Real Men Use Reusable Grocery Bags.

Real Men Use Reusable Grocery Bags., originally uploaded by sprouseart.

I split my time between the Delaware shore and Washington, DC. I am somewhat amazed and a bit befuddled that by far the majority of people that I see in the grocery stores in Delaware choose not to use reusable grocery bags opting instead for those terribly environmentally unfriendly and flimsy plastic bags.

When I am in the grocery stores of the great metropolis of Washington, DC., I notice that the majority of shoppers are using some kind of reusable bag, or at least, they have brought a plastic bag with them and are using it anew.

What's the difference? In January 2010, Washington, DC passed a "Bag Law". The law, the first of its kind in the U.S., requires any District business selling food or alcohol to charge 5 cents for each disposable paper or plastic carryout bag. The business keeps 1 cent (or 2 cents if it offers a rebate when customers bring their own bag), and the remaining 3 or 4 cents goes to the new Anacostia River Protection Fund.

Though controversial when it was passed, almost immediately, businesses began seeing a drastic reduction in bag usage, and environmental clean-up groups witnessed fewer bags polluting DC waterways.

Personally, I think the law is brilliant and I'm happy to do my part. Reusable grocery bags are affordable and easily found in practically every city in the country. The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. offers incredible bags created specifically for The Elizabeth Haub Foundation which are distributed exclusively through the A&P Family of Supermarkets. I'm holding one in my hand in the photo above. I own about 10 of them in total. They are available for a mere 99 cents!

The bags are incredible! Not only do they easily hold at least 10 times the amount of groceries that the useless plastic bags hold, they are amazingly strong and durable, easily hand washable, and portable with extra sturdy and flexible double-grasp nylon handles. And, artistically speaking, they are also absolutely beautiful as each different bag features a stunning wild-life themed photograph in rich, vibrant color.

Why do I have 10 of these beauties? Because I use these bags for far more than just hauling groceries. I can fill them with art supplies, CDs, books, clothing and much more which makes transporting such items a breeze as I travel back and forth between destinations.

Though made in China (which admitedly doesn't fill my heart with joy), they are made from 100% post consumer recycled content. Better yet, a portion of the 99 cent purchase price goes to The Elizabeth Haub Foundation, an organization that works to support the development and implementation of necessary legislative provisions for the conservation and sustainable use of nature, as well as for humankind.

It's frustrating to me that I have seen so many Delawareans leaving the grocery stores with plastic bag after bag. Can they not get their head together about how harmful plastic bags are to the environment (especially here at the shore!) and how there are much better options so easily available. Perhaps they need an incentive. Why not a "Bag Tax" for the Delaware shore - perhaps nation wide!

Because in case you don't know by now, plastic bags are for losers.

Subway Spirit…

© Michael Sprouse 2011

I like this instagram snap I caught yesterday afternoon on the metro to Dupont Circle. I've titled it "Subway Spirit". Not, mind you, as in the pom-pom accompanied "I've got spirit, how 'bout you?", but as in the ethereal, vaporous, wafting sense. Think of the oddly quiet moments when you've walked into an empty elevator into an aura of warmth mingled with the lingering perfume from a mysterious previous rider. It fills your mind with oceans of ideas about the existence of a woman you will never know. The mystery fades like an old, yellowed photograph vanishing in a dusty, time-worn frame eternally placed in some sun-drenched corner of a forgotten shelf when you reach your floor...

The Wigmaker

When you can’t fall asleep at 3 AM, it’s time for Photoshop fun on retro wig catalogs. Click the link and make sure and view full size.

http://www.sprouseart.com/images/wigmaker.jpg

1975 Datsun ad - Check Out the MPG

1975 Datsun ad, originally uploaded by retro-space.

Look at this retro ad I came across on flickr.com this morning and let the headline register in your mind for a minute. That's right, this 35 year old ad features automobiles capable of reaching 39 MPG on the highway. Again, for clarification, that's 35 years ago and 39 miles per gallon.

I find it shocking and borderline nauseating that after 35 years the average MPG of most cars on the road today is about 22.4 (based on data from the Department of Transportation dated from 2009 - a mere 2.5 years ago).

While it's true that the Energy Act of 2007 calls for average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 for cars (still 4 MPG under the average listed for these now antique automobiles), it is painfully clear that this is a situation born out of greed and rampant blind consumerism without impunity based on a naive belief by the auto driving populace of this country that the auto manufacturers know best when it comes to making their cars more fuel efficient and that they, and they alone, sit on the top of the pyramid when it comes to research. I can just see the auto manufacturing industry and the oil companies skipping down the road together giggling like flower girls at a wedding tossing dollar bills in the air like rose petals.

It is outrageous that in over 35 years the average MPG has dropped while the cost of gasoline has skyrocketed. Now is the time to seriously demand that our government insist through legislation that the auto manufacturing industry begin to seriously research and produce fuel efficient, hybrid, electric or other alternatively powered affordable and available automobiles. They can do this and they have been able to do this for years.

This shell game will only end when the public begins to become aware that it is unwinnable and that they will perpetually lose in the end. Become aware and become proactive.

Octave Tassaert

I have no particular reason to post this painting other than I came across it online in some secondary manner and I found it compelling for reasons that I cant quite ascertain.

Studio Interior, Octave Tassaert, France 1845

It is certainly beautifully rendered on myriad levels – light, composition, pallet, theme and more. Perhaps it’s the visual back story that intrigues me about the work.

At first glance, I thought this was a painting of a young man peeling potatoes by the hearth, but on closer inspection, I saw that this was either an artist himself, or an artist’s assistant perhaps taking a break while the master attends to something else in the studio. Or perhaps, the artist has yet to begin his work as it is clearly visible that the pallet is free from paint. For that matter, there appears to be no paint in the box whatsoever. Perhaps the project ahs yet to begin making this the calm before the storm so to speak.

It’s actually quite serene and peaceful and I’m sure there were worse places to be in 1845 in France - where and when this work was created. It now hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Perhaps I came across it there several years ago and its memory has drifted through my subconscious mind until this misty reacquaintance this early morning.

The artist was Octave Tassaert. At the age of 74, after Tassaert became an alcoholic and his health and eyesight deteriorated greatly, he took his own life. He never quite found the success of peer approval that he was seeking – it’s a rather tragic tale actually and you can read about it briefly here - http://www.terminartors.com/artistprofile/Tassaert_Octave

In Memoriam…

It was with sadness that I read of the passing of Dame Elizabeth Taylor. There will be much written and spoken about her now that she has died and I won’t attempt to compete here. I can say only that I found her to be a true master of her art and a great and cherished humanitarian.

To this day, I find myself riveted by some of her film performances. In particular of these is her well deserved Best Actress Oscar winning performance as Martha in “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf”. I have seen that film so many times that I have literally lost count. It is a timeless piece of movie mastery that will live in the halls of honor of film making.

I think I will honor her life this weekend when I am back at the shore with some good scotch and another screening of that astounding film…

Another brilliantly performed scene…

In Memoriam
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011

De Niro helps to end Art Fraud.

Courtesy AFP/Getty Images

The actor Robert De Niro, who last year created a new art prize in honor of his late painter father's legacy, appeared in a packed courtroom on Friday to testify in the trial of Leigh Morse, a dealer who worked for Larry Salanderduring the notorious swindler's multimillion-dollar spree of art fraud. Appearing in the Manhattan court in a green corduroy blazer and white shirt, the actor — recently labeled a "post-empire" icon by Bret Easton Ellis— related how he had a deal to evenly split the sale of commissioned works with the gallery, but then failed to see any proceeds while noticing that Salander was flying around the world in a private jet. "It didn't seem to add up," the actor testified. MORE HERE - [Bloomberg].

The nude men clock - Huh?!

Who would want to see scores of tiny animated nude men in your browser telling you what time it is? The real question is – who wouldn’t?!

This cute and clever flash app was sent to me by my dear friend Denise. It does actually tell you the correct time, at least as shown on your computer. Click to switch back and forth between an analog clock and a digital read out. Check it out here:

http://lovedbdb.com/nudemenClock/index2.html

Oh those crazy 60’s….

I’m going to file this one under the WTF category. While it must have been fun while it lasted, this just seems like a game with, ultimately, disastrous results - or at least - an unpleasant throbbing headache hued sunrise search for a taxi the next morning. . .

The Associated Press: Pompeii exhibit in NYC shines light on buried city

NEW YORK (AP) - A new exhibition from Italy that opens Friday at New York's Discovery Times Square captures the last gasp of the ancient city of Pompeii before it was buried under volcanic ash, mud and rock when Mount Vesuvius erupted 2,000 years ago.

Copies of body casts that researchers made from the skeletal remains of residents buried alive are an eerie part of the exhibit - a crouching man covers his mouth, a chained dog appears contorted, a family of four huddle together.

A short film recreates what Pompeians might have felt as they tried to escape. The museum's floor vibrates as the volcano's furor grows; a movie screen rises and a double door opens to reveal a funereal scene of 20 "bodies" hardened in poses from their final moments.

Pompeii existed for 700 years before it was snuffed out in just 24 hours.

"Pompeii The Exhibit: Life and Death in the Shadow of Vesuvius" also chronicles life in the vibrant mercantile city before and after Vesuvius erupted. Colorful room and garden frescoes, mosaic floors, pottery and gold jewelry are among the artifacts featured.

Located on Italy's western coast, Pompeii's rich volcanic soil produced wine grapes, wheat and other crops. Both a river and sea port, the city exported goods throughout the Roman Empire and imported such items as lamps, pottery and olive oil from northern Italy, France and Spain.

Its 25,000 inhabitants were well-to-do farmers, bankers, ship captains and traders whose thriving city boasted 200 wine bars, inns and restaurants, 33 bakeries, and Thermoplia, the fast food shops that ladled hot foods from big terra cotta pots.

"The exhibition provides a complete picture of life in an ancient city. No archaeological excavation gives the totality of life like Pompeii," said Judith Harris, ...
http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-03-04-Pompeii Exhibition/id-c49b4de85f334b1a8b114e86d79470f7
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Fab Fun Florida. . .

I've been in fabulous, sunny, Fort Lauderdale, Florida since Sunday afternoon and l'm loving every second of it. One lovely excursion yesterday was to the Coconut Grove Art Festival in Miami. It was a massive collection of some truly outstanding work by hundreds of talented artists and I'm glad I was able to attend on the last day of the event.

One sculptor in particular whose work was particularly compelling in a kitschy, voyeuristic manner was Marc Sijan. His works are startlingly lifelike poly-resin casts of live models which he sculpts and paints to an uncanny level of realism. I've either seen his work, or similar, somewhere before as it rang familiar, but nevertheless, it packs a whalop upon close inspection. Here are a few snaps I took of his work on display. . .

A cherry lover no doubt.

This model seemed to be popular with the artist

This work was particularly unsettling/amazing. Every pore seems to be accounted for. Of course, that is to be expected with a cast from a live model, but the artist truly has enhanced these works to add new dimensions to their lifelike appearance.

See this happy-go-lucky bald chap. He's not real.

By the way, the next time you find yourself in Miami, and are in the mood for something with a touch of European/Latin infused Bohemia - head over to 412 Espanola Way and Cafe Nuvo for a brilliant Mojito and an the outstanding "Europe's Favorite" platter for two. You'll be ever so happy you did. Plus, the people watching is fab. You'll never know when a Cuban model may show up for a photoshoot.

Keith Haring–on this day, Feb. 16. . .

Keith Haring was a visionary visual pop artist whose work seemed to be everywhere in the 1980’s.



In 1982, Haring had his first New York one-man show at the Shafrazi Gallery.

Untitled, 1982
marker ink and acrylic on found canvas
86 x 86 inches
218.44 x 218.44 cm

Untitled, 1982
vinyl paint on vinyl tarp
72 x 72 inches
182.88 x 182.88 centimeters



Haring opened Pop Shop in New York City in 1986. The store sold posters, t-shirts, and other items baring his artwork and designs. He was also interested many social causes, painting an anti-drug mural that same year. In all, he did more than 50 public works and held numerous workshops for children. In 1988, Haring discovered that he had AIDS. The next year he created the Keith Haring Foundation to support AIDS organizations and children’s programs.



Sadly, Keith Haring died on this day, February 16th in 1990 at the age of 31. Click on this link to read more about the fascinating life and brilliant, though sadly short-lived, career of this influential artist here.

Rest In Peace Betty Garrett

Somehow, the news of the passing of Betty Garrett three days ago slipped under my radar. I first became aware of her as a child growing up in the 70’s. She was a regular on television portraying Archie Bunker's liberal neighbor Irene Lorenzo in All in the Family and landlady Edna Babish in Laverne & Shirley. I was a fan of both of those programs and it was difficult not to notice the vitality, spunk, and fiery charisma Betty Garrett infused into those roles that certainly would have been missed had they been portrayed by a lesser actress.


Betty Garrett, lower right, in the cast of Laverne & Shirley

While she was quite good in those roles, her career consisted of far more than the sitcom sessions. She had a long and glorious career as a dancer, singer, Broadway star and musical film star. 

Though she and her husband Larry Parks had to suffer through the indignities of the Black List in the 1950’s she still managed to find work, she managed to land on her feet leading her to a career that only ended when she passed. According to to this LA Times obit, just last Wednesday, she “went to dinner with friends and afterward taught a weekly musical comedy class at Theatre West, the nonprofit theater she helped found in North Hollywood half a century ago.”

Now that’s what I call an artist.

In Memoriam
Betty Garrett
May 23, 1919 - February 12, 2011

Al Pacino to play Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse and Al Pacino … Photograph: Carl Van Vechten/Corbis and Frederick M Brown/Getty

This is intriguing – one of my favorite actors will portray one of my favorite painters on screen. Academy award winner Al Pacino will play the French artist Henri Matisse in a film about the painter's relationship with his nurse, model and muse, Monique Bourgeois, Variety reports 

Producers are still searching for two female leads for the film, titled “Masterpiece”. In 1941, Matisse, who lived most of the year in Nice in the south of France, developed cancer and underwent surgery. During the long recovery he was particularly helped by a young part-time nurse, Monique Bourgeois, who had answered his ad seeking "a young and pretty nurse" and who took care of Matisse with great tenderness.

Matisse asked her to pose for him, which she did. Several drawings and paintings exist. She later became a Dominican nun, and the pair re-encountered each other in Vence, France, where she inspired him to decorate the Chapelle du Rosaire, often known as the Matisse chapel and one of the most important works of art of the 20th century.

Bourgeois, or Sister Jacques-Marie as she was later known, died in 2005. She insisted her relationship with the painter had always been purely platonic. "I never really noticed whether he was in love with me," she told an interviewer in 1992. "I was a little like his granddaughter or his muse, but he was always a perfect gentleman."


Henri Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie

The Indian-Canadian Oscar-nominated film-maker Deepa Mehta is set to direct a script by Donald Martin.

While thievery sucks, Art Thievery REALLY sucks…

It seems some unscrupulous person literally lifted a stunning eight-by-ten, black-and-white Polaraid snapped by photographer Jason Lee of the late actor Dennis Hopper  from a Los Angeles art gallery following the opening of a new exhibit, Friday night. 

Not only as a  professional visual artist who has had work stolen myself but also as someone who owned and operated a successful art gallery in Washington, DC for 11 years, I can tell you how reprehensible this is and how much it sucks.

This work is described as “extremely sentimental” to the photographer. So much so that Jason Lee has offered a no-questions-asked, no charges pressed, anonymous return of the work  reward of $25,000.

It is my sincerest hope that the perpetrator/s return the work, and if they have any self-respect at all (doubtful), they will refuse the generous reward.

More on the crime here - WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please spread the word.

Google Art Project: 'Street view' technology added to museums

Preview of the Google Art Project

Here’s some exciting news for all of you museum and gallery lovers out there (myself included). It seems that Google is bringing its "street view" technology indoors. With the launch of the Google Art Project, announced at a press conference in London this morning, Google jumps into the online art arena with tools that will allow web surfers to move through 17 of the most prominent art galleries in the world, with the option to look more closely at individual art works, including some that will be digitized so exhaustively that individual paint strokes and hairline cracks in the surface will be visible.

I think this is a brilliant and innovative idea that will only help bolster interest in the visual arts, especially for students around the world who have no access to these masterworks. It’s better to have an experience with the work on a computer than not at all.

For a complete article regarding the event, read about it in the Washington Post’s ArtsPost here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/arts-post/2011/02/google_launches_the_google_art.html?hpid=moreheadlines

“The world is life, fun, and energy.”

No matter what your stance on the validity of horoscopes, the following is of interest. The folks at www.informationisbeautiful.net wondered if horoscopes really all just say the same thing? They scraped & analyzed 22,000 predictions to see the results.

Frankly, I find the meta-horoscope composed of the most common words from 4,000 star sign predictions may be the only horoscope that I will ever need. . .



Words to live by no doubt. . . More  here -

www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/horoscoped

A collection of work. . .

I’m in the process of updating some of the work on my visual artist website at www.sprouseart.com. Coupled with the fact that I recently was commissioned to create a “Narrative Portrait” work, I found myself revisiting some works that I’ve not examined in a while. I created an album on my Facebook page for the process and I found the synchronistic manner in which FB’s album app situated the works so that the eyes of each subject of the paintings are the main focus of the thumbnails rather uncanny.

You can see the full treatment, as well as the large version of each thumbnail plus a description of my “Narrative Portrait” process here - http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=279568&id=767354227 

Feel free to share!

Crazy Cat Animation…

It’s Friday and the perfect time for this silliness…

Enjoy your weekend!

Xtras Café In Richmond’s “Carytown”

A couple of months ago, I became aware of a new hot spot in the “Carytown” section of Richmond called “Xtras Café” that just opened last September.

The place is off to a great start getting rave review after rave review in the Richmond press, including being named one of the best new restaurants in Richmond”  in the January issue of Richmond Magazine.

The reason that Xtras came across my radar is the fact that they have practically designed their phenomenal deco themed interior around one of my large-scale paintings entitled, “The Farewell”  which was purchased from The Chasen Gallery – a wonderful gallery with whom I have been represented for a number of years now.


(interior shot of Xtras Café with “The Farewell” center wall)

(detail of interior shot of Xtras Café with “The Farewell” center wall)

I’ve not had a chance to get to Xtras yet, but I have an artist friend who will be traveling to Richmond soon who plans to stop in and check it out. Based upon the reviews, I’ll make sure and do the same when I’m there next. I mean, after all, I already admire their great sense of taste! –

Recent reviews online:  

Dining Out Review: Xtras Café

and

Xtras Cafe impresses with design, patio