thoughts. projects.

Thursday Stuff.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:03:26 GMT

I finally got to check out the new restaurant at AS220 today. While I will sorely miss the place that was there prior, whose name I could never seem to get right in the first place Tiquera (?), well now the new place is just called "Food at As220." I should be able to pronounce and remember the name. Though I have to admit, I used to call the old place "The Mexican restaurant at As220."

I was a bit disappointed that the vegetarian version of the empandas was not available as anything involving sweet potatoes sounds good to me. I had to settle for the pulled pork with ginger, and squash emapanda - it wasn't really settling, as I couldn't decide anyhow, they made the decision easier. It was delicious. I've never had an empanda before, which is something I mentioned to my girlfriend as I was chowing down. I do plan on having them again. At $4, you could order all the ones on the menu simultaneously, if they are serving the carnivore and vegetarian versions on that day.

Also, in case you haven't heard.... Gallery X is having a raffle:

We're seeking donation for our 20th Gallery X Raffle and Auction Gala
Saturday, Nov. 28, 7pm
Fundraising fun to benefit Gallery X!
for info: http://www.galleryx.org
Preview of items up for raffle begins on November 18th!

the wonderful world of 1930-something.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:49:52 GMT

I am entranced, thrilled, in a dreamy daze every time I pick up a book written by Anaïn Nin. It doesn't matter if I've read it several times over, every word just seems like the greatest, most profound thing to be put to paper. She was a genius.

"I never have seen as clearly ass tonight that my journal writing is a vice, a disease...I got my journal from its last hiding plce under my dressing table and trhew it on the bed. And I had the feeling that this is the way an opium smoker prepared his pipe. The journal, lik a fragment of myself, shares my duplicities. Where has my tremendous fatigue gone? Occasionally I stop writing and feel a profound lethargy. And then some demoniac feeling urges me on." - Anaïs Nin

dressing up and down...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:38:38 GMT

I am still stuck in Halloween mode, then again, one of my favorite things to do is dress up. I love clothes: vintage clothes, comfy clothes, dress-up clothes, pj clothes, clothes, clothes, clothes. I like checking out what other people are wearing, sometimes I wonder why they are wearing what they are wearing, sometimes I feel a bit envious.

I can see why Cindy Sherman does what she does, because allegedly, she just likes to dress-up. I used to play dress-up as a child, clearly I have yet to outgrow it. I start planning Halloween in August. I take pictures of myself (which my girlfriend enjoys) in various styles of dress... though I seldom dress like a whore, even for Halloween... which brings me to women dressing like whores on Halloween. Now, I admit, I once dressed as a hooker, as a joke on Halloween when I was 15. And at age 29 or so, dressed as a dominatrix, though the costume wasn't really slutty, because a dom can be mostly covered up.

Anyways, this was the first year that I went to Providence on Halloween. I was interesting just to people watch, while not driving down the streets, trying to avoid the hordes of people. I fully understand the concept of donning a different persona for one evening, so maybe these women are your typical 'good girls' who think a short skirt/shorts, spiked heels and cleavage make them look 'sexy.' Actually they all ended up looking like clones.

I'm all for being sex-positive, but this wasn't it. Dressing like a whore for Halloween isn't empowering, I felt a bit bad for them. They were doing it to attract attention, possibly of men. Its the promise of being/feeling sexy and one that may not always be fulfilled. I know, I've bought into sexy underthings.. they ain't getting you laid, or bringing you eternal, or momentary happiness. Your just going to have pretty underwear and/or sexy clothes.

Maybe that was all the clothes they had? Maybe they were protesting the law finally banning indoor prostitution in RI? (a much debated issue that I found trivial and frivolous for my tax dollars, but that's another topic for another time)

time and other things that escape me...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:45:03 GMT

We all experience a semblance of the same experiences... we all think ( in some way) : "how the hell, can I make there be more time when time seems to slip away?!" I was just thinking about this the other day in my short period of time date with my girlfriend and balancing it with racing off to work and oh! there's always eating, sleeping and fucking to schedule in. Fucking shouldn't be a scheduled event! I'm not certain eating and sleeping should be either, they should just exist. I wish life could just flow, but it all goes by so so quickly. I don't want to end up like my Mom: a slave to the clock and passed out at the end of the day because she scheduled herself into exhaustion. Its not mindful or sane.

And it brings me to Amanda Palmer's blog which is the very idea I got from today's (or maybe several days ago?) blog. The work/life balance - its like juggling knifes sometimes. Its like my painting 'delicate cutter,' maybe that guy who bought it (the second version of it) was right - his interpretation of how it reminded him of his wife juggling her life...there are those days where I long for a nice cabin/commune in Canada where all I concern myself with is friends, family, breathing, eating, sleeping, fucking and art.

Tonight!

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:37:48 GMT

Lizzie Borden:A Tale of Two Cities • Gallery X • New Bedford, MA • Group Show • Opening Reception: Tonight!, 7-10pm

Gallery X is located at 169 William St. New Bedford, MA

heart-lust

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:20:03 GMT

Heart-lust: its about giving yourself with a sense of uncertaintity of what will happen next; will your heart be broken, will the feeling be reciprocated?You sit on the edge of wanting to just go with it and wanting a definite definition to what is going on between the other person and you...

Its about giving yourself sexually for not only the sensation, because there's all the complicated feelings that go along with it. Its never 'just sex.' Its never 'just dating.'

a whirlwind day.

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:41:49 GMT

I started off my day at the ungodly hour of 8am... maybe the world just shouldn't start until 10 -ish, as in you shouldn't have to leave your house until 10am, but that's just me, maybe its because I'm an artist and we like to sleep, amongst other things. I had a portfolio review this morning, which is why I had to get up, I suppose it went alright. If I get into grad school we'll know for certain...

Then...I took a nice long, hour drive with my sexy lady to drop a piece off at Bridgewater Art in beautiful Bridgewater, MA. The show opens officially on October 9th with an opening reception on October 24th:

old school

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:07:52 GMT

Way back in 2001, while I was a senior at UMASS, I took junior painting because I was a graphic design major and not a painting major - which is confusing even to me sometimes. At the beginning of the semester we had to write an artist statement and come up with a series of work.. this is painting number 2, I believe, of said series. It had a name, if only I would've written down somewhere... I would've remembered it now!

I know the concept was women's body types in fashion... so this was my politically (though not always atomically correct) fashion models.

thought machine... and stuff.

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:15:54 GMT

I got accepted to an October show (I know short notice, but hey its a show!) at Bridgewater Art. Here's the lucky piece:

I revised my proposal.. then, I wrote an entirely new one for another concept. So either I should propose both (which I don't think the art space would approve of) or I should find a second place to propose to. I think it still needs work and I don't have a single sketch for it which is okay since they prefer a site specific proposal:

No one wants to hear the words "no." No one wants to be rejected. Its human nature to wish to be accepted in social circles, romantic relationships, and one's career.

I wish to explore my own feelings towards rejection: the hurt, pain, fear, and anxiety. Presenting my diary entries about being rejected. I'd like to use the written word and images to make a very private thing, very public. I think rejection is a universal feeling, it happens to everyone at some point in their lives.

I typically work with self-portraiture, though many times I use myself or those in my life as a 'jumping off' point and not the direct subject.

I'd like this piece (or pieces) to be large scale. Most of my current paintings are large scale, the average size being approximately 24" x 36." Since I have an entire space to work with, I'd like to try to make my work even bigger.

proposing

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:18:28 GMT

Proposing - not so much for marriage but for art exhibits... I tell many non-art people that its not so much about what you do as an artist, its your artist statement. You can exhibit a car door (as one student at UMASS did for one of my classes), and as crazy as it sounds, if you can bullshit your way through why you have this car door, why its a piece of art, and the statement its making makes people (even just one or two) nod and say, 'ah..' you've done your job as an artist. Artist statements and proposals are hard. You sit and stare at it for hours, the thought process and coming up with a concept, I find, is more difficult than the execution. The execution is the fun part.

So here's the beginnings of yet another proposal.. I have the idea, its forming it into a art-world marketable product that is the difficult part. If I don't get this exhibit, at least I have the idea in a legible written form opposed to a bunch of scribbled sentences here and there in my sketchbook:

I feel that society still mostly frowns upon a woman who stirs up any sort of controversy, is aggressive, assertive, or exhibits any behaviors that doesn't correspond with society's preconceived notion of how women (and girls) are to behave. After studying gender socialization in college I have become interested in how behaviors that are okay for males are a no-no for females and vice versa. Gender socialization gives us ideas about what it is to be 'feminine' or 'masculine' in society and within our culture.

Currently working on a series of paintings, based on the quote:"well behaved woman seldom make history." I want to create portraits of real and fictitious 'bad girls,' 'bitches,' and the misbehaving woman. Thus far I have completed one for an upcoming Lizzie Borden exhibit at Gallery X. I have sketches and drawings in the works for more portraits for such figures at the Queen of Hearts, Medusa, and Queen Elizabeth I. Furthermore, I have been considering painting the portraits on domesticated items such as cutting boards, serving trays, kitchen tables, ect. elevating these every day domestic items to an art form.

in the spirit of Halloween...

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:03:46 GMT

I've working furiously on sketches for the Lizzie Borden show at Gallery X as well as sewing a very much involved "Queen of Hearts" costume. The costume still needs work and I may need gloves, ladies back then wore gloves. However, the skirt is currently my nemesis.. three layers of skirted craziness.. I'm going to be wearing so many clothes! I hope its not 80 degrees on Halloween. Thankfully, I live in New England and there's only a small chance of that happening.

On a good note, I've finished my Lizzie Borden piece, the biggest obstacle was finding a cutting board at a local thrift store. Any other time, I would've found seven, this time it took me almost two months to find one. I was ready to give up and use one of the dozens of wooden boxes one can find at any given thrift store. I was going to call it "Lizzie's Box," kind of borrowing the Throwing Muses song tittle "Vicky's Box." ...because hey, sometimes art imitates life and sometimes art imitates art. True, the song has nothing to do with Lizzie Borden, it just popped into my head when I was sketching the box. The box that didn't happen, because I found a cutting board, so all is well and no possible law suit will ensue.

sing alongs with life.

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:00:25 GMT

Its amazing what can happen within the time span of one month... my social/love life seems to have taken over in a good way. Of course I'm neglecting things like balancing my check book regularly, checking out music online or updating my facebook page - I honestly can't keep up with the damn thing to begin with.

A certain someone sent me the link to watch Dr. Horrible's Music Sing A-long Blog (I think I may have butchered the title). It was created by Joss Whedon aka the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the tv show not the movie). I can almost relate to Dr. Horrible's plight except for the evil part.. he seems to have the same crap luck with love and dating (I mean except for now).

Also, I am addicted to this cover by Frida Hyvönen. She is on this cover album called "Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill." I honestly have no idea who the hell Judee Sill is, but I love love love the song "Jesus was a Crossmaker" as covered by Frida Hyvönen... you will find yourself spewing lyrics from this song at odd moments. So if you hear me attempting to hit the notes on this one, just smile and nod.

3DX

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:40:22 GMT

3DX 0pens this Wednesday at Gallery X! The show runs until October 9th. Opening Reception is Saturday, September 12 from 7-10pm.

my art-nemesis

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:42:30 GMT

finally finally finished after months of cursing, blood, sweat, tears, and thoughts of it ending up in the Johnston Landfill....

hunger pains

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:01:46 GMT

I have almost completed what I was starting to consider my arch-nemesis of an art piece.. I'm calling it "the beauty processes" after all those essays I had written about the subject at hand. The finishing touches have finally brought the whole thing together opposed to bringing right to the landfill. Also, I finished that poem I attempted yesterday afternoon...

hunger pains
by Melanie Ducharme

this feeling, grows its obsessive little self every day. blossoms like a spring day in the gloom of January. everything alive and bustling to ignore: jewels glittering from their abundant limbs, silver lights through the dingy blinds, the pile of dishes in the sink, bed-sheet stained, the spiders freeze to their webs, a draft from an unknown source while nude... meanwhile, groping in moonlight looking for each others mouths to hunger after.

the sickness or lust wraps around mindful, unsuspecting hearts, lips push bodies against brick walls to fondle. no time to think about time - we toss it to the side like unwashed clothes.

piles up the mail, bills, the obnoxious little pitfalls of living without the host to ones' desire. piles up on the thought processes. there's only one thought: how to feed the hunger, itching, surfacing.

New!

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:19:59 GMT

Its been a simultaneously good/bad week, month, year... There's the really really good and the realllly not so good. Its yin/yang. Its life. Sometimes I wish the good could perhaps outweigh the bad on a regular basis.

The above image, well, its about some of the good good feelings - glowing (almost) with it... wanting to live in the soap bubble of the good good feelings is where the inspiration for this came from.

The Queers and other ramblings...

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:14:06 GMT

I may need to go unwind at this show on Thursday... since right now I'm listening to L7's "shit list" and I feel their pain... "for all the ones that put me out... for all the ones that filled my head with doubt..."

Speaking of music..."New Tales to Tell - a Tribute to Love and Rockets" just came out, I'm not sure of the exact date that it came out. It looks like the only good artist on there is Black Francis, so I promptly downloaded his cover of "All in my Mind" from itunes today ... it kicks ass!

doomed or destined...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:30:37 GMT

doomed or destined...
by Melanie Ducharme

I want to live in the movie still. If only one could capture a perfect day so perfectly on film! the intensity of colors. the feel of skin under fingertips. the blur of time passing. the feeling of kissing you. lips tug lips. the moment(s) that I take with me walking down tree lined streets, music buzzes around me. I feel you. all through me. you... and think, fuck. I'm smashed, like those girls from the 1800's with their 'romantic friendships.' Or Anaïs and Henry: full of poetry, life, lust, love. I'm either doomed or destined....

the feel of being with you, I want to bottle it up for a rainy day. when the sun doesn't glint off the asphalt. for a day when the dirty convenient store really looks dirty and the clerk too. I want to curl around the feeling of late afternoon kissing, the summer heat slowly lifting. the feeling of you there. kissing under tree lined streets, cars passing, life being life.. its all stopped for me...this moment.

just another work day.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:21:18 GMT

Listening to my blah Thursday playlist on my itunes including 'uplifting' tunes like: "Laughing With a Mouthful of Blood" by St. Vincent, "Goddamn the Sun" covered by the Dresden Dolls and "Saving Days in a Frozen Head" by Kaki King... I also recently downloaded yet another laugh riot song by the Raveonettes entitled: "Suicide" I believe this is on their new cd, their new cd with the song entitled: "Boys Who Rape." Maybe someone should give them a hug.

A piece of my car broke off last night, as in I took a corner and felt something fly into my lap. At first I thought it was a bug then when I tentatively reached down to find that it was the button to my cruise control - sweet! Dad, the mechanic, glued it back in and claimed, 'it may fall off again...'

I noticed something to make me happy on lezgetreal. .. I mean other than Friday being my day off.

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:37:24 GMT

Upon reading on some thing on careerbuilder.com that potential employers look at things such as your myspace, facebook, blogs,FBI records before hiring you - I don't really have online dirt unless you've read my blogs where I am occasionally blunt but its not really 'dirt' per se. I swear alot maybe I'm blunt when it comes to certain topics... I have strong opinions, I don't think that makes me a bad person. I think for myself! I'm not socialized to the point of being part of the herd - I just read that the more schooling one has (sometimes), the more likely they are to just follow what society dictates. Basically you don't totally think for yourself. It reminds me of the song lyrics from that KUKL song, "you don't have to think, we think for you!"

But back to my online activities... after obsessively going through like five years worth of myspace comments and taking out anything that may be misconstrued... it made me sad. There were people on there that I haven't talked to in a year and more.. people I loved, thought I loved and Dylan. Thanks career builders you just brought me down a notch today, not because I fear that potential employers (or current ones) may be checking out my online actives, but because I didn't realize I hadn't taken down some sentimental myspace comments (as sentimental as myspace comments get, and I'm a bit sentimental sometimes). I probably didn't take them down in the first place because at the time it was just too painful to even look at and then I just forgot. Then there's those that I just haven't talked to in a good long while. ahh memories.

here's links to me on the net for those potential and current employers or anyone who happens to be bored (but don't do it at work, because that's wrong and because they can track your online activities):
http://melanieducharme.wordpress.com
http://lezgetreal.com
http://melsprojects.livejournal.com/
http://www.galleryx.org
http://www.myspace.com/superfluousd

musical podcast!

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:17:29 GMT

Your welcome and enjoy! Its probably not work safe, so don't say I didn't warn you... download it here.

********

Also you can see some interesting photos here from the speakeasy event, so you need to click on the little link that says 'speakeasy' once you get to the Providence Pin-up site... and if you really like them, you can buy them!

sparkling and swooning...

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:13:19 GMT

I am in my reeling, stary eyed, happy place... What a grand, craptastic hot day, yet its all good (I feel like Henry Miller right now! the happiest woman alive!)... the desktop on my computer is wonderful (its the breeders), the sun outside is shining, the heat - it is all wonderful! everything just plain rocks today.

I thought to myself, while driving down Benefit St. "I wish I'd brought my camera!" Everything just looked like a perfect image. Speaking of pictures, I need to go take pictures of this church on Dexter St. in Providence. I think its a church, it kind of looks like a castle. Its looked amazing at sunset last night, but cell camera just didn't seem like it could cut it photography wise, I really wanted my Nikon.

I bought part of my Halloween costume and its fabulous because while I do have to alter the skirt, its this fun pattern - its crazy and works perfectly for a queen of hearts costume! the pattern is going to be an over-skirt. The under-skirt part is a black kind of puffy skirt which should make the top skirt also puff out once I'm through with it. I can't wait to wear it.. if only Halloween lasted a bit longer so one could dress up and be fun for an extra night or two.

hot on the inside, hot on the outside...

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:48:30 GMT

The party was good. I wish I didn't have to leave early for another day at the grind, but such is life.

Chris's friend, Brian, bought "yes-woman" and the drawing version of "still the answer?" I got a voicemail this afternoon from Pop claiming someone else bought a piece. I wanted to get my tarot cards read but I spent all my money (on my person) at the liquor store before the party,which I know doesn't make me sound too much like an alcoholic. After Brian paid me I was too tired to go back inside so maybe next time. There was a lot of people I didn't know and I didn't really talk to most of them. I talked to some guy who told me about how last night like 40 years ago, he was at Woodstock. It was a funny story: allegedly him and I believe his brother were stuck in traffic heading to a relatives or home but there's Woodstock causing all this traffic.. so they decided what the hell?! and went! and got grounded after.

Yesterday I got this email that was kind of generalized and asked for more information or something from a craigslist post and the only one I had recently posted was a call for art for the Lizzie Borden show so I just gave them more info and told them to go to facebook and the follow the group sonic and sue put up about it. Today... I receive an email that claims that the picture is 'great' and 'sexy' and I'm thinking what picture? the one advertising the Lizzie show?! she goes on, of course she does... to explain how she's married and is looking for a little fun on the side?! Can't wait to put the call for art for "sex at the X" exhibit up!

updates

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:17:00 GMT

Scheduling 2010 at Gallery X, and there will be a Sex @ the X exhibit in 2010!

Thinking of crazy art pieces for the Lizzie Borden Show at Gallery X (we're seeking art by the way) - I have some cuckoo things up my sleeve that require things like a cutting board and a shit load of knifes... I'm slightly uncertain about the knife project concept but inside my head it looks fabulous!

Going to Newport with a date!

listening to Deerhoof on Daytrotter!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:37:01 GMT

I got this fun little thing from a friend on facebook... allegedly I was to list 50 artists or bands (or as many as I could remember) that I've seen in concert. Oh, and list the first concert I've ever been to.. let the shame and pride commence...

1. First concert: bon jovi
2. skid row
3. poison
4. warrant
5. Robert Plant
6. Nalle
7. The Street Dogs (at the green room! no less)
4. Throwing Muses
5. Kristin Hersh 2x (minus and with some of the Muses)
6. Justin Timberlake
7. Pink
8. Damien Rice
9. Fiona (crap)Apple
10. Jewel
11. Heather Rose (played at my art exhibit)
12. Heather Rose and the Drama
13. Katura at the Greenwich Hotel! (I think I mispelled her name)
14. Serious Fierce (which is really just Heather Rose and Katura)
15. the Douchbags
16. Bjork
17. David Bowie
18. Macy Grey (opened for Bowie)
19. Tori Amos
20. Van Halen
21. Reason to Fight (a bazillion times)
22. the Amaaaaazing (royal) Crowns! 3x
23. Weetus (the band that sung "teenage dirtbag opened for the AC)
24. The Dandywarhols (sucked before AC)
25. The Agents (opened for AC)
26. Vic Chestnut (w/Kristin Hersh)
27. Toby Lightman (opened for Jewel)
28. PJ Harvey
29. Chris Rosequest 3 or 4x(played at my art exhibit)
30. Beck Chase 3 or 4x
31. Stained (before anyone gave a crap who they were)
32. Kilgore Smudge 2x (who changed their name to Smudge or Kilgore or something then broke up.)
33. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (opened for bjork)
34. Alannah Myles (opened for Robert Plant)
35. Sinead O'Connor
36. LLove
37. Case Closed (a bazillion times before they broke up and changed band members and renamed themselves)
38. For What its Worth (a bazillion times)

...then, I got out my concert tickets stubs to remember who I had seen...

39. Heart 2x (at the Mohegan Sun because they rock!)
40. Sick Sense (a bazillion times)
41. Kiss w/make-up!
42. Def Leppard
43. Whitesnake
44. Aerosmith
45. the dancing dogs
46. 25 to Life
47. Candace Brooks Band

and I honestly can't recall anyone else's name, I've seen more than this, such as, the punk band with the French drummer who was old enough to be my day and flirting with me... or the punk band where the drummer hugged Sharon and I and thanked us for coming. Allegedly drummers like me.

Bands I'd like to see (as I just seen one on MFR that made me sad I don't live closer and lack a time machine): Sonic Youth, The Breeders, The B52's, The Gay Blades (because their daytrotter session was so impressive) Tanya Donelly, 50FootWave and The Dresden Dolls/Amanda Palmer