In-Progress Mural

Today I've been working on a mural that I started recently at my friend Darren's studio space. It is a big pattern of zig-zaging stripes of alternating colors. I've been using Montana spray paint for the color, and a string and ruler for the lines. I have also been blocking off overspray with scrap board. Here are some pictures of the progress so far.

Zebra Hide

This is my most recent piece that I did for my Integration and Intersection class. We just had critique this week. I like it better for its visual qualities than the concept; I don't think the connection came across as strong as I would have liked. But I still like the concept and would like to keep working with it --- I was thinking about syncopation in music. I'll attach the artist statement below the photo. It's posted next to the piece in the school gallery.

Made of paper, ink, wood, & rope.

ANDREW AZAD

Syncopation: "In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter (pulse). These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be stressed."

I wanted to represent an element of what I love about music visually. Syncopation is a fundamental technique used in African-derived music styles including jazz, funk, ragtime, reggae, ska, rap, progressive rock, and dubstep. It is made up of nuances and variety, which give the music drive and excitement. Notes can be placed before or after the beat, or replaced with a rest.

The zebra hide looks to represent exactly what musicians talk about when discussing syncopation. It is fundamentally made up of equally spaced bands of black and white but its glamour comes from the way the bands taper and twist, seemingly randomly but beautifully fluidly. The stripes relate to the general pulse and rhythm of a song; where each part is unique to the whole, while relative to the whole simultaneously. I also used the zebra hide as an acknowledgment to the history of syncopation, going way back to rhythms played on drums in sub-Saharan Africa hundreds of years ago beginning in the 13th century. Zebra's evoke images, and perhaps sounds, of Africa. The skin is suspended within a frame of wood in the manner that it would be stretched and prepared for tanning, with rope holding it in place. This is also the way African's would prepare their goatskins that were used as the cover for

their drums. The equal and mechanical spacing of the rope further emphasizes the metered time of a measure and throughout a song, while the frame contains it all; much like a song is contained as a track having a definite beginning and end.

version 2/28/2012

The World

I love maps almost as much as I love to travel. I think it is so interesting how they can so accurately represent reality in such a condensed and easy to read fashion. I am also drawn to the way they transform the paper they are on; the paper almost becomes the place it depicts, and with that other things fall into place, like direction. I appreciate the duality of maps. They are essential guides to our everyday lives, but they can also become very ornate or decorative; becoming an operative piece of art.

I started this world map about six months ago but still haven't decided what purpose I want it to serve. I have to decide if it will show climate, vegetation, topography, etc. 

3' x 6' It just so happened that when I took this photo there was this crazy profile of a man with a pot belly in the Atlantic Ocean!

Obviously this photo wasn't taken by my genius photographer friend Matt like the other one, it was taken by me...

So this is that state my world map has been in for a long time, and I'm afraid I wont really be able to work on it until the summer. Maybe I will try to finish it for my Rethinking Landscape class. I am going to add colorful patterns on the land, perhaps all of them being specific to their location or region. I also want to use region/country specific colors. Someday I would love to do this sort of thing with stone or jem inlays, even glass, but my skill level isn't quite there yet, or my ability to fund such a project. I would like to do a spherical globe as well as flat versions, and continent or even country specific pieces. I already did this map of Africa, which actually is what led to the world map.

22" x 30" / 2011

Most of the patterns within this piece were borrowed from patterns I saw within the tile work of Moroccan architecture when I was there in January of 2010. I changed the colors though; I tried to make them mimic the natural colors found in each vegetation region, and also stay true to Africa. The major color scheme is red, green, and yellow - the pan African colors. These three colors are found in the majority of Africa's countries flags. The biggest difference to this trend is in the flags of North Africa where Islam is the major religion practiced; and this is reflected in their flags. Both maps are done in prismacolor markers. They're supposed to be kinda trippy and mostly just fun to look at.

Live Art Coming Up

I have a couple live art gigs coming up in the beginning of February. On Feb 3 I'll be out in Waukesha @ Bosco's Social Club (260 W Main St), and the very next night of the 4th I'll be working on something else @ Rufio's new bar the Rogue's Gallery (134 E Juneau Ave) in Milwaukee. I'm excited for the night at Rogues Gallery because that is where I met these dudes that have been hookin' up these live art shows for me; I used to work in the kitchen of the same building a few years ago when it was called the Fat Abbey Bier Cafe. Its coming around full circle and I really like that.

Dentist Rodman

I drew this fun mixed media piece a couple weeks ago with markers and oil pastels. Just a few selections from Dennis Rodman's many colorful hairstyles.

Watch the Throne

Here are some pictures I took at the Jay-Z & Kanye concert on Dec. 1. It was at the United Center in the Chi.

Around the start of the show

Jay swimmin' water with great whites during H*A*M*

Yeezy

HOV=>CEO=>ROC

before Otis

Kanye during Runaway

It was super dope! I wish I could do it all over again.

(PS - they played N********ggas in Paris  *8 times!!!!!!!!)

Tiger Time

rawr (RJE)

I painted this tonight (12/3) at the Rick Jameson Experience down at the Jackalope Lounj. A very good time, as always.

This was a jam packed weekend for me -- Last night (12/2) I did live painting at the FirstFriday event at Bosco's Social Club in Waukesha with DJs Musko, Thor and WhyB spinnin all night. I did a painting of a panther that went with the "BiG cAt" theme of the weekend. Which brings me to the most exciting element of my weekend, the Watch the Throne concert on Thursday night (12/1) in Chicago. I've still been vibin' on the concert all weekend, which was expectedly  mind blowing, and the Tiger and Panther are definitely inspired by the concert. (Watch the Throne is Jay-Z and Kanye West, for any squares that don't know).

-------------I got a hold of a photo of the first painting so I've added it below-------------

from FirstFriday @ Bosco's