Watch Out for Selfies

The Art on the Line show in Belmar is still in progress; they had over 200 donations, so some were up for the reception on the weekend, and another batch will be up this coming week when the solo show in the back room comes down.  Which means it's time to start getting ready for the next show in Belmar.

The September show is called Selfies, and if this causes you to groan, you're not alone.  Arts people all over have decided this is the only way to get some people involved in art.  Last fall my university decided to devote one of its art spaces to a selfies themed show, which was photos of people wearing college clothes or by college landmarks.  And then they extended the run of that show, because I guess there was no art being made anywhere else in the world.  Last year one of the networks launched a sitcom with the same name, a critique of the kind of people who spend way too much time  taking photos of themselves to post on the web and to send to everyone they know.  The show had two stars with known audiences, but viewers stayed away.  So I shuddered when this show was announced in early 2016.  I assume that we will get plenty of submissions of images texted to us from cell phone cameras, but I was relieved to know that all media are welcomed.

Part of that is because my cell phone lacks a camera.  (for the moment, my phone is a phone, and my camera is a camera, and that's the way I like it)  However, I do have a large collection of self portraits in woodcut form, thanks to my Fourth of July series.  even with half of those blocks destroyed, I still have lots to work with.  Spent most of this week finishing up my summer class, but I was off today and got up to the Studio shortly before noon.  I went through my boxes of blocks, selecting about 10 to start, and later cutting it down.  My plan was to do some printing, and figure out what to do with the proofs later.

The only one that I pulled thinking it might be used as a whole was the above image.  Me enjoying a soda from a rest stop on my way back to campus following my spring trip to New Jersey.  Simple composition, easy to read, room to add more stuff (will get color for sure).

After that, I pulled proofs of a bunch of images set in the midwest.  After they dry, my plan is to cut them up, make some kind of collage, add some color, etc.  Digital submissions aren't due until early September, so I have time to work this stuff out.