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Friday, November 21, 2008

Snap Crackle & Pop


This piece strangely seemed appropriate to post today. I actually created this over the summer when I was having problems with my knee. Whenever I take time off from running, the tendonitis seems to flare up as I begin to build up my miles. It's quite frustrating because the only thing that seems to help is lots of ice, Advil, and patience.

So, I'm definitely not a stranger to injury. I've injured/had problems with nearly every bone, muscle, tendon, and joint from the 5th metatarsal to the groin in my ten years of running. Today is a big day, actually. It is the first day I'm allowed to be off my crutches from my current stress fracture. Assuming today is pain-free, I only have four short weeks until I'm on the roads running again. Let's  just hope the knee doesn't act up again... 

Monday, November 17, 2008

It Runs in the Family


15: Kristen from Caleb Custer on Vimeo.
I happen to not be the only artist, or athlete (as this seem to border both), in the family. My cousin Kristen Weiser is also an fantastically talented artist. She is dances for Cedar Lake Dance a contemporary ballet studio, here in New York. She was recently featured in a video by project52, a collaboration with Cedar Lake to highlight the dancers' intersections of life and dance.

I am especially proud and excited to introduce my cousin because she is one of the reasons I am an artist today. Her drive and willingness to dream has given me the confidence to pursue my own goals. If she hadn't been willing to take the hard, and certainly painful, road to become a "rockstar" in the dance world, I don't know if I would have been willing to take such a leap into the art world as well.

If you're interested in seeing more of Kristen and Cedar Lake, and I highly recommend it, their next performances are January 8-18th. They are located at 547 West 26th St, New York, NY 10001.


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Stress of a Fracture



What I failed to mention in my post about the New York City Marathon and my race, was that post race I was achy all over and began getting sharp pains on the outside of my right foot. Some aches and pains are expected post marathon, so I decided to give them a few days to take care of themselves. After three days of icing, wrapping, medicating, and limping, I went to the doctor and got x rays. After a weekend on crutches, I met with the orthopedic surgeon, today, to find out the verdict.

At the orthopedists, I learned that you can develop a stress fracture anytime within two weeks of the initial impact. From my x rays the doctor determined that if I didn't have a stress fracture already, I was on the verge of developing one in the near future. Either way, the treatment is the same. So I will be on crutches for the next two weeks followed by another four of low impact living. Meaning I cannot run for six weeks. :(

These are the my x rays. The doctor said an MRI or bone scan would be able to give a clearer picture, but you can tell where there is stress on the bone by the darker spots. Even without a break, I think these pictures are pretty cool.



Monday, November 10, 2008

The Bookshow


Opening Reception: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 from 6-8pm, Visual Arts Gallery.

In the Main Gallery, The Book Show is an exhibition of 20 books, curated by Marshall Arisman and Carl Titolo, including mine Living Dying. Living Dying is my final project from my first year in the MFA program of SVA. The narrative follows life from conception to death and shows the glories and defeats a full life brings. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event. Editions are limited so if you want one let me know and I'll reserve you one (two or three!).

Also opening in Project Room 3 is The Call of Cthulhu, curated by Viktor Koen. The show features a selection of narratives based upon the short story by H. P. Lovecraft. The shows are brought to you by the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department of the School of Visuals Arts.

The Visual Arts Gallery is located at 601 West 26 Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001. 212.592.2145. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 10am - 6 pm.

For more information call the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department at 212.592.2210.



Sunday, November 9, 2008

ING New York City Marathon 2008


On November 2, 2008 the 2008 ING New York City Marathon took place, spanning the five boroughs of New York City. As part of the World Marathon Majors, the New York City Marathon bring over 90,000 applicants and 39,000 entrants. It was a beautiful day for the race and the elite Men's race, along with the first wave of the race, started promptly at 9:40.


Yours truly competed this year placing 411th with a time of 2:50:31. My first NY Marathon, it was quite the amazing experience. The fans are what make this such an amazing race. After mile 15 I was ready to drop, but the fans' wild screaming is what kept me going. I finished only 10 minutes short of my goal, a miracle, based on the way I was feeling. Here is a picture of me at mile 11 on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (before I was feeling like death). A special thanks to You Jung Byun for taking the photo. This race is sure to inspire some new work. Don't be surprised to find some work with the themes of pain, exhaustion, defeat, and maybe exhilaration in the near future.



Friday, November 7, 2008

Thesis


Here is an image I have created for my Grad Thesis at SVA. I'm not entirely clear on what my thesis is right now, but it definitely has something to do with running. This piece is greatly inspired by poster design and might be the beginning of my work taking a more graphic twist. Let me know what you think.