02/17 - Kickstarter

Kickstarter link: http://kck.st/xcgP15
Beck Lane: my first one man show in Brooklyn NY!

Okay the pressure is ON! Finally got my project posted on Kickstarter - take a look see, like, share, donate! But, in the meantime, over the next few weeks, I'm going ahead with plans:

• Copies of my paintings will be printed starting next week
• Some of the new work is headed to my photographer on Wednesday
• A new work/portfolio brochure will be developed and produced by Newport graphic designer Lori Bates the 2nd week in March
• and I  will be spending at least 3 days a week at AS220 printing illustrations for Kickstarter investors and the Brooklyn show

Today, Saturday 02/18 - I'm off to AS220 to pull silk screen illustrations. Time to work, work, work, work, work...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/becklaneartist/beck-lane-artist-taking-my-work-to-ny?ref=email

02/16 - One work in stages

Although I have several projects going including a large, small print project I'm looking forward to having the time to finish this one up - the colors are what I'd wanted, the look is almost spot on. I just want to get it finished:

The glare is distracting but that's what I got - the painting is only a few steps away from being done but. However, on top of working on the usual amount of paintings (5-7) at once, I'm juggling several other projects including developing and printing 18 or so illustrations, setting up a Kickstarter account to help fund my upcoming show, organizing work for the photographer and brochere desgner, developing tshirt designs, getting the new wedsite done and up, organizing work for the printer so I can start selling small posters of some of my paintings. There's a few other bits going on but that's the bulk. That and trying to take Bugsy and Tigers into consideration - it's easy for me to get lost in all my work and leave these two behind.

A piece of work that's always in stages.

02/12 later in the pm

Okay, there is no way I can let the day go without following thru on a project. Lucky for me, just when I thought the day was lost, I happened to catch a late night radio show which enabled me to work on a couple of paintings while listeing to one of my favorite  interviewees, Louis CK Louis was on WTF http://www.maximumfun.org/2011/05/17/wtf-public-radio-show, an inteview show dedicated to comics. And although I don't normally listen, mainly because I find most comics to be pretty annoying, I love listening to Louis talk. He's been on NPR's Fresh Air and a few other NPR shows that I enjoy bc he's not just a comic, he's an acotr, director, writer. He's loyal, smart, funny, honest and he's got a great take on things. He never goes for the most obvious answer or the most trendy approach. He's turned into a bit of an obsession for me...not the creepy stalked kind but the "oooh that was an interesting thing to say" kind - like Dylan Moran, another comic/actor I love listening to. Louis able to articulate so many things that I can't.

And then, just when I thought I'd lost the whole day to RSD, things turned around. Instead of staying a big lump on th futon, I was able to paint for about an hour this evening. I am incredibly grateful Louis CK was able to pull me out of my head for a while, here's what i accomplished tonight:

They're not done but I was able to get some work done and I'm able to say I did not waste the whole day on an illness that doesn't mind wasting me. 

02/12 pm

All my bravado and I didn't get a single thing done today. Blogged, posted, showered, walked the dog, took him to the doggie park and then RSD/CRPS took over - I slept most of the afternoon. Still in so much pain I can barely keep my eyes open. All my great plans of going to AS220 and printing are out the window, there's so much swelling I can't close my hands.

From my posts it may seem like I get manic bc I just churn out work for days and then I crash but that's the nature of working around this stupid illness - you have to get as much done as you possibly can when you feel good because you never know when you're going to end up in horrible pain, flat out and unable to move. I beat my self endlessly when I get like this - I should be able to control the way I feel by just deciding I feel fine. I should be able to do what i want when I want because my mind has decided I can...unfortunately, that's not how it works. Pushing myself when things get this difficult can leave me in recovery for days.

This is just dumb. So F-ing dumb. And a big fat waste of time.

02/12 - Count down to DUMBO

I have 6 - 7 weeks before I have to have my work completed and ready for my upcoming one man show at ReBar's Walkway Gallery in Brooklyn....gulp. For the past 4 months (even with the all the time consuming obstacles - the leaky roof, the slumlord, taking the landlord to court 4 times, my RSD, the seizures it brings on, packing, finding an apartment, moving,  moving somemore, driving between the two cities, etc, etc, etc) I've managed to get work done. Lots of work done. Maybe not as much as I would've liked but still I've completed dozens of paintings on canvas, works on paper and gotten black and white illustrations ready to be solk screen and printed as well as continued to get work done on Scootertown (http://storiesfromscootertown.blogspot.com). I'm fairly proud of the work I've accomplished but hopefully I won't have distractions and I'll have an easier time producing even more work for the show, make a prelim visit to Brooklyn to tie up any lose ends with CAM, the curator, and enough time to get it all ready to hang.

Phew..... I'm a bit nervous about the amount of work I have to do yet but I'll get it done. I always do.

Gotta make a black board and start writing out my to do list(s) - my guts are turning. Dragon...dragon! Year of the Dragon!!!! I can DO IT!!!! DRAGON! ARRRRRRGH! Heart of the Dragon in the year of the Dragon!

Oh - I wrote out my to do list for 2012 and included going to the cinema once a week. Haven't gone once. That and losing weight seem to have been tabled not for lack of effort but for lack of time...I am walking more, exercising on my own again, eating less and I've whittled my diet down to including at least two bottles veg juice (made fresh every morning), 2 salads and 2 bowls of mini wheats and strawberries. I've cut out most baked goods...including my one cookie a day or 1-2 cupcakes a week policy but I'm not getting anywhere......nope, haven't lost an ounce and my body is getting squishier. Oh well. There we are.

Okay, 5 paintings started, 3 more canvas' waiting for outlines, have a pile of black and white work to get ready to print, blah, blah, blah......so I guess it would be prudent for me to shower and get to work on my writing a formal to do list. Opening is April 6th (?) 5Th(?)..... uh oh.....

02/10/12 - Black and white work done between 02/01 and 02/10

I've been developing black and white work to be printed at AS220, most of it is being developed specifically for my upcoming show at ReBar in Brooklyn - I want to have hand pulled print work to not only break up the paintings. My work is extremely colourful and highly energetic and big. Too many of my paintings in one room, with nothing else to break it up, can be a bit overwhelming ...the black and white work will add a nice contrast. I also want to have a few things in a lower price range to offer.

So, this is the start:

I really love the photo of this little shoe shine boy - the kid is so exuberant

I love this pic and hopefully I'll b able to pull this off - I'm not good at multi layer screens. Registration is incredibly hard for me to do. We'll see.

My new drawing station set up in the kitchen

One possible logo/sticker

02/10 - Catch up

I haven't been diligent about logging in my blog. Time seems to be flying by but I don't feel like I'm getting enough work done - winter wreaks havoc on my system and I end up spending half my time simply resting. I can get a few things done and then I have to spend the rest of the day laying down. Or, like so many days lately, I'm exhausted before I get my first cup of coffee down. So writing entries in my blog(s) is one thing that's just falling by the wayside and it shouldn't . This should be and will be a priority. So, 12 days after my last post and here we are again -

Here's some of the work I've been up to in the last two weeks:

Drying smaller canvas'

The workon "Negare" is coming to an end...finally. Boy, when things finally click it's such a relief!

The added reds are unusal for me but it makes the figure POP off the canvas.

The additional work done on "Punkt" helped the lips and face to soften. What isn't clear in this photo is the text written on the left hand side of the board.

You can get a better view of some of the text..... sort of.

Really glad I finally got to start this portrait - his eyes are closed, his face is sad and he appears to be closed away in his emotions.

Adding a set of hands to his shoulders helps to soften his sadness and, hopefully, convey not only his pain but also convey his choice to shut people out and away. 

I love the greens and teals but he won't stay this way - I will be adding more colour, of course, but I've put him aside to sit. My head needs time to work out the next few stages.

"Madame" is not  a folly - she's from a photo I've been thinking about for most of my life. She is Madame Chiang Kai-shek. I first saw her photo in my family's encyclopedia, a set of books I wasn't allowed to touch so I would sneak peaks. The books are from a small encyclopedia company and  full of the most fantastic and unusual ref material. I'm really glad to have it in my possession finally. 

Madame was a pivotal figure in WWII who's historic significance has been lost to time and our collective lack of interest:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,526008,00.html