JMG Artblog

CAGzine Interiew: Jeff Green of JMG Artblog

Contemporary Art Gallery published an interview of me by its Editor, Tia Marks. Check out the story by clicking here.

Artjaw.com: New Philadelphia Art Blog

Spector, a Philadelphia art gallery run by Shelley Spector, has just launched a new art blog that focuses on art life in Philly called Artjaw.com. The blog will highlight various artists with 300-500 word articles written by the artist themselves about art in their life. The first few artists on Artjaw.com are:
Caitlin Perkins
Libby Rosof and Roberta Fallon
Kate Ware
Kent Latimer
Bob Cozzolino
and many more. Artjaw.com is a great new blog with an interesting twist and is well worth the read. For a more in depth article read the Philadelphia Inquirer Article about Artjaw.com.

The Drawing Club: A Blog About Drawing

Images © Nina Johansson

I found this cool blog about drawing called The Drawing Club and wanted to share it. It has articles about drawing/sketching posted by artists all over the world. The blog originated as a continuation of a real world class by an artist from Wales named Michael Nobbs. The site encourages other artists to visit for inspiration, drawing related articles and short drawing exercises. There is also a reading group that was organized for informal discussions of drawing related books (a new book book is chosen by the readers each month). For those desiring to improve their drawing skills and to communicate with other artists this is a great site.

Visit The Drawing Club at Flickr to see some great art or to post some of your own.

Philadelphia: Interesting Local Art Website

I came across this really cool website tonight that covers the art/writing/music scene in Philadelphia. It is the online presence of a local publication called Philadelphia Arts Writers. Check it out by clicking here.

Here is some information about the publication according to their web site, "PAW Print is a new, small, free, monthly newspaper which circulates to 2,000 centers of artistic and cultural importance within the Philadelphia metropolitan statistical area. It focuses on the artistic process and the cultural character of local artists, cultural and artistic institutions whose relevance is invaluable in a region whose residents too often overlook the vitality and rarity of its painters, playwrights, sculptors, musicians, poets, dancers and other creators. Persons whose creative individuality has long been subordinated to the glut of spectator sports, urban/suburban sprawl and society's overriding impetus to subdue the creative spirit with the banality of wage serfdom, get their amnesty in the pages of PAW Print."

Great Artblog!: Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof's artblog

Most of you know that I have recently moved to Philadelphia for work. One of the side benefits is learning about all of the talented people that make up a new place. I have been reading Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof's artblog and find it outstanding. Their artblog is chocked full of fascinating and interesting posts about "art reviews, deep thoughts, and gossip from Philadelphia and beyond".  Art in America magazine named the blog as one of the top art blogs because of their excellent coverage of the Philadelphia art scene and their clear writing style.

An excellent example of why this art blog is one of the best is today's post called "Resurrection at Rosenbach" and deals with a show at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. If I had seen an ad for this show I probably would have dismissed it as boring or irrelevant. After reading the article posted by Libby I want to go tomorrow morning to see the show and learn about Girolamo da Carpi. I encourage you to read her review of the show. Fantastic!

Two New Art Blogs

Two new art blogs of interest that came to my attention recently are Partington Art and Fine Words Butter No Parsnips. Click on their names to check out the blog.

The Space Above The Couch

Pears in Karmic Space
Oil on Masonite
© Jennifer Pohl

I highly encourage you to visit and read Artist Jennifer Pohl's art blog called The Space Above The Couch. It looks like she has just started blogging but the quality of her blog is excellent. Check out her posts as well as her art. Both are superb! The blog is filled with opinions, art (hers and others), quotes and other interesting observations. I am looking forward to seeing how her site evolves.

Josse Ford Art: "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Josse Ford posted a poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer that is a moving description of what relationships are all about. I have quoted it below in its entirety. Read it carefully and thoughtfully. It is beautiful. You can check out Josse's posting at her web site Josse Ford: Art Journeys and Conversations. Be sure and check out her photograph of the Hilo coastline she posted with the poem. It makes you want to be there.

More information on Oriah Mountain Dreamer's book's The Invitation and What We Ache For: Creativity and The Unfolding of Your Soul.

The Invitation
It doesn'’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. 

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dream for the adventure of being alive. 

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or
have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. 

I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. 

I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human. 

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another or be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day.
And if you can source your own life from its presence. 

I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon,Yes.” 

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done
to feed the children. 

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me
and not shrink back. 

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied. I want to know what sustains you
from the inside when all else falls away. 
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. 

© Oriah Mountain Dreamer, from the book The Invitation published by HarperSanFrancisco, 1999