Here are more than a few ways to stop your brain from turning to dust!

Check out these people, places and things and keep the struggle between your left and right brain alive. I promise these are all, in some way, related to the visual arts

In books…

A Short History of Myth
By Karen Armstrong

This book is part of a collection of books entitled ‘the Myth Series’ which includes modern day revamping of some myths by Margaret Atwood and Jeanette Winterson. Unlike those books, however, this book is non-fiction and explores the value of myth to past and present culture. Although I don’t want to give away the ending too much, the last chapter is the real payoff as it explores the role of artists (painters poets novelists etc) and their contribution to a contemporary society. Go, artists, go!

See this review in The Guardian

An Artist’s Reality: Philosophies of Art
By Mark Rothko

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. An Artist’s Reality: Philosophies of Art comes out in paperback on March 31, 2006. The book is a compilation of the Mark Rothko’s ideas about art, which have recently been compiled by his son, Christopher Rothko. I haven’t read it yet, but don’t think it isn’t going to be great. Once it’s out you can be sure you’ll hear more about it from me, so if you read it now you can be ready to tell me how wrong I am when I review it. In fact, I look forward to it! It’s already out in bullet stopping hardcover version if you have the funds.

As sold and described by Yale University Press

Some people…

Get together in the cold and form art groups. Check out the Royal Art Lodge. Based in cold, cold Winnipeg, they are a loose knit group of art producing maniacs. What are you doing at home, staring at the wall? Get out there and help your friends out by adding antlers to their drawing of K.I.T.T, the amazing talking car from Knightrider.

Check out the dealio:
http://www3.mb.sympatico.ca/~mondmann/

Write songs about painters and hiding out in the sculpture department. Okay, maybe not both at once, but do you really want that? Here are a few choice tracks that are in some way related to, uh, things you can see. In no particular order:

Silver Jews – Random Rules
Al Tuck – Mona Lisa
Modest Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition
Jonathan Richmond – Pablo Picasso
Bob Dylan – It’s all over now, Baby Blue
Yo La Tengo – Pablo and Andrea
Modest Mouse – Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Belle And Sebastian – Sukie in the Graveyard
Joel Plaskett – Television Set

It’s going to be spring soon. Time to get up and out of your hole. Here are some places worth going:

The Albright-Knox Gallery
Located in Buffalo, NY

This place has great paintings!

Anslem Kiefer’s show at the Musee D’Art Contemporian de Montreal (sorry about the lack of accents).

This show has great paintings!

The National Gallery of Art
Found in Ottawa

Oh man, is this place great! And there are always a few nice paintings showing too.

Anything I missed? I didn’t think so.

Oh wait, in case I did missed you or your friend’s art show, happening, or event email me here and I’ll pass it on.