Sochi Olympic Games Plagued by Corruption.

It's fairly well-known that the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi have already become the most expensive in history, more than quadrupling estimates for cost...but now, "president" Putin is facing criticism as some of his cronies are accused of stealing $30 Billion (yes, with a "B") from funds intended to help with construction and other costs. Further criticism has been hurled due to the apparent awarding of building contracts to companies owned by close friends of Putin without a public competition or bidding...take a look...
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/30/18631119-olympic-sized-corruption-plagues-sochi-winter-games-report-claims?lite

The Fork in the Road.

The Fork in the Road.

A new piece about big decisions...

30 Americans. A Review.

In my quest to understand what this exhibit is trying to say about the artists and their work's relation to race, I ran across an interesting review of the exhibit, seen at a previous location, from the Washington Post. Obviously, I can't prove or disprove anything this review says (it's relatively critical),  but I was happy to see that others have questioned exactly what the show says, or isn't saying, about race and how it has affected these "30 Artists." Take a look...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/exhibits/30-americans,1180371/critic-review.html

And another that brings up similar questions...
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41567/30-americans-at-the-corcoran-gallery-has-little-to-say

Despite the reviews' assertion of certain shortcomings, I'm very excited to see the show. There are some big name artists with some fantastic work...but I also am interested to see what, if any, sense of understanding I get from viewing the work. Is it a narrative or a display of a lack of narrative?  Is there a grouping or did the show prove this grouping doesn't work? Is it a show of african-american artwork or is it a show that proves "african-american artwork" isn't really a definable thing?

Best of the Venice Biennale.

Take a look at The Guardian's top picks from the Venice Biennale.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2013/may/29/venice-biennale-ai-weiwei-best-pictures

And then a slideshow from the Telegraph...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8555041/Venice-Biennale-2011-art-festival-in-pictures.html

Some of these seem pretty interesting...others just feel a bit too spectacle-oriented for my viewing pleasure, though I suppose being there changes the experience quite a bit. I think I'm just not into installation art as much as most other people...

I think I find it overbearing...like the artist is yelling at you...like they don't think they are being heard so they need the art to be obviously interesting from afar instead of letting the viewer happen upon it. I know that's not the case and probably more a problem with my personal viewing experience, but I just find looking at installation after installation a bit tiresome....like being in a critique to some extent. At some point you just don't care about all the negative words anymore...

maybe that's more a result of going through a slideshow or viewing the work in the form of a fair...maybe installation art needs to be isolated? Is the surreal still surreal when everything's surreal?

Major News Outlets Refuse Off-The-Record Meeting with Holder.

Attorney General Eric Holder hoped to discuss guidelines for media investigations into government leaks with major news representatives in an off-the-record meeting...but he's found the press isn't very willing. Take a look...
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/29/holder-runs-into-roadblocks-on-off-the-record-meetings-on-leaks/

Artist Plans To Cover Human Corpse in Gold.

With much legal wrangling yet to take place, a danish artist has announced plans to cover the corpse of an executed Texas prisoner with gold in an upcoming exhibit. Take a look...
http://theartnewspaper.com/articles/Artist-plans-to-cover-executed-prisoners-corpse-in-gold-paint-for-show/29805

Photoshopping the Hoan Bridge.

The Hoan Bridge needs a hand...or 11

Designating The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Do you voice your opinion about art or simply nod, letting whomever is leading the conversation dictate "truth"? Take a look at the story below, where an art museum actually asks for the publics' opinion on what they should keep in their collection...

http://hyperallergic.com/72127/georgia-museum-of-art-crowdsources-a-deaccession-decision/

I think it's great. Art viewing, for the most part, has become a rather sterile event. You read the wall text or the tag. You might seek out the artist, if you're motivated and comfortable. But most float through the gallery space, judging art on the basis of "like" and "don't like" not even realizing that nothing is resolved through that. You may not have really understood the piece...you may not have known there was something to understand...you might like how it looks but hate the message or the other way around...but how would you know?

You shouldn't just accept what the wall or even the artist tells you...you should take it into consideration on your path to understand YOUR perspective on the work. Don't like it because a critic tells you to...don't ignore it because your friends think it's weird...don't say it's important because the artist was a nice guy...

Get involved in your art viewing...have a real opinion.

A Piece About Hands.

Only got a few hours to work on this piece...not sure how close to done or quite what it's about...but take a look at the new in-progress piece.

The Mini Moss Version of Jurassic Park.

While dinosaurs may not be in the cards, we could always aim for a Jurassic Botanical Garden, though I don't know how exciting of a movie it would make...take a look

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/-em-jurassic-park-em-is-realfor-400-year-old-arctic-mosses/276293/

Storage. What A Year of Art Looks Like.

There are at least 100 canvases stacked up in my room...and one 100 year  old chinese  trunk.

Andy Warhol once said (or at least that's what the internet told me) that art not sold is just a storage problem...

And while it's a better storage problem than, say, if I was a hoarder...it still holds true.

Introducing my part-time bedroom, all-the-time painting storage area at the fullest it's ever been...

 To help you out with scale here, that tube on the upper-right is about 4 feet tall and the largest canvases seen in the upper-left are five feet in height. I'd guess there are around 60-70 canvases stacked in the space you see here...

And though these pieces are much smaller, they are double-stacked high at places and the pile is about 4-5 feet deep. Another 30-40 small-medium scale pieces...

And don't forget the 20+ pieces lucky enough to hang on the walls throughout the house...

And just so you don't walk out of here feeling like I've been lazy, there are two more piles in the living room, one pile at my lovely lady-friend's place and a good 50-100 more pieces that have sold,  are on view, or that have gone missing (or been destroyed) over the last few years...

Take a look at the archive for a clear view of the amount of work from the last year or so...and let me know if you're interested in anytning you see below!

http://danielflemingart.tumblr.com/archive

How Houston Became King.

All of the ten largest US metros have all made huge strides since the lowest point of the economic recession, but Houston, far and away, has recovered and moved forward better than any other location in the country. Why? Take a look below to find out.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/houston-is-unstoppable-why-texas-juggernaut-is-americas-1-job-creator/275927/

The New Arrested Development.

What the critics are saying...and I think it's a pretty good indication of what most feel...
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/27/showbiz/tv/arrested-development-critics-reaction/index.html

I've been hearing good and bad...and not at all surprised by that. I was one of the few rabid fans I talked to that approached the new release with a bit of hesitation, some worry, but, ultimately, joy. I didn't jump on the release the second it hit netflix and I'll admit I'm only through the first few episodes...that said I can see why people are a bit unhappy. It's slower...the interactions aren't as snappy...there's confusion about what is exactly happening...(though I remember not being a total fan of the original AD the first episode i saw...thought it was confusing and weird) At the same time, anyone expecting something better than what was the best show on television seven years ago, in my opinion, were out of their minds.

A remake is never as good as the original...and while they weren't remaking the same shows, they are reigniting a storyline seven years after the fact. I would never expect it to be quite as awesome as the first, great attempt. I think most of the "this is horrible" reviews that I've seen are A. jumping the gun as part of the glory of AD was the subtle jokes you gather over time and B. had fooled themselves into thinking seven years between episodes wouldn't change the show at all.

I've enjoyed the first few episodes, even if it wasn't as good as the old AD...that said, these featured three of my lesser favorite characters, the introduction of a brand new approach to the story-telling and catching us up on 7 years of happenings, so I expect it will only get better.

Is it as good as the old? At this point, i'd say "still good, but no"...but then again, what is?

Cave Paintings and Carvings Discovered in Mexico.

A treasure trove of well-preserved cave paintings and carvings were discovered in Mexico recently, revealing nearly 5,000 new scenes across 11 different ancient sites. Take a look.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22632301

The Mural. Sneak Peak.

Take a sneak peak at the mural...not quite done yet...

13 Unlucky Inventors.

History is full of failures and accidents...but when both coincide, you have some interesting tales of innovators who may have just been too far ahead of their time. Take a look at 13 unlucky inventors whose inventions, in one way or another, led to their death.
http://io9.com/13-unlucky-inventors-killed-by-their-own-inventions-509842353

Hot Coffee. A New Piece.

A new still life...

Hot Coffee.
6x4"

A Cup. A New Piece.

It's tough to get a good idea of the color, texture and variation of color from the above photo...take a look at the close-ups for a more clear view of the actual appearance. I'm hoping to take some better photos tonight/tomorrow...

Heads High. A New Piece.

Heads High.
14x11"
Acrylic, Pastel and Crayon-Pencil on Canvas.

Smoking as a Penguin with a Handful of Loose Change.

Smoking as a Penguin with a Handful of Loose Change.

20x20”

Acrylic, Pastel andd Crayon-Pencil on Wood Panel.

Work from the Weekend. A penguin, giraffe and a still life.

Check out some work from last night...the penguin's my favorite...

Picasso Vandal Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison.

An art student has plead guilty in the vandalism of a Picasso piece in Houston and has been sentenced to 2 years in prison...if you recall, this same man was awarded a show at a Houston gallery after the vandalism, much to the chagrin of the Houston art community. Take a look...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/picasso-vandalism-uriel-landeros-pleads-guilty-to-graffiti-charge_n_3315169.html

What a moron.

Stall. Work from Last Night.

I've been watching far too much of the show "Air Crash Investigation."

Stall.
20x20"
Acrylic, Pastel and Pencil on Drop-cloth.

Unions Turn on Obamacare.

When the ACA was announced, the Obama Administration counted unions among its strongest supporters...but as news and information continues to trickle, some unions are backing out of the support for what they are calling "unexpected consequences." take a look.
http://news.yahoo.com/unions-now-angry-health-care-overhaul-074904729.html

Lakes of Death: The Limnic Eruption.

Meet one of the more mysterious, frightening, and rare natural disasters, a limnic eruption, documented only twice in human history...

A 40 min documentary...
Nat Geo - Killer Lakes.

The Wikipedia Page.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnic_eruption

I’ve Been Awake for 10,000 Years. A New Piece.

I’ve Been Awake for 10,000 Years.
14x11
Acrylic and Pastel on Canvas.

Uncommon Ground: A Survey of British Land Art.

A survey of British Land Art, the largest to date, shows a more domestically scaled and quirkier version of its American counterpart...take a look.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/10069002/Uncommon-Ground-Land-Art-in-Britain-1966-1979-Southampton-City-Art-Gallery-review.html

Why the Next "World's Tallest Building" is More Important Than it's Height.

We've seen bigger and bigger buildings going up all around the world over the last decade...just a couple weeks ago, the new World Trade building in New York became the Western Hemisphere's tallest....but at such extravagant costs and lengthy construction times, many question the point and economic viability of such structures.

A new building, and way of building, seeks to change that...
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2013/05/why-you-cant-be-blase-about-next-worlds-tallest-building/5665/

More Evidence Ancient Mars Could Have Supported Life.

More evidence from the rovers that ancient life could have been supported on Mars...
http://news.yahoo.com/more-evidence-ancient-mars-could-support-life-found-144337304.html

The Top of the World. 60 Years Since the First Successful Ascent of Mt. Everest.

Take a look at this preview of fantastic photos from the upcoming book celebrating the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest 60 years ago.
Guardian - Gallery

Mt. Everest has always been a subject of wonder for me. I have no desire to climb it, but the stories, history and current controversy have always struck a chord. If interested, take a look at a few posts on art, news, and documentaries on Everest.

Art:
http://marionart23.blogspot.com/2012/01/storm-on-mountain.html
http://marionart23.blogspot.com/2011/09/sun-on-ridge.html
http://marionart23.blogspot.com/2012/05/little-life-left.html

Other posts:
http://marionart23.blogspot.com/2012/01/over-200-bodies-on-mt-everest.html

I've Been Awake for 10,000 Years. A New Piece.

I've Been Awake for 10,000 Years.

14x11