Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: Catlin v. Carrà!

George Catlin
1796 - 1872
American

Defeated by Vincenzo Catena in Round 1.
Got by 15th century Italian Andrea del Castagno in First Round Elimination.






Carlo Carrà
1881 - 1966
Italian

Defeated 16th century Italian Annibale Carracci by a landslide in Round 1.
Lost to 16th century Italian Vittore Carpaccio in Round 2.






Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Wednesday Post


Pages Towards an Absurdist Stamp Album
II: Equatorial Guinea celebrates the Winter Olympics



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament, Left Bracket Second Round: Caro v. Catena!

Sir Anthony Caro
born 1924
English

Lost to Vittore Carpaccio by two votes in a Round 1 plagued by low voter turnout. YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!
Eased past Italian master Annibale Carracci in First Round Elimination.






Vincenzo Catena
c.1480 - 1531
Venetian

Beat American naturalist George Catlin in Round 1.
Blown out by impressionist Mary Cassatt in Round 2.






Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting, but likely much longer.

Monday, February 25, 2013

A Quilting Post


I've been quilting again for the last week or so.  It has been quite a while.


It's a good thing, because I probably have enough fabric stored up to make a quilt face along the lines of the above every day for the rest of my threescore-and-ten.  And I like making something kind of cool out of scraps.

I have to admit, though, that the "What are you going to DO with them?" question can be a little daunting sometimes...

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament, Round One: Ensor v. Epstein!

James Ensor
1860 - 1949
Belgium's famous painter



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Sir Jacob Epstein
1880 - 1959
American; worked in Britain



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Vote for the artist of your choice!  Votes go in the comments.  Commentary and links to additional work are welcome.  Polls open for at least one month past posting.

Friday, February 22, 2013

The Jazz Thing, Round 1: Pepper v. Carter


The Jazz Thing, Round 1 (40 Word/Album Limit)


#60 Art Pepper – "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section" (1957)  v.  #76 Benny Carter and His Orchestra  "Further Definitions" (1961)


Said to represent "West Coast Jazz," whatever that is or was.  Maybe that's why I'm drawn to it.  Very clean solo and ensemble playing.  A little smoky, which is bad in rooms and clothes but good in jazz.


And:



Extremely tight playing by a somewhat larger ensemble -- four saxophones.  Just the hint of a schmaltz factor.  Feels like it should be four years older than Art Pepper rather than the other way around.



Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section beats Further Definitions.


Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Play-In Artist SubTournament: Phase 1, Flight 8


Phase One Rules:
  1. You may cast votes for up to four artists.  
    • One vote per artist per person.
  2. Since play-in artists were nominated by your peers in the IAT community, including myself, courteous and affirmative voting is in order
    • Which is to say, no baggin' on the aesthetic sensibilities of the nominators.
  3. Full rules, procedures, and anticipated timeline for the Play-In SubTournament are available on the Play-In SubTournament page.


Phase 1, Flight 6 will be open until noon Pacific Time, Saturday, February 23.
Phase 1, Flight 7 will be open until March 23.
Flight 8 will be open for approximately two months.



Norman Saunders
1907-1989
American





Dorian Cleavenger
? (contemporary)
not sure; works in U.S.





Saul Steinburg
1914-1999
Romanian; worked in U.S.







David Mach
b. 1956
Scottish






Frank Frazetta
1928-2010
American






Justin Bua
b. 1968
American





Abelardo Morell
b. 1948
Cuban; works in U.S.






Peter Aurisch
? (contemporary)
German





Vote for up to fours artists! Votes go in the comments. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. This poll will be open for approximately two months past posting.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Wednesday Post


Greetings from Polk County, Oregon!
The Avatar checks in.

Since we last saw my Avatar in the Hypothetical Hypermarathon, he has left Corvallis and Oregon State University and ran north through the rolling fields of the western Willamette Valley.


Except that it has been late winter or, in the last week or so, very early spring, so it has looked more like this:



Monmouth!

After Corvallis, his first goal of note was wee Monmouth, Oregon, home of Western Oregon University.  Both of my big sisters went to college here, before it was Western Oregon University and even before it was Western Oregon State College -- yet after it was the Oregon Normal School and well after the Monmouth College period.  They are of the Oregon College of Education era.


I believe that one or both of them lived in this dormitory complex.  They might even have sent this very postcard back home to their little brother.  They were good like that.


After running down the main drag of the MU/ONS/OCE/WOSC/WOU campus, the Avatar started north and west towards the next town of note, beautiful Dallas, Oregon.  But then I, Michael5000, came down with a persistent case of bronchitis that kept me off the streets for more than two weeks.  This sucked for me, but was even worse for the Avatar, who spent 16 days at the corner of Clow Corner Road and Adams Road, staring at the farmland, digging his toe in the gravel, and wishing he had more than one hobby.

Dallas!

Last weekend, I was able to do enough modest running to get me to and through beautiful Dallas.  I haven't really spent any time in this prosperous and cosmopolitan trading center, but since two of my main running buddies proudly hail from there it seemed like a good place to run through on the Hypermarathon. 

The postcards from Dallas that I was able to drum up are not boring, but neither are they particularly current.







Whither the Avatar?

As of Sunday, the Avatar had reached Oregon Highway 22 north of Dallas and made a left turn towards the Coast.  In 40 or 50 miles he will hit the beach at Pacific City, dipping his virtual feet in the very real surf.  After heading north for a day or two along the coast, he will begin the long, long journey east, stopping through the City of Roses first to rest up, do his virtual laundry, and check out the new paint job in the Castle5000 entryway.  Then it's New Jersey or bust.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Infinite Art Tournament, Round 3: Church v. Cornell!

Frederick Church
1826 - 1900
American

Brutalized 13th Century master Cimabue in Round 1.
Lambasted Dutch still-life specialist Pieter Claesz in Round 2.







Joseph Cornell
1903 - 1972
American

Gutted John Singleton Copley in Round 1.
Crushed François Clouet in Round 2.








Vote for the artist of your choice in the comments, or any other way that works for you. Commentary and links to additional work are welcome. Polls open for at least one month past posting.