WELCOME TO KOS ART EXPO! This is the fifth year the group has presented their “Museums of the Beautiful and the Curious.” When finished walking through the virtual showrooms, please stop down below and talk with the Artists, Poets and Musicians in the comments. Enjoy!
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Works by A Pagan In Arizona
After a prolonged and painful dry spell I finally arrived at a place where I had the time, the materials, the energy and the desire to create something. It's a blessed relief to feel more like my normal self once more. These are the results.
The deer skull shown above was found by my son when he was working at a ranch close to the Verde River. It had been buried deep in mud near the riverbank and needed extensive cleaning. The antlers are in near perfect condition.
The steer skull shown above is by far the largest and heaviest I've ever painted. The horns were already missing when it came to me; I can only imagine how big they were. Cleaning it required a new, larger container; nothing I had could fit it.
This deer skull was a lucky $12 find at the shop in Cottonwood where some of my works are for sale. The shop owner herself pointed it out to me, knowing what I could do with it. This one needed very little cleaning. It now hangs above my personal altar, surrounded by my earlier 2D works Morrigan, Macha, Corvid Skies, and Badb.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
PAINTINGS BY RALPHDOG
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
HORN CONCERTO BY GAS
We suggest playing Glen’s lovely Horn Concerto while browsing. — Ed. note.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Drawings by Matt Z
I am Matt Zimmer and I currently write and draw a crudely drawn comic book known as “Gilda And Meek And The Un-Iverse”. My free online site currently has 63 issues and counting on it.
gildaandmeekandtheuniverse.blogspot.com/…
Plug out of the way? Good.
“The Love Series”
I did a series of drawings around the theme of love, specifically the love between friends and family. I was feeling a little down recently. When that happens, some artists go through a dark phase. I tend to explore what I am grateful for instead, and I drew 7 pictures of my characters loving each other.
The Un-Iverse has two major quotes on the subject of love.
"You haven't, Meek. I love you too. I don't understand people who put a premium on those words. I love many people, including people I am neither in love with nor related to. Love is not something that needs to be hoarded or ashamed of. Loving someone is not a zero-sum game. Your love for one specific person will not diminish your love for another. The more people you love, the more love you keep in your heart."
--Gilda Thurman, upon Meek being embarrassed he blurted out that he loves her for the first time, and worries he's overstepped his bounds in Gilda And Meek #4 "The Woman In Sunglasses".
"The creation of all things was Love."
--The Un-Iverse's God, when asked why he created The Universe in the upcoming sequel "The Un-Iverse: The Supplements".
Gilda's statement is an opinion (one I happen to share) but The Un-Iverse's God's statement is literal. When I was in first grade and created Gilda, her first name was Love. And The Un-Iverse was created from and took off from there.
Love can be serious, silly, scary, weird, wonderful, and magical. If it is true and real, and comes from a good place, there really is no wrong way to feel it.
If you are ever feeling scared and alone, know there is invariably a person out there who loves you, even if you haven't met them yet. Whatever dark times we are currently facing, love sustains and gives us an edge against people who choose to hate. Targets of hate are ever-changing, and often random. Love is constant and unshakable. We will get through the bad times together, as bad and horrible as the things in the world currently are. Because love is stronger than hate. It endures.
The entire series can be found in the Sketches portion of my site and I will be posting the other four pictures in the comments section below.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
PHOTOGRAPH AND POETRY BY ANGMAR
Cornfield, Autumn Western New York
The days have drawn in
Autumn's here-Smoke and rain
fields dried and pale against clouds
turning to lead
Standing wet and dark
The corn-
Pagan and secret
Gray-elegiac, remote
disconsolate
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Ceramic Arts by MEL in PGH
Hello Art Friends! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and I wish everyone a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. Here are a few new items that I have made:
Dragonfly Corner Table
I have made several dragonfly tables over the years and they have all sold almost immediately. This is the latest one and it is already promised to an upcoming sale.
Fish Dish
This is the result of having glazed this plate 3(!) times because I did not like the previous two results. I guess the third time is the charm.
Origami Rice Bowl Set
I was intrigued by many You Tube videos of how to make interesting bowls from flat slabs. i wound up making several sets of 4 bowls complete with chopsticks so that one can elegantly eat takeout Chinese food.
Dot Inlay Square Plate
Again, another You Tube video inspiration. Small balls of black or gray clay were placed on the white clay before rolling through a slab roller. The plate was then formed over a plaster mold that mysteriously appeared in our studio then the foot was thrown onto the bottom.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
ART BY HILMBROWN
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Paintings by Desert Scientist
Here are a few I’ve been working on, plus one from the past. All watercolor, except for a bit of ink.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
A painting, music, and music mixing/mastering by niemann
I haven’t been able to do much creatively in the last year, but here are some recent things that have pleased me.
First, an illustration for an upcoming book of scripts from the 60s science fiction television series The Outer Limits. Since one of the scripts was never filmed, the editor asked me to do an image to illustrate the monsters from that episode.
Fittingly, the monsters in that episode are … kitties of evil!
Another thing I’ve done is to work on remixing and mastering an “EP” album of music I’ve written and recorded to Shakespeare lyrics over the years, for various purposes. I’ve used these as excuses to practice recording and mixing techniques, and as I’ve learned more and more, and gotten more experience, I’ve had to keep going back to fix all the stupid-sounding things I did earlier. But I think this may have reached a final state I keep feeling pretty satisfied with.
And also on the recording front, during the pandemic I collaborated with two friends, one a classical composer, the other an opera tenor, on an album of settings of well-known poems, all in a romantic, melancholy vein. It was done in three different locations in two different states: Danny did the orchestral writing and arranged them with samples from the BBC Orchestra in his home studio, and Brian did the singing in his home studio.
It all sounded … okay. But I suggested that I might use a lot of recording/mixing jiggery-pokery, to add a more human touch than the computer programming was capable of, make it less “robotic,” and to make it sound like the singer and the orchestra were all together in the same big space. So, basically, my job was to do hours and hours of subtle work to make it sound like the tracks didn’t need hours and hours of subtle work.
I know we have poetry fans here, so I’ll include the setting of Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty”. (If you click “Watch on YouTube” it will also show you the full album playlist.)
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
TWO WATERCOLORS AND A SKETCH BY LAUREL IN CA
This is a watercolor that was accepted as part of the UC Davis Health “Healing HeARTS” exhibit that opened in our hospital this year, and I guess will be part of their permanent collection. They asked for a title, so it is called “Will I Be All Right?”
This is part of a challenge with my 14-year-old granddaughter; we each do a daily sketch in our matching little 3.5” x 5” sketchbooks. I got started 2 months ago doing a portrait every day, and these are part of a series of politicians. But only ones I respect – I don’t want to waste pencil on TFG or his comrades! So we have 4 senators and 4 president/vice president. The four Senators are all up for re-election and I might use these on postcards-to-voters.
Finally, a watercolor portrait of my sister’s Alaskan Klee Kai, Max, that was a Christmas present to her. Named for baseball player Max Scherzer, because, like the pitcher, he has one blue and one green eye.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Pieces By Gwennedd:
I blocked out a tiny portion of the sketch and watercolour that displayed my name ( in case you wondered why the weird inclusion of a bit if paper). These are just fun pieces I did except for Celtic Dreams. Being of that particular origin...or at least brought up in that place across the pond. I wanted to mess around with Celtic art and the forms that are so iconic of that style. I have since promised myself NEVER to try doing those forms again!! The complex interlocking weaving of lines and shapes is nuts! I don’t know how the ancient monks did that type of work for their illustrations and how the stonemasons managed to get the forms so perfect!
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Painting by boran2
This is a small acrylic painting on canvas board, 5x7 inches. It depicts a street in Jerome, Arizona, seen on a recent visit. Jerome is an old mining town situated on the side of a mountain. Relatively unknown for many years, it has recently become a bit touristy. Nevertheless, it is an interesting place to visit.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
A WATERCOLOR AND TWO PENCIL DRAWINGS BY BUMPA
Over the years I’m finding drawing with Pencil to be more rewarding than Painting, it’s more direct, more satisfying, and I find I can achieve more with less. I also find it almost meditative. In the last few months I’ve been working entirely in Pencil and focusing on the physical act of putting a line on paper, which has resulted in a series of abstract drawings. That I rather enjoyed doing. I’ll include a handful of these in the comment section. — Bumpa
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Photos by gizmo59
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Drawings by Marko the Werelynx
2023 was not a productive year for art in Werelynx Studios. This sneak preview of my New Year's card will give you some idea of my state of mind at year's end.
I mean, sure— I did a few small scribbles and made plans for great things, but 2023 just kinda stuffed me in a box and tossed me onto a shelf in the cupboard.
Alright, 2024, here’s hoping.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Music by GAS
Glen A. Swarts
In the 90's I had the good fortune to have a handful of my orchestral compositions performed by a few orchestras. In 2000 I went on a three year tour with a Broadway musical so I switched formats and medium. I traveled with a guitar and s small Casio keyboard as well as my horn. While the company was in Boise I bought a four track cassette recorder and started laying down some basic tracks, I eventually switched to Pro Tools with an M Box and my lap top. It was on this set up I recorded my tour mates’ improvised solos (James de la Garza, trumpet and Dan Heasley, soprano sax) in motel rooms In Louisville and Providence.
Twenty years later I've recently retired from French horn playing and have taken a few recording classes at city college. I’ve re-worked one of the tunes from the tour adding real drums (instead of Casio), a different arrangement, and a better recording quality. For now, the middle part is open for possible future soloing (who knows, perhaps my grandson will add some guitar).
Prono 2003:
Prono23:
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Three Ephemeral Mysteries
Once again, as I did in our last Expo, I hang three images on our wall. I hope you enjoy them as they are. In addition, I invite members of Daily Kos to play a game of “What is this?” with me. If you choose to play, your task will be to guess what these images are in the comments. I plan to identify the images, materials, and methods this evening. ~2thanks
Image 1: White oval on gray background - 2thanks on dailykos.com Copyright 2024
.
Image 2: Brown cylinders and rings - 2thanks@dailykos.com on dailykos.com Copyright 2024.
Image 3: Red arches on a creamy white background - 2thanks@dailykos.com on dailykos.com Copyright 2024.
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
HAPPY NEW YEAR!