CARDBOARD BALL, Sat May 19th Doors open at 7:30, 35 E. Toole
May 8, 2012
THE FIRST ANNUAL CARDBOARD BALL
Fundraiser in support of the Cartasia Sculpture Project
Saturday May 19th Doors open at 7:00pm
$5 dollars at the door. Show up in a fabulous Cardboard outfit, hat, headdress, full on dress, etc… you get in free. Also Anyone who bought a Raffle Ticket for the Cartasia Fundraiser Amazing Painting Raffle is on the guest list.
Galactic Center 35 E. toole ave (Big Building next to Solar Culture with the arches, One shop in from the corner of 7th and Toole.
For one night Artists will converge on the Galactic Center, conveniently located at at 35 E. Toole in the heart of Downtown Tucson’s Arts District, and transform it into a cardboard menagerie. Artist can do what ever they like as long as it involves cardboard. Ramping up into a full fledged super dance destroyer party. Every one who wants to participate can. If you want to make some cardboard wack-ness send an email to info@myklwells.com with “Cardboard” in the subject line and you’ll get the details. Cardboard fashions are especially encouraged! Show up in a fabulous cardboard outfit, headdress, what-have-you and eschew the $5 cover. For more info call 520 665-8025 or email info at myklwells.com.
Local Artist Mykl Wells is one of six artists competing in this years Cartasia Biennial, A paper and cardboard art festival held in the medieval city of Lucca, Italy. It is a great honor to have been selected out of one hundred and forty applicants. He will be flown to Tuscany at the end of the month to build and install his proposed sculpture, Snowdrop. To help pay the bills for the month and a half while he is gone he is also raffling off one of his original oil paintings. Tickets will be available at the Ball as well as online.
http://myklwells.com/03/05/2012/cartasia-fundraiser-amazing-painting-raffle/
Link to more information about the project:
http://myklwells.com/04/04/2012/from-tucson-to-tuscany/
Link to the Cartasia Website:
http://www.cartasia.it/intro.htm
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CARTASIA FUNDRAISER AMAZING PAINTING RAFFLE!
May 3, 2012
Working on a small scale version of what I will be building in Tuscany this summer.
For those who don’t know I’m one of seven artist selected to compete in this years Cartasia, a biennial paper and cardboard art festival in Lucca Italy. In the next couple of weeks I will be doing some fundraising to help me cover my expenses while I’m gone.
If you’d like to contribute some money to my cause, then please give as generously as you can.
The amount is up to you. Everyone who donates will get a little something from me as a thank you. For every $10 you donate you will get one chance to win one of my paintings. Your choice of one from a group of six including the Beet and Ghosts of the Congress! These are major paintings, the retail value for Ghosts of the Congress is $1200! That’s nothing to sneeze at.
I am seeking to raise $2000 by the end of the month. The money is mostly going to cover my financial obligations here in Tucson while I am away for a month and a half. Mortgage, utilities and such. Some of the money is to cover any material and tool expenses over the small budget provided by the organizers of this event. This is likely to happen and I want to make sure if I need an extra gallon of polyurethane I can afford it. Cartasia covers my travel and lodging but not my food so that is where the rest of the money will be going. Any leftover (which I doubt will happen) will be used to help me establish this years All Souls Procession Workshops. I am setting up and organizing these workshops upon returning from Italy. More to come on that!
This is an amazing opportunity for me, Those of you who know me, know that I contribute a lot to this community. Now I am asking my community to give a little back. Help me make this project a reality and lets show the world that there is more to Arizona than hate.
Thanks sincerely
Mykl Wells
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From Tucson to Tuscany
April 4, 2012
I am pleased to announce that my proposal for this years Cartasia paper and cardboard art festival has been selected. I will be competing with a handful other artists from around the world in this unique biennial art event. This summer I will travel to Lucca, a medieval town in Tuscany where I will have to build a giant cardboard sculpture. This is my most ambitious piece to date. Each year a theme is proposed for Cartasia. This years theme was, “crisis and rebirth”. My proposal, “Snowdrop”, is based on, galanthus nivalis, (or snowdrop) a perennial bulb that cannot bloom until it has experienced the stress of the winter.
More details to come!
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Busy little bee!
January 9, 2012
I lost a month recently as I had vertigo. It was horrible, if I moved my head even slightly I’d get so dizzy that I felt like I was falling, like in a dream. I couldn’t drive or paint or do much of anything for almost five weeks. So now I’m playing catch up.
This winter has been very mild, though it’s a bit chilly this morning as I sit on the couch bundled up with the Xugar the hairless dog and sip my coffee. looks like a perfect day to spend in the studio.
I plan to mix up a pallet of greys and layout the under painting on several new panels. I have eight new paintings in the works and one old one that I love but it’s not working. I might just sand off the half that’s not coming together and re-conceive it. I hate to do it , when you consider the time you’ve already put into it, but when you get stuck sometimes it’s best to tear down and start fresh.
I’ve been developing a big cardboard sculpture project. It may or may not be happening so I don’t want to say anymore so as not to jinx it. I’ll know more in February. Keep your fingers crossed!
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WordPress 4 Artists Workshop Canceled Nov 19th and 20th 2011
November 15, 2011
Lack of interest has left me without enough students to make this pay for it’s self. Those who are interested I will try again in the spring. Maybe I can get a grant to help subsidize the costs and we can make the workshop more affordable. Without at least 5 participants I can’t afford to run this workshop. If you are interested in setting up an online portfolio you can contact me directly.
Thank You.
Myklwells
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Seeking help and support to realize a large scale project.
October 21, 2011
In 2008 Michael Carroll, Don Spaulding and I developed a shadow theater for GLOW. Michael was the brains of this adventure, I only provided a sculptural element and some advice. Don made many of the Mechanical elements. The end result was truly breathtaking. I have spent the last three years developing a more robust version of this that I would like to take to Burning Man and other night time festivals around the U.S. There is a lot that goes into an animatronic show like this. Controllers, DMX lighting, Power supply, Steel, Stepper and Servo motors, Speakers and wire. I estimate that this project will cost in the neighborhood of $5000. Since I don’t have the complete parts list I don’t know exactly. I could use some support in the form of Technical Assistance, materials and funding. If you are interested in getting involved in a project like this, please contact me.
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All Souls Procession Lantern Making Workshop!
October 17, 2011
ALL SOULS PROCESSION LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOP!
Contact: info@myklwells.com or via Facebook
Held on the Dock at Dinnerware Artspace
Sunday October 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th
From 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM each workshop.
In the Mexican tradition the Day of the Dead is a time of celebration. Unlike many other traditions that surround death and mourning, it is not a time of loss, but a time when we feel the presence of our loved ones and enjoy their company. So it is in that spirit of fun, remembrance, community and celebration that I am happy to announce this year’s All Souls Lantern Making Workshop.
If you have materials or some money to contribute to this year’s workshop, please consider doing so. We need big pieces of cardboard, white glue or something similar, paper, snap blade box cutters and extra blades, things like plastic flowers for decoration and poles; I use yucca stalks and bamboo, but even an old broom handle will suffice. If you can’t contribute in that way please come down anyway. We always manage to have enough. I’m available to pick up materials before the workshop or just bring them down. Any money donated will go to buying materials. If there’s any left over it will be donated to Many Mouths One Stomach, the organizing entity for the procession.
We will be making the cardboard lanterns that I designed and developed after Artist Paul Bagley’s 2006 lantern, in which he honored his family. Many of you are familiar with this design and have seen them in the Procession, at GLOW and also during Luminights. These are beautiful lanterns and photos can be inkjet printed and glued into the windows. They can be lit with LED lights available from dollar stores all over town, flashlights, Glow-wire, etc. This style of lantern takes a few hours to construct so get to the workshop early.
For those of you who would like to try their hand at something more challenging I have taken the basic principals of the basic lantern design and advanced it so that you can make much more complex forms. These take time so expect to contribute a couple of Sundays to crafting one of these.
Finally, I lost a very dear friend this year to cancer. In his honor I am making a large sculptural lantern which will be mounted on wheels and towed. This project is already underway. It’s a big project and time is short, so I can use all the help I can get.
My friend was a member of the LGBT community, or as he put it a “filthy old queen”. He was a real forerunner in the activist community, being a member of the Cockettes. He was one of the original 60′s Flower Children which, for those who aren’t familiar with the history, was originally a group of out gay and lesbian hippies who adopted flower names for themselves. Only later did the term become generalized to mean the rebellious young people of the time. Snapdragon was the moniker my friend adopted though we just knew him as Snappy. He spent his life in the company of artist and thinkers on the fringe. He told of dinner parties with John Waters and of knife wielding drag queens down in San Francisco’s Tenderloin in the early seventies. At the end of his life he lived with and cared for long time friend Bill Bowers, well know photographer and AIDS survivor. To me he was a dear friend and endless source of delight. Snappy was a lot of fun and he wouldn’t want us to be all sad and weepy, well maybe a little but then he’d want the party to begin. So it is my hope that this project not only honor Snapdragon Mukluk, but also any one who stands up defiantly and unapologetically as who they are.
So, I’m sending out a special request. If you are a member of the LGBT community or if your life has been touched by by someone special like Snappy, for whom the cutting edge is but a fleeting glow in their rear-view mirror, then come down and make a lantern, contribute some of your time to honor our rebels and renegades, and remember those who mean the most.
Thanks
P.S. A SUPER SPECIAL THANKS TO DAVID AGUIRRE for letting us use the dock at Dinnerware Artspace this year.
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LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOP CANCELLED This Sunday oct 16th!
October 13, 2011
I am very sorry to announce that this Sunday’s All Souls Procession Lantern Making Workshop has been cancelled.
ALL OTHER SCHEDULED WORKSHOPS ARE STILL ON!
workshops will be held on the 23rd and 30th of October from 11 AM-4 PM at Dinnerware Artspace 119 E. Toole.
I am trying to get an extra workshop squeezed in before the procession. If I succeed I will announce it here, on facebook and twitter.
My Sincerest apologies.
Mykl Wells
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WordPress for Artists
October 7, 2011
WordPress is a personal publishing system. It allows you to manage the content of your website without costly software. WordPress is blessed with an active user and developer community. It is open source software and free to use and modify.
Themes influence the look, feel and function of a WordPress website. WPFolio is a theme for WordPress. It was specifically designed for visual artists and takes full advantage of the powerful communication tools built into WordPress.
This is an introductory 2 day workshop for visual artists. We will be using WordPress and the WPFolio theme to build an online portfolio. The workshop will give an introduction to WordPress. Participants will follow along on their personal laptops as we build a basic portfolio website. This workshop is geared towards visual artists. Writers, musicians and performers are welcome to take this workshop but it will not address the special needs associated with those practices.
Registration
This workshop is limited to 10 people. Slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. There is a $20 non-refundable deposit required at the time of registration. Deposits go towards tuition. To Register send an email to register@myklwells.com. You will then receive confirmation that there is an open slot and further instructions within 48 hours.
Deadline for registration is November, 4, 2011 11PM
Tuition
The Workshop is $180.00 and includes one years free web hosting ($80.00 a year there after) and WordPress with the WPFolio Theme pre-installed. Participants must provide their own domain name. Participants may use their own webhosting but I can not offer any breaks on the tuition.
Dates and Times:
November 19th and 20th 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (with a one hour break for lunch).
Location:
Dinnerware Artspace 109 E. Toole
Workshop Preparation:
Participants need to bring the following to the workshop.
• A Wifi enabled laptop (Mac or PC) with image editing software such as photoshop or GIMP installed.
• At least 12 digital images of your work. Images should be at least 900 pixels wide or larger.
• Have a domain name, Hosting with WordPress already installed and WPFolio in the theme folder. If you don’t know what that means or are unsure I am available to help you by appointment. Participants not taking advantage of the free webhosting package are responsible to make sure the webhost they use provides the necessary functionality (PHP 5 or higher and MySQL). I will still install WordPress on your host whether i’m hosting it or not. It’s very important that we all start on the same page.
• If you go with your own webhosting I recommend Dreamhost.I have used them for over ten years with little or no trouble.
The free webhosting included in the package is also on a Dreamhost server. I rent a server from Dreamhost and resell space on it to cover it’s operating costs. I am able to offer yearly hosting for less than Dreamhost and I manage all the technicalities for you. I will be happy to discuss this setup with you and what it includes but it is far too much too include here. Suffice it to say that the hosting is more than adequate and if you have a hosting problem you can call me, a real live person and I will take care of it.
IS THIS WORKSHOP RIGHT FOR YOU?
If you are a visual artist and do not have an online portfolio,or have a website that you can not manage yourself,or are paying someone else to upload images to, or would like to move your website to a content management system -Then YES!
This workshop is a hands on workshop so if you don’t have a wifi enabled laptop there is no point taking it. Most of the work we will be doing will be online.
HOW MUCH WEB EXPERIENCE DO YOU NEED?
Not much. A basic understanding of how to work a computer and some internet skills. if you can operate a word processor you can use WordPress.
Some familiarity with what WordPress or other CMS’s are will really help. Even Better if you are familiar with WordPress, Drupal, Movable Type, Blogger, Tumblr or similar.
Familiarity with image editing software like photoshop. You should understand Terms like “DPI”, “Screen Resolution” and “Pixels”.
IF YOU ALREADY USE WORDPRESS AND WPFOLIO…
This is probably not the workshop for you. If you’ve taken any of my previous workshops then this is not the workshop for you. This is a starting from zero ground up introductory workshop. This is not for advance technical support or advice for people already using/familliar with WordPress. If you are not sure you can always ask me and we can determine if this is right for you. I do plan to offer more adanced workshops in the future and they will be geared to users who are ready to move on to the next stage.
Questions? Call ME!
Or dial 520 955-9019
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Big Sculptural Lantern
October 4, 2011
For those of you who are interested in my lantern making workshop (or on Facebook) and especially those of you who want to work on the big sculptural lantern with me. I thought you might like to see what the wire framework looks like. It’s a little hard to tell in the photo but it’s a giant calavera. This is going to be covered with a fabric or paper skin illuminated internally and mounted on a bicycle cart.
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TWO QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS: WORKSHOPS!
September 24, 2011
WORDPRESS FOR ARTISTS
Gearing up to run another WP workshop with special focus on the WPFolio theme, a theme designed specifically for artists. If you want to set up an online portfolio this introductory workshop is for you. If you’ve been to any of my previous workshops this is not the class for you. I will be having the more advanced workshop later this year. I’ve just secured a location and now I’m hammering out the dates. Class size will be limited so you get more attention. Dates, tuition and all of that will be posted here and on my Facebook, Art of Mykl Wells Page in the coming week. So keep your eyes peeled.
ALL SOULS LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOP
Yay! It’s All Souls Season! I’ll be running my usual lantern making workshop at Dinnerware this year. If you are interested I’ll be running the workshop over the course of several weeks (dates to be announced soon) and we will be building bigger cart/bicycle mounted lanterns as well as the smaller personal lanterns. The Procession route is MUCH LONGER this year so you may want to consider different ways of carrying your lantern than in your hands. I’ll post here and on my Facebook, Art of Mykl Wells Page as soon as I know all the details.
Thanks!
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Painting painting painting.
August 29, 2011
It’s been a while since I posted anything, June 8th by the looks of it. Well that’s because I’m working. I’m out in the studio every day toiling away on new paintings and drawings. I’ll be showing in the fall and spring if I can help it. Don’t expect much from me until then. I will be putting together some workshops once it cools off a bit, and I need a break from the studio. I’ll be putting together a wordpress for artists 2 day intensive. I’ll be limiting class size to 8-10 people. I’ll also be doing my lantern making workshop for All Souls Procession. Also in the works I should have some affordable reproductions of my work available soon. I should have some new paintings available in the next few weeks, famous last words, until then.
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Tomorrow Night, The Lumies.
June 8, 2011
I’m up for, emerging artist, tomorrow night at the Lumies. Tucson Pima Arts Council’s award ceremony for local artists and arts supporters in our community. Wish me luck!
If you’re curious about the Lumies and TPAC, here’s the Arizona Daily Star’s Caliente’ article:
http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/article_5c6b4c9f-beae-5d17-a822-cc494d55ef9e.html
And A Shout out to my Homie Bruce Clark who picked up my painting Cupie at the Kore Press Garden party (for a song!). I couldn’t have wished for a better home. Bruce taught Metalsmithing at Pima College for many years and was one of my instructors and inspirations. He was a real mutha, and I mean that in the best of all possible ways. If you went into his class thinking art was easy you left with a very different point of view. Bruce isn’t teaching these days, good for him, bad for the rest of us. You encounter teachers in life who make a real impression and change the way you think about the world and in this case art. Bruce is one of those guys.
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Kore Press Art Auction and Garden Party
June 4, 2011
Here’s your chance to buy a great piece of art and support a great press in Tucson. I have an original oil painting available and bidding starts at just $55 an incredible deal for one of my paintings which usually go for between $200 and $400 for this size. Check it out!
http://www.korepress.org/auctionart.htm
