Friday, June 25, 2010

Hubba Hubba



See the Hubba Hubba Flickr Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25112109@N06/sets/72157624355716842/














"Hubba Hubba" is a series of male & female torso charcoal drawings that I made in the Summer of 2009. This series is very personal to me... I have an obsession with drawing torsos and this was a series where I embraced that obsession. Hubba Hubba represents my romanticized and simplified idea of romance and love... with all it's beauty, wonder and pain. I hope you like them.

I'm giving this sketch away for FREE!!! All you have to do is subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/darrinmaxwell) and leave a comment on the video above! I'll send a pm to the winner and make the announcement next week. I do a weekly FREE ART FRIDAY video on YouTube (and vicariously thru blogger :). I'd love for you to engage... GOOD LUCK!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

"Father In Exile" - A Snapshot Aesthetic Journal



This short film [and the photos taken] was inspired by a late night (and early into Father's Day morning) discussion with Paul Robinett about art, inspiration and a trend in fine art photography that started in the early sixties called 'snapshot aesthetic'. Admittedly, this isn't the most peppy of Father's Day videos... (I wish I didn't have this footage frankly) - But I hope you gain something from watching me embrace new ways to explore creativity and [maybe more importantly] pushing myself towards honest self-expression.

  • Ok! moving on... (sorry, it's the psych class i just took... recently I've become psychoanalytical & introspective about everything! and I already have a bit of a melancholy bent to begin with... but anyway...)

As for the whole 'snapshot aesthetic' theory - holy SH!T - am I excited!!! (Thanks for your blog post about this Rita!).  I feel like I've added a new superpower weapon to my creative tool-belt! The main lesson I'm learning here is to LET GO - to stop controlling (something I need to apply to my art and in relationships if I'm being honest!) - but rather being alive in the moment and allowing the lens to be more of a 'loose' third eye - documenting the moment (and I just become a conduit of the energy I'm trying to capture, not the master of it). It's just freeing! Make sense?

If you'd like to see more snapshots from this night check out the Fickr Set.

Friday, June 18, 2010

SPEED Drawing Vol. 3: "Bunny With Bling?"



I'm giving this drawing away for FREE (I'll pay shipping)!!! All you have to do is subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment (see steps to enter below)! I'll send a pm to the winner and make the announcement next week. If you don't win, stay tuned! I'm going to be doing FREE ART GIVEAWAY every Friday. GOOD LUCK!

3 STEPS TO ENTER:

1. Subscribe Here: http://www.youtube.com/user/darrinmaxwell
2. Post a Comment to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkbekeEUSDI
3. DON'T pee in your pants!!! (it might feel good for a few seconds, but it won't increase your odds!)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I MADE THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL!!!!


Ok, not really... Actually it was the 8th page of the Short North Gazette - but that's still pretty cool RIGHT?! This was taken during the May 2010 Gallery Hop in the Short North Arts District. I had a solo exhibit that weekend that Ann Robinett (Paul Robinett's sister) curated. You can check out the 2 murals I painted along with some of the photographs I had on display on my Flickr set Titled 719 North High (The photograph of the old Wonder Bread factory sign is my fav!). Let me know what you think... I've got to go sign some copies for my friends!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Yellow Hair, Black Tooth



This is a an experimental art creation video that was inspired by one of my favorite YouTube artists: regiaart (who isn't very active on YT anymore). Love it or hate it - PLEASE leave a comment on this video! I'm searching for ways to create consistent artistic content that feels intuitive and enjoyable for me to create, but content that also makes a connection with my audience. Thanks for watching!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Eat the ball


Eat the ball, originally uploaded by Darrin Maxwell.
This is kind of a random post, I know... but I was driving through Delaware this afternoon and stopped by an old abandoned barn. The ground was covered with hundreds of black walnuts. I couldn't help but admire the endless forms and faces found in these little natural sculptures. This one is my fav (he had a little help with positioning of course). Check out my Flickr stream for a few more.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The Social Norms Experiment






The Social Norms Project
(Suggest you watch the videos first)

I broke a social norm by dancing and singing to myself as I listened to a rap song on my iPod on a crowded sidewalk in downtown Columbus. I didn't know all the words to the song, so I'm sure my singing must have been amusing. I was walking as the music played flinging my arms in the air and stopping on occasion to do an odd little jig that I'm pretty sure I've never seen before (or want to see again). I asked a friend to go with me. He politely declined to engage in the dancing or singing, but I was really glad he was there. Having an aly made me feel a little less crazy. I also asked a friend to come because I wanted someone to take video so I could upload it to my YouTube channel. I thought that having a camera on me would be a positive motivator for me not to chicken out! Normally I'm very confident being on camera. I really don't mind acting a little silly in public, but this was different. I had an idea in my mind that was so grand - but didn't really materialize the way I had envisioned. I believe my failure to go absolutely crazy when I was surrounded by a large group of people waiting for a bus on High Street was that my ego just couldn't overcome the fear of something going wrong. It was so much more difficult to push through that anxiety than I thought it would be.

My reaction during the time I was singing, dancing and doing cartwheels was pretty simple: I felt like a complete idiot! I noticed some people smiling. Several people leaned over to tell the person next to them to look at me. I also observed several people pointing. I think people knew I wasn't crazy, but I think some must have thought I was on drugs. I wanted to be viewed as funny (not mentally challenged). I was so insecure about not coming off as 'funny' or 'entertaining' that I was paralyzed with fear at the moments when there were the most people around. I was really surprised that it was so difficult to push past that fear. I wore a hat pulled low on my head and sunglasses that completely obscured my eyes. I doubt anyone when saw me would recognize me today without that hat and sunglasses. I knew I would never see these people again. My friend reminded me of this fact over and over again, but it didn't matter. I regained my composure at moments when there were the most people around (this went on for several blocks). My emotions were like a roller coaster! First, I would blast the music (an upbeat song that I love). I felt the adrenaline rush! Maybe this was going to be awesome! Maybe some old lady would come up and dance with me! Maybe my friend would catch the whole thing on video and this would be the next viral video on YouTube! Then reality began to sink in as I approached the groups of people. I began to feel the fear slowly rising... knowing what I was about to do... I became hyper aware of every minute detail of my appearance. I was thinking: "Is my zipper down? Is my shirt tucked in all the way? Is my hat on too crooked? Should I have worn different sunglasses with this hat? What if I slip? I shouldn't have worn flip flops!" I think I was too focused on everyone around me and not on the task at hand. I began to become hyper aware of not just the crowd of people that surrounded me but the individuals that made up that crowd. I saw an attractive woman dressed well talking very pleasantly on her blackberry ("What would she think if she sees me dancing and singing to myself?"), then a man in a power suit holding a briefcase with the direction of his gaze obscured by his sun glasses (What's that guy going to think... wait. Maybe he's looking at me already!). Then a row of very 'ghetto looking black men' that had a look like: "If you get near me I'll PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!" I don't want my to get punched in the face! What if I accidentally say the "N" word out loud (as the song I was listening to does)! I don't want to incite a racial riot! Now, I doubt that would have happened but my preconceived prejudice of 'ghetto looking black men' were at play here whether I wanted to admit it or not. And I'm now concerned about my friend's safety too! Hey (I think). This is just a psych project! After a few dry runs and subsequent 'failed attempts' I tried to talk my friend into doing it for me... just to break the ice. If you do it then I'll totally do it I swear! "Hell no!" he answered. "This is your grade not mine!" He was right (even thought I wish he would have done it!). I completed the task, but not with the grandeur that I had hoped.

In conclusion I'm both relieved and disappointed that this project is over. I can't help but be inherently disappointed in my inability to push through my psychological fears and insecurities to the extent that I had imagined. I either need to accept my delusional tendency to "think to big" or accept my inability to deliver. Either way I won't soon forget this exercise and still feel a need to continue thinking about how I engage social norms and get. Or perhaps I'm just at an introspective phase of and I'm way over thinking this whole thing. One thing I would like to remember is that breaking a social norm forced me (and others) to live in the moment and embrace myself (fears and all).

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Meditation is The Art of Paying Attention.



I found this page in my Psychology notebook very amusing! On this single page lies all of my notes from a one hour lecture on learning, consciousness and some other psychobabble (I say this with ALL affection as I love this class! - I just don't take very good notes)... I find that I 'pay attention' more effectively during the lectures by doodling... my notebook is riddled with pages like this, it's like when I have a pencil and paper I just CAN'T resist creating line! I just found it pretty funny that the only text on this page reads: "Meditation is the art of paying attention."