Tuesday, July 28, 2009

my educated guess....




























3 new books in a week, and another 2, and 3 zines the following week, there's 4 furthermore, plus the occasional bliiings and blooongs..... 
is this why i'm poor?

why artists are poor?

the title of the book is so intriguing that i checked it out immediately upon seeing this at the university library.
its their new acquisition. i saw the price
(ha!) there was yet the receipt inserted--its php 2,700.00 about $34.on amazon.
--ahhh one of few the perks of being in the business of molding minds, is that--you can get to borrow books i.e, new acquisitions for three weeks and renew it again for several more times,aint that greyyyt? and then its a noble job-- thats the other perks. darn!hahaha...
notice the the title--it ends with a question mark.not a statement, but more likely a probability. because not all artists are poor--uhh count me out--i'm poor. and scroll up again, there's my educated guess...meanwhile, this book is presented in an erudite manner. social science effect. the author is a social scientist, economist, and a visual artist. and i think he's not poor (anymore). hey ho! this/his book is expensive.(according to my wallet)

here's some excerpts from the book--for i know you too are intrigued... here it goes:

table 1. the mythology of the arts
1. art is sacred
2. through art,artists and art consumers relate to a sacred world
3. art is remote and superfluous
4. art is a gift
5. artists are gifted
6. art serves the general interest
7. art is good for people
8. artists are autonomous; other professionals are not autonomous
9. there is freedom of expression in the arts
10.the work of art is authentic and the artist is the unique creator
11.creating authentic works gives one endless private satisfaction
12.artists are selfless
ly devoted to art
13.artists are only intrinsically motivated
14.money and commerce devalue art
15.artistic quality can only exist if it is independent of costs and demand
16.artists have to suffer
17.talent is natural or God-given
18.everybody has the same chance of being gifted or talented
19.certain talents in the arts only appear later in someone's career
20.because extraordinary talent is rare, only in large pool of artists can provide society with a few extremely talented artists
21.success in the arts depend on talent and commitment exclusively
22.the arts are free. the barriers that exists in other professions are absent in the arts
23.successful artists are often self-taught
24.given the talent and commitment, equal chances exists in the arts;the best is the victorious
25.because the best win,the arts are democratic and righteous
26.the high incomes earned by the artists are fair

"the myths or persistent beliefs about art and artists make the economy of the arts exceptional"

and here's some
more..

"the most striking aspect in these pattern is the 2 faced character economy of the arts. the contrast is visible from outward signs.
-the world of splendor, of magnificent opera houses, chic openings, of artist earning very high incomes and of rich donors whose status is enhanced by their association with the arts. on the other hand there is the large majority of artists earning little or nothing; often they lose money by working in the arts and make up for the losses by working in second jobs or accepting support from their partners. moreover large sums of social security and other allowances not intended for the arts flow in it.

the contrast also shows from attitudes in the arts that are intrinsically 2 faced. on the other hand money and commerce are rejected. on the other hand trade is very present in the temple of sacred art, as it was in the temple of the Jews. the temple of art cannot exist without trade. moreover, the trade in art profits from the belief that art is sacred and beyond commerce. for art dealers denying the economy is profitable: it is commercial to be anti-commercial. such denial and simultaneous embrace of money is present
in almost any transactions in the arts. does this double moral standard contribute to the strong contrast
between wealth and poverty in the arts?"

brothers and sisters :-) if you still want to continue with the readings,heres the info about the book:

why artists are poor?
the exceptional economy of the arts
amsterdam university press

or to the amazon.com

Monday, July 27, 2009

lumpia--a.k.a deep fried spring rolls, philippine style

one of the best loved pinoy dish--the lumpia. made up of mung bean springs,
sauted in garlic and onions and some other veggies like carrots, and cabbage.rolled into thin edible wrapper (flour and egg) then deep fried in vegetable oil. if you want it heart friendly, canola or olive oil :-)and that is a sudden upgrade of this very affordable snack i love to have once in a while. it goes yummy with rice too, a good treat for the vegans.
there is the version that i love all the more in this humble food--instead of using carrots and cabbage, the sweet potato works perfectly with the mung bean sprouts. simultaneous with the crisp and the crunch there is these burst of soft and sweet cubes or thinly sliced sweet potatoes. the hint of sweetness adds flavour to this staple pinoy snack.

and oh, the dip! its a sin to serve this lumpia aside from being cold and sloppy, without the flavoured vinegar. here's so far the best concoction: 
(as experienced from my long time love affair with local vinegars. i used to drink them straight from the bottle, hiding )

          fermented coconut juice (the murky it looks the 
                 better)
                 crushed garlic
                 chopped or sliced native onions (the violet)
                 pepper
                 a bit of iodized salt
                 a pinch of sugar
          and here's the killer... 
                 osterized ginger
                 and squeeze in drops of Philippine Lemon,
                 yes, the humble kalamansi
                 put it all together in a bottle
                 and shake well, and shout, yaayyy!

             
                 
                  

Sunday, July 12, 2009

robin's nest amidst the frangipani lush






























this yet another flat pouch. multi-purpose for storing everyday life,s essentials.
- made in japan flat pouch
(surplus) making it my canvas
for this theme.
- the backdrop is printed cloth with
an oilcloth backing(interior)
- industrial zipper
- permanent paint and sealed with protection
thus, hand washable
sold at:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

quirky happy smiling skulls

























this pura seta wide square vintage scarf is soooo smoooth and functional. this is a new listing over at: annquirky.etsy.com

(just cut and paste that url pleeaase...i'm having a hard time working out this thingy :0( of directing you all t0 the seller's site. its suppose to appear --the shop somewhere either on left side or right side corner of this blog's layout, but alas i dont know how to do it-or maybe just too busy with this day job--i'll work that out in time...)










Thursday, July 2, 2009

aesthetically primitive














i am finally done with this project. i still love working on manual artworks/paintings as this one. inspite of the surge of prints and tarps (tarpaulin)or vinyl, which our department is always involve with, it is yet refreshing to touch base with this almost primitive style to achieve some effect i am trying to get sans the aid of technology. an opportunity to exercise skills and not get drowned in theories.
(this work is a request by a fellow etsian--bitandbee, graphic illustration supplied by the way)

To achieve the vintage look and appeal--on artworks:
-it should be manually done, painted (biased here, silly hahaha!)
-capture the simple,forms and its primitive style
-use coffee, or tea. apply it liberally over the work.
caution: coffee is washable unless you use emulsion instead of
water. tea, stains. that is my experience here.(and oh,
the sun shines so good here, that you cant see the
aged effect. a bit over exposed.and oh, should have adjusted the contrast in photoshop-i forgot!) but in person---the feel and the looks are all there.
-crackling paints are good too--only if you dont move the painting a lot, because they really crack too much when dried. use illusion instead, paint cracks.