Tuesday, October 29, 2013

HOW TO BECOME AN ARTIST - Here is the answer! + FOOD: Broccoli Cheese Bites

Artwork by Banksy

ART:
IS THERE A PREDETERMINED PATH 
TO BECOME AN ARTIST?

To help people understand how becoming an "artist" (writer, actor, musician, etc.) differs from being a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant, a CEO, or other professional, here is the ANSWER.

People often ask, "How do I go about making it in the arts?" 

NOTE: If any "artist" ever feels like they have "made-it" in the arts, that means their decline has begun.

IS THERE A PATH TO BEING AN ARTIST?

For institutions and institutionalized careers: Think the word "PUSH."

There are programs and rules defining each profession - how to get there - and those programs must be followed and accomplished. The "professional goal" PUSHes the individual through a mostly predetermined path. With a certificate in hand, the door opens and the profession begins.

FACT: In institutionalized careers, rules PUSH you toward your career goal.

For careers in the arts: Think the word "PULL."

FIRST, you must understand YOUR PASSION TO BE AN ARTIST determines whether or not you will ever be a professional artist, because it is your passion that keeps you trying, one step forward - then two steps back - then missteps, getting up and trying a different approach - slipping - then standing up and trying again. 
SECOND, there is no predetermined path! You must accept the fact it is up to you to PULL whatever you need toward you. You must draw to you the people and resources needed to create what you want to happen. You must actually be responsible for making it happen.

FACT: In the Arts you must PULL what you need toward you. 

As an artist you must attract the people and resources you need. IT'S UP TO YOU, AND ONLY YOU, TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE and MAKE YOUR ART CAREER HAPPEN.

If we all knew we were going to ultimately be successful in the arts, it would be so much easier. SO you must act "as-if" you WILL be successful. It is up to you, your passion and your persistence to make an art career happen. 

(At least now you know! You can look sadly at those "waiting" for lighting to strike or "waiting" for others to do it for them, or "waiting" for their white knight to ride up and give them everything they want.)

NEED MOTIVATION?: Your contribution to the world will only occur if you give your art, your best effort... and then some... and then some... etc... etc. 

Of course it's hard, otherwise everyone would be an "artist" and if you are an "artist," you have no choice, this is your assignment! Perfect your skills, go out and PULL the needed people and resources, toward you! 

What could be better than making a contribution or two or three to the world?

(Source: Parts of this comment were inspired by John Hagel's TED talk on business.)

FOOD
Baked Broccoli Cheese Bites

Only 4 ingredients and oh so good.


INGREDIENTS

- 16 oz. fresh steamed broccoli, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
- 3 eggs 
- 1 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
- salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl 
- Form small patties and lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Bake at 375*F 
- Turn the patties over after 15 minutes
- Bake another 10 minutes
- Let cool and serve!

Until later,
Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2013 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Alice Walton of Crystal Bridges Museum Honored! "Her Mission" = Art, like the beauty of our natural world, should be accessible to everyone.

Alice Walton
Tonight, Alice Walton, Chairwoman of Crystal Bridges’ Board of Directors will be the recipient of the 2013 Archives of American Art Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.

As a long-time art lover and collector, Alice Walton conceived the idea of creating a national art museum in her hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, so that people of the region would have access to great works of art. She planned to build the museum on a 120-acre stretch of natural Ozark forest that had belonged to her family for many years. The land had special meaning to Alice and her brothers, who had played together in these woods as children; and it was important to the family that the land’s natural character be maintained. Alice presented her idea to the Walton Family Foundation, who agreed to fund the project.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is the first national museum dedicated to the work of American artists in more than a generation. By design, Crystal Bridges is a wholly remarkable museum: in its collection, which spans five centuries of American art; in its dramatic architecture; in its lush natural setting; and in its geographical location in the heart of the country, far from any coastal metropolis.

These elements alone make the Museum distinctive among its peers, but the spirit of Crystal Bridges runs deeper than these outward emblems. From its beginning, Crystal Bridges has been guided by certain key principles: the Museum offers the finest examples of American art available, and holds education at the very core of their mission, and strives to be a welcoming and inspirational place for everyone.


A rendering of the Museum Complex.

Education plus a welcoming and inspirational place for everyone are the reasons it was essential that Crystal Bridges be located in Bentonville, Arkansas, surrounded by the beautiful Ozark landscape, where the citizens of the region—for whom most of the country’s finest museums are hundreds of miles away—can experience great works of art as part of their everyday lives, and where visitors from anywhere in the world can enjoy American art amid the beauty of the American landscape. Crystal Bridges shares a belief that art is at the center of what it means to be human and art, like the beauty of our natural world, should be accessible to everyone.



Hors d'oeuvres + a great view from the restaurant, "Eleven."

Nature is a part of the building and a part of the beauty to be found in and around Crystal Bridges Museum.


21st Century: Evan Penny "Old Self: Portrait of the Artist 
as He Will (Not) Be. Variation #2" (2010)

\
18th Century: Portrait of George Washington
by Gilbert Stewart (detail 1797)

Asher Brown Durand
Kindred Spirits (detail)
1849
oil on canvas


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



See ARTSnFOOD's full coverage of the Crystal Bridges Museum at:  http://www.artsnfood.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-crystal-bridges-museum-has.html

(Source: Press release from Crystal Bridges Museum, Photos of art taken by Jack A. Atkinson.)


FOOD
Apple Praline Bread + NYC Pizza Cook-Off

NYC Pizza Cook-Off

How about a Birthday Pizza!?!

On October 20, New York pizza lovers gathered to celebrate New York's best loved food - PIZZA, at the New York City Wine & Food festival. After tasting wood-fired, oven-baked and grilled tomato & cheeze pies, there was a vote for "Best Pizza." Luzzo's was the winner!

The cook-off nominees:
Co.
Da Mikele
Don Antonio by Starita
FORCELLA
Fratelli La Bufala
Luzzo's
Motorino Pizza
New York Pizza Suprema
Nicoletta
Numero 28
Ovest Pizzoteca
Pizza Luca
ReNapoli Old Greenwich
Rossopomodoro
Rubirosa Ristorante
San Matteo Pizza & Espresso Bar

Suffragettes eating pizza in 1921.
(Sources: sliceharvester.com & Time Out New York)


Apple Praline Bread

Ingredients:


1 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup nuts (walnut or pecan or a combo), divided


Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside. (I used stoneware loaf pan for perfect cooking)

Using an electric mixer, beat together the sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed for a couple of minutes until well blended. Stop the mixer and then add in the flour, leavening agents and salt. Continue to beat on low until well combined.

Fold in the apples and half the nuts into the batter. Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and then press them lightly into the batter. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the loaf pan for about 20-30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. So it doesn't get too dark.

Praline Sauce
Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup butter

Instructions:
In a small sauce pan, place the butter and brown sugar. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat and then simmer lightly for about one minute, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and then drizzle over the bread. Cool completely.

Until later,
Jack

ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2013 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

FIRST EVER Digital Art Auction at a Major Art Auction House + Chicken Enchiladas in a White Chili Sauce


Rafael Rozendaal, "ifnoyes.com", 2013

ART:
A WHOLE "NEW"
ART WORLD!
The First Ever
Digital Art Auction 
Titled: "Paddles ON!"
PHILLIPS -
10.10.2013

PHILLIPS, the world's third largest auction house, has a new facility on Park Avenue in NYC. and last week did something that has never been done before... Phillips Auction House gets the credit for hosting the historic first contemporary art auction dedicated exclusively to "Art in Digital Media." No other major auction house has ever focused exclusively on digital art for a singular sale. 

"Paddles ON!" was put together in conjunction with "tumblr" and the night presented works by 18 different artists, all of whom are exploring digital technologies as their medium. The works were comprised of software design; digital output prints; digital videos; sculpture incorporating digital output; unique digital paintings; linticular-image changing works; digital animations; and a interactive digital light sculpture. 

The auction was held on October 10th and offered twenty items, all sold.

The collaborative concept for "PADDLES ON!"was done by the three young women pictured above. (from left to right: Annie Werner of Tumblr, Megan Newcome of PHILLIPS and PADDLES ON! curator Lindsay Howard of 319 Scholes)  

Molly Soda takes a "selfie" standing in front of her digital video.

THE DIGITAL LOTS AUCTIONED:

"…the small show has the potential to open up a market in the world of auctions that didn't really exist before."



KATE STECIW "BirthDeath" ,2013
c-print, custom frame, decals
60" x 40"
Unique

MARK TRIBE, "Black Creek", 2012
archival pigmented print - 44" x 69" - edition of 5; 1ap

MOLLY SODA, "Inbox Full", 2013, webcam video 8 hrs, 16 min, 49 sec.

PETRA CORTRIGHT, "r_sept.psd #1", 2013

PETRA CORTRIGHT, "RGB,D-DAY", 2013
edition of 5, 1 ap


RAFAEL ROZENDAAL,
"Into Time 13 08 2013", 2013
Unique
(lenticular painting)
64" x 48"

SABRINA RATTE, "Aurae", 2012
digital video loop [00:02:24]
edition of 3

SILVIA BIANCHI & RECARDO JUAREZ
"clay_def.jpg", 2013
digital output on silk
78.74" x 55.12"

SILVIA BIANCHI & RICARDO JUAREZ
"Turning the World Upside Down", 2013
sculpture
digital output on fabric + embroidered seat belt pads,
hadlebar grips, nylon strap and carabineers
78.74" x 59.06"

CLEMENT VALLA
location: 43*5' 22.0776" N, 79* 4' 5.9838" E
Series: "Postcards from Google Earth", 2010 - Ongoing
lot 14
CLEMENT VALLA
location: 48*24' 31.4528" N, 122* 38' 45.531" E
Series: "Postcards from Google Earth", 2010 - Ongoing
lot 14

CLEMENT VALLA
location: 40* 26' 29.6664" N, 79* 59' 32.9184" E
Series: "Postcards from Google Earth", 2010 - Ongoing
lot 14

ILJA KARILAMPI
"New York Minute", 2012
digital video [RT 00:01:00]

JAMIE ZIGELBAUM, "Pixel", 2013
glass, Corian, LEDs, custom electronic and firmware
(touch to change the color)
edition of 8

JOE HAMILTON, "Hyper Geography", 2011
digital video [RT 00:01:00]
edition of 3

ADDIE WAGENKNECHT,  "Asymmetric Love Number 2", 2013
steel, CCTV camera and DSL internet cables
Unique

ALEXANDRA GORCZYNSKI, "PLUR Piece" 2013
archival pigmented digital output
with embedded 9" touchscreen tablets playing unique digital videos
48" x 60"
Unique

RAFAEL ROZENDAAL, "ifnoyes.com", 2013
website, Javascript & HTML
CASEY REAS, "American!", 2013
custom software, variable computer screen dimensions
Unique

AUDE PARISET, "Hosted Ceremony/Klack tray (Warehouse)", 2013
digital output, inkjet print and liquid fixative on found tray
57.5" x 37.5" x 6.8"
Unique

BRENNA MURPHY, "glyphgraft-cavrncode", 2012
archival pigmented digital output
40" x 30"
edition of 3, 2 aps

NICOLAS SASSOON, "Waterfall 6", 2013
animated GIF
1920 x 1080 px (full HD)
Unique, 1 ap



The artist represented in the night's auction were:


(Source for text and photos: this reporter attended the event + PHILLIPS' and TUMBLR's web sites.)


FOOD:
Chicken Enchiladas
in a White Chili Sauce 


INGREDIENTS
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked chicken (from 1 grocery store rotisserie chicken, shredded)
2 cups shredded Tex Mex cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies 

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until white sauce thickens and bubbles.
4. Stir Greek yogurt and chilies into the white sauce. Melt to blend, do not bring to boil, you don't want yogurt to separate.
5. Pour white sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.


Until later,
Jack
ARTSnFOOD, is an online publication dedicated to "The Pursuit of Happiness through the Arts and Food." ™ All rights reserved for all content. Concept, Original Art, Original Text & "Original or Assigned Photography" are © Copyright 2013 Jack A. Atkinson under all International intellectual property and copyright laws. All photographs were taken and/or used with permission. Artworks © individual artists, fabricators, respective owners or assignees.