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2013-05-23 19:36:41 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +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.

2013-05-21 04:04:06 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Why I'm not going to watch  Homeland ...
from my latest blog post at http://cjshane.tumblr.com/

After many weeks of being on a wait list at the public library, I received an email informing me that a DVD with the first season of Homeland   was available for checkout. Off I went, checked it out, came home and loaded up the DVD.  Last night I watched the first two episodes of a 12 episode first season  Then I was up until 3 am sleepless, and all this next day I’ve been trying to shrug off what feels like a hangover.
 
Homeland  is everything that it was promised to be by the reviews: brilliant, intense, and suspenseful, with masterful writing and extraordinary acting, especially from Clare Danes and Damian Lewis in the lead roles.
 
If you’ve been on another planet recently, and don’t know about this award-winning series, here’s a very brief recap. Carrie Mathison... more »

2013-05-19 03:00:50 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 35 +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, 18 +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.

2013-05-06 03:09:40 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

This is what I'm up to.  Please share and help if you can.  THANKS!

2013-05-05 22:45:13 (12 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, 21 +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, 26 +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 (16 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, 14 +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.

2013-01-11 15:34:59 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Coal circles accordion book

Nine pages, red and black ink, made and assembled in a hotel room at Interlochen this week.

2013-01-04 22:22:03 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

The YouTube Presentation of the All Photography Online Art Exhibition.

2013-01-04 19:02:00 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

I just loaned $25 to a textile artist in Guatemala through Kiva.org
Her name is Esterlina, and she is from San Juan Comalapa in Chimaltenago district which is a region inhabited by the Kaqchikel Maya peoples. She is the mother of four. She sells tortillas and makes traditional handmade fabric and clothing to sell.

2013-01-03 16:50:30 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Beautiful.  Abstract.  +C.J. Shane would appreciate this.

2012-12-31 15:58:03 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Here's my list of "bests" for 2012.  The list includes best fiction and nonfiction books and bests films, best political event, best "natural" disaster, best sounds, best social network (guess!), and best experiences. You can see this at my Tumblr blog linked here or on my website in the Art Ink category at http://www.cjshane.com/art-ink/   I'd love to read about your "bests" so feel free to respond.

2012-12-18 02:03:36 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Échec et Mat  60" x 50" / 152,4 x 127 cm 

2012-12-15 21:17:05 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Those of you who know me know that I've spent quite a bit of time in China so this got my attention. At the same time that the Newtown, CT massacre occurred, there was a similar event in China at an elementary school
Two points:
1) There is a big difference between a knife and a gun
2) We Americans and our democratic system of government are losing credibility all over the world because of our failure to insist on rational gun control laws. Please read this brief article by Evan Osnos of New Yorker.

I stand with American astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly (and husband of my Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was shot in the head by a mentally deranged young man with a 9mm Glock). Commander Kelly says: " we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The... more »

2012-12-14 03:37:15 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

The daughters of Ravi Shankar....the music lives on.
My last post for tonite. I'm going to go listen to the rain now

2012-12-12 17:04:08 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

Blue Fish
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 36" x 1.5"

2012-12-12 04:36:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Remembering Ravi Shankar.