ChicagoArts interview with ArtSlant Editor

ChicagoArts is always looking for great and interesting art, artists, collectors and performers to feature. So if you are creative in Chicago let me know.

Chicago Portraits

I recently had the pleasure of being photographed by Michael "Chester" Alamo & Costello (yes, that’s his name). Chester is working on a series of photographs of Chicago artists. When he asked if I would allow him to do mine, I was honored.

I wasn't sure what to expect; Chester came to my studio with a couple of lights, cameras, and other photography equipment. I have a large space, so luckily it all fit comfortably. The one thing I did know was that he wanted to photograph Sarah (my better half) and myself together.

When he arrived, and I found out where he wanted to take the pictures, I had an urge to tidy up a bit. He scolded when I attempted to clean up, but I didn’t like what I was seeing, so, as we talked about this thing or that, I slowly moved stuff off the bar hoping not to get into any more trouble.

Chester directed us a bit and we talked back and forth while he was working. Then it came, what I though was a joke begun to sink in as a reality, Chester wanted me to lie down on the bar. Needless to say I wasn't comfortable with this, and laughing, Chester looked at me and said "Do you think I am kidding?" Yes Chester, I did. After a dozen or so more shots, we set up the one you see above, me lying down with my head in Sarah's lap.

This whole process was familiar to me; mainly because of the experiences I have had doing the Portrait Project. That being said, I believe this was the first time that I have had my portrait done. I recommend checking out Chester’s website and photos; they provide insight into the artists that make up the Chicago scene.

In his statement about his portraits, Chester said that… (Chicago) does not offer the fame found in LA or the potential for youthful success acquired in NYC, however it does offer severe weather, lots of murders, crooked politicians, rising rents, and minimal chance for financial success in the arts. These are ideal circumstances to create quality work that comments on the "true" current American condition. The images contained here are of creative types who have weathered the windy city.

I would like to explain a bit about what “the portrait” means in this day and age. You would never walk into an artist’s studio and ask to have you portrait painted in some grand regal style like ‘way back when’. Today, portraits are initiated mainly by artists and I would say the majority of portraits being painted around the world are done free of charge, although the rights to those images are often controlled by the artists. The portraits are done in a familiar place to allow the sitter to remain calm and ‘be themselves’: showing their faults, imperfections, preferences, habits (good and bad), weaknesses and strengths.

In the case of Sarah and me, Chester is showing an icon of a relationship; a hint of what is real within the photograph. Having our portrait done by someone else, reminded me that that art is still one way of communicating, and even if it’s not the fastest medium to produce, it just may communicate something deeper.

One week after having my portrait done, I got the opportunity to return the favor by adding Chester to my Portrait Project. Thanks Chester, for the portrait and the learning experience.

Whatcha Talkin 'bout Willis

Okay, I will start this by saying, I did sign the petition. I signed it to support the idea, that it will always be the Sears Tower, in my mind. I don't often say "Sears Tower" just like I don't say "Comiskey Park" out loud very often. When I address places that are no longer places, well, that's just the way it goes. I have seen everything in Chicago change over the past 30 or so years. I was born here. There is nothing positive about loosing a name, or a landmark. Look at Comiskey Park, Marshall Field's, now Sears Tower, and next will be Wrigley Field. At this point we ought not be surprised. Memories don't make money, and that sucks.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" ...or still be totally awesome

In closing, I still think you should sign the petition, if for nothing else, to get a little closure.

Click here to go to the petition

Photo from LifePoint blog

Five Open Source Programs Every Artist Should Know About

First off, let’s get this straight: Microsoft Word is great, but it isn’t cheap. The same thing goes for Photoshop, Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat. This software can put you back hundreds of dollars, yet everyone seems to get their hands on some of these programs one way or another. If you’re looking to save money, most of your options are illegal. I am not judging, but I would like to offer you a guilt free alternative – Open Source and Freeware.

For those of you that don’t know, freeware is software that can be shared, downloaded and used free of charge. Open Source is freeware with the added bonus of having access to the software’s source code. This allows the program to be altered by the users. That way, the program can grow with the needs of the community that is using it (for more information on the differences of software licenses please visit: OpenSourceStrategies.)

As for my five Open Source alternatives, they are the following:


1- Gimp
Photoshop is the artist’s bread and butter. It’s one program with which you can do everything you would ever need to with a photo. I am not going to say that Gimp is equal to Photoshop, but Gimp can do everything YOU know how to do with Photoshop. Let’s face it, you don’t use Photoshop to animate anyway, but even if you did, you can animate with Gimp. This is no lightweight Microsoft Paint program; Gimp is powerful photo editing/retouching software. It’s easy to pick up, and offers anyone working in the creative field a free alternative to the Goliath Photoshop. If you’re in need of a photo editor, you might want to check out the Gimp.


2- OpenOffice
How do you expect to get those grants without a little writing? This is a sweet-suite of everything you will need to open, manipulate, and alter Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel spreadsheets. Open Office Writer has everything you need for both word processing and desktop publishing. Calc, is the Open Office spreadsheet program that has both the power to handle your yearly expenses for the most diligent of number crunchers, but intuitive enough for the newbie to use and get up to speed. Impress is the multimedia presentation software that comes with the suite. Draw, also included, is the relatively lightweight drawing program for making graphs, charts and diagrams. Finally, Base, which is the cat’s pajamas, is a database software that will help you to keep everything in order.


3- Blender
Not that many of you will ever need it, but I have found it useful. This is a 3D graphics animator and video producer. If you are interested in doing 3D animations, this is the way in. Unfortunately, this is no CAD program, so I wouldn’t plan your next home with it. However, it will handle any 3D content creation easily enough.


4- N-vu
Let’s face it, we all need a website. If you want to blog, it’s pretty self explanatory, but building a website is a lot more work. If you want to build a site, you’ll need to learn some HTML. If you don’t know it right now, don’t worry. The good people at http://www.w3schools.com/ have taken the time to make some of the best tutorials on the web. Beyond that, you might want to get N-vu (pronounced “Nview”), to build your site. This is similar to a FrontPage or Dreamweaver software, so if you’ve seen those, then this will be a great resource to add to your digital arsenal.


5-Primo PDF
If the gallery, residency or foundation that you want to apply for has actually invested in some training, then you will undoubtedly come across quite a few Portable Document Format files (PDFs) that can be read on any platform. You have all seen them, and probably have the latest version of Adobe Reader. Since Adobe gives away Reader, everyone thinks they are the only game in town for creating and manipulating PDFs; NOT true. By now I am sure you can guess where I’m going: there is a free PDF creator out there that is as good as Acrobat, but $450 cheaper. PrimoPDF is it.

This list is by no means meant to state that every, any, or all of these products will serve all of your needs. If you feel you need to purchase Photoshop, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Office, or any other program covered here (or not) I only remind you that Open Source software is out there, and it is free. Explore these products and your needs. You can easily save thousands of dollars, and produce excellent outcomes. These programs are tools to help you while documenting, marketing or just making artwork. Not having a specific program should never be the reason for poor execution of anything you do.

New ChicagoArts Video

Okay, on with the show. I just posted another video interview for ChicagoArts and that is it up there. I had a great time talking with Justin about his ideas of art and music. If you have any comments on the video, Justin, or ChicagoArts leave them on this blog or YouTube. Justin and I will be sure to address them on the next ChicagoArts Live which is Monday March 9th at 7:30 PM on UStream.

If you enjoy Justin's work please check out his new web project Shiku Garu