Thick paint

 I like thick paint and sharp contrasts. I think a good painting has a good texture and finish. This is a close-up of the Bazooka painting. It’s a basic composition but I used a ton of paint.

Cyrus and a few other things

My thoughtful and sweet ladyfriend got tickets for us to see the movie Cyrus last night. It was a part of the Seattle Intl. Film Festival (SIFF) but it was kind of a big deal. Usually when I think of SIFF I think short lines and small theaters. This movie had some big stars, Marissa Tomei, John C Reilly, Johah Hill… and there was a looong line waiting to get in. I’ve stood in lines for movies many times but it’s never been my idea. Usually if I see a line for something I want to be a part of I change my mind and find something else to do. For movies though I’m usually a part of a group and have to stay. It always seems crazy to me though, to be standing in line for something that there is no shortage of and that will be available for a long time to come. When I see people lined up outside the Mac store to buy the latest gadget I’m amazed. As consumers, we collectively have no patience. When I stand in line for movies with all the overly excited people I wonder how they can be so starved for entertainment. For one thing, movies are often disappointing. Even when the movie gets a bad review in the paper the morning of it’s opening people are still standing in line all abuzz and talking in depth about the film. One level of depth should be what the reviewers are saying. I listen to reviewers and if they tell me to avoid a movie I do it – unless it’s a comedy, in which case I wait until a few of my friends have seen it and recommend it. 

Which leads me to my next mini-rant. I don’t listen to reviews on comedies because reviewers seem to think movies are some intellectually deep topic. They aren’t. They’re cheap, quick entertainment. The makers of movies have to filter the script through all the business-types who tailor it to bring in the biggest audience possible. This removes most depth and leaves very little to talk about after the closing credits. Usually when I go see some movie that reviewers claim has some depth I walk out scratching my head. I just want movies to be entertaining and I’ll leave the depth to work being done by individual writers and artists. 

So, to sum up, I liked Cyrus. Loved the cast. There were a few lines that had me laughing out loud. I didn’t learn anything about life and I didn’t walk away pondering anything. Occasionally I’d remember a funny line and smile. That’s the best a movie can do. But let’s not forget about all the other possibilities for entertainment in our free time. Seattle has no end of options with concerts, art shows, theater… With all the movie options on the internet and cable tv I’m amazed at how crazed people get to see a new movie. If we wanted we could spend every day watching good movies and tv shows. There’s Hulu and Netflix and classic movie channels that play the tried and true movie classics. Instead we line up to see the latest superhero movie that rottentomatoes tells us will suck if we choose to pay and sit through it. Let’s use a few of our dollars to go old school and see some live music with live people interacting with one another. That’s where you’ll find the meaning of life. Listen to Mr. Sunshine and you too can learn to live and be happy.

 This is a new illustration kinda based on Van Gogh’s starry night. It was going to be used on my home page for my new site but I don’t think it will make the cut. I’m learning Dreamweaver and all the exciting coding behind it, and my ambitions to make an awesome page are  being toned down. There’s so much to learn just to line up the squares that make up your composition. I’m now just hoping to make a clean, easy to use site. This site is for the final in class. After that I’ll grow it into something more. I think.

Howling at the walls

I met someone today who said she can’t really say anything on Facebook anymore. She uses it for work so she can’t say anything too personal or controversial. I get that. When you first get on such a site you just have a few close friends and you say kooky little things. Then your relatives friend you, and coworkers and people from the past, and you have to start watching what you say. I do. That’s why now I’m like Bukowski, sitting at the typer, rambling on to nobody. Father MacKenzie, writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear. Don’t worry, I’m not lonely though. On WordPress you can check your blog stats and a couple days ago I had ten views to this fascinating blog. Most days I get between 0 and 4 views, probably mostly my ladyfriend. Hi KB! But let’s just wrap this up. Like most bloggers I don’t have much of a point here – just that social media is turning out to be a place where you don’t want to get too social. Like Bukowski I’ll just type away assuming nobody is listening. If you are, know that I may just be howling at the walls.