gosh, it's been a while

it's been a while since i posted here, i guess. i haven't been terribly active in the studio, although i have a ton of ideas in my head. i have been active making improvements on the house, and organizing the new shop and the new studio.

i have been looking for ways to make a living making art, and making less art. seems kinda counter-productive, no? except, it's almost as if i am at a point where if i can't support myself making art, i don't want to make it. which is a little childish really, but here i am nonetheless.

i just feel this incredible drive to MAKE. and i am discouraged that i have to spend so much of my time working that i don't have time to get out all the stuff in my head.

instead of looking for ways to support myself art making, maybe i should be looking for ways to survive without sleep. i might get somewhere with that...

gathering of the faithful '09

the gathering was a couple weeks ago. good times as always. my new poster fairly rules, if i do say so myself.

pocono '64

i did this one using a couple plates from another print, and some new hand carved text. i am going to start mixing up the text and image plates to make some different combinations of my posters. just to keep things interesting...

solo show in brooklyn

i have a show of 14 new and old pieces at aeon logic gallery in brooklyn from 8/8-8/18/09. come on out and check it.

http://aeonlogicartgallery.site90.net/

the good life with an old truck

finally got the old truck just about ready to hit the road. i am stoked to bomb around in the ol' girl. over the winter we (me & b) installed new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, condensor, ignition switch (which i think was the problem all along...). the this past weekend we got the old exhaust cut out, and new exhaust installed up to and including a pair of cherry bomb 'glas pack mufflers. still need some tail pipe to finish it off. but it sounds pretty good. we'll see how she does hauling boxes during the upcoming move. but i did keep my priorities in order. i got the hula girl mounted on the dash before the official maiden voyage...

my new website

so, i finally have a viable website up and running. still a work in progress, it will hold all my art categorized by medium, and provide a way for you, dear reader, to purchase the ones you fall in love with. you can check it out below, and make note of it in the right sidebar of this blog.

www.markphelanart.com

Postscript

postscript: monotype, pronto plate lithography, mixed media, 22x30

ct60

orange '58

linocut, 2 color, 12x18 with hand carved type.

bigfoot lives!

bigfoot lives! 24x18 1 color relief print

leaving home, going home

leaving home, going home, 30x22, monotype with mixed media

the black helicopters of the bridgewater triangle

the black helicopters of the bridgewater triangle, 24x18, relief print

the giant pterodactyl of bird hill

18x24 relief print

the red headed hitchhiker of route 44

ver 4
2 color relief print on grey paper

ver 3
2 color relief print on cream paper

ver 2
1 color relief print on white paper with water color additions



ver 1

1 color relief print on white paper

a breath away

a breath away. 22x30 monotype and mixed media.

a discourse between earth and sky; part II

a discourse between earth and sky II, 22x30, monotype and mixed media

a discourse between earth and sky; part I

a discourse between earth and sky I, 22x30, monotype and mixed media

identify yourself!

it's so easy. once you DO your calling, it's so easy to just say, "i am a truckdriver." "i am a mechanic." "i am a teacher." "i am an artist."

i know truckdrivers. they drive trucks and get a paycheck every week or two. mechanics too. i know some. they turn their wrenches, they get a paycheck. teachers are the same. they pass on knowledge and understanding, do what they do, get some meager compensation for it. they do it because they have the call. because they need to. and they get paid to.

so many people identify themselves by what they do with the majority of their time, or by what they do to earn money. "i'm a barista." "i'm a cashier." people who dig in the earth looking for old stuff call themselves archeologists. folks who look after other folks and recommend medications and treat maladies and sign their name illegibly call themselves doctors. by this identification process, i am not an artist. i am an apparel buyer or a keeper of records. i am not an artist.

there, i said it. i am not an artist. i make art, but i am not an artist. or maybe, we need to rethink our position on this whole identity thing. maybe people who drives trucks across this great wide country, delivering milk and fruit and potatoes and oreos to grocery stores, and spend their off hours sitting at old wooden benches under bright lights, moving tiny gears and springs inside the body of an old clock should call themselves horologists. maybe people who fix cars and trucks during the day and also play in bands in small, smoky, dark bars at night should call themselves musicians. maybe people who make coffee for other people on one of those kooky retail schedules and still manage to ride their bikes 300 miles a week, gutting out grueling climbs, rising at 5AM to simply get a ride in, should call themselves cyclists.

maybe people who devolop planograms for apparel sections in retail stores, and track warranty claims, and make spread sheets to keep track of department budgets, and who also make pictures with things like paper and canvas and pencil and ink and paint and pain and tears and laughter, should call themselves artists.

maybe we should identify ourselves with our callings rather than our occupations. someday, we could be lucky enough to identify ourselves with our occupation and our calling because they will be the same. live the dream, or die trying.