Moving!

This is my last post here at artanddesigns.iriscat.info.  It will be moving to creative.alleycatmews.info.  The iriscat.info domain name will be deleted soon.

Thanks...

s

Getting back...

I took a break from art between January and August 2012. I am working currently on a collaborative project around the theme of the femininity free from patriarchy. What would a world without patriarchy and rape culture look like? This project hopes to explore the intersection between feminism, queer identity, and femme identity, both in light of the competing modern/post-modern feminist analyses and the traditional/perennial Goddess mythos.

Also:
February 2013 solo show at TaborSpace (curated by Maggie Maggio).
December 2012: planning to enter in the Siren Nation group show.

Some quick drawing last night at the closing party of the Launch Pad Gallery.  I had been away from both drawing and being drawn for a long time this year!

Miss Ang

Miss Candice, with silly glasses

Join us this Saturday for a hand-lettering art workshop!

Occupy Detroit (Photo credit: Cocoloco Photography)

As of April 18, there are still enough capacity to accommodate about 8 more people.  No pre-registration is required, though RSVP still is encouraged.

http://letterartpdx.iriscat.info

Perfect for shops and restaurants, zines, Occupy and other political sign-making/guerrilla art, and many other applications!
When: Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m.*
Where: TaborSpace ArtSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215
ADVANCE REGISTRATION HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT AND TO ORDER PROPER MATERIALS -- DROP-IN ALLOWED ONLY AS SPACES PERMIT (and it will be your responsibility to provide all the necessary materials).
* From 9 to 11 a.m. we will be meeting in the ArtSpace room of TaborSpace for initial instructions and demonstrations.  You are encouraged to keep working on the project in the Copeland Commons thereafter.  The instructor will be around until 4 p.m. for individualized assistance as you may require.
RSVP recommended, though not required, by email or by calling 503-427-8269.
There are still about 8 open spots as of April 18. Drop-in welcome as long as space permits. RSVP encouraged by email (use reply link) or phone (503) 427-8269.
Age 18 and up (or 13 and up with a paying adult over 18).
Cost $45 more or less - sliding-scale - materials not included (see below).
Bring your own supplies of black markers (fine and extra fine), "H" drawing pencils, a good artist-quality eraser, a straight ruler, and a few sheets of plain white paper (and blank greeting cards if you want to make greeting cards). I've Been Framed on SE Foster and 50th is a good place to shop for these.
Review of good handwriting
Basics of lettering (serif, sans serif, courier, clearview and script, as well as CJK, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek and/or Hebrew characters as requested)
Create your own style and typefaces
Some classic styles from the Bible and other classical works: Uncial, Miniscule, German
Word art, illuminated manuscripts and embellished letters
Project: Create a hand-illuminated zine of wisdom (a group project) and your own greeting cards (an individual project). 

Instructor: Sarah Morrigan http://iriscat.weebly.com/hand-drawn-art-menu-boards.html
Age: 18 and up (13 and up if accompanied by a responsible adult over 18).
Cost: $45 more or less (sliding-scale)
Registrations are non-refundable but transferrable at attendees' responsibility.

Put a cat on it.

The Portlandia show says "put a bird on it"; I put a cat on it.  Happy Caturday!

About the handmade book: This measures about 3 inches by 2 inches (the inside page height is about 2.5 inches), and pages and covers are hand-sewn (I broke one needle while doing it).

I was at the 2012 Gender Studies Symposium yesterday at Lewis & Clark College yesterday.  Now one of the major campus events in the L&C calendar each year, this symposium showcases student researches in the fields of feminist/women's studies, queer studies, and related fields.  One of the last events I attended was

5:30-7:00 pm, Gregg Pavilion
Radical Domesticity: A Craftivism Workshop
Facilitated by L&C seniors Stephanie Levine and Kathryn Kucera
From male knitters in the American Revolution to third-wave feminists reclaiming The New Domesticity, crafting has consistently been part of American culture or counter-culture. For generations, crafters have rejected modern modes of production and opted for traditional techniques in order to maintain a tactile relationship with the world and objects around them.
Following a short presentation, we will turn crafting theory into practice and make journals using recycled materials. Snacks and beverages will be provided.

To make it all short, the presentation focused on the contemporary resurgence of the Arts and Crafts movement aided by virtual and local socialization of the DIY arts and crafts activities, and how this may or may not be similar to the late 1870s-1890s British and American Arts and Crafts movement.  Levine helpfully noted the major difference between the British and American manifestations of the movement, whereas the former is closely tied to the class struggle and Marxist social movement in resistance to the dehumanization created by the second industrial revolution, and resulting detachment of the humans from their products and production process, while the latter fell nicely into the American psyche of self-reliance and rugged individual freedom.

The DIY ethos has been one of the cornerstones of the contemporary anarchist and anarcho-punk movements that have greatly influenced the Occupy movement, as well.  Indeed, the Occupation encampments everywhere utilized this hands-on, DIY approach in the building and upkeep of the camps.

Occupy and put a cat on it!

Workshops: Learn the art of hand-lettering!

PLEASE NOTE THE IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE
Learn the art of hand-lettering (Portland, Oregon)

Perfect for shops and restaurants, zines, Occupy and other political sign-making/guerrilla art, and many other applications!

When: Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m.*
Where: TaborSpace ArtSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215
ADVANCE REGISTRATION HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT AND TO ORDER PROPER MATERIALS -- DROP-IN ALLOWED ONLY AS SPACES PERMIT (and it will be your responsibility to provide all the necessary materials). 


* From 9 to 11 a.m. we will be meeting in the ArtSpace room of TaborSpace for initial instructions and demonstrations.  You are encouraged to keep working on the project in the Copeland Commons thereafter.  The instructor will be around until 4 p.m. for individualized assistance as you may require.

RSVP recommended, though not required, by email or by calling 503-427-8269.

There are still about 8 open spots as of April 18. Drop-in welcome as long as space permits. RSVP encouraged by email (use reply link) or phone (503) 427-8269.

Age 18 and up (or 13 and up with a paying adult over 18).
Cost $45 more or less - sliding-scale - materials not included (see below).

Bring your own supplies of black markers (fine and extra fine), "H" drawing pencils, a good artist-quality eraser, a straight ruler, and a few sheets of plain white paper (and blank greeting cards if you want to make greeting cards). I've Been Framed on SE Foster and 50th is a good place to shop for these.

• Review of good handwriting
• Basics of lettering (serif, sans serif, courier, clearview and script, as well as CJK, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek and/or Hebrew characters as requested)

• Create your own style and typefaces
• Some classic styles from the Bible and other classical works: Uncial, Miniscule, German
• Word art, illuminated manuscripts and embellished letters
• Project: Create a hand-illuminated zine of wisdom (a group project) and your own greeting cards (an individual project).

Instructor: Sarah Morrigan http://iriscat.weebly.com/hand-drawn-art-menu-boards.html
Age: 18 and up (13 and up if accompanied by a responsible adult over 18).

Cost: $45 more or less (sliding-scale)
Registrations are non-refundable but transferrable at attendees' responsibility.

My recent creations for the new year

The coat-of-arms of the Metroum

2012 Labyrinth (ink with watercolour)

Playing around with Online Text Summarizer

This OTS thing is cool, whoever who invented it.

Original here: http://www.portlandoccupier.org/2011/12/15/justin-james/

OTS --ratio=33 (i.e. 1/3 of the article length):

Witnesses: Justin James Bridges W ent Unattended For Half an Hour Because the Police Cancelled the Emergency Call
I spent all yesterday preparing for a presentation to the City Council’s open hearing on police accountability that I was sure was supposed to be today only to find out that it had already happened. At the last open hearing on police accountability, Mayor Adams assured me that, if I could cut 21 minutes of raw audio into 3, he’d let me present it. After listening to the interviews over and over, it seemed to me that the most striking points were these: the professional EMTs were not allowed to approach Justin James Bridges as he lay on the ground in critical condition because the police cancelled their emergency call;
Before I begin I would like to remind all present that on November 24th, the General Assembly of Occupy Portland released a statement condemning police violence, and requested that, because Chief Mike Reese is no longer running for mayor, the funds collected by his fundraising committee, “Friends of Mike Reese”, be reallocated to organizations dedicated to helping the economically underserved, and that any officers who benefited from the glut of overtime pay as a result of Chief Reese’s unnecessary deployment of police forces create a fund for the benefit of these same organizations. In my presentation of these interviews, one of the things that you will hear is that the presence of the channel 8 camera was instrumental in the decision of police and medical professionals to act, and that the camera wasn’t present until concerned citizens ushered it over.

OTS --ratio=10 (1/10 of the article):

Witnesses: Justin James Bridges Went Unattended For Half an Hour Because the Police Cancelled the Emergency Call
I spent all yesterday preparing for a presentation to the City Council’s open hearing on police accountability that I was sure was supposed to be today only to find out that it had already happened. In my presentation of these interviews, one of the things that you will hear is that the presence of the channel 8 camera was instrumental in the decision of police and medical professionals to act, and that the camera wasn’t present until concerned citizens ushered it over.

OTS --ratio=5 (1/20 of the article)

W itnesses: Justin James Bridges W ent Unattended For Half an Hour Because the Police Cancelled the Emergency Call
I spent all yesterday preparing for a presentation to the City Council’s open hearing on police accountability that I was sure was supposed to be today only to find out that it had already happened.

OTS  --about

Article talks about "police,interviews,presentation,oversight,here"