twitter.jpgThis has been a busy week. I’m frantically trying to finish my current piece so it will be ready in time for a specific exhibition entry deadline. As of Friday, it is almost ready to be pinned for quilting. There is just a little bit of stabilizer on the back I intend to rip before I sandwich it.

BUT — I did find time to keep up with what’s going on in the world and managed to find some nuggets to share with other Creatives. If you want to follow me in real time, I’m @vsgreaves — or check out the social media icons in the upper right hand corner above the menu. You’ll find a link to my Facebook Page there too.

Vivian Maier is the photographer recently discovered who made pictures throughout her life but didn’t share them with anyone. I have a certain fascination with her because one of her pictures, recently published, shows a woman in New York that is almost certainly my great grandmother. This article covers a documentary of her life, following Maloof, the Chicago historian who bids on a trunk of film negatives at auction, through what has been discovered about Maier’s personal life.
“Finding Vivian Maier” a fascinating documentary about mysterious street photographer @ArtsATLcom http://tinyurl.com/kqlxafx 

When I was a teenager, my mom and I would travel frequently to New York. On every trip, mom would take me down to Chinatown to browse the aisles of Pearl Paint. To think that they are selling their iconic store is truly saddening.
“Iconic Downtown Art Supply Store Imperiled by Sale” My mom used to take me here when I was a teenager. http://feedly.com/e/sBUQ1vxQ 

As a skeptic, I found the argument in this book review truly compelling. The analogy of a swimmer being helped by the hidden current — and then being hindered by it when swimming in reverse makes the point perfectly obvious. Biases are part of our social fabric and work like hidden currents, helping or hindering our progress.
“The Hidden Brain: How Ocean Currents Explain Our Unconscious Social Biases” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/brainpickings/rss/~3/5QsM8WlE80M/ 

I reported about six months ago on billboards in Europe holding masters paintings and lamented that we could not have that same exposure to good art here in the US. Now we will.
“National Exhibition Will Fill US Billboards with Art” — just like they’ve had in Europe! Yay! http://feedly.com/e/K6pm3Dd4 

I was flipping through Hyperallergic and came across this article about George Dureau, a photographer from NO that recently passed. Although the majority of his pieces are homoerotic — not a particular subject of interest for me — I truly wanted to weep at the mastery of some of photographs. He obviously developed a very caring relationship with his subjects and that affection comes across in his work.
“Remembering George Dureau” Provocative art — but his photography is amazing. He will be missed. http://tinyurl.com/k7vyzql 

This group of inspirational photographs is captioned by a pic of a young girl smoking a cigarette. It’s like a car accident — you can’t look away even though you know at its heart that it’s wrong — and truly, it pulls you in and makes a story develop for you, the viewer. Most all of these photos are equally compelling.
“The 60 Most Powerful Photos Ever Taken That Perfectly Capture The Human Experience” http://tinyurl.com/kr9lx78  @Distractify

I’m currently finishing up my taxes and was mesmerized by this article about how Mexico taxes artists. Rather than ask for money, they ask for artwork that is then stored, some of which becomes part of the national heritage collection. No valuation of the pieces are made — if a certain number of sales are made, the government asks for one piece — if more are sold, they ask for more pieces. Artists hope to be included in the national collection so they are motivated to provide good pieces for their donations.
What a great idea! “In Mexico, Artists Can Pay Taxes With Artwork” http://tinyurl.com/qa9nodj  @TheAtlantic