Category Archives: art

Freak Power Exhibit at Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History

9 political posters from the 1970s on an angled wall to lead visitors into the exhibit space. Facing the posters is an enlarged reprint of a newspaper page. The headline is at the ceiling and reads "Scurrilous Sheet Hits the Streets". There is a image of writer Hunter S. Thompson and another man holding a poster. Past all of these images is a portrait of Hunter S. Thompson that wraps onto the back wall leading into the rest of the exhibit space.
Selection of art from the Hunter S. Thompson’s run for Sheriff in

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History has a fantastic show of political posters from the Freak Power Party. The displays over several rooms tell the fascinating story of Hunter S. Thompson‘s run for Aspen Sheriff in 1970. It includes great background on the history of the time and all the ways people were working for a better and more just world. It resonates with what is happening now because the more things change the more they stay the same. I wish they had some of the political posters in the show as prints or stickers to being home since they voiced what I think now.

It runs until the end of the month and is definitely worth the trip. Darrin and I planned a whole weekend in Santa Cruz to see the show, and it was a great decision!

Shiny new avatar!

gaw_chandraLook at my cute new avatar! It’s a custom piece by Len Peralta, geek artist extraordinaire.

I backed Geek-A-Week 4.0 at the level where I got to send him a picture of me and I would get this –>

Len Peralta’s work is phenomenal, and I’m always on the look out for ways to pick up more of his artwork. And now I get to look like one of the cool kids on the internet 🙂

There are other offers of personalized artwork on his site, so check them out!

 

Kim Boekbinder’s Kickstarter Tour

I’ve written about Kim Boekbinder and her funky music before And it still makes me smile and dance when it comes on in my car.
So imagine my excitement when she posted that she’s going to tour! And she’s stopping by Los Angeles, which I hate driving to, but I really would love to see her live.

But that might not happen. Because she’s pre-selling her tour. Which means that she has to have the initial amount through Kickstarter for each stop before she’ll actually put in the effort to find a venue. And there’s only 5 days left before the LA tour won’t happen, with most of the amount remaining.

So if you’re in the LA area, and you’re like me and interested in new music and like being part of something new, go buy a ticket! They’re only $10! And she has pretty cool merch that you can pre-order as part of your support for her innovative tour!

Venus Fly Trap

No. I’m not talking about the plant (though it is one of the cooler plants you can have in your house). It’s the newest show at the Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton, Ca. Kellesimone Waits is the artist highlighted in Venus Fly Trap, that runs through the end of the month.

Her artwork is very interesting. The women in her paintings look awkward in their poses. I may be projecting, but most of the faces also seem uncomfortable and a little sad at their state.

You see, every woman is portrayed in a bikini. A very tiny bikini.

I’ve never been comfortable around lots of women in bikinis, but I didn’t know why until I was standing in the Hibbleton. I become one of the many people looking at these women displaying themselves as though they were the wares of a swap meet vendor. And I don’t want to be that, even unintentionally.

Kellesimone’s work forces the viewer to become one of the many potential buyers, which is very interesting. To view her art is to become a voyeur. Her art presents a seemingly open picture of the women, but the aspects of what makes these women human are hidden. Their backgrounds are bland and revealing as much as their outfits reveal their bodies. It traps the viewer to thinking that they know the the people being portrayed, but there isn’t enough information to truly know the women.

I wonder if the element of unknown knowing comes from her life. Kellesimone Waits is the daughter of Tom Waits, and through much of the show and discussion of the show, her father became the focus. He showed up late to the opening, but as soon as he did, a nearly awed hush overtook the crowd. Which was quickly replaced by fervent discussions on the best way to ask him for a photo or autograph.

And Kellesimone’s artwork faded to the background. Tom Waits’ body language communicated that he was not overly excited by the attention he was drawing. But he remained gracious, and I liked him even more for that.

The art show was very fun, and I like what Kellesimone Waits was doing with her artwork. The show’s up until May is over, so if you’re in the area, you should check it out. And if you do wander through the show, let me know what you think!

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