Thursday, March 28, 2024

Focus

“You must write, and read, as if your life depended on it.” -Adrienne Rich

We live in an age of distraction. Far fewer hours are now devoted to sitting quietly with something to read or to writing anything of particular substance to those we love who are far away. Communication is increasingly relegated to online formats such as social media where brevity is absolutely required and words drown in a sea of constant noise. There is much to be said for slowing down time with a heavy novel in your lap or taking the time to pen a letter to someone who has been on your mind.

Rob Neilson is presently at work on a series of bronze castings based on images of people that are in some way important to him or to the larger context of our society but with a personal context for him. Neilson works in wax to create molds and then hands off these molds to a former student who works at a foundry and is able to cast them in bronze for him. Most of the pieces are busts, some are torsos. Subjects include Nixon, Chairman Mao, JFK, Putin and Neilson’s own great-great grandfather – a speculative piece based on what intervening generations look like. To hear more about what Rob Neilson is up to at the moment and his past work including Fruits of Labor (pictured above), listen to the complete interview.

Steven Sanchez is a poet living in Fresno, California. At the moment he is working on his next book of poems. His previous volume, Phantom Tongue, examined internalized racism and internalized homophobia and their impact on bodies of color. His new work attempts to unpack how our privilege harms others whether we mean it to or not and how we are all complicit in systemic oppression. Please take the time to listen to Steven Sanchez’s complete interview to learn more about his work about these topics as well as his personal history.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:

What’s the hurry? Take a minute here and there to enjoy being alive and to reconnect with those activities that slow down the frantic pace of the world today.

Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Following a visit to MoMA to see Monet’s Water Lilies, Rob Neilson is reading Mad Enchantment by Ross King. Steven Sanchez is reading a book of essays by Adrienne Rich.

International artists are invited to apply for Awaji Art Circus, Awaji Island, Japan. All those artists whose practice includes a performative aspect are encourage to apply – this includes but is not limited to live painting, street performance, bodily expression, singing and dance. There are three main drivers behind the circus – to encourage cultural flow on the island, to let the world know about the beauty of Awaji Island and to develop art and culture. A guest house with communal living arrangements is available to participating artists as well as a one-time stipend. For complete details, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is May 6.

Deadlines

Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.

 

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and the forthcoming Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.

Signed and doodled copies of these books can be purchased from Praxis Center.

 

Golden Artist Colors began publishing the Just Paint newsletter in 1989, a source for information about painting techniques, product information, and the latest research in art materials. Now online, JustPaint.org has become one of the most exhaustive resources for technical information in fine art. With the new Just Paint Experience, GOLDEN is expanding the concept to provide artists with quick-reading, studio-oriented content to help bring their visions to life.

When you subscribe to Just Paint Experience (free), you’ll receive access to exclusive content. GOLDEN will also notify you whenever there is new content added to the site.

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