"Lost In My Life (disposable jobs)," based on the work of Rachel Perry Welty.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went back to school this year. Well, the semester is almost over and I turned in this photograph (see above) as my final project for my Visual Communications (art) class at Northeastern University.

The assignment was to choose a contemporary artist; to look at their work; and to then create something that would fit in with their portfolio. I chose Rachel Perry Welty and her “Lost In My Life” series.  I call the above photograph, “Lost In My Life (disposable jobs).” I came up with the idea after being laid off last month.

Welty uses disposable and/or deleted items in her work. Her most notable work is “Karaoke, Wrong Number,” where she uses wrong-number messages left on her answering machine over a three-year period.

I used newspaper “Help Wanted,” sections and headlines about the downfall in our economy to illustrate disposable jobs in our throw-away society.

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Shhh! Wine Is Resting

The wine is resting comfortably in my basement. On June 3, it stomped fermenting (you can tell when it stops boiling) and so I took it out of the oak barrel and siphoned it into two 5-gallon glass carboys and three liter quart barrels: 10+gallons, more than I expected.

It will now sit in those carboys for about a month before I siphon it out into two fresh and clean carboys. The idea is to not let the wine sit ontop of the dregs for two long. From here on out, it’s a matter of bottle exchange and bottle washing. It should be ready to drink by late August or early September.

My recreation of a Susan Rothenberg painting. The original, below, was created using acrylic and tempera on canvas. The one above was created in Processing, using a screenshot.

Since this website is all about the things I love (cooking, eating, making wine, drinking wine, old houses, and listening to good music) I decided to share another part of my life: a new endeavor, school. I went back to grad school this month, studying digital media at Northeastern University.

One of the things I loved about college 30 years ago, I discovered is still true today: the classes interrelate. I’m taking two courses, an art class called Visual Communications and a computer programming class that allows you to draw and create animation.

When using the programming language, called Processing, it’s suggested that you lay out your design on graph paper so you can calculate the coordinates for the computer to draw what you want. For one of my first assignments I decided to recreate one of Susan Rothenberg’s horse paintings. I first saw her paintings in the text book, “Art Fundamentals,” a book we use in Visual Communications.

A photo of the Susan Rothenberg painting (US, 1975).

And now, one of the assignments for Visual Communications, has us creating our own graph paper to help us paint a self-portrait.

So does art imitate life more than life imitates art or is it vise versa?

I’m not sure. But I’m happy that these two classes imitate each other.

Portrait of Senator Ted Kennedy by Andover artist Joseph Gemellaro. Gemellaro grew up in Medford.

If a picture is worth a 1000 words then this one speaks volumes.

Much has been written about the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1932-2009) this past week. And much of that is captured in this portrait of Kennedy created by Andover artist Joseph Gemellaro.

The eyes show an earnest man looking ahead, while the lips in full motion speak of a genuine concern for whatever it is he is talking about.

Although the overall effect is flattering, the portrait is also very realistic, showing the senator’s wrinkles and puffs of flabby skin. Gemellaro used an innovative technique to create the illusion of real skin by applying White Out in strategic places.

Two articles that stand out in my memory of last week’s media blitz were one written in the Boston Globe by David Filipov and the other written in the New York Times about the unique relationship Kennedy had with his second wife, Victoria.

Filipov’s column talks about how his family got to personally know Kennedy after his father was killed in the 911 attacks. The New York Times piece gives us an inside look at the couple’s romance and their political teamwork.

Together the two articles provide a good picture of the man, but this portrait gives us something more. It allows us to look him in the eyes and confront him on our own terms.

(Prints of the Kennedy portrait can be purchased directly from the artist. You may contact him directly at joegemellaro700@hotmail.com.)