ORANJE 2008 Postmortem

Well, ORANJE has come and gone. It was an interesting, if somewhat frustrating, experience. Once the event's organizers let me know how they intend to make restitution for a rather notable grievance, I'll be able to decide whether the event was more interesting, or more frustrating.

Until then, here are some pics of pieces I made for the show. I'm going to try to get some new drawings done before the Fountain Square Art Fair on the 27th- if they pan out, I'll have some pics up ASAP!

ORANJE 2008

So I think I've heard of a word for when you submit work to a juried event, and then they don't reject it. What was it... reccepted? Accjected? Dang, I'm going to have to look this one up! Until then, suffice it to say that I'm going to be a part of the ORANJE 2008 show on September 20th! Very exciting.

Okay gotta run- I need to figure out what on earth I'm going to make for this thing....

Oranje Submissions

These are some new pics I made to help round out my submission to Oranje. Hopefully I"ll know how well they went over by this time next week!

the reject bin

Well, these are those pictures I was talking about. I was all set to get up on my soapbox at this juncture, and decry the et cetera, and et cetera of whatever... but today was an instructive day. After the Harrison passed on these, I loaned them to a good friend, who knew someone that was putting on a show, and was willing to take anything to fill up wall space. Today she gave them back, apologized, said her friend wasn't running the show anymore, said they didn't want to use the pieces.

I remember exactly four paintings from the book of world masterpieces I poured over when I was six years old. I don't remember a single one of the still lifes, or landscapes, and I only remember Picasso's La Guernica because of the nightmares it gave me. The three remaining pieces are all figure and allegory- Cranach's Venus with Cupid Stealing Honey, Botticelli's Primavera, Ingres' La Grande Odalisque. They were captivating- to me they were the very pinnacle of what this thing called 'art' must be about. It's stupid to even attempt to describe it, but each of these paintings shone with a beauty which would not have existed save for the use of the figure. A beauty that passes beyond lust, transcending base passions, eschewing animal sexuality, ushering the viewer into an almost spiritual mode of contemplation.

If any one of those pieces had been submitted to my friend's show, or to the Harrison, would they have been rejected? The answer is a resounding 'NO.' The failure is not on the part of these organizations, the failure is mine, and in the pictures I made. I'm not Cranach, Botticelli, Ingres. I didn't catch a glimmer of that overwhelming, disarming, enlightening beauty. Honestly, who knows if I'll ever be able to. Going to try- just need to work at it that much harder, put more time into it. Not finished trying. Wait and see.

But tonight I'm verytired, and going home. And then I'm going to see how much 211 my belly can hold. And then I'm going to sleep for such a very, very long time.

Goodnight everyone, you're all so absolutely amazing.

New Kids Show

Here's a few things I made for the New Kids show at the Harrison Center for the Arts that opened this Saturday during IMAF. Now, these are not the only pieces I submitted to the show, but some of my works were deemed 'too racy'. Be sure to tune in next week, with your nerves fully steeled to withstand the awesome waves of shock and titillation that emanate from these legendary Banned Images! (I just don't have the energy to even talk about it right now....)

(Okay, bad photo on this last one... imagine semi-transparent black acrylic paint and white gesso suspended between multiple layers of casting resin to create a sense of depth. Now imagine six of these pieces, each one unique, that could be arranged in many variations to create different feelings of energy and flow... I think that there's potential for coolness there.)

The SOLD Project Show

These pieces were all made for the SOLD Project's show that took place at the Independant Music + Art Festival at the Harrison Center this Saturday. To learn more about SOLD, check out their website, http://thesoldproject.com/ .

Hoodie

Graphite, Prismacolor, Gesso, Gold Gesso on Wood.

Narcis

Graphite, Prismacolor, Gesso, Gold Gesso on Wood.

Sketch on Gold Gesso

Graphite, Powdered Charcoal, Powedered NuPastel, White Gesso over Gold Gesso, on Birch.

Allotropy Submissions

I really wanted to have some cool stuff to submit to Allotropy this year. So I sat down and rolled up my sleeves, determined to come up with a really great idea....

(cue sound of crickets chirping)

Finally, out of bare desperation, I started some figure studies, with the intention of layering up casting resin and paint for an interesting effect.

Then life happened, and I ran out of time. So this is what I'll be submitting tomorrow. My fingers are crossed, but my breath's not bated.

(And if you think these are bad, you should read my bio/artist statement... i loathe bio/artist statements)

and the Evening / and the Morning

Drafting Film, Gesso, Acrylic, Polyurethane.

Sketch

Drafting film, Microperm, Acrylic, Gesso on Masonite.

Dream and Dreaming Drift Away

Microperm, Acrylic, ClearCoat on Maple

All the Good that We Might Ever Have

Drafting Film, Microperm, Powdered Charcoal, Acrylic, Gesso, ClearCoat, on Maple.