Palm Springs Art Museum

One quick note on the Palm Springs Art Museum.

It's a museum dedicated to modern art, but has some wealthy benefactors on the board so you get a good range of exhibits and artists on display. They are located in Palm Springs and have a theater that was showing movies for the Palm Springs Film Festival, which is where the museum and I first crossed paths. I checked some of the works out when going there for "Mediterranean Food", the movie about the culinary threesome, a wanted to make a return visit when I had more time.

PSAM has a range of art from Picasso to Dali to Warhol, but the real gems are from foreign artists working with unusual materials or political subjects. It's not often that I see something in a gallery that turns me completely off, but PSAM has it. The top floor of the gallery is dedicated to promised works, and a few of these were bad. Bad. Bad as in "give me a break do you take me for a fool" bad.

What makes the Museum well worth the trip is that the clunkers are shown alongside works of breathless beauty, so you get the chance to appreciate both. There are some glass works that are stunning and left me in awe which isn't easy. I'd have thought that living in Tacoma near the Glass Museum would have dulled my appreciation for glassworks, but that's not the case. There were international glass pieces which I want to see again soon. The drawback of glass is that photographs don't do them justice at all. So you can visit the galleries website and see the works, but it's nowhere near the experience of actually seeing them live.

A return visit is called for.

Tripwire Concert Review

Tripwire rocks the house!


Yes, the pictures suck. But they were taken from a phone in a crowded club, so what are ya going to do?


Last nights concert was a success by all measures. And by that, I mean the measures in which I rate all concerts I go to. Did I dance? Were there plenty of cool people around? Did I get to chat with the lead singer and/or lead guitarist?

YES!

Of course this would have been a hard concert to knock in any case, since it featured primarily 80's tunes which even if they were done only semi-well would have still been great, but the walls were shaking with good music and I had a great time. Natalie is very talented and was able to bring the gritty anger to plenty of Alanis Morissette songs, as well as the haunting tones of "White Rabbit". Not an easy trick to pull off! Tom (lead guitarist) makes me happy that I'm taking that VV class in the spring. He shreds.

Tripwire made it a late night, so I'm blurry this morning but there was no way I wasn't shutting down the show.

So of course I'm looking for clubs a little closer to my home base to visit. This one was the Triangle Club in Pomona, which is a good hour away on the best case scenario and almost impossible to get to if there's traffic. But Natalie does play at a club in Rancho Cucamonga and I'll be making a few visits there for the next event. There is a club in Apple Valley but I've no idea what it's like but will check it out since it's so close. The High Desert does have a nightlife, you've just go to hunt it down and tackle it before it bolts.

Also, I've got to get a copy of "You're So Vain". I haven't heard that song in ages and love it.

SEAF Fairy Submission

Did it!

I completed one painting for submission into SEAF, and had about 24 hours to spare. SEAF does allow artists to submit up to three works for consideration into the show, but that just wasn't going to happen. I had two possibilities for ideas, but only time enough to flesh out one of them. As it is, it worked out well enough. One painting is down, and on its way for approval or rejection. Fingers are crossed!

As a bit of a disclaimer, this image is modified for the blog. Yeah, what can I say... There's no way on earth I'd censor one of my paintings for the public approval, but this really isn't my painting. Not really. I made it to be shown and then sold, and it's not the sort of subject that truely resonates with me on any meaningful level. I do like it, but it's not what I'd consider a part of me, or representateive of myself in any way. It doesn't have anything to say. It just is. It's fun, its silly and kinda hot.

Anyway, I'll update the 'log when I get a response one way or another.

Don't ask where the Blue Fairy's feet are. I don't have a clue.

Cthulhu without Art

One of the reasons that I played Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, was to see if there was any artwork that I could rip off the walls. Surprisingly, there isn't. Nothing appropriate really.
There are plenty of paintings and photographs that line the walls but all of them are washed out black and white prints. This fits with the blasted seaside fishing community that you find yourself in, but doesn't do me any good at all!
True, I could paint something in black and white. I'd actually like to try it just for fun. However, these images are washed out to the point of being meaningless blurs.

Well, there is one image... But we'll see.

It's a heck of a game and I'd hate to see it go without grabbing something as a trophy.

Cthulhu Review

Ted Puffer's Rating= 4 Stars
Game= Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth

This game reaches a strange benchmark in being one of the creepiest horror games out there. There are lots of things this game does right which are worth mentioning, after putting a little bit of background down for the uninitiated.
First off, this is based off the Lovecraft novel Call of Cthulhu. If you haven't read this story, it won't affect your enjoyment of the game. If you have read the story, then you're obviously an intelligent and awesome person as you've no doubt surmised by your shear coolatude.
Lovecraft is an author who follows certain simple themes throughout his writing. Firstly, the monsters who populate his many stories are unnameable horrors older than time and mind bending in their malevolence, whose basic presence is enough to warp minds with the shrieking knowledge that such a universe exists which would allow their blasphemy to be.
In the game, you play an investigator who has landed in the small fishing village of Innsmouth. As you move around and talk with the local population while investigating the mysterious disappearance of a young shopkeeper, the nameless horrors start to make themselves known. In the process, your character does two things.
1) Runs away from said nameless horrors.
2) Tries pitifully to hold onto his sanity.

What is stunning is how unnerving this game is. Normally, designers would be content to show your character becoming a messy pile of red chewing gum when making a wrong move, or stumbling blindly down the wrong back alley of Innsmouth. Dark Corners of the Earth takes a different and more effective approach.

As your character struggles with sanity while running away, he experiences tunnel vision, blurred vision, audial hallucinations, visual impairments and chattering teeth. All of this is done so well that playing the game can actually be a frightening experience.
I should also mention that the game is dark. Physically dark. It's tempting to turn up the brightness just to more easily peer into the shadows, but this really isn't something that should be done or is necessary to play the game. The games control panel is helpfully optimized to show you what shadows should be inky black and not adjusted. Fear not, the important items you need to gather and enemies you need to flee will be obvious even in ill lit rooms.

Wet Paint

I'm painting like a madman to get something ready for the SEAF event, which closes at the end of the month. I could have SWORN that it was in October!
The real catch is that I have a wonderful idea for a project that would be a shoe-in for the gallery, but just don't have time to make it happen. But that being said, I do have canvas and I've got a bunch of paints just waiting for an excuse, so I'll make something happen.

I'm happy with the subject that I've chosen, but am really crossing my fingers that it comes out alright. I'm working like crazy on it, which means there isn't a good time to just sit back and look at the painting to see what needs to be modified or changed, and what needs to be redone completely. As it stands, it has two figures on a grassy field. Pretty basic, but it fits with the theme of SEAF.
Kinda.
Sorta.
Eh, I'll make it work.

On the plus side, I do have a bit of time left to fiddle with it and make it perfect before it gets shipped off to be shown. If it gets accepted, that is.

I better get back to the canvas.

Health Care Reform, ad nausium

I've got greater reason than ever to expect that Health Care Reform is destined to fail, specifically because Universal Health Care is too good for America and by extension, Americans. UHC is philosophically opposed to capitalism. Which means the laws going forward will be in place by the philosophy that arrived on the scene first. In this case, Capitalism.

I'm very happy about this because it meshes with my plans beautifully.

More Red and Black

You know, I had a whole bunch of stuff written about this painting, and then my computer decided to lock up and for some reason Blogspot didn't save any of it as a draft. So I'm going to keep this a touch briefer than most.
This is my second and final painting created for the Redlands Art Gallery for their Red, White and Black exhibit later this year. There are only three colors in this painting, just like the "Mask" one that I'd written about earlier. Like that other painting, this one is from Pathologic and I do like the results. It's hard to say that I really 'like' this painting, because lets be real for a second, it's not really a likeable image. There isn't much about this that would make a room feel more homey or alive. But there is power in the image, as well as a dose of unease. So it's successful in my opinion. Art shouldn't blend into the wall. And this doesn't.
The image in the game is from the starting place when the player enters the world as the "Bachelor" and wakes up in the travellers inn run by an alluring, if mysterious, woman. The woman is scared, but determined to distract the player from exploring the city and investigating the events which have brought him there. She has an inviting body and is very bold in her manner and desire.
All in all, she makes an effective bribe and hard argument to set aside for the more important task of saving lives.
But this being said, the player has obligations that lead him into other quarters.
Now while she is plying her arguments with words and feminine gestures, the player might look around the drawing room and notice this large painting dominating the scene. In the home of such a vibrant woman, what is this painting doing there? It's stark and tragic. This painting is out of place for such a woman, which serves as a warning for the player.
What sort of woman would have this in her posession?
I'm going to find out. I painted the thing, I want to see who it appeals to.

Oblivion Review

Ted Puffer's Review: 2 stars
Game Title: Elder Scrolls Oblivion

There isn't much that's necessarily wrong with Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. It's just that there isn't much that's right either. What this game desperately needs is an element that puts it over the top. Something that would really stand out as an exceptional element to the game which would encourage the player to continue on from one element to another.
Earlier reviews of this game noted the boring factor, namely that after some time the game became dull because of the repetition of certain elements. I wasn't sure what to make of this, but quickly found out after my third or fourth dungeon dive. The dungeons are modular, although you might not think so at first. The rooms and passageways that connect the chambers are premade and then stuck together like so many subterranean legos. The effect works well actually. It allows the computer to create an endless number of random dungeons which have artistically done atmospheric rooms.
In a strange twist however, the detail which went into the creation of the modules may be its undoing. Each room is well designed and fun to look at and explore, every one with shadows corners and dripping stalactites. But once you've explored these rooms, there isn't anything unusual to see in them any more. This leads the player to only glance at a room enough to get their bearings and then they'll know exactly where the exists are and likely trap locations. If the rooms were created a little more generically, than the player would have to be a bit more careful when moving about.
As it is, you know exactly where the three trap locations are, the three monster zones, and the four or five locations of hidden treasure chests.

This is only a quick summary of the problems I have with the game. Yes the graphics are dated, but that's never been an automatic demerit for me. Graphics are secondary to a story. But after walking through the same muddy street lined with buildings created with a limited grey palette, the story just won't stand up. Voice acting is sub-par which is surprising considering that Patrick Stewart makes an appearance early on.

So, I'm consigning Oblivion to... well... you know. Oblivion.

Thaumaturgic Cartographers are AWESOME!

This is being filed under the 'blog' tag because it doesn't really relate to anything, but it's cool all the same.
I received a package from the Thaumaturgic Cartographers, specifically from the Thimblerig Research division. In the package, which seems to have traveled half way around the world before landing at my door, I discovered an autographed copy of The Shrunken Heads of Limuw! Amazingly cool. This was a book that I had on my Amazon wishlist because it looked great, but was a touch more than I wanted to spend on myself. If I'd known that my natural curiosity and persistance was going to pay off like this I'd have rested easy knowing that the book would be mine some day. Not only is it mine, but it's autographed by all the Cartographers as well. Sweet!
There was a note telling me not to disturb any further virtual caches (no problem there, I learned my lesson the first time) and then a mysterious box. Very mysterious.
I'd write what it contained, but another message in the same packed cautioned me against revealing it's contents. So for the time being, I'm keeping it on the Q.T.

Framed

The Redlands Art Associate requires all paintings to be framed upon acceptance for display. So I'll have frames on some of my paintings. I always knew this day would come.

Gallery Prank

Sorry about the quality of the photos, but this was a rush job.
Let's start with the long story behind this.
When I attended the Route 62 Art Tour, I got a chance to check out a batch of local talent in Yucca Valley. The place is amazing and probably the last destination you'd think of if you wanted to see great art. I'm still not exactly sure what attracts artists to this area, but I'm glad they're here. First you'd think this is just another dusty, conservative town in the middle of the desert. But when you see the art and get to talk to the people, you'll quickly find that there is much going on below the surface. The folks in Yucca Valley are wonderful and their art is beautiful.
But there are some exceptions.
Sure, I know that there is some art that doesn't naturally appeal to me. That doesn't mean that it's bad, or the artist isn't talented, it just means that the type of art they produce isn't my thing. That being said, there is some art that just isn't that good.
One artist stood out in particular for art that wasn't really good. I forget the guys name, but he makes simple acrylic paintings. The paintings are extremely stylized and use very few colors. Pretty good so far, right? Well, when you see the opus of his work, you'll quickly realize that the paintings are mass produced. Each one was made with about 30 seconds of planning and fore site, and cover a very narrow range of subjects. All of them, and I'm not kidding about this, feature a robot holding a heart or sticking out his thumb like he's trying to catch a lift. The robot is standing in a plain desert that shows a blocky cloud overhead. That's it. Some paintings are just the desert with a crack in it, or an explosion, or volcano. These elements are combined in different ways on each painting and are, well, dull. Boring.
I wasn't too impressed.
I especially wasn't impressed with finding out that the artist had somehow managed to grab wall space at the Crossroads Cafe in town. When I stopped in there for a bit to eat on my way to the Palm Springs Film Festival, I had a burger surrounded on all sides by these paintings.
That's when I got an idea.
What if I made a painting using all the elements from this artist, and stuck it on the wall myself. I could paint it in an afternoon, but paint it better than what was displayed. I'd even stick a label on it with an exorbitant price tag, which all the other paintings sported as well. I could just imagine the artists surprise to see a painting in the gallery that looked similar to his, but obviously created by someone else with no attached explanation. Yee Ha! This plan MUST be done!
So I did it.
I vowed not to spend any more time on the painting than necessary because I'm pressed for time as it is. Also, it would stay true to the theme of knocking out these paintings quickly with little thought or skill being tasked.
Again, I apologize for the poor quality of the photograph, but it really isn't worth looking too closely at. True, it's better than what was on display, but I didn't really enjoy painting it. To my surprise, I found that painting a boring scene is an unpleasant process. I thought it would be easily done, but it was a grind towards the end. I tried to improve it in many ways, but finally just gave up. There is only so much you can do when painting something you don't like.
The next time I passed through the cafe, I posted the picture on the wall with the tag and took a quick snap of my handiwork. Not bad at all! It fits right in!
Now I've got to work on getting a real showing at this gallery. The Crossroads Cafe is one of the coolest places I've ever seen and a delight to visit. I'd recommend you stop by if you get a chance, and admire the artwork while you're there. Mine is the one near the bathroom. It's called "What's One More?"

One side note. The original artist has robots or aliens that look friendly or just goofy. Mine looks evil. I didn't intend that, but that's the way it came out and I wasn't going to spend the time changing it. Meh.

Black, White and Red

The Redlands Art Association has a show coming up later in the year with a red, white and black theme. I'd like to say that this is an inspired move by the gallery to have artificial limitations on artwork to give artists an opportunity to expand their work in a medium through an imposed constraint. By limiting the palate an artist has to work with, the artist must find creative and unconventional ways to express him or herself through their art.
But I can't say that, because it's not true.
Red, white and black are the colors of a local high school. If you've been to Redlands before you'll understand completely.
Anyway, the pandering to infrastructure aside, I don't care what it takes to get in a gallery, I'll get in one. So with that being said, I cast about to find something that falls within that color scheme, and found the "Mask" image I've written about earlier. I was going to paint this image anyway because I found it inspiring and weird, but through a happy coincidence it also makes it with the rules for the opening. The fact that it's probably the least likely thing that the Redlands Art Assoc had planned when they issued the challenge makes it that much better.

There is another image from Pathologic that I'll be painting in the days ahead, and will post it here. It's different from the mask in almost every way imaginable, but again it uses primarily those three colors so I'll likely enter both into their show.

Off to a huge start

The year is only a couple of days old, but already some deadlines have crept into my calendar. Good deadlines. Cool deadlines...
SEAF is issuing it's call for art and I'm determined to get something into this show. I was turned down last time, but I've got a better idea about what they're looking for now so think I have a good chance of getting something into the show. When I was passed over for artwork a few years ago, I made sure to volunteer for the show anyway so I got to hob-nob with the folks during the run. It was one of the greatest expereinces of my life. There was something so great about being completley surrounded by artistic and creative people at every turn.
Now my memory was that the festival took place in October, so I figured that I had a few months to come up with something to show. But a little early research found that the call for art ends on Jan 30! AHHH! Artistic juices, start flowing! NOW!
Also, the Mini Multi Media show in Redlands has it's call for art going on right now, with a deadline about the middle of February. I was focused on this project when I checked out the SEAF site. Um. Somehow they will both get done. I'm not sure how, but somehow.

Mask

The only thing I don't like about this painting is the title. I'm simply calling it "Mask", which brings to mind the funny movie and it's ghastly unfunny sequel. But names aside, I like this painting.
This is the first time I've painted something that makes me uncomfortable when I look at it. My previous painting of the slaughterhouse was moody and dark, but this painting has something of menace in it. Maybe it's because people with masks are by nature an embodiment of the unknown. They become something more or less than human. They walk and move like people, but the blank face is a gaping hole of the unknown.
Or it could be they're just creepy.
In any case, this painting is from the virtual poster that appears in Pathologic. In the game, the character comes across a theater which plays an important part in the unfolding story. Each night a play is put on in the theater which captures the important events of the day. The decisions that the player made, or actions he failed to take, are acted out by two masked forms in a haunting performance. On the side of the theater is this poster which shows one of the masked people.
This image affected me greatly because at this point I didn't know what to make of the two masked characters in the game. They seem to be friendly and guides of a sort. But seeing one of them clumsily stomp through the red palms clustered around his feet is disturbing. I get the feeling of great power being thoughtless active regardless of the consequences around him.

Abattoir

I love this piece, and not just because I painted it. Let me tell ya, just because you make something doesn't automatically mean that you like it. Even paintings that were done technically well can be ones that I'm glad to see move on to other horizons. But this one... This one is special.
First off, what a sky! I didn't have high hopes for the sky right from the start because I knew that I wanted to do something with a gray, leaden sky and that's not easy to accomplish in an interesting way. But with that beautiful color sold under the title "Paynes Gray" I was able to make a sky that was brooding without distracting from the main feature of the painting.
This painting is based on a virtual painting found in Pathologic, and features the "Abattoir" which is a location in the game. The story of the game is something I've written about in another post, but this location was glossed over in my review. Essentially, it's a meat packing plant. The town that the player investigates only has this one industry, a vast and monolithic butchery who'se workers rarely see the light of day. The conditions inside are so subhuman that the workers have evolved over time into lumpy parodies of humanity which are shunned by the locals.
During exploration of the town, the player talks to a significant public figure. In this character's house is a painting of the Abattoir showing it gushing blood like a giant human heart. This foreshadows your eventual exploration of that location, and gives you a clue as to the brutal nature of the construct.
The painting is gloomy, ominous and morbid. Brilliant.
When I saw it, I knew I had to paint it. I expanded a bit on the colors, not by much. If anything, I added more sky and ground than the original to increase the feeling of desolation the piece inspires. The original work focused on the Abattoir for area, which is great but I do like the slightly distant view of the building.

Dragon Age Review (final edition)

Meh. Stopped playing after filling out my party. It didn't seem worth the time it would take to finish. While there are elements of a good storyline in the game, and what appear to be some interesting angles on elvin/dwarven/human society, the whole effort left me cold. Bottom line, the game is too linear.
I'm starting Oblivion, and will write about that in a few days