THE SNOW MAKES PAUL AND I UPSET :(

Ahh!! More snow?! To me snow is like wen ur in fifth grade and you see this super duper hot girl in ur class, and shes sooo pretty that ur stomach swirls and feels "funny"..Then wen u go to say "hi, do you like stuff?" she spits and uppercuts u in YO fACE!! Ouch huh?! exactly that is snow in a nutshell! Look at paul in the pic above, hes just dam upset he needs to shovel all this damm snow again..I feel ya homie!! Snow is so beautifual and its so puwitty to see it fall onto ur car and driveway, but then wen you go say hi, pretty snow, you realize its monday and u gottta shovel all that dam driveway before you leave ur casa!! ahh.. reality is ur not a kid anymore and makin snowmen, is not in today's agenda..(sadly)..

But Have NO FEAR!! Luis is here!! haha (i dunno y i said that?) anyways, I made it my job today and in the past few weeks, to forcefully fall in love with snow once again..Bring my imagination to the test and keep an open mind about the snow that covers ur car, makes u shiver, gives you back aches, and even makes u fall on ur ass and make a fool of urself (just like pretty girls in fifth grade..) So i took some pics af snow and snowy stuff around my casa pueblo..aka home town :) enjoy holmes!!

Something jazzy art review!!! exhibit runs until march go to tallgrassarts.org for more info

Just got back from the art exhibit at the tall grass gallery in park forest!!! FUN, work I saw!! It really is an entertaining display because of the bright colors used in mostly all the art pieces there. Here you can find some abstract art, lots of 3d type paintings, manipulated photography and even some newer type of ink printing on canvas..overall its a good show!! I posted some pics of what I felt were some eye catching art..I didnt take more pics cuz i almost felt like a thief!! Im not gonna lie the gallery at first felt very cold..they greeted my cousin and i well at the entrance, but then an artist made an unecessary comment about the pics i was taking..If you dnt want me to take pics just say so, you dnt have to make ignorant comments..I'll leave her name out of this post just cuz im a nice guy :) Besides, the pics i take are obviously not for me to reproduce and i take them in a way where you may tell that its a pic of an art..geeesh!!! ANYWAYS..

lets get down to business shall we! So my favorite piece wwas by a gentlemen that calls himself KIETH CONNER..nice job homie g!! this guy has two paintings that captivated my attention mucho quickly but my fav was "jazz man" its the middle one of the pics above..Ok now ima be honest I came to this gallery without doin any research on jazz or anything about the artist..I do love jazz music and love to go hear jazz any chance I get!! And i know a bit about jazz from my art history class.....here I go why do i like this painting..first of all its size is appropriate..id say roughly 3ft b 3 ft..eh something around those lines..the colors are great!! thery are bright yet subtle..good balance..kieth also added some type of 3d element to his painting, it has PLASTER!! nicely done and this plaster is on the background where a building stands..Wat i loved most about this piece is the thought provoking elements it has!! So what do I know about jazz, well i know it kinda started during the harlem days in the past..i know that harlem rennaissance was after the abolition of slavery and the idea of double consciousness was around!! so At the big manzana..translation big apple..african americans began this music movement, and what i like about kieths painting is that the guy that is playing the music almost looks like a worker the hat that he has on seems like that of a worker..maybe this guy just really liked his hat and kept wearing it after his full time job and jazz is his escape from real life..In the background you see two caucasions..hehe thats a funny word..doesent it just sound funny caucasion!..lol anyways there are two white guys in the background next to the building like they are just chillin taking a break form the jazz music..this to me shows the inegratiopn of white america into jazz music..not to mention to the far right of these white guys there is a black guy in dreads...that tell me that jazz is breaking thru the realms of racism and bringing two cultures together..AND!!! to the far left there is a woman..NOT white and NOT black..SHE IS MIXED!!! MIXED I TELL YOU, now we all know that half black and half white people are not accepted as well as all black people in african american culture..especially then. ( u can argue that that isnt the case now) Its no secret and there is alot of research behind why lighter skinned african americans are better accepted in pop culture/media but thats a whole different ball game...ANYWAYS!! the point is that this light skinned woman is a powerful image!! it can represent the assimilation of the two black and white cultures..being bonded thru jazz..or just simply the idea that jazz and music bring all humans together and thats how it should be!! I LOVE THIS PIECE!! GOOD JOB KIETH CONNER!!

you guys need to go see this work its worth checking out, and on MARCH 19 there will be live JAZZ there, jazz talk..ima try my hardest to go!! seriously!! JAZZ, ART, JAZZ TALK, and its free..what else do you want?..a limo to pick ur lazy butt up?..show up guys!! it will be worth the time!! if not ill give you ur money back!!hehe

La Vaquita..a chicago heights icon?! all hail to santa vaquita!!!

whoa whoa whoa!! How have I not talked about this ROAD SIDE ART piece that has been in my very own community for years and years?!!! La vaquita?! Dates back light years ago..in my mind anyways...growing up in "da heights" "mini chi-town "chi heights"..call chicago heights all you want but please take a second look at this icon!! maybe we should change the name from chicago heights to santa vaquita heights?..has a nice ring to it no?..haha Wow I remembr I used to sneak into this restaurant wen i was a little boy, used to buy some now and laters and then try n sneak into the movie rental section so I may take a peak at the naughty videos if you know what I mean jelly bean!! Hey..relax i was just a kid!! Im keepin it real for shizzle..oh kee dough kee?! ..la vaquita is a restaurant that has long ago vanished..i dnt know if it was because of the dam cars that kept rammin into the place..jaja or wah but they had sum mean tacos!! Im just happy the cow stood its ground and thankfully whoever bought the restaurant kept it out there for us to enjoy!! Gracias owner of "los portales" :) ipseakart thanks you very mucho!! (los portales is the new restaurant that lays in the place of the traditional old la vaquita restaurant!)

Tell you guys what, this road side art has opened my eyes to discover art in everyday places! seems obvious, but ive been living in this community for 23 years and thats how long it took me to take my hat off and say " esta vaka esta chida wey!" So next time you drive by la santa Vaquita wave at her and make her know that we value her presense :)

Maybe one day wen i become rich i can buy this cow and keep her in my life forever (tears) !!!!

all this cow talk makes me want to eat sum tacos!!! mmm takitos..mmm de vaca!!..mmm

"Something Jazzy" Exhibit @ Tall Grass Art gallery!!

"Something Jazzy"2010 Invitational

There is something jazzy in all of us.It is our rhythm, our muse, our passion.It is the interpretation of the sounds of jazz and a reflection of our soul.-Tall Grass website http://www.tallgrass.org/

Hey guys!! Come check out this art exhibit!! Should be a great show, Participating artists were invited by the gallery to submit their work...So the Pressure is on artist this work best be good holmes!! :) You guys know my modo ..Its free, and odds are there might be wine there (not sure) but its a room filled with art, good people, and a great chance to support the community!! I'll be there for sure!!!

Opening ReceptionFriday, February 12, 20107:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Exhibit Dates: February 12 to April 11Admission is FREE to the public.
Gallery Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday

Graffiti art/Guerilla art..Cancer of the arts?? WAH???

GRAFFITI ART

GUERILLA ART

Graffiti is metastasizing our cities?!!! ahh naranjas en la cabeza!! wait dnt take out ur dictionary metastasizing, is like a cancer or malignant tumor hitting a new site..gracias webster! So this art form fits into the whole "what is art" subject matter..hm?. I wont go there tho,this debate has been goin on since the 70's i believe..geesh I wasnt even born then..anyways I wont try to answer this conundrum, but I will comment!! Graffiti is vandalism!! period point blank! make a copy, highlight it,fax it or email to ur friend- i dnt care!!just engrave it in ur heads graffiti = Vandalism!! and i think vandalsim is illegal?..i think :)

This doesnt exactly mean im against it or for it, here is what im against in graffiti art. It has a negative stigma associated with it!! Where I grew up, and in other urban areas young wanna be artist begin "taggin" the neighboorhoods, Now im all for unconventional methods of art ( or anything in life for that matter) But taggers come on?! all you wana do is immortalize ur name and be seen as "cool" give it a rest!! learn to be an artist first then make a statement!! and thats the problem with most graffiti artist too!! yeah ok, your a bad ass spray can user..yay! who cares?!! i sure as hell dont!! So you can draw a fancy painting on someone elses property/business? come on be more respectful!! You already broke the law the least u can do is hand out a positive image to the viewr or make a socio-political comment? there are kids right now in Mexico getting recruited to be narcs and all you wana do is draw ur name on a wall?..shit man! think about enlightning the viewr, otherwise ur just wasting ink, time, and invading my sight!!

Also imagine ur a parent and ur driving thru a new neighborhood, and BANG u get a flat! its in the evening and its getting dark, u get out the car to change the tire, analyze the situation and behold!! u see a wall all "tagged up" and pretty picture of a ganster looking wall painting! will u feel safe? I sure as hell would make sure thats the fastes tire ive changed in my life! (ok i lie id take a pic and prob throw a bucket of white paint over it)..but u get my point..negative stigma attached to it..is it judgemental yes!! but u cant avoid it, all humans judge!! u wana change the image of graffiti? please do so, but that has to start from the beginning..and its a whole other issue i rather not get into now..

ontop of just what we feel wen we see graffiti on an urban wall, also think how are we gona revitalize our neighborhoods?..whos gona wana invest in a business in an area that is tagged up?..This issue happens all the time! In New Yorks lower east side this issue occurred..graffiti and taggins scared away developers and investors and the area became a breeding ground for squatters and drug dealers..a job well done huh? Look I can go on and on with articles ive read that support graffit art movement and others that are against it! The fact of the matter is i wish some graffit artist would be more concious of their actions. You can do this by bringing ur talents into a graffiti theme in a gallery..which is happeneing more and more, but beginning graffiti artist dont do this enough..they feel they need to get sum street cred..wat can we do??? wat a conundrum!!

Guerilla art!! now this is sum genius work here!! blek le rat, banksey, invader wk interact, list goes on! I love the work they do! or did !! yeah some of these guys are old skool, and did their work many years ago. blek le rat, is the founder of stencil technique that became so popular and widespread! I believe the biggest difference between a graffiti artist and a guerilla artist is that a guerilla artist makes for better art..It has more qualities, they use the surrounding environment to add to their artwork. Blek le rat communicates political messages to the public in a subtle way, thru monochrome images that speak out about important issues, and at the same time they dont scare the viewr, nothing really negative is attached to this style! Is it vandalism YES!! this is also vandalism, but again at least as a viewr i feel blessed seeing art that inspires me or makes a stand about current issues, opens eyes to the public about issues that need to be in the spotlight, like the war, or other issues that are not tiger woods related!!!

I am being biased and who cares, its how I feel! I admire the time and energy and talent that goes into both graffiti art and guerilla art, but guerilla art is by far my favorite! Because in my mind it has a purpose! like any great art work it gives me something to think about, it enlightens me. maybe its the fact that most of the work deals with anit-capitalis messages. Or the idea that its simply clever art! I wish I had some of the genius ideas these guys have! All in all guerilla art is clever, speaks out to the people, attacks the monster called capitalism, fun, and relatively new!

SOOOOO in my eyes if there is such a thing as an art civil war..Then Im ready to go into battle for the guerilla side!! bring it sistah, I rather die on my feet thatn live in a graffiti environment! Hasta la victoria!!!

***My review on the positive image*** contemporary photography.....Lets talk photo's!!

Congratulations to all the winners!!!!! For more detailed information about them please visit http://www.unionstreetgallery.org/. Now lets talk ART!! Photography!! First of all I wana mention how lately i've been noticing this form of artwork increasing in acceptance in galleries all over the map!! from the MCA in chicago to USG in chicago heights, photography is poppin up more an more often. A chewy chip ahoy will be given to whoever comments on why this is so..haha jk i dnt like to share my cookies!!

I heard a comment by a lady in the art show, that is worth discussin.." I can take pictures of this- whats so special"-lady at art show.. OK, so this lady brings up a great point..in this day of age its prob safe to say that almost everyone i know takes pictures!! So then are we all artist and we should all have shows?? this question also ties in with the ever so popular first day of art class question.." what is art?"..ok ok ok So I can talk about this for days, but once im done..you'll say mr. ispeakart guy..ur full of bull mierda.. So to cover my butt everything I talk about can be also read about in an article titled "Art and significant Form" by Clive bell ( i reccomend getting a dictionary if u choose to read this article). This is a great article to read about art and what makes some artform better than others.

Heres my opinion..First there is such a thing as bad art..there is even a name for it KITSCH.. I feel much better now that i got that outta my chest..Kitsch kitsch..ok, All art is subjective to the viewer. I understand but there are principles that an artist may tell you about his/her art that makes u "feel" the artwork. Even so, the artist tells you this thru their art. Composition, balance, subject matter, colors, values, size, etc, etc, etc.. The artist needs to provoke your emotions, he needs to make u feel the art. Ask yourselves questions like..how does this art make me feel?..why do i feel this way? am i wasting my time? Do i understand this?.. Did i learn from this?..do i even need to care?..etc.. Break the art piece limb from limb and understand it, then make a judgement of quality.

So to answer the question are people that take pictures artist?..maybe, to a certain degree yes, but there is defenitely a difference between the quality of the artist and the art. Yours pic may be kitsch and ur next door neighbors are not :) hope i didnt bust ur bubble..

At the USG show there was in my opinion a good level of quality art. Every art piece goes thru a screening before allowed to be displayed at the show.. I saw pieces of subject matters that i didnt care for, I saw art work that made me think and feel, some art was nice some werent so nice but its def worth checking out! The show is still up so go and see and experience the art and let it provoke emotions onto you. And let yourself be the judge! Show ends feb 26, so u have time!! no excuses.

The Positive Image (regional contemporary photography)

Openning reception for this show is tomorrow evening (jan 15) from 6-9 pm..@ Union Street Art gallery in Chicago Heights..yes you read correctly! Ill retype it to assure you its not a typo C.h.i.c.a.g.o H.e.i.g.h.t.s!! I was just as shocked as you prob are- an art gallery in chicago heights????? INSANE!!! en el membrane!!, well now that you heard about it go support and show your community some much needed luvin! Spread the word around too!! I had the pleasure of helping USG hang up the art work, and i'll tell you what..expect a pretty good show! Might sound biased on my part since i am a guild artist at this gallery, but I'll be honest...Friday evening 6-9 pm free art, free cheese and even better free wine?..yes FREE, so I bet you 10 bucks you will not find a classier pre-drinking party in the heights, and to top all this off nice and friendly artist and guest will be inside the gallery..shocker for the hts huh?..ok ill stop doggin my home town,..But this place is def a diamond in the rough..Come check it out, and although everything is free, dnt be too much of a free loader, bring sum extra cash to donate and keep this place going!!! Expect some post event reviews from yours truly.. See you guys there!!! Union Street Gallery (http://www.unionstreetgallery.org/) 1527 Otto blvd chicago hts illinois 60411..( a half a block north of the old post offce)..and if you do go, feel free to say hi to me, Ill be the guy thats starring at the art from an 1" away :)