August 13, 2020 - Art History Thursday - H.P. Lovecraft

It's Art history Thursday! How about a spot light on one of my favorite authors, H.P. Lovecraft!

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H.P. Love craft, or Howard Philip Lovecraft was born in Providence Rhode Island on August 20th 1890. Best know for his collective works that framed the basis of the Cthulhu Mythos, his writings have far reaching effects to this very day! Called by some the Father of Pulp fiction, and largely recognize as the Father of Cosmic horror and modern horror, Lovecraft drew heavily on his influence by Greek mythology, Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelly, as well as the current political and social climate of the time.

Lovecraft’s cosmic horror is a basic and fairly simplistic fictional ideology. In a nut shell he states that Man, humanity itself, is inconsequential to the vastness of the cosmos and we can be swept aside in a blink of an eye, by uncaring forces, indeed by forces that might not even vaguely realize we exist at all.

But because of this Nihilistic view of reality, he was able to populate it with fantastic terrors, unnamable horrors beyond the comprehension of human thought. In his mind, there were terrors so vast, so incalculable, that mortal man would be totally unable to fathom even the smallest part of it. And many in his stories who tried, went mad with the slightest glimpse of the whole cosmic terror.

A prolific letter writer, he corresponded with some of the recognized master of horror of the day and together they created the universe of the Cthulhu mythos cycle. Writers like August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, and Robert Bloch.

The true tragedy of Lovecraft, was that during his life, he was never able to support himself with his writing, which now is one of the best selling in the genera. He made small sums of money from editing, and sold his stories to pulp magazines for very little money. He died alone and penniless in 1937 at the age of 46.

Now his work is ubiquitous, with volumes of his stories still in print, his work has influenced music, games, movies and multimedia, as well as spawned a whole new generation of writers crafting stories in the Cthulhu Mythos.

Lovecraft the man, was a sickly and introverted sort, he suffered from depression and was extremely Xenophobic and was, as most men of his time, a racist. Reading any one of his short stories, you can see how these beliefs influenced his narratives. Particularly the Red Hook Horror (Aug. 1925) and the Rats in the walls (September 1923). He was also Thalassophobia, he had a fear of living things from the sea and detested all kinds of seafood, particularly squid and octopus. It is no wonder that so many of his creations were tentacled and squid like, or horrors that came from the sea.

H.P. Lovecraft’s first published work was “The tomb” (Written June 1917) But was not published until March 1922. He wrote prolifically for the two decades, always publishing his works for very little, in pulp magazines and as serialized stores in weird tales and others. The last thing he wrote was in November of 1935, the stories “The Shadow out of Time” and "The Haunter of the Dark".

Of coursed his most famous story is “The Call of Cthulhu” September 1926. While it may have been his most famous story, it is by no means his best. It is oddly structured and told mainly in flashbacks and thought newspaper clipping and articles, it is not his best work, but it is worth reading just for the source materials of the entire Mythos Cycle.

For those who never have read Lovecraft, I encourage you to do so, but I must make some warnings. First of all, the language is very formal and very much of its time. His stories are mainly told though narrative of a single character, and often times, done in such a way as to leave you wondering how the characters relate to the story.

Lovecraft is more about ambiance and description than action and character development. Still, it is required reading for any real fan of Horror, particularly Comic horror.

If I were to recommend Lovecraft’s work to anyone, I would tell you, if you didn’t want to read all of it, to start with “At the Mountains of madness” March 1931, “The Call of Cthulhu” September 1926, “The Color out of Space” March 1927, “The Dunwitch Horror” August 1929, “The Shadow over Innsmouth” December 1931, “Pickman’s model” September 1926 and of course, “The Rats in the Walls" September 1923.

There have been several very good movie adaptations of his work and some not so good. The Movies of Stewart Gordon are great, particularly “Reanimator” 1985, “Dagon” 2001, “From Beyond” 1986 and Andrew Leman’s “Call of Cthulhu” are notable. The 2011 Indy “The Whisperer in Darkness” Written and produced by Sean Branney, Andrew Leman, and David Robertson and distributed by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society shows that even a low budget movie can be a solid adaptation.

The following movies didn’t hit the mark, but to be far, it is hard to adapt Lovecraft’s writing, since so much of his narrative is mood, and feeling and “The indescribableness of the thing”… But that didn’t stop some from trying! One of the earliest adaptation as for 1970’s “Dunwitch Horror” Staring Sandra Dee and Dean Stockwell. While its not a bad movie, it is not really very faithful to the story.

The SyFy network did a terrible adaption of the story in 2009, and not even Dean Stockwell, this time playing Dr. Henry Armitage and the great Jeffery Combs as Wilber couldn’t save it!

One of the latest adaptions to be made was 2019 “Color out of Space” with Nic Cage. If you’re a Lovecraft fan, or a Nic Cage fan, give it a try, or if you just want a wild movie that makes little sense, this one if for you, otherwise…

Want to learn more? The following links will take you to comic terror!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIH2nVRcIQ

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August 12, 2020 - Outreach Wednesday - Staying Focused as an Artist

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It’s outreach Wednesday!

Today let's talk about keeping focused as an artist. Please read the following article I wrote and please feel free to ask questions or make comments! Like and share!

Thanks!

Peri Charlfu - CAG Guild Primus

Art of the long game:

Sure it’s easy to be super motivated when yours business is brand new! But keeping momentum is hard, especially with set backs and unexpected problems that face every artist. I want to talk a little about keeping your head above water and staying productive in the long run.

Setting goal and making plans:

The first thing you need to do is set some reasonable goals. You can’t be focused if you don’t know what you’re focused on. Your goals should be set in stages, its fine to have the goal of making 100K a year, but its not a realistic goal for your brand new business. Unless you found a gold mine!

Without primary and intermediary goals, you will never reach such a lofty result. Setting reasonable goals will allow you to succeed, setting unrealistic goals will become frustrating and frustration is the antithesis of a goal oriented plan.

I like to use a one year plan, broken into three month goals. Three month goals are easier to meet, and you can gauge your progress better that way. It also allows you to adapt your goals, without feeling like you’re throwing everything to the wind. Remember that you can and should change your goals if you are having trouble meeting expectations or if you are meeting your goals so quickly that you find yourself with a great deal of time on your hands. Every minute you’re not working and producing a product, you are losing money and inventory. Yes, even writers have inventory. Word count is your unit of production.

Setting up a schedule and workflow:

Once you have determined what you want to accomplished, you need to form a plan that will allow you to achieve these goals with as little distraction as possible.

There are different ways to do this, but it all comes down to being organized and focused. I use a regimented workflow (My marketing class goes in-depth with this).

A systematic schedule that you can live with is key. Don’t construct a schedule that you can’t follow. If you set up a workflow schedule you can’t abide by, you will become frustrated and this is counter-productive.

You’re self employed, work when you want, just as long as you’re working. Keep your eye on the prize, in other words, remember why your’e doing what your’e doing. Being self employed is hard, you are your own boss. TREAT IT LIKE A JOB! You have to be disciplined, discipline is the most important attribute, right after tenaciousness for a successful artist.

If hard work, long hours and set backs make you so frustrated you can’t work, you need to reevaluate your work habits. We are trained from a very young age to work in a structured environment, schools are structured so that they condition us to enter the work force. Without that structure, many artist will fail at being self employed. You MUST impose structure on your own, on your work habits and the way you approach your art.

Realizing your limitations:

You need to be kind to yourself, DO NOT measure your work, your success, your technical skill, your Facebook followers, or any other part of your art or personality against anyone else! We are all on a different journey and we all progress in our own way. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses!

You can eat away any confidence you have by playing the compare game. Its destructive to you and to your relationships. And most importantly to your art!

Remember that everybody fails! No one is perfect, and no one just woke up one morning and was a famous artist. When you see a successful artist, that person didn’t just become an over night sensation, they paid their dues, they struggled, failed, struggled some more and eventually broke though.

Allow yourself to grow, to fail, to learn, to cry and most importantly, relish your successes! If your’e not having a fulfilling and joyous life, you are doing something wrong. Being able to take the downs with the ups is vital for an artist. You must have a thick skin.

Please forgive yourself when you screw up and learn from it. Always try to make your failings into a positive experience. Its true that we learn more from our failures than from our successes.

Hope for the best, but plan for the worst:

Another thing that will help you avoid frustration and panic, is to plan ahead. Think about the things that might happen. Always stock your studio with the materials you need, so you are never caught with your pencils down.

Remember that things happen beyond your control. A show might lose your work, a venue might cancel, never put all your eggs in one basket. Think about medical issues that might come up, having a nest egg is vital. It’s also a great idea to try to get ahead of your production, in case of market problems, illness or injury. If you have work stockpiled, you have a buffer for shows and orders.

This isn’t always easy, but it is a good goal to set, even if its just one or two pieces a week. Remember that there will be things beyond your control, material shortages, injury, or a global pandemic…

Networking and exploring:

It’s easy to become myopic in your own little world, its vital to have a group of peers you can communicate with, people that can offer you support, critique and a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.

Explore your world, we can’t make art in a bubble. Looking at other artists work, natural beauty, or even the ugliness of life, can all provide inspiration.

You must avoid becoming stale and board. Once you lose the spark and love for your art, it will show. The best way to avoid this is to constantly try to expand your comfort zone. Try new media, try new techniques, play! Not to the exclusion of being productive, but if you make your work challenging and interesting, you will be more likely to engage more often and have less artist block.

The most important thing, is to think in terms of the future, the big plan. Don’t let a bad sale devastate you, we all have them, don’t let a great sale set unrealistic expectations either. Look at your work over the course of time, keep track of what you sell, where you sell it. An over all average will let you know how you’re doing. This can help you to gage your progress and help you make a smart and informed strategy to improve your art and stay focused for the future! But most of all, and this is the most important thing of all, keep making art! I wish you all the best and please feel free to reach out to me or anyone else in the Guild for advice and information.

Click here for the original Facebook post & discussion.

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August 6, 2020 - Art History Thursday - Gauguin

It's Art history Thursday!

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Lets talk about Paul Gauguin, one of the worlds leading post-impressionist artists. He did not get the full attention that his work deserved until after his death as was the case of several artists of his time, Vincent Van Gogh being the most famous. Gauguin was born in Paris France on June 7th, 1848. In about 1873, Paul Gauguin painted his first oil. At the time, he was a stock broker and hated the structure of the job. By 1882, he decided to make painting and art his full time job, no matter what the cost.

Gauguin moved, with his family around Europe, studying and paining in Copenhagen and Pont-Aven in Brittany, as well as in France. He painted mainly pastoral and landscape themes, at this time also working in clay and wood cuts. By 1889, Gauguin began to feel that European art was too imitative and similar, so he sough inspiration in Primitivism from Africa and Eastern art from China. Under these influences Gauguin's work evolved towards Cloisonnism, a style given its name by the critic Édouard Dujardin to describe the method of painting with flat areas of color and bold outlines,

In Gauguin's The Yellow Christ (1889), often cited as a quintessential Cloisonnist work, the image was reduced to areas of pure color separated by heavy black outlines. In such works Gauguin paid little attention to classical perspective and boldly eliminated subtle gradations of color, thereby dispensing with the two most characteristic principles of post-Renaissance painting.

Now seen as genius, at the time, no one really understood the depth and the complexity of handling the medium in this way.

In the summer of 1887 Gauguin lived and worked in Martinique, creating 11 finished paintings, inspired by the local flavor of the tropical island. His paintings were exhibited in Paris where they came to the attention of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh. He maintained a tenuous friendship with Vincent until Van Gogh’s death.

Gauguin first went to Tahiti in 1890 or 91, he lived at first in Papeete where he painted prolifically in the tropical paradise and many feel that his first Tahitian period produced some of his greatest work. During this time, he also began to produce wood cuts and helped elevate the traditional illustrating technique into a high art form. He returned to Paris in poor health and almost broke in August of 1893. He stayed in Europe for a few years, becoming poorer and poorer.

After scraping together enough funds to return to Tahiti in 1895, Paul never returned to Europe again. He was able to live a fairly comfortable life, living on steady sales of his work, and gifts by fans, friends and well wishers. There he worked in Clay and sculpture as well as more wood cuts. He moved around the region for several years after, selling his work where he could.

He did wood cut illustrations for several publications and studied ceramics and worked on his art. He wrote his “Intimate Journals” that were later published, outlining his philosophy of Life and art. By 1903 Paul’s heath had deteriorated and he was apt to use morphine for the chronic pain and heart problems, believed to be the result of Syphilis. On the Morning of May 8th, 1903, Paul Gauguin died suddenly and alone.

The legacy left by Paul Gauguin echos though out the history of art, inspiring such artists as Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, André Derain, Fauvism, Cubism and even The American Arts and Crafts movement.

Learn more! https://www.paul-gauguin.net/

Click here for the Facebook post & discussion.

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August 5, 2020 - Art As Resistance

http://www.pdxstreetart.org/articles-all/2017/1/23/resistence

http://www.pdxstreetart.org/articles-all/2017/1/23/resistence

History of art as resistance:

Art has been used for centuries to make commentary on the social and political climate of the day.

From the use of graffiti in Pompeii to protest the treatment of the Lower classes, to the hidden meaning of the illuminated manuscripts of the 12 and 13th centuries, the paintings of the old masters, to Andy Warhol commenting on our consumer culture. Art has always been a powerful tool for both political sides.

People on the wrong side of history have used art. The Nazi’s used art to amazing advantage in their propaganda machine, as well as Union busters of the early 20th Century illustrating Union leaders as sub-humans and traitors.

Art has always played a huge role in politics, and anyone who says otherwise is not paying attention.

Art can inspire, provoke, educate, illuminate and influence. The Greek word Icon, means image. Historically such images were used to tell stories and illustrate ideas to the many people who couldn’t read. These models and techniques have been taken into the modern world and used to invoke ideals of patriotism, isolationism and even genocide.

Art can bring us together, art has power and artists who know how to wield that power can change the world.

From graphic arts, to political cartoons, movies, music, and even more subtle influences like incorporating the American flag in propaganda or the psychological use of manipulative music and even color. Art has been at the forefront of politics since the beginning.

Artists have power:

Artist are one of the few groups of people that can cross social and economic lines easily. From digging their own clay in a potters field to rubbing elbows with the wealthy and powerful, artists have been set apart in many cultures and can easily move through those different worlds.

A picture is worth a 1000 words. With a singe powerful image, an artist can convey an idea that would take hours or longer to articulate. They give a voice to those who have no way to express what they want, be it emotions, ideology or religion. Knowing the right use of color and composition, an artist can evoke emotion.

A song writer can rouse a people to action, a singer can motivate a movement. The counter culture of the 60’s and early 70’s were as much about art and music as it was about social revolution.

Art can do so much!

There are several ways artists can use their creativity to make a statement, to resist. Every artist must look within themselves to understand what their power is, and how best to use it.

Being an artist is a great responsibility and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The more proficient you are in your art, the more influence you might have. After all, influence is power.

On the other hand, you might not want to wield that kind of power and are content with doing your own art, and there’s nothing wrong with that either.

In your face protest!

Of course the most obvious way to use art as resistance is to picture the ugliness of what you’re resisting. In these turbulent times, the artist who are doing the most work in this regard are the political cartoonists.

Graffiti can become resistance art if it is done right. Posters, Memes and even the way we dress can make a statement. If we want to resist, we need to be understood, and art can be one vehicle for that voice.

Create beauty.

In hard times, in times of darkness and uncertainty, the creating of beauty and hope is more important than at any other time. Some of the greatest art has come from times of great turmoil and suffering.

The need to have beauty in a world of darkness and hate is so ingrained in the human psyche that most people don’t even realize the need and can’t articulate what they are missing.

Lack of beauty and culture can cause psychological issues, like depression and anxiety. Why do you feel better after seeing a really great movie or why do you listen to music to help you unwind?

By providing beauty, through visual art, or though song, or in the written word, artists are providing a vital and needed role in society. A society without art and culture is not really a society at all.

Art allows us to feel and express our humanity, it build bridges with our spirituality and empathy. Making art is about the most human thing you can do, creation by self directed will is critical for the world, especially right now.

Art can provide an outlet.

By encouraging people to create, to resist the darkness and destruction with creation and beauty, artists can help heal their own soul and those they touch with their art.

If you’re not making art as a vocation, you are still a valid artist. Not everything has to be for public consumption. Art can exist for the sake of the art, for the sheer value of creation. For the joy of making!

Likewise your art doesn’t have to be beautiful. It can depict ugliness and terror. These things can be cathartic and help to express sublimated fears or anxieties. In short, the is no right or wrong way to art.

Every act of oeuvre, every piece of art, every song sung or poem written fights against the darkness, it resists oppression with creation.

So please don’t stop, don’t let anyone tell you that art is a waste, that art is not valid. Make art, create, change the world, even if it just makes your little corner a better place to be!

Peri Charlifu

Convention Artists Guild Primus.

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Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8226493948...

July 30, 2020 - Art History Thursday - Classical Sculpture

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So it's time for Art history Thursday! Today we will be stepping way back, to the early days of Classical Greek sculpture and investigating the Venus DeMilo. Many people think that the sculpture was made by one of the renaissance artists, but it was created significantly earlier than that!

The Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created sometime between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 6 feet 8 inches high. The arms and original plinth were lost following its discovery. The statue is named after Aphrodite's Roman name, Venus, and the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Learn more!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo

https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/aphrodite-known-venus-de-milo

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July 23, 2020 - Art History Thursday - Cosplay

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Art History Thursday, it’s all about the Art! Today we take a look at the origins of Cosplay. I have been a professional seamstress since 1988 and amateur Cosplayer since 1987. My husband got me interested in Cosplay when he took me to my first gaming convention, GenCon when it was still in Milwaukee, WI. There the Cosplay I built for my sister, Taarna from Heavy Metal, won 2ndin their costume contest.

So what is Cosplay? The term Cosplay is a combination of Costume and Play and the term can be traced back to a 1984 Japanese article written by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Studio Hard after attending WorldCon in Los Angeles. There he observed the the Masquerade of costumes in the halls and during the contest but Masquerade translates to “an aristocratic costume” in Japanese. This didn’t match his experience so he combined the terms 'costume': kosuand 'play': becomes pure combined they make kosupure in Japanese or Cosplay in English. People who Cosplay wear costumes and many times take on attributes of a specific character as a form of public performance art at conventions and events worldwide.

Cosplay itself existed LONG before the term Cosplay entered our lexicon. The first heavily documented people to ‘cosplay’ were Forrest J Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas. They attended the 1939 1st World Science Fiction Convention dressed in "futuristicostumes", based on the artwork of Frank R. Paul and the 1936 film Things to Come. The costumes were designed and created by Douglas. Afterwards Ackerman stated he thought everyone was supposed to wear a costume to science fiction events….only he had Douglas did, which is why it stood out to so many. Cosplay grew in the United States from that point becoming a staple at conventions and creating it’s own conventions dedicated to the art of Cosplay.

Cosplayers encompass everyone from amateur to paid professional and everything in-between. Some just enjoy the dress up factor and have their costumes created by commissioned artists, others dive head deep into creating their own costumes right down to the tiny details of a character like tinted contact lenses to recreate eye color. Cosplayers who build their own costumes sometimes spend hundreds to thousands of hours researching, building, sewing, and learning new art techniques in order to bring a character to life. I liken it to being a one person (or small team of people) costume department for a large fantasy show…you need shoes..looks like today you learn to make shoes! You need a wig…time to research how to recreate your characters hairline on a wig.

Today Cosplay has gone mainstream thanks in part to professional cosplayers like J Heart Design and Ichigo Black working in conjunction with large pattern companies to make costume construction easier for beginners and pros alike. Other cosplayers like Kaumi Cosplay have published books on prop and armor design and paired with companies to promote the products needed to create the works outlined in their books. Cosplay continues to expand and large groups worldwide like the 501st ,a group of Star Wars cosplayers who recreate the costumes of the Empire, have taken cosplay out of the convention scene and utilize their skills for charity events, children’s hospital visits, and even acting as extras on Disney Channels series The Mandalorian.

Cosplay has come far from it’s early roots. Today it’s enjoyed by numerous people all over the world. What was once seen as strange and nerdy is now mainstream and continues to grow with new technology making it easier for the actor to become the character! Give it a try!!

Photos; Dragon Dronet and Chad Volpe at Westercon Utah taken by me.
Craig Griswold and myself taken by Tofusnow Photography

-Amy Griswold

Here is our Facebook post & discussion!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8226493948...

June 28, 2020 - A Note From The Primus

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publicdomainpictures.net

A Note from Your Primus...

I know things are dark right now, the disassociation between the danger and lethal nature of the pandemic and the need to return to normal, as well as financial worries and the continued isolation we all face, can be exhausting emotionally and mentally.

There have been memes stating what jobs are essential and which are the most non-essential, and Artists was the top ranked non-essential job listed, according to that meme. I want to challenge that position! I know that its hard, really hard to be creative and productive right now, especially when people are telling you that you're not essential. I say bullshit! Art is more essential now than ever!

You can use art to express how you're feeling, as a therapeutic tool to help you work through your emotions, or you can make art to bring beauty into the world.

Your art doesn't have to be socially provocative or political unless you want it to. Your art is part of your psyche and as such it can be many things at different times, just as we are many thing at different times.

We do have to live thought this new normal, but we don't have to let it define us, we can still be fierce, human, loving, and creative spirits in this dark time. Take care of yourself, do your art!

Love each other and ask for help when things get too dark for you. Let your light and your art be a beacon to those who are in need. Only light will dispel the dark, and as long as we struggle against it, there will always be light.

-Peri