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If my past praises have not yet convinced you of the wonders of the Devabulator, I created a powerpoint that easily spells out the who, what, where, when, and why of this widget as well as gives some information about deviantart.com, for those of you who are still hesitant to join. Once again I would like to mention that the devabulator was created by Brian Fernandes of thegoan.com. His website gives great tips and tricks about the usage of the widget as well as highlights some of the other applications he has created. After absorbing all of the technical information, I want to focus on the importance this has on the art world. The key to pursuing and loving art is the discovery of new talent and by incorporating this widget into your desktop, it becomes easier and more efficient to learn about new styles of art as well as new artists.

enjoy..

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The last few posts have been about the new application the Devabulator, from the art community Deviantart. While many applications are currently being created that allow users to tag photos or search through clip art, I believe this Deviantart application is one of the more trusted widgets because it is created by a site that was created for artists and art enthusiasts alike. When it comes to underground art, the best place to learn about new artists is from people who have already discovered them. Deviantart takes these artists and compiles them into one database that is accessible to all of its users. While other websites allow users to upload their photos, deviantart is more dedicated to networking its users with each other, in the long run benefiting more people enthusiastic about art.

Networking has become a major cause of popularity among younger and newer artists. Because so many careers are determined by prominent galleries and collectors, it is essential that an artist become familiar with these key people. A site like deviantart, although not on the scale of established galleries, can provide artists with competitions to submit art, the ability to message fellow artists, as well as a chance to sell their art to subscribers. Even though this is on a smaller scale than galleries, the growing popularity of web based shopping and business allows the deviantart users to reach a wider audience, as well as provide them with a better chance of discovery and popularity. All of these tools are deviantart’s way of networking artists with buyers and other artists. In the end, the people who are interested in finding new artists to follow will have a better chance of finding people within their field of interest by searching a site that provides them with thousands of pieces, rather than the select collections a gallery will present.

The Devabulator takes the idea of devinatart one step further by providing a search tool that is not connected to the internet. By rotating pictures on one’s desktop, a person can quickly glance through photos, paintings, graphic designs, animations, etc, quickly without interrupting their work. Much like a digital frame that can be set to any speed of rotation, the devabulator filters images based on the users specifications at a rate determined by them as well. Since almost every aspect of pop culture is based on convenience and quickness, the davabulator gives art enthusiasts the chance to discover new artists at a speed that matches their busy lifestyles. Not only is modern culture becoming quicker, it is becoming more computer and web based as well. An artist does not reach as many viewers if they choose the display their work in local galleries, but if they publish their work on a widget like the devabulator, there is a better chance that more people will search through the images than if they were to enter a gallery. Already, galleries are linked to satellite locations in the major cities, like Los Angeles, New York, and London, but for those who do not live in an art based city, they still have a chance to appreciate art by searching for it online.

This widget is the first step to an appreciation of art without the gallery as the means to view art. By creating something that is web and computer based, deviantart is supplying more people with the ability to incorporate art into their lives. I think that more companies should create the ability to publish portfolios from artists of every different level because it provides a more comprehensive collection of web based artists. Rather than keeping the industry localized among a small group of people, the web direction is including more people and genres of art into the art scene. The devabulator is the first tool that makes this inclusion of more people available to artists and their patrons and in the future it is apparent that more companies will create web based groups that link more people to the artists they want to learn about.

I introduced the devabulator to you, but know I would like like to take the chance to give you some more facts. I believe this app to be a good addition to any artists or art appreciator’s desktop because it allows access to a community of people practicing different styles of art, many of them established artists. It is easy to use once it is downloaded on to your destktop and the sleek hidden design does not overpower or clutter a desktop.  The Devabulator was created by Brian Fernandes, creator of thegoan.com, a website that has created a number of applications. The Devabulator works with Yahoo Widgets and places a sort of search engine on your desktop. From there, random art cycles through the window at a speed that is controlled by you as well as subject matter that is controlled by you. Thegoan.com lists some helpful codes that you input into the search bar with allow users to filter images based on artist, medium, or works similar to the ones being shows. I downloaded the Yahoo Widget application and so far like it a lot because of its simplicity and helpful directions. The design is sleek and looks very similar to the newer mac or vista color schemes with its transparent backgrounds and recognizable rounded and button-like windows. The Devabulator is running under its second version, which appears to run smoother with more search options for the user. The best information about this app can be found on the creator’s website, The Goan, but overall I found the application to be self explanatory and an essntial tool for searching through thousands of artists and artworks.

Currently I keep the devabulator running in the corner of my desktop and a speed of about thirty seconds. I feel any longer and the idea of quickly scanning through images is lost. The point of this app is to make image searching easier, so a quick paced speed will provide more images to browse during a study break or lunch break. The easiest way to use Yahoo Widgets is to keep the unnecessary widgets off the tool bar and only open a few windows at a time. Because the devabulator rotates through some highly colorful and busy pictures I feel a cluttered desktop does not provide the best viewing for the pieces. It is also a good idea to keep your filter settings more general because it leaves the ability to find new artists an easier thing to achieve. Although, once an artist with interesting work is discovered, try limiting the search to images like the one you have just seen.

This app is a great addition to an art lovers desktop, it does not take up too much space, yet it provides a great deal of art and culture to the computer.

from thegoan.com

Recently I was introduced to the bibliography tool Zotero. This tool for documenting the bibliographic information from various books and articles I find while searching the web came in very handy when I found the book Pop Surrealism:The Rise of Underground Art, by Robert Williams. This book documents the beginning of Pop art (also known as Lowbrow art) from its birth in the 190’s to the present. It also includes essays and artwork from twenty three well known artists. Not only would I recommend this book because it gives information about the history of this movement, but it provides pictures of the pieces as well. One artist that everyone should recognize in the book is Shag, he is the artist synonymous with tiki art, but the list of famous pop surrealists only grows from there. Although this book plays up the “outsider art” factor, many people have become believers of this style and consider it a relevant movement within the art world. You be the judge and read this book, you may discover a new artist or become more familiar with the now popular world of lowbrow art.

Cover of the book Pop Surrealism:The Rise of Underground Art

Underground is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but the underground world is a vast culture that can embody everything from the clothes someone wears to the books they read. So, how are you supposed to navigate this confusing world of art, style, and culture and come up with useful information? My question was answered after being introduced to the site pageflakes. This site allows subscribers to create their own page complete with widgets, or rss feeds, that supply up to the minute information from their favorite news sources, blogs, entertainment sites, and so on. More importantly, it helps users search for topics from a variety of pages, resulting in better information and more chances to learn something new, perhaps what is going on in the world of underground art. Pageflakes guides the user through the site with the shiny button, aptly named “flakey”, found in the upper corner of the page. After creating my very own pagecast, I began to search through my favorite sites, adding one rss feed after another. In the end I think I created a pageflake that can satisfy my need to learn all there is about the art world and the people who make it run.

Let’s begin with my favorite part of the page, the rss feeds. I am always drawn towards photos, video clips, magazine cutouts that can evoke inspiration, so I felt it would only make sense to keep up on feeds from websites and blogs that supply the best inspirations. On the right side of my page, I have filled the column these kinds of sites. Starting at the top is the youtube site that catalogs videos from Nylon magazine. Nylon magazine is a great resource for fashion and culture from the early twenties crowd and their video clips bring the magazine to life. This widget is followed by Wooster Collective, the site, mentioned before on this blog, that follows street artists from all around the world. Street art is a great thing to follow when looking for new underground artists because many street arts will eventually show their work in smaller galleries like those found in Chinatown. Under wooster collective is the fantastic magazine Flaunt. Flaunt has some of the best photography along with great articles about musicians, actors, and most importantly artists. These magazines are generally found in art classrooms and design studios, so what would be better to read than the magazine that is read by artists? Following Flaunt is up to the date information about fashion shows from Style.com. Many times designers collaborate with artists, as seen in the current collection from Prada featuring the talented James Jean. Following the fashion shows is a great way to learn about emerging artists and view the eclectic people who frequent these shows. As I added more rss feeds I only thought it was necessary to add SourHarvest. This is one of the first sites I included on my blog role because every week they have the best list of every opening from the smaller galleries found in Culver City, SIlverlake, Chinatown, and Santa Monica. This column on my pageflake has the most action and gives me the best insider information on fashion, culture, and the arts.

The left column of my pagecast is the academic side. I have included a universal blog search and a universal news search. Both of these tools can link me to other lovers of the underground as well as articles, books, journals, etc., that help teach people what is going on in the underground world, further answering the question of “What is the underground?”. In my most recent searches I have used the terms contemporary, urban, culture, and, art. I feel contemporary yields the best information because the items retrieved have ranged from street artists to well known museums. The term urban has not been as helpful because that word on its own generally doesn’t link to art too often. Fortunately, the words contemporary and underground together seem to bring about articles about artists currently showing in contemporary museums, a big help when looking for new artists to follow. Underneath these two search boxes I have included a wikipedia box because this source offers great biographies on artists and links you to similar artists and galleries within their network.

At the bottom of my pagecast I have compiled a bibliography of five good articles and books I have found about contemporary art. The bibliography was created using Zotero and searching on Amazon.com and various library resources. One of the two books I found looks like it is a very good resource for newcomers in the art world. It is titled “Pop Surrealism: The Rise of Underground Art” and it explains how underground art came to be. The pop surrealists created the term low brow art, which has more currently become the genre of choice for local galleries. Most of this information came straight from the introduction of the book and the contents look like they focus on individual artists, a helpful tool when you are unfamiliar with who is famous and for what. The second book I chose provides pictures of street art from around the world. Not only are there inspirational photographs, but it gives the reader a chance to see what art is emerging from the underground. Street art is accessible to most people living in an urban area and this book takes the constantly changing art seen on the sidewalks and makes them permanent. Of the three articles I cited, I believe the article by Martha Groves is the most interesting because it is written about BCAM, a museum that has recently opened that is filled with artists who were once underground. Her article gives some behind the scenes information about what it took to open this contemporary art museum.

The last thing I have included on my pagecast are the bookmarks saved from my searches as well as my soulmate’s searches. Hopefully you all remember Arlisnap, my bookmarking soulmate. I like to keep track of this bookmarker’s tags because they have similar interests as me. Since I don’t go on to delicious everyday, I can keep track of my favorite sties and arlisnap’s every time I go to pageflakes.

I hope you all take the time to tour my pageflake because it is full of resources for education and inspiration. I think this way of monitoring a number of sites at one time is very helpful and as seen in the amount of rss feeds I found about art and culture, there seems to be no slowing down in the growth of the art world. Many of the magazines and blogs I included share topics

It has finally arrived, the glowing building filled with all things contemporary opened last weekend, BCAM, also known as the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. The papers and websites have been flooded with news on the addition to LACMA, but this is a big even for Los Angeles and it is necessary to talk about it until the art world doesn’t care anymore and has moved on to another museum. BCAM holds a good amount of the most well known contemporary art and the benefactor of the building, Eli Broad, has no plans of stopping his takeover of the Los Angeles art world. One of the interesting aspects of the new contemporary museum is located outside of the building. BCAM has commissioned prominent artists to create outside of its walls and along the property of LACMA. For example, Chris Burden, famous for his days at UCLA and that infamous gun shot installation, has illuminated the entire building with his piece “Urban Light”, a collection of antique street lamps held in his backyard for the past years. For more information read about BCAM in LA Weekly or visit the new addition at Wilshire and Fairfax

“Urban Lights” at the opening of BCAM (losangelestimes.com)

I want to welcome everyone to the Art Underground, a blog dedicated to enlightening readers about the art world. Los Angeles is broken up into different gallery locations, ranging from the beach cities to downtown. While these cities are connected through their appreciation of art, their gallery content is radically different. For example, a Beverly Hills gallery will introduce a viewer to the more established side of art, while the Chinatown and Silverlake spaces will highlight emerging talent. By exploring these cities, one will come to find what they like and dislike in the contemporary art world. I want to provide a space where anyone can find out what is going on among these Los Angeles Galleries and learn about a wide range of artists who are working and showing in L.A.

In addition to focusing on Los Angeles, I think it is important to highlight artists who are working all over the world. Since the art world is an international scene, a lot of great discovery can come from following a artist or a gallery who influencing different states as well as different countries. With this blog, i would like to take the art scene and combine it with the culture of the underground world. Art is just one topic in the underground scene and in order to see why this newly discovered talent is creating the work they do I think it is important to introduce some of those other influences. For example, street art, fashion, magazines and movies. In an age where everyone is collaborating and artists can quickly change their titles to designer or writer, it’s important to follow these trends and see why they are so important. In the end leading to a better understanding of art and a bigger list of artists to follow.

As an artist myself, I am eager to learn about people in the industry as well as the galleries that offer them exposure. Attending openings is one of the best ways to discover this new talent because not only will you view some incredible art, but you will meet the people who keep the art world running. As I learn about this world I hope my readers can learn as well and discover how the underground art world does not need to be unknown. In my journey through the underground I hope everyone will find something new that evokes curiosity and inspiration.