Onajide | artist

Philadelphia

// May 30th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

I’m still in Phila. until tomorrow morning visiting with my sister and, doing some personal research/work on my public project here. It’s been nice so far. Pics later…

Loxahatchee River May 23

// May 25th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

A co-professor in the art dept. here and I did another day canoing on the Loxahatchee River on Wednesday. He has a 17 ft. canoe and everything else a person could need for the day trip. The river’s water level was much higher than the beginning of April, my last trip there. We’ve had some rain but, the drought is still here until the water table rises. He fished on every section of river he could and caught a few snooks and bass, all too small to keep. We saw lots of alligators and turtles but, they didn’t let us get close enough for any images. We arrived about 10:30 am and, the sun was setting as we drove off.

Daily Photo Project

// May 21st, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

With this picture I want to confirm that I’m still doing daily self pics, even if I haven’t posted any new ones. I’ve started working to correct that, though.

Not a lot has happened, other than lots of heated conversation regarding all the panels we had last week. I have noticed a bit of a generational gap in the manner in which some people talk and in the actions, or lack thereof, of others. I’ve stayed out of most of the flaming because that’s just not my nature.

Saturday I went to the park location of my installation in N. Miami Beach. The pieces from one of the “stations” were all gone. They hadn’t fallen over, been knocked over, or anything like that. I knew some pieces would be ripped and, that’s that. I have replacements but, will not put them out for a few weeks then, I have another walk-thru. (location of my selfpic)

I went back upstate to where I used to live for a while, visited my longtime friend who is looking his age more and more. At 51 yrs. old and, had a hard life, it shows in his face and hands. He doesn’t look good at all and, he smokes way too damn much. His body, on the other hand, is like a 30 yr. old, young and very sexy.

I only drive about 190 miles round trip. The price of gas is going up but, my car gets pretty good mileage. I stopped along the drive at some of my photo spots but, most were suffering from the drought: low water levels, fires, and dying plants. It’s been raining the past few days so, maybe things will be better soon enough.

Sailboat Bend Artist’s Lofts Meeting

// May 16th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

My 4th art related meeting in 6 days. This time it was about the low income artist’s lofts being built in Fort Lauderdale. These lofts are part of a larger complex but, are designed for low income “artists.” They are rentals, not condos for purchase. Qualified applicants that are accepted must then requalify every year to make sure they fall within the income guidelines. With a 1br/1bh at 1000 sq. ft., high ceilings and, a supportive community, how can you go wrong? This project was put together by Artspace, out of Minneapolis, MN, that has mostly renovated older buildings all across the US.

I was very much interested but, I would love to buy something again. I haven’t had my own house since I moved out of SF. I’ve saved a lot of money this past school year and, I’m now talking with my web dev. friend Paul about what he’s looking to buy. Although, my currently living situation is far from ideal, it has afforded me to save and, that is really needed in my life at this point. I want to find out if I can qualify to buy something of my own.

Tonight is my computer Meetup group. Although not formally a panel discussion type group, it will be my 5th group meeting in a week. :-)

(p.s. The guy with the green shirt (bottom right) used to live next door to me two years ago. He was an art student then. He’s bright, energetic, enthusiastic, has great art ideas and, very handsome.)

Miami Affordable Live/Work Space Panel

// May 13th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

A third panel this week focusing on affordable living/working space in Miami. There was so much info given out that one would really need a consultation to deal with ones individual circumstance for fulfilling housing needs. There’s another panel this coming Wednesday Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale. Yes, I’ll be there.

Miami Art Scene Panel

// May 11th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

Two consecutive nights, two different panels. Here is the “Whatever Happened to the Miami Art Scene?” panel. Below is the panel announcement I didn’t get in my overloaded inbox.

Miami Conversation(s)

// May 10th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

Installment #3 of Miami Conversation(s). Last night really seemed like a rehash of the time Miamiartexchange.com came into existence in October, 2000. Artists want more critical writing in local media but, who is going to provide it if they don’t? More posted on Thursday afternoon…

Miami Conversation Talking About The Lack

Gay Art

// May 7th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

I’ve been involved with different manifestations of art that have since been called into question: Black Art. But, one thing I keep at home and rarely show to anyone because it’s not really part of my art thinking process, is Gay art or, any art that oozes with sexuality. I’m not afraid of it, I just don’t find the subject worthy of the kind of intellectual thought that goes into my other work. It (my sexuality in art) has not been a place I felt much interest in exploring. Maybe I just haven’t been successful at it having given it a second rate status. That’s another reason I find Bill’s work so great; he keeps the work at a high tension intellectually yet, creates a hightened awareness of my own sexual being.

“Although there are some older artists like Jack Pierson on view at the gallery in Brooklyn, most belong to a generation born in the ’80s and too young to have experienced AIDS’ full brunt or the identity politics of that era firsthand. Many, as has been noted by others before, have barely experienced gayness as a threatened condition. Thus they seem to have skipped past self-acceptance and the hoary dramas of the closet, and moved directly to forms of expression that are frank, exuberant, celebratory, bawdy and not infrequently marked by the spirit of juvenilia that the (heterosexual) photographer and filmmaker Larry Clark has been mining for years.”

(Isn’t that our friend A.A. Bronson sitting up there? ;-))

Link: Gay Art: A Movement, or at Least a Moment.

el soldado de lotería

// May 5th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

Here is my contribution to profkampf’s Loteria Project. You can see the whole thing here at: http://profkampf.livejournal.com/240614.html

I actually made another version, both based on photos from the NYTimes, fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Initial Grading done

// May 3rd, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog

I’ve given all my students grades for all their projects this semester. Next, calculations to tally up the final grade for submission by 9 am Monday morning.

Tuesday is my “interview” for my job. I’m not sure that will be exactly but, it will be by phone conference because one of the parties is in California.