create2xs
Chad Martin
excessive creator, observer, urban scout, artistic detective, eclectic taste tester, and Art Director in NYC
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performances like this Union Square didgeridoo percussionist, and other completely random acts of public creativity, are quite common in fair weather New York. So many creative expressions occur in such close proximity here that sometimes events defy all probability. Case in point: I was having a random conversation with a Tuba player on the L train the other day, and I asked him if he ever played solo on the subway platform for money. He thought it was a ridiculous idea, claiming the Tuba was a supporting instrument in a larger band. But when the train arrived at the very next stop, we both witnessed a solo tuba player out on the platform playing for money. We looked at each other in complete disbelief. But that’s New York
living tie-die yielded extraordinary results using simple household ingredients. A plate is filled with a thin layer of milk. A few drops of food coloring (less is more) is added, the different colors are evenly spaced around the center of the plate. Lastly, a single drop of dish soap in the center of the plate activates the colorful experiment. The Milk Trick yields color and movement for approximately 5 minutes before the colors begin to get muddy. Rinse and repeat as often as you want, or until you run out of milk. A safe, fun, hallucinogenic experience for the entire family
sidewalk gallery showcases a sexy Post-Modern Pop Art 80′s relic, ready to grace the wall of a lucky Brooklyn hipster’s apartment. A plastic mold created the low level relief, with details extending as much as 4 inches from the surface. To add color and and magnify the work’s sculptural qualities, the airbrush was used to bring the painting to life. I suppose the invention of the computer as an art tool may have relegated the airbrush to t-shirts and motorcycle helmets, but to see a framed piece that captures such an 80′s fashion aesthetic is unique. $180 for a mass produced, conceptually hollow, airbrush/sculpture with rather dubious production qualities is a steal. Just think what it will be worth in a thousand years.
follow or trace the spiral and you will find this is not a spiral at all, but actually a series of concentric circles. This illusion was created by British psychologist James Fraser around the turn of the 20th century, and is known as the Fraser Spiral. it appears a single line is twisting its way into the center, spiraling into a funnel, but your eyes are deceiving you. The Fraser Spiral works by guiding the eye through a sequence of counter-angles. The eye and brain are not accustomed to processing images this geometrically complicated, and thus try to normalize the circles by imagining them as a single line, a phantom spiral corkscrewing its way to the center. The Fraser Spiral artistically falls somewhere between Rene Magritte’s painting, This Is Not A Pipe, and Nothings Moving
 cowboy shot dead in the head by a native’s arrow? A trucker with his lonely heart forcefully removed? A simple disembowelment, or just plain having your feet firmly planted in Hell— the Exquisite Corpse is creative chaos anyone can enjoy. The Exquisite Corpse originated as a collaborative surrealist game or technique back as early as the 1920s It actually started with collaborative poems, and later drawings and even collages. I participated in this example (left) with Marc Nachtigall, Joe Bloch, and JoJo Peralta. Once the paper was folded into fourths, I drew the head of the corpse, leaving the neck lines near the fold at the bottom. This allowed Marc to begin drawing the upper torso once I hid my composition by folding the paper over. Marc would then complete his section of the drawing, fold the paper over again, and pass it to Joe to draw the lower body. Once Joe is done and the paper is folded again the final panel is given to JoJo to complete the legs. I suggested each participant illustrate the cause of death in each panel, and I gave everyone a different drawing instrument. For a more refined approach (or maybe a less gory one), try different themes, more similar medium, or just keeping the subject figurative and not necessarily dead. Although the end result may be less absurd
 interactive art is the creative theme of FIGMENT, a multi-day event that bypasses the traditional gallery wall and celebrates creativity for all. Participants were often costumed, a ten year old girl on stilts made the perfect pink flamingo. A Courtyard held a cacophony of audio digitally generated by the viewer’s presence and movement as detected through various surrounding sensors. There were Inflatable sculptures in an interactive blow-up sculpture garden. Individual artists designed and created each hole of a miniature golf course. The assembled submissions created an eclectic combination of ideas, as well as a challenging par 36. My favorites included The Yellow Brick Road (The Wizard of Oz), Just Dreaming is Not Enough (alternative energies and sustainability), and Hotel Atlantis at Bikini Bottom (left), a tribute to The General Motors ‘futurerama’ pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. The location for the event, Governor’s Island, with it’s historic architectural elements, created a contrast in compliment to this modern celebration of creativity. FIGMENT was absolutely free to attend, and describes itself as “an alternative to many of the shortcomings of the commercial art world— exclusive, expensive, impersonal, untouchable and often simply boring”
Bushwick Open Studios is an opportunity for Brooklyn artists to open the doors of their studios (and more often their homes) to the public for a weekend in a true celebration of creative diversity. Bushwick is certainly one of the real artist communities in New York. Painting, photography, installation art, sculpture, performance art, happenings and more were all available from the sidewalk. Fresh inspiration was provided by hundreds of different artists. Some of which were not even registered for the event, in true anti-establishment fashion. An 80s happening from BabySkinGlove included an awesome Jane Fondaesque body roll experience, a glamorous photo shoot, drawings on paper with thread and needle, and a man rolled up in a carpet (that was blocking the entrance that you had to step over in order to enter and leave). And that was only during the few minutes I was there. Visual creative samples (left) provided by Hilary Doyle, Chris D’Acunto, Josh McCutchen, and Christy Singleton
ads suck, well most of them do. They surround us in a bombardment of relentless commercialism. Luckily there is a cure, Poster Boy! Brooklyn subway riders certainly know him by his work. Altering the same stale subway ads into new compositions and thoughtful juxtapositions, the collage pits the same advertising imagery against itself to great affect. Sometimes using elements from two or more posters right next to each other. Yes its vandalism, he get’s in trouble all the time. Slicing into ads must be bad for MTA advertising sales. And Poster Boy (Henry Matyjewicz) has been almost as prolific as Richard Poultry. While heat from the police may limit future altered ads from his conceptual razor blade, you can always pick up his new book Poster Boy: The War of Art
found art on sidewalk had two creators— a canine collaboration with the artist with the golden touch, or at least a can of gold spray paint. This is an obvious and incredible effort to make the worthless, priceless. And it certainly highlights laziness, for if this crap were gold you better be sure the owner would have picked it up. A dog that shits gold, awesome. This was not the first time shit was used in art, and it probably won’t be the last. I suppose its up to the viewer to decide if this anonymous artist is full of shit, or solid gold.
aerosol art, tag, piece, scrub, bomb, or graffiti, street art as art has been a cultural debate since before my time. Some see graffiti as a valid form of art and street-based communication, birthing gallery artists like Jean Michel Basquiat. Some believe that since mainstream America does not like it, then it must be art. As far back as Duchamp, anything an “artist” called art became art. Just like cubism, impressionism, or any other new art genre, graffiti is looked down upon and scorned by the general public. One definition of art is anything done well. While walking around Brooklyn its difficult to ignore example after example of style and technique found in these Bushwick pieces (left) or at the 5pointz building in Queens. It may be a defacement of public property, but since it can be painted over there is a lack of permanence that can be appreciated as well, similar to that of sand paintings or chalk drawings
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wear
dexteri-tee - one handed guitar playing by create2xs
larger view | buy paint
video games - youthful self portrait and acrylic tribute to 8-bit entertainment
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