My boyfriend, the infamous Jeau Toux, was showing me the model for his latest Burning Man project, “Vishnu’s Dream” last night. The theme for Burning Man 2009 is evolution. Joe’s idea is to create a large camera obscura, so large, in fact, that you can walk inside the “dark chamber” and see images of the Burning Man playa projected on the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling will be an image of the viewer and the images of Burning Man will swirl around this image, thus reflecting the evolution of the experience of the people who venture to Burning Man.”

“The name comes from the Hindu creation story of Vishnu lying on a bed created by Shesha the thousand headed cobra, dreaming the world into existance as a lotus flower. So the exterior of Joe’s installation will be ringed by nagas (cobras – OK, 48 of them, not 1,000), and the dome that disguises the camera obscura mechanism will look like a lotus.Around the perimter will be images of the evolution of Man (and Woman) culminating in an image of a female fire dancer and male Burner.”

Joe kept using the words “proof of concept” in relation to his model. When I asked him what he meant by that he replied,” My use  of the term relates to figuring out whether my ideas on paper will work out in the model so I can control the budget and make sure it all is feasible to build. I have no idea where I heard of this, perhaps in a bar in Morroco or perhaps it was in Santorini at my summer villa where I have many parties with the movers and shakers in the research and development fields. Hose Diablo was instrumental in creating the world wide web you know….”

And here is wiki on “proof of concept”:
“In the field of applied research, including software development, a company
presented with a project or proposal will often undertake internal research
initially, to prove that the core ideas are workable and feasible, before
going further. This use of proof of concept helps establish viability,
technical issues, and overall direction, as well as providing feedback for
budgeting and other forms of control. The proof of concept is usually
considered a milestone on the way to a fully functioning prototype.”

Paintings are a “proof of concept” of our idea- does what we are trying to say come across in the painting? Painting offers opportunities to try different techniques and materials in endless ways to get across a concept. Paintings as “proof of concept” -I like that!

P.S. Joe is looking for people who would like to help with this project- if it appeals to you to do that please contact Joe: <thewholeenchilada@estesvalley.net>

Come enjoy a gorgeous fall day in the Rocky Mountains. I will be opening up my studio in Estes Park, Colorado for the weekend of Sept. 27th & 28th from 10:00-5:00. My studio is located at 1231 Chasm Dr. off of Devil’s Gulch Road. It is right up against Lumpy Ridge and will be filled with my latest paintings- (one of which is above- it is called “Road Trip!”), my collection of odd eccentricities that inspire me and M&Ms. Stay on the Highway 34 bypass, go below the Stanley Hotel, take a right on MacGregor Ave.  and go 2 miles. (MacGreor Ave. turns into Devil’s Gulch at MacGregor Ranch) Chasm Drive is a paved road on the left. My studio is the fifth house on the left -2 stories with a red roof and a pine fence. My neighbor, Cynthis Reedy ia also an artist and her studio is the third house on the left. I will have a drawing both days for a free vintage postcard. I would LOVE to see you there!! Maps will be available at the Cultural Arts Council which is located on the western end of Elkhorn Ave- the main street of Estes Park-423 W. Elkhorn or any of the artist’s studios.

When I am painting I usually start out lovin’ it- love the idea, love the postcard I picked to go with the idea , the first color I lay down … oooooh love it!!! Then I start painting- I’m going up the wave- awesome- things are looking good! Things are flowing. I put in a different color, add a line, change a shape- things are starting to go down hill… I hit the crest & now I’m going down…I HATE it!! This painting is a disaster! Wait …maybe I’ll add a little dab of that color, hmmm…better….hmmm…I’ll change this shape- yeah, I like it. I’ll add a little more- oooooh now I’m loving it again! Step back, take a look- yuck! I need to change this & this & this & this. The yellow sticky notes come out with ideas for change & arrows pointing to all of the spots I want to change. Time for bed- I try not to look at the painting again on my way through the studio (to get upstairs to my bedroom)- because once I get started riding those waves of love & hate its hard to get back to land!         Here’s my latest Proverb Painting, “She Made Her Bed, Now she Is Lying In It”, with lots of little yellow sticky notes. P.S. I’ve made some of those changes since I took this photo- I added a ball & chain attached to the bed in addition to all the sticky note changes- don’t quite love it yet but I am definitely in the like it stage.

The second painting that I got started on is also based on a proverb- a fairly contemporary one I think, that my artist friend, Jill Berry , shared with me:”Be Where Your Hands Are.” Well, when you think about that, it is pretty profound AND very interesting painting- wise to think of all the ways one could express this idea. I had the perfect postcard: Sign Language: I decided to paint this as the base painting and put resin on top so that I can build up multiple layers- this is very experimental for me- the resin/painting layers- pretty exciting stuff!!

Yahoo!! I did get in my studio on my days off and started on 3 paintings!! In my “straight” job, as Gillian Welch refers to a job outside of her art on the song “Everything is Free Now”, I had to fire an employee for the first time in 14 years. It was really tough but his actions created the results- termination- yet, he refused to take any responsibility for creating the situation. It got me to thinking about the proverb: “You make your bed and you lie in it.” My boyfriend, Joe 2, asked me a rhetorical question one day: “Would you rather be a kite string or an anchor?” and that was sticking in my head too. This painting is inspired by those ideas. It is not nearly finished- there is a butterfly kite in the upper left & an anchor in the lower left- both will end up tied to the bed frame. I also have some labyrinth like images that symbolically represent the choices that we make on our life path. Today I am thinking that I will open up a ceiling in this painting & have light shining through & that is what the kite will be flying up into- the light, the sky. You can’t see the postcard very well- I keep them wrapped in plastic to protect them from paint stains- it is of a young woman who is carrying a bright orange red umbrella coming atound a pillar -about to discover a young couple kissing- uhoh! What will their actions lead to?