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2013-06-15 15:22:51 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

I am pretty sick and tired of pinche racist dumps on Mexican Americans. This little boy has a fabulous voice (listen to him!) and he's claiming his very excellent cultural heritage.  He's eleven years old! He's a little boy!  Here's what I have to say: !Que viva la raza!

2013-06-10 14:52:18 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

This oil painting was part of a series I did as a benefit for our local Mariposa Arts Council.  They were quick.  About 30 - 40 minutes each with the prospective buyers watching over my shoulder.  All six sold!  Some were more successful than others but I'm going to use this technique as "warm up" exercises before I paint in the studio today.   I like the fresh brushwork!  I will always be a student!            

2013-06-09 19:23:01 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

At last night's opening, I sold a couple of ink drawings (Chinese style) and this painting,  Trees Near the Lake. The exhibit will be up through mid-July at Ward 6 offices, 3202 E. First St. in Tucson. There are 10 artists in this exhibit. I'm just one.

2013-06-05 18:37:51 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Today is World Environmental Day   Water is becoming a major challenge for the human species. We waste too much, withdraw too much from aquifers, pollute too much, and use it irresponsibly. We are running out of drinking water. Here on the Sonoran Desert, water is the most fundamental issue we deal with. Water, or the lack of it, is the first consideration.
     On the left you see Agua Caliente Park in Tucson in June (our hottest, driest month). The lake is fed by a spring in the Rincon Mts. On the right you see the same lake after the summer monsoon rains come in July and August. Because of climate change, the monsoons are bringing less water every year.  #Worldenvironmentalday

2013-06-04 03:31:44 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Guess what showed up in the mail today?  A paperback copy of my book Voices of New China.  It's a "proof" copy that I'm supposed to check for errors. It won't be long before a paperback version joins the Kindle version which is already available for purchase. Whew!

2013-06-04 00:33:36 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

I just posted my review of Michael Murphy's very excellent  novel Goodbye Emily which I highly recommend. I stayed up late last night finishing it.

2013-06-02 01:32:45 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

my article about Africanized bees in this digital issue of Zocalo, p.22-23

2013-06-01 16:49:46 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

The June edition of Sonoran Arts Network is now posted. We have for the first a !!!VIDEO!!! of Mark Holdaway of Kalimba Magic.
More coming soon.

2013-05-30 17:51:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Sonoran Arts Network is now on Google+  Please FOLLOW us.
The May issue at www.SonoranArtsNetwork.net will soon give way to the June issue.  New in June...our first VIDEO!!

2013-05-28 16:46:53 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 18 +1s)

I was looking for my artist's book Miss Emily's Jewel Box and gave up. So I'm creating a new album of photos. I'm imagining here what Emily Dickinson would do if she found hummingbird nests blown down by the wind. She would put them in her jewel box, of course. This jewel box has nests created of paper-clay and my handmade paper. In the drawer is a book I created (accordion-style) with handmade paper covers (canna). The interior pages have Emily's poem The Hummingbird which I illustrated.

2013-05-27 16:37:11 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 16 +1s)

Our calligraphy teacher in Nanjing. +Yan Xu or +Xinyan Yu
这是一首诗呢？  Is this a poem?

2013-05-27 04:18:17 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

Years ago I took class in painting with Chinese inks here in the U.S. When I was in China, I took a calligraphy class using Chinese ink.  Now when I paint with Chinese ink, I go a more abstract route. I love the painting process most of all when I find an image in the abstraction and add a few lines to pull out the image.  This ink painting on acrylic wash has one of my favorite “found” images, that of a crow.

2013-05-23 19:36:41 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

So it's about 12:30 pm in Tucson. 94 degrees F and sunny. I've been painting this morning on my back porch studio but now it's time to come in.
1. Sunny Tucson (Sonoran Desert) sky
2. Sunflowers say, "bring on the heat!"
3. back porch "studio"
4. 3 works in progress...maybe a series called Secret Garden?
Thanks to +Philip Hartigan for his interesting series on artists' studios which prompted me to take these photos.

2013-05-19 03:00:50 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

Okay. I'm hopeless. I went out and painted some more. I like this version better. Primavera 24"x30" oil

2013-05-10 18:55:56 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Last wave of the day.  Sunset Cliffs. 

2013-05-09 14:41:11 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Review of Tohono Chul Art Gallery's current exhibit Metal, Stone and Wood - some terrific artwork in this one. Tohono Chul Park (natural reserve) is on the northwest side of Tucson. The art gallery is in a beautiful older building in the middle of the park.

2013-05-08 04:26:50 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Here's a short video on Taiwanese handmade paper at Guangxing Paper Mill in Puli, Taiwan. It shows a man pulling a large sheet of paper, and later a woman drying paper on a hot surface. Also includes a few stills of what people are creating with the paper. Shot handheld on the iPhone, April, 2013.

2013-05-05 22:45:13 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Okay. I'm a supporter!  Good luck to +Karon Leigh 

2013-05-02 23:31:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Here's what I've been doing lately:
I just posted the first edition of Sonoran Arts Network website which includes Features, Interviews and Reviews about and by artists of all kinds living in or connected to the Sonoran Desert bioregion.
This photo you see here is by Luke Parsons from his exhibit with Beata Wehr at Petroglyphs Gallery in Tucson
I invite writers to send me a contribution at editor@sonoranartsnetwork.net

2013-04-26 18:56:14 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

I am honored to be among 265 book artists from around the world participating in the al-Mutannabi Street Starts Here project.  Read more about this project at http://www.al-mutanabbistreetstartshere-boston.com/ . See an inventory of the books at http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/mutanmain12.htm (mine isn't posted yet).

The project refers to a bombing that took place in Baghdad in 2007 on al-Mutannabi Street, a cultural center of the city where there were many book stores, outdoor kiosks, cafes, etc., and on a larger scale, to book burnings throughout time. Thirty people were killed and more than 100 injured. Thousands of books were destroyed. This project was organized by San Francisco poet Beau Beausoleil and UK book artist Sarah Bodman,

My book (see 3 views below) is titled Words Fly Away from a quote by Rabbi Akiba ben Joseph (first century AD) who said, "The pages burn, but... more »

2013-04-23 02:23:11 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 32 +1s)

Bad news: I'm so busy that I meet myself coming and going. I'm going to have to give up something (like sleep?) to get everything done!  I miss meandering around in G+ and seeing what everyone is doing.  Good news: This triptych Desert Moons sold and is going home with a collector next week. And this weekend at our Pop Up Art event, I sold a painting, two small ink drawings, a couple of books, and some hand-painted earrings.  Whoa!

2013-04-19 22:12:41 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Will you be in Tucson tomorrow, Saturday?  Come by our Pop Up art event in the old Borderlands warehouse next to Ordinary Bike, northeast corner of 7th St and 5th Avenue (just off 4th Ave west of Antigone Books). Thirty Tucson artists - one day only, 10 am-5pm.  I'll be there. Will you?

2013-04-08 22:10:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

So...Coltrane....words fail me. He was/is the best ever. I bet he's in heaven now jamming with Bach.

2013-04-07 03:08:07 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

For those who missed this, https://plus.google.com/u/0/105514142573871707546/posts/KgHyD2Rb8DA 
Go to the original posting for excerpts from the interviews with Chinese workers, students and professionals.

2013-04-06 14:21:52 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

Mountain Shadows

#landscapephotography   #tucson  

2013-04-04 18:27:43 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 17 +1s)

I'm pleased to announce the publication of my book Voices of New China now available on Kindle from Amazon.  Note the beautiful cover art by +Roberta Murray   The book will go to print soon and paper copies will be available, too.  This project explains why I haven't been painting much these days!

2013-03-31 03:47:36 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

29 essential websites every artist can benefit from

2013-03-26 17:31:23 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Lullaby from the Sea

My photographs and paintings come from my everyday living. Often this means spending time sitting or wandering along the shores of Mayne Island. It is frequently like meditation, particularly on days like this. This short video is dedicated to +C.J. Shane who has the same kind of relationship with the dessert. Often I feel the sea in her depictions of the sand and sky.

#westcoast #seascape #meditation #mayneisland  

2013-03-20 03:34:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

I will post the original series of photos tomorrow for Abstracts In Nature that make up this collage.  Still would have been more fun with real paint and throwing it around like +Abigail Markov, but abstract photos like this one are fun to play around with.  Can you guess from the collage what the original photo is of? 

2013-03-20 03:28:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Late afternoon in downtown Tucson with phone in hand snapping some pics around the La Placita Village, a collection of 10 adobe, brick, and wood frame buildings as office spaces and cafes built to resemble a Mexican marketplace.

2013-03-15 18:51:39 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Artisan Micaela in Guatemala just got a $25 loan from me to support her embroidery craft work. I did this through kiva.org  I've visited Guatemala and I can see from this photo that these folks are very likely Mayan Indians who live the highlands. They are superb craftspeople, especially in the textile arts.  According to Kiva, Micaela "completed three years of elementary school. She has five children three of which are attending school. She embroiders traditional skirts. She started the business helping her mother and to date has 15 years’ experience."

2013-03-09 22:08:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Collaborative art project. Please write what you wish to say in the comments and I will write it on a leaf and share it for you. This is the first part of "Be Heard" community projects starting here on Google+ . Who's first? Have your say!

#collaborativeartproject #beheard #haveyoursay

2013-03-06 15:05:41 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

"True as Earth, Strong as Water" has been selected to be featured in 500 Handmade Books, Volume II, to be published by Lark Publishing in September 2013. I'm very happy to be in the book along with +C.J. Shane and many other very fine book artists. Congratulations to everyone!

2013-03-07 04:19:56 (21 comments, 3 reshares, 26 +1s)

My artist's book The Migrants has been selected for inclusion in Lark's 500 Handmade Books volume 2, to be published in September 2013. My book is about the plight of migrants who cross the US-Mexican border seeking jobs. 

2013-02-25 14:59:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

For Ai WeiWei watchers, here's a NY Times interview with him. Tonight! on PBS's Independent Lens you can see the documentary Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry about Mr. Ai's life and work. Check your local PBS station for the time.

2013-02-24 15:13:18 (15 comments, 4 reshares, 36 +1s)

#saturdayartreview Saturday Art Review by C.J. Shane
February 23, 2013

Patti Agapi
Canada

Canadian abstract artist +Patti Agapi  consistently produces artwork that is beautiful, original in its diversity, always noteworthy, and often emotionally compelling. What is surprising, however, is how much her work fits into the thread of what I’ve written about frequently in these reviews. I refer to the landscapes we human inhabit and the sense of place that accompanies a beloved landscape.
 
One might not think of a sense of place as being relevant to an abstract artist, but the concept fits for Patti Agapi’s paintings. Rather than a literal place in the world, Patti’s sense of place is that place where the soulful human spirit lives. This is something greater than one personal psychology. Her paintings are reminder of the universal spirit withineach of... more »

2013-02-23 22:50:05 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

I'm feeling a printmaking and maybe linocut episode coming on. Here's a linocut I did sometime back titled I'm Just a Girl Who Likes Apples and I Am Not Afraid of Snakes.  The title is from an Ani Difranco song.

2013-02-23 22:10:31 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Okay, let's get rid of the bums and let Elizabeth Warren and Michelle Obama run the country. We'd be able to keep the rattlesnakes on Wall Street under control, and we would stay healthy and fit (and totally cool) at the same time.

2013-02-18 05:37:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

Lady By The Sea

This is my second attempt at this painting, and I'm still not really happy with it. The assignment was to loosen up - so it's probably fine as far as the assignment goes. I think maybe part of the reason I'm not happy is that it's not my photo and not my style. I know it's good to stretch and work outside my comfort zone, but.....I don't have to like it! I am learning, so it's all good.

2013-02-18 03:22:28 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Going to keep posting this until the Violence Against Women Act is passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. If that means posting until the neanderthals who voted against it are gone, then so be it.

Censored

2013-02-08 20:20:04 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 31 +1s)

Winter Morning by the Sea - a small seascape painting

The day starts with soft hints of colour through heavy cloud and mist. Yet, the wonder of a new beginning, a new start, is still powerful and satisfying in its own natural abstract way. WINTER MORNING BY THE SEA is a small 8 x 10 inch oil on canvas window of hope and possibility for any kind of day.

Detailed view and purchase information available at:
http://www.artsyhome.com/product/Winter-Morning-by-the-Sea

All the best of Friday to you! :)

#paintings #art #artists #seascape #oilpaintings  

2013-01-30 23:27:55 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Here's an interesting blog post from Zatista ranking the genre of artworks that sell the most. I was surprised and pleased to see how high abstracts are on the list. And as far as dogs, now I have an excuse to paint my boy Yuma (a rescue from Yuma, Arizona).

2013-01-30 23:06:13 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Just when the climate change news seem so grim, along comes Mr. Colbert to make us laugh.

2013-01-29 01:39:53 (5 comments, 3 reshares, 34 +1s)

How nice it is to be a part of a community of artists who enjoy the abstract.  I'm enjoying looking at all the posts!    Here's a piece I finished recently.
I just set up a trial website on artspan, but don't know if I'll stay there.  Not sure the web visibility is what I expected.  I found the experience to be quite easy though.  I might be able to do my own now, as suggested by M  ;)

2013-01-23 15:42:20 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 37 +1s)

New work. Barrio Libre oil on canvas

2013-01-23 15:39:18 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 45 +1s)

New work. Tanque Verde oil on canvas

2013-01-23 15:33:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

My tribute to the recent passing of one of the great printmakers.

2013-01-22 02:03:42 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

I liked the poem a lot.

2013-01-21 23:17:52 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

Gonna hold you to this, Mr. President.

(photo from Environmental Defense Fund)

2013-01-13 01:51:46 (22 comments, 1 reshares, 33 +1s)

I just received notice that two of my monotype/chine collé pieces have been accepted into Arizona Aqueous XXVII, a national exhibit at Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, Arizona. This national exhibit is competitive so I'm pleased that my work got in. I use water-based inks for my monotypes, and the chine collé elements also use water-based paints.  Here you see Kayenta  (left) and Old Pueblo in the Rain (right), both 24"x30" framed.