Studio visit with Jessica Puma

Went to a friend's studio for the first time today. I've known Jessica Puma for about a couple of years. We've been talking about trading studio visits for at least the past year. You know how life goes sometimes; you're busy, they're busy, you fall out of touch and back again. Anyway, we finally got our act together and hung out at her work space for a bit Friday afternoon...

*click photos for larger sizes*



Jessica is a painter but for some months now, she's been working on drawings with collage elements in them. Her formal concerns are architectural, but on top of that base she forms layer upon layer of emotional content. Part of her process involves using parts of old drawings and bringing them into the new work, forming new surface and emotional textures.

According to Jessica, her drawings evolve "organically", meaning there's no preplanning involved and resolution comes slowly. There's a lot of going back and forth between unfinished drawings, letting them sit for a bit then adding lines, forms, or glueing something down here or there until the drawing is completed.

Blanks

Blanks

It's true, a blank canvas is a little scary. The truth is I love having a bunch of blanks around to work on, especially with a couple of deadlines looming. Things are moving along for my upcoming show in June. I'm not as far along as I'd like to be, but I always feel like that before big shows.

I've stretched a couple of larger canvases over the past week. I'm figuring out ways to deal with bracing them in the rear and so far, it's working out. I have to improve my measuring so there's less waste and less time spent trimming. I'd rather have to trim the wood than have it be too short. I also found out that if you tighten the screws in the 'T' braces too much, the wood will tend to bow out after stretching. I wound up loosening the screws and left the canvas on the floor overnight. Today, everything was fine. I re-tightened the screws and everything was good to go.

I often don't like the process of prepping canvases, but now that I have a process down and materials at hand, it's not so bad. Next week I'll hate it again...

leaning straight

left: old and busted
right: new and shiny hotness

Really, it's the little things that count. I've used the leaning tower of a cart on the left for more than a year or so. I finally got around to replacing it today. The new one was actually a spontaneous purchase. I happened to be in Loews looking for some hardware when that lightbulb went off over my head (new flourescent one at that). I felt proud of myself because I'm so prone to forgetting that I need to replace certain things because I come from the school of, "eh, it's almost falling apart...BUT it's still standing...".

I'm slowly working my way out of that mindset...

stacks

Hanging Stack
grapihte, oil stick on paper


Floater Stack
grapihte, oil stick on paper

(click images for larger sizes)

These are images of two drawings from a couple of years ago that I mentioned in this post. Rebecca Crowell wondered what they looked like and I finally got around to photographing what I had in the studio.

I did a bunch of these in 2005 and I'm thinking about continuing with the series, called "Stacks". The idea grew out of observing floorboards in my studio. The building is probably nearly a century old and was once a factory of some sort. Consequently, what were once flat, even floorboards are now very worn and irregular in spacing and surface from years of use. The irregularities were what intrigued me the most. I also wanted the 'stacks' to more or less float in space as opposed to being anchored somehow to the edges of the drawing surface.

Commission complete

L: Float On II
R:Float On I
both are 60" x 50", acrylic on canvas
(click photo for larger size)

New paintings completed recently for a commission. Met with the client and Bridgette at the studio on Monday and the client chose the one on the left, Float On II.

Something new

Click To Play

I was done with painting last night and remembered that I have video capacities on my camera. I hadn't forgotten, really, but it's taken me a while to return to experimenting with it. Last October, I had a computer meltdown and had to have my old one replaced. At the same time, I had just barely begun to understand the processes involved with creating and posting videos online.

Last night, after I was done with painting for the day, I decided to turn the video function on and get back into the video habit I began last fall. I'm thinking about doing an ongoing series of video studio journals along with other ideas. As much as I like the creative possibilities, there's the inevitable time-suck that comes along with experimenting with new media (new to me, that is), but I'm looking forward to whatever may come next...

Then again...

Seriously, I needed more sleep than I thought last night. Sometimes, ideas that come to you in a sleep-deprived state of mind should sometimes remain just ideas. For example, I set about working on some of the ideas I wrote about in my last post today. Sadly, I remembered that I'd already engaged said ideas last year sometime and had proof of their failure.

Basically, the 'stack' drawings with graphite and oil stick are best left to that medium; not enlarged from the 12" x 12" format they were originally done in and defintirely not with other materials. They just don't work. Today, found a couple of experimental works on paper where I used acrylic paint and medium in an attempt to replicate the smaller graphite stack drawings. The newer attempts completely lacked the spirit of the earlier drawings in two ways; the beauty of the graphite over-laid with oil stick was completely lost when I used ink or acrylic paint with brushes. The size, quality of line, and beauty of the pencil lines softened with a layer of clear or white oil stick are integral to the successes I had with the older drawings, most of which I did in 2005.

Some drawings are just never meant to be worked up into paintings. I have sketchbooks full of sketches and color thumbnails that have never made it to fully-realized paintings or other works; they might look great as a little sketch, but once taken beyond that realm, they'll sometimes just fall flat. That's the beauty of art, though. If you never attempt to push things, you never know what's possible or what's best left alone.

I don't need no stinkin' sleep...

Studio Corner


I didn't sleep enough last night (for a change). I was tired as hell today, but had to be in the studio.

Worked on a couple of small paintings and re-worked two paintings on paper that I began last week. Tomorrow I need to get going on the large canvas I stretched last week. The show is coming up fast and I don't have the work I want done yet. There's some things moving along, but not enough and not the works I want to show. It's coming together, though...I can feel it happening...

......

I've mentioned already that I'm tired and have the red eyes to show for it. Yet, my mind is racing with ideas and excitement when I should be sleeping right now. In fact, if it were warmer and I wasn't in such a need of sleep, I'd be up in the studio working out the painting ideas confined to my head for the time being. Just an hour ago I was just about to crawl under the covers until E suggested taking a shower. I always take a shower before bed but this was one of those nights where an exception was about to be made.

Before getting in the shower, I'm read a little of the latest book of writings of painter Sean Scully, when I started thinking about my work after reading something about his. Just like that, I almost felt fully awake. I don't know what to call it, but it was one of those moments when your brain snaps to attention and suddenly you find yourself thinking at a mile a minute. Just a moment before I would have fallen asleep on the bathroom floor. Now I'm ready to tackle a new idea...

Globalartism

Two Artists Talking: Miami-me-me-me

I found the above blog post on Two Artists Talking (Joanne Mattera and Chris Ashley) and interesting for it's look at the possibile ways art practice is changing due to the shifting of art marketing in recent years. Basically, there seems to be a movement towards ever slicker, celebrity/personality-driven art fairs that are run on an "entertainment...consumerism" model of globalism, where, according to the post's author, Chris Ashley, "...mostly it is about the bottom line, profit."

LIke Ashley, I'm a fan of the 'album' approach to an artist's career, where you might get to see the development of their work over time in a gallery or museum show and not just 'the hits'. I like seeing works that might not have been completely successful but were important to a particular artist's development. Art fairs certainly have their place, but what disturbs me is if the bottom-line approach becomes the model for other arts institutions (galleries, museums, etc...). That's already what happens with block-buster shows museums come up with to ensure more cash flow at the front door. However, what will happen if that's the only model for exhibiting art.

I like to think that will never really come to pass on a large scale; that there will still be places to experience the album effect of an artist's career and not the top ten hits version. Retrospectives serve this very purpose, but if a 'for profit' model predominiated, who knows what we'll have...

New show

New exhibit I'm a part of in West Philly at the Green Line|Powelton.

Here are the details:
AltGeo loosened structures for line and color
Chris Ashley (Oakland), James Erikson (Phila), P. Timothy Gierschick II (Phila), Rodney Harder (NYC), Jerome Hershey (Lancaster PA), Jeffrey Cortland Jones (Cincinnati), Tim McFarlane (Phila), Linn Meyers (Washington DC), Vincent Romaniello (Phila), Anne Seidman (Phila), Paige Williams (Cincinnati)
Curated by Douglas Witmer

February 5 - March 31, 2007
Reception Friday March 9, 6-9pm

Green Line | Powelton
3649 Lancaster Avenue Philadelphia
215-222-3431
http://www.greenlinecafe.com/altgeo.html

New photos

Three new photos taken recently...


Phillyscape
Center city Philadelphia looking west from twelve floors up.


Black Tower
Water tower above 7th and Chestnut Streets


Nicole's Corner

I hate it when I stretch a canvas and it winds up not being as tight as I thought it would be.

studio (1.17.07)

Another day in the studio. Only this time, E was there, too. She managed to take a few shots of me working without my knowing it. I tend to be able to stay in my own headspace even with someone there. I'm concsious of her being there, but I'm also able to stay focused on whatever it is that I'm working on, too. E kept herself busy with painting wooden cigar boxes she's purchased recently.



I'm working on a commissioned painting and stretched the canvas today. This is going to be a vertical work-60" x 50".



In addition to stretching the large canvas, I also worked on a couple of smaller paintings...

Just standing and thinking about what I was going to do next with the painting and had a lot of nervous energy. I was unconcsiously tapping the brush against my leg...


Looking, thinking...

Charlotte Yudis (1939-2007)

This week is becoming sadder by the minute, it seems, when it comes to people in the arts that I know dying.

I was just reading through Artblog and came across a notice of the death of Charlotte Yudis, printmaker and teacher. Charlotte taught at Fleisher Art Memorial for many years. I studied etching with Charlotte Yudis for three terms. She was amazingly knowledgeable about printmaking and went to great lengths to make first timers as well as more experienced people comfortable with taking risks with printmaking. I'll always remember her easy-going, bright nature and encouraging teaching style.

Here is a link to the announcement of her death on the Fleisher website

There is also a video of her done by Vincent Romaniello on his site (scroll down to 'Blogroll' and click on the links under her name to access the videos)

a death in the family

Some sad news to post. Chris Lyon, a fellow painter and all around genuine person, died this week due to a motorcycle accident. I don't know the details, but either he was hit by a large truck or vice-versa.

It's always difficult to know what to say or even feel at times like this. I only know that Chris was one of the finest people and dedicated artists I've ever known. Chris was always good-natured and easy to talk to.

He will be missed...

Review review

”The Red Show” has more alizarin per square inch than any show in town, with the possible exception of “Tesoros,” the PMA’s roundup of colonial Latin American art. While “Tesoros” runneth over with blood-red hearts and flowing red robes, the Mayer show—commissioned new works by 13 gallery artists and one outsider—is mostly abstract. By design or by serendipity, the show suggests the season’s festivities: bubbles and ribbons, ebullience, love and optimism. Tim McFarlane’s big, bold All That Could Be—a monochromatic work in shades of pink and wine—continues the artist’s motif of overlapping ladders that suggest teeming masses of people. Contemplative like Rothko but more generous and community-spirited, this piece may have antiwar underpinnings. For me, the title nods to the Army’s old “Be All You Can Be” slogan, and the flow is tinged with blood. Also notable in a solid show are Neil Anderson’s eye-popping Red Dancer and Charles Burwell’s Red Line With Three Figures. (Burwell is a new artist with the gallery.) Kate Davis Caldwell’s faux Polaroid paintings and Michael Manuel’s eco-themed stained glass with audio component by Clint Takeda are reminders of beauty’s fragility. Excellent show. (Roberta Fallon)

I've had a little time to think about what was written about my painting in the above review of The Red Show at Bridgette Mayer. For the most part, I have no problem with what was written about my painting, All That Could Be, or the show, but this line caught my attention:, ...this piece may have antiwar underpinnings. For me, the title nods to the Army’s old “Be All You Can Be” slogan, and the flow is tinged with blood.

I'd like to put another angle on what Roberta wrote, the angle that All That Could Be originally sprang from. At the outsest, I relished the challenge of working within the constraints of a certain color. The next level of meaning didn't surface until I was well into working on it. Sometime between start and finish, the idea of a title came to mind. All That Could Be came to mind because of the open-ended sense of possibility the phrase has. Some of that optimism has to do with recent events in my personal life. The reds, pinks and oranges I used, likened to blood flowing in the review, I saw as being akin to passion and life. As much as red can stand for violence and loss of life, it can also stand for the opposite.

Here is where the world of the artist and the viewer diverge greatly: what the artist is feeling or thinking during the concieving of a work of art means absolutely nothing because every person looking at or interacting with that piece of artwork will bring their own history, beliefs, and ideas to the piece. The work will mean one thing for the artist and can mean a thousand other things once it's out in the public. That's nothing new, but this is the firs time that I felt that the interpretation of my work in a widely read publication was at such a variance from the spirit of which the painting was created.

Puryear at Moma in '07

I was just perusing Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes and came upon this bit of news that almost made me have an art orgasm. Martin Puryear is one of my favorite contemporary artists and I'm very happy that he's finally getting a long-overdue retrospective at MoMa in late 2007. Images of his work can be seen on this page.

I've loved Puryear's works for years and got to see a bunch of them up close and personal at a large exhibition of his works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art almost 12 years ago, probably more. My memory isn't always the best, but I do remember Puryear being shown at the PMA a good while ago. I'll see if I can find mention of it somewhere.

His work is amazingly beautiful, powerful, and seductive all at once. I can't always put my finger on it, but Martin Puryear's sculptures have a way of drawing me in and I don't care to resist at all. He's one of those artists who pulls together craftsmanship and formal interests in a way that goes beyond the limitations of labels like 'craft' or 'fine art'. Puryear's work trandscends such labels simply because it is good, solid art.

This exhibition will definitely be on my 'must see' list for 2007

the red show-review

I've just come across a link for the first review of The Red Show, the latest exhibition I'm involved with at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery through this Saturday, December 23rd.


All That Could Be, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 60" x 84"

Review on Philadelphia Weekly's website

Same review with photos and additional commentary (scroll down to "weekly update 2-the red show")

“The Red Show”

Through Dec. 23. Bridgette Mayer Gallery, 709 Walnut St. 215.413.8893. www.mayer artconsultants.com
”The Red Show” has more alizarin per square inch than any show in town, with the possible exception of “Tesoros,” the PMA’s roundup of colonial Latin American art. While “Tesoros” runneth over with blood-red hearts and flowing red robes, the Mayer show—commissioned new works by 13 gallery artists and one outsider—is mostly abstract. By design or by serendipity, the show suggests the season’s festivities: bubbles and ribbons, ebullience, love and optimism. Tim McFarlane’s big, bold All That Could Be—a monochromatic work in shades of pink and wine—continues the artist’s motif of overlapping ladders that suggest teeming masses of people. Contemplative like Rothko but more generous and community-spirited, this piece may have antiwar underpinnings. For me, the title nods to the Army’s old “Be All You Can Be” slogan, and the flow is tinged with blood. Also notable in a solid show are Neil Anderson’s eye-popping Red Dancer and Charles Burwell’s Red Line With Three Figures. (Burwell is a new artist with the gallery.) Kate Davis Caldwell’s faux Polaroid paintings and Michael Manuel’s eco-themed stained glass with audio component by Clint Takeda are reminders of beauty’s fragility. Excellent show. (Roberta Fallon)

Looking ahead

'Pulse'

I've had that word on my mind for quite a while now. Originally, I was going to use it as the title for my latest painting (All That Could Be) but chose not to. Last night, as I was laying in bed attempting to get to some realm of sleep, 'pulse' came to mind again. I thought that I might use it to title my upcoming solo exhibition at Bridgette Mayer in June '07. That's six months down the line and there's still the little issue of actually having work done for it. Still, I don't think it's too early to have something to think about as I'm doing the paintings and whatever else I wind up with for the show.

There are a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head for paintings, works on paper and even an installation. I've had some ideas for one for a while now, and I'd love to use the vault room in the gallery for it. Now, all I need to do is whittle down these ideas into one that's workable and I'll be fine...

New painting

All That Could Be, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 60" x 84"
(click image for full view)

Currently on view at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery as part of The Red Show through December 23rd, 2006.

Naming

All That Could Be
That's the title of the new painting. I've been trying to come up with something for the past couple of days and this is the first one that I liked. I wanted to avoid anything that featured the word 'red'. The exhibition is titled, The Red Show and the painitng is mostly red, so why make things more redundant?

Titles don't always come easy. If something doesn't hit me right away, I'll wait and let the work sit for a bit before attempting to name it. Honestly, most of the time, I'd not bother with titles, but I also hate using 'Untitled'. I do, here and there, but I try to avoid it when I can.

All That Could Be came to me today while at work. I was thinking about what I was listening to a lot while working on the painting. During one session last week, I was listening to some Nine Inch Nails. I hadn't done so in a while, but I'd recently purchased the latest book about the work of graphic designer David Carson, whose work I'm a fan of and who designed the cover for NIN's The Fragile. Nine Inch Nails has a live dvd titled, "And All That Could Have Been".

Love the title, but it was kind of the opposite of what I felt the painting was about. So, I inverted the meaning and wording to suit my needs. The suggestion of possibilities in All That Could Be appeals to me on a lot of levels in my life right now...

Ahead of schedule

I actually think the painitng is done. I'm pretty sure of it, at least. I did'nt think I'd get this far so fast with it. I like surprises that come out of nowhere like this. I'll have to look at it again tomorrow with fresh eyes, but I'm feeling pretty good about how it looks now.

I'm always a little skeptical when things work out sooner than I think they will with paintings. I just had this fear in the beginning that this piece was going to be tougher to bring to a resolution because of the size. Of course, there's still a week to go before I have to get it to the gallery, so who knows what may happen. Usually, once I feel a piece is done, that's it. I don't mess with it any more.

Busy stuff

Life has been crazy busy lately, both with good and bad. More good than bad, though. The bad is that I've been battling an eye infection-Uveitis. It's a swelling of the eye that anyone can get but is usually caused by some underlying health issue. I went today to have blood drawn so my doctors can figure out if there's anything else I should be looking after. Beyond that, I'm taking drops and the redness in my right eye is just about gone.

The rest of the busyness has to do with a large painting I'm working on for the next group show at Bridgette Mayer, The Red Show, opening on December 28th with reception on Friday, December 1st. The big deal about the painting is that it's 5' x 7', the largest canvas I've worked on in a long while. I thought I'd have a difficult time stretching it, but it came together much easier than I thought. I must be learning something because it's also one of the tightest canvas I've stretched. I thought it would have been sagging much, much more than it is at this point, as I've been working on it for a couiple of weeks now.

I actually considered having a stretcher fram made for this project, but with little time to work with, just about a month at the time, I purchased the stretchers and canvas and did it myself. I'm glad I did that because I discovered a way to stretch the canvas so that it was really tight. I still have to come up with a standard for rear supports but I think this piece is pretty solid.

Morning Light

On my way to work one day last week, I was struck by the light of the rising sun and how it affected how the streets looked and what they felt like. There was something about that particular time of morning, especially the strong light that seemed to push the shadows to the side. It was that point in the morning when these residential streets were pretty empty, but not very far away, expressways were still clogged...


Morning Light: Queen Street


Morning Light: Catherine Street


Morning Light:Fitzwater Street


Morning Light:Monroe Street

the other stuff

I'm getting to the point where stretching large canvases is becoming an annoyance. I'm talking about anything 48" x 72" and larger. I like some of the preparatory processes of art; tearing paper for prints, preparing plates or stones for printing, putting stretcher bars together and stretching canvas, etc... I like maintaining some connection to the tradition of preparing materials for painting, to a degree; you won't find me attempting to grind my own colors as I barely have time to actully paint sometimes.

I really like stretching canvas. I like having that period of time to get acquainted with the surface I'll be painting on soon. I like the time to think about what I'm going to do on it. It gives me another chance to put my hand in the work-to feel like there's even more of myself in the work besides the layers of paint and marks, etc... on the canvas's surface that will make up the final image. That said, I've determined that I have a limited ability to keep a canvas's corners straight above a certain size. It's so tedious sometimes, trying to make sure that each corner is square during the stretching process. I wind up checking and re-checking corners over and over because I'm so fucking paranoid about the corners and sides not being square once I've spent so many hours preparing a bunch of canvases.

I've gotten used to spotting irregularities in the shape of my canvases over the years. There's really nothing more aggravating than having to re-stretch a canvas I'd just spent nearly an hour or sometimes more stretching one canvas, a large one, anyway.

I hate the pre-stretched canvases sold in Utrecht and Pearl, so I think I’m going to order a couple of large, pre-made stretcher frames from
French Canvas I’ve heard good thinga about their products, so I’ll probably give them a try.

New life

Things are moving in the studio these days. I've had to do some re-arranging and finally got to stretching some new canvases last week and working on a couple of new paintings, as well. Felt good to breathe some new life into the space...



New painting that's currently untitled.


New drawing: graphite, oil stick. Lots of addition and subtraction with this one-scraping, smudging, recovering...

immersion

detail of recent, unfinished painting

It's funny how things work out. Yesterday, I had something of a breakthrough from my latest creative blockage. I can't say that there was some kind of "ah, ha!" moment. It was more like the gradual build-up of a series of moments until I found myself suddenly thinking in a wide-open space where ideas were pouring in. The space was there the whole time; there was just something blocking the entrance. Slowly, ideas began creeping around the edges of the blockage, finding weaknesses in the armor of the space's guardian whose only interest was keeping that space clean and pristine. Now, there's all sorts of thngs messing up that space, the way they should.

......

The past couple of days have found me re-engaging myself with the mental side of art, which I hadn't been able to really do for a while this year. I've done a few paintings here and there, but for the most part, I've felt myself divorced from real, active engagement with my work. Just like my re-immersion in it, there was a gradual separation from my art life over the months since my last solo show, almost a year ago now. I think I hit something of a wall after that exhibition. Just like the end of any project that you've spent a considerable amount of time and energy working intensly on, the end of that period can bring a lot of questions about what's going to happen next. It's always like that with me. "I've done this, now what next?" As always, the answer is "continue working"

......

I feel reanimated now. Refreshed and ready to re-engage my creative self in ways I haven't in a while. There's a lot swirling around in my head. Ideas for paintig, photography, drawing, printmaking...everything, almost. The only thing to do is work...

from here to there and back

It's been a while since I've been back from my foray to the other side of the world (Australia) and I need to make up for lost time. Needless to say, the trip was great. I managed to lose two days in the beginning due to a variety of mishaps that are only usually only expeterienced one or two at a time. I got hit with a bunch of biggies:

-three hour delay at PHL due to mechanical problems
-missed connection in LA
-diverted flight due to fog
-lost luggage
-cancelled flights

It all worked out, even if by the end of the ordeal, I was way beyond tired and giddy because of stress and lack of sleep. The details can be found in my personal journal. Scroll down the page and start reading at "7.14.06"

Of course, being the shutterbug I am, there are plenty of photos

Australia was beautiful. I was around Sydney most of the time, but did get out to the Blue Mountains for three days of mountainous nature...and loads of fog.

While there, I got to see some art via the Sydney Biennial and going to the suburb of Paddington to visit a few galleries one day. The art there is as diverse as it is anywhere in the States or elsewhere. There's everything from contemporary painting, video, and installations, to gorgeous Aboriginal art and a lot in between. I only got to see the part of the Biennial that was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, but there were exhibits around the city and region, also.

......

One of the questions I've been asked a lot since I returned has been variations of "So, were you inspired?" A normal question, but I couldn't really answer that question, as I had a ton of stuff to take in and digest. I'm still going through that process after almost a month of being back. I have no clue as to how things might shake out for me. The experience was short and very intense on the senses and emotions.

It was the first time I'd been away in over five years and going around the world is enough to handle alone. I took some materials with me to draw with, but never used any of it. I thought I would, but never had the time to really get into the mood for doing anything art-wise. I did write a little, so that helped. I was more interested in taking in as much of the sights, sounds, tastes and smells as I could in a short time. That, and get over jet-lag at the same time. By the time I was leaving on the 27th of July, I was *just* beginning to adjust to the time there. Returning to the US was even harder on me. It took almost two weeks for my body's bio-rhythms to return to normal. There's a 14 hour time difference and that's a lot to recover from.

In that time, I've only been in the studio a couple of times. Last week, I was in for a whole day and part of another, so I'm slowly getting back to things, though not at the pace I usually have. I'm having a crises of not knowing what I want to do at the moment, but I'm attmpting to work through that. This year has been very strange for me in terms of my work. I can't really explain it. Just feeling unsure of what I want to do next. My usual remedy is to just work until something comes out and that's still the best thing for me. I just need to re-establish a routine.

I just feel that this trip has changed a lot for me and I'm still struggling to figure out what it means. There are changes coming around beyond just my work. That has to do with my personal life and how things are turning out with *E*, whom is one of the reasons I went to Australia in the first place. We met through Livejournal this past spring and almost three months into our conversations, I told her that I was going to come there to meet her. We've gotten along great and our time together there was fantastic. She's planning on coming here later in the year and what happens from there is anyone's guess, but we've both said that we'd like to close the gap.

So, yeah, life got a little more complicated this year, but in a good way. It's just that I don't deal well with big changes in my circumstances, so I suspect that's partly behind my inability to focus on my work like I usually do lately. It's not that I'm out of ideas or anything, I'm just not sure what form the work is going to take. I'm still painting, but there's other things coming up for me, as well. I'd like to do more printing or just work with paper, in general; drawings, collages, whatever. I was thinking the other day that I do miss working with paper and the processes of printmaking. Perhaps I should look into doing some of that this fall and winter.

Moleskines

moleskines
Originally uploaded by tilaneseven.

I love, love, love Moleskines and I've finally satisfied my craving for them.

I went to Borders the other day and after a lot of going back and forth to the blank journal section (the guard probably thought I was up to something considering the amount of times I went back and forth changing my mind about which ones I wanted), I finally settled on two sketchbooks-one small and one large, and a pack of three black, plain pocket-sized journals.

I think I'll take both of the sketchbooks with me to Australia and maybe purchase a large plain journal for the trip, also.

My main sketchbooks over the years have been the plain, smaller hardcover ones that Utrecht sells. I figured it was time to switch things up a bit and try something new. One thing that I like about the pages in the Moleskine sketchbooks are the heavier pages. They seem like they can take a lot of abuse and I can use a variety of media with them.

My history with sketching while on vacation hasn't been that stellar. I did some five years ago during my trip to the southwest, but I came away with few actual sketches and a ton of photos and experiences. The latter were much more instrumental in the concieving and execution of a few paintings I did between 2001 and 2003.

Honestly, the sketches didn't do much for me, not nearly as much as just being in a new place and everything in through my senses. Attempting to record what I saw directly didn't do much for me and those sketches weren't very instrumental in the subsequent paintings.

It had to happen...

I knew it wasn't going to be long before I did something about the vlogging idea. I was supposed to go to the studio today, but declined because I seem to have a slight cold and wasn't up for dealing with a hot studio and not feeling well. However, I just had to do something, so I followed up on doing a video.

I had a dream during a nap I took this morning, of which I remember little of except the ending. At that point, I was with *E* and we kissed. It was a good, long, sensual kiss, the memory of which left me feeling good despite the mild cold. Now, mind you, we haven't even met yet, but we have established a good connection over the past few months and there's some good feelings floating across the miles. I wanted to make something that I could share that captured how I felt upon waking up.

Since I've been experimenting with iMovie lately, I decided to cobble something together with some of the photos I have of *E*. I found four that I liked, edited and uploaded the fragments into iMovie, where I added some layers of sounds and vocals. The result is really basic, as editing and so forth goes, but I like how it turned out for a first attempt.

You can see the results of my first video here: A Dream...

That's the first of what I hope to be more videos I'll make. I have no clue as to where this might lead, but I'm just diving in and seeing what I come up with, hence the name of my vlog: "A Path Unknown".

where is it?

This painting no longer exists. Well, it exsists, but under more layers of paint, as is my habit. I was working on it yesterday in a state of sleep deprivation and was feeling that I'd lost it. I was feeling lost with where it was and where it might be going. Of course I can never tell where any painting will end up, but looking at where it had been and where it'd brought it, I felt like I'd missed a moment where I could have left it alone and it would have been fine.

Viewing it yesterday after an hour of adding more and more layers of grid structures, I felt like I was staring at the biggest mess and tangle of ideas. It was one of those, "what the fuck am I doing with this?" moments. I had to leave the studio to run an errand, and it was a good time to get away from it.

I returned to the studio maybe 20 minutes later and decided to leave it for the next time I'm there, which will be today. It's a good thing I had to go to work. There's no telling what I would have done with it if I had the time to stay and work on it some more then.

It's a good thing that I'm used to times like these and know how to handle them. I will admit that I can become very emotionally and mentally engaged with a piece and when I feel that things are going south, it can get very annoying. When it happens, I'll usually just go and do something else, take a break, or sometimes, just plow through and see what happens. It just depends on what state of mind I'm in.

At work

Yesterday, I thought that it would be interesting to capture a sequence of photos documenting me working on a new painting. If nothing else, the pics will give a glimpse into how much a painting can change in a short amount of time. These photos were taken over a period of about a half-hour, maybe a little more. I used a 10-second delay to take the pics. The images are a little skewed because I sat the camera on an uneven surface, but I think they came out pretty well.

This is one of two new paintings I'm working on. It's 48" x 72" and is presently untitled. The rest of the set can be seen on my Flickr page

lines and bits...

I'm definitely back in the swing of things in the studio. Taking time off was good, but it's nice to be acting on some of the ideas that have been gestating for the past few months. Being out of my regular studio practice for almost 6 months was a little disconcerting to me. I'm used to always working on something, regardless if it wasn't going to leave the studio and be seen or not. I certainly needed to recharge but this was the first time that it was for such an extended amount of time.

What matters is I'm back to doing what I love. I never really left it as I was still thinking and reading about art, as well as doing something here and there. The difference is now I'm in there more and thus, doing more. Yesterday was a typical kind of day where I stretched two canvases, both 4 x 6 feet, not huge, but bigger than I've been working on lately. I also worked on several mixed media pieces on paper and started painting a couple of small canvases (16" x 20").

I went like this from around 3 in the afternoon until almost 10pm. I wasn't really ready to leave when I did but I needed to send out an email the latest exhibition I have work in beginning this Friday. This Friday is 'First Friday' in Philly and I have two paintings in
a group exhibition titled, "Order(ed)" at Gallery Siano located at 309 Arch Street.

Here's the info:

Order(ed)
May 5th-June 17th, 2006

Opening Reception:
Friday, May 5, 2006
5-9pm

Panel Discussion:
Saturday, May 6, 1:30pm at the gallery

Gallery Siano
309 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Gallery Hours:
Mon-Wed.: by appointment
Thursday-Saturday, 11am-6pm
215.629.2940
www.gallerysiano.com


Also, if you haven't already, check out the new (May) edition of Philadelphia Magazine. The cover story is 'Top Doctors'. I'm featured in an article on the Philly art scene called, 'The Philly School', along with Rebecca Rutstein, Randall Sellers, Rob Matthews, and more. It should be on the newstands now. On the magazine's website, there's a link to more details on the artists featured.
I left the studio with several projects scattered around and I'm looking forward to tackling them again today.

......

Being chosen to be in the Philadelphia Magazine article, "The Philly School" was a nice boost. It turned out better than expected as I'm featured in a full-page photo, along with fellow gallery-mate, Rebecca Rutstein.

The amount of exposure I've been able to get for my work since I've been with the Bridgette Mayer Gallery has been nothing short of amazing. Granted, I've worked my ass off for years before to get to this point and will continue to in order to get further, but the public successes I've had over the past four years have definitely been in large part to Bridgette's backing and tireless efforts.

......

I stumbled onto this link in one of the MySpace art groups and thought I'd spread it around a little. I like Ellis G's idea of recording the nighttime shadows of street objects and people seeing them during the day trying to figure out what the outlines are about, since there's no discernable way to connect the outline with daytime shadow patterns.

Ellis G takes street art and elevates it to a new level with ideas of transience and how we view objects in public space. He outlines any number of objects, permanent and not so, in sidewalk chalk with the help of street lamps. In the video, you see him outlining street posts, hydrants, mailboxes, there's even a motorcyle's shadow outlined. Some of the shadows, when seen in the daytime, confuse passers-by because they might be the result of two street lights hitting, say, a fire hydrant, casting two shadows from the same object.

The outlines are also confusing to some because we relate to shadows as being impermant and moving, but how often do we pay attention to them at night? How often do we pay attention to them during the day, even? The other part of the question of transience is the impermanence of some of the objects that Ellis G outlines. The motorcycle example is an obvious one, but what about the other things? Eventually, sign posts are replaced or simply taken down. Some of the shadow outlines are extended onto bulidings and stoops, which over time will change or be torn down.

So, there's the issue of short term vs. long term permanence. Then, there's the awareness brought out to the viewer about the spaces we inhabit and use on a regular basis. Walking down the street and encountering an extended outline of an object will most likely get people to stop and examine their surroundings a little more, and our relationship to that space, which I think the best public art does.

The best part of the video is watching as cops come by ready to bust him for graphitti but backing off when he explains that he's not using paint, but impermanent street chalk which will wash away eventually. Check it out when you get a moment...

back for real

I've been back in the studio regularly over the past couple of weeks. I've come out of it with one new painting finished and a couple of others nearly so. I really feel that I'm back in a good space, mentally, unlike how I was feeling when I wrote the last entry. I'm still fighting to maintain some focus and make sure I take care of the things I need to with my creative life.

Things are changing in my life in ways I never knew they would. I'm still a little too close to what's going on to have any real perspective, but it's a good thing...or crazy as hell. I guess I'll have to see what happens over the next few months.

......
Someone recently sent me an email asking me do describe what it feels like when I'm painting. She also asked what I did to revive when I wasn't feeling particularly creative. These are my answers which I've expanded on a little:


How I feel when I'm inspired and painting is hard to pin down to exact words, but I suppose being 'in a zone' is one way of putting it. There are times where I'm so into what I'm doing that I might forget to eat. When i'm painting, there's usually a feeling of excitment. There's a feeling that there's this unseen energy flowing through me that only becomes visible through what I do on the canvas, paper, or whatever else I happen to be working with. It manifests itself in the brushstrokes, scrapings, lines, pencil marks and more...

I've thought about what I feel when painting or doing some other creative activity. There are definitely different energies contributing to what I do. Some are sexual in nature, others are more aggressive and still more that are subtle. More often than not, there is a combination of these and more that I haven't been able to identify.

If I'm feeling creatively blocked, these days I give myself permission to lay off for a bit. I used to agonize over not being productive all the time, but I found that approach to be more taxing than letting it go for a little while.

I tend to work on more than one piece at a time, so if I'm having issues with one painting, I'll put it aside and move to something else, usually another painting or drawing. If nothing is working, then I'll call it a day and leave or not go into the studio in the first place. It also helps to focus on other things for a while, as I get inspiration from sources other than art, like design, music, books, films, etc...

hmmm

I'm not being very good at producing much right now...very distracted by all sorts of things and not keeping a regular studio schedule...

left or right

Did some painting today. I don't know where this is going. Maybe I'll get a clue tomorrow or the day after that...

shadows and light

My camera and I are almost inseperable these days. I've been into doing self-portraits lately, and a lot of them. It's been a real learning experience coming up with different ways to present myself in front of the camera. Challenging and fun at the same time...

Here are three taken today. There are more over at my Flickr account...

At it again...finally...

Yep, I actually painted today after almost 6 months of little to no studio activity. It's just taken me a while to get back in the swing of things. The thing that was odd about today was that I was having a crappy day mentally. I don't usually like to force myself to paint when I'm not really feeling up to it, but I needed to channel some of that angst somewhere, so painting it was.

As usual, I don't know where this stuff is headed, but the only thing to do is, well, to do it. That's all there is. I'll see where I am when I get there...
......

Here are two paintings that are in progress. I worked on these today. The lighter one is actually covering over another painting from my last series that wasn't very good. I don't know how I even let it out of the studio when I did. I remember having that nagging feeling that it wasn't quite up to my standards, but I let it go out into the world anyway. I got it back from Bridgette a couple of weeks ago and decided today to do away with it...

Going national...

Last month, CNN sent a camera crew down from New York to tag along with my gallery rep, Bridgette Mayer for a day. Bridgette is being featured on a segment of Anderson Cooper's show called On The Rise, which focuses on young entrepeneurs who are recognized as leaders in their respective industries.

Anyway, Bridgette brought the crew up to my studio, where we were filmed talking about some of my paintings. I've been told that I'm going to be featured in the piece...how much is up in the air, but 30 seconds or 3 minutes, a lot of people are going to see it regardless, and I hope you can, too. There's also going to be a featured story on CNN's website Thursday, March 9th: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/on.the.rise/archive/inde
x.html

If you have cable, Tivo, or whatever, check out Anderson Cooper 360 this coming Wednesday, March 8th, between 10pm and 12 midnight on CNN, you might catch me mumbling something on national tv, *lol* I don't know exactly when the segment will air, so record it if you can so you don't have to sit through the whole program, if you can't.
......

Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Press Contact: Laura Wagner
Bridgette Mayer Gallery
Tel: 215.413.8893 Fax: 215.413.2283
Email: bridgetteart@earthlink.net
Web: HYPERLINK "http://www.mayerartconsultants.com" www.mayerartconsultants.com

BRIDGETTE MAYER OF THE BRIDGETTE MAYER GALLERY, PHILADELPHIA, PA TO BE FEATURED ON CNN’S ANDERSON COOPER 360 ON THE RISE

Bridgette Mayer of the Bridgette Mayer Gallery is pleased to announce that she will be featured during CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 “On the Rise” airing Wednesday, March 8th 10 – 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. A featured story will also be airing on CNN’s website on Thursday, March 9th at: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/on.the.rise/archive/index.html

CNN’s program “On the Rise” features successful business owners and entrepreneurs who are recognized trendsetters and rising leaders in their respective industries.

“It is exciting and an honor for me to be featured on CNN. As I get ready to celebrate my fifth year anniversary in business I am more committed than ever in continuing to provide quality programming & exhibitions for the city of Philadelphia, my clients who support me and the artists I represent,” said Mayer.

The gallery was founded in 2001 with the intent to support emerging and mid-career artists and to exhibit original contemporary paintings of the highest quality.

Education also plays a vital role in the gallery’s programming and last spring the gallery presented “Rock-Solid Finance: Building Your Financial Present & Future as a Creative Professional”. This program, held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, offered financial education to young artists. Most recently, Mayer was a keynote speaker for several events at her alma mater, Bucknell University including “The Business of an Art Gallery and Contemporary Art “ at the Samek Gallery, and “Bright Ideas and Putting Them Into Action” at the Student Leadership Institute.

For additional gallery information including catalogues and images please visit: HYPERLINK "http://www.mayerartconsultants.com" www.mayerartconsultants.com or contact: 215.413.8893
###

studio020906

studio020906
Originally uploaded by tilaneseven.

Had a 'prep' day in the studio today. Stretched two canvases and made up a list of things I need from Home Depot, which is where I'm headed tomorrow. While waiting for the canvases to dry between layers of sizing, I decided to take some photos around the studio.

The rest can be seen on my Flickr page here.

Another World

*This post was originally made on Thursday, January 28th on my Livejournal*:

Yesterday seemed like a day-long episode of the Twilight Zone. First there was the sighting of 'Sly' Stallone in the Italian Market, then yesterday evening, I went with Bridgette to deliver a painting of mine that recently sold to the client's home. Most of the time, people will pick up work from the gallery, but once in a while, she'll deliver the piece(s) herself. She'd called me Tuesday afternoon and asked me if I wanted to go along to meet the purchasers and I said yes. I'm always interested in who is buying my works and where they wind up.

Anyway, this particular client lives in Moorestown, NJ. Bridgette and I drove up, almost got lost, but made it in time to meet the guy and his wife at their place. During the last part of our drive, it's getting darker and the houses are getting bigger...and bigger...and...yeah, you get the idea. The mail boxes are almost half-a-block away from the houses in this particular development. The good thing is that the houses are not the ugly, cookie-cutter homes you normally see in suburban, and increasingly, urban, developements. It also wasn't a gated community. Nonetheless, the 'neighborhood' seemed, well, sterile and cold, and not just from the weather last night. I'm too used to seeing people walk around at night and standing there looking at these places, I couldn't imagine much life happening there, despite the obvious presence of people in their homes. Maybe it was the newness of everything. From the looks of it, these houses haven't been up for long, a few months at the most. The lawns were also a little too green. Hmmm...

At first, we were afraid that we had the wrong place, but luckily, Bridgette's instincts were on target. The wife opened the door, toting one of her young sons and let us in, painting in tow. As expected, the inside was as big as it looked. The husband was in the kitchen and after getting settled, the wife showed us around the house.

It was big, but modest in style and very relfective of the owners. Bridgette and I kept looking at each other every time she showed us room after room. We didn't even make it to the third floor. There wasn't time for that anyway since Bridgette had another meeting last night and the client had a dinner to get to. We chose the best spot for the work and hung it.

I've always wondered who lived in places like this and I got to find out last night. This couple, at least, was very nice and down-to-earth. They're genuinely into collecting contemporary work and very curious. They asked a lot of good questions and aren't into art just for the hell of it. I have gotten to meet other collectors of my work, but most of the time, that was at the gallery. I like connecting with the people who buy my work, but I felt a huge disconnect lifestyle-wise. I couldn't imagine living in a suburban development and having a place that requires having people come in and clean. There's no way they do their own house-keeping in a home that big. Everything was too new, also. I need a good mix of old and new where I live.

Overall, it was a good experience. I liked meeting the couple and they are enjoying the painting and paying for it, so everybody benefits. Below are a couple of shots of the painting after we hung it. Painting info: The Other, 2005, acrylic on canvas, 48" x 60"

church in fog

church in fog
Originally uploaded by tilaneseven.

I took this just after I got up this morning. The city was blanketed in a heavy fog and the sun was just beginning to peek through the shroud. I looked out my front window and saw that the church in my neighborhood was barely visible even though it's a mere half-block from my house.

I threw on some clothes, climbed out my rear window onto the roof and got a couple of shots before the fog lifted.

I like this one the best out of the few I took. I especially liked the sunlight reflecting off of the cross on the steeple.

white room 9

white room 9
Originally uploaded by tilaneseven.

new year, new toy

It's been a while, but I'm still around. The holidays are over and life is returning to something of a regular pace. I have yet to get back to painting on a regular basis. It's been difficult for me to concentrate on it due to life (and death) happening. I'm brimming with ideas and ready to move on, though.

One thing that made the past couple of months good was the purchase of a digital camera. I'm having a good time figuring out the settings and just taking photos. I've begun a series of sorts recently, using a room at work as my subject. The series is called, 'White Room' There are about 13 so far. I'll be posting them here once a day, I guess. They are numbered, but they'll be out of order. This is the first:




White Room 7

picking up steam

Things are beginning to move along and I'm needing to pick up the pace of things a bit. One of the more important items I have to take care of is having some slide dupes made of recent work. I need to have them available to send out for shows and a residency I want to apply for. There's a spring show looming, being curated by Julie Karabenick. It's going to be at Gallery Siano during May and June. The only issue is the essayist needs images of available work really soon and Bridgette has clients looking at some pieces left over from my September show this weekend. So, as usual, things are running on a tight schedule. It'll work out. I won't complain about having this kind of problem.

I also have to increase my studio time to where it was a year ago. It's all coming together, though. Yesterday, I continued working on two new acrylic paintings on panels. A few weeks ago, I purchased a couple of 16" x 16" deep cradle panels from Utrecht. I like them so far and may get some more for the near future just to have something ready to paint on while I prepare some larger canvases to work on. It's just so difficult to concentrate on getting anything done this time of year because of the holiday business. You have to keep a lot of balls in the air at once.

Back to studio time. Even though the last couple of sessions have been short, lasting only about two or three hours at a time, I feel satisfied with the results in the paintings so far. I have to get used to how cold it can get in there. I didn't turn on the heat because I knew I was only going to be in there a short time. I had plenty of layers on and put on my coveralls and hat over everything else. That kept me pretty warm. My fingers were a little chilled, but that was it. I'll pick up some small gloves to work in when I need them.

picking up steam

Things are beginning to move along and I'm needing to pick up the pace of things a bit. One of the more important items I have to take care of is having some slide dupes made of recent work. I need to have them available to send out for shows and a residency I want to apply for. There's a spring show looming, being curated by Julie Karabenick. It's going to be at Gallery Siano during May and June. The only issue is the essayist needs images of available work really soon and Bridgette has clients looking at some pieces left over from my September show this weekend. So, as usual, things are running on a tight schedule. It'll work out. I won't complain about having this kind of problem.

I also have to increase my studio time to where it was a year ago. It's all coming together, though. Yesterday, I continued working on two new acrylic paintings on panels. A few weeks ago, I purchased a couple of 16" x 16" deep cradle panels from Utrecht. I like them so far and may get some more for the near future just to have something ready to paint on while I prepare some larger canvases to work on. It's just so difficult to concentrate on getting anything done this time of year because of the holiday business. You have to keep a lot of balls in the air at once.

Back to studio time. Even though the last couple of sessions have been short, lasting only about two or three hours at a time, I feel satisfied with the results in the paintings so far. I have to get used to how cold it can get in there. I didn't turn on the heat because I knew I was only going to be in there a short time. I had plenty of layers on and put on my coveralls and hat over everything else. That kept me pretty warm. My fingers were a little chilled, but that was it. I'll pick up some small gloves to work in when I need them.

one step...

I worked a total of 2 1/2 hours today. I'm currently working on a couple of deep-cradle panels (16"x16" and 2 1/2" thick) I purchased from Utrecht a couple of weeks ago. Although I worked on a painting recently, I still feel like I'm stumbling along with making new work after the hiatus. I noticed that I picked up a few bad habits, going to bed late being chief among them. I did a lot better last night, but I still didn't get out of the apartment until close to noon. That's not good enough.

Well, anyway, I felt almost at a complete loss today when I finally got up to the studio. The toughest part is just getting started. I have plenty of ideas, but tackling that blank slate is still daunting after a time away. I quickly cleared up that issue by covering both panels with a single color, as I usually do. It was great just watching the brushstrokes accumulate and eventually dominate the pristine white flatness of the panels.

I painted for a while, just getting back into the swing of things. It's going to take a couple of painting sessions before I really feel back in the groove, but I think I'm off to a good start. As long as I get into the studio, something will get done.

2.19.87

The following is a journal entry I wrote 18 years ago. It appears here just as it was written:

Thurs. Feb. 19, 1987
9:28pm

I may be leaving GNC soon. If I can find another job, that is. I'm getting tired of the long commute from South Philly to Willow Grove. On top of that, I get paid every two weeks and with the money I'm making, it isn't worth the trip. It's definitely time to move on. To what? The main considerations at this point are being paid on a weekly basis and not having to travel so far. And of course a good salary would be nice.

Where is my life headed? Good question. Right now I'm considering a career in art. I know it sounds crazy as shit but that's where my heart is. Looking at it realistically, I know what odds I face in terms of making a living. I'm looking to the possibility of teaching, for a start anyway.

I've tossed the pros and cons of the situation around for a long time and I've decided that the only way to find out firsthand is to get in there and find out what it's like. Who knows it may lead to something great.

......

Reading that passage while flipping through one of my old journals made me smile and laugh out loud. It's the first time I'd written anything about wanting to pursue an artistic career. That's pretty significant because before this passage, I don't think I talked about it to anyone other than my high school art teacher, Richard Segal. Considering that I did take that leap of faith to "find out what it's like" and where that road has led me, I'm more than happy that I committed these thoughts to paper.

Sum Of All Parts

I'm heading out to the studio soon to get some work done and deliver a painting to the gallery. There's a group show happening next week, so I'm glad I got something done before the holiday hit. I'm going to work on a couple of small works on panel, also. Bridgette's hanging the new show this Monday.
......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2005
GROUP SHOW "SUM OF ALL PARTS" - New Works
Philadelphia, PA - The Bridgette Mayer Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition of new works featuring all Gallery artists. "Sum of All Parts" will run from November 30, 2005 - January 14, 2006 with an opening reception First Friday, December 2nd from 6-8:30 p.m.


Sixteen artists will be featured in the show: Elyce Abrams, Neil Anderson, Allen Bentley, Mark Brosseau, Deborah Caiola, Kate Davis Caldwell, Jean Gaudaire-Thor, Clark Gibson, Robert Godfrey, Dana Hargrove, Chris Lyon, Tim McFarlane, Franck Moëglen, Deirdre Murphy, Rebecca Rutstein, and Alexis Serio. The exhibition will explore the relationship between the forms, themes, and techniques of this diverse range of contemporary artists.


Thirteen artists will exhibit new paintings. Clark Gibson will show works that survey the components of urban structure through abstraction. Tim McFarlane will also contribute paintings that explore the urban environment; abstracted grid systems reminiscent of maps and city architecture. Neil Anderson will show work of more traditional abstraction as he investigates the elements of painting - color, texture, and surface.


Deirdre Murphy's paintings move between abstraction and realism to express nature within an urban space. Franck Moëglen also works through representation and abstraction. He modifies common signs and symbols with layers of paint until the image becomes as diffuse and immaterial as a memory. Evidence of memory is also crucial to the work of Alexis Serio who will be exhibiting a large landscape painting. Serio examines the memory of landscape and movement of light through representation and abstraction.


Mark Brosseau will show work which investigates space in a different sense, focusing on the movement, experience and 'visual play' of painting. Jean Gaudaire-Thor also investigates abstract painting as an outlet for visual play. Inspired by primitive art his paintings express the diversity of the human experience.


Two artists explore relationships through more representational means. Robert Godfrey's bold paintings of lovers are indulgent in gesture and celebrate the rituals and mythology of relationships. Allen Bentley paints the small conflicts and reconciliations of human interaction with a palate of vibrant colors and images of lively dancers.


Deborah Caiola also paints figures, but explores portraiture from a background of anthropology. She expresses the unique personalities of her subjects while also investigating the broader issue of an individual's place in society. Dana Hargrove also examines, with more abstract colors and forms, how the individual functions within the community. She studies the processes of disconnection and reconnection.


Elyce Abrams and Kate Davis Caldwell will both be exhibiting work recently completed through the Vermont Studio Center Residency program. Abrams explores elements of everyday life through an abstract vocabulary of marks, colors, drips, and forms. Davis Caldwell recreates forgotten histories by placing vintage images within a new context of painted forms and organic landscapes.


Chris Lyon and Rebecca Rutstein will both be exhibiting drawings and works on paper. Lyon will show a large charcoal drawing flickering with the suggestion of human bodies and interactions. Rutstein incorporates themes of geology and interpersonal relationships in her work and will be showing a series of graphite drawings.


An animated video by Brooke Steytler entitled 'Factory Man' will also be on view in the Gallery's vault room.


"Sum of All Parts" will run through January 14, 2006. The artist's will be present at the opening reception Friday, December 2nd from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 11-5:30, other days by appointment. For additional information please contact Bridgette Mayer, 215.413.8893 Fax 215.413.2283

Green, again...

I can tell that I'm really coming out of my artistic 'down time'. At work, I have moments where I can relax for a bit between customer calls, employee needs, and figuring out how to deal with whatever has broken this time. I had one some time today, outside of lunch, where I was able to grab my sketchbook out of my bag and doodle a bit. I did a few thumbnail sketches of possible compositional ideas in square and rectangular formats. That's what I do in my sketchbooks for the most part. I also write in them, but for the most part, page after page is filled with squares and rectangles full of off-the-cuff painting ideas. So, today's little five minute sketch session was accompanied by a mental, "Yeah, I'm ready to work again".

......

I was in the office at one of the desks that all the managers share. I plopped down into the gray, cushioned chair that's been darkened by years of use. I took my sketchbook out of the bag and glanced at the last day I'd done anything in it. The date in the upper left-hand corner read: 9.20.05. That's just over two months ago and during the last week of my show. That was the day that I decided to jot down any ideas I had for a possible series of paintings. To the left of the date was this: A SERIES OF PREDOMINANTLY GREEN PAINTINGS. I tend to use all upper-case lettering when I write with a sharpie(ultra-fine point). If I try to write in cursive long-hand with them, it just looks like a mess and I sometimes have a hard time deciphering what I just wrote) Note: See this entry for earlier discussion of this idea

I also made a list to go along with the 'green paintings' sentence. I wrote down all of the words that came to me within a few minutes that have some association with the word 'green':

LUSH
LIFE
GROWTH
SUN
FOREST
GARDEN
JUNGLE
OASIS
SHELTER
WILD
GRASS
PLANTS
FLOWERS
LEAVES
TREES
VINES
IVY
SOIL
WATER

There was a second column, but this illustrates the idea well enough.

I'd been thinking about a 'green' project for a while before committing this list to paper. A few of the paintings that I'd worked on for the September show had various greens worked into the final images. I gained an affinity for the greens I'd mixed and thought that it would be interesting to try making near monochromatic paintings based around 'green'. I'm still considering it and as soon as I pick up more supplies, I'll get to work on it. If it doesn't work out, I'll just move on to the next idea I have. Oh, yes, there are more...

I think I like the color so much because it reminds me of life and growth. I'm surrounded by plants in my living space and, despite being a hard-core city person, I love the outdoors; forests, hiking, trees, grass, all of it. I can continue to explore the loose grid imagery I've been working on over the past year and I can work on some more minimal pieces as well. Now that I have a basic theme, I can dive into painting and have something to challenge myself with again.

give and take

I'm reminded of just how good I have it when I talk to people about my art life. I'm living the dream that so many have, namely, being able to do what your heart desires. Choosing to continue with a creative life isn't always easy, nor always fun, but I can't think of anything else that I'd be as enthusiastic about working at. It's the one area of my life where I derive the most pleasure and happiness from. I never feel so alive as when I'm in the midst of painting or doing something else creative. Even if what I'm working on is turning out to be complete shit, I still experience an intensity of feeling that I don't really experience in other areas of my life.

The feelings are often indescribable. I've told friends that even though I don't smoke, there have been times when I've been so caught up in what I'm doing that I feel like I need to smoke or do something to disperse some of the energy that builds up during a painting session. The intensity of focus is what causes that reaction. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through me when I'm really caught up in a painting. Sometimes, it can feel like having sex, at others, more like being in a physical competition against others or the clock. The only difference with me is that most of the activity is taking place mentally. The physical component of painting, for me, isn't that dramatic. At times, it is, but there's a more measured mix of the mental and physical for me as a painting develops. I know I'm much more physically engaged in how I apply paint and other materials in the begining of a work than later on.

The point at which the mental begins taking precidence over the physical is never the same, but it does occur. There's a point where I scrutinize the formal decisions about color, compostition, forms, etc... much more intensely than when I started the piece. At what point in the process this occurs is different every time, but it always happens. I usually refer to that point as when "the painting begins to tell me where it wants to go". Every painting has it's own life. While I might start off with a general idea of what I want to do and achieve, there's always a point where a dialogue begins to take shape; there's more of a 'push/pull' relationship happening between myself and what's going on with the images and forms on the canvas.

It's give and take, as is the ideal in other areas of life. Every decision or mark I make on the canvas affects everything else I've previously done and what comes after.

getting back to it

I'm returning to work in the studio this week. I feel that it's time to move on with some new work, plus, I really have the itch to create again. The past few weeks of 'exhibition recovery' have been really good for me. There were plenty of times when I thought I should have been in there painting away, but to tell the truth, that was just me feeling guilty for not wanting to be in there at all.

One of my challenges in life is maintaining some sort of balance between my social/personal life and my art life. The two meet often, but usually, one suffers when I attempt to bolster the other. In recent weeks, I've taken on expanding my social circle a bit by becoming acquainted with new people and actually spending time having face-to-face conversations, going to dinner parties, and making time to spend with the friends I already have, as well. I'm enjoying this time, because I know that once I begin painting regularly again, people won't be able to find me so readily. Even though I have a cell-phone, I can keep it turned off until I'm ready to talk. I refuse to become a slave to it.

I love painting and being creative, in general, but I also have a need to make sure I stay connected to people, as well. There are and will continue to be times when I hole up in the studio and will rarely go out, it's inevitable. The trick is adapting and continuing to find ways to have something of a balance between the demands of my art marriage and everyone else in my life. Art is a jealous mistress, there's no doubt about it. Most of the time I'll go along with her demands, but even she has to be ignored sometimes.

new pics

I have some new pics uploaded that were taken by Chris Ashley when he visited earlier in the month. There are more from this set here

artblog article

There's an interesting article about my work and that of my friend and fellow painter, Anne Seidman, on Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof's Artblog. It was posted on September 29th, a few days after my solo exhibition at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery had closed.

being busy

It's 5:25am and I'm up. I've been awake since a little after 4am and got to bed around 12am. My alarm is set to go off in another hour and-a-half. Later in the morning, I'm heading up to New York for the AAF Contemporary Art Fair.

This is the last of a couple of months of big art events I've taken part in. In September, there was my solo show at Bridgette Mayer. Then, I had work included in The Urban Canvas at Gallery Siano. I helped jury an exhibition at the Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. After that, I did the open studio weekend and now, there's the New York fair. It's been really busy, but I'm not complainig. A lot of really good things have come out of it all. For example, I got to meet a few artists I hadn't met in real life before, like Chris Ashley.

Chris came to Philly from California for the show and we had a good talk at my studio while he was here. I don't have many studio visits with other artists. I should do it more, but haven't. Mainly for lack of time or schedule conflicts. Anyway, I enjoyed talking with him about my work and his. We exchanged stories about what it's been like for us as artists and how that has impacted how we live our lives. It's also very interesting to see how your ideas are filtered through your peer's eyes and minds.

It's hard to put your work out in the world for the general public to look at and critique. Your creative peers are another story altogether. It's much easier to talk to another artist about what your ideas because there's a shared language and understanding of what you are doing. There's a distinct level of understanding and dialogue that's possible with another artist that you might not have with someone who isn't directly involved with creative pursuits. Discussing my ideas with someone else also often leads me to see my work from an angle I previously might not have been privy to.

So, now, there's the New York art fair. I'm pretty excited to have the chance for my work to be seen in New York so soon after the show at the Broadway Gallery this spring, as well as after having my solo show. It'll be interesting to get a 'behind the scenes' look at what these things are like.

......

I'm tired. Not just from lack of sleep tonight/this morning, but from the whirl of activity that's taken place over the past, well, almost year, now. I haven't been in the studio since my show went up and have been anxious about it. I recognize the need for physical and mental rest, but it's been difficult to relax and not do something in the studio. My headspace has been taken up by so much stuff outside of making art, that I haven't had the chance to begin the process of really recharging my creative batteries. There are a lot of ideas floating around in my head as usual, but I can't quite act on them yet. Perhaps in the next week or so, after the fair is over, I'll have some clear mental space to begin painting again.

set up

I managed to get the studio set up for Open Studios quicker than I thought. It helps that this isn't the first time I'm doing it, so I was much better prepared. Waiting until the day before to set everything up and run around buying essentials and getting other tasks done wasn't the smartest idea, but I made the most of it. I even made it out to catch two openings tonight. I stopped by Fleisher Art Memorial for the 2nd Challenge Exhibition of the seaon.

I only got to check out Mauro Zamora's and Jon Manteau's paintings. Both are very strong painters but with different sensibilities. Mauro's paintings are more graphically inspired, while Manteau's are expressive in a much more visceral way. I'll have to got back to check out Penelope Rakov's sculpture work. I was in a hurry because I had to get to 40th and Chestnut to catch my friend, Delia King's opening.

Delia was showing some new pieces which are patterned-based and most of them weren't explicitly figurative, like much of her previous work. She's still using her reverse glass painting technique, only with patterns which resemble fabric or wallpaper samples. Instead of putting all of the patterns together on one piece of glass, she's opted for multiple panes, each with it's own pattern. This idea works for me because there's another layer of movement, the viewer's, which changes how the work is experinced depending the vantage point of the viewer. I think the work is pretty successful and was pleasently surprised when I saw the new paintings. It's always good to see fellow artists taking risks in thier work and maintaining a fresh feeling in it.

lagging but catching up

The past few weeks have been really busy and, consequently, I also haven't been keeping up with posting here. I'm going to try and get caught up soon.

In the meantime, there's the second week of the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours happening this weekend. This is the third year that I've participated and also the first time that I'm not really looking forward to doing it. I like opening my studio and have people come in and experience a working studio, but the excitement I had the first couple of times isn't quite there this time. I think this bit of reality began last year when attendance was way down over both days from the year before. Part of that was due to bad weather on Saturday and on Sunday, there were a couple of other big events going on in the city, which left fewer people walking around Old City, where my studio is.

My expectations about attendance had a lot to do with it, also. This year, I'm not doing as much preparation as I've done in the past. I'll still have snacks and drinks, only less of both. I'm not worried about painting the walls, although I may fill in some of the nail holes. I'm also concerned about being basically the only artist in the area participating. There are a couple of other people kind of close, but they are still blocks away.

My feeling is, unless people are planning to be in the Old City area, I'm not going to get many visitors. There just isn't a cluster of other working artists in Old City any more, and I think the interest in going over there is going to be pretty low. Then, people just walking by generally just won't come in. I think a lot of them look at the poster, balloons and other materials I've had on the outside door and think they have to pay to get in or something. Some people are simply intimidated by art and artists and feel they will be intruding, even though the public is being invited to come in.

Also, more people seem to know about the artist building at915 Spring Garden Street than any other artist space around. I've done a lot of promotion on the 'net and in real life by talking to people and handing out brochures. As anyone who has attempted to promote anything knows, you can shout from the rooftops and the public will still not give it a second thought. Well, POST is becoming more well-known, and the studio tours are getting more media exposure, so the only thing to do is to see what happens.

what now?

What now?

Yep, it's that time again. Before the show, I didn't think I'd have those two words going through my mind, but they are. I also thought that I'd just continue painting like before the exhibitit went up. However, that hasn't been the case. It seems that regardless of how many new ideas I've been ready to get working on since before the opening reception, the past three weeks or so have found me not doing much of anything in the studio.

Despite all of my seeming readiness to jump back into the fray, I haven't been up to doing much of anything during the time that the show was up. All of the preparations for the show-finishing paintings, having framing done, photography-have caught up to me. My mind and body have conspired to make me slow down. I'm filled with new painting ideas, but my mind is a little fuzzy. I haven't been able to get it together to focus on painting lately.

It's good though, this forced rest period. I can feel myself coming back to a place where I can work again, but for a while there, I just couldn't. I obviously needed more time away from it than I thought. This Wednesday will mark my first day back in the studio to work. There's just one thing I have to work on, so I'll do that and see what else happens as the week progresses.