Saturday, February 7, 2009

Time to get down out of the clouds

What a difference a day makes. Well I have to tell you yesterday I was flying high. I was getting great feedback from a cane that I was very proud of. My stats were thru the roof for me (868 page downloads) I had been working for two days on a cane to make some swap items for cabin fever festival. Well....lets just say my swelled head lead to a swelled head. I tried to do a masked face and broke my rule again about the starting thickness (my rule says not to be less than two inches) I had gotten away with it on the Obama cane. That and the fact I was too impatient and didn't let my cane rest long enough when I reduced it the face was out of whack (swelled head...get it) Oh the waste of time! Oh the waste of clay! (this is where I would insert a frowny face if I knew how)

Then this morning I get up and read an email acusing me of plagiarism and telling me I could be sued if I made any profit from my Obama cane. Now I know why I don't try to sell my stuff. I was going to give most of it away to friends and family anyway. I was just pleased with the way it came out and wanted to share it with those who read my blog. I also thought I was being nice to show pictures of my process. I also am a fan of President Obama.

Oh well back to my swap cane.

6 comments:

  1. personally I think that email that blasted you is a case of sour grapes and someone with nothing else to do in their lives but pick on other folks. I think the cane kicked some arse! Keep it up k?

    Kathi

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  2. Hi Julie,
    I was going to recommend getting in touch with Shepard Fairey, the artist and asking permission; however it will be hard - he was arrested 2 hours ago!
    see the Associated Press news:
    Artist of famed Obama poster arrested in Boston

    By JAY LINDSAY – 2 hours ago

    BOSTON (AP) — A street artist famous for his red, white and blue "Hope" posters of President Obama has been arrested on warrants accusing him of tagging property with graffiti, police said Saturday.

    Shepard Fairey, 38, was arrested Friday night on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art for a kickoff event for his first solo exhibition, called "Supply and Demand."

    Two warrants were issued for Fairey on Jan. 24 after police determined he'd tagged property in two locations with graffiti based on the Andre the Giant street art campaign from his early career, police Officer James Kenneally said Saturday.

    Fairey, 38, of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges Monday in Brighton District Court, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney. Wark said Fairey would also be arraigned on a default warrant related to a separate graffiti case in the Roxbury section of Boston.

    Fairey has spent the last two weeks in the Boston area installing the ICA exhibit and creating outdoor art, including a 20-by-50 foot banner on the side of City Hall, according to a statement issued Saturday by the museum.

    The museum said Fairey was released a few hours after his arrest, but authorities did not immediately confirm that.

    Fairey's Obama image has been sold on hundreds of thousands of stickers and posters, and was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington before Obama's inauguration.

    The image is the subject of a copyright dispute with The Associated Press. Fairey argues his use of the AP photo is protected by "fair use," which allows exceptions to copyright laws based on, among other factors, how much of the original is used, what the new work is used for and how the original is affected by the new work.

    A California lawyer who has represented Fairey in the copyright case didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the arrest.

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  3. Was the e-mail from the Associated Press, which is after poster artist Shepard Fairey for copyright infringement because he based the poster on one of their photos? Seems to me that their case against you would be even slimmer, since your cane is a second-generation derivative work made from scratch rather than just a copied or Photoshopped image. Still, since Fairey has apparently declined to profit directly from the poster it might be prudent to follow his example and donate proceeds (less materials?) to charity.

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  4. I think your cane is full of awesome and anyone writing threatening emails needs to get a life. :-( Your blog is such an inspiration - keep up the fascinating work!

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  5. I was "enraged" when I read your post(and still am a bit) but now after reading the comments I guess there maybe is a "point". But.....please don't let that discourage you. Your cane is brilliant as is all your work and I think the best attitude is "live and learn".
    I'm always so happy when I see you've posted something new on my Google reader. Remember, there are always going to be people who don't have the talent that are going to critisize since they have very little else to do!

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  6. Dear Julie
    I really like your face cane. you did a great job on Obama canes. I am working on the Mosaic Clay and would love to have Obama face on my work. I am willing to pay for it, or if you decide to give it away, can I get a small piece of it.

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