muralcle block party!

I was asked to promote this event, so here we go. Please note that all of the following italicized words were written by the folks at SeeSAW. I have added my photographs in lieu of using theirs.

For Immediate Release
SeeSAW Block Party and David Ellis
Who: SeeSAW (Savannah Art Walls) and Savannah artists Katherine Sandoz, Troy Wandzel, Adolfo Alvarado and visiting artist David Ellis
What: Block Party
Where: SeeSAW Mural Wall | 34th and Habersham Street | Savannah, GA
When: Sunday, October 14 , 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Social Media Feed: Twitter @SavArtWAlls
Follow SeeSAW’s collaboration with David Ellis with the hashtag #EllisSAV on twitter and instagram October 14 - 19.
For info please email info@savannahartwalls.org

SeeSAW (See Savannah Art Walls) is excited to announce a block party this Sunday, October 14 in celebration of a year’s worth of art and community support at the mural wall at 34th and Habersham Street in Savannah, GA. In December of 2011 SeeSAW secured approval from Savannah’s Metropolitan Planning Commission to oversee the first designated rotating mural wall in Savannah. To fund a years worth of murals SeeSAW successfully raised over $7,000.00 on the crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter. Most of the money raised was locally sourced from individual Savannahians and local businesses that support the amplification of public art.
In order to stay in line with the curatorial standard of creating work that is Savannah-centric in nature, SeeSAW selected prominent local artists Katherine Sandoz, Troy Wandzel, and Adolfo Hernandez Alvarado. These three artists were selected to tell a visual story of Savannah because of their consistent history documenting and interacting with the diverse people and geography of Georgia's first city.

Starting on the coldest day of the year in February 2012, Katherine Sandoz painted an abstract landscape of Turtle Island, a hammock off the Georgia coast directly due east from the wall at 34th and Habersham. The landscape spanned the length of the 8 ft x 100 ft wall.

In June 2012, rather than obliterate Sandoz’s landscape, Troy Wandzel decided to add a field of flowers along the lower third of the wall. Often in contorted positions, Wandzel painted over 70 portraits from life of everyday Savannah citizens that willingly suffered the June heat with smiles on their faces.

Staying in the theme of adding
to the wall rather than starting
over, in September of 2012
Adolfo Hernandez Alvarado synthesized Sandoz’s landscape and Wandzel’s portraits by painting a centrally located female figure with a crown formed out of seashells and waves. The woman represents
the feminine qualities of Savannah as a city, from its natural and architectural beauty to its motherly embrace.
“La Madre” of Savannah is flanked by two bearded horn players derivative of the fountain in historic Forsyth Park.
To close out the year with a bang, SeeSAW will be bringing in world-renowned NYC-based artist David Ellis for a week of painting “large, mobile, 3D” objects placed on the lawn in front of the wall on 34th Street. SeeSAW co-founders James “DrZ” Zdaniewski and Matt Hebermehl were inspired to create SeeSAW based upon previous experiences assisting Mr. Ellis on projects in Savannah and the Wynwood Walls neighborhood of Miami, FL. David Ellis will be in Savannah October 14 - 19.

Let me tell you, this was quite a block party, too! People from the neighborhood, people from all over Savannah, even people from other cities, all came together to admire the Muralcle and to watch the New Yorker create his motion-based paintings on the side panels of cargo trucks. It was almost like he was dancing! He may well have been, as the crowd was entertained by the sounds of Vinyl Appreciation while slurping Italian ices to stay cool in the sunshine.
Remember how Fliss had her portrait painted in June by Troy Wandzel? Well, the evidence points to his having an influence on Adolfo Alvarado's design. Perhaps he asked that my visage be preserved; perhaps he did not. Whatever the case may be, Fliss remains with "La Madre", peeking out on the lefthand side. Is it mere coincidence that has me nestled near "The Mother"? I prefer to think it was on purpose. Yet another message from beyond, reassuring me that I am spending the money properly.
Thanks, Mama.

flower power muralcle

Oh, wow! Fliss has been immortalized!!! Well, at least for a few months, right? I mean, a few months on the Savannah Art Wall at 34th and Habersham Streets, but who knows how long on the internet?
This kickstarter project has been very good to me!
Even if it did come as a little shock to me that I had so much gray in my hair. (Odd; the mirror must lie!)
Two weeks ago, I received a notice from the the good folks at SeeSAW that Troy Wandzel was the next artist to paint the Wall. He likes live models and had asked that local kickstarter supporters, as well as all interested others, come by during his week to get their portraits done. Of course I went!
Thursday, June 21st, fit nicely into my schedule. I had to wait my turn behind three young blonde lasses, but the day was gorgeous and music was provided, so I was good! I even danced a little! Then it was my turn to be captured.
Troy was very fast with his painting. That was partly due to the fast-drying nature of the paint, but also it was his style, perfected over the years. A few quick strokes, some washes of color, and a little fine-tuning: done!

These last two are of the finished Wandzel painting, taken today. I was very pleased that he had incorporated the "Turtle Island" landscape into his world of flower people. Then again, it speaks well of him that he has such respect for another's work.
I wonder what the next artist will do?

PINK is my guardian partridge

As one of the many rewards for backing her kickstarter project, Connie Noyes,
soon to be world-famous artist,
said she would send an autographed 4"x4" art print,
of my choice.
"Guardian Partridge"
was the one I selected,
with the colorful bird
perched on the feet of two different people.
Perhaps my selection process was colored by my taste for the grilled quail featured at a local all-hours diner. Quail, like partridges, are pretty little game fowl, n'est-ce pas?

I also have her autograph
on the catalogue for her PINK SPACE exhibit in Chicago.
I don't know
if I mentioned it or not,
but that exhibit features work
that is dear to my heart.
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"
has long been my mantra,
and she follows that call
with flying colors
- in shades of pink!
By "elevating the prestige of mundane materials," she literally turns trash into art, granting it a new life. She also sent me a snazzy placard for the new website. I just may turn that into a magnet for my fridge. I do like the hot pink fading to black above and below!

This is my favorite piece
from the PINK SPACE installation.
So many different textures!
Apparently,
for this art,
touching was encouraged!
With my predisposition
to running my fingers
along surfaces,
I would have had
a blast there!
My mother's admonition
to me
as a child to
"keep your hands in your pockets"
wouldn't have needed to be uttered.
Ah, to be in that Windy City for the show!
Meanwhile, let me close my eyes and see if I can feel the textures through the printed pages...

birth

Today, I received an update on this kickstarter project. Art takes a bit longer than artists tend to estimate for its completion. Especially when you are composing a film using 6000+ individual paintings. Definitely.
Erica Farrel has quite a dream baby with "Samsara"! So her original estimate of a nine-month "due date" may well be off. Then again, first human babies are usually not on time, either.
Here is her message to me and the other 36 backers:

Update #6 - For backers only
Jun 1, 2012
Update on Samsara

Hi guys,

Its been a while since i have updated the project. I have been working long and hard on Samsara for the last 5 months, and it's looking beautiful. In fact i have been a little obsessive and have redone the entire beginning half of the animation and it has set me back quite a bit. Due to other travel reasons as well i will be postponing the project deadline and prizes (since they all include the DVD) until Dec 2013. Your donations have helped me so much and have encouraged me to intensify the project, by length and quality. I hope everyone understands and again thanks for all your help!

Best, Erica Farrel

Still, I will keep in mind that art takes time. That said, I will still hope to have a Christmas gift in 2013 of the completed work. That will be quite nice!
Actually, it would be two presents: one to watch on video and one to grace my wall.
I'll keep you posted!

muralcle on habersham at 34th

Today, I visited the the muralcle, the first fruit of the kickstarter project I had backed earlier this year. How very nice that the very first painting would be ocean-themed! How good to know Mama approved of this use of her money!
The artist, Katherine Sandoz, had been greenlighted amost a year ago as the first to use this space. She actually had begun preparing for creating the painting last fall, prior to the kickstarter project commencing. Her work is regarded highly by the higher-ups in the city, so having her paint a piece of public art would be a positive way to start for this ambitious project. (New art every quarter is the goal.)
She first began painting the oceanscape on February 12, with the final brushstrokes a week later. Why this particular vision of a bit of land 14 miles distant? Well, as she says in the article, “If you had X-ray vision and could see through the buildings, you could stand in front of the mural and see Turtle Island.”
Nice! She linked the ocean with my departed friend, Sam Johnson, in that one line.
Yes, this was indeed the right way for me to help the city and the community!
Have you ever seen an artist work? Here's the video of Sandoz and the wall, as she transformed it from litter backdrop to seaside idyll. Very nice, isn't it, to see art created before your very eyes? Nice tunes, too, again by KidSyc@Brandywine, for a little more local flavor.
Stay tuned in to the end for the credits. Fliss is there, as well as the other 122 kickstarter supporters. Woohoo!
Curious about the next artist? Me, too! I guess we'll have to wait a couple of months to find out who it will be.

not art

A local group of artists want to share their visions, but not in a gallery setting.
Okay.
This group of painters and sculptors, printers and photographers, and assorted others would rather use one of the lofts on Broughton Street, heart of the tourist area downtown.
Personally, I would think that would be more expensive than being in one of the many mini-galleries in City Market, at the west end of Broughton. After all, it's billed as "the art & soul" of this seaport, so the tourists and other potential buyers of art already know to go there.
From the presentation Andrew Duthu makes on kickstarter, however, this particular group of artists are not yet known in the art scene. Perhaps that is the origin of the "not art" reference?
Possibly.
We'll have to wait and see.

seesaw - a muralcle on 34th street

Public art that changes every few months? That's the dream of James "Dr. Z" Zdaniewski and Matt Hebermahl. These two local Savannah artists have been working behind the scenes, slogging through the bureaucratic process, to legitimize art in the wild. Okay, maybe not "in the wild", but certainly not locked away in a building.
No, they want art exposed to the elements, art exposed to the world, art exposed for the enjoyment of all, regardless of time of day. Toward that goal, they have founded See Savannah Art Walls, aka SeeSAW, to encourage property owners to offer spaces for creative works and to encourage local artists desirous of working creatively on large spaces.
Sounds like a win-win situation to me!
How did I find out about the project? Well, you can thank Jim Morris, editor of the local entertainment newspaper. His op-ed (opinion of the editor, for those who may not know) article shone a spotlight on the project and caught my attention.
When I visited the kickstarter project online, I was lured in by the summary the two artists had written. They had certainly done their homework! Plus, they used the music of local hiphop favorites, KidSyc@Brandywine. I was first introduced to the non-gangsta, well-phrased lyrics of KidSyc almost three years ago at the Savannah Urban Arts Festival and was quite impressed. (His day job? He's a teacher!)
But I digress.
Why else am I backing this specific project? Here it is: the art is not going to be downtown where the tourists are. What does that mean? The art is for the Savannahians to enjoy and will not be "for sale".
So, I'm adding dollars for my age - that would be 53 buckaroos. In return, I'll be receiving my very own piece of art from the creators, a limited edition giclee print of their collaborative painting. Titled "SeeSAWstronaut", it features a rainbow wash of colors of a deep space explorer.
I'll be adding that to my retirement portfolio!

samsara: the hand-painted animation

The artistry involved here appeals to me. The concept, birth, is approached using a series of still pictures, newly created, to tell the story and convey the emotion. The pictures I've seen by Erica Farrel are quite lovely and fantastical, with swirling colors, swirling shapes, swirling backdrops. Life in motion.
I'll have to let you know about the finished project next summer, when it is, at last, born into this world and shared with all. Please remind me, should I forget!
I should then be the proud owner of the dvd of the completed work, as well as one of the 6000 - or more - of the paintings used to compose the film.
Imagine - I'll be able to stop the film and the image on the screen will be the same as the painting on my wall.
That will be quite magical!

I'm hoping for one of these under-the-sea paintings -
that will be perfect in my Ocean Room!