I have several works in an upcoming group show in Brooklyn. The exhibition has a theme: Horses. Theme shows are sometimes iffy, but I have confidence this will be very good. These two mixed media monotype/paintings in progress are part of several final pieces I’m working on for this show. The first one is in a very unresolved stage.
Yesterday Toni Tiller posted about the show Its a Small, Small World, also called Cluster Fluck, an open show at Family Business, a 10′ x 12′ foot space curated by a very funny Hennessy Youngman. Entertaining art happening. There may have been maybe 100 artists represented; here’s the little piece I had in it. It was in a good spot. On the other hand, when you’re talking about 120 square feet, any spot is a good spot.
Drunken Silenus, ink and graphite on paper, 11 x 8
Below is a recent Monotype reworked with oil.
April, oil paint into monotype on paper, 24″ x 18″
We thought it would be fun to do this.
While I was out in California visiting Mr. Hastings we started experimenting with combining our styles. He chose the colors, I did the drawing, and then we stitched it all together. The intention was to make three, but in the end only had time to make one, and because I liked the result so much I was hesitant to submit it to the show having been warned of the high probability of damage. A conversation or two later I put those reservations aside, remembering that it’s only art, if it gets ruined we’ll just make more.
The opening was last night, and it was the most astonishing art even I have ever attended, I’m pretty sure all of Williamsburg showed up. There were costumes, Indian food, a temporary tattoo station and a lot of atrocious fashion. My favorite part was watching some girl walk face first into a piece of paper covered in dried semen, and rather than acknowledge what it was she just threw it on the ground to be stomped by everyone bunching up in the rear. Can’t say that I blame her.
I waited for our Mr. Bennett, who also submitted a piece for the show, and then tried to squeeze my way in (this is one of those instances where being a small person is beneficial) which after a half an hour of wiggling I finally managed to do. The gallery is the size of a walk in closet with every available surface covered in work ranging from good to godawful. I found ours instantly, and was pleasantly surprised to see that we actually got a good spot, low enough to be well seen, high enough to not get damaged, took my photo and got the fuck out.
Just in time too, because not long after we left the whole scene turned into this.
photo credit @spankandblank
And if you’d like to know a little more about the man behind all this, Jayson Musson, a.k.a Hennessey Youngman, a.k.a The Pharaoh Hennessey, a.k.a The Pedagogic Pimp, check out this interview with him here.
Silvermine Art Center in New Canaan, CT is organizing a fundraising event it has hosted for 10 years now, Signed, Sealed and Delivered. It’s an art sale and auction designed for collectors and art lovers featuring over 500 small, 4″ x 6″ original works in all media for sale at $50 each, to benefit the Center’s programs and outreach.
I’m contributing these 3 tiny paintings, all oil over monotype on Rives BFK printmaking paper. I rarely, if ever, paint this small with oil and I find it to be a disciplined exercise in control and direct manipulation of materials and form. Hellzalotta of fun.
Tom
SSD 1, oil on monotype on paper, 6″ x 4″
SSD 2, oil on monotype on paper, 6″ x 4″
SSD 3, oil on monotype on paper, 4″ x 6″
Those that have been with us for awhile might remember that I am in charge of the art department for Minks to Sinks. It is essentially a giant tag sale and I spend days in my little tent pricing a few thousand frames and framed posters, and when I’m lucky a few original pieces. It’s a tight space but I’m happy to be there because without fail a monsoon hits us every sale. It’s our version of a rain dance and we often joke that we should take it on the road to drier climates because we are sure to bring the clouds with us. I took this from the safety of my spot, check it out.
It was a mess, but we all just keep our grease pencils in hand and carry on.
Every sale I allow myself to choose two pieces to bring home, it is always the very best and the very worst piece I can find. This time I think I managed to combine them, what do you think of my treasure? I think at 2 bucks you can’t beat it.
I actually worked on some art this week, but not enough to show you all anything. A likely story, I know, but I swear it is true. But in other news I’ll be participating in a show next week (along with Tom Bennett), and I will also be hanging it, and by hanging it I mean pointing at walls and telling sweaty guys to “put that one up there…no, more that way, um yeah. wait. no, lets put it back over here…”
Here’s the run down on the show, a fun idea built around a fictional person.
“DUC presents a pre-launch affair celebrating the Life and Times of Matvey Matveich, with original art pieces and performances.
We found the old suitcase behind an abandoned train station in Stavropol containing an old VHS, a damaged journal, and some bank statements. Upon viewing the tape we realized we had come across the belongings of a very mysterious individual.
Who is Matvey Matveich? Where is he now? Eleven artists, assembled under the order of the grand Duke, set out to discover just that.
Guest List: Co-hosted by Patrick Duffy, Jason Thome, Geoffry Payton, and Fixx Invictus.
Featuring: Alexcalibur, Fixx Invictus, Bretlan Weaver, James Curtright, Jazmine Catasus, Joanne Weaver, Therese + Joel, Toni Tiller, Tom Bennet, Paul Cupo, Gio Black Peter, Emil Martirosian, Nikita Shoshensky.
Live performance by: Alexcalibur, Joanne Weaver, and Fixx Invictus.
Theatre Bar, located in TriBeCa, is Albert Trummer’s cocktail fantasy world where Moulin Rouge meets Death & Co. A true playground for artists, and drinkers alike to meet and create the moments that make New York the extraordinary city that it is.”
More info at ducsite.com/events
Hope to see some of you there!
I haven’t been in my printshop in weeks so when I found myself with some time the other night I crawled into my basement, where the etching press is located and made some images. I used some lower grade oil paint along with the professional grade inks and came up with an almost realized print. When it was dry I went back into it with oil sticks. I’m placing it into the series of nudes I started a couple of months ago.
The Old Ruling Class 4, monotype, 20″ x16″
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Art of The Northeast
The annual regional survey “Art of the Northeast”, representing artists from New England, New York and New Jersey, is up again at The Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan, CT. http://www.silvermineart.org/about-silvermine/directions.cfm
I have this painting in the show. It’s a take on Caravaggio’s The Crucifixion of St. Peter.
The juror this year is Tom Eccles, Executive director, Bard College, Curatorial Studies Program.
The opening is this Saturday, 4PM to 7PM
Pete’s Going Away, 2011, oil on panel, 40″ x 30″
This is late. The contract for this stated that it was due five days after accepting, but it also didn’t list any penalty for not making the deadline so…yeah, here it is, late. The thing is that I actually had the image ready on time, but then got a whole heaping pile of writer’s block to go with it.
Originally I was going to write about the #thesocialgraph, a show based around social networking, and one that while walking through I realized I had connections to half the artists participating through social media. The show was fun, I am a big advocate for social media, and I had demonstrable connections to the show, so I figured this would be easy to write about right? No.
The more I thought about it, the more abstract my thoughts on the subject got, until I didn’t know what I wanted to say, and ultimately came to the conclusion that I had nothing to say. There is nothing linear about how I perceive the relationship between social media and networking and art, it’s substantial, it’s there, but when I go to grab it my hand passes right through. Maybe I just need to think about it more.
More food! More music! More art! than you can shake a stick at!
KPAO! will be setting up a table and drawing on the sidewalk at the block party. We’re also bringing the chalk character boards–FUN! Come join us! There will be live music all day! My friends’ band, Span of Sunshine, is playing in the morning–11 am! I know that sounds early, but Span will wake you up and make you glad you came! There’s even going to be a Klezmer band!!!
Lots of fun stuff going on all day.
Veteran’s Park
from 11 am to 8 pm
tomorrow–Sunday September 5
See you there!
-StephG
p.s. Did you know, the block party poster was designed by KPAO! this year? It’s a WABU – Bodart collaboration! Innit lovely? I think it’s beautiful!
I ran over to MOMA ( the Museum of Modern Art, for all those neophytes) the other night and zipped right in with a membership card through the thousands of tourists and what seems like -every friday night at MOMA- a holiday weekend at JFK. I visited a great show from their Contemporary collection, and a mind-blowingly large retrospective of Henri Matisse. Among the intense range of his paintings and drawings from his years in Paris, Morocco and Nice were some monotypes which he obsessively did for several months in 1914. He made 70 that year, 10% of his lifetime total. The simple, rich, heavy, flat yet deep black with contours drawn to reveal stark white lines against said black were powerfully elegant.
I came home and played around with the black that I had drifted away from. Here is a figure I made using tools like a screwdriver, pencil, knife and razor blade. I’m also including a related but tonally very different image, one from a series made with india ink, pencil and letraset ink on paper.
Neverland 2, 2008,monotype, 14″ x 10″
Neverland 1, 2008, mixed media, ink, pencil, 11″ x 8″
The
Whitney
pulls an all nighter all week. 24-7. Give me the cot by the Koons.
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The Silvermine Arts Center, in New Canaan, Ct, is having its annual exhibition of some of the best work from New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Guild was founded over 90 years ago and has had the Northeast show for over 60 years. I’m represented in the exhibition with this monotype.
Prized Blade, monotype, (based on photographs by Toni Tiller) 18 x 24, 2009
A Vienna museum, Klimt, and orgies. Yes, orgies. That’s all fine and fun but now I have that stupid movie stuck in my head.
by Mark Bodah
Durabond and gouache on panel
24 x 16″
I just donated some art. Some of my miniature encaustic paintings will be for sale along with a bunch of other art donated by other local artists this Sunday, February 28 at The Oxbow Gallery in Northampton, MA. My pal Mark donated the piece pictured above. All the art is valued at a minimum of $100–the price of a ticket that will get you an original artwork–and all the proceeds go directly to charity! Last I heard, most of the 100 tickets had been sold but there were still some remaining. Details after the jump! Read more »
Wanna buy some art? No, this isn’t another shameless self-promo post by yours truly. It’s to let you know about the Great Pop-up Art Sale happening this weekend at Dumbo Art Center aka DAC–a non-profit art center located 30 Washington Street in Brooklyn. Prices start as low as 50 bucks! Money from the sale goes 1/2 to the artists and 1/2 to support DAC programing. Looks like there’s going to be a whole bunch of art by a whole bunch of artists. Stop by and check it out!
The Newark Museum has an exhibition tracing abstract art in North and South America.
Joaquin Torres-Garcia’s “Locomotive With Constructive House” (1934)
It’s up unti May 23. Looks good, let’s go!
I recently had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at this Friday’s upcoming MICA show. Now I could spoil all the fun and post pictures of the work but that would blow the surprise of attending, something I encourage all of our Baltimore friends to do, so instead I am going to post some sneaky pics of the studio spaces. I’d also like to mention that we can look forward to some upcoming guest blog posts by presenting artists Meg Rorison and Ryan Soper.
Sadly, I don’t think this piece will be making it to the show, so I can feel comfortable revealing it here.
I thought this was a pretty clever way to keep an eye on your over all color palette choices.
Thanks for sending me that image Meg Rorison.
See a bit more and get the invite after the jump.
Missouri artist/gallerist and d’Arte Board friend Jeff Youngblood is exhibiting a fun new series of paintings at Spina Restaurant in the East Village. Visually, the work is an exploration of bold blocks of layered pattern and texture rendered mostly in flat dimension, punctuated occasionally by areas of thick drippy paint and found images. There will be a reception with the artist Monday October 26 from 6 – 8 pm at Spina. Partial proceeds from art sales will be donated to Mwangaza International, a charitable organization that helps to rescue and rehabilitate child soldiers who have been kidnapped and ravaged by the war in The Congo. A good cause, free wine, hors d’ouevres, great art and fun people–it should be an awesome night! Hope to see you there!
New Paintings by Jeff Youngblood
RECEPTION
Monday, Oct 26th
6-8 pm
http://www.spinarestaurant.com
175 Avenue B @ E. 11th St.
The East Village
New York City
212-253-2250
Irony again???
German authorities are asking if a nazi-saluting gnome on exhibit in Nuremberg is in violation of the law. I can see this in my backyard garden in Brooklyn as a flippant bronx cheer to my loud, authoritarian, merengue-playing neighbors.
The artist has been overtly disingenuous about the potential socio-political provocativeness.
Thanks again to best pal Bruce the Mystical Goose for continuing to keep us abreast of such wonderful NY-based art events! This one sounds fun as hell and it’s being held to benefit the non-profit Students for a Free Tibet. Fun + a good cause = Yes! If i can manage to be in the NYC area on August 1, you can bet I’ll be there enjoying art and downing drinks for freedom!
50 ARTISTS HONOR 50 YEARS OF TIBETAN RESISTANCE WITH NEW YORK SHOW AND AFFORDABLE ART SALE
Tibetan Contemporary Artists Joined by Diverse Group of International Peers
What: Art for Tibet fundraiser
Where: 79 Walker Street, New York, NY 10013
When: Saturday, August 1st, 5pm – 10pm
*details after the jump* Read more »
Agora Gallery - the proud sponsor of the Chelsea International Fine Art Competition, which offers contemporary artists the opportunity to show their original art at one the most acclaimed juried art shows in Chelsea, New York’s art galleries district.
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Tom Bennett
darteboard
galinatodorova
Jason Gray
jdhastings
laelia e. mitchell
probrucer
ssstephg
Toni Tiller
