Looooooong Day...

Hi there! It's been awhile. Here's what's going on;

Today at work is Fall Break, which means campus is pretty much a ghost town. I was asked to come in early, at 7am, rather than the normal noon time. Just me in the office from 7am - 2pm, which is nice. I've been able to listen to some music (Pandora/Spotify), and finish season 1 of The Walking Dead. I was also scheduled for a lunch break, which I usually never have (to save money and time, I brown-bag it). Tried a new Indian buffet, Delhi Palace. Pretty darn good! I had to go back for seconds (and thirds) for the rice and mango puddings.

Lately, I've realized that since I spend so much time in the office, I should try to enjoy my time as much as I can. Not slacking or anything, just making the office a more comfortable place to be. I really gotta find some art of mine to hang here, I thing it'd "really tie the room together, man." This morning, I spent about 30 mins today adjusting my desk/chair setup to be as ergonomic as possible. I've brought in a tennis ball to exercise my hands, to try to avoid carpal tunnel. These changes, along with just overall office maintenance and organizing, should help make the workday more comfortable.

Another realization that I've come to since Phil was born, is just how precious time is. Sometimes I feel like people spend far too much time worrying about material possessions, wealth and status, and then too late realize that their time has ran out, and they could have done so much more with what little time they've been given. I came across the site 17,000 Days, which made me really think about maximizing what I do with my time. Modern society sometimes seems to stagnate in comfort, when people get too comfortable in their positions in life, stop trying to improve themselves, and to be a benefit to society at large. It's helpful to really step back and look at things from a larger perspective once in awhile.

Phil's been growing up so quickly! He's already crawling like crazy, and will shortly be walking.

I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him, even when he's fussy, grumpy, or needs a change. He's also getting a bit more self-sufficient, so can spend some time by himself (and lots of toys) in a play-yard, which gives me (or K) some time to catch up on things around the house, or just take a breather. He still loves attention though!

Last month, I had fun creating a few small artworks for my nieces and nephews:

 

 Spidey Logo

 

 

 Monarch Butterfly

Also did a watercolor of a ladybug, but can't find a photo. I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Also did the Plein Aire competition at the IUPUI Regatta, which was great fun, as always:

I've been catching up on reading, especially during my commute (via library Audiobooks). Again, a case of maximizing my time. On average, I figure I spend around 240 hours driving to/from work a year, so might as well multitask, and learn a little at the same time.

Well, gonna try to finish up some stuff here at the office for the reminder of my loooooooooooooooong single shift, so I'll talk to ya'll later. Hopefully I'll have some more art to post next time!

-J

Fatherhood!

Phillip Florian Bieschke, my son, was born on January 27th, 2012. Here he is:

I decided to take a month off work, to focus on getting to know Phil, setting up routines, and getting the hang of everything. I'm about halfway through my leave. I really appreciate being able to take the time off work (most of it paid). Phil is an awesome little guy! He's already got a favorite book (Cluck and Moo), and some favorite bedtime songs (Brahm's Lullaby, Goodnight Sweetheart, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). From what I've heard from other parents, he's spoiling us with how well-behaved he is. He sleeps for around 3-4 hours at a time, and then eats, poops, and then sleeps some more. Hardly any crying/fussiness.

I've now got some time to catch up on other stuff (other-than-baby stuff), so I decided to update my blog.

I created a Tumblr account, but so far, I'm not really digging it. Blogger may be more complicated, but it seems to me that it's more my style. So, I think I may switch back to Blogger exclusively.

I've just been given the green-light to resume work on the Cambodian project for a friend, so spent today taking photos of all the work I've done so far, and did a new landscape piece for it:

We've been saving a bunch of money, since I haven't had to drive back and forth to work every day (30 miles round trip), and haven't really left the house beside grocery-getting. So, I've been thinking about getting a data projector for the studio, with some of the cash we've been able to save. Nothing too fancy, but something I could watch movies on, or play some videogames on. I got rid of a small TV I had out there, because I have an adapter that allows me to use the laptop as a TV/AV input. Kerry helped me arrange the studio really well, so that it's broken into different areas (work, play, excercise). It's a large space, and is now much more manageable. I've got soooo much old work stored up though, I've been thinking about trying to sell it off, to make more room. This week, I should be able to re-gesso some older works, and get started on some stuff for my upcoming show (in a few months).

I'm also working on creating a better work/life balance, which means I've been trying to have equal amounts or family, work, and recreation time. In the past few weeks, have been using Goodreads and catching up on some reading. I've recently been on a sci-fi kick, and read Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle," Philip K. Dick's "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said." Right now I'm in the middle of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I've been downloading the books (some even digitally from the library) to my phone, and reading them on there.

It's been so cold out, have been staying inside. I've fallen behind on biking, even stationary biking on the recumbent bike, since we've been just a bit busy with the newborn. Next weekend, a buddy of mine is coming down to visit, so that should be fun to catch up. Well, will hopefully update again shortly, and have some more new work to share.

Labor Day's Labors Lost

Been busy this past week; for those who don't yet know (somehow), K and I are expecting! Our due date is early next year, so still have plenty of time to get everything ready. Tomorrow is the big appointment, where we find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Exciting times!

We started work on the nursery, and found that a putty knife sliced through the drywall like warm butter. So, I've spent the past few days ripping out about 5' x 8' of wall/insulation/rotted wood. Apparently, the last homeowners decided to put in the chimney by cutting through the old siding, and just attaching it, without sealing anything properly. We had lots of help from the in-laws, just finished putting up two new studs, a header, and a footer. Tomorrow, should be able to finish with foamcore and insulation, and possibly get drywall in. Oy. Such are the joys of home ownership.

In art news: I have two pieces, "Arches" and "Ticker" in the 2010 Herron Alumni show. The opening reception is this Thursday September 8th, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. I'm honored to be included in the show. I also have some other potential shows coming up, will keep this page updated with what I know.

Otherwise, the weather has dropped from 90's to 60's over ONE day, kind of odd. I feel like I haven't gotten much time to bike this year, so hopefully the weather won't drop too low before I can hop on the Monon Trail. Another issue is that my old bike rack for my old car won't fit my new car, and the bike won't fit in the back, so I've got to figure out a work-around for that. The studio is an absolute mess, hopefully I'll get some time to tidy up and organize out there tomorrow.

Brief respite?

Whew! My solo show opening was a success, some friends stopped by to say hey, and got a few interested passers-by. I made sure to talk about my techniques, especially with my more recent pieces. The setup looked about like this:

And the other side:

One of the newer pieces, "Arches":

And it was down to the wire, folks...I was up late the Monday and Tuesday before setup on Wednesday, but got five new pieces completed, matted, and framed! The show will be through June 30th, so feel free to stop by, if you're in the Hamilton County area.

I've been working feverishly on the documentary project as well, and would like to share the process of one of the pieces. Basically, I'm providing images, that will be transformed into something different in the course of post-editing. I'm not going to share too much details, but can walk you through the process of one component of one image.

I'm thinking about each of these pieces in layers, typically a foreground layer, and a background layer, or sometimes a mid-ground layer as well. For this component, I'm working on a lineup of kids, that will be in the background. Starting with a rough sketch in vine charcoal:

I then go over the details with more vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, and pencil charcoal to fill in clothing/facial details:

And finally, complete the image:

 There will be a foreground element, of two soldiers facing the kids. This image is about 95% complete, I'll tweak details here and there, before applying a fixative.

So, I've been VERY productive for the past month or so (slacking prior to that though). Now I'll be glad to get a bit of a rest, no longer needing to worry about getting things ready for the show as well as the other projects. The deadline for the 2011 Herron Alumni Show is coming up, so I've gotta get stuff ready for that (some of the pieces I want to submit are hanging at the North Hamilton Library, still need pro photos though!)

Well, that's about it for now, will try to update more soon.

-J

Countdown to the big show...

Just a quick update; the setup date for my solo show at the Hamilton North Public Library is June 1st...man, I've gotta get stuff together! The opening will be June 11th, 2pm - 4:30pm. I've been busy working on a top-secret documentary project for a friend of mine, and that has a deadline that coincides with the one for the show. So, balance needs to be maintained.

In other news, I've been using my IU benefits, and viewing some Lynda.com training videos, particularly on time management, to get my studio and work more manageable. I'm also looking into learning some digital art software/techniques, so that I can integrate those into my work. Right now, I've got to focus on the short term, things within the next few weeks, rather than the long-term goals. I've gone back to my 5-day work week, each day being 8 hours, as opposed to the 4-day, 10 hour shifts of spring. This has actually helped quite a bit. I know that some people can deal with the longer days, and actually spend the day they have off being productive; NOT this guy. By the time I came home in the evenings, didn't feel like doing anything, didn't have time to do anything, other than eat dinner, maybe read a bit, and go to bed. And then, I'd spend my Fridays doing all the day-to-day things around the house, that I had been putting off throughout the week. Arg! Switching back to a normal work schedule (and having the docu-project to work on) has gotten me into the studio just about every weeknight, which is a good change.

The weather is still pretty crappy in general, so haven't gotten to bike around too much. Since K got me the stationary bike last year, I've been riding that, have moved it out into my studio. I had to re-read the Stephen Kind short story, "Stationary Bike," (from one of my fave horror anthologies, the Borderlands series) as I was getting back into the habit. I've also been using my new phone's (Android) apps, to track walking routes while I'm at work, and running around campus, to get more exercise.

Both K and I are getting more into photography. She took some really nice photos when she was in San Francisco, and I've been thinking back on my photo-class days with my clunky pawn-shop SLR fondly. May be picking up a new camera to mess around with, and document my work, soon.

K's graduation party is coming up, I'm very proud of her for all her hard work. We have a family vacation coming up in July, which should be fun, will be good to see family from all over!

Well, that about sums it up for now. Should have more posts AFTER the big show, and some pictures of stuff I'm currently working on soon.

-J

New charcoal, 'Rails.'

Hi all, just a quick update. Have been working on a small charcoal (18" x 24"), and have it completed. It's based on a photo I took of the railroad track trestle by Park Place, on of our old apartments, also along my bike route. Enjoy!

Really got into the textures/woodgrain effects with the charcoal. I used a combination of compressed charcoal, vine, and a new type that I hadn't used before, a charcoal "Peel & Sketch" pencil. I had used normal charcoal pencils in the past, but they had always shattered, or had issues with sharpening. I dig this combination, and will probably start working on some more charcoal/pastel drawings shortly.

-Joe

The Lean Months

So, it's 2011, almost past January into February. It's been pretty lean around here, as far as art goes; been very busy and hectic with life/work the past few weeks. However, I do have some good news to share: my submission to the 2011 Sketchbook Project is done and sent out! It was tough for me to tackle my chosen subject ("Down Your Street"), so I ended up going pretty free-form with collage towards the end, but am glad with how it turned out. Also, heard back from IUK regarding their 2011 Regional Show, and they've accepted Silo Study!

So, that's pretty sweet. Now, I really need to get my ass in gear, with getting new work ready for the upcoming Cicero, IN show, in June. I've got so much older work, much of it framed and ready, it's tempting to just use that for the show. I know I need to continue my output, and I have changed my style quite a bit from older work.

I may take some time to learn more web programming, to update my site more frequently. I get so easily distracted, especially in the colder weather. I've switched to a 4-day, 10-hr/day shift, with Fridays off, so hopefully this will motivate me to do more creative work. So far all I've been doing is catching up on Dexter (just finished Season 4...JEEZ!) and Dr. Who. Who would've thought that getting rid of cable would end up in me watching MORE TV? I will post new pics of work soon, really, really this time. Later!