got power!?

Oh hello, world! I can't even begin to tell you how nice it is to finally be able to connect to the outside universe again. Seriously, before internet or cable... how did anyone find out anything about the world?
At any rate it looks like New Brunswick is recovering fine from "Sandy". This is a prank Sandy pulled for mischief night:

and here we all are, thinking that smashing pumpkins is a big deal.

Elections are tomorrow, so here's what i was thinking. As an artist, I have been finding that a large community of artists really don't have much of a political opinion at all, which is strange to me because I had grown up with the idea that artists are really supposed to be the most politically active. Maybe its not true at all, but I was thinking about the likes of Banksy.

He started off as a vandal. He still is a vandal. People say he "sold out" but I'm convinced that its really because they're jealous. Gosh, if I could be as successful as him.

Anyways, the point is, he talked about a whole variety of things, like censorship, war, corruption... and he's running from cops the entire time. 

I can't tell you that I'm by any means brave enough to do something to piss off the government in order to  tell the government out pissed i am at the government. And to make artwork people would actually look at... I don't know man. 

I don't think its necessarily important to make a painting about something. Whether it be about feminism, war, death, destruction, or even dreams or happiness. It's much more important for one to paint while thinking about something, and the thoughts will always pour out onto the canvas (or whatever medium you use). 

Similarly, "kill your darlings" There are some things that people always run back to painting or drawing when they are uncomfortable, and there are some things that people are always thinking about but are actively avoiding. Kill your darlings. Get the bad out, write about it so many times that it leaves your system. Paint about it so many times that it loses its flavor to you, so you can move on to bigger better things. 

This (minus three post it notes) is what i submitted to the Text and Systems show at Mason Gross this year:

They are post it notes in little 3x3 drug bags. No i don't sell drugs so don't ask. The post-it notes to me represent mass production, trash, hoarding, obsession, dreams... It, to me, is very much about getting the stuff I always want to draw out of my system so I can make better artwork that isn't about hairy legs in tutus. I'm actually very proud to say that It has become more than just my trash pile, and transformed into its own art piece.

also: i had a reoccurring dream last night. I was chewing my fingernails, and it kept on growing and growing and growing and i kept on chewing, but it never stopped. I wonder what it means. :)

Here's a cute picture of my cat: