Best Of Vega 2013
A survey of a year in the life of The American Gunpowder Artist, from good beer to better explosions.
I'd be messing with you if I were to claim I really know what is "best". All I can promise is that after hundreds of explosions, fifty new artworks, dozens of new photoworks, and countless hours, everything on the list had an impact on me in some way. I had a blast this year.
Best New Fuse. It has to be the high speed white fuse 3MM. It burns very quickly (one foot per second) and throws off great flames and smoke. The best part though is the heat and texture in creates. It was used as the core of Overburn and B{l)oom Three. It is tough to control, but I smile each time I light it. Expect more of this for sure in 2014.
Best Beer For Explosions. I tried more new beers last year than ever before. Harrison brought most of them to The Blast Factory. Also I had some free lance rum and brandy. But the best has to be the Kolsch from One Barrel Brewing. I brought it home in a growler. Never done that before. So here I am with some fuses, a pound of gunpowder and a jug of beer. Perfect.
Best Music For Explosions. SOMA FM Indie Pop Rocks! A creative and fresh mix of tunes that is great when I light the fuse or clean up the mess.
Best Fans. I had more support than ever this year from so many friends and family it is hard to believe. Thank you! A few people really stand out. Diane and Paula and Marisa cheer on my work. Pumba sends me countless new ideas (we still need to blow up the antlers). Jeremy, Kirk, and Blake are the most supportive people I know. Brian at Menards who turns heads as he shouts out "Stick Vega" each time I am hunting new materials. My wife Renee, though, is the best. She sees all the failures and uncertainty and the effort I put into it. She also tells me when things suck and should be blown up! Or she urges me to keep going and blow things up. Thank you all!
Best Small Piece. I produced a lot of work this year. It was tough to sort through it all. The best of the small pieces has to be Aqua Buzz. It has charisma, energy, and lots of texture.
Best Blog Post. I write a lot. My posts are honest thoughts about my work, society, and my previous life as a CEO. The post "Exploding Flowers. Business. Layers of Chaos!" gathered the most attention and was also my favorite. It is worth the read.
Best Explosion Event. This one is hard. Check out the images of explosions on the site and you will know what I mean. So many good blasts. The best had to be a small event for Abby and Jeff. It wasn't the biggest or the baddest. But, it was personal. Abby lit the fuse. It exploded and we both jumped back. After, Renee and I had beers with Jeff and Abby, my oldest son Mike and his wife Kara. It was a cold day, but a warm event. And Six Point Buzz rocks. I am going to make the art into a new tee shirt this year.
Best Marketing. I worked on an learned a number of new social media methods this year. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr all got attention and brought friends to Stick Vega. And I need to do more work on Instagram, Pinterest, and Vine. But my best and most consistent effort was on my website stickvega.com. I developed and launched a new site together using squarespace. It covers all things Stick Vega, showing explosions, video, photoworks, new art and work by Renee Vig. And, it has my online store. The FAQ page is fun. And all of my blog posts are readily accessible here. I work on it every day. Thousands of visitors came to it from all over the world. It is the heart of the Stick Vega brand.
Best Photowork. Using my photography of explosions and artwork as a base, I spent hundreds of hours creating a few special photoworks. The colors, and composition really bring my work to life. The best this year was hard to pick. Buzzman #5 was a favorite. As was B(l)oom White. But my favorite has to be I Love You When You Are Burning Pink Flowers.
Best Show. Without a doubt the best show I did this past year was One Inspired Evening. Buzzing was auctioned off to a wonderful couple for one of the highest amounts in the show. And all of the proceeds go to help the homeless. A great event. Great people. Great cause. I was thrilled to be a part of it and look forward to the the event again in 2014!
Best Artwork. I did some really good work this year. And some of my work sucked! But my best work this year B(l)oom Three! A large piece. Great color. Lots of fuses. Cool Texture. Created in a large explosion. The soul of Stick Vega.
I have a long list of new projects, shows and art I hope to accomplish in 2014. I plan on increasing my effort to "give back" and "blow it forward" by contributing more to pure water and anti - violence groups (both are by-products of my explosions).
I hope you come along for the ride. 2014 is going to be a blast!
Stick Vega is the American Gunpowder Artist. He creates and blogs from The Blast Factory in Madison, WI and Bucktown, Chicago, IL. Follow Stick at Facebook and/or Twitter.
3 mm High Speed White Fuse
Growler and B(l)oom Orange and Yellow
Aqua Buzz
Stick and Abby exploding Six Point Buzz
I Love You When You Are Burning Pink Flowers
B(l)oom Three