New Work in Progress.....Above,Below and Beyond installation...

I want to post a bit about my "process" in creating an installation for upcoming exhibition at Walkers Point Center for the Arts in Milwaukee, WI this summer. Entitled "Above, Below and Beyond", it uses mixed media, industrial mesh - currently working on the portion that will be suspended from the ceiling, many thoughts come to mind about the organic nature of the world around me - fragile, delicate, yet strong, alluring and sensual...

this work is still in beginning/mid-stage so lots more to come!

see images included....

New York has long been considered the cultural capital of America. Is it still? If not, where?

New York is definitely one of the cultural capitals of the United States but not the only one - i do believe that culture is sustained within many cities and places throughout the county. I think the web and social media has expanded the concept of culture in that conversations about art, music, literature and the social context of people of all ages is discussed and played out in many forums.  I don't think americans have to visit any particular city across the country to obtain "culture". Because of the web, we now have access to any book, newspaper, tv show, movie, music, visual art or theatrical presence we want to experience. Of course New York is a unique and powerful place in its energy, vitality and rich cultural and diverse ethnicities so it is a "first hand" experience rather than the somewhat secondary experiences of all that we can be exposed to on the web. I also believe that many cities across the country share many similarities to New York in terms of cultural experiences.  The entire globe has been made smaller due to access of travel, as well as networking through social media, so that 'culture' itself can be determined and defined differently.

Solo Exhibition at Kishwaukee College, Art Gallery, Malta, Illinois

Shipping my work out to galleries and other venues for exhibition can sometimes be a bit sad - afterall, creating art can be like childbirth - exciting, fun and exhilerating but sometimes very painful. After spending long hours w/ a particular piece of work I feel "attached" and therein lies the sadness of letting go. However, once the work has been shipped and I get word from the curators/gallery directors that the work has been hung and looks good, I am relieved and comfortable in knowing that work has found a place for a while - Especially satisfying is when I find my work at college and university galleries like Kishwaukee College, in Malta, Illinois where my work will be on view through April 13th. Students often have a fresh viewpoint. I enjoy the emails, written comments and suggestions they sometimes make. I've even received phone calls and requests for discussion about art as a career. All of it makes for interesting discussions and is thought provoking...making art is also about conversation and debate and that motivates me....www.facebook.com/cbreslaw

How Running Parallels My Art and Everything Else in My Life

I talk about this experience not to brag about a personal accomplishment, but to express how much running has taught me about my art and my life. Yesterday, I ran the San Diego Half Marathon and after having done several of these, I approach them with a bit of healthy trepidation, as well as joy in aiming to accomplish something personally important to me. For everyone who has personally challenged themselves to do something you thought was "impossible" for you, this will ring true for you, I am sure. Running distances is a real struggle for me and I would say I have a love/hate relationship w/ it. So, four times per week or more, I kick myself out the door and on to the road - Sore calves, sore feet, are overshadowed by the mental challenges(which are huge) of getting thru yet another long run.

So many emotions ran  through my brain yesterday as I pushed through physical and mental discomforts to run into Petco Park for the final 100 yards of the race. It is an emotionally overwhelming experience and I can't describe the depth of that joy and feeling of being alive I have at the end of these experiences. I have to say that when I make my art pieces, and the process I go thru, are similar and the range of emotions I feel are the same. As I "slug it out"  through conflicting ideas, and creating those ideas and then failing alot and then "coming out on the other side", I have so much joy and the same kinds of feelings as I feel in a race. I am not an athlete - I don't run to "win" or to necessarily beat my previous "time" but I am clearly reminded that much of making art is persevering, staying with an idea, struggling with that idea, and then sometimes having to "let go" of that idea, even if I'd been working w/ it for weeks. Having faith and inner strength to continue on in the face of little failures, is tough. So many of life's lessons for me are played out in the creative process of making art and yesterday, I was reminded of how running is the same. Today I live to fight another day....

Thoughts about Oklahoma exhibition....

 "I Can't Contain Myself"

It was a fun, enlightening time in Oklahoma City last weekend - I flew there to be at the opening of my exhibition at JRB at the Elms Gallery in the El Paseo district of Oklahoma City. This beautiful, large, 8000 sq ft gallery, was teeming w/ people as it was the first friday of the month in the El Paseo district and tons of people filed through to enjoy their Friday evening experiencing good art, and good company. For me it is always an honor and a thrill to see my art hung in new spaces, and to engage with visitors about my work. It is a wonderful "pay off" for so many hours alone in the studio, creating work.  It is also  a fascinating experience to observe others observing my work. Often i can only guess at what they might be thinking about what they see - sometimes they share their thoughts w/ me and sometimes they keep it to themselves. Either way, I am left with the feeling that they were touched by it in some way - hoping their time w/ my work has been of benefit - at the very least, perhaps causing them to ask questions about what they think about art. As is always the case, travel has its unintended consequences as well and i want to mention my visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial to all those who perished in the bombing in 1995. Seeing the memorial was very moving and emotionally compelling.