Paella

Paella (IPA: [paean]) is a rice dish, it is traditionally eaten on Sundays. The name paella is the word for "frying pan" in Valencian (from Latin patella).
Paella is usually garnished with vegetables and meat or seafood. The three main ingredients are rice, saffron, and olive oil.

Now you got the wik wiki Wikipedia version, now read my story.

In the South we are know for our little sayings or quotes and aphorisms.
I heard one recently that spoke of smarts, Give me 100$ and I will give you a teaspoon of fresh GA. Red clay.Anyways,there is one that goes, This is so good ,It make you wanna smack yo mama. Well, I just got back from Alabama and my mama ain't too happy about her face.

SSAR.Scott did it again.Paella this past Sunday. He and Mario. Two different styles of cooking. Collab. Make it work. Sunday feast. Attended by the pastors and family.Somehow this has something to do with art and artist being artist.

Ingredients
Lobsters
Octopus
Calamari
Fish
Shrimp
Rice
Peas
And a bunch of other stuff
I am forgetting cause
It was so much in there.

Mario grilled chorizo w/Lime. This was a new look for chorizo and my taste buds. Scott is the man. He brought out the music and Thump. We tipped. Waited for the Skillet to do its thing. Just as the sun made its down, Paella!!!20 mins later full belly, pot belly. Sleepy.To go plate. I headed down 400 passed my loft on to Alabama to slap my moms face. Scott and Mario you got me in trouble on this one. Now she gone slap mine when she reads this.

Diesel High too Mod and Ultra Cool.

Nothing to do with art TM or anything really....I didn’t even spell check whatever...

So I get an email from Karen West PR.Come out to the High Museum blah blah blah fashion FREE DRINKS!!! So last night I go to the High for the Diesel Fashion show social event of the evening. I dressed really swanky cause I knew the crowd, my easydosa t-shirt, jeans, addias, my vintage corning glasses and my fat gold rope chain.FRESH!!!They weren’t ready for that.

Stepped in line and stepping right out feels good and important. Karen hands me a wrist band and I jump the rope and go into the High saying good bye to the peasants who have to wait in line in my minds best British accent...I know people, as if I would have to wait! The though of such. Then the hip hop hits me in the face and snaps me back to my real me.

I’m from the country but when in certain social circles they go kiss kiss on both cheeks, so me too all the while thinking, I got two more cheek you can kiss. Ha!!! Joke to self nobody’s laughing but me.Thats what they do. Getting back to what I do my voice orders a Jack and Coke. I down it and get another while making small talk to ex cheerleaders now playing corporate sweethearts while asking what do you do. I think, Are you looking for my millions? What is it that I don’t do is the question and glare into her eyes to say Yes, I am that confident Mod and Ultra Cool.JC please, I leave he in bewilderment probably asking herself was he joking or an Ahole or does he do alot.

Now I feel the warm fuzz of the THUMP and I notice all the pancake make up blond hair beauty queens from frat parties past.I chuckle thing I used to date chicks like you.Well I thought, I guess they go to these events to be popular in adult life.I always wondered who where all those people in the back of Jezebel and Peach magazines.They seem to always be partying with the beautiful people and ATL short list of celebs.I guess I have finally made it, but my bills are due. A few more thumps and warmer feelings, I feel loose but not too loose, this is not the crowd for country boy jokes. I chill acting ultra mod and cool. I don’t even own an I pod but who knows that there, back to my cool.

Jermaine Dupri is a tiny man.Ceelo Green the Soul Machine is a big dude but short, both are nice and we pose for a pic. Maybe they think I'm ultra mod and cool. Maybe they know I’m an artist, do they collect? Maybe I will be in the back of Jezebel posed up next to some white blonde pie faced chick with nice "teeth" and some one in the grocery line will be like who are these people or why is Michi posed up with some pie faced blond chick with nice "teeth”. Anyway I pose for more pics with Caleb Gauge and a few of the scensters of the scene that move and shake all the while acting MOD and ULTRA COOL!!!

Artist staments

As many may know I really dont like the paper work of being an artist.Can you paint? YES!!! So,today I was asked to right an artist statement of why TM was innovative...this what i said?

TindelMichi are two artist working together to create an aesthetic that uniquely represents the South. Our work is a direct reflection of growing up in a newer urbanized and a less racially sensitive south than our parents. We use painting as our platform to combine various influences and methods from different disciplines and melded them into our own techniques. Skills that include one time use hand cut stenciling, font and character development as well as a history of symbolic elements that continue to show up in our work. We gather influence not only from the region, but from our families’ oral traditions. Inspired by two different racial experiences growing up in the south; TindelMichi celebrate the same southern culture. We have combined our southern vernaculars to develope cryptic phrases and languages. These messages or words are indications of the humor and charm that is undoubtedly Southern and incomparably TindelMichi.

Sunday Southern Art Revival:Cook

Sunday is the day we meet.The email was simple and said lets meet about 2 o clock and talk about new projects.Im thinking we working on Basel ideas or stuff for biennials and various other shows.We talked about art for all of ten minutes.This is what I love about SSAR.Sometime arts not important.

George was like "Im going to start a fire." Me too George I said as I followed in my Pyro happiness. We walk to the pit and started a fire. I got corn George said. Let's cook it. John and I look on as the blaze roar and I add more paper just to watch it burn, A whole Sunday paper starting with the art section to be exact.We laughed about it. George was like I got Okra too. We chopped it and was like hell, now we got to to fry it.George was like I got Collard Greens too.Cool.Jessie and his family came,plus Charlie and his young one. John left in sadness. The meat came from somewhere and few hours later it was a full on SSAR BBQ celebrating Mario and George.

Just as random and unplanned as our collaborative works are the collabortive meals are even more sucessful.Mario cleaned chickens I said "Fried Gizzards"George kept the gizzards.It's like we still were working in the studio and having fun ,but just in the kitchen. We were adding spices and guessing spices of each others dishes.Some spieces that pull out flavors that could have been missed.We all enjoy cooking and sharing family cooking secrets.I think that is why food plays an important part to our mission and gospel. There is talk of a cookbook and a SSAR Art Feast, we will collab in the kitchen for your taste buds.

Iron Belly Menu

George on Okra and Gourmet Gizzards

Michi on Collards (candy collards)

Scott "the Vegitarian" on ribs and Salmon

Mario on Yardbirds and plantain

Jessie on Grits and sausage

Charlie on Corn and grill foreman

John absent on Cooking day

BacktoNYC

So I just got back from NYC.Limo at the airport."Michi!!!"Usually Jose comes to get me.His phone was off and they sent another guy.Went directly to the Fashion/Garment distric.14 floors up did the meeting.We agreed.Shannon a friend from home bama has blonde hair now.We take a cab to Soho.We laugh.Finally did I said,all that trash talking we did in college, finally,Artsy and creative in NYC.The loft is huge.It over looked Kid Robot.Huge loft white furniture like a loft from a book.Someone really lives like this.Smokes on the fire escape,but I quit.I have one.We laugh.Walk for pizza and Jack D/coke.People come over.They dont do whiskey we laugh and call the soft as the thump hits us.Dosa comes over.He's in cut and paste.Taxi to alphabet city. more ATL folk show up. Before long the south dominates this one corner.Random.Walk to bars.Loaded and they dont dance no more but the A was on that bump and grind.Jordo eastvillage thats my dude.Sleep.Breakfast.Luis Bravo,I found Animal Chin. Lunch China Town.But went to the little Italy Street Festival.Pizzas,Scunguli's,and eeey!!! Italian stuff.Walk to House ton,but I say HOUSTON,like texas.Cut and paste.On the list.Dosa is hyped to do battle.I look up the A is in the place.SouF MouF.Dosa wins first two rounds.Looses final on purpose I think.The other guy was no comp.We celebrate the intentional loss.Walk.Go to Home Sweet Home.Its tiny,I laugh and leave.Taxi.EastV.Jordo.We hit MaxFish.More South.We tip whiskey and walk home.Sandwich at the corner deli.Turkey and cheese on a roll.Next morning China Town.I shop.Dumplings for breakfast.Call the Limo.Strange starting to like NYC.Airport.Flight,I sleep.ATL.Good to be Home.

Underground and Fine

Here at TindelMichi Studios we straddle a fine line in this ATL art world. Are we Fine art or Underground? Maybe we some new folk art that people can’t classify it. Are we still emerging? When do we stop emerging? Who decides this and validates careers in ATL. I feel like we have played all the underground spots big and small and done the right events. We have played some more notable galleries and gained the attention of the finer side and I still feel like something is missing. I have gotten into arguments with people who say going the gallery route you can’t do this or that. Well, I need some intellectual art buyers to understand the dilemma of daily creation. Try to understand two dudes who make.


TindelMichi is prolific. We make paint, draw, create things every day; we are not waiting for some great idea to get us out of the funk. We paint through the funk. Is it well thought out? Some of it is and some just skim the ideas.Ideas come and go.I used to keep an idea box. Are we wrong for this? It’s like do you need art to breathe and our answer is, YES!!!!Do you paint? YES!!!We don’t pretend and makes no excuses of why we can’t create. Either you are a creator or not. We don’t play art; we are it.TindelMichi tries to one up each other daily. It’s how we create our dialog and symbols. Healthy completion to push each other this how we learn from each other. So naturally we would push our work onto other things sculpture, installations, we paint live and far as I am concerned that is our performance art.
I get so confused by the Atlanta's art scene and its ideas. What are we trying to do really, push our scene or local talent? Well ,here at TM studios we are pushing a whole region. The idea of this enchanting place where long hot heat is the norm. We are not like NYC or L.A. We are not tofu and pizza. We are sweet tea and bbq.If NYC is an ant hill then we are fireflys.So in saying this I am pushing for us (Atlanta) to come into our own.

I got off subject.

Banksy, Shepard, David Choe a few others have gone their routes and landed work in major collections in museums international. They are a few doing what all artists want to do. Don’t then you are a liar to yourself. Make art and make money, so that you can make art and have the time and joy to make that art. To produce daily and not worry about I got to go to work and stop your real mission. We all start off to be sucessful.You don’t start things to fail.

So who is to say I'm wrong if I do this or that with my work. Some say this doesnt validate you and no one will take your work seriously.Well until the intellectual buyers catch up with the jones my bills still rocking.My urge to make work is still there.No museum is knocking down my door just yet. So,I have to do what it takes to get that free time to make what I have to make. The time for my spirit to get free making things. I’m going both ways on this one....Underground and Fine.

Saint St.Augustine

So the SSAR has been traveling around spreading the word.Recently, we went down to St.Augustine Florida the nations oldest city. We installed our "Revival" and I think we may have converted a few more souls for the cause. I like St.Aug. It’s small and charming, close to the beach and across the street from the river it’s totally surrounded by water.


I arrived two days before the opening. The rest of the ministers were there installing the gospel. I called John and he said they were at the beach. George had a kayak in the ocean riding waves. I followed my map quest direction to the gallery, The Gallery at Screen Arts. I liked this side of town, It was like cabbage town meets the west end and everyone was nice and on a bike. I saw the why did the chicken cross the road joke play out before my eyes.The answer is to get to the other side. Rob the gallery owner came out and we got introduced around and he is the nicest gallery owner dude ever.


In back of the gallery is a sign shop, John and I were about ready to loose our minds at all the possibilities of the machines. My faves was a die cutting machine that started up like an engine. It was old school technology I called it the Willy Wonka.

Thrown before me was a huge pile of vinyl symbols that I recognize and new what was up, a site specific vinyl installation. We did two and they were FRESH!!!One was at least 20'x15' or bigger the other in that range too. After a couple of hot afternoons and one late night of hanging, we decide to go out.

First dinner at A1A, Im not a fan of this place even though the food was good. To put it simple they ran out of grits for my shrimp and grits. Thing is the server waited until the other food was up to say "We are out of grits". After dinner we walked the historic beach town looking for trouble. We found nothing. After a couple stops at what seemed to be a town full of piano bars we decided to go back the first bar we saw that night. Matanza ,which means "blood river" was playing. This bar was a real hickish redneck bar full of lively beach types and seemed to be the local jam. Scott hated it and we made the best of the social scene. I liked it because soon as we hit the door and get a drink, the familiar sound of home graced my ears. John knocked over a beer bottle and on the crashing queue the band tore into Skynards Sweet Home Alabama. A huge smile on my face and I danced the jig with the locals.

The next day was the opening and the show was received well. The gallery owner always buys Rap Snacks for the show and we learned that Master P snack was going to be harder to get because of distrubution.We bought all the store had and that was funny. A Honda Mini van full. Like Atlanta there are lots of biking white negros or "hipsters" according to wikapedia.They came to the opening and showed some love. It was all good and I could feel the spirit and the souls being saved.There was talk of an after party. We got directions and headed over the bridge to the "Pool House" so we heard, but it was the "Poo House" and there was a few kids sitting around looking stupid. I quickly cracked a joke and mad a true "I'm too old for this and this aint even a party" and we left off to Denny’s for breakfast,mean while some puke breathed hipster chick was trying to go with us but we superman'd on that oooooooooooooooo!!!!!

I was under the strange hold of the THUMP and almost got us into a fight with a local band that thought we were a band trying to play on there turf. "who is the lead singer he kept saying,as if to say I challenge you.We laughed and insulted the sucky band (Oneday Better)and ate our food. Rob said you should be One day at a time.I don’t remember much but we woke up in hotel rooms, we couldn’t drive I guess. Thanks for driving Rob.

The next day we go to a movie and Rob the gallery owner takes us out on his boat. We cruise around the water scene looking for dolphins and manatee. Wind whipping my dreadlocks, I finally felt relaxed for once. I love the water. We stay out until dark and get dinner and drinks on the lake. It was super nice. Starring at a L.A. style pop surreal KrK Ryden piece, Mark Rydens brother, I drift off thinking of our Southern Revival and how cool it would be to do an install in L.A. and Miami at Basel.