Joe Mangrum — Art that Blows Away

Or at least I heard he sweeps it up to use again. He was at Union Square last week. I passed seeing the sparkling sand twinkling in the gloaming. The artist is Joe Mangrum who has created prints and book documenting the mandalas. It was fascinating to watch, mesmerizing like a Zen garden. He's received a lot of attention including the prestigious Lorenzo de Medici award in "New Media", for his striking piece, "Fragile." Catch him if you can, before it's swept or blown away.

"Portraits" Artist Joe Mangrum - a film by Repertorium Films Leandro Sanchez Director from joe Mangrum on Vimeo.

AP Has No Right to Obama ‘Hope’ Image

Excerpted from Bloomberg, more on the Shepard Fairey Debacle:

AP Has No Right to Obama ‘Hope’ Image, Photographer Tells Judge
By Erik Larson

The Associated Press, which sued artist Shepard Fairey for using an AP photograph as inspiration for a Barack Obama campaign poster, wrongfully copyrighted the image it seeks to protect, the photographer told a judge. Mannie Garcia, the freelance photographer who took the disputed photograph while on assignment for AP, said the news company’s copyright for the image should be invalidated. “The AP is aware, and was aware at the time of filing its copyright application for the Garcia photo that it was not the true owner of the rights to that photo,” the photographer’s lawyer, George Carpinello, said in the filing.

Garcia is challenging both the AP and Fairey by trying to join the pending lawsuit between them. The news company sued Fairey in March, accusing him and his Los Angeles-based company, Obey Giant Art Inc., of copyright infringement for using Garcia’s 2006 photograph of Obama at a National Press Club panel discussion about the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Garcia also claims Fairey wrongfully copied the photograph.

The AP “remains confident in AP’s ownership of the copyright, because Mr. Garcia was an employee of AP when he took the photo in 2006,” said Paul Colford, an AP spokesman. Garcia, who works out of Kensington, Maryland, said in his court filing "that he can’t be considered an AP employee, because he was on assignment for five weeks and wasn’t eligable to join a union or receive health, vacation or unemployment benefits."

Whew...If we watched Obama, followed the lawsuit, obeyed Shepard Fairey and have an opinion, does that mean we can join the lawsuit too?

Here's the case info if you want to follow it on Lexus Nexus...
The case is Fairey v. The Associated Press, 09-cv-01123, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

The Motherlode

Last week, I went to buy some Damar Medium at Soho Art Materials. It's on a block that is in the process of neatening up, upgrading and all the new, new. I was struck by one old building that deserves NYC landmark status due to its extensive motherlode of varied graffiti. Here are just a very few of the images I collected that morning (including one with a poster by...Shepard Fairey):

Bansky to the Bank

I was surfing at Coolhunting.com recently and I found an interesting piece about a new venue of the always witty artist, Banksy. His work always surprises and spoofs. Some of my favorites are his animatronic animals shown at the "Pet Store and Charcoal Grill", and his murals especially the one of the rat cutting strings.

His manifesto is currently a quote from Emo Philips.

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole
one and prayed for forgiveness.

Because he's so very funny, I have seen a lot of his stuff copied on the street including T-shirts etc. This new venue, the shop, (where all is currently free), may be an anti-ripoff response. Anyway, among the Bansky free downloads, the paintings of the "classical" works are my favorites.

Needs No Explanation

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood...

Hard Times for Artists = Creative Materials

I've seen art on cardboard, cereal boxes and lots of other found materials. Yesterday I saw these. What a good idea! Large size, good quality paper, the background already roughed in and a subtext layer of interesting content. It bears some thinking about.




O.K. Here's what I might do. Entitled "Mapping the Language of Love." see image below. Looks like a Susan Shaw, feels like a Susan Shaw. References her photographic portraits and therefore appropriate in the context of her continuum of work. She actually worked on both layers of image, one in the '70s (as a map designer) and the other in the '80s. Is definitely personal, yet is about push/pull of the picture plane. Resembles a prior body of work by Shaw, exhibited internationally and hotly collected. Hmm....maybe hard times are looking good...

Same Old, Evolving New

We've posted images of the newsstand by my studio before. It still brings the joy of a constantly evolving artwork. Here are some recent images of the stand including another Shepard Fairey. You have all seen his Obama poster, yes? I purchased one for my younger son, who had the thrill of being a first time voter, having his candidate win and making history all on the same day. Joy #2.

Broadway and Houston

An interesting art concept appeared at the corner of Broadway and Houston. It is a series of chain link fences (lots of construction there). The fences are decorated with a series of pop in plastic squares. The squares together create some pixilated images further enhanced by the passers by. I'm sure it's someone's art work but I can't find out who. I guess I'll just enjoy it. Now there's a concept!

Street Scene

I first came across Shepard Fairey’s work when an image of a man’s face blew across my feet in NYC. I was so intrigued by the image that I took it home and put it up on the wall. I later learned it was Andre the Giant and that it was part of a work by Fairey. I have come to look forward to his street art, seeing it on sides of buildings and newsstands.

There are many others too, like work featured by the Wooster Collective and work by DAM!.

I like the layered look of this piece with all previous showing through. If you know the name of the artist please let me know—it’s swell!