These art lottery stories always make me think about the stupidity of the art market. If money motivated me I would find a lost masterpiece at a flea market every few years. A $5 painting worth $50 million is a wonderful story, but it’s a story that should be in the fiction section. Just because a Jackson Pollock sells for $140 million doesn’t mean that paintings which look like Jackson Pollock also increase in value.

My art lottery rant is purely based on common sense though, so maybe the painting is worth $50 million.

The Gallery Delisle in Toronoto, Canada has the “Jackson Pollock” painting up for sale with a price tag of $50 million. The retired truck driver Teri Horton bought the painting for $5 back in 1992 and has been nicknamed “Teri’s Find.” It was rejected by the “elite U.S. art community” but received “forensic authentication.”

For me, a quote on CBSNews from Teri Horton sums this painting up.. “Do I personally think it’s worth $50 million? Hell no. It’s worth the $5 I gave for it. It’s ugly.”
>> Art Controversies, Jackson Pollock

Life in motion, in the field of human experience

Everything in life is in motion and everything in the universe–from a thought to a solid rock, from the smallest electron to the entire cosmos– is in a constant state of vibration. Life itself in the present moment are orchestrated like a great symphony.
In sharing this same, reality, dream and Spirit. The struggle for a living/survival, understanding and liberation lives on cycle after cycle.
This progress, force us further. In this evolutionary journey lies the potential to be, to become, more that is and more that have been. Through participation lies the potential for creation, to come inte being.

The human being are shown with her inner essence, force and energies with the colors red and yellow representing this. Sometimes shown in her animal body expressed in situations that reflect different states on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.
The blue color represent the planet, sky and the universe. At the same time a planet in a universe bound by conditions and physical laws. The blues as water stands for emotions and the unconscious. Forces that are influencing and conditioning the human being in her day to day life.

The big empty blues/sky´s are representing the human feeling of loneliness or a belonging. That emptiness also represents humanity´s inner space. An infinite space, a void which is a source of potential(ity) to connect with. The minimalistic environment symbolizing a depth and void of silence, which are inherent and absolute present. This presence and force animates, works in, around and through the paintings. The eternal lifeforce, Spirit, vibrating in one tone, Harmony.

Life in motion, a universal theme presented in a contemporary myth and saga. Communicates, are recognized and fully understood at a soullevel.
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Created by Richard Solstjarna On 10/30/08 At 09:55 AM

Sotheby’s has a video preview of their upcoming Sotheby’s Contemporary Art auction in New York on the 11th of November online here. There’s a few important works in it that must have billionaire art collectors licking their lips. Click on “Browse the Catalogue” on the video preview page above to see all the works up for auction.

My favorite painting in the auction is easily Philip Guston’s “Beggar’s Joys” work from 1954/55. There’s no estimate for the work on the Sotheby’s website, but I’m guessing that it’s out of my price range by quite a few million.

PHILIP GUSTON 1913-1980
BEGGAR’S JOYS
1954-55
71 1/8 x 68 1/8 in. or 180.7 x 173.1 cm
oil on canvas

In the Sotheby’s video preview I almost giggled at the explanation of the Jeff Koons painting called “Cheeky” as I just didn’t believe that the guy liked it. It’s not a criticism of the guy talking about it, it’s the ugly painting that the poor guy had to get excited about.

JEFF KOONS Born 1955
CHEEKY
2000
Estimate 4,000,000—6,000,000 USD
108 x 79 1/2 in. or 274.3 x 201.9 cm
oil on canvas
>> Sotheby’s Art Auctions

An important Pablo Picasso painting has been withdrawn from a Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern art auction in New York. The 1909 work titled “Arlequin” was expected to make more than $30 million.

Recent art auctions in London, Sydney and Hong Kong have shown that the world financial crisis is knocking on the door of the art market. Sotheby’s says that the owners withdrew the painting for personal reasons.

The harlequin painting was owned by the late Italian born American surrealist painter Enrico Donati. Donati paid $12,000 for the work back in the 1940s.

>> Sotheby’s, Pablo Picasso

Last week the Australian surrealist painter James Gleeson passed away at the age of 92. Gleeson has been exhibiting in Australia for more than 70 years.

Whilst surrealism was never my favorite ism, I liked how James Gleeson didn’t feel it necessary to change like fashion. He found a certain way of painting that suited him and explored it all his life.

James Gleeson
Born 21st of November, 1915
Died 20th of October, 2008

“I’ve never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth.. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us.” James Gleeson Quote

>> Artist Deaths

Greenfuse films has released a film called “Between the Folds” which looks at a group of paper folders or origami artists.

Here’s their introduction to the film..
“Between The Folds” uncovers the stories of 10 fine artists, intrepid mathematicians and theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard-earned graduate degrees – all to forge unconventional lives as modern-day paperfolders. As these eccentric and provocative characters converge on the unlikely medium of origami, they reinvent an ancient art, and demonstrate the innumerable ways that creativity and ingenuity come to bear as they struggle to understand and honor the world around them. The film paints an arresting portrait of the mysterious artistic and scientific threads that bind these exceptional minds, bringing forth a rare mix of sensibilities towards art, expressiveness, interpretation, and meaning.

A preview of Between the Folds can be seen here, with more details on where the full film can be seen.

There’s some origami art below by two of the artists from the film. I have always loved good quality paper, especially hand made papers, but I didn’t realize just how much could be done with a single piece of paper.

Giang Dinh does some fascinating faces, people, and animals with paper.

Monks by Giang Dinh

Bear by Giang Dinh

Michael LaFosse does mostly origami animals and has some books and guides on his website for those that want to do their own origami.

Bat by Michael LaFosse

Squirrel folded with one piece of paper by Michael LaFosse

Hazel Dooney has released a free art print for download to celebrate her 400th blog post. It’s available for 30 days and she’ll sign and inscribe it for you if you send your print to her studio.

It’s not quite as sexy as her last print, so you could probably even use the printer at work if its better than your home printer.

The work is a drawing called “Iku, For You” which means I’m coming for you.

The print can be downloaded Here. There’s also postal details of her studio on the same page if you wish to get it signed by the artist.
>> Nude News, Art Print News, Being an Artist

Arts editor Tom from Spoonfed in the UK recently went to a lecture at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London to hear a talk called “Violence to Endurance: Extreme Curating.”

I’ll let him explain what happened during the lecture..
“Periodically they are interrupted by a 50-year old man with a thick Russian accent saying ‘Bullshit, this is not shocking.’ Then, this man stands up and walks to the front of the room (it’s not far – he’s sitting on the front row). He undoes his belt, drops his trousers and takes a shit into his own hand. He does his trousers and belt up, walks up to the man in the centre of the panel and deposits the shit in his glass. He then sits back down, a slight look of triumph on his face.” Continue reading his report over at Spoonfed here.

Artists are a funny breed! It reminds me of a story that an art teacher told me years ago, where an artist cut off his own penis on stage and died. I’m not sure if it was true or not, but I thought it was funny at the time.

Anyway, the artist that took a shit on stage and dumped it in the speaker’s glass was the Russian performance artist Alexander Brener. Brener is famous for shitting in front of a Vincent van Gogh painting at the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow and for painting a dollar sign on a Kazimir Malevich painting (which he spent time in prison for).

He’s not some one I would take to an exhibition. If he’s not shitting in front of paintings, he’s yelling at them naked. I don’t know what he’s saying to them in the video below, but it would be a little distracting if you was actually interested in looking at the art on the walls

>> Funny News, Shit News, Controversies

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has inspired a lot of artists to get political in the studio. I think politics has no place in the studio, but it’s interesting to see what the good little propagandists come up with.

I already mentioned Pricasso’s painting of Sarah Palin nude and Chicago painter Bruce Elliott’s nude Palin picture in his bar. But artists are also taking their political message to the street according to the Gawker blog.

Here’s a spoof of Shepard Fairey’s Barack Obama poster, where the word “Hope” has been changed to “Nope” for Sarah Palin..

And here’s a vote Sarah Palin poster from A Frightening Prospect which is appearing all over the country..

Saturday Night Live also has a lot of fun with her. Here’s Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin making a real appearance on the show.
>> Political Art News

21st century advances in technology have opened new windows to the world around us that have enabled artists to dive deeper into the heart of matter than ever before. Whether it’s through the use of microscopes to see cells and molecules, or telescopes to see distant planets and galaxies, or in this case, through the use of advanced drilling techniques to reach precious stones, gems, minerals, and core-sample cross sections of Earth, artists are there to explore. And bio artist Sydney Strahan has emerged with fascinating works of art that reflect the nuances and intimate spaces of the layered world that sustains us. Her art is at the same time capable because of this moment of technological advance, yet transcends the millenia of time from whence its inspiration and the art itself was born.

Sydney has created amazingly vibrant paintings from core-sample cross sections of microscopically thin layers of Earth. By working with expert Geologists, a variety of interesting rocks and stones offered a visual point of departure for her art work.

From her artist biography:

Sydney Strahan is a graduate of Texas Christian University with a double major in Painting and Printmaking, as well as a life-long explorer of the arts in creativity, movement, and spirituality.

Coinciding with a current movement in art known as Bio-Art; art inspired by biological mechanisms, Sydney’s work specifically relates to the exploration of life sciences that examine a human connection to living systems.

Additionally, view her beautiful Gemstone Paintings Gallery for more examples of lush art that is reminiscent of worlds within worlds, once hidden deep within the Earth and now available for all too see.

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