June Shows 2013

May 12, 2013

I’m proud to announce my step son and his girlfriend’s two person show to be held Saturday June 1st at Grow Interactive. It is their senior art show for the Governor’s School of the Arts. Virginia will have her paintings and illustrations displayed and Ian will be showing his animated movies.

I am also going to have my piece Psychic Device on display at the second Speaking in Tongues show at Black Vulture Gallery in Philadelphia this June 7th.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES II

Black Vulture Gallery proudly hosts the Opening Reception of “Speaking in Tongues II”, a group show of the wicked and the weird in a terrifyingly tasteful display of some of the best artists in Philly as well as from afar. Curated by BUDDY NESTOR!!

live music by::

KRACKASS

and

DECAP ATTAK
^^ https://www.facebook.com/pages/DECAP-ATTAK/109494529099561

A raging good time with killer artwork, kicking off summer right!!

Refreshments by the ever delicious and creative brewers at Barry’s Homebrew Outlet!!!!

Preparing to Say Goodbye to Norfolk Pt. 1

April 6, 2013

As I prepare for my trip to Asheville I’ve been working to create a cache of reference material for me to draw in my fresh new moleskine…the whole point of this year is to draw, refine my drafting skills, refrain from painting till my foundations are stronger and hope that in the end I learn more than I already know and can become a better painter as a result.

I’ve been setting up still life compositions in my shadow box and photographing those, hoping to come up with something interesting, dynamic and steps beyond my past paintings while still building on a theme.

But my main love is portraiture, so I’ve enlisted some local artists into posing for me. Of course, drawing from life would be ideal, but currently not convenient. I’m just glad I have such interesting friends willing to pose for me, and it’s been a nice way to see people before leaving while still getting tasks taken care of.

I first fetched metal smith and ODU instructor Jane Ritchie from her studio in Norfolk, then was lucky to have Mallory Jarrell stop by my place after hanging a show at local boutique Kitsch. You should definitely click on their names and check out their work. It’s nice to see such diverse work being done around here.

I then actually made the effort(I am a recluse) to go check out a show happening at Fawn Street Studios and was glad I did. I hadn’t even know about the studios and warehouse till recently. I hope they have more shows there and put the space to good use. Below are pictures from the event, Peanut Butter Fluxxx. I especially liked the work in the second from the bottoms photo, all done by artist Will Clark.






Open House Aftermath Awesomeness

March 30, 2013

Thank you to everyone who came out and made tonight a success. It was an incredible evening for me and I am so grateful to receive so much support. I hope to prove that I’m worth helping, believing in and something as simple as collecting!

If anyone missed out and wants to see what I have remaining, please feel free to contact me about it and come on by. I have beads and some paintings and drawings remaining, but otherwise last night was a huge success for me!

Below are pictures of how I set up my apartment for the open house and also some of my newest paintings and studies.

I feel pretty much slaughtered right now, but in the best possible way. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces last night, and it’s always great to put my work in front of new people, but it was also really amazing to see so many of my friends show up to simply tell me they believed in me. I understand that my motivation has to mainly come from myself, but it sure doesn’t hurt to be propped up and affirmed from the outside as well.

And just from a financial point of view, my path has become much more affordable after last night.

Thank you for your support, smiles, kindness and dollars!






Asheville Adventuring Around

March 3, 2013

I had a super awesome time last week visiting North Carolina’s Asheville area as a fact finding mission. I was put up by artist and designer Chelsey Barnes and her boyfriend(and their pug, Fig Newton)for the week. Staying with friends makes trips so much easier on the psyche and wallet!

I visited my future instructor, artist Angela Cunningham at Marshall High Studios, a renovated and repurposed former high school building in Marshall NC in the middle of a river, divided into studio spaces for artists of all kinds. I took photos but did a terrible job due to my lack of picture taking skills and the gloomy skies. Visit the above link to learn more about the space.

River Arts District

I feel like I only skimmed the surface. The combination of my horrible sense of direction and the dismal weather kept me to cozy cafes, darting out here and there in order to lurk the many open studios in the reclaimed industrial section of the mountain town. On my way out of town I was sad to realize I was driving by several other working studios that I hadn’t discovered during my visit…next time I suppose, and that won’t be too far in the future. Asheville is not a perfect place, but there is something very appealing about it. There is a lot of art being made there, not all of it great, but more importantly there is a centralized community. At least I think there is. It felt that way. In general the spaces were very walkable, the people interested and there was a distinct feeling I came upon again and again. There wasn’t a cagey sense of competition when speaking to other artists. There seemed to be an understanding that not everyone was vying for the same audience and dollars, or even if that was the case, it didn’t feel like it mattered.

Please forgive my sad iphone photo skills.

Daniel Mcclendon at Lift Studios was a pleasure to talk to. The space was beautiful and completely full of his paintings, both complete and in progress.

Wedge Studios was a fun space to explore. It was a bit of a hive and I liked that. Below are pictures from that section of buildings. I unfortunately am not currently able to identify every artist represented, but will edit as I discover who did what and so on…

Pictured below is the entrance to artist Julie Armbruster‘s work space. She was also kind enough to chit chat with me.

I really dug the airy feeling of Melanie Norris‘ section of the building.

Curve Studios, another cluster of buildings seemingly dedicated mostly to ceramicists, metal smiths and fiber artists.

Phil Mechanics Studios was pretty much deserted when I visited but I was still able to wander around the building’s floors and cement stairwells.

I traipsed through a few open studios on Clingman street, shown below…

Odyssey Ceramics

I stopped into the Pink Dog Creative stretch of buildings and talked a while with artist Mary Webster who was kind enough to tell me about her experience in the area since moving there.

Not much further down the street I met artist Richard Christian Nelson. Again I was amazed at the willingness of the people I met to put aside their work for the moment in order to chat with me. He was especially enjoyable to talk to considering his work was closer to what I’m hoping to learn while studying with Angela in Marshall NC. He also teaches workshops in Asheville, emphasizing anatomy and observational skills.

I also popped into Cotton Mill Studios. I appreciated the atmosphere in Studio G. Below are pictures of what appears to be a life drawing class set up and master copies by Bill George.

Downtown Co-Ops and Galleries

Downtown I enjoyed how clustered the local galleries were together and near the Asheville Art Museum. They all shared space and together most likely pull crowds from place to place…which is how it should be! I was also impressed with how pulled together the co-op galleries were. None felt like a flea market. The work was diverse, hung well on clean modular white walls. They felt inviting and also professional without being sterile.

Blue Spiral Gallery was beautiful inside. It was a three floor gallery full of contemporary work and what appeared to be a traveling collection. The lady at the front desk informed me the gallery was designed with the help of a local architect. My favorite pieces seen there were the lil’ organic sculptures created by Amy Gross and paintings by Charles Ladson

The Satellite Gallery was another space I am happy I got to explore. It’s a smaller space but efficiently used. I popped my head in late last Thursday to find the owner busy hanging a show, but he was kind enough to allow me to look around.

Over all I am eager to go back this coming May. There is a lot more for me to see and knowing that is exciting and gives me hope. It was especially interesting considering all the effort to create an artist district here in Downtown Norfolk. You can read about the project efforts on it’s facebook page, Norfolk Arts District. Being essentially an ‘art tourist’ in Asheville has made me want to approach Norfolk as one as well for another photo blog post. Asheville’s arts district has a working grittiness to it that I’m not sure Norfolk would embrace, but that I think isn’t something they’ll be able to avoid if in fact they want it to work here. Painting, sculpting, glass blowing, et cetera doesn’t happen usually in pristine spaces. It’s work and messes are made. It’s those messes that make the spaces relatable and appealing, at least it does to me. I hope Norfolk at large doesn’t remain afraid.

Defuzzing – More Process

February 20, 2013

When I say ‘defuzzing’ I mean it in two different ways.

1 – My paintings are covered in fuzz, literally. It’s a cursed combination of dust from my ancient crumbling apartment and cat hair…provided by my herd of three cats I can’t keep out of my working area. I took my paintings outside on the porch today and was pretty horrified by their surfaces. The rougher the surface I paint on the more debris my paintings tend to collect, which makes sense. I wish I preferred painting on board or smooth linen but I don’t. I like a rougher weave for my paint to grip on, and apparently grit prefers the rougher weave as well. I hope that taking a clean brush to the surface once they are dry will dislodge some of the fuzz, and that a retouch varnish will unify the surface. I also need to start facing my wet paintings towards the wall as they dry. That will probably keep some trash from landing on the sticky surface.

2 – Many of these paintings are almost complete. I now am bringing them into focus, trying hard to only add necessary information. It’s hard for me to find that sweet spot between very lose and over rendered.

The bottom paintings are my first attempt to paint someone with tattoos! I also tried painting over a red washed background for the first time. I like it. I think.

Influences and Inspiration

February 13, 2013

Below are examples of artwork from the past and present, antique and contemporary, that especially appeal to me. I think it’s important to have influences, and even more important to be aware of what they are.

Above from left to right – Death the Bride by Thomas Cooper Gotch, Memento Mori by Tom Bagshaw. Bagshaw’s halo in the above piece reminds me of details from Paul Delaroche’s paintings dealing with the subject of death. Bagshaw’s work is an example of what painterly effects can be achieved through digital media.


Drained by Lori Earley, The Sleepwalker by Maxmilián Pirner.


Daphne by Hubert von Herkomer, You Don’t Sing to Me Anymore by Caryn Drexl. Caryn is a very talented contemporary photographer who I wished lived near me so I could collaborate with her!


La nuit by Auguste Raynaud, Evening Mood by Bougereau, The Morning Star and the Moon by Carl Schweininger. It’s pretty clear that I am a sucker for floating bodies and gauzy vapor and/or fabric.

—

Below are some links to some sites that sustain me a bit, especially when it comes to breaking down the process and solving technical issues. Though I have to be careful not to let myself get too sucked into reading about painting and drawing rather than actually doing it.

Underpaintings

Paintings Stuff to Look Like Stuff

Portraits of Painters

DG Oil Painting Techniques

David Kassan

Drying Time

January 23, 2013





I’m sitting in a room of upside canvas, dirty paint brushes, and cat hair…always cat hair…waiting for my paintings to dry, hopefully without cat hair congealed in the oil. I’ve been reading about painting, watching videos about color and value, just trying to absorb as much information as I’m capable of, making mistakes and good decisions and trying to determine which is which.

I feel the need to get as much painting in as I possibly can right now. In May I’ll be leaving for Asheville, NC, to study with artist Angela Cunningham for 3 months. There I’ll be drawing…only drawing! Which I’m happy about, but I want to fit in as much painting before hand as possible.

I’ve also been accepted to study at Ravenswood Atelier next winter in Chicago. I’m excited, and scared, but I feel very at peace that this is the correct direction for me.

I am also preparing to hold an open house in April, before I leave in May, as a combination art sale/going away party to say temporary good byes and perhaps raise funds to help me fund my studies. I’ll having paintings, drawings, school work and even crafts and unused supplies for sale. If nothing else it should be a fun night.