Pudgy Pigeon Enterprises

2011-02-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Regarding Clouds:
A Conversation with Christopher Lavery

Stacy Elaine Dacheux: What is a cloud?

Christopher Lavery: Mostly, I think a cloud is made of visible water vapor frozen in the atmosphere that has been sucked up from the wet ground surface of the Earth through the conduction of heat produced by the Sun’s rays entering the ozone layer and warming the surface.

Sometimes, the water is trapped in this state for a very long time . . . a “frozen record physical process” of the water molecules journey on this planet. Sometimes, I think about how those molecules could have been around during ancient times on this planet or could have come crashing in on the impact of a meteor from across the Universe . . . from another galaxy . . . or possibly from the beginning of all things possible.

Really clouds, as most things could be considered, are evidence that all things are connected in some possible way-- living evidence that the system of all things is and are contingent on all other things in a collective field of stuff.

I’m sure that there are some Astrophysicists or Quantum Scientists that would tell me differently, but since I am an artist with a high-school level understanding of astrophysics, I think I’m doing well.

Stacy: Why do you want to make clouds?

Chris: Really, I think it is a question as to why I want to make representational art of clouds. Based on my very limited understanding as to how and why clouds are formed, making one might be a pretty hard thing to do.

When I think about it if I really want to make a cloud, the complexities would be so enormous I would need another universe to act as a sort of research assistant to guide me in starting my own universe to produce those dust particles that crash around a lot, eventually forming a sun and space and planets. Brain May, the former guitarist from Queen, just finished up his PhD on the subject of space dust, perhaps he or some Greek Gods could lend me a hand to produce a shortcut for me.

Anyway, the clouds I make are really more plastic and representational.

Contextually speaking, why I made the Cloudscape work at Denver International Airport has to do with my desire to produce something large scale for the public that deals a little with site specificity and reflects upon the perceived notions of landscape and place.

There are some personal romanticized inner thoughts that stem from very emotional places in my memory that reflect who I am as a human being more so than as an artist. These are really just the normal things that everyone thinks about on a daily basis: friends, family, sex, anger, hunger, co-workers, World Wars, Chihuahuas etc.

Being an artist is at the root of your question as well. Why do we want to make shit?

An artist makes clouds or bunnies or abstract representations of their grandparents for the very same reasons why an architect designs a stairwell in a building or the president of the US designs a war. I believe they are biological urges that we hold and have evolved through and with. Sometimes there things are to attract mates and sometimes they are to impress the neighbors, with whatever motivation we have, the primal instincts hold a pretty strong responsibility for why we make stuff.

Ellen Dissanayake wrote a very dry research book called “What Is Art For?” that explores the very nature as to why we make shit. It was a book that I read as a graduate student that has stuck with me for the last few years. I think as I have gotten a little more settled into my choices to make art, the idea of why I am making has resurfaced in a much stronger force.

Stacy: Are the clouds that you make for anyone in particular? Why? If not, why not?

Chris: I’m not sure anything I ever make is for someone else. Cloud(s) as imagery has really evolved from a performance I did a few years back with Matt Weedman for the opening of a new arts/technology building at CU Boulder.

It was a pretty freeform performance that incorporated audience members doing various things: a pre-recorded Talking Heads song titled “Heaven” sung Spanish, a stuffed fabric cloud on a string and stick, bedroom clothes and a guitar player.

I would say that the cloud in my visual language was made for an audience.

The very first iterations of clouds I explored were in graduate school. The three following days after the September 11^th attacks, I began to photograph the skies due to the air traffic ban. It was interesting to watch clouds uninterrupted. I also created a video of clouds passing by a camera frame and the sounds of a teapot boiling off for about 15 minutes.

Stacy: Describe to me the relationship you had with clouds while growing up.

Chris: Mostly it was a Charlie Brown kind of interaction I had with a cloud following me around. I grew up on the East Coast and it is pretty much 90% cloudy . . . all the time. When the sun came out everyone ran in horror of being burned alive! I received some of the most ruthless sunburns in those days. I’m not really sure I had any consideration beyond that when I was growing up.

Moving to Colorado in 1999 really shook things up for me as far as atmosphere, sun, and clouds are concerned. I remember how amazed I was when first experiencing the skies in Colorado. Huge, open expansive spaces that clouds could dance around in. I would watch the skies for hours, meditating on a clouds hopping in and out of my field of vision. I also had very little to do with art making at the time.

I had pretty much just moved to Colorado to get away from the East Coast and find a better job. I had very little money, around $400, a bicycle and my girlfriend’s cat. It was a huge gamble whether or not I would be able to make it in Boulder. The sky really took me places when I needed it to.

Living in Boulder can be difficult when you are new and have no money. I did get a job quite fast and began to work as a welder and decorative-painter for a small drapery business. I appreciated this job immensely since it kept me connected to not the “outdoors” but connected to being outside frequently. I was always able to watch the sky and build my tolerance to the sun.

I remember when I was able to finally afford a really beat-up 1967 army green Dodge Dart after changing the water pump I immediately hopped in and drove away from the mountains. The sky gets huge as you leave the mountain areas. This became a ritual after work for a few months. Jump in the car and drive into the sky.

Stacy: Similarly, describe to me the relationship you had with the clouds (real and/or fabricated) while you were making them. Tell me one person’s reaction to your clouds that was meaningful to you.

Chris: Making the cloud sculptures were really an attempt to classify them as an art object. Art tends to wreak havoc on the poetic moments you have in your personal life. People want to create a classification for you and your work.

My relationship to clouds is an intensely personal one in my artistic practice, one that I really don’t share very often for these reasons. The relationship with the public art Cloudscape that I created for DIA is very dramatic and at the same time one of bureaucracy.

At the onset of the performance I previously mentioned, my character was centered on an idea that I was a cloud manager. This character allowed me to be a bureaucrat about clouds. It was meant to be funny and sarcastic. I even handed out business cards to this effect. Ironically, I became known as the Cloud Manager.

I really don’t like being typecast. It is why I wanted to play with it in that performance.

Being a public artist is exactly the same thing-you are branded. I am known to some respect as a cloud artist or the guy who did the clouds. This reputation is both dependent on what has come before and somewhat predicts what you will do.

What I am most interested in now is sound, robotics and light. I am teaching and running a sound art program in Maine and doing a few performances with my noise band Noise Furniture.

Stacy: I would love to hear your thoughts or emotional reaction to this piece by Yoko Ono.

CLOUD PIECE

Imagine the clouds dripping.

Dig a hole in your garden to

Put them in.

1963

Chris: Yoko Ono is truly one of the most inspiring artists for me. Her instructional paintings impact the way we think about art. Many viewers’ expectations are that we should make things. I believe that her words are the things we do not need to make. No objects needed. It is in compete contrast to the other works you asked me to look at by Warhol and some young hipsters interacting with his Mylar pillows.

Warhol needed to objectify every art-thing around him. I would be lying if I said that his work had nothing to do with what I am doing but I really try not to pay attention to artworks too much. There are many pitfalls for me in looking at and studying his work. I tend to get caught up in the superficiality of his process and the outcomes developed in art history.

He seems to have a stranglehold on any work that has icon involved with it. It is a type of tyrannical imposition that all artists have to overthrow or bow down to. I’m more into the removal of power. So to answer your question about which video I prefer more it would be the latter because it really illustrated to me how the hipsters have to continue to keep Warhol afloat. They have become his support structure, continuing his reign as pop-art overlord.

You can view more of Chris Lavery's visual work by clicking here.

open letter to britta

2011-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

dear britta kallevang:

in 2002, we wrote letters to one another at a small cafe in Boulder, Co.

the intention was to have a written document that we could read in the future if we ever doubted why we make art or how much we matter to the people we meet in the world.

tonite, in 2011, after a long laborious search for a Polaroid camera, which proved to be unsuccessful, i stumbled upon your letter and read it in full.

it made me feel so very important in just the most perfect of perfect small ways-- reminding me of times we spent talking about poems and biking across town. laughing. always laughing. art is fun and it's good to enjoy it with friends we admire.

i am thankful for this letter, britta, but most importantly, i am thankful for you.

love,

stacy

p.s. i still like this poem of yours very much-- and i like the sparkly poem you wrote for me. it lives on my desk, where i draw and write things.

headlamp: in the works

2010-12-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Scott Pierce is writing a poem, I am doing the drawing, and Headlamp, spearheaded by Cindy St. John, is publishing it all!

I've never been to Austin, but so far, I must say the artistic community there sounds incredible.

Check out Cindy's City Poems. Looks amazing! I'm also curious about Amiri Baraka's Ed Dorn & The Western World put out by Scott's press-- Effing.

More to come on this project as it unfolds. Be sure to put your name on the mailing list so you can get a lovely little poem & drawing in the mailbox every now and then. Look at this great piece they printed of Kate Greenstreet & Cherie Weaver. I just adore their work. Cherie has a really cool site for all her amazing art.

Slack Lust - Aiming To Discover More So Than Promote

2010-12-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

Paris Lia and I are launching our new online magazine this week!

Slack Lust is too irreverent to be stuffy, too hopeful and bright eyed to be merely critique. We take the aspects of culture - art, music, books, food, etc. - that turn us on in the moment, that send us into fits of exuberance, and use our words and art to pick up where other media leave off - we bring it in and 'take it personally.'

'How we became modern' - our debut theme examines the music of Yeasayer in the context of relationship wreckage, search engines as a certain type of tragedy, the art of low taste from Susan Sontag to Regretsy.com, and Eileen Myles latest book Inferno as personal performance.

We would love if you would visit Slack Lust and give it some love when you have a moment. Follow us on Facebook if you will (yes, we're doing all that). Spread the word and leave comments! We welcome your thoughts and your conversation!

Last but not least, we would like to thank Dan Chelotti, Anne Rocchio, Blake Walker and Jason Willome for sharing their writing and artwork in Slack Lust's first issue. Thank you, thank you!

thugs & grace

2010-11-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

i am very humbled/lucky to have my writing & visual art be a part of the lovely Thuggery and Grace Issue #5-- i read it this morning with my coffee.

so many incredible pieces of literature from Renee Gladman, Sasha Steensen, Noah Eli Gordon, Susan Scarlata, Summi Kaipa, Jennifer Denrow, Merrill Gilfillan, and Laura Elr...ick.

Thanks to Erik Anderson, Richard Froude, and Anne Waldman for putting together such a great read!

The New Yorker & Flavorpill

2010-11-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

The New Yorker recently linked to this fun article Paris Lia and I wrote for Flavorpill regarding literary puns. I'm very happy about it all.

2010-10-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

The incredibly talented Paris Lia and I co-wrote a feature article for Flavorpill's Boldtype.

Check it out if you get a chance. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

2010-09-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

my friends linda and nicole are doing this very cool performance at Machine Project--- with puppets and whales or whale puppets?! Who knows! it's will be spectacular for sure.

don't miss it!

http://machineproject.com/events/2010/09/19/moby-dick-puppet-show/

2010-09-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here is my Fall Reading List. They appear in no particular order.

Gradual and brief reviews to follow---

1. Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart
2. The Discomfort Zone by Jonathan Franzen
3. The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead by David Shields
4. Plot by Claudia Rankine
5. Two Girls Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill
6. Inferno by Eileen Myles

Review

2010-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

My short story was mentioned in this review of Versal-- and that's so nice/surprising.

http://www.thereviewreview.net/reviews/home-experimental-prose

future book

2010-07-11T18:39:00.001-07:00

My friend Amaranth is doing some very cool things in the world of technology and poetry books.

please click here and check out more info!

2010-07-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tarpaulin Sky, one of my favorite literary journals, comments on the latest issue of Versal! It's a spot on review of it, with some nice photographs of the interior.

best video ever.

2010-07-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

new stuff

2010-06-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

I have a short story published in Versal, and I must say that I couldn't be happier!

The journal arrived in the mail today and it is beautifully crafted, with some compelling art inside-- visual work that is actually in color (an impressive feat alone).

This latest issue (#8) has new writing from Selah Saterstrom, Laura Mullen, Colleen Hollister, Samuel Day Wharton, and Neil de la Flor, to name a few.

I will write more about specific work that catches my attention as I plow through it all.

Versal hails from Amsterdam, The Netherlands and prints work from writers allover the world.

You can pick this journal up in select bookstores ranging from Skylight Books in Los Angeles to Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. You can also order it directly off their website.

poets and art

2010-05-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article from John Yau on the lovely art of Ann Mikolowski.

oh, man!

2010-05-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

so, there is a super stupid Kirk Cameron movie about debate . . . and it's like a love story, but it's sorta cheesy and dramatic (surprisingly intense!) . . . and the original song from a scene in that film is also sampled on this new Jay Z song (above).

so, when i listen to this new Jay Z song . . . it makes me think about Kirk Cameron . . . in so many weird ways . . . i would never put those two together in any other context . . . and then it makes me feel sorta nostalgic for that sorta 1980s Kirk Cameron cinematic California . . . and then, I realize Jay Z is singing about a new cinematic California . . . and maybe this California could be NYC or maybe it could be Chicago . . . or maybe it's just something floating around . . . the equally as distant fiction we see in music videos . . . and oh, man!

I realize that rap music (when done well) is sorta more postmodern/experimental than we (or I) give it credit for being. Conceptually, rap works in relation to these classic songs, giving new commentary to the old, weaving in an innovative narrative, disrupting the beat, yet catching a similar rhythm, in all its disjuncted everything.

i think i might buy the album.

p.s. here is the trailer for the kirk cameron movie (i sorta feel like he is making fun of this movie with his acting . . . is that possible?).

new work

2010-05-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

i am finally done with this series i've been working on for years . . .

and now . . . i'm diligently trying to revamp my webpages . . .

so, hopefully i can have a solid show somewhere in the world . . .

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
it feels good. i want to dance.

my friend tim came over and took these amazing photos for me.

he's sorta the best ever.

performance

2010-05-19T08:54:00.001-07:00

i love these guys. the first time i heard about improv everywhere was via NPR . . . and then again . . . through my boyfriend, who does improv for a living . . . and then this morning on yahoo news . . . i see their latest work of art . . . awesome. enjoy.

past simple

2010-05-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

i was recently asked by Jim Goar to be the guest editor over at Past Simple.

Check out the latest issue. I'm really pleased with it.

Thanks!

event on the east coast

2010-04-16T13:31:00.001-07:00

Ken Mikolowski, the one and only, sent along this flyer for what will be an amazing event! If you live in the NY area, be sure to check it out. Click on the image for easier (larger) reading.

Listen to some of his past work.

2010-04-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

our friend had a unique bachelorette party to celebrate her engagement--

costumes, performances, games, drinks, and lavender cookies.

what else do you need?

2010-04-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

i don't know about you guys, but i've been having fun lately.

2010-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

the incredible richard has a conversation with the wonderful selah over here at zeroducats.

2010-04-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Annie was recently featured on this cool website called Apartment Therapy. It's so exciting! Her place is truly unique. Check it out.

2010-03-15T22:20:00.001-07:00

From Pirooz. Help The Human War

(Tom Henwood previews assembly footage via video chat of a scene from The Human War, featuring Gil Mantera's Party Dream)

Latest Update: The film is being edited as we speak. Tom and I are doing meetings and watching assembly footage, while I'm here trying to raise funds and tie loose ends in South Korea.

Youngstown Visit: Tom will be arriving on March 18th with a small crew to get the last couple shots of the film. If you are willing to offer help or intern for the day, please e-mail th@sanghafilms.com.

20K More To Go: I am busy trying to come up with inventive ways to raise finishing funds for our enterprise. We are so close now, but we've got to come up with money quickly. If you're interested in helping us raise the final 20k we need to complete the film, please make a donation however small to the donation button below. $100 from 100 Friends: My hope is to get $100 from 100 friends. That would be the easiest way to indie film paradise at the moment. If you've got a bit of cash, please pay it forward. Please also be sure to save your paypal confirmation, as you can write off this donation on your taxes.

Other News: Sangha Films is proud to announce that the next feature slated for filming in 2012 will be Tao Lin's "Shoplifting from American Apparel." Of course, we will chat more about the second film shortly. Now we're busy with getting THE HUMAN WAR ready for next year's premiere.

Please help our movie come into being.

THE HUMAN WAR.

Donate (Click Here)

2010-03-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

last month i was in San Francisco with allan. when he was busy doing comedy practices and such, I took some time to explore the city.

on one particular night, I caught up with Jacqueline, the girlfriend of allan's comedy friend Mookie. we had a great adventure walking through creepy tunnels, drinking way too much, and exploring everywhere around City Lights.

she has this awesome vegan food blog.

this kidney quinoa burger (pictured above from her site) sounds killer!

2010-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

i like this.

2010-02-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Blake had a birthday last night. He celebrated it by rocking out with his band at a gallery in Echo Park. If you click on the link you can see them play one of my favorite songs. Blake is the little fella on the drums. Another band (one man band really) Emperor X played. He was excellent. You can click on this link and see a nice video of one of his songs.

Allan and I went and had a lovely time. It was magical and small. The crowd was relaxed, attentive, fun and easy-going. The experience/music made me feel simply happy and at home here in Los Angeles. Hooray!

In other news, I recently had a short story accepted for publication in a literary journal called Versal, which hails from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I will update you more on this when the issue is released.

I'm really happy about all these things. I hope you have a nice Sunday.

2010-02-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

In Alabama, my sister and her friend make some really cute jumpers for girls. The lovely lady modeling the jumper on the right is my amazing niece Melora!

Check out their online store. If you live in Alabama, go see them at the BJCC!

jungle love

2010-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

i feel like the popularity of this song during my younger days explains absolutely everything/nothing about my views on sex/romance.

The Time - Jungle Love (morris Day)
Uploaded by coolfunk. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

2010-02-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

I had a strange day yesterday. It was overcast here in LA. I was walking from my apartment to the subway station. At the stoplight, a man approached me from behind.

He started talking about Trader Joe's and how he thinks there is one over across the street.

I tell him, "No, it's a hotel. it's a new hotel."

He says, "No, there's a Trader Joe's in there."

I say "Okay, I guess there's a Trader Joe's in there" and get ready to cross the street.

Then, he yells "Do you need help!?!" like super loud and I turn around.

There is a homeless woman collapsed on the ground next to me. . . and for a split second, I think I'm about to get jumped/jacked . . . like this is one weird sorta set up. like, i'm supposed to approach/try and help the woman on the ground and then they both grab me and hurt me and take all my money.

So, I just sorta freeze and try to gather all the pieces as quickly as I can. I want to help this woman but I don't want to get jacked. I notice that the homeless woman has urinated on herself and is shaking, so I decide this is for real. I go over to her and so does the Trader Joe's guy, who is really on the ball. He puts his jacket over her and finds a hospital bracelet on her and calls the ambulance. He's in full effect and I'm just sorta standing there, now feeling sorta ashamed . . . this is not a jacking, but a real person suffering, so I'm trying to figure out how I can help this woman . . . I can feel the lens totally shift inside my body. I tell her that I will stay with her until the ambulance gets here.

The ambulance arrives and then the Trader Joe's man says that I should get the EMT's number cause they are very attractive, and I think it's weird/funny/sexist and the EMTs smile and I smile and now I feel super gross. I ask if there's anything else I can do to help and they say no and then I say "goodbye" and cross the street.

2010-02-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

So far, 2010 has been pretty good to me. i almost don't want to ruin it all by blogging about it. so, i won't touch on all the good things-- only a few solid ones i know for sure.

first, i am guest editing the next issue of Past Simple. it's been great fun collecting different pieces and looking at submissions. i'm realizing just how fun/important it is to be publishing other people's work. as a writer, i think, it's important to support other voices you admire and to push that work to the forefront as much as possible.

second, i was asked to draw the cover for Thuggery and Grace, a literary journal put out by Richard Froude, Erik Anderson, and Anne Waldman. the work inside Thuggery and Grace is excellent. i'm so very honored to be a part of the whole thing. it's been fun to take an hour or so each day and just play around with different images.

third, i was recently a finalist in the Italo Calvino Prize for Fiction. this is the first prize i have ever submitted to really-- and it's so great to be recognized. i feel like the past two years have all been about working and working and being present (yet very alone) with the work. This year, things are expanding and moving. it makes me thankful for the slow quiet time. it reminds me that we are just getting started.

fourth, i was also asked to write an essay for a colleague's photography retrospective show in Thailand. the essay will be included in her photography catalog, which will be available at the exhibition. i have not seen this person for 10 years, so, it was such a surprise/honor to be included on this project. it's actually been so very fun to write. i try to tackle it for at least an hour every other day. i find this process to be the most rewarding-- leaving room for critical assessment and digestion.

. . . .and that's the news.

what is new with you?

i miss you.

2010-02-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

I am selling a limited edition giclee print on eBay!

All proceeds for this sale will be donated to my dear friends Jill and Brian Carroll. They are two amazing parents who have two equally as cool/brilliant twin girls, Stella and Evelyn. Evy has been diagnosed with a rare type of brain cancer called AT/RT. She is currently undergoing vigorous procedures in a valiant attempt to beat cancer. For more information on the family and their fight, please check out this blog-- http://www.evybeatscancer.blogspot.com. Because I am giving money to this family directly, as opposed to through a charity, your purchase is not tax deductible. However, you do get a nice piece of art! If you would like to find out how else you can help or donate, send me an email.

Click here!

2010-01-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

i am reading this book called PARTICIPATION which discusses the history of an art that demands interaction from its observer in order to construct meaning. the most striking essay so far is by roland barthes. i haven't read this since 2001, and it's good to re-read it with a bit more age on my shoulders. it's interesting-- especially when i consider the role of the Author in the art world.

what does art writing do in relation to the observer, the reader, the Author, and the artist?

on the way home from a lecture on this very topic, a friend and I concur. whatever art writing does-- it's necessary to the art world at this point.

in this day and age, everything else can come into your home fairly intact-- music, books, movies-- but art still lives in little rooms scattered throughout the city. you can see a Rothko in an art book, but you haven't really seen a Rothko until you've been swallowed by one up close and in person alone in a gallery or museum.

in other words, there is no translation from in person to print.

it's amazing, actually. to think that this still occurs. that we still collect art in little rooms dedicated to just art or the ideas of art. it's so very archaic and sometimes a bit too proud, but it is rooted in some old mysteriously wonderful world of what art is.

and for other arts that are more postmodern-- performative, relative to space, outside the gallery but still very bodily or billboardy or roaming around wildly in the city--- art writing is even more important.

at the very least because it acts as investigative reporter and invites future observers to do the same.

2010-01-02T22:21:00.000-08:00

i'm obsessed with this book. i read it casually at night before falling asleep and sometimes in between daily tasks. the photos inside are gorgeous. the stories of new orleans and the local cuisine are amazing. john besh is such a cute little southern man.

thanks mcleod!

best wishes

2009-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

my friend lindy and i are skating and pretending it's winter in los angeles while allan follows suit with the camera. everyone in this video is wearing grey. coincidence? fashion? who knows! happy new year!

2009-12-28T22:55:00.001-08:00

rapping is the hardest gig ever. just take it from me!

2009-12-18T14:55:00.001-08:00

My wonderfully talented friend Richard Froude has a remarkable piece published in the prestigious Conjunctions magazine.

Please take a look.

Hooray for Richard! I baked some mocha madeleine cookies in celebration (pictured above)!

things to do when you are super duper busy as all get out

2009-12-13T17:59:00.001-08:00

there's nothing better than making beaded bracelets till 4 a.m. and then doing a fun photo shoot with red onions!

2009-12-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

I love this little slice of life that Pirooz shares with us on his blog. It's written with so much love.

I met Pirooz at Naropa University. We both would spend time over at Bobbie's house-- gardening and chatting about writing or art. Pirooz is a writer who also paints. So is Bobbie. So am I.

Once Bobbie told me that I needed a grandmother, which I thought was pretty accurate. She also said it in a way like-- don't look at me-- which was also very charming.

Just look at that gorgeousness pictured above! Ms. Bobbie Louise Hawkins you are to be adored.

Pirooz is always off and running! A true mover and shaker! He's shooting an independent film right now with our other friend Tom. Looks exciting!

Hooray.

2009-12-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

This Sunday I will be selling some of my arts & crafts at a little fundraiser for my friend's acting troupe. I've never done something like this before. I'm a little bit nervous about being around so many vendors and having to be a vendor . . . AHHHHH! So, stop by and say "hello" if you are in the area. I might bring my typewriter and write poems too.

Here is a map to the event.

2009-12-07T17:03:00.001-08:00

What I see when I look out the sliding glass door in my living room. The TOWER OF TERROR!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

(No, really, it is The Hollywood Tower, a historic building where all the old actors used to live in the Golden Age, aka, the real life model for Disneyland's Tower of Terror!!!!!)

Some people also confuse it with the Scientology Celebrity Center, which is literally three blocks down the street from us. Eeeek!!! Talk about sppppppoooooky!

2009-12-05T19:21:00.001-08:00

Allan and I decorated the holiday tree this weekend. I put the Mardi Gras beads on the branches and Allan put the felt "ghost" on the top! I also made some delicious dinner rolls (pictured above) to eat with our Tofurky! I wanted them to look like dinner rolls you would find on your table if you were starring in The Crucible.

I've been obsessively thinking about Abigail lately from Mr. Miller's excellent play . . . not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with Thanksgiving? Perhaps, it's because I've been reminiscing about high school required reading?

Regardless, I've been thinking about Salem lately . . . how we visited the town when I was eight, and how the museum shows a girl being stoned to death. It's like we are in the dark, and then a spotlight turns on, and we see a low budget animatronics paper mache sorta scene that demonstrates this stoning. I remember trying to lie down on the ground and sleep my head off.

Massachusetts is like the weirdest crummiest most awesome state.

2009-12-05T19:06:00.001-08:00

I wrote the first draft of my novel in 30 days, thanks to the NANOWRIMO and my friends Amy, Dylan, and Cameron for keeping me on my toes! I must say, it was really fun this year. My friend Cameron introduced me to word wars which means you set a timer and write fast as all get out for 15 minutes trying to beat out your friend (I mean enemy!). Lucky for me, I won! Hahahaha!

The work still needs polishing and smoothing . . . but, that's the easier part. I've already started on revising my first chapter. I plan on revising two chapters a month. By the summertime, I think the work will be in better shape and I will be ready for a month off . . .

At that time, I'm hoping to travel to Wisconsin to see my old high school friend Becca and her girlfriend and then maybe friends in Portland/Seattle area. I want to pretend I'm an old retired man in his 80s searching for old friends and rediscovering my youth. I might even wear a bald wig and a mustache when I get off the airplane. I might even wear plaid shirts and smell of old potatoes. Who knows! Anything is possible.

I might even get arrested by airport security for looking insane!

2009-11-30T14:09:00.001-08:00

Unsure of what type of crafty book you should buy? I suggest you pick up a copy of Susan Beal's latest greatest book Button It Up. Her gifts for inspiring and her instincts for design can't be beat. Susan is one of the most generous people I've known as an adult. She always has great tips to share in regards to writing or crafting. She is also a good listener. When my father died, she made me a lovely care package which included a fun vintage dress and flower pin. I remember being so surprised and so very thankful. I think of her often and I am very happy that she is doing so well with her lovely family up in Portland.

Yay!

my favorite highschool song (one of them)

2009-11-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

Dyslexic Heart

by Paul Westerberg

Na nanana na nanana na na
na na na na nana etc.
Ah ah ah...

You shoot me glances and they're so hard to read
I misconstrue what you mean
Slip me a napkin and now that you start
Is this your name or a doctor's eye chart?

I try and comprehend you but I got a dyslexic heart
I ain't dying to offend you, I got a dyslexic heart

Thanks for the book, now my table is ready
Is this a library or bar?
Between the covers I thought you were ready
A half-angel, half-tart

Do I read you correctly, lead me directly
Help me with this part
Do I hate you? Do I date you?
Do I got a dyslexic Heart?

You keep swayin'... what are you sayin'?
Thinking 'bout stayin'?
Or are you just playing, making passes
Well, my heart could use some glasses

thanksgiving

2009-11-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

we had a very nice Thanksgiving with friends here in Los Angeles.

2009-11-18T00:58:00.000-08:00

So, I got an MFA degree (a long time - 6 years- ago) in experimental fiction. I like work that is challenging and I like work that really explores and utilizes language. However, I also like the experimentation to sometimes be more accessible. Sometimes, I want to ease into it a bit more.

Lately, I've found some exciting graphic novels that are playing with the varying concepts of documentation, fiction, and nonfiction in a visual and poetic way that is refreshingly smart, earnest, and open.

This specific book looks amazing. I hope to read it over the holidays. It's a collection of various graphic artists re-interpreting the music of Bob Dylan.

Click here for more information.

2009-11-15T11:49:00.001-08:00

this lady has been following me around all day. she's very scrupulous.

2009-11-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

In this New York Times article, writer Holland Cotter shares the wisdom of Agnes Martin.

He states:

Like her paintings, her writing was lucid and severe, measured but driven. She insisted that art was not an instrument for social change and, in a post-1960's America highly conscious of racial and sexual identity, her social views tended to be conservative and provincial. Art's value, in her thinking, was in its ability to counteract negative thoughts and emotions, promote psychic calm over chaos, and establish stability in a world of unpredictable and potentially shattering change.

**Image above Untitled, 1978, by Agnes Martin.

2009-11-05T01:30:00.001-08:00

I find this article from the New York Times to be fascinating.

Apparently, J.D. Salinger (now, age 90) has sued a Swedish author named Fredrik Colting (age 33) for copyright infringement. From what I can tell, Colting wrote a character that is presumed to be Holden Caufield at age 76. This character is referred to as Mr. C-- never Holden Caufield. Yet, it's apparent by the character's being and the title of the book (60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye) that this is indeed an older Holden.

The courts ruled in JD Salinger's favor.

Any thoughts?

My first one--- What audacity. How could a man in his 30s that's not even American write about Holden Caufield in his 70s for god's sake?

My second one-- Chill out dache. Maybe the book is good. Maybe that man in his 30s is awesome.

My third one-- Is it weird that I visualize Sean Connery as a 76-year-old Holden?

My fourth one-- Is it weird that I can't think of Sean Connery nailing the jerky accent?

My fifth one-- Is it weird that this is now some stupid movie in my head?

2009-11-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

In The Catcher In The Rye, a former teacher named Mr. Antolini allows Holden Caufield to crash at his house. Mr. Antolini gives him some drunken advice regarding education:

"Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them-- if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry. . . ."

Then, later on, Holden wakes up from his sleep, to the touch of Mr. Antolini's hand on his head.

2009-10-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

why i love sophie calle.

2009-10-28T22:47:00.001-07:00

pumpkin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-23T08:24:00.001-07:00

attack of the killer nieces.

new online store

2009-10-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

I am trying something new.

I am selling signed limited edition 11" x 14" giclee prints from my Flora & Fauna series.

I hope that this will allow more people to purchase the work at a reasonable price.

I will gradually be adding more pieces to this online store in the upcoming months.

Feel free to take a look, bookmark it, and pass it along.

Here is the link: http://www.stacyelaine1.etsy.com

Thanks!

Stacy Elaine Dacheux

things i like

2009-10-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

I saw Eileen Myles read at The Machine Project in Los Angeles last night.

It was fantastic.

The space was super warm and inviting. I went to the reading alone, and that was just fine. I hate going to these things with people that may not like it as much as me-- there's some sorta weird guilt or nervousness I feel about it all.

I remember Eileen reading at Naropa University and I remember her fighting with Anne Waldman in a great way-- in the way that only good friends can fight openly and smile about it all afterwards.

I remember reading Cool for You and really being inspired to live life poetically in addition to writing poems or articles or stories.

Living poetically, to me, extends beyond just working for the traditional colleges.

I remember working at the homeless shelter and as a caregiver for terminally ill patients and as a production assistant and as an associate producer and as a cleaning lady and how I thought-- yes, this is what that means.

That was a long time ago.

I forgot about the amazing confidence Eileen has while reading. The way she holds herself in a way that is a true extension of the work, not too much and not too less.

I forgot about how the work hangs there and how people in the audience sometimes relate so well to the ideas that you can hear delicate murmurs of recognition such as "ah" or "oh" throughout the sea of heads.

Her latest book The Importance of Being Iceland is a collection of pieces on travel and art.

Her accent makes me miss Boston.

I like how she talks about art and poetry as experience with a certain thoughtful smart-mouth.

My old Boston friend said that her Midwestern husband calls this quality or sensibility or tone something like "whiplash" and I thought that was great.

Eileen has a certain poetic whiplash.

It reminds me to keep doing what I am doing and to do it proudly and horribly and to not ever stop. Forget about what I should be or what the "academy of anything" says I should be.

I just need to be. . . . and I need to be working.

Here is a great selection of something Eileen wrote recently for the poetry foundation's blog. I truly enjoyed reading it. Maybe you will like it too---

It's called Yoga for Losers II.

2009-09-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

i don't care what you new yorkers have to say-- los angeles is pretty great. listen to this interview with dan fante (the son of john fante) and you'll know what i mean.

2009-09-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

allan and i are moving into a new apartment complex. so much to share and say! once things get settled, you'll hear more from me. in the meantime, enjoy this podcast from The Moth---

in the middle of two weeks ago.

2009-09-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

here is a photo i took of jean and kit at clifton's cafeteria.

2009-09-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

the only thing better than finding great old photos of yourself looking super happy--- is finding great old photos of your friends looking like the happiest ever . . . (unless your name is lil' rourke, then you're the proudest friend ever). ha!

awesome.

2009-09-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

cloudscape wants you to visit and say hello.

***image above located originally on (and taken from) the Cloudscape Website.

2009-09-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

this morning, i woke up from a dream. it involved a phonecall from someone that had passed away. however, i didn't realize that he had passed away until we were midway through the knock-knock jokes. my body felt warm from the realization or reminder.

this is the first time a voice and not a body appeared so vividly in my sleeping world.

aren't dreams lovely?

"the image he knew so well was painted by a human being"

friends

2009-08-23T08:21:00.001-07:00

five years ago, i could not have imagined so many lovely friends in los angeles. we had such a nice turnout for the gallery show. it was such a surprise and so wonderful.

more photos from the art opening

2009-08-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

my happy sweaty face is exploding with fun. geesh.

flora and fauna

2009-08-21T17:15:00.001-07:00

last night, we had the opening for my latest visual art series. matthew langley wrote some incredible poems to go with the pieces. kit and jean played fantastic music. drinks and cupcakes were had by all. the owners of the gallery were there and they were simply lovely.

this video is a testament to it. makes me smile real big.

"yeah well, i've got a dream too. but, it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. that's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. and, well, i've found a bunch of friends who have the same dream. and it kind of makes us like a family."

-- kermit the frog

2009-08-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

jean and i at the john currin exhibit in nyc.

2009-08-21T11:25:00.001-07:00

i made mocha cupcakes with butter cream frosting from scratch!!!!

yay!

2009-08-19T16:47:00.001-07:00

i'm still very excited about my opening tomorrow!!!

i have an art opening reception

2009-08-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

2009-08-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

assessing aesthetic value.

2009-08-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

working on what my jerk face neighbor might look like as an animated gal

2009-08-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

. . . working on what i might look like as an animated girl . . . smug.

2009-08-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

things to do in nyc tomorrow.

1. bagel eating.
2. central park walking.
3. sadie benning viewing.

****image above by sadie benning-- now showing at The Whitney

cats!

2009-08-10T01:04:00.000-07:00

can you even believe this website exists?

more news to come

2009-08-09T21:40:00.001-07:00

i am very pleased for several reasons.

1. this month, i will have my first solo art show bonanza in los angeles!

2. matthew langley will be presenting his amazing poems alongside my visual work.

3. for the reception, my friends, The Artists will be strumming soft jazzy songs in celebration. look how cute they are!

curious? stay tuned.
le le le le loou. looou. looooooooou.

yay!

2009-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

both tragic and happy, this song is a childhood favorite of mine. it's like the ultimate anthem for every entertainer. if by every entertainer, you mean liza minnelli, a wonderful woman, that should be buried with her piano and bright red lipstick. rest her soul. she's just a gigolo. life goes on without her.

2009-08-07T16:05:00.001-07:00

allan and i met friends at this bar downtown called The Edison. On Wednesday nights, they have a 35 cent cocktail hour. the ladies wear dresses and the men wear suits.

after the bar, we go to eat Vietnamese food at Blossom, argue, laugh, and continue the fun.

after the food, allan and i crash at my art studio . . . ahhhhhhhhh.

what a lovely city and space we have here to share with one another.

2009-08-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

how pirates eat sushi-- on tiny little toy boats that swirl around the bar.

everything should be done with vigor in San Francisco

2009-08-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

2009-07-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

i accidentally watched this one day.

the second time i watched it, no accident was involved.

2009-07-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

can you even believe that this douche bag doll exists?

i'm going to buy one for my sleazy asshole nephew.

* jk-- i don't have a nephew.

2009-07-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

if you want to watch something profound and accessible about Rothko and his painting, check out Simon Schama's Power of Art series . . .

2009-07-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

gearing up for the heavy competition.

2009-07-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure this puppet would not bore me in or after bed. look at how high up kaufman's desk is here. hilarious.

2009-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure kerouac would bore me to death in bed-- especially after the old in-and-out. just having to hear that sloppy accent talking about america and the muck of crime. ugh. close the door on the way out. go find someone else to wire you money.

when the spirit moves

2009-07-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

2009-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

what would you do if you didn't have to die?

**image above Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat, 1793 (Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels)

mole check time

2009-07-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

going to get my moles checked on tomorrow. yay!

according to this website-- i am in a state of extreme fortune or . . . according to my neurotic anxiety-- i could have skin cancer. it's a 50/50 shot!

Mole 12
A mole here will bring plenty of good fortune. Everything will move smoothly in your life and there are also unexpected windfalls. When moles here appear as a pair, they indicate extreme good fortune.

graphic history

2009-07-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

lately, I've been obsessed with the graphic history series by harvey pekar & friends . The Beats chronicles not just your usual run-of-the-mill popular heroes of the time, such as Jack Kerouac or Burroughs, but also focuses on the great, but not quite as popularized life of Kenneth Patchen or Philip Whalen, for example.

FSG Books is a solid publishing house that addresses some subversive subjects through the graphic novel format. awesome.

after cruising their site, I may have to purchase Was She Pretty? next. . .

2009-07-13T00:51:00.000-07:00

Dean Aldrich from NY has some thoughtful commentary on my latest flora & fauna series.

His blog tackad has great reviews/responses/articles regarding current artists. Please take a minute to check it out. I find his blog to be truly creative and inspiring. I think you will like it too.

Thanks, Dean!

thank-you, book!

2009-07-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

"'I think of this Rabbit almost like an Egyptian sun goddess,' Koons said as we stood gazing up at the piece. 'It's kinda vaginal.'"

-- Lives of the Artists by Calvin Tomkins

**artwork above by Jeff Koons. image borrowed courtesy of www.artsjournal.com

2009-07-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

"During the first decades of the twentieth century, artistic direction in Europe moved toward totally abstract visual expression. This trend coincided with revolutionary advances in science and technology, such as Sigmund Freud's development of psychoanalytic theory and explication of the role of the unconscious, and Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. City life was changing too, with the pervasive presence of electric lights, automobiles, and skyscrapers."

-- from the National Gallery of Art website

now, here is my question for you-- does nanotechnology make you feel more abstract or less? do you at least feel more psychic? what visually do you see when you consider an autobiography of your life in this century? Is abstraction an extension or rip chord?

***image above courtesy of http://www.uml.edu/wuml/podcast/media/nanotechnology-kd-001.jpg

2009-07-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

where does my mind go when doing aerobics? it goes into a deep rhythmic void of nothingness. aerobics makes me feel blonde and truly (for lack of a better word) retarded.

while flapping my arms and twisting around to the super cheery techno version of a kurt cobain tune, i realize that i am the same age as these 30-year-old-something-dummies on television.

no, it can't be! yes, dache, yes, it can be.
**image courtesy of http://cdn-write.demandstudios.com/upload//6000/700/80/6/6786.jpg

these things i know for sure / andrea zittel

2009-07-06T02:47:00.001-07:00

in the spirit of andrea zittel, monday starts my first set of personal limitations or rules.

this is a monthly experiment to see how much it affects my life--- does a self-imposed regiment of restrictions create more freedom or less?

first step: food --- imposing a vegan diet on myself.

second step: writing --- will free-write every morning before internet access.

third step: sharing --- will work on a multi-media art project in complete secrecy. this means no discussing, talking about, or showing the work to anyone. this includes allan.

fourth step: body --- will do aerobics daily.

will this simplify or stress-out my life? we shall see. we shall.

**image above by andrea zittel and courtesy of http://www.andrearosengallery.com/exhibitions/2005_5_andrea-zittel/#

2009-07-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

it's amazing how the loss of a life allows so much of the goodness to push up through the gutters. despite it all, we are remembered in a touching way.

** photo above taken by allan mcleod in downtown los angeles on broadway.

blown up

2009-07-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

it would be horrible to get blown up. i think of this every time i step on the public transportation system in los angeles. and then, i think about earthquakes, and dying in one. at the end of the night i tip my glass to this miserable city.

i made it another day. don't let the anxiety stop you from doing a silly dance or drawing a crummy picture.

death

2009-06-29T16:41:00.001-07:00

when jim henson died, my whole family mourned it. my mom and i cried together. we watched parts of the memorial on television.

i think of this often, actually, when the day seems difficult.

2009-06-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

“I want to show how helpless a body can be. Which is nothing you have to be afraid of—it can be something beautiful.”

Berlinde De Bruyckere

***the artwork above-- "we are all flesh" is also by Bruyckere --courtesy of www.artinfo.com.

2009-06-24T02:25:00.001-07:00

i finally bought cable television the other day.

there is a show on obsessive compulsive disorders and something called cognitive therapy or exposures that is a way of treating the anxiety/fear/rituals.

the word "ritual" strikes me as interesting in this context.