maXVolnutt

So, I guess I got into this big juried show for my graphic design work out of around 17,000 entries. Anyone at all is welcome to come check it out, though it costs a bit to just get in the door. www.blacktie-colorado.com/cale…

In other news, I've decided to watch every Gundam series ever made.  So far, I've watched all of the Universal Century shows (including the two released episodes of Unicorn), G Gundam and now working on Wing and X.  I AM A FOOL.

In my time calling myself an artist, I've heard lots of people squabbling over what is and isn't art.  I don't understand why this is such a big deal.  It's simple:

First off not everything is art (any Liberal Arts major that tells you as much is just too shallow to formulate an opinion), but it is a wide-reaching term.  Simply, anything that combines both creativity and craftsmanship (technique) is art.  It's important to point out that reproductions are not art, though the thing they are reproductions of ARE art.  Say a designer creates a wonderful chair... it's art, but the mass productions of it are not art, simply a product.  However, the hand-made parts for the machine that produces that product ARE a work of art.  And remember that neither aesthetics nor function are what make a piece of art, but rather part of the medium distilled in the creative process.

I understand that lots of people wouldn't like this definition because it would mean that many 'performing artists' aren't artists at all... and let's face it, they're not.  There are many of them that simply regurgitate techniques for an audience, and while that is one half of art (and admittedly a wonderful skill), it isn't art.  It BECOMES art when a performer infuses their unique perspective and creative ideas into their medium.  When a songwriter writes a song, when a dancer choreographs a dance, when an actor puts an internal monologue into the mind of their character, it is absolutely, astoundingly art.

See?  Simple.  Where it gets complicated is /why/ we create art.  If this is TLR, you better believe you don't want to ask me that question.

It's late notice, and I'm lame for not mentioning this on first Friday, but I've got an artshow up at Chac Gallery on Santa Fe.  So if you've ever wanted to own a picture of a shirtless, genitaless Sharkman, maxvolnutt.deviantart.com/art/… NOW IS THE TIME.

772 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 [ view map ]
phone: 303-571-0440
HOURS: Wednesday & Thursday 10 AM - 4 PM
Friday 12 - 10 PM & Saturday 12 - 4 PM

So, this update is a little late in coming, but not many people read this thing, so that's fine.  First off, you'll have noticed that I dumped a ton of work into my gallery from this past semester.  This is mostly design work done for my various graphic design classes, but there's also one decent piece of fan art in there for those old-school Metal Gear fans out there.  They were mostly done as portfolio pieces, but as usual, if you'd like a print of anything, let me know.  I don't sell through deviantart (because I sign and matt them myself), so you'll have to drop me a line.

More importantly, thanks to we have created a new group based around , our sci-fi, space opera project in the making.  It's getting a lot of attention and it's got us pretty excited.  I've been working on some new material for it, including the official logo, as seen in the icon.  I should soon be posting a journal on there which will serve as a basic introduction to the Echo Star universe with everything you need to know.  And as if that weren't tempting enough, we've got fan-favourite artist, my dear friend :kerothehetetic: on the project, so it's super-duper sexy.





P.S. All of the Echo Star artists and creators are financially stressed, so any buying of art or commissions from any of us is encouraged as hell.

As some of you know, I'm a long time fan of the writings of a comedy author by the name of David Wong.  Right now, he's an editor for Cracked.com and in the past he had his own spectacular sight called PointlessWasteofTime.com .  He wrote a book called John Dies at the End www.johndiesattheend.com/ which originally was released in parts on his site and then later printed by an independent publisher.  Well, now it's gone mainstream and being put into hardcover, as well as a movie deal with the director of the hilarious Bubba Hotep.  Anywho, in the book there's going to be a list of the top fans that have stuck through from the beginning, the top sixty of which are receiving free signed copies!  And guess what?  I made the cut!  www.johndiesattheend.com/updat… that's pretty cool.  The book is absolutely hilarious and I think you should all preorder a copy, just to see my glorious name.  www.amazon.com/John-Dies-End-D…