Ed's Art Workshop is Redone, Also Discussing Dakar and New Painting

I am pleased to announce that my official gallery website Ed's Art Workshop has finally been redone, with some of my newer work being previewed there. My older work will eventually be archived at the site, but for now I am pleased to slowly roll out pics of my artwork from the past couple of years. I have been discussing this in the past several posts. I will release more previews week by week so check back in here and at the gallery for updates. 

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to travel to Dakar, Senegal. Having never been to Africa, this was of course quite an experience for me. This is one of the watercolors I did when I came back home after the trip was over. There are a lot of artists in Dakar and I met some of them during my stay there.

Long-Necked Bird-Man by Ed Tajchman. Watercolor and Ink.

In various places throughout Dakar, one can find many colorful designs. I found it refreshingly like my own artistic sense; interesting designs and forms in bright colors. A good example are all the transport buses around the city. They can be very full sometimes. See my photo below,..... I took a lot of photos while I was there so I could preview some more of them here in future posts at Modern Art Quotes.

Transport Bus in Dakar, Senegal. Photo by Ed Tajchman

Each driver customizes his vehicle in a different way. A lot of the same color and design motifs are used from bus to bus, but with a lot of personal variation added in.

Thoughts on the Comedian as a Social Scientist, Teacher, Artist

Good stand-up comedians are doing performance art. Key word being good comedians. Maybe good isn't the right word. I'll elaborate..... comedians whose stand-up routine includes insights into the human condition, are doing great performance art. Important work. I am being totally serious.

It has occurred to me recently (and many times before) that some of the biggest influences on my way of thinking have been comedians (more specifically their stand-up routines, which, like a work of art, are often developed and polished over a period of time.) People like; Bill Cosby, Bill Hicks, Bill Burr, Bobcat Goldthwait, Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne Barr, Andy Kauffman, Lenny Bruce, Sarah Silverman, (and many more).

“Folks, it's time to evolve. That's why we're troubled. You know why our institutions are failing us, the church, the state, everything's failing? It's because, um – they're no longer relevant. We're supposed to keep evolving. Evolution did not end with us growing opposable thumbs. You do know that, right?”  ― Bill Hicks

It's amazing to me how artists like these manage to tackle subjects including: social commentary, political commentary, satire, philosophy, truth to power, and more; with deep insights into these subjects, and sell it to the audience. Things that are hard to talk about maybe in daily conversation, things you don't see on traditional media like television, film, and newspaper. Sometimes things that you are not going to learn in any classroom. So this is just a little tribute to the stand-up comedian/world philosopher role that is very important in my opinion, to modern culture.

I want to mention Andy Kaufman specifically, who didn't do stand up as much as he did actual performance art. Check out the documentary A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman (1995). Or any other of the many different  media forms out there that talk about him. Andy's art (I call it performance art more than comedy) was misunderstood by a lot of people I think.

"What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality." - Andy Kaufman

To me his work was about how much of a reaction he could get out of people, by manipulating their basic emotions with his antics, for his own twisted gratification (which is kind of awesome). Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, using simple things in a moment of poetic whimsy, like a jazz artist might. Example - Kaufman's "Mighty Mouse Theme" skit. If you judge Kaufman's work sheerly as comedy maybe some of the critics have a point. But in my opinion his work crosses over into social commentary and really great performance art. Like a lot of good art, it transcends any label you might try to put on it. I am one of those hoping that his pre-mature death was his last great bit of work, and he is still out there somewhere, sweeping up the floor of a deli, quietly enjoying life.

Watercolor Painting by Ed Tajchman: Female Spright

Here I present a photo of another one of the watercolor and inks I have been doing this year. It's called "Female Spright", 11 x 15" watercolor & ink. In my process it sometimes goes like this: I take a figure or idea from my sketchbook (informal), and I work out the design in pencil on watercolor paper, (semi-formal), then ink the outline (formal) and add the watercolor. Then layer the watercolor and ink in some places. Some of the works in this series of watercolors will get turned into larger paintings on canvas (super-formal?).

This painting specifically is a woman or a spirit of a feminine entity of some sort. She has not a green thumb, but a green head obviously! I am trying to combine the abstract elements I have used for a long time with figurative elements.

"Female Spright" by Ed Tajchman ©

Almost Formless 2013, Watercolor and Ink by Ed Tajchman

This is another of my recent watercolors. It is tentatively called Almost Formless May 2013. In my more formless paintings there usually seems to emerge some kind of unintentional although personally relevant figures or imagery that someone I know points out to me later. Unintentional in the sense that I didn't consciously intend for them to be there. But of course part of the beauty of the creative process is how the imagery from the psyche emerges anyways, despite a conscious effort to hold it back. So I need some way to catalog the work until a moment like that happens. Maybe not to dis-similar to how Jackson Pollack named some of his works.

For a long time I painted almost only formless works (the process and thought behind of which, you can read about on past posts of this blog). This new style that I am now beginning to reveal here are works from the past 3 years and they combine figurative, symbolic and formless elements to varying degrees. This is one of the more formless ones. As I said last post, subscribe to this blog and my twitter feed - @EdTajchmansArt for more updates of these works.

Almost Formless May 2013 by Ed Tajchman, watercolor & ink.

Fish-Man by Ed Tajchman

Duhn da da duhn da duhnnnn... ! Yes ladies and gentleman it is finally time for the release of a preview of the new set of paintings I have been working on over the last couple years. For all like,.... five readers out there,.. I have been promising this and here it is. Over the next few days and weeks I will release some pics of my work here, and on my twitter feed. My twitter feed is thus: @EdTajchmansArt

This marks the beginning of a social media push of all my new paintings. You can receive updates as mentioned in the first paragraph. The work is in acrylic on canvas and watercolor and ink on paper. The watercolors are 11 x 15 inches (like the one below). It's tentatively called Fish-Man. It gives you an idea of my new work. New means all these paintings I have been embarking on in the last 3 years, which I have striven to give a consistent style. It combines exaggerated figurative elements with varying levels of abstraction.

As usual all images of my work are under my copyright and all rights are reserved. You can link my artwork for personal use (no ads on page you display it on) as long as credit is given (Pinterest & Twitter etc. are okay with credit and link to where you found image) . All other uses needs my permission. My email is (no spaces): e d t a j c h m a n @ g m a i l . c o m

Fish-Man by Ed Tajchman © 2013, watercolor & ink

Italian Investigators Cannot Admit Their Mistakes in Amanda Knox Investigation

I recently spent some time reading about the Meredith Kercher murder investigation/prosecution that started in 2007. Recently, (April/May 2013) Knox came out in interviews with quiet confidence defending herself and answering questions. This is what sparked my interest, this woman defending herself, was she genuine or not?

The problem begins when one actually tries to look at facts about the case, the investigation, & the irrefutable events that we can actually verify happened. If you read opinion, or the Europe press, you automatically think she is guilty and vile. I even, watching the interviews, was offended by Knox's boldness in defending herself. But again I say, when you look at the hard facts of what we know happened in the investigation and surrounding events,... it's just not that easy to say she's guilty. In fact it's pretty damn hard. 

The facts are that Rudy Guede was convicted of the murder of Kercher with hard evidence; - DNA, blood, fingerprints, you know,..... direct evidence. Facts are also that investigators detained and interviewed Knox multiple times before reading her, her rights. It was many weeks before she was able to see a lawyer. Facts are that Rudy Guede fled the country just days after the murder. While the convicted killer fled the scene, (fact), a team of police were wrapped up in concocting wild tales involving Knox, with absolutely no physical evidence linking her to the murder. (Fact; not 1 piece of physical evidence was ever turned over by Italian authorities that linked Knox to the scene). 

Now, these are the facts of the case. Throw everything else away (emotion and opinion) and here is what you have: hard physical evidence directly to a man who was also accused in a separate burglary and assault attempt (and convicted in the murder of Kercher). This man fled the country days after the murder while police fiddled for months with Knox and her boyfriend. We have investigators questioning and detaining Knox for weeks before reading her, her rights or giving her access to a lawyer. One of these investigators was later suspended for abuse charges related to a separate case. These investigators fed the media wild, outlandish tales. Tales like that Knox killed Kercher in a marijuana fueled rage (how oxymoronic is that?), that it was related to an orgy, or that  the murder could of been part of a satanic ritual. 

Looking at these things, it's clear to me we have a case where macho Italian Investigators seriously botched a murder investigation to an extremely embarrassing level. The lies built and built and so did their pride. They were never able to admit their mistakes. They would rather drag an innocent girl through hell and back, then admit that the real killer fled the scene three days after the murder while they turned the screws on the wrong person. 

I'll end by saying to this day there is not one piece of physical evidence linking Knox or her boyfriend to the murder. The real killer sits in jail with strong DNA evidence linking him. Bloggers in Italy have been shut down by being critical of the investigators. When does the pride end? Seriously? 

Review of Independent Movie: APART

I recently watched an independent movie from 2011 directed by Aaron Rottinghaus called APART. On one hand it is a basic teenage love story with common elements like trying to keep two star-crossed lovers apart, with jealousy, etc. That part of the story is kind of basic and underdeveloped, but for me the twist to the movie is far more important. The two main characters are both schizophrenic and able to produce or see shared delusions or visions when around each other. Like polar opposite magnets with explosive effects. You could say the movie is a teenage love story with esetoric and horror aspects to it.

I am willing to forgive the weaker elements because those delusional moments are so interesting to me purely on an aesthetic level. The times in the movie when the shared delusions, or whatever they are; happen. I enjoyed the way that those intense moments are expressed with symbolism and metaphor. Simple - yes, but also very poignont I thought. Things like time standing still with frost and ice forming, right after a relationship ended. Or the way that the two perceived space/time as seeming to slow down and speed up or crash together with their thoughts,  when one of those moments was about to happen. APART straddles science-fiction, horror, and drama. Using metaphorical elements to portray intense emotional and pyschological states were the key moments for me.

People who like well made music videos will like this movie. For me it's those moments that make the rest of the usual trite stuff almost unimportant. Those that want a great arching story or romantic comedy might not like it.