Woodstock Party Poster
Katie and I have begun to get ready for our Woodstock Party (to take place on the 40th anniversary of the legendary event). For the invitation we recreated the original Woodstock poster, adjusting all of the information to match our event.
Filed under: Creativity, psychology | Tags: Creativity, psychology, synesthesia, Thinking
Letter and Number Colors
As far back as I can remember I have always correlated, without conscious thought, numbers, letters and colors with each other. For instance, when I think of the letter A I immediately, uncontrollably think of the color RED. I have never really thought much about this as I always assumed that everybody thought the same way. As I got older and shared my mental process with others, I began to realize that not many people automatically made connections in their head as I do. After doing a little bit of research (I love the internet) I have found out that this phenomenon is referred to as synesthesia.
Here is a short list of letter/color combinations (although they can occasionally switch around on me if I think about it too much).
A = Red
B = Blue
C = Green (or sometimes blue)
D = Blue
E = Purple
F = Green
G = Orange
H = Brown
I = White (or sometimes silver)
J = Gold
1 = Red
2 = Blue
3 = Green
4 = Green
5 = Blue
6 = Red
7 = Orange
8 = Blue
9 = Purple
I also link letters and numbers together. The strange thing is that the letter/number combos do not have to have similar colors. For example:
H = 4
but H = Brown and 4 = Green
This can cause a little paradox in my head (again I restate that all of these thoughts occur without active thinking). To resolve this conflict I mix Brown and Green together like paint in my head and make a muddy, dark green that, for some reason, turns to a gray. Individually H is still Brown and 4 is still Green, but more often than not, when H = 4, color = Gray.
Another example:
F = 5
But F = Green and 5 = Blue
In this situation the green and blue do not mix to create a teal color when F = 5. Instead either Blue or Green will dominate; when F = 5, color = Green or Blue.
Strange, huh?
1972 Sears 3-Speed
About 37 years ago my parents purchased a couple of 3-speed Austrian bicycles from Sears to trek all around Ames, Iowa. This weekend Katie and I fixed up my Mom’s bicycle (read more and see more pics here). Surprisingly, the 1972 Sears 3-speed needed very little work to get it going. We gave the whole thing a nice bath to remove the decades of dust and grime, replaced the intertubes (the tires were still in great condition), adjusted the brakes, made a few slight realignments to the fenders, and adjusted the 3-speed hub (this still might need a little more adjustment). My Dad’s matching bicycle is in a greater state of disrepair and will require far more work to get it back in running order. In time however, I hope to try and pull it together too so Katie and I can cruise the city on our classic bikes just as my parents did 37 years ago.
Filed under: Art, Creativity, Painting | Tags: Art, Charcoal, Collage, Creativity, Drawing, Etsy, Painting
I have finally started to get some new work going. This latest little series is mixed media including collage with acrylic paints and charcoal. All pieces were done on a cardboard substrate, and each include clippings from magazines as part of the base art.
I chose to work on cardboard as opposed to canvas because I wanted to convey a much simpler feeling with these quick paintings. To me, paintings on stretched canvas can create a sense of arrogance or pompousness, not because of the artist’s intent, but due only to the fact that this “professional” substrate somehow automatically elevates the elements upon it to some grander artistic state. This feeling can be pushed considerably further with the inclusion of any type of formal frame containing the piece. This push of formality not only makes the artwork more inaccessible to viewers, but also creates tensions for me as the artist.
This new set of work became a study of the use of the most bland, normal, informal substrate: cardboard. By using this substrate I could focus on the work and subject within these quick studies and remove any possible pressures of formality and traditional artistic practices which occasionally leave me feeling trapped.
Filed under: Creativity | Tags: Art, Creativity, Education, Music, School, TED
Perusing some old podcasts lately, I found on old gem from TED 2006. This presentation from Ken Robinson about creativity and the education system is still great and worth being pulled forward for another view.
Filed under: Art, Nostalgia, Painting, Watercolor | Tags: Art, Childhood, Painting
Traditional Christmas paint set
I have never really cared to paint using watercolor. This is possibly surprising considering that as children my brother, sister and I would each receive a watercolor paint set every year for Christmas. The paint sets were the kind with the simple rectangular tray with about 8 oval-shaped paints and a single, cheap paint brush. I do not remember exactly when this tradition started, but it lasted for many years, mostly as a fun, inside joke. Afterall, the paints would hardly be used before we obtained our next annual set. As a family, we began to amass a nice collection of watercolor sets.
The traditional Christmas paint set gifting had well disappeared by the time my siblings and I were all in our teens. The inside joke remained for many years, however. We would often joke that we were hoping for our paint sets, but of course we never expected to receive another set again.
Woebegone Fool
It has been approximately 15 years since the tradition ended. But this year our mother surprised us, and once again my brother, sister and I each received our traditional paint sets. We all thought it very amusing and enjoyed the nostalgic moment, and I am certain my mother assumed that would be all that would be created by those child’s paint sets.
Fairly recently, however, I decided to put those watercolors to use and have a little fun. As I said before, I am not a fan of painting with watercolor, but there was something fun and whimsical about using a set like those I had as a child.
The use of the child’s paint set brought out themes in the subject matter of the paintings that seemed well suited yet ironic. It allowed me to access ideas that I might not normally consider.
At this point I still doubt if watercolor will become a regular medium for me, but I truly enjoyed this experiment.
Thanks for the paints, Mom!
iLike Sidebar for iTunes
For some time now I have been using an App on facebook called iLike, but I recently became a member of the actually site, iLike.com.
Within this site you can create a personal profile containing all of your favorite artists and songs. You can check band profiles, get notices for your favorite band’s concerts in your area, and set up online playlists. With the use of the iLike sidebar (for use with iTunes or Windows Media Player) you can also track your personal listening stats, and if you care to you can share those stats with the public and/or your friends through your iLike profile, the sidebar, and the Facebook App.
ILike also provides suggestions for you based on your favorite artists, currently played songs (similar to iTunes Genius or Pandora), or through others on iLike with similar favorite artists. There are many free MP3’s to download, mostly from new, indie artists. I have found a few bands through the site that I really enjoy.
The PROs and CONs:
With iLike I can get simple band updates and profiles without having to mess with the chunkiness of MySpace. There is no personalization to band profiles, however, so there is no connection to the personality of the artist; It is nuts and bolts information presented in a simple, fairly clean format. If you are a nerd like me, the stats gathered about your listening tendencies can be interesting. The free MP3 downloads available are a nice perk, especially to those that enjoy discovering new artists. The iLike Sidebar for iTunes is a little clunky but seems to work well. Overall iLike is a nice site for music lovers… and it’s free to join.
General Hawk, O-8
Flint, CWO-3
Duke, E-8
Scarlett, E-5
Bazooka, E-5
A strange thought occurred to me recently, a memory from my past that really foreshadowed the person I was to become and am today.
First of all, the event that triggered this memory was the creation of this blog and the Paprika Brigade name. While deliberating the moniker and its meanings to myself, potential interpretation of the name by others, and the ways that I could have fun with the themes created by it, I stumbled across a part of my brain holding vast files related to military, both factual and fictionalized. Before I continue, let me first state that I have absolutely no professional military training, and those who know me would consider me more apt to make a stand in some peace rally than on any battlefield. Regardless, I am and was raised as a typical American boy, and as such war games consumed the vast majority of my childhood play. Along with this kind of play came a great deal of researching to develop a collection of military terms, information about weapons and equipment, and a general idea of military structure (a lot of this information I pulled from our old set of encyclopedias… other information I made up to fill in the blanks). I would often spend more time researching than actually playing war.
My favorite war toys were the collection of G.I. Joe action figures and vehicles I possessed. Being born at the very end of the ’70s and raised in the ’80s, I was at the prime age to experience the glory days of the small, 3 3/4 inch variety of G.I. Joes, the type that contained such wonderful characters as Storm Shadow, Destro, Cobra Commander, Snake Eyes, Lady Jane, Duke and a cast a so many other well colorful participants.
I recently remembered the detailed bios and stats provided for each individual character. Towards the end of my G.I. Joe-playing years (who am I kidding, those days never really ended) I began to take account of the characters’ official rank provided along with their other statistics. This made my little war games much more complicated, as from that point forward I would always be aware of the hierarchy enveloping them. At 10 or 11 years old, this was a heavy burden to bear when all I wanted to do was play.
The details surrounding the various Joes’ back stories, their ranks, and their specialties changed the way I thought about everything. This added all new complexities to the friendship I had imagined between, for example, Flint, a CWO-3 or Chief Warrant Officer 3, and Bazooka, an E-5 Sergeant. And of course there are all sorts of issues to be dealt with when considering any possible relationships between Scarlett, also an E-5 Sergeant, and Hawk, an O-8 Major General. And then there was Duke. Duke ranks in as an E-8, Master Sergeant. Before I knew this little fact, I had him commanding my entire army of Joe’s; I had him shouting out orders to all enlisted men and women and to all the officers as well. As I have said, I have no military experience, but I cannot imagine many Majors or Captains being too thrilled about taking so much crap from a Sergeant.
All of the research allowed me to truly get wrapped up in the imaginary world I was creating. However, there were times when my research consumed my time and energy, and I lost sight of my original goal: I wanted to play. This has happened very regularly through my life. I am not sure at this point if I can consider it either a negative or positive attribute. All I do know is that characteristic within me that I have barely ever considered has been a part of me since I was a child. And all this time I thought I have changed tremendously from the time I was a kid. Little did I know, I am now as I have always been: a dork with a thirst for knowledge.
This is a test of the emergency broadcast system…
Paprika Brigade has officially launched and is currently invading sites all across the web. Reports indicate that the Paprika Brigade has been sited at the following locations:
iLike.com
Twitter
Etsy
Although all encampments are in their infancy, it is anticipated that each site will become more and more established in the following weeks, with further additions being made to each camp.
Stay tuned for further notices.
