| New Year, New Art, New Places, New Changes! 2011 Starts Off Big |
Journal entries by artist Arlissa Vaughn - life, art, thoughts, etc.
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| The beach where Alan works |
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February 6, 2011
With
the new year came a herd of new adventures for me, my family, my art,
and my business. Most of the changes are quite positive, but nonetheless
stressful too. I remember taking a stress test several years ago; some
of the life changes that scored the highest were changes in marital
status, moving to a new residence, buying/selling a home, starting or
graduating school, death of a family member or close friend, having a
child, changes in health, and starting or ending a job. Well, between my
husband and I, we have experienced 5 of the 8 in the past two years,
and 4 of the 8 in the past year (some of them have occurred multiple
times too)!
Of the most recent changes, my husband and I made a
temporary move to Miami, FL where he has started a new job! Leaving
beautiful California was not on my agenda for any time soon, but just
one year after arriving we were off again. My husband's work in the
kiteboarding industry is reliant on the weather, so after the season
ends here, we'll return to California to do it all over again.
Miami
has some pluses - it has a busy and growing art scene, the beaches are
gorgeous, and the weather is perfect (for now). But this move has also
been quite hard, with uncertainty at Alan's job and a less than
desirable living arrangement. Oh well, I'll make the best of it and look
forward to my return to California's easy life! :)
In other
news, I have been able to make some new art. It's VERY different than my
previous work, mostly because of the new medium. Taking a chance to try
something new, I have been working on a project with Tag4M which
correlates images and temperature readings. Here's my first artwork made
with this technology: http://arlissavaughn.temperatureavatar.com (You
can see the current temperature in Celsius at the bottom of the frame.)
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This piece, titled Life & Death, will slowly
change as the temperature outside my home in Miami changes. I created a set of 71 images for this project, and they cover a range of 5-40 degrees Celsius. Look for
changes in hue, intensity, and a few extra critters that appear. Some snapshots of the changes are captured below, in case you don't want to watch all day as it changes. These show one image that is associated with cold temperatures (#4), one for mild (#36), and one for very hot (#63).
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| Life & Death (#4) - Still Image |
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| Life & Death (#36) - Still Image |
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| Life & Death (#63) - Still Image |
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It's a
dynamic work that is constantly adjusting according to the weather. My art's connection to the weather is strangely similar to my life's current connection to weather! (BTW - I am also continuing my work on international views of the USA, more to come soon.)
In business I have also experienced change as Visual Overture Magazine continues to expand and take on new responsibilities. Distribution is set to increase by 500% this spring, starting with offering the publication in free newsstands in specific galleries in Miami, then in LA later in the summer. More distribution means more revenue and more work, and it's all fun and exciting! :)
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