Friday, February 24, 2006

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Pablo Picasso

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Performing Art

That's what it feels like sometimes to be a 30day artist. It feels like we're performing artist.
But it's more than a performance, it's back stage off stage, and the journey between.

Sometimes the lack of privacy gets to you.

But you know what, being an artist, especially a successful one, was never really a private business. If an artist is honest, every work he produces is like a piece of his flesh, a piece of his soul.

Putting our work out there, exposes our vounrabilities.. but at the same time, it exposes to deepest parts of us. The wider our audiance, the more we're exposed. Vounrable yes, but also, whatever beauty we try to capture, is also exposed.

For that reason, it's risky business being an artist. But it's worth it.

Ming.

(ps: would any of you kind folks reading this, please give me the correct spelling for misspelt words, and i'l be glad to correct them,TQ)

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

thoughts from the bathroom

because that's where the good ones are formed.
(or A Formal Invitation)

1.For those of you, who would like a piece of the 30day action, but cannot commit either the time or the significant financial investment; this is an open invitation, to send one piece of art, and one post.(that is some words that relate to your art, if only even in the slightest way)

the theme i'm thinking of now is 'Home'

we will pick the best 28 over the course of the year, and next february the best 28 will get their piece of 30day history. we'll also keep a permanant archieve of the works..together with links to the artist own blog/site.

I'll update you guys with what e-mail address to mail your work to.

The Title of the February event will be '3oday artist around the world'.

As we have paeople from all over the world visiting and contributing to the site, i think it will be fun to see where everyone is coming from quite litarally.

ming.

ps: if you have anycomments of something that we have not addressed, comment on this post.

Monday, February 20, 2006

ohh.. yesterday....

yesterday.

ohh, yesterday.

what a day...

one of those days, everything swarms to you.
not like flies, but like, shooting stars, except
it doesn't pierce through my chest living
a permanent hole through it.

more like a blessing.

artist friend called, saying there was a
potential buyer for my paintings. a few of them.
was pretty excited. someone in this world actually
likes my depressive wannabe-artist painting. yeah!

maybe have him to write here; why.

i like to list out the ones i sold, but too lazy
pointing out, like anyone actually cares, rite?
but anyway, there was this specific one that
he wanted and he offered a pretty high price
for it too. but i couldn't put my heart into
selling it. the idea of selling it, feels like
cutting a piece of me away, and I guess he
could see that as well. a crisis. which i still
stupidly-uncontrollable-clinging on.
that painting felt like a mark of i and her.
selling away, felt, painful. artist friend
stress on selling it, a signage of letting go.

no. like some other paintings. you'll feel
a sort of sadness letting them go. selling
them. like selling yrself. like a prostitute.
maybe i'm being a bit over-emo here. but, hey,
its all sweat and feelings in them, 'cuse me.

but if you really think about it, painting actually
feels abit like whoring. like giving services to yr customers.
you are selling your honest feeling and skillmanship
to people.

pne advise to all artist, everytime you start yr
work, keep telling yrself, "this is goin to be taken
away from you. this is goin to be somebody
else’s wall!" that sort of minus the full potential
of the painting does it? but yet, it saves you at
the last moment of selling them. less painful.
a little similar to our human relationships, huh?

well, i did not sell that particular painting anyway.

i sold the rest. not like it was less attachment to
the rest, you know. it fuckin hurts too. i need the
money anyway. gonna use them to print my book.

that very day, i receive an email asking me to be
an assistant director for a Singapore feature.
exciting as hell. email them back, told them,
i needed the exact dates, because i'll be directing
a music video in mid-march. yep, you heard me
right, my first directorial-debut! a malay rock band!
yeah!

another email, asking me bout 30day artist originator.
wanted an interview or something, i think. anyway,
who is the originator? let's see... i've been telling
this story over and over again. ok, here goes,
i quit my job, used all my savings for 40 canvas, rented
a small room and painted the canvas in 30 days, artist
friend, suggested documenting it via blog. and alas,
30dayartist is born! so, you can say, i and my artist
friend is the originator! but he owns it now, i sold
my shares to him last month, due to my personal
financial bankruptcy. *sob* so.. he literally owns
me now. his having all my paintings as hostages
anyway. once in awhile he would call me and update
me on the tortures-result of my painting. *sob*

it feels good writing via blog again. this reminds
me the greatness of writing with a mind-set of
the entire world reading it. hmm, maybe an
artistcrisis.blogspot comeback? just maybe..

when i've nothing left to hide.

maybe.

till then.

-chinyew