12.20.2011

Christmas Wishlisting: Supporting your (ok, mine then) Local Arts Organizations

Hey hey....I just found out I have extra money this month.  I don't really do a lot of Christmas shopping anymore (I instead prefer to make as many gifts as possible and then give a whole lot of lovin to those I care about plus an awesomely rad holiday party is usually in order) so I spent that extra money getting memberships to some local arts organizations that I'd been meaning to join for months.  I think everyone should give a little to some organizations they love, be it art related or not, so I'm just throwing that energy (and idea) out there...although I know a lot of organizations are already doing that too.

Don't have an idea of who to give your hard earned money too?  Fine, donate to some of MY favorite Atlanta based arts organizations and receive my unadulterated adoration, as well as theirs:

The contemporary hosts a ton of incredible art events and they have great resources for members and artists.  This year their goal is $38000 for 38 years of awesomeness.

 I haven't really been to Wonder Root yet and I am very sad about this.  I keep missing all the amazing things I want to do there.  They also have a wish list of useful items they need.  I wish I had any of it to give to them. I did just give 'em some of my money though, so I look forward to hitting them up in the New Year.

Burnaway rocks.  There's not a lot more I can say about the coverage they provide of all the arts happenings in Atlanta.  If I'm at something and Burnaway is there I'm pretty sure I'm in the right place.  If you become a member you get swag.  If you donate right now your dollars count twice.  That's pretty rockin.
 
I've met the people who run Dashboard.  I kind of wish I hadn't because before I came back to Atlanta I had set my sights on becoming a Dash artist in the future.  While I'm not sure that's gonna happen anymore, I do know that the people who run it are as incredible as the things they do.  Give 'em some love.  Better yet, give 'em some monies.

Anyone who knows who I am (which isn't a lot of people, YET) knows my involvement with APS.  I love this studio, and not only because they gave me my first step to being an artist in the professional realm.  They do awesome things, and as far as I know, it's really the only place you can do a whole lotta printmaking in Atlanta.

Ok, give.  Do it.  It feels great.

12.11.2011

MINT Post Card Pin Up

posted some tiny prints up at Mint for their annual Post Card Pin Up Show.  It was fun.  Not sure if any of mine sold (I should have price3d them each ten bucks cheaper but I didn't really know that till it was too late).
Here they are though:



Prints from APS' Show at the Portal Gallery

APS lucked into showing some work from some members in the Portal Gallery this December.  I tossed in one of my prints from my residency as well as some older prints I happened to have laying around.             
 
Here are some of the prints I particularly like (pardon the photo quality as usual, I'm using my phone):

Jerushia Graham, "Spirit House Series"

Mariana Depetris, "Protect"

Mariana Depetris, "Pondering"

Jan DiPietro, "Sorcery"

Craig Cameron, "Untitled"

12.06.2011

Life check point, December Ponce Crush, "Alchemy" at Beep Beep, and a holiday party

A finished triangle..with a red SOLD dot!!!
So, a friend of mine pointed out that December 3rd was actually kind of a significant night.  What I had failed to realize was that exactly one year ago to the day I had my exit show at UGA (never mind that I haven't officially gotten my degree YET-damn those pesky core classes I'm taking online).  Interestingly, it was also the night of the opening for the "Alchemy" show at Beep Beep.  While it's a big group show, and my pieces were small and unlike the work I normally do, it was kind of a big deal because back when I wrangled the invite for the show it was really the first success/step in the right direction I had outside of the residency at APS.  Since then I've been getting a little lucky: I got into the "Wholly Georgia" show at Mint, got some work put in a group print show at the Portal Gallery, and found out there may be an APS residency show at MOCA GA after all in late spring.  Essentially, my friend pointed out that December 3rd may be a good point in the year to stop and reflect on what I'm doing and sort of check in on my life.  Good advice I think.  This whole December 3rd date was solidified by the really awesome experience I had at the Ponce Crush too.

In any case here goes some notes from my reflection:
Accomplishments I am really fucking proud of:
-Emerging Artist Residency at APS
-Applying for a ton of grants (even if I don't get them)
-Getting into the show at Beep Beep
-Getting into Wholly Georgia
-Doing the Yea Big! Stumptown Printers thing
-Arranging a meeting with the other people I exited with to talk about a group project for the new year
-developing my idea for the Domestic Violence project
-Applying for a studio space at ACAC even though I knew I wouldn't get it
-Getting involved with Print Big and more involved at APS
-going to more shows and events (Flux, Elevate, Crushes, etc)
-Actually writing in this blog

Things I'm not proud of:
-How little time I've spent in the Studio since my residency finished
-The amount of of events and shows I haven't been to
-The fact that I'm still way too shy and introverted at the shows and I don't always make an effort to talk to people
-That I'm not saving more money or at least spending the money I'm spending on art stuff
-I haven't been exercising enough
-I've barely started any of the projects I've been planning and working on

Things I'm gonna work on:
-Go to everything!
-Talking to people
-getting in the fucking studio
-exercising and doing more of the fun stuff I love
-drawing, all the time
-saving money

I think I'm moving in the right direction.  It feels good to know I've actually been taking steps.  I don't know, I don't feel like I've gotten very far yet but at least I'm making moves and doing something.  I do really really need to work harder though.

On to the fabulous time I had at Ponce Crush:

One of mine!
Neat idea...
Some friends and I started at Beep Beep.  "Alchemy" looked cool and their were a ton of triangles I would have bought if only I had any money (like those by Sean Abrahams among others).  The most exciting thing, for me, was we got there around 7:30 and two of my triangles had sold already!  I was surprised.  Mine were some of the cheapest though (I priced each at $25).  I learned yesterday that all four were sold by the end of the night which feels pretty good.  We didn't stick around too long at Beep Beep which I kind of regret now because it turns out a few people I work with showed up (actually, two of them bought pieces which is pretty nifty of them).
Beep Beep Gallery

Next was Kibbee which was another group show.  I think I love most, out of everything, the small drawings of Jason Kofke hiding in the back room.  I didn't snap any pictures of the show though, but sat around wishing I knew more people there while my friends gabbed.  This was one of those points where I needed to be less shy and introverted and fucking blabber so I could meet people.

That's me (left) at Young Blood!
What I thought was the final stop was the show at Young Blood.  It was my least favorite of the three but still enjoyable.  It was there I ran into an old class mate from UGA who works at Young Blood now and expressed interest in me participating in a print show.  That was nice but we'll see if she actually emails me (I hope she does, that would be exciting).  In addition to that little tidbit I also learned from someone who works at Mint that one of my prints from that show sold.  Seeking to be exact.  One of the big ones. For $300.  Mind was completely blown by that news.  It's still hard for me to fathom anyone actually spending that much money on art-much less my art but damn I was pretty excited by that point.

PARTY!
To top of the night, the people I was with new about this Holiday party happening next to Young Blood.  Walking into it was, for me, like being transported to some crazy city like New York where fancy over the top Studio parties probably happen all the time.  Maybe I'm young to be so impressed but geez, I was really fucking impressed.  I felt really disoriented by the whole thing in an awesome kind of way.  The rest of the night gave way to boozing, talking, and attempting to find a dance partner and was the perfect ending to a night full of good news.

11.29.2011

The (not so) Daily Doodle

I will probably only realistically upload random sketches and doodles once a week but I really like the alliteration in "Daily Doodle" so I'm gonna go with that anyway.

Here's some drawn goodness for your consumption, some older and some from my recent car ride to Savannah:
Future painting or print...not really sure yet.

Another doodling from my Moe's and Joe's days that I just found.

Just found this, a doodling from my Moe's and Joe's days.

The brother, me and my sister.  Also for our new project.

For a project I'm a bout to start with my siblings.

Best dance moves ever...yeah I got it.

While Listening to the Strokes.

For another project with an organization I just got involved with. One of many sketches but my favorite of the bunch.

Not really sure what this is about.  Future painting or print probably.

11.27.2011

"Alchemy" Triangle Process

So I spent a long time trying to decide what to do for the four, rather small, triangles I got for the Beep Beep Show "Alchemy".  I had some ideas I really liked but that ended up not executing well and what I really wanted was to be able to do my type of figure work, but since the pieces were so small I didn't think that would work well either.  I wasn't sure if I should address the fact that the work would be on triangles or that the show was called "Alchemy" or what.  In the end I decided to go with a process I'd used before (mostly for fun) which involves taking all the random excess scraps and proofs from printing and cutting and piecing them together abstractly.  I am not fond of working abstractly.  To me, I never know when it's done.  I feel like I'm not skilled at focusing an image without something figurative or representational.

But I went with it anyway.  I took pictures along the way and thought I'd share the process a bit:
The naked triangles.
With the first layer-duramount and Japanese papers.

The cut up scraps before I duramounted them.
Duramounting!
Stacks of duramounted color! 


These are the triangles, along with he one at the top, before the final ink I added. If you want to see the final triangles then come to the show on December 3rd:

11.24.2011

Yeah Big! Tiny Print Pop Up Club- Store Open!

The Store at Stumptown Printers is now loaded with the 2x3 inch prints from the show.  Check 'em out and buy one as they are limited edition prints that come with a nifty little folding frame!

<=That's mine.  The colors are a little brighter than in the actual print, and you can't see some of the layers but that's it!  It's a 5 run silkscreen.  The main disappointment was that although I used as much trans base as I had for each color, it's still really hard to make out some of the bottom layers which include a printed "X" and "O" which is where I got the name for the print.  I originally had some more plans for the print but realized while printing that such a small print might get too busy with my intentions.  I'm not used to working this small so it was an interesting challenge.  I was also, apparently, the only one who chose not to cut the edges of my prints.  I like the way they look hand torn but maybe I should have trimmed them?

11.23.2011

More pictures from Yea Big! Tiny Pop Up Print Club:

No images of each print or a link to the store where you can buy prints but here are some images of the display from the show...can you find my print?  If you know my style it should be easy (image courtesy of Stumptown Printers Flickr Stream):
Hint: It's in this picture!
Hint: It's not in this picture!
Hint: It's barely in this picture!

"Alchemy" December show at Beep Beep

Hell yes.
The announcement for the December group show, "Alechemy" at Beep Beep went out yesterday on the face book.  Yippee: my name is listed next to some very well established Atlantan artists.  I am both nervous and excited.  Nervous because, after much personal debate, I decided to do something very different, and not really related to print (although I could theoretically take another step with them in that direction, we will see) with my little wooden triangles and I really have no idea how that will go over plus I really have no idea what any of the other artists are doing, alas.  Excited because I'll probably get to meet a lot of really neat people at Beep Beep and this is a part of Ponce Crush so it should be an really excellent evening.

I'll post pics of the triangles when I'm done, which better be before Sunday since that's when I have to turn them in.  Aack.  I'll be working on them all week while I'm in Savannah for Turkey day.  Hope my brother and sister and law don't mind me arting up their apartment.

Go to the show if you've got nothing to do.  Hell, if you've got something to do, reschedule it and go to the show anyway!

11.21.2011

Stumptown Printers: Yeah Big! Tiny Pop-Up Print club! (Show last Thursday!)

 Just some random news:
Stumptown Printers: Yeah Big! Tiny Pop-Up Print club!  (Show last Thursday!) about a week ago.  The prints had to be 2x3 inches, which for me is insanely small, and I had about a week to do them.  I didn;t snap any pictures before I sent them off but Stumptown Printers should be posting photos of the prints on their Flickr photo stream.
If you're in the Portland area you should check out the show and maybe buy a print which includes a nifty little frame for only $15!

Fun little project for me, hope they liked my prints! (I personally was a little disappointed in the outcome, mostly I could have used another night to work on them-but that's on me for procrastinating).  I'll post an image of my print once Stumptown puts 'em up on Flickr.

11.08.2011

Wholly Georgia Opening Reception at Mint Gallery This Friday!


Forgot to post about this:
Holy crap I got into something!  Ha ha...show info follows:

Wholly Georgia: A Look at the Effects of Southern Religious Culture
"Wholly Georgia will showcase artworks that shed light on how societal norms bred from religious culture and how living deep in the 'Bible Belt' affect the lives of both religious and secular-minded southerners. Viewed from a variety of perspectives, artists critique religious traditions with both lighthearted humor and somber reflection, while others highlight the fulfilling role that religion can plays in their lives."

Opening Reception is this Friday!
Friday at 7:00pm - November 12 at 12:00am
MINT Gallery
145 B Sampson Street

And it's at Mint! I've never been there but apparently the space is small and the group selected 3 of my huge prints from 2008 (each one is 30 X 44 inches) so this could prove very interesting.  I'm strangely embarrassed to be showing prints from 2008 but I figure something is better than nothing.  Also, they are these really personal prints that I feel, although I adore them, are a bit immature.  I don't know.  I guess any press is good press, right?  I'm excited though.  It's kind of like a birthday gift for me since mine is the day before.

Here's one of the prints: