Miriam Badyrka is The Doodler

A Post About Why There Is No Post

And the answer is.... Because I am spending all my computer time writing a novel. I am taking a whack at National Novel Writing Month.

It is hard, people, really really hard.

I saw a flyer for it in a coffee shop and decided what the heck, I'll go for it. I have no idea what I am doing. If I ever do it again, I will start thinking about it much earlier and do some research first.

I just want to see if I can do it.

Never fear, I have doodles, and I will post them as soon as I can.

Doodle of the Week

This week's doodle is a return of the carpet doodle.

Formed by simple, crisp and clean line, this doodle is all about the intricate patterning.

The patterning sometimes gets lost when I black them in. The blacked in doodle becomes about contrast between black and white rather than patterning.

Last night I watched Exit Through the Gift Shop. The film is about street artists and a guy who wants to make a documentary about them, and failing that, he becomes an artist himself. Last night when I watched it I took it at face value. But as I think about it today, I am wondering if it is a mockumentary, like Best in Show.

It was fun to watch, interesting to see these artists doing their thing, and impressive to see how they worked the media to promote themselves. I think it is the scale of the thing that rings false with me now. The film may just be some more media manipulation by some masterful self promoters. Have you seen it? What do you think?

 

Eight Things From Summer 2008

Or, things I have been looking at (and not looking at).

Everybody makes list posts, but me. If you can’t beat ‘em. Join ‘em! Each of these things to be a post all by itself, but I spent my time having fun this summer. So rather than moan about the posts that were never written, because I am unrepentant, here is a list of wonderful things.

1. Manufractured exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Crafts. Just amazing (and a wonderful overview available on the site). Laura Splan, whose work I adore, was the big draw for me. I was thrilled to see her work in person. I loved works by Cat Chow and Devorah Sperber who both work with zippers, spools of thread and other sewing notions, but to completely different ends. The knock out piece of the entire incredible exhibit was by Livia Marin, Ficciones de un uso, 2,214 lipsticks. You read that right: 2,214 lipsticks.

2. Clifford Rainey Retrospective at Bullseye Gallery. A master at his craft, and glass like I have never seen it before. Check out the slideshow from the exhibit.

3. John Dempcy at Augen Gallery. I saw a piece of his in the spring and said I would keep my eye out for his work. How lovely of Augen to host a show in July. Mercury is my favorite piece from this group.

4. Tracy Kendall Wallpaper. Not only beautiful images, but a fun website with music too. What’s not to like? I especially like the Bespoke Stripe display.

5. Paper dresses. Yep, I can never get enough of these. For some reason I find fashion as art more interesting than actual clothes. My husband or daughter have to force me to shop! Lia Griffith (a Portland gal) makes some of the most beautiful paper gowns ever. Check out these beauties
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6. Can you believe these beautiful objects by Kathleen Dustin are actually purses? I would have to find something more far precious and worthy to carry than my wallet, keys, pens, loose change and gum wrappers that’s for sure.

7. Cutting Edge Patterns and Textures by Estel Vilaseca. A book with so much eye candy that it is practically hypnotic.

8. Tribal and Village Rugs: The Definitive Guide to Design, Pattern and Motif by Peter F Stone. The title says it all. Fabulous book!

You might also be surprised at something I have not been looking at: Altered Books.

I am well aware that there are people out there doing amazing things with books. I am just not looking for them, because the idea to do them came to me in a dream. In the dream I was all alone and sitting in total silence folding pages, I think that both the silence and the isolation are a part of what I am doing, so I have to honor it.

Thus, no peeking at anyone else’s altered books. Please, please, stop sending me links (but thank you for thinking about it!). I can't open them. Art can be a harsh mistress.

(Images of Ficciones de un uso by Livia Marin, and Mercury by John Dempcy are from the Museum of Contemporary Crafts and Augen Gallery websites.)

Doodle of Last Week

Sorry! I couldn't find the doodle. I stuck it in a book and forgot about it. There are a couple of reasons that I wanted to post this one and didn't pick a substitute so I would be on time.

I like the large medallion that got swallowed by the block. The medallion was already on the page. I need a new pad! The block just sort of grew up around it. Plus, there are a couple of items that snuck in from the movie I was watching.

We were watching The Deer Hunter. (Now there is a cheery flick.) If you look at the right side of the doodle, you can see the rear end of the car from the movie. I also think there are a couple of onion domes in there too. I often find animals (the horses and cattle in cowboy movies when I doodle while watching, for instance), but this the first time that can think of that I drew a car. Gotta love those fins!

Doodle of Last Week

This week's doodle is pretty fancy-schmancy, so I think it is worth making you wait. Ok, not really, but it would make a good excuse.

It was waaaaay too hot, and turning on the computer when it is super hot is bad. Ok, the computer thing is true, but not as much of a reason as it was way too hot in the room where the computer is for me to set foot in there. And believe it or not, the weather isn't even the real reason I didn't do it. The real reason is that Kira left for New Zealand where she will be studying for a semester. And it was too hot!

This doodle was done in pen on a square sheet of paper while watching an odd movie with Kirk Douglas called Ace in the Hole.

I cut a bunch of paper squares to deliberately force myself to make square format doodles. That's about as premeditated as I can get. Even then, I thwarted myself plenty and just made random doodles anyhow.

Never heard of this movie before watching it. Apparently, it bombed on release. I don't know why, because it was well acted and a great story. Ace in the Hole is about media manipulation and exploitation, something we take for granted as the truth now, but it must have been pretty shocking when it came out in 1951. My only objection was the annoying ear worm Leo song (if you watch the movie, you will know exactly what I am talking about). The stupid thing stuck in my head for 2 days. The movie was a bit quaint, but thoroughly relevant.

Things I Am Looking At (Textile)

I sketched these bird shapes from the book African Majesty, The Textile Art of the Ashanti and Ewe. 

I have been visiting the reference copy at the Central Library. Now that I have discovered the library catalog on line, I found a lending copy over in deepest darkest SW, where I never go, and had it sent to St Johns, where I go all the time. Isn't it funny how you can live in a city and not ever visit certain parts?

I have spent days poring over this book, drawing the motifs in the cloths and oogling the fabulous color combos.

Putting all the motifs together like that, on a few pages of the giant pad, is really fascinating. The weavers have really sophisticated abstraction going on. 

The abstraction is particularly noticeable when you put all the bats with the bats, all the birds with the birds etc, etc, etc (™Yul Brenner in The King and I). 

It allows you to see how some of the images got abstracted to the point of pure geometry. I might not have noticed if I was not already thinking about that shape. 

Look at these amazing bats! Many of them are reduced to to mere suggestions of themselves.

A drawing of anything is a symbol of something that exists. Even the most realistic depiction is not the thing itself. I think the ability to see in a shape the abstracted image of something is amazing.