"Best of" Blog

One of the blogs I follow is Joey Veltkamp's "Best of". Joey is an Artist in Residence in Seattle and his blog features artists, galleries, and general goings on in the Northwest art community and elsewhere. He has some excellent interviews with artists and has become a great resource for me in exploring the northwest art scene from my desk in Chicago.


He was kind enough to post my latest piece on his blog. Check it out here.

Also check out Joey's website of his art here.

Mural sketches

I mentioned in my previous post that I am helping with a benefit this week whose proceeds will be going to HIV/AIDS awareness and helping youth affected by poverty and AIDS in South Africa. There will be a lot of art at the event including an art auction by local and national artists, spoken word performances and a collaborative mural that people will be able to contribute to.

I'm designing the mural in which I'm going to lay out a basic design to give the mural (which will be on a king size sheet) a composition which people can then paint on and fill in the shapes in whatever way they want.

I sketched out a few ideas to work with the themes of bridging communities and reaching out, hope for the future, and interconnectivity. The organization hosting the fundraiser is called Ubuntu, which is an African word meaning "I am because we are." The organization is finding ways to build bridges between communities, specifically Chicago and Durban, South Africa where they have a program for youth that live on the streets to get food. They hope to expand this into developing a center where resources for dealing with HIV/AIDS can be distributed.

Here are some of my sketches:

Event Details:

Embodying the Change: WORLD AIDS Day Ubuntu Benefit Soiree

Join us for this awesome night of live music, live art, poetry and spoken word as we come together to raise support and generate positive energy for the healing of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, globally and locally.

Saturday, December 5, 7:00-10:00pmLive Art and Performances, Spoken Word Poetry
Gallery opens at 7pm with Chicago and Global Art auction
Door: $10-$25 Donation

Wicker Park Grace

1741 N. Western Ave.Chicago, IL 60647
312-399-2081

Checkmark, etc.

I finally finished the piece I've been working on which I've titled "Songs of Optimism." It was basically finished a while ago but I needed to touch up a few areas in the clothing. I could probably obsess over it a while longer but sometimes you just need to step away and be done.

 

Just a few reminders of newsworthy items:

I had 3 pieces included in the latest issue of Leaf Garden Press's publication. It is a small independent press which features writers of prose and poetry and visual artists. 

I'm assisting with a benefit for World AIDS day this upcoming week. On December 5th, there will be a fundraiser including an art auction,  spoken word performances, and a collaborative mural which I am designing. Proceeds raised will support the Bridges of Healing Project and the Ubuntu Global Village. Their mission is one of empowerment for children and youth living on the streets of Durban, South Africa. More details can be found on their Facebook page including ticket prices and donation information. 

My upcoming solo show at Fermilab Gallery in Batavia, IL opens in March 2010 and will continue through May. Also during March I will be giving a lecture on my work at the gallery. 

In Fall 2010, I will be participating in a group show at LUMA (Loyola University Museum of Art) of artists of varying faith backgrounds.  Wicker Park Grace, where I currently have work on display, is curating a group show of interfaith artists whose work reflects something about their faith practice. 

Leaf Garden Press

I have a few images included in the most recent issue of Leaf Garden - a publication from a small independent press that focuses on poetry, prose and visual art. You can download the pdf version for free or purchase print copies as well at their website. My images are around page 25.

Things have been quiet on my blog as I'm in a place where I'm thinking more about next steps and researching opportunities rather than spending active time in my studio.

I'm also apartment hunting which somehow sucks up amazing amounts of time and energy.

One of the things that I have been neglecting is making it out to the galleries to see the shows that are up. At times I attend the openings religiously but have gotten out of the habit as I tend to do when the weather gets chilly and it's dark by 5pm. I've missed some openings that I really wanted to attend so that's a big priority on my to do list.

Time in 1:30 + Thinking about the title

Today I'd love to wrap up the Nell/Michele piece I've been working on. I've been using the title "Songs of Optimism" for it. This came to mind as something I've been thinking about personally which I'm sure has influenced my selection of the expressions for this piece. 

In this series, I want to allow for many interpretations and to represent complex psychological states. In this latest piece I see strength, transcendence, pain, power- contradictory emotions with the common demand for hope. I can't help but think of the title "The Agony and the Ecstasy" because sometimes those penetrating feelings manifest themselves in similar expressions. When I think of the word "optimism" I initially imagine happy hopeful faces and perky people picturing the glass half full. However in reality, optimism can be experienced as urgent demanding and severe.

. 

TO DO:

Nell: cool hot spot on right cheek

Michele: lips- volumize

Background: clean up white

varnish

photograph 

add to website

update news page on site

PLAYLIST: 

My chill mix tape

Murder Room by PD James

Bird York

Massive Attack

Bob Dylan

Styles of the Poor and Creative

My uniform (winter fashion for the starving artist):

Thrift store shirt from the boys section, textured with several holes in each armpit and crusted patches of paint across the belly where I wipe my brush, layered with a men's sweater from Target that smells like the basement and paired with unflattering jeans that don't fit quite right. Pockets are stuck closed with paint, and right pant leg also stiff with paint. The bottom hem has long since disappeared and the dirt from walking on the floor is slowly crawling up each pant leg.