Posts Tagged ‘art show’

The 2011 Windycon Science Fiction Convention

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Madame Machine
Madame Machine digital painting

November means that it’s time for the Windycon Science Fiction Convention. In addition to participating in the con’s programming, I will also have some art in the convention’s art show. Even though the art show set up is tomorrow, I have yet to decide which pieces I will show. Off the table is my astronaut art, which is available for purchase locally only through Paper Crown Art Gallery.

Friday night (11/11/11) at 9:00pm I’ll be attending the Art Show Wine and Cheese Reception. This is a great opportunity for convention goers to nibble on various cheeses, drink some wine, and talk with the artists whose art is in the show. Note that this is the only time that food and drink are allowed in the art show.

On Saturday at 11:00am I’ll be moderating the panel Online Portfolios. The panel is described in the program book as follows:

Should you use a photo hosting site like Flickr? Or would an artistic community like Deviant Art be better? Are there benefits for using a paid service over a free service? Join us while we discuss the pros and cons of the different options.

Joining me will be co-panelists Lucy Ayyat and Deb Kosiba. Anyone interested in exhibiting their art or photography online should attend this panel.

At 3:00 I’ll be doing a space exploration panel. My co-panelists for the Not Dead Yet: NASA’s Upcoming Missions, Despite Public Belief There Will Be No More will be friend Christian Ready, friend and fellow National Space Society director Jeffrey Liss, friend and fellow member of the Chicago Society for Space Studies Bill Higgins. This promises to be a very interesting panel and one that I am really looking forward to. There is sure to be lively debate on the future of NASA given the budget deficit and national debt crisis.

At 5:00pm on Saturday I’ll be doing a combination presentation and tutorial. Titled Processing for Artists and Photographers, I’ll be explaining what Processing is (an open source digital creativity platform designed to be a programming platform friendly to non-programmers) and demonstrating a number of different programs that I’ve written.

The Illustration

The artwork that I am using to illustrate this post is a tightly cropped version of Madame Machine (the original is 11 by 14 inches). If you’re familiar with the classic science fiction film Metropolis, you will know that in the movie the Man-Machine assumes the guise of the fair Maria. Thus, outwardly, the Man-Machine becomes a She-Machine. This is one of the works of art that I will be bringing to the Windycon Art Show, most appropriate for a science fiction convention. Unfortunately I have not added this art to my web site yet.

Reference Links

See you at the con. Jim

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Art Shows, Presentations, SF Cons | No Comments »

Bookmark it:  Stumble It  Bookmark this on Delicious  Digg This  Technorati  Reddit Tweet It

2011 DucKon Science Fiction Convention

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Duckon 2011 Opening Ceremonies Guests of Honor
DucKon 2011 Opening Ceremonies Guests of Honor

Yesterday morning I arrived at the DucKon Science Fiction Convention in Schaumburg to set up for the art show. Because of everything else that is going on just now, I did not decide until the last minute to participate in the convention’s art show. I had committed months ago to participating in the con’s programming but held off on deciding about the art show.

I did not bring very many pieces to hang in the art show. The pieces that I did bring for the show are:

Looking over the list I’m pleased to say that 4 out of the 5 are actually on my web site. Typically fewer than half are.

This morning (Saturday) I’ll be heading back to the convention. This will be my busy day as my presentation and all my panels are scheduled for today. My line up is:

It Started With The Hubble: A 20 Year Retrospective Of The Manned Space Program
A panel discussion overview of the past twenty years of the shuttle program, from the Hubble Space Telescope to the International Space Station.
For my part, I do hope to actually talk a little about the Hubble Space Telescope, which presents us with two very different categories of impacts. The first is the impact Hubble observations have had on our understanding of the universe. These impacts include a much more accurate measure of the Hubble Constant - which tells us about the age of the universe; the presence of super-massive black holes at the centers of galaxies; and the strange matter of dark energy and the accelerated expansion of the universe. The second area is the area of astronomical art aesthetics and the impact that Hubble’s observations have had on how astronomical art is portrayed.
Space 2031
In twenty years will there be a Chinese base on the moon? Will American astronauts be buzzing near-earth asteroids? Just where, in space, will we be in twenty years. This panel discussion will explore what our future in space may be.
Audio Interactive Art: Science as Art
My talk’s title is actually Live Art and combines a presentation about the tools of new media art with a dash of computer art history followed by audience participation in the creation of several works of digital art through the use of sound. More about this and some of my other presentations can be found on my Art Lectures page.
Privateers In Space!
With NASA’s attempts switch to private companies to provide launch services, Virgin Galactic’s sub-orbital flights, and Google’s Lunar “X Prize”, start-up companies are jumping at the chance to get into space. Where will this lead us over the next 20 years?

So today promises to be a busy day at DucKon. FYI, DucKon’s Guests of Honor this year are:

  • Literary:Tamora PierceWebsite
  • Artist:Ursula VernonWebsite
  • Filk:Gary HanakWebsite
  • Filk Fund Guests:Nate and Louie Bucklin
  • Fan:William and Trudi Puda
  • Writer:Shirley DamsgaardWebsite
  • Science:”The Last Shuttle Team”Website

If you’re attending the con, don’t forget to check out the art show.

Tags: ,
Posted in Art Shows, Presentations, SF Cons | No Comments »

Bookmark it:  Stumble It  Bookmark this on Delicious  Digg This  Technorati  Reddit Tweet It

Art Show + New Art + Art Open

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Microscopic Metropolis
Cropped Microscopic Metropolis

Art Show

Monday I took down my art exhibit at the Advocate Good Shepard Hospital (more info here) and set up a new art exhibit at the Rolling Meadows Public Library. The new show features 11 digital paintings. The art is displayed on the library’s second floor. More information to follow.

New Art

I just added new art to my web site. Microscopic Metropolis, cropped version shown above, was inspired by the visual similarities between cities as seen from Earth orbit and the veins of a leaf as seen under a microscope and is yet another illustration of the fractal nature of the universe.

Art Open

My art submission to the juried Chicago Art Open Exhibition made it into the show. The show will be held at the River East Art Center in Chicago. The public opening of the show is Saturday, April 24th at 12 noon. To kick off the exhibition there will be a Preview, Benefit and 35th Anniversary Party on Tuesday, April 20th from 6:00 to 9:00pm. There will be hors d’oeuvres, wine, music, a silent auction, and over 300 works of art for sale. For more info and to purchase tickets for admission to the preview and benefit, see PREVIEW BENEFIT PARTY - Chicago Artists Coalition

So until next time I leave you with the words of George Bernard Shaw:

Imagination is the beginning of creation.
You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

Tags: ,
Posted in Art Shows, Art and Artists, Digital Art | No Comments »

Bookmark it:  Stumble It  Bookmark this on Delicious  Digg This  Technorati  Reddit Tweet It

Astronomical Art, Algorithmic Art, and Science Fiction

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Sands of Mars
Sands of Mars

The Capricon Science Fiction Convention opens today and runs through Sunday. I have a fairly busy schedule at the con this year. First I will be participating in the convention’s art show. I will have seven works of art in the show:

In addition to the art show, I will also be providing two presentations for the convention: Algorithmic Art: Where Art Meets Math and The Art of Astronomy.

Algorithmic Art: Where Art Meets Math gives a history of algorithmic art, discusses some of the concepts and takes a look at some of the software tools available today to those interested in algorithmic art.

The Art of Astronomy is a straight forward history of astronomical art which also includes a discussion of how I have created some of my astronomical art as well as providing an overview of how anyone can use freely available graphics software to work with the raw image data available online from the various NASA robotic missions.

In addition to my two presentations, I will also be participating on the following panels.

Panel: Do You Still Believe in the Future?
Description: They say the “Golden Age of Science Fiction” is thirteen and when you’re thirteen all sorts of things are possible in the future. Now that you’ve grown up, chronologically, if nothing else, do you still view the possibilities of the future the way you did when you hit that golden age? Is it possible to retain that hope and optimism or are humans naturally cynical? With co-panelists Michael D’Ambrosio, Butch Honeck and Dermot Dobson as moderator.

Panel: Nuclear Fission or Fusion or ???: What Will Power our Future?
Description: Wind…Water…Coal…Steam…Oil. Over the centuries our fuel choices have changed as we’ve found more effective alternatives. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the most effective alternative, nuclear fission, carries a strong negative, and fusion isn’t ready for prime time. What advances will fuel sources see in the next 50 years? 100 years? Will we ever run out of fuel? With co-panelists Jim Landis, Pat Nuccio, Isabel Schechter, and myself as moderator.

Panel: ISDC: The International Space Development Conference
Description: The International Space Development Conferences is coming to Chicago on Memorial Day weekend this year. Come learn what this professional conference has to offer and learn how you can attend at a discount. With co-panelists Raymond Cyrus and Tom Veal and myself as moderator.

Panel: Manned visit to Mars: Round Table Discussion
Description: Is it worth sending a man to Mars as opposed to unmanned probes? With co-panelists Brother Guy Consolmagno and Bill Thomasson as moderator.

See you at the con.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Algorithmic Art, Art Shows, Astronomical Art, Presentations, SF Cons | No Comments »

Bookmark it:  Stumble It  Bookmark this on Delicious  Digg This  Technorati  Reddit Tweet It

Windycon - Dystopia, Space, and Art

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Windycon Art Show
Windycon Art Show web page

I’ll be spending this weekend at the Windycon 36 Science Fiction Convention. If you haven’t heard of Windycon it is one of the Midwest’s largest regional science-fiction conventions with an average attendance of over 1300.

I will of course be participating in the art show. Kerry Kuhn (aka Trouble) will be running the art show again this year which means that everything will go smoothly. I always enjoy touring the art show and seeing what the other artists are up to. I especially enjoy the Friday night wine and cheese reception which allows the artists and potential buyers to mix, mingle, and make merry. Another feature of the art show is the art auction held Saturday night and run by Bob Passovoy. It’s probably one of the most entertaining art auctions you’ll ever attend.

I think that I’ve attended most of the Windycons over the last 20 years and this one certainly has the lightest personal workload. I typically give one, maybe two, presentations and participate in a few panel discussions. This year I offered no talks and was assigned to a single panel. But that panel is a good one. Titled Dystopia Begone, the panel’s description is:

Does the future have to be so grim? Is our future really overcrowded, polluted and unequal? What books are interesting, good to read, and have a positive view of the near future? Or is there a positive view? Our panelists discuss the world of the next 100 years.

The panelists will be myself, E.E. Knight, Michael Williamson, and Gene Wolfe.

When it comes to science fiction and dystopian views of the future, I must say that I find the subject appealing. Looking over this Wikipedia list of dystopian literature, I find that I have read and enjoyed quite a few of the novels listed.

Based on memory I would have to say that of the ones I have read, my five top favorites are:

  1. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - 1966
  2. 1984 by George Orwell - 1949
  3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - 1932
  4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 1953
  5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - 1962

For my money, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress and 1984 are far out in front of the other three on my list.

And in getting back to the future, I will also be participating in a planning meeting for the 2010 International Space Development Conference (ISDC) - being held Saturday morning at the hotel. The International Space Development Conference is an annual conference sponsored by the National Space Society for which I am a director. I tried to avoid becoming deeply involved in the ISDC for fear of being stretched to thin. However I failed miserably. In addition to now being the official photographer for the 2010 ISDC, I am also managing the Call for Papers and find myself to be the Web Site Coordinator. You’ll be reading more about this in the future.

But for now, for more information about the Windycon Science Fiction Convention, go to http://www.windycon.org/windy36/. For the Windycon art show, visit Windycon Art Show page.

If you’re attending Windycon, keep an eye out for me and don’t forget to visit the art show.

Ad Astra, Jim

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Art Shows, National Space Society, SF Cons | No Comments »

Bookmark it:  Stumble It  Bookmark this on Delicious  Digg This  Technorati  Reddit Tweet It