Artsnova Digital Art and Space

Tutorial on Recursion Published in CMD Journal

June 15th, 2011

CMD Journal cover
CMD (Computational Media Design) Journal cover

This spring it occurred to me to write an article about recursion for my Artsnova web site. I must confess that I really haven’t put any of my recursively created algorithmic art on my web site or made it available for sell but as a programming artist, I find the concept of recursion fascinating. The principal interest for me is in the creation of the program that creates the art. In other words, what excites and interests me most is the act of creating the recursive algorithm. The article/tutorial was to be one in a three part serious about the three "R’s" of algorithmic art: Random Numbers, Recursion, and Repetition. The tutorials were to be written using the Processing platform rather than C++ as Processing seems to have broader appeal to programming artists and is simpler to learn for people new to the field.

Shortly after completing the recursion tutorial I learned of a new magazine being published: CMD (Computational Media Design) Journal. From the CMD Journal website comes the following description of the publication:

THIS IS WHY WE’RE HERE
We are interested in the exploration of the intersections of art, design and computer science to encourage new ways of seeing, thinking and creating in order to empower and inspire inventive, innovative and creative research, artistic and design practices.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE
CMD Journal is an educational magazine about computational media design. The magazine was started by Marjan Eggermont and Laurel Johannesson in 2010 both to learn more about and to become a forum for this relatively new field.

Rather than publishing the article/tutorial on my web site, I decided to submit it to CMD Journal. I’m pleased to say that my submission was accepted and appears in issue 2 of the magazine, which is now available online.

Click here to access the current issue of CMD Journal

I did have to do some trimming of the tutorial in order to have it fit within the submission word limit. Now on my long list of to-do items is an entry to create an expanded version of the tutorial to use for my three "R’s" of algorithmic art set of tutorials.

Tags: CMD Journal, Processing, recursion, tutorial
Posted in Algorithmic Art, Computing, computer art | No Comments »

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A New Website Design for Artsnova

June 4th, 2011

New Artsnova web site design screenshot
The new Artsnova web site design

Thursday night I rolled out a new version of my Artsnova web site. My primary goal in redesigning my web site was to make the site’s navigation system more user friendly. If you want to know what the original version of the Artsnova web site looked like, look no further for I had designed the templates of this Wordpress blog to provide a seamless integration between my website and blog. The only difference between the blog and web site was the content of the sidebar. On the web site, the sidebar consisted of a secondary navigation system and some internal advertisements which varied from page to page.

Whereas in the original design the site navigation was split between a horizontal nav bar below the masthead for section navigation and a vertical navigation menu in the sidebar for intra-section navigation, I combined both into a single CSS driven drop-down menu in the new design. This makes it much easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for and to move around the web site quickly.

Another benefit of the new single menu system is maintenance. The dual menu system meant that there were structural differences from one page to the next. The new single menu system combined with a standardized sidebar means that the header, navigation, and sidebar divs are identical for all my web pages. Since I am not using either a CMS (Content Management System) or SSI (Server Side Includes) to manage my web pages but am instead coding them all up the old fashioned way - by hand - this standardization can save me quite a bit of time when adding new pages or undertaking site-wide changes.

My secondary objective was to clean up and standardize my sidebar elements and add social media linkage. I recently put the addthis.com social media bookmarking tool on a few of my pages for testing. In this redesign I have added the addthis widget to all my pages. I’ve also added the Facebook feed for my Facebook page to the sidebar. The only wrinkle is the Facebook widget which tends to be somewhat erratic in getting data back from Facebook on the initial load.

My final objective was to tweak the aesthetics of the page layout. The changes I made to the divs which control the design were minor but, to my eye, improve the overall appearance of the site.

I actually had two competing designs and the design I’ve gone with is the second. The principal difference between the two designs is that the design-not-chosen uses a vertical drop-down navigation menu in the sidebar to the left of the masthead for site navigation. I really liked the way this Javascript/CSS menu looked and worked. It really created a nice compact design as you can see in the screen shot below.

Artsnova alternate web design
The alternate Artsnova web site design

In the end I decided against this design for two reasons. First I don’t like to employ Javascript for something as crucial as site navigation. If someone has Javascript turned off, while the menu still displays and functions, it does not collapse and consequently becomes a very long string of sidebar buttons. Second, the Javascript did take a small amount of time to actually build the menu and while this was going on, the raw html menu elements were exposed to the visitor - the same as if Javascript were turned off.

Overall I’m quite pleased with the way the design turned out. I hope that visitors to the site find that it is now easier to navigate from one section to the next. At some point I will need to redo my Wordpress templates in order to provide seamless navigation between the web site and blog but that will have to wait for another day.

Tags: web site design
Posted in Computing, Odds and Ends, Web Design | No Comments »

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Art Exhibit and Web Site Updates

April 4th, 2011

Fremont Public Library in Mundelein IL

I must say that 2011 has not been a good year for posting to my blog. Looking back, I can see that my pace has slackened significantly from what it was in the past. If you visit my Facebook page - Artsnova Art of Jim Plaxco you’ll see that my postings there have been equally erratic. There are so many things going on and just not enough time for all of them.

However, I have been continuing to make additions to the Artsnova web site. Specifically, this year I’ve added:

a Digital Self Portrait to the Portrait Art Gallery,
a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor to the Portrait Art Gallery,
a Free IPAD Algorithmic Art Wallpaper Gallery,
Night Life - an abstract digital photo art to the Abstract Art Gallery,
a digital painting Sea Life Fantasy to the Nature Art Gallery,
A Gallery of Live Art Created at the Capricon Science Fiction Convention,
a new presentation Live Art to the Art Lectures Index,
an article Painting with Sound and Glitch Art.

With respect to my art, I spent part of today setting up an art exhibit at the Fremont Public Library in Mundelein, IL. I was only able to exhibit 11 framed works of art as each of my pieces was of a decent size and I quickly filled the space available. My art will be on display in the library until July 11, 2011.

Fremont Public Library Mundelein Art Display 1st Floor

The art on the first floor is in an excellent location from a visibility perspective. Upon entering the library, the art is easily visible. Note that additional wall space is reserved for another artist who is also a member of the Northwest Cultural Council Corporate Art Gallery Program. Fortunately the display space I received is slightly larger and better positioned than the alternate space.

Fremont Public Library Mundelein Art Display 2nd Floor

The art space on the second floor is much smaller and not so well positioned. However, as it turns out my art is located right next to the tax forms so for the next week or so it should be seen by lots of folks who, like myself, have waited to the last minute to do their taxes.

In other news, I’ll be speaking at the DucKon Science Fiction Convention in June and will also be in their art show. Because of that, I decided to not display any of my astronomical art or space art at the library.

I still don’t know if I’ll be able to attend the 2011 International Space Development Conference. While I did do a presentation about space art at last year’s conference, I did not submit any proposals this year due to not being certain of being able to attend. Missing the ISDC would be quite unfortunate as I am on the Board of Directors for the National Space Society and it is at the ISDC that one of the two annual board meetings is held.

To close, I leave you with a quote from scientist and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke: "The astronomical artist will always be far ahead of the explorer. They can depict scenes that no human eye will ever see, because of their danger, or their remoteness in time and space."

Tags: art exhibit, fremont public library, Space Art
Posted in Art Shows, Art and Artists, Digital Art, Space Art | No Comments »

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Capricon Science Fiction Convention 2011 Debriefing

February 16th, 2011

Capricon Live Art Sound Art Landscape
Capricon Live Art Program - Sound Art Landscape

The Capricon Science Fiction Convention was held at the Wheeling Westin Feb. 10 thru Feb 13. I arrived Thursday evening for my first panel - Requiem for the Space Shuttle. Along with fellow panelists Bill Higgins, Tracy Lunquist, and Henry Spencer, we discussed the history of the space shuttle program and its impact on space exploration. We also spent some time talking about the future of human access to space and the commercial revolution that will make it possible for private citizens to buy tickets for trips to space, i.e. space tourism. Our discussion lasted for over 90 minutes with lots of input from an enthusiastic audience.

Live Art

For me, the highlight of my participation in Capricon was my Friday morning Live Art presentation. My presentation opened with a demonstration of one of my programs for taking sound input from a microphone and processing that sound in order to create visual imagery. This was followed by my presentation which explored the subjects of algorithmic art, conceptual art, the question of is computer art art, and an explanation of my methodologies and the programming tools that I used to create the various programs. In fact a reasonable part of my presentation could be considered as a sales pitch for the field of computer art. My presentation was followed by the "show" - which involved running a number of different programs I had written to convert sound into art and letting the audience have their way with the microphone. Several of the artworks we created can be seen at A Gallery of Live Art Created at the Capricon Science Fiction Convention. The point that I sought to drive home was that while the sounds being generated by the audience were largely the same, the way in which they were interpreted visually varied tremendously based on the algorithm being used to translate the sound waves into visual imagery. For information about Live Art and my other presentations, see my Art Lectures page.

The Art of Space Exploration

Saturday morning I gave my The Art of Space Exploration presentation which provides an overview of the history of space art - beginning with early astronomical art and concluding with a discussion of space art from an artist’s business perspective. I included a couple of my own works in the presentation, including Shattered Dreams, a piece that I created as political commentary on the cancellation of NASA’s planned return of humans to the Moon and which was the cover art for the 2010 International Space Development Conference Program Book.

Capricon Odds and Ends

The rest of the weekend was spent either in conversation in the halls or over food, or attending panels on a variety of subjects. Unfortunately for me, the three programs I most wanted to see at the convention were scheduled in the same time slots as when I was speaking. My surprise meet-up of the convention was with fellow space artist John Kaufmann. This was the first time I had met John face to face - our previous meetings were of the virtual variety. John had some great astronomical art in the convention’s art show. We had a wonderful time talking shop and otherwise. Dinner Saturday consisted of an outing to a local mexican restaurant with Tullio Proni, maker of ray guns and other fine energy weapons; Bill Higgins, a beam jockey at Fermi Lab; and Nora. The other convention highlight was attending the Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog which indeed lived up to its name. In short, I had a fine, fun time at the con.

The Illustration

To illustrate this blog post, I combined two of the artworks created during the Live Art program in Photoshop and performed some additional image manipulation on them to create an abstract landscape. I also use this piece to illustrate A Gallery of Live Art Created at the Capricon Science Fiction Convention.

Referenced Links

Tags: Capricon, computer art, live art, science fiction convention, Space Art
Posted in Algorithmic Art, Digital Art, Presentations, SF Cons, Space Art, computer art | No Comments »

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Stop Illinois Internet Tax Bill

January 9th, 2011

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn

If you live in Illinois, contact Governor Quinn immediately and tell him not to sign the new Illinois Internet Tax Bill HB 3659, aka the Amazon Tax. The Internet Tax Bill was passed by the Illinois Senate on January 5 and by the House of Representatives on January 6 and is now awaiting Governor Quinn’s signature. This bill will force online businesses with affiliates in Illinois to pay taxes on every sale originating from those affiliates. According to John Cullerton’s (Democrat and Senate President) web site, this new law would give Illinois an additional $150 million in revenues and that it will "spur economic activity and job growth".

Unfortunately the reality is that the Illinois Internet Tax Bill may well result in a revenue loss for the state, a loss of income to Illinois citizens and business, and an increase in unemployment!

Point 1: In the four states that have passed similar laws (New York, Colorado, North Carolina and Rhode Island), instead of the state collecting additional revenue, the online merchants instead severed their relationships with affiliates in that state. The result was no new sales tax income for the state.

Point 2: When in-state affiliates are dropped, they no longer receive commission income on the associated sales - which means that they report less business income to the state - which means that not only do state revenues from income tax decline, but that those business’ now have less money to spend.

Point 3: Twelve other states have looked at the issues associated with similar proposed legislation in their states and wisely decided to reject the legislation.

Point 4: For affiliate businesses with employees, the business may move out of state to avoid being dropped - meaning a loss of jobs for state residents, a loss of income to local suppliers to that business, and a further loss of tax revenues to the state. At least one company located in Illinois - FatWallet.com - has stated that it will relocate to Wisconsin in order to save its business.

Unfortunately my state representative Paul Froehlich (56th district, Democrat) voted yes on this bill but fortunately Froehlich did not seek reelection and will be out of office once the newly elected representatives take their seats. Sadly my state senator John Millner (28th district, Republican) voted for this bill as well so I will be contacting him to express my displeasure with his action.

Tell Governor Quinn To Say NO To The Illinois Internet Tax Bill

If you are a citizen of Illinois, please contact Governor Quinn and tell him not to sign the Illinois Internet Tax Bill HB 3659, aka the Amazon Tax. Thank You.

Illinois Budget Background

Illinois is in dire budgetary straits. Illinois politicians are desperate as they have grossly mismanaged the state budget. Even though the state constitution calls for a balanced budget, Illinois is looking at a state budget deficit that is expected to hit $15 Billion by this summer. In addition, Illinois is ranked as the worst state in the nation when it comes to funding its pension funds. Currently Illinois’ unfunded pension liability is approaching $100 Billion! As a consequence, bond rating agencies continue to downgrade Illinois municipal bond rating - now down to an A-. This results in increased interest costs to the state as it borrows money to pay its bills.

Unfortunately for me, my property tax bill increased a whopping 30 percent from 2009 to 2010. In an act of cowardice, our incumbent politicians made sure that delivery of the second installment of the property tax bills was delayed until after the election in order to avoid voter backlash. Note that here in Cook County we had the highest sales tax in the nation in 2010! There was a slight cut back in the sales tax rate in advance of the election so I am unsure as to whether or not we still have that honor. Now the politicians in Springfield are proposing a 75 percent increase in state income tax!. Amazing since Illinois did not even have a state income tax until 1969. And now we have the creation of the new Internet tax! Frankly, given the manner in which our elected officials have thoroughly mismanaged the state budget, I don’t think that I would trust to give them another dime. In terms of spending, Illinois is now spending 30% more per person in inflation adjusted dollars than it did just 10 years ago!! This is obviously a trend that must be stopped.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon affiliate so this legislation does affect me personally, although the financial impact is nil.

Tags: illinois, internet tax
Posted in Odds and Ends | 1 Comment »

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Tweet A Processing Sketch

December 9th, 2010

A Processing sketch to illustrate this post

If you check out my Twitter account (http://twitter.com/digitalart), you will note that in the past I created a limerick that fit within the 140 character limit Twitter imposes.

A while back there was a Processing Tiny Sketch Competition in which the Processing community was challenged to create a complete Processing sketch with a 200 character limit for the Processing program. That contest was hosted by Rhizome (you can visit my Rhizome account).

This got me to thinking: what about creating a Processing sketch that could be tweeted. If you haven’t heard of Processing, it is an open source programming language and environment for people who want to create images, animations, and interactions. Processing is built on Java and the Java programming language is available to Processing users. It’s a wonderful programming environment for artists and programmers alike. You can see what many folks have done with Processing at the OpenProcessing web site.

So my challenge to myself was to write an entire Processing program using less than 140 characters and I wanted the resulting image to be dynamic rather than a static. Fortunately Processing is quite flexible and there are a number of ways to shrink a program. Before explaining my methodology, here is the full unshortened version of the Processing program source code:

// declare integer variables
int x;    // x for horizontal pixel coordinate
int y;    // y for vertical pixel coordinate
int r=100;// r holds default screen size

// Setup() function is executed once at program start
void setup() {
  size(100,100); // Set the screen size
  background(0); // Set background color to black
}

// The draw() function executes continuously
void draw() {
  // Cycle through every value of x
  for(x=0;x<r;x++) {
   // For each x, cycle through every value of y
   for(y=0;y<r;y++) {
     // Set the pixel at x,y to the specified color
     set(x,y,color(frameCount*r*sin(frameCount*x),
             20*r*cos(frameCount*y),
             r*frameCount*cos(x)));
   }
 }
}

And here is the Twitter optimized version:

int x,y,r=100,t=1;void draw(){for(x=0;x<r;x++)for(y=0;y<r;y++)set(x,y,color(t*r*sin(t*x),20*r*cos(t*y), r*t*cos(x)));t++;}

The program is just 121 characters long. I’ve named this program Scottish Tartan as the output resembles a tartan. There’s a nice tie in as I am part-Scottish via the Campbell clan. Other than omitting the comments and crlfs (carriage return line feeds), there are functionally only two differences in the two programs.

I deleted the setup() function because it is optional. It is used to initialize various parameters and options and is executed just once. By removing it:
* the canvas will default to a size that is 100 pixels wide (the x dimension) by 100 pixels tall (the y dimension).
* the background color will default to gray.
* the colorMode will default to RGB with 256 possible values for each color.
I replaced the system variable frameCount with my own variable t. The frameCount variable is incremented each time the draw() function is executed. Substituting my own variable t saves characters.

Other strategies to shorten the program were to:

Keep variable names to one character (x,y,r,t)
Use the increment operator t++; instead of t=t+1;
Eliminate unnecessary for statement brackets

See the Processing program as a Twitter tweet

If you want to see what the program actually does you will need to download and install Processing. Installation is straight forward and best of all it’s free. Why not give it a try. Visit http://processing.org/ for more information and to download Processing.

Processing Books

There are a number of books that have been written about how to use Processing to create images, animations, etc. Following are books that I recommend - based on the fact that I’ve bought and used them.

In addition to the books listed above, there is a new book out on Processing that was released in August 2010. I do not have this book so can not comment on it. You may want to investigate for yourself. The book is Processing for Visual Artists: How to Create Expressive Images and Interactive Art

Merry Christmas everyone, Jim

Tags: Processing, twitter
Posted in Algorithmic Art, Computing, Digital Art, Graphics Software, computer art | No Comments »

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Space Art Contests Galore

October 23rd, 2010

VSP Illustration from NASA Space Art Contest

It seems that right now there are a number of art contests going on whose theme is space exploration. So if you are into art and into space - then you may want to enter one or more of these art contests.

NASA Future of Flight Art Contest

First there is the NASA Future of Flight Art Contest which is open to High School and College students around the world. This was formerly the The Moon: Back to the Future art contest in which I participated as one of the judges. The Future of Flight Art Contest includes both prizes and exhibit opportunities. Winners will be announced in June 2011.

Entries are in four categories: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, digital, literature (poetry and short stories) and video. Entries will be evaluated on creativity and artistic qualities. Entries are due no later than April 15, 2011.

Take me to The Future of Flight Art Contest

NASA and Etsy 2010 Space Craft Contest

NASA and Etsy have teamed up for the 2010 Space Craft Contest. Hurry because the deadline to enter is November 2, 2010. The purpose of this art contest is "to celebrate artistic exploration and commemorate the end of the NASA Space Shuttle Program with a creative challenge: Share an original handmade item or work of art inspired by the NASA Space Shuttle Program and space exploration at large." The top prize is a trip to an upcoming Shuttle launch as NASA’s VIP guest. There is mention that your artwork might even be flown to space aboard the Space Shuttle!

Take me to the NASA - Etsy 2010 Space Craft Art Contest

SEDS Video Ad Contest

SEDS - Students for the Exploration and Development of Space - is hosting a video contest. The challenge is to "develop an awesome ad for SEDS-USA that shows the world what our organization is all about!" A panel of judges, including William Pomerantz of The X Prize Foundation, William Watson of the Space Frontier Foundation, and Gary Barnhard of the National Space Society, will vote for the winning entry. All entries will be shared online via Youtube.

Hurry - the deadline for entering the video contest is November 2, 2010.

Take me to the SEDS Video Ad Contest

IAA Humans in Space Symposium International Youth Art Competition

The International Academy of Astronautics is sponsoring a art contest as a part of the International Academy of Astronautics Humans in Space Symposium to be held in Houston Texas in April 2011. The IAA is asking artists to address the question "What is the future of human space exploration and why is it important." Contest entry categories include music, art, video, and literature. The contest deadline is December 3, 2010 and is open to student artists who are 10-17 years old.

Take me to the IAA Humans in Space Symposium International Youth Art Competition

Okay all you artist out there - enter one or more of these art contests for your chance to win! And be sure to let interested students know about these contests as well.

Tags: art, contest, nasa, SEDS, space
Posted in Art Contests, Space Art | No Comments »

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Grand Opening of Adobe Museum of Digital Media

October 6th, 2010

Adobe Museum of Digital Media Main Menu

Yesterday was the grand opening of the Adobe Museum of Digital Media and I was looking forward to my visit to this virtual museum of digital art. Arriving at the site - Adobe Museum of Digital Media - I found myself waiting for the museum to open in my browser. Unfortunately Adobe decided to implement their virtual museum as a completely Flash web site and that Flash file is really, really big. Even with my top of the line broadband internet connection, I had to wait some 45 seconds for the museum to open. A few browser reloads gave times in the 40-45 second range.

The museum opens with a city fly-around that focuses on the virtual museum building itself. This virtual building, a large white stylish futuristic looking building quite at odds with the surrounding cityscape, was designed by Italian Filippo Innocenti, an associate architect at Zaha Hadid Architect.

Adobe Museum of Digital Media Virtual Building
Adobe Museum of
Digital Media
Virtual Building

Upon completion of the fly-around the visitor is presented with three navigation options. One of these options is to see a message from the museum’s curator Tom Eccles, executive director and faculty member of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. The message is a brief introduction to the museum and the concept.

The second navigation option is to take a building tour. One of the sub-options, AMDM Cityscape allows you to replay the opening video. A second sub-option is Making the Impossible which opens a video describing the creation of the Adobe Museum of Digital Media with emphasis on the design of the virtual building that is meant to represent the museum.

The third navigation option is for the current exhibit. In terms of the actual art content, the current (and first and only) exhibit is Valley by Tony Oursler. I did not visit much of the exhibit because I did not find it to be particularly accessible from a user perspective.

There is also an option on various sub-pages to become a member by providing your email address and creating a user name. I joined as I am curious to observe how Adobe’s virtual museum evolves.

And Now - The Art Museum Review

My visit to the Adobe Museum of Digital Media was a disappointment. Not only does the initial page take an overly long time to load, but it also takes just as long for many of the sub-pages to load. In short, the site has a terrible time-to-content ratio - in fact the worst that I have ever experienced. Nor was I thrilled that the museum wound up kicking my laptop cooling fan into overdrive.

As to site navigation, at times it was not intuitively obvious where to click or where that click would take you. The flying eyeball that serves as your museum guide between the base pages was cool but only slowed things down more.

In conclusion, it looks like Adobe’s principal goal is to show off the virtual building they created to host the museum and to show off Flash’s visual capabilities. I think the public would have been better served if Adobe had concentrated on offering visitors a user friendly format in which to view digital art and to provide informative content in support of that art.

Visit the Adobe Museum of Digital Media

Tags: adobe, digital, Digital Art, flash, media, museum, review
Posted in Art and Artists, Digital Art | No Comments »

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Artist’s Reception And Poetry Reading in Arlington Heights IL

July 17th, 2010

Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool digital art
Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool

The Northwest Cultural Council will host an Artist’s Reception and Poetry Reading on Saturday July 17, 2010 from 1:00 to 3:00pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

The artist’s reception and poetry reading will be held at the Arlington Green Executive Centre located at 2101 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL.

I will be attending the artist’s reception and am looking forward to the opportunity to meet both those interested in my art as well as the other artists.

Unlike my last art exhibit at the Arlington Green Executive Centre Gallery, which consisted solely of abstract computer art, this time my works are space art and astronomical art.

The art exhibit is a part of the Northwest Cultural Council Corporate Gallery Exhibition Program. The Northwest Cultural Council’s Corporate Gallery Exhibits reflect a wide variety of media, artistic expression and vision of the artists. Artists with work on display in the art exhibit are:

Betty Morley	Arlington Heights
Mirella Scully	Mount Prospect
Min Ja Lah	Schaumburg
Carl Jalowiec	Palatine
Beverly Miotke	Roselle
Claire Vogt Wally	Barrington
Gail Baar	Buffalo Grove
Joan Brinkworth	Arlington Heights
Jim Plaxco	Schaumburg
Irene Oleksiuk	North Barrington
William Dunn	Arlington Heights
Robert Cobb	Rolling Meadows
Deanna Goldberg	Buffalo Grove

The art currently on exhibit at the Arlington Green Executive Centre will remain on display through August 2, 2010. The art can be viewed Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

All art in the exhibit is for sale with a percentage of the sale price being a tax-deductible donation to support the activities of the Northwest Cultural Council, a not-for-profit community agency bringing visual art, music, dance, theater, poetry, and their unique “Kids Meet Art”™ program to the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

In addition to the art exhibit and the artist’s reception, there will be a poetry reading. Poets reading their work at the reception are:

Angela Narciso Torres	Glenview
Kathleen Kirk	Normal
Patricia McMillen	Oak Park
Virginia Bell	Evanston
Steven Schroeder	Chicago
Maureen Flannery	Evanston
Susanna Lang	Chicago
Helen Degen Cohen	Deerfield
Deborah Nodler Rosen	Glencoe

So if you’re in the northwest suburbs and are looking for something to do, I suggest checking out the Northwest Cultural Council’s Artist’s Reception And Poetry Reading.

The Art - Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool

Titled Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool, I created this piece this morning to serve as the illustration for this post. Strange to believe that I used as a starting point a photograph I took of baggage transport carriages at O’Hare Airport. The final piece seen here was created by using a combination of Photoshop filters, layer blends, layer styles, and adjustment layers. Isn’t digital wonderful!

Tags: artist, poetry, reading, reception
Posted in Art Shows, Art and Artists, Digital Art, Photoshop | No Comments »

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International Space Development Conference Day Two

May 29th, 2010

Bolden, Garver, Mankins
Pictured left to right: NASA Administrator General Charles Bolden, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, Bob McDonald from SPACE Canada, SPACE Canada Executive Director Margaret McLaughlin, John Mankins, SPS researcher from Japan whose name I can’t recall.

Far too much happened today on day two of the International Space Development Conference to go into any sort of detail and having only now gotten home it would take some time to type up my notes and make them comprehensible. However I will say that the two presentations by Jeff Greason were most enlightening.

Unfortunately, the biggest event of the day took placed during the dinner which featured NASA Administrator General Charles Bolden. It was after dinner and after the presentation of the NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Award to the Durango High School Aerospace Design Team. General Bolden had just started to speak when some young well dressed lady strode up to the podium, took the microphone from Bolden, and proceeded to attack NASA and Bolden for their animal experiments. NSS Executive Director Gary Barnhard, who was sitting several feet away, got up and promptly escorted the lady out of the room.

I will say that the net effect of this woman on the audience was to portray animal rights activists in a poor light. My big question: did this woman buy a ticket for this event or did she crash the gates?

Following is the relevant audio clip featuring the unwelcome interruption. Press the play button to begin the audio playback.

Tags: animal, bolden, ISDC, protester
Posted in National Space Society, Space Exploration | No Comments »

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Tutorial on Recursion Published in CMD Journal

A New Website Design for Artsnova

Art Exhibit and Web Site Updates