Hidden Currents of the Deep

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New digital sketch. Click on the image for a larger view.


Jacobi, Hidden Currents of the Deep

Machine Elf

This is a digital sketch for a possible upcoming painting.

Created w/ Painter 11 and a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.

Car as Art

Chuck Redding's Western Flyer Rocket Car






Link to story and video

Chuck Redding built this street-legal car basically for fun and his own enjoyment. It's not for sale. Nor, I imagine, does he think of this car as ART. Now, just ponder for a moment, if someone like Jeff Koons or Damien Hirst had paid someone to make this car and then put their signature on it and declared it to be "their artwork", how much do you think it would be worth? Well actually, the question would more aptly be put, how much do you think some high-end art collector would be willing to pay for it?

I know that there is an artist that has, in at least one case, had people make a custom car(s) for him that he then declares to be his artwork. I can't remember who this is. I think the car I saw was maybe a Dodge Charger or something. If anyone can provide this information, I would appreciate it. (I may have seen it on the Guggenheim Museum website a couple years ago; not sure...)

We know, of course, that artists often have assistants and/or technicians do some/much/all of their work (in terms of creating the final object). The question becomes, at what point can we question the validity of a work as actually being that of the artist?

Of course, "found object art" has been around for almost 100 years, going back to Duchamp's "readymades". But still, having someone make a car for you that then becomes your art, I don't know....

Now, I know that Jeff Koons has designed at least one "art car". Key word here being designed. Okay, I can buy that. However, in the unknown car described above, as best as I can recall, there wasn't really a design on it per se... I think it was basically just your semi-custom type muscle car or something along these lines.



Anyway, I'm not on my soapbox today, really; some of these thoughts just came to mind when I saw the wagon/car.

I think I'll make some art today. I'm going to "appropriate" this car (pictured below).



Thanks to artist friend Sheree Rensel for alerting me to the wagon/car!

Astral Khaleesi

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This is a digital sketch, painted using Photoshop and a drawing tablet.


Original pencil sketch from my sketchbook.

(Note: you can click on the images for a larger view.)

Damien Hirst is a parody of himself

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A "gallery cleaner" mistakenly thought an installation piece by Damien Hirst was random trash left over from a party, and threw it away. Happily, the mistake was discovered in time, and the work was re-created from photos that had been taken. The piece is valued at £5,000.

Of course, trash as art is nothing new, decades old in fact. I imagine that Hirst was laughing at the idiots that take this seriously. I hope.

Poster art by RJ

This is a poster I recently created for my good friend Randy Tessier.

(click on image for a larger view)



Here is last year's poster:

AAW 10th Annual Spring Art Show

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This show features work by my students-- drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, and jewelry. Also featuring work from Audrey Mantey's students-- Photography and Multimedia. If you are in the Detroit area, come and join us-- you wont' be disappointed!


(click on the image for a larger view)

Map and directions

New Painting: Vesica

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Jacobi, Vesica, 18" x 24", acrlylic, 2011

(click on images for larger view)

This painting uses as its inspiration the Vesica Piscis, which is comprised of the intersection of two circles with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. (Wikipedia) The Vesica Piscis has mystical significance in a number of areas-- Christianity, Kabbalah, Freemasonry, "sacred geometry", and more.

This painting has deep meaning for me personally. What exactly that is, I can't really put into words. Much of how I relate to this painting takes place at the subconscious level; in my conscious mind, I'm not sure that I fully understand it. This is what drives me to paint images like this. It's like meditation, therapy, and a search for spiritual and metaphysical understanding all rolled into one. 

Below you will find the process I went through to arrive at the final image. The sketches were done in Photoshop with a Wacom Intuos 2 tablet.

 

If you like this painting, you might enjoy taking a look at my paintings Nava Yoni, and The Opener of the Way.

Student Figure Drawing from my HS class

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I posted some figure drawings from my high school students over on the student blog. Here is a sample, and a link to that blog (click here).

My back yard, Feb. 13, 2001, 7:18 p.m.

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(click on the picture to see it at a larger size)

My students srike Gold

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Three of my high school art students have received Gold Key awards from the Scholastic Art competition. Their full portfolios can be seen over on the AAW 2D Art blog:

Click here to see their portfolios.

Here are a few samples of their work.


Lindsey Burcar






Celia Eddy






Sydney Wright