anyhow, i have no idea what to expect. i don’t want to have expectations. expectations always ruin things for me. i like to just let it flow. that way if there is any disappointment, it will be a result of something in the moment rather than some preconceived thought. and without expectations, you’re always bound to have satisfaction. that’s a major theme in my life. at least i read that before in some old journals i used to write in…

jon st. amant said he might have some kind of structure, or talking points tomorrow, which could be good. i’m excited to just see what happens. i’m anxious to see if ricardo will bring some tequila! i think i’ll pick up some mystery meat jack in the box tacos. it’s gonna be fun any way it plays out. i know it.

we missed meeting in september. it was just too busy. and october is hella busy too, but we’re squeezin this one in. i hope we can keep up the monthly routine. i believe it is best for our souls… so far we have 10 facebook rsvps… Brian Prince, Juan Cuevas, Rene Cardona, Steffi Möllers, Chantal DeFelice, Anais Carrera, Ricardo Riosanto, Jonathan St Amant, Jenifer Miller Hernandez, Jose Solis + John (Nhoj) Sollom who’s not on fb. and for the record, the facebook invite page is here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186351178108890

wow.

i had no idea this was going to be so great. i left the gallery last night with the feeling that something huge just happened and i was a spectator witnessing it all. the fusion of passion, learning spirits, stories, ideas, feelings, history, innovation, and the age spectrum made last night’s “art hangout” meeting a really fantastic start to something that is far beyond one person or even a small group. this is huge. call it a movement!

we couldn’t even get through the introductions in one fell swoop around the circle. it took us about 3 hours to introduce ourselves. now, that’s what i’m talking about. everyone carried an inquisitive spirit as we listened to each artist share their story and answer questions that provoked conversation for hours. there was no agenda. getting to know each other turned out to be the agenda. we defied facebook and defined what real relationship means. even though valerie will attest to facebook as being the greatest invention of our time. i personally believe there is a fine line between the pros and cons of online social media.

in attendance was everyone expected except the artists in PÄS’s next show “Second Chance Art” Jose and Nacho with their friend Anais. they were the “kids” of the group and man, am i glad they were there. them being there added to the diverse engagement of stories and questions all leading to individual passion. so, jon st. amant was there, john sollom, rene, ricardo, charlie, valerie, myself, jose, nacho, and anais. we all sat around a table and ate cookies, pretzels, and mini chocolates while washing it down with brew and water, all while conversing as a group and sometimes in pairs. it was almost like an a.a. meeting, even though i’ve never been to one, it felt very therapeutic, like a counseling session for the repressed artist. we were free. the kind of freedom you have when you’re engaged in your art, but this was in a group.

but not all artists are the same. that’s one thing i learned last night. most think of artists as introverted, reserved, and mainly in their own head. which seems to ring true most of the time… until i met the extroverted, exhibitionist, passionate rene. holie shit he inspires me. his child-like excitement of just being around like-minded people engaging in art conversation made him glow. then to hear the histories that ricardo and his journey as an activist/artist in the san diego area. i can consider him the godfather of the group. not only because he is the oldest, but certainly the wisest, with a calming aura about him. as we sit and listen to valerie, jon and john talk about what it means to paint and ask questions and critique critiquing. while charlie and i are in the corner admiring these painters passion as they explain the need to paint, the rush, addiction of throwing paint onto a canvas, or wall, whatever it may be. charlie and i are more mechanical/computer driven artists and we both agree that we need to draw more. jose and nacho explained that their rush from hitting the streets is instilled with fear of the cops and the toker town gang. two forces against their love of art. nacho straight up said that he didn’t want to be sitting here in a meeting and he just wanted to paint! i love that. however, he seemed to be the most inquisitive and responded to the passions of the more seasoned artists.

if you were to ask me what art is, i would say this is it. ask me who an artist is and i’ll tell you everyone is an artist. but this meeting right here brought the Artist out. these are artists. true to the bone artists. i really wish i would of had a video camera filming the energy last night. but i know this will not be the last meeting. everyone was grateful to be there. everyone wanted to know when the next meeting was. i think everyone felt as i did.

high. and looking to go higher…

tonight will be the first “art hangout” established by jonathan st. amant. we’re holding it at PÄS Gallery come 7 pm this evening. it seems now that it will act as an introductory meeting, but i have no idea what to expect, except that it will be a great meeting of the minds. the minds of local fullerton artists. so far we have jon st. amant (nowhereland creator/and this groups instigator), charlie visnic (b-roll genius), rene cardona (the mysterious painter from the art colony’s past/showing up in the art scene again), valerie lewis (art colony resident and phenomenal painter), ricardo gonsalves (old skool self help graphics/conceptual artist), john m. sollom (oil painter/assemblage extraordinaire), and myself (the gallery director/commerical art sellout)… unfortunately christie yuri noh and brian lucett have moved to san francisco this week and cannot be here.

jon has asked everyone to bring something they are currently working on to receive feedback in a school-like critique environment. i think that is a good ice breaker, but i think the real energy is going to come from ideas of collaboration. and just from an art community coming together… a couple of preconceived thoughts that come to mind are 1) a new-age dada movement. or intentional movement, more like, with dada like diversity. and 2) i want to propose this original quote that was on the wall in PÄS Gallery before i moved in and made it a gallery. it reads, “Dillon Kerekes — May 17, 1996. I have decided from this day on to never give up, in any way shape or form, my right to continuously and willfully create artwork in order to survive in the sometimes chaotic environment that i exist.” then afterwards mike magoski, our art colony’s visionary, continued it upon our arrival into the new space. image attached at the end of this post.

so, aside from what’s going to happen, i created this blog (fundergrounart.com) a few months ago with a different purpose. i made it to document street art around fullerton, showing the messages our street artists are saying to our city through stencils, wheatpaste, and spray paint. it’s been a few months and i have failed miserably on any attempts to get out and document the beforementioned. so, that brings me here. to tonight. why not see where this leads. thanks jon for provoking such a meeting.

perhaps in 50 years from now, we can look back upon these notes and say, “oh, that’s how it started.” what “it” will be? i have no idea. but i’m definitely looking forward to this!

here’s the facebook event (for the record) : https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=153162531425236