ragtags studio central: sarah's random this & that

random means "having no definite aim or purpose," (1655), taken from "at random" (1565), "at great speed" (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"). In 1980s college student slang, it somehow, and sadly, acquired a distinct sense of "inferior, undesirable." (Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper) Well, okay, fine, Mr. Online Etymology Dictionary person, but THIS is the 21st Century. It's a whole new ball of wax.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Oh those crazy nuances of modulations...

Thank God, I'll never worry about writing another d*&^ Artist Statement again - with the help of The Market-O-Matic (1.0) [fine arts version], I am SO covered:

http://www.sarahfishburn.com

Work of Post-Art in the Age of Symbiotic Reproduction

The flux creates, the chaos reproduces. In the material reality, art objects are resurrections of the imaginations of the flux -- a flux that uses the chaos as a parallax to deconstruct ideas, patterns, and emotions. With the evolution of the electronic environment, the flux is approaching a point where it will be free from the chaos to realize immersions into the parameters of the delphic reality. Work of Post-Art in the Age of Symbiotic Reproduction contains 10 minimal flash engines (also refered to as "soundtoys") that enable the user to make prophetic audio/visual compositions.

measuring chains, constructing realities

putting into place forms

a matrix of illusion and disillusion

a strange attracting force

so that a seduced reality will be able to spontaneously feed on it



sarah fishburn's work investigates the nuances of modulations through the use of jumpcut motion and close-ups which emphasize the Symbiotic nature of digital media. fishburn explores abstract and scarlet scenery as motifs to describe the idea of hyper-real reality. Using aggressive loops, non-linear narratives, and allegorical images as patterns, fishburn creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of art...

<-- Obligatory ascii sig. Repeat until desired cyborg effect is achieved. -->

/u[0]{)]|]]-] -------------/u/u!@#$%^~!@#$%^&*()) __++_)(*&^%$--------/u/u!@#$%^~!@#$ %^&*())__++_)(*&^%$--------/u/u!@#$ %^~!@#$%^&*())__+, etc., etc.

<-- End obligatory ascii sig. -->

Labels: , ,

Monday, December 07, 2009

But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured...

The woman pictured here is not me.

Maybe it's the season, maybe it's the stress, but I have been screwing up big time lately. Losing things, losing my mind. In 2010 I WILL carry a little calendar, no matter what, and write EVERYthing down. And keep the effin' house totally clean and picked up so I never lose anything, too.

Saturday night, December 5, was our holiday party. I was late letting everyone know, partly because Colin and I were gone for a week, partly because I procrastinate anyway. By the time I told everyone, even though our party is almost always the first weekend in December, most of them had other committments. Then on Friday, September reminded me that weeks before, I had promised I would be the responsible adult on Saturday while the four kids were at their chess tournament, until mid-afternoon.

Crap! Because I procrastinate, I had done virtually nothing to prepare for the party yet. So Friday night I did what I could, figuring I could go shopping, get the biscochitos baked, etc. in the 4-5 hours I had after the chess tournament before our (relatively) few guests would arrive. I hadn't eaten, but as soon as the kids and chess were no longer my responsibility, I ran to the bank to desposit a few checks, then ran to the market - all this was literally running by the way - then ran home to bake. And then, finally eat something. What I didn't realize until this morning is that in my procrastinator's moment of low blood sugar, the amount I was depositing in the bank was NOT the amount I added up - I included in the deposit a $100 more than I accounted for on the deposit slip. If the bank doesn't catch my mistake, I just basically donated several weeks worth of our groceries to said bank. The last thing I need, right? I'm thinking of giving myself the boot right about now.

What else? Can't find my HUGE hard back copy of The Time Traveler's Wife ANYwhere; was going to lend to September for her book club. Can't find a certain ring, haven't even THOUGHT about holiday cards...Basically I'm a wreck, a lost cause. (Although as you can see from that last comment, I still have a vestige of my sense of humor...) And it isn't helping that every day flashes by faster than a speeding bullet. Help!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Announcement, apologies, explanations, a quiz, and a promise


Did you already get a chance to order your copy of the holiday Pasticcio - Issue 8? The pages above are sneak peeks from Palais d'Art, the gallery section. Aren't they beauts? I'm positive you'll love this issue, highlighting everything from Pets to Plaid. While you're at it, you might want to consider giving yourself the gift of any back issues you may have missed!

Sorry I had to turn on word verification and comment moderation - I HATE both, but I keep getting spammed. ERGH! Just can't deal with it anymore...sigh...At the moment it feels like maybe spammers are the only people reading my blog. I realize I have been neglectful of it, along with most everything else in my life. The year swept by so quickly and my best intentions were left behind.

Also, I still intend to draw a name however belatedly for my October giveaway to get people to sign up in droves for my canceled class at KC's - clearly a marketing technique which did not do the trick - I will do it later this week - have a LOT of catching up to do -

Here's a quick quiz for fun. Identify this photo - where or what it is -
and I will do another drawing for an additional prize:

Labels: , ,

Thursday, November 12, 2009

It's gonna snow tonight...

Monday, November 09, 2009

Firelight, the movie

Sunday, November 08, 2009

The Great Depression

Sorry to say my workshop at KC's will be postponed. The economy is apparently NOT currently working in my favor. I guess not enough of you felt you could sign up for a class that would have been well worth it...of course I have no empirical evidence, just my word...

By the way, no matter how well read you are, don't waste your time applying for a literacy para position in the schools - as a matter of fact, you can have written several books and produce a regular arts publication, but that is clearly not evidence of literacy. You might not even like kids, but with just that little degree, you're golden. A side note for your edification, a piece of trivia from the world of retail: Barnes & Noble will also NOT consider hiring you for their minimum wage jobs without a college degree. So I'm SOL if I thought I could work there. Let that BE A LESSON to you, kids. Even if you hate it with all your heart and think you're throwing good money after bad to pay tuition, and would rather just work at a paying job, go to college or you'll be screwed sometime in the future. TOTALLY. Even if you're perfectly capable and intelligent, NO ONE IS GOING TO WANT YOU TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT THE MOST MENIAL WORK if you are self- or otherwise alternatively educated. Oh except if you happen to be one for whom Daddy's money paves the way. It's The Man's world; you better follow his rules. OR ELSE. Bitter much? Maybe.

On a lighter note, if you missed me on Inspired at Home last week, here are addys - just cut and paste...but ignore everything I said about upcoming workshop since it's no longer on the sched.
http://inspiredathome.com/radio/podcasts.htm
http://inspiredathome.com/radio/11-01-09.htm
http://inspiredathome.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/inspired-at-home-radio-november-1-2009/

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Toys R (not always) Us

Two of the super cute & put-together Shaddock cousins on the right.
Me, looking like a dirty & blurry ragamuffin as usual, on the left.

Angela and I have been trying to get the Holiday Pasticcio "put to bed". But no, don't get excited yet, we aren't that close...

One of the upcoming Pasticcio "articles" called for snapshots of us with our moms - in mine, at the tender age of three, I'm already scooching as far away from her as I can on the davenport (now, in my sophistication, I call it a "couch" but back then it was definitely a davenport) to schmooze with her girlfriend. That snapshot was rather miserably faded, as many from the era are now. And I feel sad that I wasn't sitting right next to my own mother.

For the letters to the editor page, Angela has a fabulous promo photo of herself holding an Angela doll - she looks just darling, so does the doll. The analogous photo I found, after much searching? Well, in it I AM totally clutching a dollie, but when I think back, I'm pretty sure that doll wasn't actually mine - it was a doll I was allowed to play with when I visited my Grandad and Magy (maternal grandmother). I loved it, but only every few months. As for the image of me? I look like nothing more than a messy little 1950's street urchin, precursor to the adult ragamuffin I remain. I have never been able to achieve a polished, put-together look, even when I thought I wanted to. So much for dreams of being Julie Christie...

Earlier today I was thinking about a little felt mitten bookmark one of my grandmothers made for me way back in the 1960's, with a spring mechanism hair clip. It was white, and she stitched a little lace cuff onto it, and embroidered pink flowers with french knots. I looked online and found some current patterns but they are so FAT! She must have drawn the design herself as it was such a beautiful, delicate little mitten shape...

Why don't I have ANYthing left from my childhood except for a half dozen books? Hardly any photos even. The thing is, we were so poor and moved so often when I was younger that when I left my parents house at 17 for good and all, there wasn't that much I ever actually had, and what I did have, I know I callously said, "Oh, that's just material stuff...I don't care about any of it..." and it WAS just material stuff...and yet. I wish I had a little bit of it still - that little felt bookmark, my ice skater Betsy McCall doll, the kinda weird yet cool pose dolls my mother occasionally got for me ---

Confidential to September - those paragraph breaks are for YOU!

Labels: , , , , , ,