Tale of the Secret Bandit

First and most importantly, I must appologize because I havent been on my blog to update in a LONG while. A lot has happend since my last update that I'm both happy and upset to share with you. Last time I blogged I mentioned that I was working toward launching my own artist website... Which I have at last launched!

Check out my NEW artist website:
www.cluttercave.com

I started an unpaid internship at the Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC. I've learned so much, including how to properly hang & mount art, how to advertise the correct way for shows, and how the inner-workings of a gallery work. All-in-all I truely love my experience there and have been presented with the opportunity to meet several great artists and people within the business.

I was also working hard to produce a number of silk screens when someone (I still dont know who) NOT ONLY cut off my lock to MY locker, but stole EVERY SINGLE Silk Screening supply I ever had. Needless to say I (of all people) cried and went into a serious anit-art-depression. I told myself I wouldnt make art again because I couldnt afford to get more supplies. I was really heart broken over the entire situation.

Than just last month Rowan University asked a selected group of alumni back for an alumni group show. Even though I was completely miserable, I gained enough courage to submit my only finished piece that I had completed before the theft happend. All artists know they should never shoot down any exhibition opportunities...

The show went off great at High Street Gallery in Glassboro, NJ. My silkscreen was one of my best to date and seeing my old art majors still making art made me realize that this is what I was meant to do. My internship at Joshua Liner Gallery also made me realize that there will be bumps in the road to being a great artist and that Im just going to have to tough it out and get back on the horse.

I am now working my butt off to save money to buy all new equipment and inks again. My sister is getting married next month so my parents are allowing me to make the spare bedroom into my own artist studio. So ill FINALLY have a place to go and work on my art in my own art studio (aka the clutter cave).

From here things can only get better!
Cheers everyone.

Amazing Book Stores

Beyond the House of the False Lama:
Travels with Monks, Nomads and Outlaws

By: George Crane

Turtle Feet

By: Nikolai Grovni

As you all know my love for art, nature, and adventure are just as great as my love for books and reading! The short list above, are the books im currently reading. As usual I alsways update/keep you posted everytime I finish what I read.

Also: If your a book lover as am I, you need to CHECK THIS SITE OUT!!

Iits pictures of the most interesting bookstores in the world,
I hope Im able to visit most, if not all of them one day!!
http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-bookstores.htm

I heart my job.

I love being an artist.

I'm happy that I can be inventive with my artwork. I'm always able to rethink different approaches that id like to take. The hardest, yet most rewarding part of being an artist is that I get to think-up new ways in which to get my ideas onto a new space or work it into nature with my installations.

In order for my art to be successful, I need to keep re-evaluating the visual experience that I create from all angels. It is far more important to me that my viewers walk away with my overall message to them. It makes my art that much more meaningful and effective when someone sees my art and tells me what they have gotten out of it. I feel much better knowing they learned something. It is far more valuable then having to explain my overall message to them. I want them to grow from the experience!
------------------------

Im currently in the works of creating a website!!
I believe it will be up and running in the begining of May!!

Yay me!

Featured Artist: Justin Nelson

"Shika" by Justin Nelson

WEBSITE: www. justinbryannelson .com

I just bought this original print from Justin Nelson. Its a smaller print and comes in a series, when I saw it, I knew I needed to have it. (I heart deer!) He does a lot of 'hairy" type work in pen and ink. But its the tiny detail that allows for him to be my featured artist of the week! It looks like it takes a lot of time and patience to complete a peice like this. Check out his website for more "hairy" art!!

Caught on Itself in the Process of...

GROWTH: Self Portrait

(detail of drippy tree roots)

So this is/was my first screen print in a long while and I am so pleased with it. This is the start of a long beautiful relationship with screen printing... When I first learned to screen print (like 3.5/4 years ago, it def wasnt a medium I was a fan of, I just couldnt registrar to save my life... ha ha. In fact, I was often frustrated with it. Lino-cutting was my strength. Only problem with lino-cutting is it takes forever and until I can figure out a newer way of re-inventing lino-cuts and its same boring, OVER DONE subjects (aka cut outs of buildings, landscapes, and people OR abstract shapes).

Getting back to this print, it shows myself as the deer. I see the deer as a gentle, secret spirit of the woods. I picture myself a lot as a deer. Its my way of being apart of my art. It also depicts my spiritual journey from when I was lost and disappointed with the direction of my art to my own acceptance of my artist career to make art for myself. To put my happiness first and to make art I like.

This Print is EXACTLY that. The deer stopped for long enough on its journey through life where her legs have started to grow together as the trunk of a tree. The roots are a droppy mess and even caught two unexpecting birds in the same process. My art is narrative. It never has an exact, perfect registration, but like my art I have grown to love that about my work. NOTHING IS EVER PERFECT IN LIFE, THERE ARE ALWAYS SMALL THINGS THAT WILL ALWAYS BE OFF. And thus, is life.

My Winter Book List

I went to the bookstore last night and spent under $40! This is a very good thing... I bought the Camille Rose Garcia illustrated version of Alice's adventures in Wonderland as well as another autobiography.

I’m such a sucker for art related, auto/biography, and Buddhism books. Right now I’m currently reading three books: Gaudi a biograph, Miley Cyrus; Miles to Go, and Three Cups of Tea. Gaudi is my most favorite architect/artist. His work is incredible. The biography is a great read, a little hard to understand in parts because I’m not familiar with Spain's history. Barcelona is a beautiful city and I hope one day to see it again as well as have an art show there. Three Cups of Tea is a true story of a man who changed the world for a village. Its inspiring and I hope to accomplish something just as big through my visual talent.

Side Note: I woke up this morning at 7am-ish and was so inspired to clean my room and organize my clutter cave studio!! I am no-where near finished yet, but I was so proud of myself that I had to blog it! Yay me!

Oh and also, Chris is going to make me a bookshelf so I can actually have a library now!

Oh the Places I'LL go!

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

**************

If a Dr. can put a cat in the hat
And a man with a dream of a talking mouse

can Change the World...

So can a girl with a terrible memory & a paint brush!

February is C.Dogg's 'National' Brain Month!

Sweet illustration, not mine

but def something I would do!

I found this article online somewhere, so i just copied and pasted it to my blog.

The human brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy.
Below are 10 fun and interesting facts you prob. didnt know about the human brain!

1. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Ever wonder how you can react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe hurts right away? It’s due to the superspeedy movement of nerve impulses from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa, bringing reactions at the speed of a high powered luxury sports car.

2. The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.

3. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or any other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to settle on a definitive amount, but the storage capacity of the brain in electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes up 70 terabytes, making your brain’s memory power pretty darn impressive.

4. Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream. The brain only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the body, making it extremely susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and swimming in oxygenated cells.

5. The brain is much more active at night than during the day. Logically, you would think that all the moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general interaction we do on a daily basis during our working hours would take a lot more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the opposite is true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don’t yet know why this is but you can thank the hard work of your brain while you sleep for all those pleasant dreams.

6. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream. While this may be true, don’t take it as a sign you’re mentally lacking if you can’t recall your dreams. Most of us don’t remember many of our dreams and the average length of most dreams is only 23 seconds–barely long enough to register.

7. Neurons continue to grow throughout human life. For years scientists and doctors thought that brain and neural tissue couldn’t grow or regenerate. While it doesn’t act in the same manner as tissues in many other parts of the body, neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new dimension to the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.

8. Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. Not all neurons are the same. There are a few different types within the body and transmission along these different kinds can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.

9. The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain. That doesn’t mean your head can’t hurt. The brain is surrounded by loads of tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are plenty receptive to pain and can give you a pounding headache.

10. 80% of the brain is water. Your brain isn’t the firm, gray mass you’ve seen on TV. Living brain tissue is a squishy, pink and jellylike organ thanks to the loads of blood and high water content of the tissue. So the next time you’re feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.

My Favorite Black & Blue

Some call it trashy while others call it daring...
But I THINK
Black & Blue Nail Polish is Outstanding!

I want everyone to know that Black and Blue nail polish should be worn all year round! Screw the people who think that blue nail polish can only be pulled off in the hot summer months! Im not goth, but, I bet I love black nail polish more than goths & all the employees at Hot Topic!!! Besides black does go with everything! So anyone can pull off black nail polish with whatever they wear! Black and Blue nail polish is so exotic of a color that can make a big statement! Its one of my favorite accessories to leave the house with! They are my show stoppers! ha ha ha.

I always wear blue on my toes and black on my fingers...
ONLY on very rare occasions will I wear any other color (aka purple or green)

The End.

OFFICAL College Grad!!!

So I went to Rowan and...

PAID A $65.00 PARKING TICKET THIS WEEK... WTF!

I walked in spring 2008, it is now january 2010 and I FINALLY have my undergraduate degree in my hand. I personally think it took way to long to figure out I had that damn ticket standing between me and my most important paperwork ever.

Courtney Leigh Jones

Rowan University

BFA - Studio Art

On a side note I dont have any art shows in the NYC area that will interest me until April-ish! I sure hope I find out about some other gallery openings I want to attend, or else I have to wait til April... Nooooooo!

Also, I have been on a power-sketch kick!! So the ideas are coming fluidly to me, I just need to work on the transformation of sketch to painting and print! Im also creating a portfolio for my application to grad school!!!!! Im going to work hard on it during the summer and come next January I will be applying to SVA in NYC for my printmaking MFA!!!! Wish me luck, I know its a year away, but this is so important to me, so much planning is needed!

World Peace Is Hiring

World Peace is NOW Hiring:

Get your applications in today!

There is no such thing as world peace,

without the help of the world.

It all starts with you, than your neighbors!

So I woke up at 3:40am this morning from a dream that entailed me campaining for world peace! It was a pretty awesome dream. I have decided to make this mock ad for a job post. I hope everyone sees it and applies in their own way!

Everyone should stop doing what the hate, or what the have to and just get out there and do what they love! Help a stranger today, make the world a better place. I think that we should stop focusing on the horrors in the world, and start focusing on all the accomplishments.

http://www.happynews.com/

go here to check for peaceful, inspiring acts that the world is producing!

its a great news site that only allows the positive news coverage to air!!

The Power of Self

Hey Everyone!!! (aka the only 3 followers I have + whom ever wonders onto my blog!)

ABOVE ARE 2 RANDOM SKETCHES FROM MY SKETCH BOOK TODAY!

So Ive been on an idea kick lately, which is a sweet thing to be on! Its the best high any artist could ever ask for. Ive done awesome idea sketch, after sketch. Im still having a little bit of trouble transforming my ideas to the canvas. Im thinking about making the switch from masonite to actual wood! I think my paintings will advance from here. We will see.

GOAL OF THE WEEK:

Get more followers!

**It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop**

A New Year of Goals

Being Goal Oriented in 2010
So I have decided to be very goal oriented this year.

I really want to just get in the habit of making art constantly. I really feel I can only improve my skills and concepts as long as I keep up with them and the only way to do that is keep on making art.... NO MATTER WHAT.

With that said, I am starting to sketch AT LEAST 3 sketches a night again. Im also really trying to keep my artist area as organized and clean as I can. I plan to paint every other night. Like I said in the previous blog, the winter months are hard for me to accomplish anything outside of working and skiing... (ski shop, coaching ski racing, and practicing myself)

I WILL MAKE TIME FOR MAKING ART!
Id like to see my art and skiing improve emensley in the New Year.

C.Dogg's 2010 Goals
1. Have 1 solo art show and 2 group art shows.
2. Make improvements on my sketches/paintings/prints.
3. Look into grad schools for printmaking (full ride?!?)
4. Be the best artist I can.
5. Be the best ski racer I can.
6. Eat Healthy and kick my ass in the gym 3-5 days a week.
7. Continue to practice Yoga and Meditation.
8. Meet with and talk with other Successful artists.
9. Make my own artist website!!
10. Really embrace the whole art scene.
11. Attend at least 10 art openings this year.


**Be the most Happiest Ive ever been!!!**

Tim Burton; Chronicles

Chris & I outside the

Tim Burton Exhibit!!!!

Every year is a big accomplishment
if your Tim Burton...

This is the main entrance to the exhibit...

HOWEVER I really want this to be

the main entrance to my bedroom! ;)

Tim Burton is the man- dig!
BEFORE the new year I was able to get a day off to go check out Tim Burton at the MoMA!!! Too bad the word AMAZING, is a huge understatment! It was pretty cool to see how he has grown from childhood drawings and paintings, to being an intern at disney, to seeing most, if not all of his biggest, successful movie productions. In my opinion i think his most successful pieces were the pen and ink drawings. ALSO, anything Nightmare Before Christmas related too... duh! They were memorizing to look at. His crazy lines just add to the sketches.

White Out in Vermont!!!

Diggin' ourselves out of Haley's

driveway, it took almost 2 hours!!

Vermonts crazy, snow covered

road leading to Smugglers Notch!!

Haley's Snow covered Barn,

with a tiny, somewhat shoveled path...

Farewell GS poles...
You will be missed!!! ;)

Best way to Start off the New Year!!!
Went to Vermont the first weekend of the year and woke up to 2 feet of snow!!! And incase you didnt know, the ONLY other thing I love more than making art and traveling... IS SKIING/ SKI RACING!! ^.^

Chris, Haley, Liam & I skied all day/weekend... in fresh, deep powder... BEST SKIING IVE EVER DONE! I ended up breaking one my Giant Slalom poles though which I was really heart broken about. But I guess it was def. time for a new pair of poles anyway!

I started coaching ski racing to the little guys (6-8yr olds) at Mt Creek this past weekend. I love coaching, but It takes so much time away from my art making. Winters are tough for me to balance everything in, so If I dont post any recent artwork or blogs, SOMEONE PLEASE KICK MY ASS into gear... I cant live without my art OR my ski seasons lol!

Audrey Kawasaki: Hajimari, A Prelude

Audrey Kawasaki & C.Dogg

at Audrey's opening in NYC at

the Jonathan Levine Galley

C.Dogg's aka my
favorite painting at the opening!!!

Happy New Year to you all...
Catching you all up on my most recent adventures since I havent blogged since Decemeber... SO SO SO SORRY! I went out to support Audrey at her Solo Exhibition on Dec 12, 2009. The show was packed and she 'as usual' had a line of fans waiting to talk to her. She is a talented person and one of my most favorite inspirational artists! As usual, my most favorite painting at the show opening was the one and only DARKEST painting shown. It was beautifully crafted and even better to see in person!
I can only hope to meet and talk with Audrey one day when she isnt so busy and just talk art. She is truely a remarkable artist, and an even better person.

CONGRATS AGAIN AUDREY!!! ^.^

Growing Up with my Art

C.Dogg; Ocean City, NJ

Start with the Familiar
I'm finding that as I mature as an artist, my work naturally matures with me. Its important to work with the things you are 'familiar' with or things that you love and know inside and out. That's why last night I made a list of my favorite things and the people who inspire me on a day to day basis. It helps remind me of my starting point as well as where I need to take my art work. I also believe that when I am working with subject matters that are important to me, my work will eventually sore to knew heights. The things that I love give me a wide range, which in the end make my possibilities endless. The time to explore my creative boundries has already begun.

I have finally stopped doing what everyone expects out of me. It was a really hard habit to break. Almost everyone does it. But Im taking my chances... I think that only those who take their chances will aspire.

I am a successful artist...

Pushing the Limits

Movement(s) in the Making
Once abstraction was at its peak, art teachers, art students, and artists feared that there was "no where else to go with art" and that "everything was already done before". But Id really like THEM to define EVERYTHING... They thought that all major art movements were over and that there wouldnt be much to expand from.

However, now is the best and PERFECT time to challange artists around the world. Emerging artists can finally step through the open door and take art to the newest and highest levels which have ever been seen or produced, both visually and conceptually!

My techniques are still a work in progress, but I have found that I have come a long, long way since I have graduated from college. Im so excited to be a part of this new art scene and working towards something thats bigger than what everyone expected.

Its truly an exciting time to be an artist!

Putting it all Together

This is of my initial sketch on the canvas/board.

I really love watching my illustrations come to life!

"Her Mountain Top Kingdom"
This is the finished product of the first picture during my show!

It is the most detailed of all the paintings at my show.

"A Lofty Tree with all her Life's Burdens"

This was a favorite by the viewers

My origami crane sculpture.

This peice had over 175 black & white origami cranes which were suspended

and floating from a huge moon and star shaped candle holder.

Me kissing my creation!

My guest book with more origami.

I couldnt have asked for a better turn out to my

first solo art show outside of school!!

It was excellent! ^.^

My Show Card Picture.

Better Posted Late than Never...
Since I was way too busy and wasnt able to post anything right before or after my show, I figured I would do it now. Those are only a few of my pictures from both before and during the show. I was really greatful to have such a huge turn out from family and friends! I even sold 2 of my smaller paintings! I plan on getting a show or two for the new year.

Bye Bye Honda Civic

Minor Set Back...
So last Thursday, in fact a week ago today, I was in a pretty terrible car accident. It’s so hard toget over. I wish some people would understand what a scary experience it was forfor the airbags to deploy on me and that horrible screech sound with the finally ofcrunching metal. Ugh, well, at least I’m still alive, with minor scraps and a concussion.
(The top picture is what's left of my car, which I miss immensely.)


On the Brightside…
I’m only two weeks away from my first solo art show outside of Rowan University! AND although it is being hosted in the local café in my town, I’m still very grateful to be having a show and am hoping that I can only progress to gallery level! I just made my show cards tonight. I personally think they look sweet, ha ha. I’ll send them out to a bunch of college/university galleries in the tri-state area too just to get my name out there and hopefully someone will be interested.
(The second picture is of my working space, aka The Clutter Cave.)

Birds of a Feather…
My new painting series is of the lowbrow scene. It will illustrate my rendition of Mother Nature’s pure Happiness. Aside from 3 large paintings and 6 smaller paintings, I will have an instillation of black and white origami birds. I hope those who can make it will enjoy my show and I hope I can grow from it as well.
(The last picture is a small detail of one of my larger paintings which will be in the November show!)