Gregory Green *** The Psychic Bomber/ Artist Anarchist

What is this character like? Is this artist wanted by the FBI? Do these pieces work?
Mild mannered, FBI's most wanted, anti terror terrorist. Green is truely playnign with fire and I'm sure the good old big brother boys gotta bigole file on him.Green's work speaks to the abuse of power and anyone can abuse power. He is infusiing anyone who will listen with dangeruos but powerful ideas and strategies. 40's down to earth doesn't promote the use of weapons but give sya some possible recipes for them. Telling us that one person can make a avery vivid difference. His apparent demeanor does not fit with the sort of person who would be makin bombs which brings to light that misconception that YES ANYONE CAN DO IT. I like this it is dangerous and inflammatory! He uses weapons not as physically violent but as symbolic weapons against the power structures of repressive orders that oppress people and keep them from acting or revolting. If you can see yourself in the enemy or as the enemy then we are one step closer to peace.

Mariko Mori-- Queen Diva of the Virtual Future

Does this artist have classical traing? Are these meant to be ideallic? What is the inspiration for Dream Temple?
I definately think it is the one job of the artist to envision and express various visions of possible futures, otherwise who decieds what the future will look like? I like that Mori uses hersself transformed in her work showing that we each are the main character in our futures. Also thats he believes that technology is not good nor evil but a middle more balnced spiritual road. Technolgy is a liberator, in that if tech can satisfy basic human needs then we may investogate our spiritual selves. This is the story of the buddha as well , he was a king who had it all and left it to search for his spirit and place in the world. If people are ed etc it gives rise to more thought on more complex ideas. Hince the desire Mori, as other artist before her have had to attain perfection.She may be in touch with the idea that we are evolving from a physically based creature to a creature more composed of thought /mind/ spirit. She obviously comes from a quite evolved study of buddhism which she adeptly combines with all forms of technolgy. Ok "efflux energy" wow-this woman is amzingly deep she even knows about the sixth sense and creatyes work to allow people to access that place. Dream Temple i knew this was an extremely incredible piece, so much thought into something to make people more in touch witht hemselves and more evolved. I have a new inspiration.

Tony Oursler "sculptor of psychic events"

What is going on here? Is the dress from a personal memory? Is this work meant to be interactive?
Some sort of attempt is being made to balance the apathetic accpetance of the viewer.Oursler is reprogramming people from oblivious consumers into empathetic present people. He projects the shadow side of tv media technology so the viewr understands or is at least more aware of the tv affect on our psyche. Reminde me slightly of the mean machine guy, Gonzales. Both are prodding people into self-exploration and media awareness. i like the phrase " emotional confrontation" to describe this work, it forces peolple to experince and deal with their emotions and reactions to "others" emoitional states. Also touching on MPD that this suggest it is not necessarily a disease rather a more empathic and perhaps evolved mindstate. To make peolpe connect with art is in essence making them connect witht themselves.

Yukonori Yanagi Creature Collaborator

Is this performance art? What is the material used in the flags piece? What compels yanagi to do sociopolitical work?
love the idea of regarding animals and insects as our equal and going one step further to actually collaborate with another lifeform. Liked the childhood storey about feeding moths money so they would incorporate it into their cocoons. i see that he was strongly influenced by his experiences with nature as a child. I too have this bond ass do select others who i feel bring a diverse aspect to the art world. He seems to have drawn parallels between the natural world an society causing him to catch nuances others miss. this seems to be the reasson behind his work exploring borders between peolple and how those can be altered. also refreshing and very buddhist for him to let theant lead the dynamic of the art. his incorporation of actual animals in his work seems to embody a sense of letting things be instead of trying to dominate and control nature.

Charles Ray " re-enchanting the world"

Why is Ray replecating these people and objects? What is the relationship between fake and real? Why a toy firetruck?
What total mindf--ker!! I love this gut, very playful approach and does nottake himself too seriously at all. He appears to be about perception of surfaces like some mutable reality dough that manipulates. He says something about "minimizing stimulation " for his audience. he wants people to be present and question and not blindly accept what is "served " to them as reality and art. Ray challenges the idea of the proper place for art with the truck and the male maniquin. Saying also to me that art can come from anywhere. the clock man is brilliant and evokes similar ideas to a series of drawings i did called clockheads.Glad to seethat others don't just swallow the constrivting version of reality that too many people seem to.

Kim Jones aka Mud Man

Who is the person covered in mud? Who is taking the picture? Where is this happening?
Lone's alter ego / spilt personality mud man is a fascinating idea, that he is putting himself through physically greuling activity in order to reach out to people and gain some new understanding of himself and the world is courageous. He says he is not "primitive man" and challenges viewers notions of what modern and primitive are. He also blurs lines beween sculture/ performance art and public indecency. I like what he says about "reaching for more potent images". I think we all have to be more aware of creating more broad reaching images and ideas for our own minds as well as the group mind.
Where did Mudman come from?
This is my style because he seems to form the basic strcucture for he ventures from a very personal reaction to atrocities and hardships that he has indured. The recurring theme of the mud or earth in he thoughts makes me more aware that the actual dirt we sometimes can stand on is a loaded image. That this vital component is harder to ffind in cities where jones works is a sad sign of our times.I also enjoy that he allows people to view his process perhaps encouraging rtransformation in the as well.
Is Mudman more for Jones psyche or for humanity's?
The answer to this seemsto be both, like a growing amount of art there is almost a theraputic element for both artist and viewer. The war drawings would support this notion. These give people an understanding about the nature of battle being personal and universal at the same time.
Will mudman continue to evolve and will he be joined by other creatures transformed or released by interaction with Mudman?
I would hope yes, this traveling sculptural alternative or complimentary self seems to be something we all should investigate, ya never know who you might meet wondering the streets as ornamented versions of themsleves.

Arnaldo Morales and his Mean Machines

How did he learn to engineer these devices? Is he an artist or an inventor? Does anyone buy this work? (other than the cia)
If you are lucky you may be granted an eye opening glimpse into the destructive side of life.
Sometimes you can look back and locate a specific moment in time when a singular event drastically altered the course you were traveling. Personaly i have had my share of these moments and fervently honor those who have had more. Violence exist in nature in the form of floods-fires-volcanic explosians, tidal waves, thunder storms, tornadoes, monsoons, hurricanes, earthquakes and probably more. The capacity in nature for amazing feats or destruction is limitless. They can't study lightening cause they can't measure the temp, earthquakes rarely give sufficient signs for us to brace ourselves. I have been thru earthquakes, forest fires, hurricanes and some pretty major lightening storms. All these taught me to respect life and relish the very ground I stand on.Morales seems to be a lucky man. He certainly tests his luck by pushing past his fear to get at a more noble truth about the world and people. Reminds me of a movie City of God where a young man becomes a photographer while surviving the desperate world of poverty and crime in the slums outside Rio.
Has Morales had other brushes with disaster? Does he look for trouble? What are people's reactions?
Morales and I share a taste for dangerous situations and volatile substances. I like him seek out situations that scare me into an increased awareness and enhanced perception of the world. I am surprised that he does not recieve a more adverse reaction from people. it is encouraging that people aren't as predictable as my bitterness sometimes tells me. Personally i thrive off the risk of destroying boundaries, rigid ideas and outmoded versons of what is possible and acceptable. Morales punctures the side of oursleves we deny and fear and he implants a very dangerous notion that we may be as strong a force as lightening or as deadly as a gun. He engages the alphabet of desire and envokes the opposing elements of our senses forcing us to fully expose our sensitive flesh to this jagged world.

Daniel Joseph Martinez

Is Martinez strictly politcaly motivated? Does his art put his life in danger? Is he a proud american?
Like other artists i've recently discovered M is consciously assaulting the psycheof his viewers. He challenges the established political system of ideas and methods. His art demands participatian and promotes a hands on democratic forum for exchange. I wonder if he feels less validated being denied his donation to school? If his intention was not acceptance but real change then he is probably thrilled. Sometimes not being praised is more flattering. Sometimes just stirring things up and creating movement is most desirable.
I wonder if there have ver been any negative reprecussions of Martinez's works? What will he risk for his work?
To me the arts is no longer about creating something aesthtically appealing but about inciting some kind of subversive disruption of the dominant paradigms in the world. M. wants to piss people off he wants to start heated dialogue about sappy political-correctness. He is not polite or considerate but he is extremely smart and effective. I see a posse of dynamic world shakers emerging from the hardest of lifestyles in the toughest of times. These self educated masterminds punctuate history scrawling deliberately disturbing messages loaded with controversy throughout our psyche landscapes insighting us to action.

Julian LaVerdiere the Conjurer

What is the artist's background? What does his studio look like? How does he engage his audience?
JL appears to be living the Jungian archetype of the magician or trickster. His remaking of the Faust myth further supports this as does his work with unconscious states and drive to reclaim and rewrite history.His creative process breathes life into his purpose and his constant creations. The work seems to keep itself alive and flowing. JL is not caught in the frantic scramble to "keep up" this allows him to redefine the time frame and the events,past and future. He acknowledges his predecessors and bulds on from their inventions and mishaps. I collect other peoples photos from thrift stores and yard sales because i feel that they are a personal part of history that too often is left out of mainstream. These snapshots are often of extreme personal significance to their creator. Jl encourages his viewers to discover and weave their own history.
What is his goal? Does he enjoy his process? Is he a threat to power structures?
The sunken ship in First Attempt speaks to me of the end of the water based Piscean Age and the onslaught of the forces of air in this Aquarian Age. The use of altered states of mind are also a component of this time as well as firece advances in info transfer and dissimination.JL embraces and invents technologies to suit his needs,like creating your own tools.Even though Jl has the drive to inspire thought and change he also has no attachment to a desired outcome. He honestly appears to want to inspire all people to affect growth and change in any and all directions at the same time even."The forest would be a very quiet place if only the birds with the most beautiful songs sang."
The goal of this man perhaps is to empower people so that history has many voices.I think he definately enjoys his timw devoted to art, and he most definately is a threat to those who wish to control others. as a true magician or sorceror would JL is adaptable to events and still keeps belief in healing and progress alive.

Scott Greiger

Where did scott get his inspiration? Is his art work meant to be interactive? Is he a religious person ?
I am refreshed to find that Greiger is so aware of his surroundings that he finds inspiration in details most peoplewouldn't even notice.I also enjoyed that he was so able to recognize patterns in the world and use those connections to create art that forces people to consider a world that is to eagerly accepted and rarely challenged. He does not seem to be afraid of offending people which allows him to communicate with much more honesty and directness. I love that he is from the south and has such an open mind to the state of world affairs. Did he get into trouble with Nike for coopting their logo ? Since he is a teacher I wonder if he encourages his students to be as responsive to their environment? I also wonder if he ever repeats his installations or if they only occur in one space and time. Also how would he feel about someone appropriating his art for their own uses?

Measuring Success

A couple ways to measure this success thing, sometimes i think it's just getting up in the morning. Other days it's when i have sold a piece and have a little foldin money, and one more bill gets paid. Still at the end of each day and at the end of my life I will answer to myself and whatever god happens (if any) to show up. People who do what they want seem to have attained success,also if they are acknowleged and admired or even hated and acknowledged this could be success, all depends on what the goal was originally. Mostly success is looking at myself in the mirror and knowing i did everything i possibly could and then some to realize and materialize my dreams.

Mission

What is the artist mission? I like what it said in the intro about artist acting as free radicals in society. Artist are the conscience of culture, the awakened dreamers of the unconscious mind, we speak out against apathy and stagnation. We create laughter when it's not funny and throw paint when the world reaks with injustice and intolerence. Artist speak the thoughts people don't know they have and would probably be terrified of. In many ancient culturs there is a trickster archetype that appears to stir things up when the world becomes to safe or people are taking themselves too seriously. This court jester makes people laugh as he pulls the rug out from under them, this is an artist mission.

Artistic Attitude

What struck me here was the description of attitude in flying and air craft, pretty metaphoric. I think an artistic attitude is one of positive approach seeking to know seeking to express. At times this attitude may appear wreckless and feelings may be hurt but there is always passion never apathy and the notion that " I may be wrong! But here goes!!" anyway someone's always gotta be first on the dance floor. Also the only attitude you have any control over is your own.

Artistic "Self"

This one is tricky. i was a real shy kid and mostly just listened, now i am little more outspoken and feel that even though my thoughts and knowledge is not absolute and may often be wrong, discourse is key to survival and prosperity. I like to see how art work affects people when they don't know who did it, it causes the viewer to make assumptions about the artist based solely on the work. I used to go by Ray Simpson and when i would meet people who had seen mywork they would be surprised that i was female. Does it change the art itself that i am male or feamale? it certainly does change the world's perception. i don't think you can look at someone and know who they really are, you know what they want you to sometimes if you are paying close attention you may see something more private.
In order to survive we must adapt, this means to me that we grow and change shedding our old selves and constantly resurfacing who we are. In the world today artist self seems to be agood bit about celebrity status and marketing, cool people doing cool art wearing cool clothes. this is the world of media but some of the most talented artist i have met do not look the part so i demand a recast of the artist self to be determined by each individual artist themselves. If we seek our true selves through life and art we may find something that is constanly evolving and changing.
"Darkness, call me brother! that i may not fear which I seek." -Anonymous

Inspiration

My inspiration seems to come from the outside world and from inside my own head. I am often more inspired if I am in an environment that has more active stimli - museums, music, physically adorned or diverse people, great architecture etc. When I have been deprived of these things my inspiration still exists but seems to come from further inside my own well of vision. Inspiration can also be like lightening- striking without warning and leaving you with a sizzling sensation all over. I like the idea of art collaboration, this really can get my juices going and reminds me that we are not in this alone, tying into partial definition of wego. Also the art that can come from collaboration can have a multifaceted yet concise nature more so than individual works can. Working together can be inspiring from a competitive perspective and people may introduce concepts or techniques that you alone would never have imagined, encouraging you to attempt different stratagies towards your artistic ventures.

Audience

I often tell myself that i make images for myself, because i find them beautiful or haunting or they are to remind me of something i need to remember. Now l realize that "making art in a closet doesn't count" this epitomizes the idea that the audience is a part of the art. I recently did a show in a local restaraunt and only sold 3 pieces but got some really great feedback from people about the images. Not all was that they liked it and would hang over their couch but some people thought the work was " creepy" and " disturbing". One image I sold was an icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the woman who bought it was going to replace her actual crumbling statue of the Virgin with my image-this was very flattering. The process of completing a body of work and exhibiting it felt like the art had come full circle, like it now had an extended life outside of my space and in other spaces and in other people's daily lives.

In The Making Intro

Why am i an artist?
Until now i haven't thought into that as much as i should. I used to get angry when someone would call me an artist, " I'm a photographer ! Not an artist." like to be called an artist was slanderous. Still a part of me needed more than flat paper prints, no matter how beautiful and touching, a part of me needed smeared paint, gritty surfaces, slick curved reflections, more than 2-D. I can't help but make things..french toast with homemade wiped cream, mini paperclip sculptures, piles of stones, alters, arrangements of acorns, boxes with photos and specimans from the world. Objects call me to them, begging me to tell their story to the world. The world tugs at me to ingest it and transform it somehow into a language that can't be spoken -a communication of elements themselves raw and unfettered. ok not real sure what that means but it sounded enticing.
I guess I am an Artist because i must be, because creating and transforming the world is like breathing- if ya wanna live ya gotta do it.
With the age of art as it is with no limitations and plethora of possiblities is a blessing and a curse. Like great power comes with great responsiblity etc. I believe it is truly exhilerating and terrifying to have so much knowlege and resource, the only question is what do you do with what you've got?