James Polisky

"Happy Go Lucky" by James Polisky

Went to the Nyack Street Fair yesterday. It was my first time there, at first I was a little disappointed but in the end it was a great time. I thought there would be more artists and crafters, but there were much more vendors just reselling handbags and clothing which is never as much fun.

One great find however was James Polisky. A silk screen artist/graphic designer from New Haven, CT. Scott and I purchased one of his prints, "a hymn for humming six feet underground" and can't wait to hang it up. Not only was Polisky a great artist, but him and his wife were great people to talk to, and its always more fun to buy art from good people.

After checking out his website, I realized he'll be selling at stART on the Street in Worcester, MA this September, as will I! Come check us both out September 20 in Worcester, MA. I'll post details as the date gets closer.

New Scrap Wood Pendants

I've been working this week to create new jewelry to sell at a craft fair this Sunday, June 28th. The fair is from 10am to 6pm at the Hillcrest Firehouse in Pomona, NY (on Theilds-Mt Ivy Road). The fair benefits the local ambulance corp.

These are a few hand painted pendants I've made, all out of scrap madagascar ebony wood from the fret board of an octave mandolin. The other side of each is left natural wood color (some with a glossy varnish) so each pendant can be reversed and worn more simple, suitable for girls and boys!

Sweet Concert Wristband

Last night I went to a Metric concert at Terminal 5 in NYC. It was a great concert, and from the above photo you can see it had one of the nicest patterned wristbands I've seen at a concert!

Before one of the songs, the lead singer talked about how you should be inspired and strive to do whatever it is YOU want to do, regardless if anybody else wants it. They continued to sing a song (I forget which one it is now...) that was about striving for unusual things that people don't normally strive for, just because its what you want. 

I know this is a typical message, slightly cliche...but the way they said it, the atmosphere, and the song that followed was really inspiring. It made me smile and made me excited to work today and get started creating more art...

Old Prints

A couple summers ago, 2006 I think, I took a couple art classes at a state college while home for the summer. At first I was disappointed that they weren't very serious classes and were filled with people who could have cared less about art and were just trying to fill in easy credits... 

The 2 week printmaking class I took, however, was filled with people who didn't consider themselves artist, but I say they were. They loved being there and learning how to create something new. It ended up being really exciting to be part of a group where you could create art just because you liked it and it was fun, without having to over think everything.

While visiting my parents last weekend (for my brother's college graduation party! congrats Paul!) I found these old prints. I have a bunch of them and will probably sell some, maybe frame a couple, but above is a preview of what I did in that course. 

For some pieces we had to recreate another artist's work...which I really didn't like. You can see above I chose Keith Haring's DJ Dog, an Oil War poster (chosen from a political art book the professor had), and a page from the Beatrix Potter classic, Peter Rabbit (one of my favorite books of all time). I loved coming up with my own whimsical scenes however, including a boy playing tether-ball, a toy bicycle and a neon alien spaceship flying through NYC.

Stock Photos Are Weird

Found this while searching for photos of tangerine peel on istock...not sure what anyone would ever use this for...but i'd like to know. 

Find the image here: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3102227-security.php

Flea Market Finds

This photo shows a bunch of stuff I got this past weekend at Rietta Ranch—stuff I plan on deconstructing and turning into new jewelry! Rietta Ranch is a flea market back home in MA near where I grew up and my parents still live. The perfect mix of antiques and cool-looking cheap junk. By far my favorite place to find used materials to recycle into new things!  

Hand Drawn Alphabet

I tried to draw 26 different typefaces, for the most part ones that I hadn't drawn in other projects. My favorite is the "Q", but I also really like  the "J", "M", "O" and "P".