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Week 7 Articles: |
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| Music - |
| Inspiration - |
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| Take A Drive - |
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| Amanda Wachob's Other Canvas |
| 12/31 by laura |
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Most residents of Buffalo are already familiar with Amanda Wachob as it relates to her experimental style of tattooing. But how many can really say that they are familiar with her style of painting, the subjects that she plays off of and the sheer amount of traveling she does to promote her work?
She has been taught well to force the viewer's eye to travel throughout the entire piece and not linger on one particular element. The paintings are rather large and much attention is paid to each detail. Amanda feels at home using oil paints although she has experimented with other mediums. In a past interview with Amanda, she stated, "I studied photography in college and then after, moved to a small town and had no place to develop my photographs so I started to paint them. I chose oil on canvas because that's what I am most comfortable with."
Amanda toys with controversial ideas of race, gender and identity in a tasteful, subtle way in her paintings. She takes inspiration from vintage 40's-60's magazines and tends to concentrate on the social injustice that takes place here in our home country. Her work is a breather from the still life's that crowd many galleries - she has found a voice and a medium that allows her to express her opinion, even in an abstract way.
Amanda has been a guest in galleries from New York City to Seattle, Berlin, Osaka and numerous other countries. She will be participating in an exhibition in the from January 12 until February 22.
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| Bela's Shadow For The New Year |
| 1/1 by laura |
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Belas Shadow, not newly founded but a new addition to the Buffalo music scene played their second ever show last Saturday at the bowling alley hideaway. We happen to be partial to the band because our good friend Bob plays bass, but we think that all of Buffalo will be partial to them real soon. Band members include: Paul from New World Record, L'dorado and Sera Eclipse, Chris and Dan from Am I Lost, and Bob and Kimbo from Hello Blue Hudson.
It is easy to compare Belas Shadow to Mogwai; they have an ethereal and atmospheric groove that lends itself well to being played under any and all circumstances. "We were originally going for a totally different sound,' said Paul. "The original members, Chris, Dan and myself, were really into the heavier stuff, like Isis and Mono. We thought the band would go in that direction, but when we started writing songs, it drifted into this shoegazery world of stuff."
The seamless translucency of the interlaced guitars causes the listener to drift into a specific mellowed realm where they find themselves wading through tangible notes. The keyboard washes in slowly, highlighting the bass, and clearing up any misconception of a jam band. The drums give the tunes some grounding, liven up the crowd and add an element of rock. Jim, former member of hardcore band Cove, joins the band for occasional vocals. His whispered dedication to the celestial sound only adds to the performance and stage presence of Belas Shadow.
"People should come see us if the like post-rock, shoegaze or need a good prom song," stated Bob. There is a positive charge streaming from Belas Shadow that can only mean great things for Buffalo's musical milieu.
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| A Few Inspirational Links |
| 1/2 by matt |
image by Phil Hale |
Everyone always asks artists about their inspiration; where does it come from, who inspires them, why do they create the way they do. Some of these questions will continually go unanswered, many will receive a pretentious artist's explanation and only a few may come down to the very specific reason why. Each artist that I have met has been inspired and motivated quite differently but there is one consistent factor, and that's the unquenchable desire to create.
As a web designer and illustrator I am constantly searching for inspiration to help keep my creative juices flowing. I often spend countless hours combing thru magazines, books, and websites dedicated to the showcasing of successful and often painfully talented individuals. In the last few years I have noticed a tremendous increase in the quality of my work based the regular digestion of these materials. By no means am I suggesting to copy original work for financial gain, however I am asking that young artists and designers learn from the masters and integrate their vision with what they have learned.
Below are just a few samples that provide inspiration to me and hopefully they will add a little warmth to your cold and cloudy minds.
A blog dedicated to showcasing and educating web designers. With almost daily updates, they offer a ridiculous amount of material to inspire even the most successful. Their tagline is "We smash you with the information that will make your life easier, really." I couldn't agree more and yes, your head should hurt after spend a few minutes there.
If you are a web designer, then The Favorite Website Awards site will be the best and worst decision you'll ever make. Aside from being an extremely well designed site, The FWA showcases the best of the best in web experiences. It is not for the faint of heart and should come with some Tums. Every time I view this showcase, I reconsider my career.
For the illustrator, this blog features some great articles and images of talented animators, and illustrators. Updated regularly, it will be hard not to find something that will inspire your next masterpiece.
ASFA is the agency that represents some of the biggest names in the illustration field today. This page showcases some gifted artists and I, myself frequent it quite often. Some notable individuals include: , and .
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| Size Does Matter At Hallwalls |
| 1/3 by laura |
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Next week, Hallwalls will open for an installation exhibit featuring the photography of Canadian artist Kelly Richardson. The modified photographs focus on the resolution of the sublime from ordinary or flawed moments, amassing an accumulation of conflicting sensations.
Kelly Richardson is interested in creating contemplative spaces of rapturous visual allure, loaded with double meaning and exploring the simultaneity of the magnificent and the dreadful. Cinematic language is used as a means of concocting landscapes that are part real, part imagined, a hybrid reality that accentuates and questions our ambiguous place in the world.
Drifting further from the work of the past decade, photographers are starting to create a social narrative with each piece of art. They attempt more and more to share their voce, to be heard, to be more than a pretty picture on the wall. Richardson uses size to her advantage as she projects a video loop of apparent Apocalyptic doom onto a nearly 10-foot screen. "Exiles of the Shattered Star presents a beautiful countryside showered with what appear to be remnants of another place. Inhabiting a place between fantasy and reality, Exiles of the Shattered Star evokes trepidation and fascination in equal measures." - as described on Richardson's website.
The legitimacy in modified photographs is constantly debated in the art world - can the artist truly master the basic elements of his craft? What then, is the relationship of the object to reality? Are technological advancements in the field of photography creating a distance between the photographer and his subject? Is his voice lost in computer-assisted development? I believe that Richardson is addressing these questions atop supporting her visual narrative. She is focused and in tune with inevitable social ramifications. She will be present at the opening to answer questions regarding her work.
January 12, 8-11 PM
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| Syracuse: This Is Urban Living |
| 1/4 by laura |
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This is another one of those cities that I happen to have frequented only once - and for a Skynard concert. Had I only gotten lost in the city realm and stumbled up Armory Square, I never would have witnessed 2,000 grown men in cowboy hats gathered together, worshipping the good old, Southern boy flag.
Armory Square is a more accessible, more modern, more compact, more tourist friendly Elmwood. Armory Square is a square, so every store, bar, restaurant is at your fingertips, just spin in a circle. There is no walking a mile down the road to hit up the next retailer. Secondly, Armory Square is comprised of numerous historical buildings with a variety of architecture that has been spruced up - Syracuse spends money rebuilding their facades. Awnings, eccentric signage and unique window displays give the Square the needed urban detailing and modernity. Just take note.
Because I love my strong brew, again begin the trip at a coffee shop. Freedom of Espresso is located at the heart of the Square and serves up a nice house with a side of sticky baked good deliciousness while you savor their industrial décor. The insides of the coffee hideout contain hordes of hipsters, newspaper readers and its local owners amidst high ceilings, exposed pipes and geometrical café props.
Where? 142 Walton Street
You can visit anytime before 10 PM!
How much? This shop is locally owned, so there will be no paying Starbucks prices.
Wander around the square, even if it's cold. The retailers here are all small-time and have the time to chat about the quality of their goods.
Next on tap is The Warehouse Gallery, you'll have to pull yourself from the grip of the Square, but you'll be back for a beer. Gary Schneider is currently the exhibitionist at the Gallery. Not porn exactly, but there is some nudity involved.
Gary Schneider specializes in self-portraits that go beyond his surface and into his elemental self. He combines, science and technology with fine arts to create a photographic installation of X rays, radiographs, photograms and micrographs of specimen samples of various parts of his own body. This project is a direct result from a series of photographs that Schneider was commissioned to take regarding the revolutionary discoveries that were emerging from the Human Genome Project.
Where? 350 West Fayette Street
You can visit from 12-6 PM
How much? Free! Super Cool!
Next stop, Lao Village. This Laotian and Thai restaurant serves up the best vegetable-laden comfort food that I have ever experienced in WNY. It has a slightly swanky atmosphere, so it is not a bad idea to dress up and wine and dine.
Where? 208 West Genesee Street
You can visit from 4-9 PM
How much? Under $20
Ok, go on, back to the Square. You want to hang out with all the cool kids? Fine, then go to OHM Lounge. This venue gives priority to rhythm-based artists and DJs that focus on experimentation and collaboration. They offer a live painting series - again, no nudes per say, but lots of synthetics. Artists bring their goods, DJs bring the electronica and it's an all night clusterfunk of color and noise. Oh, and they have a good selection of liquor, but its suggested that you don't waste the bartender's time. They are a feisty crowd that is used to regulars.
Where? 314 South Franklin Street
You can visit until 2 AM!
How much? Depends who spinning and how much they think they're worth.
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| A Classic Winter in Buffalo |
| 1/6 by wax cupp |
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Happy New Year to you and yours!
Well, the Amp Energy Winter Classic (also known as the "Ice Bowl") is now behind us and we are left with the memories. I am sure I don' not have to tell you that this event was a major success. Hats off to the NHL - they finally got something right and for that, they were rewarded with their best American television ratings in over ten years. The game took in an overnight 2.6 share and a 5 share overall. In fact, the Ice Bowl had higher ratings than Wayne Gretzky's final game.
I, and about 30 other hockey fan friends, braved the elements and began tailgating at 10 AM, then walked to the Ralph at about noon. On our walk into the stadium, I was amazed at the spirit of the 71,000 other fans in the parking lots. As our group entered the stadium, it hit me like a ton of bricks that we were in for something very special - a once in a lifetime sporting event. The Sabres and Penguins took the ice and were accompanied by a dozen Bagpipers, flames, fireworks and a football stadium full of hockey nuts. With Ronan Tynan's rendition of God Bless America and Doug Allen's Canadian National Anthem, there was not a dry eye in the house. As they wrapped up their performances, four Blackhawk Helicopters out of Niagara Falls air base treated us to a glide through.
The game itself was secondary to the event; yes the Sabres lost, but the city of Buffalo won. We put on a show for the world to see. The atmosphere at the stadium was very family oriented and the crowd, friendly. I hope Ralph Wilson's staff was on hand, taking notes, as we are all aware how out of control Bills games can be.
It is my belief that the NHL would benefit by making this an annual event, rotating between a traditional hockey markets. I would love to see Buffalo host the Ice Bowl again, but first, I hope that HSBC Arena will be welcoming an All-Star Game.
The Sabres returned to play indoors at HSBC, on Friday, when they played the Ottawa Senators. They received a rude awakening that night, when their current Eastern Division standings were announced. Ottawa showed Buffalo, and hopefully Darcy Regier, how far away this team is from making the playoffs. The Senators beat the Sabres, 5-3, on the back of a lazy skating performance and another pathetic outing by Jocelyn Thibault.
As we approach the halfway point in the season, it is obvious that this team needs to make a few moves if they want to push for the playoffs. Let us hope that the Front Office figures out the necessary moves before it is too late.
Regards,
Wax Cupper
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