Sledding art video

Billy Vs Matt Round 11 - Sledding Art Battle from Matt Semke on Vimeo.

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See tons of pictures from the sledding art battle
Check out the video and finished artwork (for sale) at cats will eat you

New Sledding Photos

The complete 107 photographs from this winters' Billy Vs Matt: Sledding Art Battle are finally all up for you to see. The last set comes from friend and photographer Kris Ericson.

The sledding battle featured Matt Semke and myself, creating paintings exclusively while we sled down a kill in Minneapolis in January. We are currently planning our summer schedule for art battles. I will announce new battles here.

Make sure to check out all the great photos from many different photographers who attended our battle. Billy vs Matt

Sledding Art Battle gallery up!

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.

Here are two excellent samples:



photo by jesse valley


photo by argente photographie

Duct Tape Sledding Suit

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.

As we work on uploading all the pictures and videos from Billy Vs Matt 11, I figured I would show you a picture of my duct tape sledding suit.



It only took me 6 hours to complete. The duct tape suit ended up being a better sled than a generic sled itself. The art battle attracted 4 photographers, not including ourselves, and therefore we are building a photo collection for you all to browse.

In the meantime, Kelsey and myself have hit the road and are now located in Jamestown, North Dakota for the next 5 months. I am teaching art with the Jamestown Art Center. I will give more details about my artist in residence in a future blog post.

My duct tape suit was inspired by my brother, Scott, who talked for years about making a tuxedo out of duct tape for his high school prom. It never happened, but I could not resist create a duct tape snow suit for the art battle.

Tomorrow at Suicide Hill

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.

For you Minnesotans, do not forget that tomorrow, Saturday January 3rd 2009 is:



The Sledding Art Battle
Billy Vs Matt 11
January 3rd, 2009
12noon-sundown
Middle of Kenwood Park (just north of lake of the isles), Minneapolis

The weather is on our side, and we hope everyone comes out to sled with us. We have chosen Suicide Hill at Kenwood Park, which is especially dangerous due to the many trees and steep slopes. The idea is simply to combine art with the winter sport of sledding. We challenge the crowd to vote on their favorite painting, and watch the losing work be frozen into a block of ice.

I have spent the last week running around getting everything ready for the battle. I am currently taking a break from duct taping my snowsuit together. It is going to be quite an event. Photos, videos, and finished work will be posted here on the bearded bunny blog, so even if you cannot make the event make sure to check back here soon, to see what you missed.

If you want to know more about the event, read the Creating Art while Sledding post.

Kenwood Park named site of Sledding Art Battle

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.



The site has been announced!

Billy Vs Matt 11
Sledding Art Battle
12noon - sundown
January 3rd, 2009
Kenwood Park (just north of Lake of the Isles), Minneapolis

Learn more about Billy vs Matt 11

The Sledding Battle Ice Tower

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.



A few days ago i did this quick sketch to complete a press release for
Billy vs Matt 11: Sledding Art Battle. I've spent the last few days contacting the Minneapolis Park & Rec board trying to secure the best sledding hill in Minneapolis for our art battle.

The ice tower shown above, is a conceptual sketch of the ice tower we hope to build during our battle. The losing paintings will be frozen into blocks and stacked as a sculpture for all to see.

Matt Semke and myself hope to announce the location in the next few days, and the offical post for the event is Billy Vs Matt 11. If you enjoy sledding, art, or Billy Vs Matt events makes sure to mark Saturday, January 3rd 2009 off on your calendar. Come vote, sled and watch us create art.

Art Battle 11: art created while sledding

You can see all 80 photos from the sledding art battle, click here.

Creating art while sledding

and 

freezing the losing art in blocks of ice

Artists Matt Semke and William Hessian(myself) are going to create art while sledding down Kenwood Park's King hill in Minneapolis on January 3rd, 2009. The works of art will be voted on by an onlooking crowd, who is also invited to come sledding with the artists. The event is open to the public!

The losing creations in each round will be frozen into a block of ice. The next day a sculpture of frozen artworks will be stacked to memorialize the sledding ice battle in an ice tower. The ice tower will remain on display at Kenwood park until January 17th(see image below). 

In October 2008 in Minneapolis the two artists, Billy and Matt, had their tenth art battle at Steven's Square park. The battle consisted of paintings created with 10 foot poles, and the art was voted on by the onlooking crowd. The losing art was then chopped up with an axe by a random audience member.  

The eleventh Billy VS Matt art battle is designed to pay tribute to the frigid weather in Minnesota, and highlight the way the culture interacts with it. Sledding is joyful occasion for children and families in the midwest, and now is becoming the vehicle to create art for these two artists. Freezing the losing artwork (which will then be on sale afterwards) and creating a temporary scultpure is a Minnesotan way to punish the art that does not get votes from the crowd, and glorifying the art that gets the votes.

On January 3rd, Billy Vs Matt 11 Sledding Art Battle is on, we hope you plan to come sledding with us!

Billy Vs Matt 11
sledding art battle
January 3rd, 2009
12noon-sundown
Middle of Kenwood Park (just north of lake of the isles), Minneapolis

New art everyday at Cats Will Eat You dot com

Matt Semke has been a friend of mine since 2002. Our first art show together was Billy Vs Matt: paintings, sculptures, mayhem. Since 2004 we have done 10 Art Battles, ranging from live ax chopping, painting with ten foot poles, solving free energy, and rule based competitions. Together we try to make an interactive experience in which no art project is complete unless the audience takes part, we call this: endeavorism.

Semke is a full time graphic designer, musician, and visual artist here in Minneapolis. On his art website he posts one new drawing every day, and he has done this for over 400 days now. His website www.catswilleatyou.com features figure drawings, pen drawings, photography, paintings, short animations and videos. You should also check out his new band Birdsounds.



Semke is one of the most prolific artists' that I have ever met, and he creates new work constantly. His basement is absolutely filled with work, and almost anytime he agrees to show work at a venue he has the urge to create brand new work for that show.

Right now, Semke and myself are working on a Billy Vs Matt website, Battle #10 video and a booklet of battles. We are also planning Billy Vs Matt 11: sledding art! We will be creating artwork while sledding in December. The work created will then be voted on by onlooking crowd members, and the losing art will be frozen into solid blocks. Our fans from Minneapolis and nearby cities are invited to come sledding with us. Stay tuned to this blog and our websites to learn more about the time, place, and details of Billy Vs Matt 11.

Any day you want to see a new work of art, make sure to visit www.catswilleatyou.com and see what Matt Semke has in store for you.