Author: Hggns

My class at Art Students League did not fill, so it is cancelled. It’s disappointing, and also leaves me with less income during a slow time of year. Fortunately, I have temp work at the University of Denver Bookstore to tide me over. I’ve been helping out during their beginning-of-quarter rushes for about three years now, and it’s a fun place to work. Lots of great people, many of whom got into it (mistakenly, it turns out) from a love of books and culture. 

And I do see a lot of interesting books there, though during a busy time like this, only in passing. My basic strategy, being poor and of limited bookshelf space, is to note the books that interest me, then type them into the Denver Public Library search when I get home. Stickin’ it to the man…

I get into a lot of great conversations at work. Books, movies, stickin’ it to the man; a definite step above the typical workplace chat fare from my old retail job: weather, and Broncos. Then more Broncos and back to the weather. Scintillating stuff. 

One interesting (and funny) fellow at work is Dave. He has combined a love of photographing sleep-deprived retail workers and a dry humor in a blog that winds up telling the tale of what happens to a bunch of interesting characters in a small bookstore as it is being taken over by a large mega-corporation. I’m in it quite a bit. Not because I’m a major player, but because I don’t run and hide when he pulls out his camera. 

I generally play along, contributing a bunch of nonsensical commentary, not to mention my sleep-deprived mug, as he snaps. I think this amply explains why Dave Hoyt’s Blog is not exactly redlining the ol’ Google Analytics, just as it does with mine. 

Here’s an iPhone picture of Dave, trying to figure out how to snap my photo without ruining his nice camera. It isn’t a very nice pic, but I haven’t been doing this as long as Dave. Cheese, Dave!

“Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, the 2nd Amendment zombies blandly assert. Case closed. Argument over.

This nonsensical nursery rhyme was never menat to be parsed for its truth or falsity, in fact its central statement, that people are really their own only predators, is an argument for sensible regulation.  it was meant to stop honest discussion. Dead in its tracks, a rhetorical full metal jacket .

I’d like to examine this infuriatingly tautological, Joseph Goebbels-like banality in closer detail.

Most people, weary of the shouting, express a desire for compromise and an end to the polarization, but the NRA goons depend on this. Obama, trying to maintain a fragile coalition that has afterall, solved the Health care crisis, and may soon bring sense to the tax code, has made the political calculation that preservation of this coalition is more important than a long drawn out battle over gun control.

But there are many small things that can be done that will actually chip away at the fear mongers, and slow the hamster whheel.

This image is from my summer 1-man show at Zip 37 Gallery. It’s pastoral, mostly, a bit of Eyvind Earle creeping in I guess. But it contains a more subliminal component, and I can never convince myself that it’s strong enough for people to notice. Thoughts?

A reminder: Tuesday, December 4, is Colorado Gives Day. Any 501c3 type charity is eligible for this (all proceeds go to the charity), but consider the Art Students League of Denver if you haven’t decided on a recipient:

*In these times of reduced educational funding, ASLD teaches critical thinking skills to children.

*ASLD employs artists and other creatives, thus helping Denver’s creative economy, a real asset to companies looking to relocate.

*ASLD provides community in an inner city neighborhood, and is preserving a beautiful Richardsonian 19th C. Building.

Preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse

Oh look! I have a blog.

And a fine blog it is, too, though a bit errrm lifeless. But now, just in time for Holiday surfing… Zombie Blog lives! BwaHaHa.

Actually- and like any dead blogger worth his salt, I’m quoting Zombie Shakespeare, now- I come here not to raise Squishtoid, but to bury it. Though not for good. In fact as the blog-less weeks rolled by, I  wondered whether my approach to Squishtoid blog needed a re-think. Then I took an Internet Marketing for Artists seminar from the fine folks at Creative Capital, a very informative weekend that made me certain of it. 

What the fellow artists teaching the IFA seminar convinced me of was that I needed a website. One with (cue the scary soundtrack) …a blog! So, and this will surprise no one who knows my penchant for over-complicating things, the reason I’ve ignored my blog is, I want to launch a website. 

To those more tech-savvy than I, this must undoubtedly seem like that moment when the heroine (me, I guess) runs headlong from her first frightening encounter with the first zombie ( blog, duh) and straight to the front door of the zombie hideout! She opens the door, and turning to make sure she’s lost the zombie, actually BACKS into the room ( cue the screechy, warning buzzer-like portion of the soundtrack). Well, I think you get the idea. Talk about beating a (un) dead horse. 

Long story short, after a very busy Fall of shows and teaching workshops, I’m starting a website. 

The busy, working artists who presented the IFA seminar made a very good case for using Word Press, which is summarized briefly here. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll probably import this blog (yes, it can be done, I checked) and go live with the basic elements as soon as I can. I’ll add some of the more complex elements as the long dark winter goes on, and hope to be fully functional by Spring.

I’m looking to have the basics -blog, profile, portfolio, and news/events; plus more complex features such as a shopping cart and embedded You Tube channel for printmaking videos. I’ll keep you updated on the whole horror show here. They tell me any idiot can do it, though I’m definitely not just any idiot. Heh.