The E-Newsletter of Goldeen Ogawa • Issue 24, November 2019
Originally posted for Patrons on November 1 on Patreon
What have I done?
- Cleanups for “Sir Camilla” (The Camilliad, Book 4)
- Edits for Star Walker
- Cover and interior illustrations for Lucena in the House of Madrin and therapy watercolors
What am I doing?
- Cleanups on Driving Arcana, Wheel 3)
- Edits for “Star Walker”
- Cover and interior illustrations for Lucena in the House of Madgrin
- Therapy art
Where am I going?
I’m home for the holiday season, thank goodness! But I am hosting an open studio at my house the weekend after Thanksgiving, November 30 and December 1, so if you’re in the Bend area and would like to drop in send me a note and I can share more details.
Art vs. Writing
Last weekend I was in Reading, Pennsylvania for IlluxCon, a gathering of imaginative realism painters and illustrators which included a gallery of original art, tutorials, talks, and portfolio reviews. It also included, on Friday and Saturday nights, an Artist Showcase for those selling primarily prints and other small merch, which I was a part of. I met my Wonderful Mother in Philadelphia airport, from which we were whisked away to Reading through traffic that I was far too exhausted and jet lagged to be annoyed by.
IlluxCon, or IX as it is properly called, is closer to a gallery show than a convention, though it reminded me a lot of World Fantasy Con in that just about everyone there was a professional artist, or an art curator, or collector, or art director. It also had the lovely aspect of not distinguishing overmuch between the heavy-hitting established artists (Tom Kidd, Donato Giancola, Ruth Sanderson and my personal art-hero Tran Nguyen were all in the main show) and lowly showcase snitchers like myself. We were all artists doing art together in a very interesting, artsy space (the Goggleworks Center for the Arts is an ancient building with creaking floors, and the main show was very much focused on The Art and not Its Location), with a surprisingly good on-site diner. There were lots of sofas and extra chairs, and most of the people I saw were chatting and mingling and drawing in sketchbooks or on iPads. Many of the main show artists brought in-progress works to either display or work on during the show. It was a very open, friendly atmosphere, with most of the conversation centered around art and craft and troubleshooting the profession, and much less around Making Sales. Amazingly, originals sold. In the four figures. It was heartening to see.
The showcase was for me a mixed bag. I didn’t figure out that I could come out and stand beside my table to catch and talk to people until about 30 minutes before the showcase ended on Saturday night, but I did have a great time chatting with amazing artists and seeing some folks I hadn’t in a great while.
In this respect it was also like World Fantasy, which has never been a con I made money at, not even when I had my own table. Rather, the value of these cons is more difficult to quantify. I think back to how many friends I’ve made at World Fantasy, and how cons that are smaller, tighter, and don’t distinguish between the stars and the chorus line and the audience allow for a magical mixing between groups beneficial to all parties.
One thing, however, was marked: visual artists are fundamentally different from writers. It’s difficult to describe impartially. Both parties are thoughtful, creative, skilled, and interesting. But in my lived experience, visual artists are more outgoing. It may have something to do with the medium: a painting is Out There in a way that a novel is not. And yet, writing allows authors to potentially expose themselves more intimately. Perhaps this is why writers are generally more protective of themselves. I don’t know. I do both, so I’m not sure where I fall on the spectrum. All I know is that I went to Donato Giancola’s live painting demo in which he chatted happily about how he lets his painting speak to him, how he’s crafting a story with his image, and lets it morph and grow as he applies layers of acrylic and oil. It resonated with me especially not because that is how I paint (although it is, sometimes) but because that is exactly how I write.
All of which makes me wonder if writers could get as much out of IlluxCon as other visual artists. I wonder what artists could get out of a writer con. Because while artists will often chat happily about the stories their paintings tell, writers tend to behold art and illustration as some magical, alien ability—when it patently is not. It is often, as Mr Giancola cheerfully put it, “pushing mud around on a canvas until you get it looking the way you want.”
From my perspective they are two branches of the same skill, and the practice of one will enhance the practice of the other. But one must throw aside obligation to perceived order and have fun in the mud, accepting that not everything is perfect, and one can always try again.
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What’s coming in November?
Patrons can look forward to:
- Saturday updates to the Sparks Gallery
- Sunday updates to “Travels in Valdelluna”
- Progress pics of Lucena illustrations!
ProTip
A box of disposable nitrile gloves is a great thing to have in your kitchen or bathroom or garage (or all three!) Pull one on for any kind of biohazard cleanup, handling raw meat, or wear to keep band-aids on fingers intact—just be prepared to field a lot of awkward Michael Jackson–related question-jokes.
You can cook rice on the stovetop using a regular saucepan. You’ll want 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Bring water to a boil and then stir in the rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes (brown and black rice) or 20-25 minutes (white rice). When in doubt use lower heat so you don’t burn the rice, and simmer for longer. You just get softer, creamier rice. Add seasonings or butter if you like.
This post has been generously sponsored by my Fellow Traveler patrons. Come join the party!
