1000 “likes” on facebook

So, what’s all the hubbub about Facebook Fan Pages and what’s the deal with 1000 Fans? Well, if you don’t have a fan page you’d never know but it doesn’t work like your “standard” account. Until 1000 fans like you there are some less than stellar drawbacks. Currently you can’t tag N! in a photo and have it link to the N! fan page, and that’s just the start. Now if I had the budget to advertise on Facebook I could gain the number of fans to change this but I’d pay for each and every fan Facebook brought to my page. I don’t have the budget and to be quite honest I’m not in love with the idea of paying for fans. I do however like the idea of rewarding people for spreading the word about N! and this is why I’ve created this promotion.

In order to be treated by Facebook as “real” I need to have 1000 fans, this changes the status of the fan page and allows N! to operate the way most people can on Facebook. This is where I’m enlisting the help of my current fans. In order to reach my goal I need your help, but I don’t expect anyone to do so without potentially getting something in return so as incentive. In this case that just happens to be an original piece of artwork! (pretty cool eh?)

Now for the nitty gritty… in order to participate the first step is to promote the N! Satterfield fan page, you can do this any way you see fit via blog, website, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Digg, etc. This can simply be done by posting a link to my website and instructing folks to click on the “like” button. The second step is to let your friends know to send an email message to info@nsatterfield.com saying that you sent them. (Yup, one of the other drawbacks is that there is no N! Satterfield messaging on Facebook… yet) I simply need to know that you sent somebody my way so I can keep a tally of who is sending whom. After reaching my goal I will contact the person with the most referrals directly to let them know they’ve won! For privacy purposes I will let that person decide if they want to be noted publicly or remain anonymous.

Thanks! to all of my current fans and thanks in advance for those of you who chose to participate and bring the “Wonderful World of N!” to the rest of the universe.

Due to the litigious nature of Facebook I am forced to mention this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Understand that by providing your information to N! Satterfield and not to Facebook, the information you provide will only be used for consideration in winning the prize indicated in the promotion. All administering for this promotion will be dealt with by N! Satterfield through nsatterfield.com and associated web sites, all inquiries should be directed to: info@nsatterfield.com

Summertime… Time for Tiki

Well, summer is upon us and as usual summertime reminds all of backyard barbecues, family gatherings, and cold drinks. For me summertime is the time for tiki. Sweet exotic music playing over the soundsystem while cocktails are being mixed with a bevy of rums and juices. If this is your idea of paradise you probably have a little nostalgia for an easier time when Hawaii was being hearalded as our newest state… The interesting thing about “tiki” or “polynesian pop” is the fact that it’s a western re-imagining of polynesian culture. This is ultimately why I like it so much and it provides quite a wealth of imagery to play with in my particularly interesting way. If you’ve been to my gallery or my flikr you already know that there are quite a few examples of tiki artwork… heck, there’s even an entire section dedicated to tiki. Well, this summer is no different I currently have a bunch of tiki artwork showing up in two (count ’em TWO) great shows starting this week.

First up is “Summertime Fun Time”, this show runs from June 8 through July 6 at Howley’s Diner in West Palm Beach. Opening reception is Tuesday, June 8th at 8PM. Brought to you by the team who bring Stitch Rock to life it’s evidently a blast. This is my first time working with these fine folks but I’m extremely excited about it the artwork has been specially priced just for this event so if you’re saavy you might get extremely lucky! “Tiki Two – The Future” and “Kooky Kutout: Punchy” are just part of the lineup of fantastic South Florida art to be seen.

The Second is “Polyblend”, brought to you by Harold Golen Gallery as part of the Hukilau. Polyblend is the third show Harold Golen has done at this world famous event it runs from June 10 through June 12. Opening reception is Thursday, June 10 from 5 to 7pm and open to the public. I’m super excited to announce the triumphant homecoming of “Big Willie” for this show. This 6-eyed monster of a “glow in the dark” tiki is a sight to behold and is sure to create a stiramongst the revelers at this popular South Florida event. I will be assisting Harold at Hukilau so look for my bald head and ear to ear smile as you visit the Gallery and be sure and introduce yourself. As usual Harold will have a number of smaller pieces of my work as well as other’s, prints, postcards, etc.

Oh and I’d be completely remiss if I didn’t mention that the world famous Mai-Kai has just recently had a complete restock of N! Satterfield tiki necklaces and some very special artwork as well.  This restock contains the last of the “version 1” necklaces so if you’re collecting you better run to the giftshop before they’re gone for good!

As always thanks for the support and enjoy the art!

“So, why do you do what you do?”

I get asked this question a lot and I generally give some sort of vague answer that what I do appeals to my tastes and that I simply love what I do. More often than not that’s satisfactory but occasionally the question is redirected to something like, “I mean, why do you copy stuff?”. Well, that’s a bit harder to answer… I was raised to believe that anything I saw or heard was part of a collection of ideas that contribute to the world as I understand it. I could draw, or color, or cut up, or collage and it was always met with encouragement regardless of where the source of my inspiration came from. I guess it had as much to do with being a product of the 70’s, creative thinking was all the rage and I was the child of creative professionals… I believe this kinda thing just sort of happens.
Now, nearly 40 years later we’ve become one of the most creatively hampered cultures on the planet… and I can only think this is the reason I get asked what seems to me to be a pretty ridiculous question. I mean it’s a shame to think that the whole idea of reinvention through manipulation of our cultural past is not seen as standard. It’s simply seen as copyright infringement… have we forgot history?

“That’s how society moves forward, it doesn’t just invent new things it evolves through taking old things and changing them.” -Tom Silverman (CEO Tommy Boy Records)

The quote is from “Copyright Criminals” a documentary primarily about sampling but that really hits the message home. We are constantly recombining the “cultural DNA” of our forefathers in order to move our culture forward. This is basically what I’m doing,  each time I’m asked this question I’m obligated to give a free lesson in art history. I’m simply making the best of what I have at my disposal and I think I’m pretty good at it. I should also mention “Rip!: A Remix Manifesto“, “Good Copy Bad Copy“, and Craig Baldwin’s seminal documentary “Sonic Outlaws“. Each of these examples deals with 20th/21st Century’s inability to allow for creative usage of appropriated materials. The latter delves into the story of Negativland and the lawsuit over their 1991 release “U2“. Some of you may not know but I studied film, video, and audio production while in college (I solely painted graffiti). I was a huge fan of Negativland and witnessed how devastating this lawsuit was to them, so I was acutely aware of Baldwin’s project exposing the story behind the story.

It was at this point I became aware of the issue of fair use and how it applies to making artwork in modern times. It’s fair use that protects (sometimes barely) what I do as an artist. I recombine elements of what I see as part of my history into something that is both commentary on the elements and the culture itself. It’s simply art making as a form of culture jamming and I’m continually explaining this when the “So, why do you do what you do?” question comes up. Oh yeah, and I really do love it too!

Getting into the swing of things

It’s been a little bit tricky getting used to being at work at 7AM every morning and juggling making artwork. I guess I got a bit spoiled by being able to dedicate nearly all of my time to painting… granted I never knew where the money to pay the bills was going to come from. I’m just glad to be doing something I actually like to do.
I finally saw the “time lapse” video of the mural I helped out with in Miami so can you… Needless to say, it was an extreme pleasure to be involved with such an amazing project with such great people. I was extremely flattered to be depicted in the painting along with my friend and fellow artist Jill Fake Is Good I still need to get a crapload of pictures off of my camera but I’m a bit behind where I wanted to be with the piece I’m painting for the “False Idols” Show at Bold Hype not that it fazes me it’s just I’m now having to be really aware of how I plan my schedule. The piece is turning out to be pretty outrageous so the excitement of working on it keeps me highly motivated, even if I have to juggle time with work and sleep.