EchoesLocation

Robert Rauschenberg
Terrible terrible news, but I suppose its part of the life cycle. We are born, molded, form our own opinions find a way to give them to the world, grow old and pass away. Robert Rauschenberg definitely did a lot for my artistic growth in college. He and Jasper Johns were very influential in my explorations into color theory in painting during my formative years in becoming an artist.
Ha, "formative years", who do I think I am?...anyways. Rauschenberg was big in the early 60's and served as sort of a cornerstone for Pop Art but rejected the term when applied to his work, understandably. He and John's both pulled imagery into their works but not "POP"ular imagery per se. He coined the term "Combines" in reference to his pieces taking objects, painting on them and putting them in a gallery setting leaving room for interpretation and also upsetting a lot of art critics along the way. The "Combines" were essentially both paintings and sculpture. Rauschenberg was huge in re-incorporating recognizable imagery and text into work as the late 1940's and 50's were filled with Abstract Expressionist...I'm babbling on with this art history chatter and most of it is probably wrong. Either way, Robert Rauschenberg was a great American artist and he will be missed. It's a good thing he has so much of himself that he left behind in the form of paintings and art and writings. If you are unaware of him and his work take some time and check his Wiki page I linked above. He was great.

South
I've been a fan of South for quite some time now. Probably since the late 90's or early 2000's. I was introduced to them by someone at Manifest (the formerly indie record store in Charlotte). I purchased "From Here On In" and was automatically in love from the electronicky beats and the hushed quiet vocals and beautiful song writing. They've morphed a few times over the years and been on a couple different record labels. My allegiance has teetered but when Whiskerino particapant Jon Schaff emailed me to tell me he was playing with the opening band I jumped back on ship. I've been wanting to see them for years so tonight is gonna be awesome no matter what material they play. Though I am hoping to hear some "Paint the Silence" or "Line Between the Lines"...I'll have to wait and see. Either way I'm jazzed.

jeremy

Brian Brown
Really really great illustration work. Love the concepts and originality. The image above is my favorite but there are other winners as well. I'd like to see more of his stuff so I'll probably keep checking back everyday for the rest of my life.

Matt Borruso
While at Opposable Thumb for a post breakfast coffee I thumbed through some magazines. I came across this guy and read a little on him. Interesting paintings, great skill involved it seems. I love the play on the grotesque and how easy it is to distort someone by slightly (or extremely) tweaking a facial feature. The fluorescent tones push the images even more and leap over the line of fantasy. Really great stuff.

If you like the Spurs we can't be friends anymore. Period. Last night they put their best whiney ass foot forward and barely scraped by at home against the Hornets. Watching the first two games of this series and this last I've become a converted Chris Paul and David West fan. Those two play really hard and that's my favorite type of basketball to watch. In viewing all three of the games you can see who is better, perhaps the Spurs will turn it on in the second half of this series but lets hope not.

Muse Art and Design is having a party tonight. It's a art party. Not sure what it entails but I'll probably make an appearance. I tried to make it to an art function last night but was stilted and humbled when I got lost. Next time I'll use mapquest.


First of, I think Hub has left the group so the core is down to three. I hope this isn't signs that the group is coming to an end because they consistently release some of the most intelligent hip hop songs out now. I mean, they even got Styles P to pen a verse about the ills of technology. As silly as it is ("Does a computer chip have and astrology and when it fucks up can give you an apology") it's still nice to hear whats on some of these rappers minds beyond the standard fare. Beyond that, the album is choice save a few weird interlude-y songs. The album is guest artist heavy but Black Thought still anchors all the tunes. Relative no names/newcomers Truck North and P.O.R.N. contribute verses to a few songs respectively and Wales pops in on the single "Rising Up" with Chrisette Michelle. Roots Crew members Malik B and Dice Raw get in on a few tracks and hip hop lifers Common, Kweli and Mos Def pop in on three separate songs. The even snagged Peedi Crack for another verse on "Get Busy". The album starts off incredible with Rising Down, Get Busy and one of the lone Black Thought solo songs 75 Bars. The album peaks with four songs "Criminal", "I Will Not Apologize", "I Can't Help It" and "Singing Man". All four songs touch on some universal topics and handle them well with production that molds itself around each verse and leads in to the next track wonderfully. Too much writing...sorry.

jeremy

I feel like I am at a weird cross road in my life but my eyes are closed and I have to feel around in order to know which path is the wisest to take. There are a few things I know for certain and some leaps that I feel suprisingly comfortable making right now. There are some unavoidable hurdles that need to be jumped along the way. Tough decisions. Trusting people. Trusting myself and my instinct. This life gets difficult sometimes. I suppose we all go through it in some fashion.

jeremy

jeremy okai davis
I haven't posted anything new to my site in some time, besides the commission above, but I will. Trust me. I am working on a new series and have a show in June at Sugar Gallery. I am slightly remorseful that I didn't shoot the beard portraits before I traveled them to Nashville and dumped moved of them. I have some photographic reference of them from the show but that's really it. Eh. Some of the new work can be viewed here.

Langhorne Slim's new album came out Tuesday. I've yet to procure it but you can rest assured that I will and that I will be pleased with it. I've had the pleasure of spending time with Slim outside of concerts and that hustle and bustle and like Seth and Scott Avett, his dedication to his craft and the heart and honesty he inserts is reassuring. He's a great talent and he's currently touring in support of the self titled album so check the Myspace for his tunes and when you fall in love check the tour dates and figure out which show you're going to.

This weekend I will be trying to figure out a way to make Awesome 3D Letters (A3DL's) for my art show on June 5th. I bought some of that hard insulation foam stuff. I now need to figure a easy way to carve out the letters "YOU LOOK GREAT". Andy, at work, is a really handy fellow so he gave me some tips on what need be done. I'll keep you all updated.

jeremy

Living of Love by The Avett Brothers is one of the best songs ever pinned. I'm excited for the next Gleam coming in July and the next album coming in 2009.

Boost Art Blog
Justin just turned me on to this art blog. Haven't gotten the chance to cruise through it as much as I want but believe me, it's getting bookmarked when I get home and away from this godforsaken PC. I digress. The first thing i see is some coverage of Jim Houser which is an instant attention grabber in my eyes. I snagged his book Babel three weeks ago. If that standard of artist is kept in this blog I'll be back often.

jeremy

First off. You guys can thank me later. Secondly, I REALLY wanted Scarlett Johansson to make interesting music. I wanted her to surprise me and be the oddball in the acting to music genre. I wanted her association with David Sitek of TV On The Radio to be signs of things AWESOME to come. I read in Spin that she was putting out an album of Tom Waits covers and I cringed at first (partially because of my distaste of Tom Waits, Sue Me). I then thought back to Ghost World and thought, man I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!. Like, A lot, so perhaps her association with that will translate into some hidden talent and skill that no one expected. Unfortunately for me and all her "fans" she is not a good singer and the three songs that I have given a chance are not really good. So, stay away from them please. Go see her movies, rewatch Lost In Translation (Just when I'm not around) and enjoy her at time ease to a fault at playing characters but don't give her songs a listen and if you see David Sitek, smack him on the wrist for tarnishing his career, IMO.

jeremy

Muzi Quawson
Went to Fresh Pot for coffee and some magazine browsing the other day. I came upon this photographer, Muzi Quawson. The works are inspiring in themselves but the presentation is also interesting. I know a lot of photographers use this light box technique to display but for some reason in viewing these it seems to work better. With the dark walls, the idea of documetation and freezing a moment in time comes across incredibly well.

Ashley Hope
I came across a review for Ashley Hope's show as well. The images document Lust Crime Victims. Some of the images are hard to take and I can hardly imagine actually painting them. The cream of the images is in the details which she does really well. The patterns on the couch to the tiling on the bathroom floor. Very well done and it ALMOST makes you forget what you are looking at over time.


David Buckingham
For as long as I've been trying to make my art work and have been actually taking in other peoples work with the idea of furthering my skills and concepts I've loved text treatments and old signs. David Buckingham addresses this with a pop spin that is so awe inspiring to me. The "Backstage Pass" section is my favorite part of the site but I'd spend time all over. Great stuff.

"I Will Possess Your Heart"
So, I just caught the new Death Cab For Cutie video on MTVJ. Bittersweet 7 minutes I just spent in front of the TV there. I like Death Cab. I hated Plans. It's a soft rock piece of shit in my mind, save a couple of tracks. The first time I heard Death Cab was on MTV actually. I think it was that Sunday night show Subterranean that I caught "Movie Script Ending". I remember loving the editing of the video using only stills and what not and the song was emotional and sad. I was instantly a fan. Over the years I've gone back into the catalog and was blown away when Transatlanticism came out. I enjoyed that album from start to finish. I read an article in American Songwriter with Ben Gibbard and he had some quotables that I've casted from my memory. Really silly stuff, IMO. In reference to his songs sounding like poetry (which is true) he responded by saying something like, I'm not a poet I'm a songwriter, which is ALSO true but in effect they are the same thing. Bleh. I'm overreacting. Getting to the point here. The video starts out with pretty much close to 4 minutes of "sludge rock" and then Ben comes in with the lyrics. I can't help but feel that the non-traditional approach to a single was a calculated decision on their part after the lot of their fans threw in the towel with the also calculated pop structures on "Plans". It IS a good song but the jury is still out on the album. I'll more than likely buy it (or attain it digitally) and I'll give a better idea of where I stand with Death Cab.

jeremy

Bad Guy?
So new episodes of LOST start back tonight. I have my art opening from 7-9, so it's a good thing they have a new time slot and also a good thing that Grey's Anatomy is a mess. I'm excited to continue to watch the evolution of the character Ben. His intentions are being brought to the light now and it's hard like everyone else on the island to gage whether he is good or bad. I still don't like his character based on his actions and his demeanor but are his motives flawed really? Is it wrong to protect what you hold dear at all costs? Michael's story line with the betrayal, guilt and retribution is in a sense a small look at what Ben is doing for what he perceives to be his child (the island). The show has gotten really interesting and has caused a lot of conflicted views on protagonist and antagonist. This has been a running theme throughout but now with a lot more reveals (due to actually having an end date) it's making you second guess your allegiances. I'm excited to see what comes.

jeremy

I hate the San Antonio Spurs. With conviction...I hate the San Antonio Spurs. I realize they are a great team with arguably the best Big 3 in the league. The thing I despise about them is not what some people call a boring style of play because to watch them, they are anything but boring. The reason I don't like them is because they are all babies. It's like when you put on a Spurs jersey you revert to your teenage years and complaining to you're parents about "Life Not Being Fair". It is so pitiful to watch Tim Duncan, one of the greatest power forwards of all time, throwing both his hands up and making that disgusting face he makes, Manu Ginobili and Kurt Thomas too. It's really sad to see Kurt Thomas act that way because as long as I remember he's been a water off my back sort of player that understands the bullshit you have to put up with in the league. I suppose I was wrong. Aside from watching that mess and Detroit playing and losing like princesses these playoff have been awesome so far.

jeremy

I'm having a small art opening tomorrow the 24th at Muse Art and Design on Hawthorne and 42nd. There will be snacks and libations for you all to partake. The work is kinda like leftover stuff from series' I've done over the last three years so there is no theme. It would be nice to see you all or some of you there. It's from 7-9 in the evening. Cheers!

"Jeremy's art is a response to daily things we see around us--the saturation of advertisements and text, the eccentric and mundane variety of everyday people. He likes to have fun with his art and says to never take too much of what you see seriously."

So it seems that Tapes N Tapes may be one of the first bands, that I've paid attention to, that are suffering the Sophomore Blog Induced Slump. I bought that first album, The Loon, on the strength of Insistor after hearing it randomly somewhere late 2006. Then came 2007 and the blogs blew them up. The Loon was/is a good album and was praised all over blogs. The truth of the matter is that the album IS good but so was a lot of other things that came out around that time. Skip to 2008 and those same blogs are saying that the new album Walk It Out is a step backwards. I disagree. To me this album sounds like a band trying to find more emotion in the music and layering up some more instrumentation. I think this album is akin to The Loon. Like an older brother of sorts. I love them both the same but for different reasons.

Raffi Kalendarian
I was pointed to Raffi Kalendarian by my friend Elizabeth in LA. Though today as I investigate I think I've seen his work before. Even still really nice loose portrait work. He seems to paint the subjects in natural (to them) environments a la David Hockney. I've been on a huge Hockney kick since starting doing portraits in 2005. Strangely enough I used to hate his work when I was in Art School. I guess we all come around. Anyways, check out his work "He Rocks".

jeremy

This weekend has been pretty simple. Spent a lot of time in the house. Went to a few shows. I've been getting some painting done and today will probably be a cleaning day. After I hit the Sweet Tomatoes with Destiny I'm gonna...

(12:45pm : I stopped this entry at this point)

(8:35pm : picked it up here)

...After I hit Sweet Tomatoes I came home and cleaned the kitchen and cleared out the cabinets and organized the tupperware. I also threw some of the shit littering out side door patio away. Then I watched the Pistons lose to th 76ers. There is something about the Pistons that I love but they honestly do not deserve to win another championship with the team they have in place. I'm rooting for an Old School finals with the Lakers and Celtics. We will see...but I digress. I then met up with Leslie at Meridian for a drink and appetizer and then went to the Fresh Pot for a quick cup/refill, cookie and magazine browse. Now I'm here finishing this entry.

On Friday I went by Work/Sound for a cool show with the New Bloods, Hornet Leg and The Old Haunts. I missed the first two bands but that ok. I was a little music-ed out after Old Haunts anyways. I like that space. Maybe I'll try and work something out with them...a show or group show or something. I've been looking for a space for that since I got here and I think the people there like and trust me.

Last night I was lucky enough to be able to grab Destiny's extra ticket for Au, Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper. Fleet Foxes killed and Blitzen Trapper were good. Au was very enjoyable. I need to remember to find some more of there tunes...There seems to be a pretty big influx of this 70's pop Fleetwood Mac-ky rock and roll coming out with a experimental noise twist. I'm not mad about it.

I'm gonna try and start updating more...I seem to have really slacked on it recently...I'm sorry.

jeremy

So I've been lax and my reason for not posting is completely unwarranted. I have not been busy making art as I have not worked on anything in close to a week. Sad but true. I've been around a computer mostly this whole time but I've been doing other things. Experiencing life if you will. The facts...

Last Thursday morning Joey and Pam made a visit to the fair city and that was a blast in a half, save having to work both Thursday and Friday. I went and picked them up from the airport not before I scooped Seth up (The Avett Brothers were playing that night at the Crystal Ballroom) from Burnside to surprise the two of them. I surprised them and we had a great drive from the airport to my place where I showed the three of them my habitat and surroundings on a brief walk up Hawthorne. I then had to get back to work for a couple hours. I got off and came home and changed and went and scooped the two of them back up and headed to MK Gallery for Amy Steele's thesis show on the PSU campus. Amy is attaining her masters degree and her thesis revolved around meeting dogs at the dog park and documenting their behavior and interaction with their owners and other dogs. An interesting show no doubt. We then traveled North to Burnside and to meet up with Levi and Alyson for dinner at Ringlers Pub. We had some interesting conversation and it was good to introduce the two of them to each other as we grew beards together for 4 months and it's only right. After dinner we went upstairs and partook in The Avett Brother's concert...definitely one of the best. The crowd was into it as was the boys and it felt like we were all on the same page, a huge celebration where no one stepped on anyone else's toes. It was great...and I met Jerry Glanville.

Friday after going to work for a full day basically I rushed home and got Joey and Pam and we traveled the boring non-scenic route up to Seattle. Blah. So boring but being with Joey and Pam made it better for sure. We toughed the 5 O'clock traffic and even indulged in a delicious truckstop dinner at Gee Cee's (I had the liver and onions) eventually arriving in Seattle at Neumo's at around 10:15 or so. Rachel and Lori joined us for a while but left because they were tired from exploring all day. The show was great albeit a little bunched in to Neumo's. We hung out with the guys for a little bit and then went and checked into our rooms and slept.

Saturday morning was an interesting one as we sat in the lobby and traded conversation with Scott, Seth, Joe, Jessica and whoever else came to our table for nearly 3 hours. What a way to spend a morning in Seattle at the Renton Hilton Garden Inn...I wouldn't have it any other way. Joey, Pam, Seth and I hopped in the car around 2 to grab some lunch. We went to the nice family restaurant called Claim Jumper. We had great service, great conversation and my meat loaf was delicious. We all four went to UNCC together so it's always good to get together and catch up. True friends never skip a beat. We headed back to the hotel where i switched off car passengers. Scott, David and Jessica Lea Mayfield joined me for a venture to Ballard. What a great little area. I'm hesitant to say hip but it was definitely favoring that vibe. I have no problem with that though. The shops were fresh and the people were "unique". I feel comfortable in that environment and I have to say that some of the other portions of Seattle that I've visited don't rub me right. I digress. We walked around and drove around Ballard for a few hours. I bumped into Tiny Vipers (Jesy Fortino) and bothered her for a photograph. I have no shame. We left that area and traveled back to Capital Hill to drop the guys off for sound check. I went and met back up with Joey and Pam at Moe Bar. Fellow beard contestant Will Hays and his roommate Lauren met up with us for a drink and then a walk to a really delicious Thai Restaurant. That was a treat. Then we headed back to the venue and enjoyed the Avetts yet again.

Sunday morning I woke up and spent some more lobby time with friends and then drove to Green Lake for dinner with Will, Rachel and Lauren at a place called Julia's that was absolutely delicious. After some more conversation and laughs I drove back to Portland not before I stopped at the Value Village for some Tacoma thrifting and the Michael's for some supplies.

So all in all it was an incredible weekend with friends and music. I left out a few things for time's sake. It's 5:34 AM and I think I'm gonna take Nolte for a walk and then do some painting before work. I'll also be uploading pictures to my flickr from the weekend today at work so look out for those. Hope everyone else is well.

jeremy

stolen honorably from Elizabeth Horn
I've been in Seattle since Friday night. Heading back after I say good day to the boys. These past three shows, namely the Crystal Ballroom show on Thursday have been fantastic. The best part as I've grown to appreciate them is watching others gain that appreciation. I've been fortunate enough to get the opportunity to request guest list tickets so I've been trying to supply those tickets to friends that I know would appreciate them and be able to get that appreciation for a lower price like I was when they first started out playing free shows at The Wine Vault of 5 dollar shows at Pucketts. In the past three nights I've seen 8 of my friends become fans of The Avett Brothers and it's a great feeling. Thanks for being open to new music guys and thanks for being my friend!

More hopefully when I get home. Having breakfast/brunch with Will and Lauren and then heading home.

jeremy

Destiny thought Claire looked old. I thought she looked classic and unique at the same time. I personally think they made a mistake by voting her off. So it goes. It just continues my streak of my favorite girls never winning, save Caridee.

Last night I went to The PSU Art Lecture. The speaker was the incredibly talented and passionate Storm Tharp. Hearing him talk of his influences was so inspiring. His passion for his subjects and pieces was intense. He spoke of the people in his work as if they were living and breathing and threw accolades to artists that he admired so casually that you could tell he was a appreciated the history of the arts and not just a participated in it. His work ran the gamut from non representational to abstract to portraits and then sometimes a mix of all three. I remember being engaged by his work in 2006 when I came to visit and checked out the Biennial at the Portland Art Museum. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to hear him speak on his work and influences which spanned from The Beatles to Leigh Bowery to Okiyu-E - Floating World Theory and Art.

Check out this interview with him.

Storm Tharp Interview

jeremy

I had a good weekend. Fairly productive art wise. I got another Catalog lady started and worked on another. I'm gonna try and finalize the first four this week as well as get the two commissions out the door once I get paid on the 15th so that I can start the one for Taryn, of her brother Graham and her husband "I Forget". It's a rad shot so I am jazzed to get going on it. I gave myself a cushion so that I won't have to force it whilst I finish up work for the show at Sugar in June.

Speaking of the show in June. I was by the Sugar Gallery on First Thursday and was a little put off by the clutter in there. You see, Michael is renting the space out in the afternoons to a fellow who is selling vintage wears out of there under the title Modern Myths. I'm hoping that my work and the drawings friends contribute will overshadow the portraits of Audrey Hepburn and Clint Eastwood or whatever hanging from the ceiling and the shoe rack hook slots in the walls aand the display cases set in the front of the space... Bah, It should be fine and I shouldn't complain. Actually now that I think about it. The fact that the catalog ladies are of the 70's I COULD work that them into the show...hrmmm. Ideas.



On to my weekend. Friday night I made my way down to Launchpad for an exceptional show by a Jaik (think that's how his name is really spelled) Faulk. His work, as Leslie said, was reminiscent of Francis Bacon and to me more like Marlene Dumas' washed portraits or the spawn of them both. I then walked over to the new Grass Hut space which is right next door to the old Grass Hut space. It's miles better though. Larger, separated so the Gallery stands alone and the shop and goods have there own area. I could see that area being expanded though and maybe cutting down on the merchandise as it is all a little cluttered...but maybe that is what they are going for.

I don't so much wanna get into this whole weekend. Journal slump perhaps.

jeremy