Do the Art Hustle

 

It’s better than disco. I promise.

I added many of my available original paintings and drawings as well as prints to Etsy: 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/unicorntaxidermy

I also uploaded some images for print at Society6: 
http://society6.com/JaimeSantosProwse

More is coming, believe it or not. It turns out I have made a lot of things.

I cannot immediately begin working on commissions because I already have three to fulfill, but if you have something in mind that doesn’t need to be finished within the next 3-4 months, I’d be happy to discuss it with you. Later this summer I will post more information regarding time-sensitive, holiday season orders, especially for custom or bulk order block print cards or tags.

Drawings @ PROJEXxFest

Beginning with a few bands and some art at PROJEXx Studio & Gallery (109 W Walnut St) and ending at Mecca (117 Spring St) with more music! This event is free and open to the public, though donations would definitely be appreciated. Couch change, loose bills, whatever. Bring it. (By the way, I don’t get any of the money. I just want to encourage support of local venues.)

In case you can’t read that tiny text at the top, the event is Saturday, April 13th at 8 PM.

I will have some drawings (honestly not sure how many or which drawings yet) up in the show, and I’m glad that I can be part of this because I have really enjoyed PROJEXx and its on-again, off-again affair with Johnson City. It has exposed me to people and things happening in this town that I was completely oblivious to previously. For that, I am really grateful.

Sensation

I remember telling a man once, “I would never paint something on a whim.” I wanted to sound efficient, austere, and serious. I didn’t want him to think I was one of those self-indulgent, frivolous painters, mostly because I wanted to have sex with him and I knew he wouldn’t find the hippie-dippy art fag thing appealing. (I was completely spot-on, by the way.) Not that I was lying to him. A part of me completely meant what I said, believing that if one painted, it should always be with purpose.

Lately I’m finding that I am painting with purpose, but rather than a highly orchestrated or pre-defined sense of purpose, it’s more along the lines of purposefully unplanned. I have certain images or sensations in my head – yes, especially sensations, mostly imagined - and then I paint on whatever canvas (usually something abandoned by someone else) feels appropriate at the time. It’s kind of liberating, really. I still want to experiment with other methods of working, but for now this is doing a lot for me.

The one above and below are finished.

The paintings below are in the Unfinished category.

My friend Mira Gerard has a studio near Kingsport that she graciously shared with me last week. In the new space with “new” stretched linen previously painted on by Mira, other tangents started to occur. I imagined these shapes pushing into each other. It felt more collaborative or conversational since I responded so heavily to what she had already painted. (The two larger paintings on top are her newer paintings in progress, not mine.)

I really enjoy palettes. Just as objects. Mira was working on a new painting (currently unfinished), and I really wanted to take a picture of her set up because it’s wonderfully simple and focused.

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Moderna Blondin

Photo by Liz Layton

Two weeks later, I am ready to sit down and share a bit about me and Liz Layton‘s exhibition Moderna Blondin, especially the reception, during which time the performance took place.

I did not expect that peculiar, miraculous thing that happens sometimes with painting, drawing or sculpture, where you surprise yourself and “what this is about” expands exponentially right before your eyes. This may be because I have no experience with theatre, and on account of there being lines and such, assume that there is little room for surprise. We had a loose script, we rehearsed, and everyone involved was capable and committed.

Perhaps I am giving too much away here, but I believe that what made the performance was actually what I didn’t plan and couldn’t expect. I did not, for example, plan for a drum circle to be in the gallery prior to the performance, right next to the installation. I did not expect people to not realize I was a real person underneath the dark purple fabric. And I definitely didn’t plan to mimic my episodes, periods of time when I am disoriented, dizzy, etc.

That’s what makes it exciting for me, all the things I did not expect. I am grateful for the interaction that I had with the audience, even in moments of discomfort. When people debated what my gender was under the fabric, when someone dared another to “punch it in the face”, when a child asked someone, “Do you want to see the person?”, or when people became alarmed at realizing I was sitting there, able to hear their conversations — all of it was really fascinating.  Even the drum circle, which I was admittedly not thrilled about, played an important role.

And thankfully, I’m not the only one who felt that fascination and impact. Really. Thank you.

Photo by Mira Gerard

Speaking of, I’d like to thank our performers — Katharine Hache, Jennifer Culp, and Myranda Kreyenbuhl-Porterfield. Each one performed perfectly, despite not being paid (though a “thank you” brunch is in order), and they really brought themselves to their roles whole-heartedly. I appreciate that a great deal.

I’d also like to thank Liz for working with me because without her work and her presence, I’m not sure I would have thought of doing this on my own. She an illuminator, both literally and figuratively.

More pictures are available at my Flickr account, as usual. Also, Liz has prints from the show’s work in her Etsy shop. (Kate Bush!) I’m planning to put together a zine with images of the work in the show, artist statements, short essay(s), and hopefully an interview. So, that’s on the way.

The exhibition — including our paintings and the installation — will be up in Nelson Fine Art Center until the end of March.

Liz Layton Flyer (for our exhibition)

Studio Love: Moderna Blondin

Twerkin’

This ended up being mostly a prep night, though Liz worked on her super fabulous leotard, and made quite  a lot of progress with it. It’s nice to have an excuse to collage. Not that one actually needs an excuse, it’s just that I’ve had weird hang-ups about it for years. (If this doesn’t make sense now, it will once the installation is up. Hopefully.) I’ll get into this more later.