Exciting

There's been some stupendously bad adaptations of Philip K Dick novels (only one so far that isn't), but this trailer for the Richard Linklater film of A Scanner Darkly is looking pretty good.

Last one, promise

Cattell's 16 Factor Test Results Warmth ||||||||| 26% Intellect |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 82% Emotional Stability |||||| 18% Aggressiveness ||||||||||||||||||||| 70% Liveliness ||||||||||||||| 50% Dutifulness ||| 10% Social Assertiveness ||||||||| 30% Sensitivity ||||||||| 30% Paranoia |||||||||||||||||||||||| 74% Abstractness |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 82% Introversion |||||||||||||||||||||||| 74% Anxiety |||||||||||| 38% Openmindedness |||||||||||||||||||||||| 78% Independence |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 90% Perfectionism |||||||||||| 34% Tension ||||||||||||||| 42%

Take Cattell 16 Factor Test (similar to 16pf)
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According to the table that came with those results, the following adjectives describe my results:

Warmth: cold, selfish
Intellect: cerebral, analytical
Emotional Stability: irritable, moody
Aggressiveness: controlling, tough
Liveliness: exactly midway between somber, restrained and wild, fun loving
Dutifulness: untraditional, rebellious
Social Assertiveness: shy, withdrawn
Sensitivity: coarse, tough
Paranoia: wary, suspicious
Abstractness: strange, imaginative
Introversion: private, quiet
Anxiety: confident, self assured
Openmindedness: curious, exploratory
Independence: loner, craves solitude
Perfectionism: disorganized, messy
Tension: relaxed, cool

Rainy day fun

For some reason I really enjoy doing these stupid online personality tests. I've done quite a few different ones based on the Myers-Briggs typology, and always get the same result:

Withdrawn (I) 68.57% Outgoing (E) 31.43% Imaginative (N) 71.88% Realistic (S) 28.13% Intellectual (T) 76.47% Emotional (F) 23.53% Improvised (P) 82.76% Organized (J) 17.24% Your type is: INTP You are an Architect, possible professions include - strategic planning, writer, staff development, lawyer, architect, software designer, financial analyst, college professor, photographer, logician, artist, systems analyst, neurologist, physicist, psychologist, research/development specialist, computer programmer, data base manager, chemist, biologist, investigator.

Take Free Career Test
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Yes, I'm a weirdo

Personality Disorder Test Results Paranoid |||||||||||||| 58% Schizoid |||||||||||||||||| 78% Schizotypal |||||||||||||| 58% Antisocial |||||||||||||||| 70% Borderline |||||||||||||| 54% Histrionic |||||||||||| 46% Narcissistic |||||| 26% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 66% Dependent |||||| 30% Obsessive-Compulsive |||||||||||| 42%

Take Free Personality Disorder Test
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Oh yeah

This is the painting that won that competition I was a finalist in.

Back to work tomorrow

Oh dear, it's back to the salt mines tomorrow. I've had a pretty good break. The weather has been really fantastic (until today). I've done some drawings, bugger all painting, but shitloads of reading. The reading's mostly been about Piero della Francesca, though I'm midway through Giotto and the Language of Gesture at the moment. Good old Wellington City Library, eh?

I've started compiling a Piero timeline from various sources. The dates are pretty contentious (only two of his paintings have dates on them), so I've started with the set dates that are established by the documentary evidence (contracts, etc) and begun reading through various critical studies, rejecting some theories (and the consequent dating schemes) in favour of others. It gets pretty bloody complicated though.

I've also been thinking I might give the Skeleton Guys a rest for a while. I've got enough to have a solo show, which I'd very much like to do at some stage this year. I went and put in a proposal somewhere last week, and I've been eyeing another couple of places up. We shall see.

I'm not quite sure quite what I'm going to do instead of the SGs, but think that gesture may play a part in it (hence the Giotto book). I also think there might be a bit more paint involved than there is with the SGs (well, that won't be too hard) - and maybe even explicit NZ content once more. I just need to have a play around and see where we go. Getting a place to work sussed would probably help that process, but that's dependent on my job getting sorted out one way or the other.

Hmmm, chucking his job in worked really well for Matt...

Couper

This is Matt Couper at the opening of his show at Janne Land's new gallery.

Painting a day blog

When I was checking out my stats I found someone had got here from this blog.

Here we go

I've got one more day of work to get through before 10 glorious days of freedom. I'm just going to hang out in my room and do some painting. Well, that's the plan anyway.

Nearly a year

It's nearly been a year since I started this sorry excuse for a blog. This is how the stats look:

My charming abode

I'm really not enjoying where I'm staying at the moment. The incredible unrelenting heat, light, and noise are not really anybody's fault. The house is on the intersection with Salamanca Road, and so because I have to leave the window wide open I get to hear people doing hill starts all night. I can't remember the last time I had a proper night's sleep and have been feeling very weird for quite some time now.

The things that really annoy me are people's fault however. I foolishly assumed the other people in there would be human beings, and most of them are, but the animals spoil it for the rest of us. There's one couple in particular who seem to be completely selfish and inconsiderate. The shared kitchen is a Hobbesian war of all against all - I keep on getting things nicked - but check out the ceiling of the shower:

Coogan

I went along to Bek Coogan's opening at the 91 Aro Street Gallery on Monday (above), and then to an opening for a group show she was in at Bartley Nees on Tuesday night. The contrast between the two was more than just a little bit marked.

The Aro one was really good, with drawings and photos and collages covering the walls - really raw and vibrant. John Douglas was manning the turntables, Bek had got shitloads of booze in, and it went till 11 o'clock at night apparently (I didn't make it that far).

Bartley Nees by comparison was extremely hot and stifling, and full of crap and wankers. It was horrible. A group of us retreated to the Indigo balcony to be regaled by Ace Hurt.

Speaking of Indigo, Rose and I went to the Handsome Family there last week. That was also extremely hot and stifling - so much so that I held real fears of passing out if I didn't sit down near fresh air - but extremely good. I particularly liked the opener about the bottomless hole in their back yard.

The set up