New CD's by Mr. Dorgon. You really should check him out.....
http://www.myspace.com/mrdorgonmusic

"i know you have all been wondering--
when will i be able to get some
new dorgon music?

well--the wait is almost over
on 04/20/2008
there will be this--
3 new recordings

firstly
mr dorgon--manjusri cd
a selection of intuitive + counter-intuitive musics
recorded @ black ark sf 2006

secondly
mr dorgon--myhandsaroundyerneck cd
remix/version/deconstruction of the music
of a dead trumpet player
recorded @ black ark sf 2006

thirdly
mr dorgon--coonskincap
this is a two cd set
remix/version/deconstruction of the music
of a dead deaf composer
recorded @ black ark sf 2005

these were all mastered by professor bang
& are all limited editions with fabulous packaging
by yours truly

get 'em while you can
thanks"

Come hang out, check out some art and weird sounds
Tomorrow, April 5
8PM-?
Cafe Di Bartolo
3310 Grand Avenue,
Oakland, California 94610

Live sounds by Mr. Dorgon
He will be debuting
a new work
for acoustic sounds!
Check him out...
Mysapce: http://www.myspace.com/mrdorgonmusic
Tzadik: http://www.tzadik.com (go to the "Lunatic Fringe" series)

I was recently asked to give an overview of my artistic life. Here is the somewhat longwinded and boring response....




Hi Jack,

Wow, I am very flattered that you have chosen me for your project. I hope that I can answer as many of your questions as possible with intelligence and humor. The humor part I'm fairly comfortable with....intelligence, however, remains to be seen.
Just curious, which piece have you used in your research folder?

First of all I'd like to thank you for the compliments and keen eye you've displayed in my use of different "styles" in my paintings. I fear that it gets lost on a lot of people, which is fine but there is a hidden message there. Not that I have a grand message to teach the world, it is just a mechanism of expressing a personal world view through my art.

I remember the day I did my first "real" painting, February 14 1992. I've had a lifelong interest in art...my mother was a Picasso fan, both her and my grandfather enjoyed drawing etc. Like all teens I went through a phase of wanting to do music. play in bands, etc. After a few false starts and far too much bickering getting in the way I stepped back in time and essentially re-discovered my first loves; the weirdo modern art movements. Drawing in school rather than paying attention I finally decided to give easel painting a try. I've been hooked ever since. It did take a very long time for it to become effortless however. I kept struggling with the notion of what being an artist meant to me, how to have faith in my own ideas, etc. Then in summer 2002 something broke through and a cascade of weird art flowed out and it hasn't really stopped. I'm unsure of how I got to that point but I do remember that earlier that year I had a strange feeling, a kind of giddy "glow" that progressed into something unexpected; the elimination of "artists block" and an intense, creative joy. It always seemed to be an almost mystical experience for me as I've always been a rather religious person, without being a believer, if that makes any sense.

My working methods are very diverse depending on what I need to do when I need to do it. I do work from observation but that observation goes through many filters before it comes out on a surface. Sometimes I will use random marks that I've put on canvas as a starting point. The common denominator is that no matter what I look at, whether it's a person, place, or thing in front of me, a photograph, or something that exists in the ether is that it will go through changes before it feels finished to me. Showing how skillfully I can recreate what I see is not a concern for me, but rather the dialogue that is happening between the vision and the process. A line or brushstroke can inspire something that is not there "in reality" but seems to need to be there just by its presence.

Long ago I decided that my painting medium would be acrylic. I always made a mess with oil paint and I tend to be artistically hyper, so the sooner a painting is dry and done the better. As I work I always have coffee with me so I'm buzzing along a mile a minute. Besides the occasional beers with friends, caffeine is the only drug I take. I enjoy drawing/sketching but don't do it nearly enough.

My day doesn't feel quite complete if I don't put in at least some time at the easel. But then there are other days where I've had enough and have to do something else, but that is just part of the work. My attitude towards that is that I'm always working, even if I'm not physically applying paint to a surface. All of my life interests and needs get put back into it, so I don't need to be anywhere near the easel to consider myself at work. All of my moments on earth are spent getting ready for the next group of paintings.

Part of the work that I don't take for granted, and rather enjoy, is getting it out for people to look at. My prime area of doing that is online. So many more people can see it there than not. The traditiona