bet they let you cut the cheese. Well maybe not

Hey speaking about cheese and beef...here is a question...who came first...Mayor McCheese

or H.R. Pufinstuf.

Have you ever n

otice how McDonaldland

looks strangely like the land of Freddie the Flute, Witchie Poo, and Jimmy....

come and sail with me, Jimmy, come and sail with me.

You compare and let me know what you decide...coincidence? or not?

Anyway...sorry for the digression....,

hope to see some of you in Wisconsin. I'll be teaching deMented Toys and the Mad Alchemist's Cabinet. Oh...and I'm going to be visiting a nifty place while...I'm there. More on that later. If you still want to sign up for classes go here and we can talk about art, Hamburglers, and other things. Click here to join the fun.

IMIX: Children of the Night...what sweet music they make.

Okay...

so most of you know I grew up loving vampires (below is one of my favorite photos that I have ever taken).

For me it all started at a matinee watching Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, Here's a little peek of that classic.

Interesting that Dracula is impervious to bullets yet not to guns being thrown at him.

Next was after preschool episodes of Dark Shadows,

Barnabus...he da man

From there it went on and on Bram Stokers novel, the Lost Boys, Anne Rice's books and most recently HBO's True Blood.

I just finished season one. I am so hooked.

So in honor of my blood-sucker obsession, I decided to create a little IMix in honor of the Creatures of the Night.

So here is my IMix..with some explanations of my choices.

Vampiro IMix

1. Back To The Life: Spoon

I love this song....especially because of the maniacal laugh at the beginning. Perfect way to start off the mix.

2. Back to Black: Amy Winehouse
Amy might not be a vampire... but she most definitely is not human.

3. King Volcano: Bauhaus
The likely choice from Bauhaus would have been Bela Lugosi's Dead. I decided to not go for something so obvious. There is something very Romani about this song. As for the lyrics....unusual and cryptic. If you can decipher 'em let me know...I'm lost.

4. Little One: Beck
Ghostly...thats is all I have to say.

5. O Death: Camper Van Beethoven
Here's a remake of an old folk tune, you may remember it from O' Brother Where Art Thou. Camper punks it up a bit.

6. Trouble: Bitter:Sweet
I really like this song. If vampires were hipsters this would be an appropriate theme song.

7. La Llorona: Blame Sally
I know that la Llorona is more of a troubled Latin spirit than a vamp...but she is creepy and plus, I haven't come across any songs about the more vampiric chubacabras.

8. Enjoy the Ride: Morcheeba
Wandering through a graveyard has never been so enjoyable.

9. Sidi Ifni: Cracker
Not really a vampire song but certainly very tomb-ish

10. Lunático: Gotan Project
A vampire carnival if I ever heard one.

11. Hunter's Kiss: Rasputina
Ah...Rasputina...the goth girls and there frilly dresses and red and white striped stockings. A sad tale about hunter an prey...it ends tragically...otherwise I guess it wouldn't be a sad.

12. Evil Night Together: Jill Tracy
I fell in love with Jill Tracy's music when I discovered that she composed a soundtrack to the orginal Nosferatu.

13. Black Wings: Tom Waits
If Johnny Cash was a vampire...this would be his theme song.

14. White Tooth Man: Iron & Wine
Okay, so the song is not about Dracula but I thought it seemed appropriate.

15. Twice: Little Dragon
Not sure why, but this song reminds me of the Nosferatus. I think it is all the mirror references. Look up this video on youtube...shadow puppets...nifty.

16. Hold On, Hold On: Neko Case
Haunting...with a country twang.

17. Vampire: Sinéad O'Connor
A reggae version by Sinead about vampire hunters...Ja Ja sent us here to catch vampire...

18. Is She Weird: Pixies
A Goth theme song if there ever was one...there seems to be some debate about whether this is literally about a vampire. I'm not really sure but "Is She Weird" is weird.

19. This House Is Haunted By the Echo of Your Last Goodbye: Holly Cole
And a nice jazzy number to close out the set.

Happy Listening...bwahahahaha

Day of the Dead itinerary

Oaxaca News:

Oaxaca and deMeng de los Muertos is just around the corner. I just got this years Day of the Dead itinerary from Colleen. Should be a blast.

deMeng de los Muertos

October 25 - November 3, 2009

Calaveras y Diablos, y Santos…Oh My! click here for class description

Itinerary:

October 25 (Sunday) Arrive in Oaxaca and get settled after a long journey. Enjoy a walk to the Zocalo (town square) for dinner and sight seeing in the evening.

October 26 (Monday) Breakfast 7:30 – 10:00 A.M. Class begins at 10:A.M. We will walk to the Zocalo to explore our supply options. The market, religious store, hardware, paper store and lots of treats along the way will help us all get oriented to the variety Oaxaca has to offer. Lunch at 1:30 Return to class. Evening is free.

October 27 (Tuesday) Breakfast. Class begins at 10:00 A.M. Break for lunch. Late afternoon and evening free.

October 28 (Wednesday) Breakfast. Class begins at 10:00 A.M. Break for lunch. Late afternoon and evening free.

October 29 (Thursday) Breakfast. Class begins at 10;00 A.M. Break for lunch. Finish up projects and get ready for the critique” the good, the bad, and the ugly” Celebrate a fabulous class with a group dinner.

October 30 (Friday) Breakfast. 9:00 A.M. Tour to Ocotlan market and the Aguilar sisters, known for whimsical ceramic figures. On to San Martin Tilcajete home to some of Mexico’s finest woodcarvers. Lunch and back to Oaxaca. Evening free.

October 31 (Saturday) Breakfast. 11:00 A.M. tour to the Ethno-Botanical Garden. An amazing place even if you aren’t into plants Lots of photo opportunities. The only way to visit is with a guide. Lunch at a garden restaurant. A visit to the new textile museum for anyone interested, or just spend the day visiting the sights of Oaxaca. Lots of ofrendas and sand paintings and some parades will be going on around the zocalo. This is the first night of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. It is an amazing experience and a time to be very respectful of the people. Please ask before taking photographs.

November 1 (Sunday) Breakfast. 9:00 A.M. Tour to Mitla and the cemetery. Here the celebration begins during the day. A visit to a weaver’s home and lunch in the countryside. In the evening a visit to the city cemetery

November 2 (Monday) Breakfast. Last day in Oaxaca to spend as you wish. Shopping, eating, drinking or just sitting in the Zocalo taking it all in. Group dinner and our last night together.

November 3 (Tuesday) Breakfast. Fly away home

If you're interested contact:

Colleen Darling

950 Ballard Canyon Rd.

Solvang CA 93463

805-688-1221

colleen950@gmail.com

My very first book...Moon Monster

Howdy... 

hangin' in Saluda NC teaching a workshop this weekend at Random Arts.

Great time as always.

In the mean time, here is a little interview I recently did for MMCA.  Learn all about my first book:  Moon Monster.

Check it out the interview here

Here is the scoop on MMCA:

OUR STORY

We have no headquarters, which is good for the heating/cooling bill. We have no boss, no timekeeper, and no employee handbook. Then again, we have no fixed income. What we do have is group purchasing power in a world market. We are diverse. You will find not only full-time professional artists among us, but an arts gallery owner, a stay-at-home-mom, several savvy business women and more. Most of them would not know any of the others if they met in passing because most have never met face-to-face. Yet, many of the members talk daily about issues affecting their business and given that the art world relies on disposable income; there is a lot to discuss these days. A passion for adventure, exploration and art unifies the artists involved in the MMCA Marketplace, a virtual store that went up as the Dow was crashing down. MMCA Marketplace is a retail fine arts and craft shop. Its member artists make art cards, mixed media collages, floor cloths, jewelry, sculpture, paintings on paper and canvas, photographs and much more.

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE BEN!

As Al Pacino said in Scarface:  "Say hello to my little Ben!"...well, he said something like that.

So, I want to introduce you to my little Ben...Big Ben actually...Here he is....always prompt and timely,

 make no bones about it.  Doesn't he make you feel like the Abominable Snowman in Bugs Bunny cartoons..

.."I will name him George (Ben), and I will hug him and squeeze him and pet him and pat him..." 

I opted for a crustacean theme with ol' Ben

and to think he started from a roller skate, an alarm clock and a Goodwill dolly.  As my favorite Shakespeare quote goes:  

Full fathom five thy father lies, 

Of his bones are coral made, 

Those are pearls that were his eyes

Nothing of him that doth fade

But doth suffer a sea-change 

Into something rich and strange

Yep...that's my Ben..

Kali...Happy Dark Mother's Day

Last week I finished a piece based on one of the most complex Hindu deities, Kali Ma, the Dark Mother. 

 Of course she also has a benevolent side but usually when you see her she is in her dark mode of destruction.  Usually standing above the dead body of Shiva....don't worry he comes back.  He's a god after all.   She apparently also fought Sinbad...here she is now...

Thought I'd share some images of a piece I just finished.  This is my Kali, the Dark Mother.

She is life size and I am currently building a class proposal around this concept.  If you're in Missoula you can stop by the store Tsunami on Higgins Ave. and check her out in person.

 One missing feature that I deliberated long and hard on is the traditional Kali tougue. I tried it and it was too much for this particular piece.  Instead I sort of insinuate it.It is usually bright red and sort of like Gene Simmons.  In fact I really think that he used her as inspiration.  You compare and decide:

Kali:

 Gene:

Everything coming up roses...

Once upon a time....

there was a little boy who like scary things ...his father read him scary books...his grandmother took him to scary movies... and he used to go to Disneyland all the time so that he could ride the Haunted Mansion ride.  That was me...yes indeed.  I spent much of my childhood in Southern California.  Born there in fact.  My grandparents had a contact lens biz "Crown Contact Lens" in Pasadena.  When I was a kid I remember going to the Rose Parade from there office.  The floats are amazing but really it is the smell that is spectacular. 

 Of course the didn't have any Day of the Dead floats, back then like they did in 2008.

So if  you're wondering why I'm being all nostalgic...it is because I will be heading back down that way to teach at Zinnia, 

I really haven't spent much time there since I was a kid, though, but it is always interesting to see how things have changed.  I'll actually be in South Pasadena though..close enough for me. 

 I'll be teaching Shoe Shrines, What a Relief, and Island of deMented Toys.  Should be fun.  Here's the contact:  

1040 Mission Street  #103

South Pasadena, CA 91030

626 441 2181

Side-trip:

While I'm there, the Wynns, Jane

 and Tom, that is   will be in town for a friends art opening. 

His name is Chris Cooper and will be showing at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City.  

ART n' SOUL VA

Just got back from VA Art and Soul.  Super swell time teaching, hanging, and yes I did have a martini or two while I was there.  Also quite the adventure at Harpoon Larry's for dinner.  Here is the motley crew now including: the Wynns, Kecia Deveney and her friend Jane, Stephanie Rubiano, Dan Essig, and the irrepressible Susan Lenart Kazmer

You may notice the paper bag I'm holding.  It's a Corona...thats how they serve em at Harpoon Larry's (my hair sure looks poofy there).  by the way I stole this photo from Kecia's blog.