Another Wolf on the Prowl

Have you received something from a (perhaps bogus) magazine company like this one???

**Bogus Art Magazine Scam**

**Bogus Art Magazine Scam**

I call it the: give me your hard earned money for the dim prospect of being 'featured' in my bogus, non-circulated magazine scam! (acronym to come later):

Just got this e-mail today, enter at your own risk I say; first thing I said to my Nephew sitting next to me before opening it, I said "How much will this cost me? (lol) and if it's more than one penny I'm out:)".  Well if your in, then be my guest an accept this invite in my stead  But $35 to enter a contest to get published in a poorly designed, and lowly published farce then I guess, go ahead and waste your money; but I say it ends here, are you with me???

It's how they make their money, not by helping the arts or artist, but through the entry fees to the contest and who knows what the 2nd tier of their con is?...it sure won't be me finding out;) Pass it on!!!


If you see this e-mail or one like it, then you are being preyed upon!


*******************************SCAM ALERT*************************************

M   A   G   A   Z   I   N   E OPEN CALL TO ARTISTS GET FEATURED IN ARTDISTRICTS ART BASEL Issue                 ARTDISTRICTS magazine announces an open call to artists. The winner will be the “FEATURED ARTIST” in our Art Basel 2012 (December/January) issue. The featured artist will receive a 4 page article to be published in both the printed and digital edition of ARTDISTRICTS. The winner will be chosen based on the quality and originality of his/her proposal. Deadline: Nov. 4th, 2012 FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK                         Newsletter service provided by:     ARTDISTRICTS                                                     W Media LLC P.O. Box 960008 Miami, FL 33296-0008 www.artdistricts.com ARTDISTRICTS offers personalized announcements and press releases via email. Send your press releases with ARTDISTRICTS and reach our growing community of +50,000 qualified visual artsubscribers. For rate information contact us at info@artdistricts.com  Unsubscribe: Email: 'Unsubscribe' ; If you no longer want to receive messages from us, simply click on the unsubscribe button and type the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. *******************************SCAM*ALERT************************************

Wolves in Gallery Clothing!

Dear Ct. Rasmussen,

I am a gallery assistant at Agora Gallery, a contemporary fine art gallery in New York. Can I send you some information about our gallery and promotional services that you might be interested in?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards,

Sabrina A. Gilbertson
Assistant Director / Agora Gallery
http://www.agora-gallery.com/
Sabrina@Agora-Gallery.com
Phone:  212.226.4151 Ext. 201
Fax: 212.966.4380

If you see something like this, sent to you and your an artist chances are you deserve a message like this from a gallery; but from a real 'gallery'!  Like myself...we artists deserve respect once it's earned, granted, just like anyone in their respected fields of study; but it is also sad at the same time that no matter what field your in, there are ways for others to profit in their own way.  Such as galleries preying on struggling artists trying to make it, promising them the same thing; instant success through signing up with them for ridiculous fees (considering the skinny wallet/purse of the average 'emerging artist' so to speak').

This is the 2nd contact I've received from this 'gallery' in 3 years, and I said the same thing then, "I might be a sucker now and then, but not yours" and I basically said it again to a different 'sales rep.' this time as I will again and again to any gallery trying to take the money I don't even have really:)  You can decide for yourself if you ever receive a contact like this, but I suggest that you do your research first before signing; and trust that if it is to be...then we will make it!!

Follow the links below to read more on Agora 'Gallery' and scams like it, pass it on:

http://www.sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?t=9419

http://joannemattera.blogspot.com/2009/05/marketing-mondays-vanity-gallery.html

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-11303.html

The Rocking Chair which ain't There Anymore

The Rocking Chair which ain't There Anymore  C.T. Rasmuss graphite (2008) 

"Who use to sit in this chair?" I asked myself while rendering this graphite negative...and yes it is a study of a rocking chair; and after taking a 2nd look (if you didn't already notice) you might notice that this chair is all wrong!  The back of the chair is situated in the upper left corner of the composition, while the rear of the rockers are pointing to the left, but towards the bottom; making this rocking chair as twisted as the artist that rendered it, jk..lol!!!  

Anyway the point I guess I wish to make here, is that no matter the intention or the end result; success can derive just from the basic fulfillment perhaps, of completing the task at hand and in simply reflecting on something that is no longer in front of you??  

Encountering a Fresh Medium

Asylum C.T. Rasmuss, India ink on linen (2012)

  Jerusha Tree C.T. Rasmuss, India ink on linen (2012)

I performed to an audience when creating the above two pieces at Creativa, a creative group based out of Cincinnati, OH and at a Disciple Ministries Concert in Hamilton, OH respectively...it was the first time I had ever used this medium and I had only practiced it just a few days before the 1st live action painting at Creative on Saturday, Oct. 13th.

I've always been curious about this medium and finally had a reason to use it, it dries fast and is perfect for performing live action painting; in my earlier experiences with performing live painting performances it was always a problem what to do logistically with the wet artwork after finishing, especially with the way I apply acrylics in an impasto manner.  After finally giving this medium a try, I'm hooked now and fascinated in the directions I can go!!  I can see why Vincent Van Gogh was so intrigued by the prints of the East, as well as Modernist, Henri Matisse, not just for their composition and pattern, but perhaps the way the ink interacts with such a simple and fine material like linen; I, myself really enjoy the simplicity of it..(definitely the opposite side of the spectrum for me:)

India ink has been around since the 3rd millennium B.C., it developed in China and the carbon pigment in India ink started to be traded in from India thereafter, hence the name India ink.

M.C. Escher's 'Night and Day'

Night and Day, M.C. Escher; Woodcut (1938)

"From left to right there is a gradual transformation from day to night and from below upward we are slowly but surely raised toward the heavens . . . and the fact that this can be achieved through the vision of the artist explains, in my view, why this print appeals to so many people."

                                              The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher, Bruno Ernst; 1978 (pg.42-43).


This seems to be a simple enough explanation for a painting.  It is universally agreed that this is a masterpiece, created by M.C. Escher.  No matter how you try to put into words, it remains so, in all aspects of: symmetry, composition, design, symbolism, technique, execution, originality, the list goes on...

Point here I wish to make is: When considering other Great Masterworks like Divinci's Mona Lisa, Velazquez's Las Meninas, Van Gogh's Starry Night, or Pollock's Lavender Mist; - it's okay if we aren't able to "capture their essence by way of words"!...because maybe their beauty(mystery of attraction and truth) which eludes the tongue or pen, would cease to exist?... 

Perhaps sometimes in life & in the world of art&creation; we can benefit more by letting what is in front of us, just take over our senses.  To let go and subject ourselves to something foreign to us, to surrender the idea that somethings(Masterworks/natures creation) need no explaining, the mere fact that they exist is enough.

If this notion appeals to you, artist or not, click below to see a really interesting work of mine, where I the artist do my best to explain it and the process of its creation "in words".  Which I dedicate my "Masterpiece"-(much of it at least) to Mr. Escher's Night & Day; titled:

 'Night & Day, Modern Dilemma'.

 I hope you'll be pleased in it's originality and dedication, as I hope to inspire the next generation in return!!   Thank you!

link: night-day-modern-dilemma

                                                                                                     

'Basking in the Subconscious"

Basking in the Subconscious C.T.Rasmuss, ink on paper (2010)

As we sleep where do we really spend our 'time' at?  It has to be accounted for somewhere when referring to the ceaseless mind, it can't just be rest and then nothing could it...what if the image above were a place we all hung out peaceably together in the light of what is to happen tomorrow, and what has happened the night before you put your head to 'sleep'?

Well  then I'd say: "job well done everybody!!!" ;because at least for this moment we were all at peace together, even if we have no recollection of it through our immediate consciousness on the morning when we all awake...

Carl Jung, According to our Universe (Part 3of 3)

                                                               Artwork by Kevin Loughran

 

 

 

Friday

Kevin Loughran

• Hi Chad! Yes, i have literally logged on just this minute and have seen part 2 of 3 on my wall. :) I have no problem with you sharing any of my pics for your Blogs. Anytime is Fine by Me!!! I have not got anything to add as regards your writing, vague thoughts only... Dont have my Head in Gear just yet! LOL! When i added my comment on your blog I mistakenly put myself as Anonymous, and could see no way to correct that. could you, if poss? The Movie: Yeah, i went shopping today but could not find it! Damn! I have to have it sooooon, Methinks! :) Incredible Shrinking Woman? That's new info to me! :) I am enjoying the dialouge too, Chad. Cool Stuff. Loving your paintings a Lot! My pics are available to Share Anytime! :) Come to think of it... Jung was Very Interested in World Mythology, and made lots of connections between those stories and our psychological landscape (my own term) and described (at least i think it was him) Astrology, or maybe Mythology, or both, as the "Summation of the Psychological Knowledge of Antiquity." Google that phrase, I'm sure it was Jung said that, though i could be wrong. My Own thoughts on astrology and Mythology (Very Briefly) is that Our Stories have been projected onto the Stars and Planets and that Astrology is Our Way to see how those stories Resonate Within. The movements of the Planets Inform us of the timing of psycological changes Within that are Reflected Without. Science tells us that We are made of Star-Stuff, and, to me at least, it would follow through that this Atomic Connection to the Stars is Well Worth Exploring, Physically and Spiritually. Jung was a Great Student indeed of Astrology. You make your own mind up about what i have said. I am So Pleased and Happy about bieng Included in this Fascinating Dialouge and Exploration! Kool Beanz, Chad! :)

 

 

                                                          Untitled C.T.Rasmuss, acrylic (2010)


well friend I did as you suggested and it was well worth it; I decided to include the link to an article by Glenn Perry, Ph.D. titled 'The Birth of Psychological Astrology'.  I have included a passage from it in this blog:

"Jung (1976) regarded the signs and planets of astrology as symbols of archetypal processes that originated in the collective unconscious. The archetypes of the collective unconscious were the universal organizing principles underlying and motivating all psychological life, both individual and collective. Whereas mythology placed its emphasis upon the cultural manifestations of archetypes at various times and places in history, astrology utilized archetypes as a language for understanding the basic psychological drives of human beings. As Jung put it, "Astrology, like the collective unconscious with which psychology is concerned, consists of symbolic configurations: the planets are the gods, symbols of the power of the unconscious." The gods of mythology represented the living forces of the universe that patterned all things. Like Plato's Forms, an archetype was both subjective and objective; it was evident both in the innate ideas of human consciousness as well as in the fundamental processes of nature; it informed not only human experience but also planetary motions."

http://www.aaperry.com/index.asp?pgid=20

Thank you very much for allowing me to find this great passage Kevin, great stuff!!!  In closing, a definition of Jung's Individuation process is:

"Individuation is a philosophical, spiritual and mystical experience (Jung, 1989b, p. 294). It is the goal of our psychological development and in metaphysical terms amounts to God's incarnation (Jung, 1989b, p. 157). Individuation is the central concept and purpose of Jung’s Analytical Psychology (Jung, 1989a, p. 209)."

http://soultherapynow.com/articles/individuation.html

In the end after completing the final blog in this series on the subject of Jung and the dialogue between Kevin and I; I've been able to put another finger closer to grasping the concepts of Jung, the collective unconscious, Jung's individuation and how our universe is a reflection of us...I hope readers of these subjects and this blog, as well as Kevin have too:)

Carl Jung, According to our Universe (Part 2of 3)

Eternal 'Loop' of Existence, C.T.Rasmuss (2010)

Wood Engraving, Kevin Loughran

 

Chad Rasmussen posted a photo to Kevin Loughran's Wall.

you got me seein a little better(correlations and such) thanks Kevin..

Like · · Tuesday at 10:34pm ·

• Lulu Cook likes this.
• 

  Chad Rasmussen thnk you LuLu!!!

  18 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  Kevin Loughran It is a Feedback **'Loop' of the Mutual Kind, Chad. Fabulous and Wonderful painting I see here... :)

  12 hours ago · Unlike · 1

 

This conversation is a continuation in diologue between Kevin and I on Jung and our Universe so to speak.  I mentioned in part 1 a few days ago that I was going to discuss Jung's Individuation, but after this brief insight I decided to touch on madalas instead; leaving Individuation for part 3 and the final blog of a three part series.   Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle."  In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction.

 

To further explain Jung's concepts and connection with the mandal, I have attached the link: Carl Jung: 10 Quotations About Mandalas posted by Stephen Parker, a Jungian Psychologist I came across via Google.

 

http://jungcurrents.com/carl-jung-ten-quotations-about-mandalas/

 

I hope this can lead to some discovery to anyone who reads this information, I can surely say one thing about these two artworks above; it's that they both have somekind of key to our existence as does most art, but in this case it's more specific to which grade and construct/archetype if you will, that these 2 explorations fall into.  Like most of my best paintings happen when I visit them more than a few times to build upon; coming up with better compostition and color, I was able to give my piece a better title today, thanks to the collective unconscious coming to the surface between fellow artist Kevin Lougrhan and I.

 

**the key word to better describing my discovery (title of artwork above) that I couldn't see w/o the aid of another consciousness...

 

 

 

 

 

Carl Jung, According to our Universe (Part 1of 3)

                                                                                               Artwork by Kevin Loughran

As I attended graduate school at Hofstra University on Long Island(2007-08), I became very aware and interested in the writings and findings of the Psychologist, Carl Jung.  Jung collaborated with Sigmund Freud for about 7 years,  Freud called Jung "his adopted eldest son, his crown prince and successor".  Jung however, went into a different direction than Freud as they split professional ways, concerning himself for the majority of his career with the collective unconscious. 

For those not familiar with Jung or the collective unconscious, I will explain in the next upcoming parts 2&3 of this blog series...for now I'm mostly concerned here in introducing participants to an artist and his work that I had been recently introduced to, Kevin Loughran.  I mentioned to him via FB that his work reminded me of Carl Jung, mandalas and universal archetypes somehow; he then informed me that I was on the right track in mentioning this and at the same time increased my insight on the overall picture of Jung and his (our) collective unconscious, by informing me that Jung just wasn't into art and psychology, etc. but also things like the universe and astrology in his words..."his quotes keep being referenced in the Astrology books and articles i read."

                                                                                                       Fractal 3, C.T.Rasmuss (2010)

The following dialogue takes place after Kevin viewed my series of Fractals after sharing them with him, this conversation being through this piece of mine and his (seen above):

Kevin Loughran This is Wonderful, Chad! The Brightness and Freshness of it is in contrast with the Complexity of the Shapes. Reminds Me of the Final Scene in the film, "The Incredible Shrinking Man." As he approaches the Atomic level he becomes Aware of New Universes Opening Up to Him. That's what i see when i look at the Centre of this. Love it!!! :)

23 hours ago · Unlike · 1

Chad Rasmussen thnks Kevin, never saw the movie, but I realized this same sort of thing only after viewing your work; fnny how thet are all connected somehow, likesoe eternal cosmic puzzle always coming together one clue at a time!!

22 hours ago · Like · 1

Kevin Loughran Well Said That Man! An Eternal Cosmic Puzzle... Like It! Watch That Movie... :)

3 hours ago · Unlike · 1

 

Not only did this allow us to have further insights to our own works and into a Public Figure like Carl Jung that we both happen to admire, but I also received advice on another movie to watch; for even more insight on who knows what...possibilities are always promising and sometimes as simple as watching a nicely recommended film.  More on Carl Jung, Kevin's "Atomic Level" insight discussed in part 2&3, I will also talk about Jung's Individuation process and polar opposites, etc. stay tuned:)

 

 

 

Who are You?

                                                          The Violet Bridge, C.T.Rasmuss (2011).

What if this were any other medium, would it be the same? what if I were anybody else would it be the same?  So does it matter who you are, or who you are today?

C.T.Rasmuss

What is in A Name?

             China Sky, C.T.Rasmuss (2011)



"well done, revolutionary and transient and yet permanent as an experience here this photo." 
 
                                                                                                                  Fred Tarr

I'd like to thank my friend and colleague Fred for this comment on my painting that I posted in an artist group on FB; as I was pondering on what approach I would take on understanding my painting 'outloud' earlier today.

Before I came across this comment, my approach was going in the direction of discussing the way I came up with the title for the artwork; months after I had finished it, I picked it up for about the 8th or 10th time and it suddenly came to me, China Sky.  Able to reflect on this piece again, I realized the most important aspect of this piece(to me as the artist); I look at it and think of China, because of the correlation to the sun coming up over the Himalayans and their national flag for some reason.  

I get a pure satisfaction gazing into it, similar to peering up to the sky on a uniquely beautiful morning, but as if I had been in China which I've never been to.  Hence the close relation to my friends response, an act of fate if you will; all boiling down to a title that makes sense to me because I realize it's not an abstract but a transient..experience, a truth derived from pure creativity and resolution by way of giving the experience a Name.


C.T. Rasmuss