My Movies – Incase I forgot to show
November 21, 2009
More Tortured Artist- But This is Funny
November 20, 2009
Tortured Artists – Are We Lucky?
November 20, 2009
I was just sitting here watching a very popular t.v. show, First 48 on A&E. Two detectives were informing a “next of kin” that her children’s father had been found deceased. I watched the woman’s face as the information went from the detectives mouth to her ears. She was visibly upset and said that they were not on speaking terms.
I thought of people in my own life, including myself, and what troubles us all the most, the one thing. We’re all are suffering from a (mostly) unexpected loss of someone . It troubles us all the point of debilitation. It’s paralyzing, crippling. It separates us from other people, we lose that common ground. I no longer care about where someone bought their sheets on sale or that they can’t leave the house because their jeans are too tight (both of which are real situations I’ve found myself in with others who can’t identify with the severity of such loss in their own lives and required ALL of my capacity to tolerate them). Another common theme I observe is that within that loss is regret. We regret that we didn’t say what we needed to say when we had the chance, or wish we would’ve done things differently and now it’s too late.
What doesn’t make sense to me about this sense of regret is how the “loser” (for lack of a better term but, sort of ironic) goes on to treat the people who are still in their lives that they care about. One would think that after going through the process of grief first then remorse, the “loser” would go on to make every effort possible to prevent that from happening in the future. BUT NO! The walls go up and we turn inward and away from others. The things I have seen humans do to other humans and the things we think are important are absurd.
We obsess over time. We spend each and every moment either fixated over the past or the future, and I can’t figure out what is so wrong with this moment that everyone one is trying to escape it. The past nor the future exist, we only have this moment. When the past was happening, it was this moment and when the future happens, again, it will be this moment. What are we so afraid of? I’d like to know. I’m not at all above but, however, included in these patterns of strange behavior. In fact, I am the cliche, “tortured artist”.
I found a pretty rad article, Emotional Turmoil May Be a Great Plot Device – But It’s a Terrible Writing Environment! about the “tortured artist” and whether or not emotional turmoil is beneficial to producing the best art. I feel so lucky to have art as a place to direct all of the negative shit that goes on in my head. I like the fact that the writer of this article offers real solutions to people who have this inner conflict. It reminds me not to wallow in my self-pity, well actually she says that’s o.k. for a minute. That’s my favorite part of the article, allowing ourselves and others the right to have emotions. Perhaps that’s also a solution to becoming closer to the people around us after a significant loss, compassion.
Good Taste
November 19, 2009
Warhols Help Sotheby’s Auction Top $134 Million at Auction – NYTimes.com
November 17, 2009
Michael Appleton for The New York Times
It was the sale of the season. When a seminal Warhol — one of the artist’s first silk-screen paintings — came on the block at Sotheby’s auction of contemporary art on Wednesday night, the auctioneer, Tobias Meyer, opened bidding at $6 million and was stunned when a bidder instantly doubled it.
The price rose at breakneck speed as five collectors vied for the classic image, “200 One Dollar Bills.” It ended up selling for $43.7 million (including fees to Sotheby’s), more than three times its high estimate of $12 million. The buyer, whom Sotheby’s refused to identify, bid by telephone through Bruno Vinciguerra, the company’s chief operating officer. Sotheby’s would also not identify the seller, although people familiar with the collection said it was Pauline Karpidas, a London-based collector.
Just a year after the art market was in the doldrums with the world’s financial markets, buyers with deep pockets were not shy about stepping up for tried-and-true artists. The sale topped Sotheby’s expectations, totaling $134.4 million, well above its $67.9 million high estimate. Of the 54 works on offer, only two went unsold. The evening also eclipsed Christie’s auction of postwar and contemporary art on Tuesday night, which brought in $74.1 million. While both sales featured big-name artists, Sotheby’s had just enough blockbusters to make for a successful evening.
In pristine condition, “200 One Dollar Bills” was enticing to any Pop Art collector. Add to that the provenance — it had once been part of the celebrated collection of Robert C. Scull, the taxi tycoon — and it was irresistible.
(Final prices include the commission paid to Sotheby’s: 25 percent of the first $50,000 of the hammer price, 20 percent of the next $50,000 to $1 million and 12 percent of the rest. Estimates do not reflect commissions.)
Warhols of all ages and subjects brought strong prices. A 1965 self-portrait with a top estimate of $1.5 million sold to Laurence Graff, the London jeweler, for $5.4 million ($6.1 million with Sotheby’s commission). Warhol himself gave the work to Cathy Naso, who as a teenager in the mid-1960s worked after school in his legendary Factory.
Scared that it might get stolen, she had stashed it in the closet of her Connecticut home. As a result, its purple and red background colors were as brilliant as they were when it was painted, and collectors knew that. Mr. Graff, who sat in the first row of Sotheby’s salesroom on York Avenue, was not intimidated by five competing bidders.
“It’s a gem,” he said after the sale. “I came to New York for it and for the little Dora Maar,” he added referring to a Picasso painting at Sotheby’s last week. “And I am taking both home.”
Even Warhol drawings fetched solid prices: A 1962 sketch of a roll of cash topped expectations when Larry Gagosian, the Manhattan dealer, bought the work for $4.2 million, above its high $3.5 million estimate.
And one of Warhol’s “Tunafish Disaster” silk-screen paintings, this one from 1963 and being sold by Mr. Gagosian, was snapped up, too. It had been estimated at $1.5 million to $2 million, and Jose Mugrabi, a Manhattan dealer, bought it for $1 million ($1.2 million with fees). At Christie’s on Tuesday night, a more compelling composition of the same subject was up for sale by Peter Brant, the newsprint magnate. It had been estimated at $6 million to $8 million, but there were no takers.
By contrast, on Wednesday, a 1957 Jasper Johns painting, “Gray Numbers,” drew a lot of interest. In 2003 Richard Hedreen, a Seattle collector, bought it for $5.2 million. On Wednesday it was estimated at as much as $7 million, and brought $8.7 million.
Philippe Ségalot, a Manhattan dealer who was one of the unsuccessful bidders for “200 One Dollar Bills,” said: “I think the painting was worth it. It was rare and great. And the appealing estimate helped encourage bidding. It was really Warhol’s night.”
Beverly Cropp – Murderer with a Myspace page
November 16, 2009
http://www.myspace.com/487874524
The above link is to the myspace page of someone I am repulsed by. This female admitted participating in the shooting death of Minette (Gina) Dykman along with Kirk Alan Cantrell who received life in prison, and my brother Daniel Shockley Miller who is serving 40 yrs. for his part. I am sick over the fact that she seems to look so happy in the photos on her page and has NEVER publicly expressed any remorse for the fact that she willingly contributed to killing a single mother. She received immunity for her testimony in my brothers trial. I will continue to post on this topic so that Minette (Gina) Dykman is not forgotten and because it is my right to inform people of the truth.
Not the kind of publicity I had in mind
November 16, 2009
As I locate these articles I will post them. Who knows if anyone is interested in reading theme. If you read the article you will find my name, along with the names of my family members. That day was devastating for me. I remember walking to my car after it was over, getting inside and just sitting there for about 45 minutes in a complete daze. I think I must have been in shock along with trying to figure out how I was mentally going to be able to withstand another trial.
Maynard James Keenan – Music, Wine, and Inspiration
November 15, 2009
One of the things on my list of “to-do’s” was to do some research (imagine that) on Maynard’s wine and find out how the progress was coming along. I figured I would share the wealth. Here is a link to the site, Caduceus, where you can find out more, including a journal and photographs that follow the process. Maynard is also posting quite often to his blog where they have also written an article on him and his love for the the grape.
Caduceus is defined as:
noun – an ancient Greek or Roman herald’s wand, typically one with two serpents twined around it, carried by the messenger god Hermes or Mercury.
caduceus
• a representation of this, traditionally associated with healing. ORIGIN Latin, from Doric Greek karukeion, from Greek k–rux ‘herald.
I gotta tell ya, I’m intrigued. Oh! And before I forget, he has another project going on in addition to APC, TOOL, and Caduceus. It’s called Puscifer. The album, V is for Vagina was released on Oct., 30th, 2007 and is currently 1 on the Billboard INDIE chart and 25th on the Billboard top 200. The artwork was deemed “questionable” so it was pulled from the shelves at Target. Hilarious. Anyway, subscribe to their blog and you can catch up.
Ok, so there. I did my Maynard homework and I can’t tell you how much better I feel. I’m serious. He is one productive individual.
Does Astrology Lead to Fame? – 3 fascinating artists revealed
November 13, 2009
Valencia
November 10, 2009
Originally uploaded by JacklynMiller747
