Chicago Studio Visit

Catching up

2011-07-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Time in: 9am

I've got some catching up to do on recent news - I received a 2011 CAAP grant from the City of Chicago for the second year in a row. (Thanks, Chicago!) The grant will go to purchasing supplies so that I can really experiment without being stingy.

I also have 3 paintings from my new series up at Collaboraction's new multi-use space in the Flat Iron Building in Bucktown. The space is called the Mush Room (Room 300) and the inaugural show includes myself and 4 other artists, curated by Wesley Kimler and Paul Klein. It will be up through August so if you haven't seen it, you should check it out.

I feel like I've gotten some good work done in the studio today. I got an early start and made some major adjustments in my studio space. I have been desperately needing a bigger palette so I finally cleaned up one of the old windows that were replaced in my apartment and set it up as my new palette.

I'm also trying to de-clutter. There are still piles of junk laying around from when I moved in 2 years ago. I have been fantasizing about renting an actual studio space - it's a goal that I'm working towards. I am outgrowing my space in my apartment and just don't have enough space to put everything. I don't want to limit myself either - I don't want to avoid painting large pieces and I want to be able to work on multiple pieces without having to undergo a major rearrangement. I think I do a goo job of making a small space work, but the time is coming where I just won't be able to do it any more.

Playlist:
Holly Golightly
Philip Glass
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Ben Harper

Working on a gray day

2011-04-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

Time in: 3:00pm

I've been chipping away at these paintings in my new series, starting over multiple times on each canvas, searching for the direction to push. It seems I take one step forward, two steps back; I get excited and then discouraged, and am waiting for something to jump out from these new paintings that is what I'm looking for/trying to coax out from this work. So far in one of these paintings there is an excellent cluster of brush strokes on one cheek, a jawline that blends into the background in a way I really like, and an eye made up of a few simple blocks of color that I'm happy with. It's a short list, but it's something.

To do:
Another coat on background
Hair definition- look at references
shoulders- figure out angle
eyes- fix?

Wood panel florals
sketch out next painting
Deanna- ??

Playlist:
Jack Johnson
Van Morrison
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
The Books- Lemon of Pink

The Paul Show

2011-02-05T11:24:00.001-08:00

Also tonight is the opening reception for The Paul Show- a show of the artists that were in Paul Klein's inaugural class at Klein Artist Works. I will be heading over there this evening to check it out.

From the Facebook event page:

::: THE PAUL SHOW | February 5 – 20, 2011 :::
http://www.thecharnelhousechicago.com/upcoming.html

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 5th, 6 – 9 pm (refreshments served)

...Exhibition Viewing Hours: Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment at (773) 871-9046.

About the Exhibition: The first crew of artists from Paul Klein’s new and much-lauded training center, "Klein Artist Works", will be staging an exhibition of their works at the up-and-coming Charnel House, a new multi-arts center located in Logan Square, run by Klein Artists Works member Victoria Szilagyi and local playwright/director Billy Bermingham.

Members of the group include professors, working and emerging artists. Their ages span generations and their media is diverse.

ARTISTS: Jess Beyler, Jason Brammer, Tom Burtonwood, Robert Fields, Doug Frohman, Teresa Getty, Tatjana Jovancevic, Dellamarie Parrilli, Andrew Rigsby, René Romero Schuler, Johannah Silva, Hoyun Son, Victoria Szilagyi, Jill Pope West, Peggy Wolff

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143453502377793

Working

2011-02-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Time in: 1:00pm

Back in the studio- I'm trying to get earlier starts in the studio because my natural light is gone by around 5pm. I notice that I start to make everything worse when it starts to get dark, even though I have lights. I can't wait until I can have a proper work space with good lighting, enough space to set everything, and that's dedicated to work so I don't have to pick everything up when I'm finished. I may just be feeling a little bit of cabin fever because it's winter in Chicago and I am missing warmth and being able to get outside and do things.

Yesterday I continued to work on three of the paintings I have going. Some moves are going forward, some are going backward, but I think I am learning. The glimpses of forward movement are few and far between, but I guess I should be reminding myself that good paintings can take a while to make.

One of the things I get to see while working for Wesley is how long he works on a painting. This year he's been re-working some of them that he started (and maybe thought they were complete) years ago. It's almost like they needed to sit and settle for a while before they could become complete. Or I think part of it is that he continues to grow and mature as an artist and so can make paintings better now than was possible for him 5 years ago.

I think that should be the hope of other artists. I see a lot of artists that peak early, and their growth gets stunted. They stop pushing themselves and trying to get to the next level and rely on some previous success or affirmation, rather than stepping out of their formula to risk failure.

To Do:
Work on "Double Fatigue"- my forehead, neck and bring back some brushwork
"Deanna"- Continue to develop neck/shoulders
"Aerobic": work on body, forehead, neck

Looking at:

2011-02-04T15:37:00.001-08:00

I've been looking at the following artists for various things:

Szalbocs Veres- painterly quality, color pallette:

Philip Guston- feeling of flesh:

Frank Auerbach- gesture and working with impasto:

I've been working hard in my studio, but still dissatisfied with what I've been producing. I feel like I start to make some moves forward, and then I halt or go backwards. I'm working and reworking several paintings, trying to push myself out of where I'm at right now. It's generally frustrating and disappointing, but really exciting when I feel like I've done something good, even if it's one small area of a painting. Overall though, I have no idea where I'm taking these paintings other than away from where they are now.

Here is a quick study I did on paper:

And here's a larger piece that's gone through many changes and is still in progress:

New Year

2011-01-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

Time in: 2:00pm

Not too much has been happening here on Chicago Studio Visit as blogger.com has been giving me troubles. That and I've been experimenting quite a bit in the studio and don't feel like I have too much worth showing yet. I'm doing a lot of playing and trying out different things, some of which work out and some which don't. I've been working in oil paint which I'm trying to get used to again. I'm also trying to get away from the photograph in my paintings.

Here is an image of one of the paintings I've been working on in my new series.

To do:
stretch canvas
prime canvas
prime new papers
2 studies on paper

Images from Eyeporium Gallery

2010-10-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

"About Face" exhibition

2010-09-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

I know this is short notice, but this Friday is the opening reception of a two-person exhibition I will be in. Alan Brunettin (another portrait artist) and I will have our work displayed at Eyeporium Gallery from Ocotber 1st through November 3rd. The opening reception is this Friday, October 1st, from 6-9pm.

Eyeporium Gallery is located at:
1543 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
One block from the “Damen” Blue Line El stop in the heart of Wicker Park.

Here is the gallery website, although it presently isn't up to date. And here is the press release:

Eyeporium Gallery presents “About Face”
portraits by Virginia Broersma and Alan Brunettin
Opening Night is Friday, October 1st from 6pm to 9pm

Eyeporium Gallery presents a group show of eerily engaging as well as amusing portraits by Virginia Broersma and Alan Brunettin. Virginia works in acrylic paints and has been using portraiture as her primary subject matter for the past few years. The lush application of paint and larger-than-life scale of her work draw you into the almost palpable conversations of her double portraits. Alan shows us how the world is made up of fragments that come together only when processed through the filter of personal perspective. Brunettin seeks to construct portraits that, when viewed from afar, bear keen resemblance to the subject — while a closer examination reveals the faceted planes of the image, forged by brushstrokes that are intentionally sculptural.

WHEN:
Opening Reception (public invited): Friday, October 1, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm
Exhibition Viewing: Through Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Regular Hours: Monday to Friday 12pm to 7pm; Saturday 12pm to 5pm

WHERE:
Eyeporium Gallery
1431 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: 773-782-1744
Two blocks from the “Damen” Blue Line El stop in the heart of Wicker Park.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Virginia Broersma received her BFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2010 she had a solo show at Fermilab Gallery in Batavia, IL and received grants from the Puffin Foundation and the City of Chicago. She has also exhibited in the ArtSeen Auction for AIDS research in Los Angeles and participated in group and two-person exhibitions throughout the US. Virginia currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.

A native of Chicago and a graduate of the American Academy of Art and Northern Illinois University, Alan Brunettin's work took shape out of the surrealist and expressionist movements, as well as the influence of his father, a classically trained sculptor. He has exhibited extensively, particularly in the past ten years following a career in commercial illustration. Concentrating on portraiture and urban landscapes, Brunettin's signature is his geometric division of the work space and his use of an extremely limited palette on each painting.

ABOUT EYEPORIUM GALLERY:
Annette Sollars, creator of Chicago's fine eyewear icon, Eye Want, also launched Eyeporium, a fine art gallery in Wicker Park. Representing exceptional artists of regional and national prominence, Eyeporium Gallery features contemporary creators of paint, print, photographic and sculptural works from the realistic to the surreal to the abstract. With the location of Eyeporium inside Eye Want, Annette has created a single destination for you to procure fine eyewear and fine art “for your face and your space”.

Stretching Canvas

2010-08-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Time in: 9:30 am

Today I need to stretch canvas on some new frames that I just built. I finally have enough space in my studio- I've had less room in here because they were painting my back porch, which meant that all the furniture I had out there had to moved into my studio space for almost 6 weeks. It's nice to have the room again...

To Do:
Stretch canvas on new stretchers
Photograph at the lake
Print new references
Go to library
Get paint at Blick

Playlist:
Beethoven's Piano Concertos
Janis Joplin
Joan Armatrading
The Clientele

Plant Studies

2010-07-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I found these beautiful pieces of wood in the dumpster behind my apartment building. I think someone had broken down an old cabinet or something. They were so nice that I took a few pieces and painted on them. I've been doing a variety of things to get back into oil painting, and this was one of them- just having fun painting some luscious leaves on these beautiful panels.

Post Studio Visit

2010-07-18T08:43:00.001-07:00

Time in: 10:00 am

This week I had a studio visit with Linda Warren of Linda Warren Gallery. Wesley Kimler had connected me with her for her to come and take a look at my work. As you can see in the picture, I devised a hanging system to get some of my drying paper studies up off the floor- they're clipped to a string that runs along the top of the wall.

Linda came over and looked at pieces from all my series and was very positive about my work. We talked about my work, her gallery and a bit about the Chicago art scene. I know she has an enormous list if gallery artists so my intention in having her over wasn't really to become one of her artists. She may have people in mind that might be interested in some of my work though. She was generous enough to suggest a collector I should contact who is really interested in portraits/figurative work, primarily of women.

It was really great to get someone in the studio who is a professional in the field. It makes me feel like being an artist is more of a reality, in a way. I've been wanting to be around other art professionals for so long, it can feel like you're so isolated and like you're working towards something so vague when you're all alone in your studio, producing and producing.

This week I also finished my application for a grant from the Chenven Foundation. I'm still waiting to hear about the CAAP Grant from Chicago- I emailed them to see what was going on (they said notifications would be sent in May) and they said that they are waiting to see if they're going to get money from the State or City to award grants, so it could take a while yet.

To Do:
Email women about photo shoot
Put away Duplex paintings
Email HT
disc of images/materials for Linda
Email artists for WPG shows
Photograph plant pieces

Playlist:
Barbara Kingsolver on Speaking of Faith
Tom Waits
Joan Armatrading
The Private Patient by PD James

Missing space

2010-07-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

I think I'm pretty good at adapting to space restrictions when it comes to my studio. I've had to adapt to a variety of spaces, all with benefits and disadvantages. Right now, my studio bleeds over into the dining room (it's the same room, sort of divided in half, really the dining room table becomes my desk, so I guess the dining room is my studio). It's enough room to work in, it's just not quite big enough to spread out all the pieces I'm working on at once without feeling like I am constantly shuffling things around.

I need to come up with a system for hanging my studies on paper while they're drying, rather than laying them all across the floor. I think with some clever organizing I can make the most of the space I have, I just have to figure out how to do that. I'm planning on hanging some wire/string across the ceiling to clip the papers to. That will at least get them off the floor.

I also need to find a way to easily present my work for viewing. I have a studio visit this week with a gallery owner and wish I had a better way to display my paintings. This will also take some clever organizing of space.

To Do:
Hang paintings to dry
Unwrap paintings and hang what I can
Gesso paper
Hands on head portrait- fix ear
clean brushes

Perceptions, plus

2010-07-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I had some work included in the latest issue of Perceptions, which is a magazine for the arts put out by Mt. Hood Community College. If you'd like to purchase a copy, you can send either a check or money order to the following address:

Mt. Hood Community College

Humanities Division c/o Megan Jones

26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, OR 97080

Copies are $15 apiece and you can make checks payable to "Perceptions".

I'm continuing to work on quick studies on paper of facial expressions of women exercising. I'm thinking of them almost like gesture drawings, trying to quickly capture the expression. I'm playing around with both realistic and gestural/expressive portrayals and trying to vary my color palette. I'm thinking of this as a chance to just try out a lot of things without a preconceived idea what I'm trying to achieve as far as a "look".

I'm taking some time to see what happens with regularly working on these. I'm working on cheap paper that I gesso which allows me to make a lot of these. I usually do a few a day- some I work on for just one session, and some I am going back into to work on for multiple sessions.

Sometimes I like what I make, sometimes it changes- I'll like it at first and then not like it and want to paint over it. I need to get some women together to photograph- I am really looking forward to have some new references to work from and new faces to paint.

To Do:
Work on Chenven Foundation grant application
Gesso more paper
3 Sketches
Re-work previous studies
Organize women for exercise photo session

Playlist:
This American Life and Re:Sound
Joan Armatrading
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Eddi Reader- Simple Soul
Van Morrison

Sketches on Paper

2010-06-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

I want to be able to be doing many quick studies while I'm getting into my new subject matter, so I've been gessoing sheets of brown paper- the type you wrap packages with, which is an incredibly cheap way to have lots of paper to work on. Of course it's not very sturdy stuff, but it works great for studies.

So far, I've photographed just myself so I can get started and start seeing where I want to go with this idea that I'm working with. I went out on a nice hot day and ran a couple miles and then had someone photograph me once I was good and tired. It takes a little getting used to to be photographed honestly when not necessarily at your best.

Anyway, some of the expressions I think are really interesting and I can't wait to get some more women's faces to work with which is my next step- having some photo shoots with women.

Puffin Foundation and Perceptions

2010-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Some exciting news since my last post: I received a grant from the Puffin Foundation!

This is the first grant I've received and it is so wonderful to have my work funded and to be able to go and buy materials. This is especially needed since I'm getting back into oil paint. I'm taking some time to familiarize myself with it once again since it's been a while since I've really painted with it.

I've been doing a lot of quick studies, also portraits, to get used to the paint and to start to play around with the subject matter. My next series which I received the grant for includes three specific portrait groupings. The first that I am starting to play around with involves women's faces after exercising. Women working hard, straining, sweaty, flushed faces and running make-up- I'm thinking about how this reflects how women push themselves for their physical appearance and/or health. It's a view of women not typically represented (think of the pictures you've seen of women working out, usually in advertisements or magazines- they are smiling and fully made up, usually looking beautiful and at ease). I've been interested in seeing what it would look like to portray women how they really look while working out- I think the expressions could be really interesting to work with.

I also just received my contributor copy of Perceptions- a Journal for the Arts from Mt. Hood Community College. I was not expecting such a high quality publication. It's a beautiful publication including fiction, poetry, visual art and a DVD of film and additional images and a CD of music. My piece "You think I'm Joking?" was included in the printed journal and "Swipe" was included on one of the discs including the film pieces and a slideshow of additional images.

Ed Winkleman - Apprenticeships

2010-03-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

I also forgot to mention that Ed Winkleman recently posted about apprenticeships here and started an interesting conversation on his blog. This was of course really interesting to me since a lot of what he and others started talking about, about the needs of artists early in their careers, were things I am hoping to address by being a studio assistant, and in a way, sort of an apprentice.

Studio work

2010-03-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

This month has been busy, with little time in my studio. I have been working in a studio, though, just not my own. About a month ago I emailed Paul Klein, who I had met at an event at the Hyde Park Art Center, to ask for some assistance. He had generously let me know back when I met him that if I ever had any questions or needed help, I could ask him. So I did. The idea had recently sprung into my head, or maybe rather just came finally came together in an articulate thought, that I could gain a lot from being a studio assistant to a successful artist. I don't really know any successful artists, so that's always been the problem.

I emailed Paul and told him what I was interested in. Specifically I told him that I was looking for a successful painter that I could assist. In exchange for my assistance, I would like to learn from someone who has survived as a painter and had a successful career that I could learn from. He connected me with Wesley Kimler, a painter here in Chicago that has been a significant part of the Chicago art scene as well as having a successful career in painting for many years. Wesley and I talked on the phone and arranged for me to start the following week.

So now, twice a week, I help Wesley out in his studio- cleaning, straightening, preparing canvases and we also talk quite a bit about art, painting, and stories about the Chicago art scene.

So far I think we've been able to help each other out- me helping keep his studio in order and he providing insights that he's learned over years of experience as an artist. I'm hoping also to meet people in the art community here as well. It's been difficult or me to find a place that I "fit in" so far with the various cliques that I've been introduced here in the art scene. I haven't found terribly many people interested in developing more of an artistic network and community. I'm hoping that through Wesley, who is known for not accepting any BS and making it a priority to be in the presence of people with integrity, I can meet some artists and creative people that are perhaps can become part of a community for me.

So, from my show to becoming a studio assistant, my time has been getting used up pretty quickly and I'm making more of a point to get some focused time to work.

TO DO:
Finalize images for Will and Matt commission
Study on paper- oil
Work on Scott piece
Check deadlines for submissions
Update website

PLAYLIST:
Sheryl Crow
Tom Waits
Tom Yorke
My Morning Jacket
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Stan Getz

Pictures from Fermilab

2010-03-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

My solo exhibition "I live in a duplex." opened on March 10, 2010 at the Fermilab Art Gallery in Batavia. Here are some pictures from Fermilab before and during the reception. It was a great opening- thank you to everyone who came and saw the show! It will be up through May 4, 2010 so there are many opportunities to check it out.

Tomorrow

2010-03-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day: the opening of my show at Fermilab Art Gallery. My parents are flying in to Chicago today from San Diego to enjoy some of the cooler weather and attend my talk and opening. I am really excited about my talk as I always love the opportunity to talk with people about my work. It's a great opportunity for me to hear how people are responding to the work and what it makes them think about. It's interesting and also helps me to understand how people look at what I'm doing. I think it will be mostly scientists from Fermilab that will be there so I'm sure they will have their own unique perspective that may be different from an artist's.

The details once again:

Wednesday March 10, 2010
Artist Talk: 11:30-12:30pm in the gallery
Reception: 5-7pm in the gallery,

Show runs March 10 - May 4, 2010.

Fermilab Art Gallery website here.

Hauling Art

2010-03-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

Early Monday morning, I picked up my U-haul rental to load up my paintings and bring the to Fermilab. I had them all wrapped in plastic and blankets and ready to go out the door...and down the stairs....and around the turn in the stairs...down more stairs and then out to the truck. It's that middle part about the stairs that I always forget how difficult it is to maneuver eight foot paintings around.

Here's a shot of my work getting safely strapped down in the back of the truck. I know it doesn't look like a lot, but there were 21 paintings in the truck. Yes- it was cold.

Trib Article on Open Crit Program

2010-02-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

A few months back I participated in the Hyde Park Art Center's Open Crit program (read about my experience here) and last Sunday an article came out in the Chicago Tribune written by Chicago art critic Lori Waxman about the program. I get mentioned in a couple of places and had a "movie moment" on Monday.

You know what I'm talking about- when you have an experience just like in a movie? I recently saw "Julie and Julia" and there's a scene where Julie, the young woman blogging her way through Julia Child's cookbook, gets an article written about her project. The day it comes out she's on the train and sees people reading the article about her on the train. Anyway, I was on the train heading to work on Monday and glanced up from my book at one point to see the man in front of me reading the article- with my name in it! I'm practically famous!

Tonight there is another Open Crit which I will be attending, but this time as part of the public critiquing the artists. I really enjoy the opportunity to critically discuss artwork, meet artists and to disagree with people. (The program is from 6-8pm at the Hyde Park Art Center and details can be found on their website)

I am continuing to prepare for my show at Fermilab. I bring the work out on Monday- I have to rent a U-haul to transport my large pieces. Orginally I thought I would only show portraits but at the time I had no idea how large the space is. Apparently it's huge so to fill it I'm bringing a lot of work. It will be really great to see so much of it up in one space.

TO DO:
Get email blast to forward
Mount "Can't Believe It"
business cards
mail out submission for Visual Narrative and gallery submission

PLAYLIST:
Massive Attack
The Kennedy's
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Nick Drake

Joanne Mattera Art Blog + Success

2010-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Since I've been focusing on the business side of things lately, I've been really appreciating Joanne Mattera's blog in which she dedicates her Monday posts to marketing (Marketing Mondays). Her latest post on this Monday morning lays out some hopes and realities for success for artists. What does it look like? What can we hope it to look like and what is the reality for most of us? While it can be discouraging to recognize that I could work a lifetime and not receive the the success or recognition that I dream of, it's nice to know that most artists are in the same boat. We won't know if/when success will come and what it will look like, so you have to just keep creating for your own pleasure or out of blind faith.

The College Art Association Conference happened here in Chicago this last weekend and my Alma Mater, the Savannah College of Art and Design, had an alumni reception. I thought it might be fun to check out- to see if I knew any of the professors there and maybe meet other SCAD graduates in Chicago. Unfortunately word got out about the open bar and I didn't really meet anyone that actually went to SCAD. I did have a conversation with one person who had been a dean (I think at SCAD, although I'm not sure) in which the conversation felt like he was trying to maintain his superior status by whatever means possible. He would ask me about my work and only to make sure I wasn't making any major mistakes. Do I get model release forms? What type of lighting do I use on my models? Am I using acrylic or oil?

After describing that I work two part time jobs in addition to working as an artist and that most of the shows I've been in I have fallen into by being contacted or invited to, he took it to mean that I'm not really focusing on being an artist. He then decided to to enlighten me as to what it would be like to be an artist "once I got serious". This coming from someone who at 60 (?) is just being published (and when I say published, I mean he's printing out a book he put together with a friend at Kinko's). I took this as my cue to go replenish my drink at the bar.

Getting stuck in an awkward conversation where I was being treated like a child and looked at as a hobby artist was frustrating until I remembered that immediately after this reception I was going to a show opening in which I have work included, and that in less than a month, my solo show will be opening as well.

It's not exactly major success (yet), but that night I felt pretty good about where I'm at right now, knowing that I've really only just begun.

Cultural Excavation at CAD

2010-02-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

(Images from the opening of "Cultural Excavation" at the Chicago Art Department", February 12 2010.)

Time in: 2:00pm

2010-02-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

(Working away at my desk which is actually the dining room table. I guess that's what happens when your studio is one third of the dining room.)

I'm sending off two submissions to galleries today and sent a couple by email yesterday. I'm not sure which is the better method- it seems there are a million ways to get in touch with galleries, but you never know how they want you to.

Don't forget: tomorrow night is the opening reception for "Cultural Excavation" at the Chicago Art Department. Friday February 12, 6-10pm at 1837 S. Halsted in Pilsen here in Chicago.

TO DO:
make business cards
ArtSlant profile
paragraph on lecture for Fermilab flyers
Update website with availability details
Pick Matt and Will pics
Research postcards
Drop of submissions at post office

PLAYLIST:
Tom Waits
Beth Orton
Thee Shallows
Mix CD

Desk Time

2010-02-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Time in 2:30 pm

I'm continuing to work on submitting to galleries, curators and exhibition spaces. It's amazing how much time it takes to get a few email submissions sent and a packet ready to print. I've already been doing what seems like hundreds of hours of research over the past several months looking for places that my work might be of interest and would be worthwhile so you'd think that would have cut down on some of the time, but it certainly doesn't feel like it.

It probably also doesn't help that I keep thinking of books to add to my Visual Bookshelf on Facebook- why is it so hard to pull away?!

TO DO:
Pick M&W shots
get canvas
submissions: Send out at least one
Get cover letter ready to print
SASE sent to Sugarman Foundation

PLAYLIST:
Jeff Buckley
The Raconteurs
Joe Henry- Tiny Voices

Time in 9:30am

2010-02-08T07:37:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday I photographed my friends Will and Matt who I will be painting a double portrait of. I've got their project to begin working on and I need to spend some time on more submissions and finishing up getting my materials together for my show at Fermilab.

TO DO:
Get postcard image
email mailing list and postcard image to Fermilab and update image list
Art Forum email
Select images for W&M portrait
Get canvas
send SASE to George Sugarman Foundation
Review submissions list and begin preparing gallery submission

PLAYLIST:
Ella Fitzgerald compilation
Air- Talkie Walkie
Madeline Peyroux

Wednesday 3 February 2010

2010-02-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

To do:
Send high res image and bio to Perceptions Journal
Send high res image and mailing list to Fermilab (call Georgia)
Photo Shoot with Will and Matt
Look at calendar for next submissions
make business cards
research postcards

Get to work on M&W's piece and Scott's
contact people to begin shooting for next series

Playlist:
The Books- Lemon of Pink
Shivaree
Velvet Underground

Slow going

2010-02-02T12:19:00.001-08:00

It's winter, it's cold, it's dark all the time and living in a place like Chicago makes it feel like winter is just a wasted season. My energy is low, motivation is gone, and it takes so long to bundle up to go anywhere only so I can sweat in my jacket and piles of clothes I'm wearing because it's too much work to take them off and hold them.

It feels like nothing is happening although I try to remind myself that things ARE moving forward. I am continuing to submit to opportunities as I find them, although I decided not to complete my application for the Illinois Art Council grant. I was a little wary of the cash match portion which is required if you apply and with my unsteady finances I thought maybe I better not commit to it.

I submitted some of my large pieces from my past series to an art consulting group. I am hoping to move some of these giant pieces before I move again, but don't know quite where to start. I thought this might be an avenue but this was the response I received:

Hello Virginia,

I presented your work today. Although everyone liked it, everyone was in agreement that it would not work in our industry. I am sure you do quite well in the retail market.

Good luck in your career...

On a positive note, I will have 2 pieces included in the May issue of Perceptions literary magazine which is produced by students of Mt. Hood Community College.

CAAP: Submitted and Cultural Excavation

2010-01-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

I dropped off my CAAP Grant application yesterday down at the Chicago Cultural Center. The deadline is on Monday and they won't announce the recipients until May so I've got some time to wait before I know anything. I've been saving this excellent orange bubble mailer for years so I'm glad to finally be using it.

A few years ago I was starting to make packages for submissions and stocked up on nice paper, folders, disc stickers and cool mailing envelopes. Then I stopped submitting and have been carrying around these bright blue and orange bubble mailers. I'm glad to finally put them to use.

I just received notice that a piece from my "Ornament and Silence" series was accepted into an upcoming show at the Chicago Art Department in Pilsen. The show is titled "Cultural Excavation" and is focused around the idea of using things from the past to inform your work.

I thought this series was perfect as the source materials come from various time periods, cultures and styles and come together to make something new yet evokes a sense of nostalgia.

The opening is Friday February 12, 6-9pm.

Business as usual.

2010-01-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

This morning I've been perusing my pages and scraps of paper of lists and jots of research I've been doing of places that take submissions, competitions, curators and juried shows. I sent off a couple of email submissions, one to A Public Space magazine and one to the Not Just Another Pretty Face event at the Hyde Park Art Center.

I've also been submitting to a few registries and was just admitted into the Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry. I'm also included in the Irving Sandler Artist File. Then there are all the non-juried websites that I've been posting my work on which who knows how worthwhile they are. I have had a few hits to my website from them, so I guess it can't hurt. Some of these include:

Hydraulik Art
ArtReview
ARTslant

I have to sit in the dining room section of the dining room (the other half is my studio) to work on the computer (our wireless internet only works in this room and I haven't taken the time to fix it. One complicated moving set-up thing at a time). So I sit here and look at my studio space waiting to be worked in and feeling a little guilty that I'm not doing just that. I think focusing on sending out submissions and doing research, while not nearly as fun, is still what I should be focusing on now.

I may have mentioned, but moving really makes you think about making things, and then finding a place for them. I want to keep producing massive amounts of paintings, but then where do I store them? There are only so many walls in my apartment. So I really feel the need to push to get the work out into exhibitions and then off my hands into the homes of people that would like to look at them.

Panorama

2010-01-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of my new studio....sort of. Look at all that natural light!

Yesterday I dropped two submissions off in the mail. One submission to a gallery to be considered for exhibitions, and one to New American Paintings, Midwest Competition. Today on my to do list is to continue with my application grants.

I think I have the CAAP application very nearly complete and need to spend some more time on the IAC application. This morning I had someone reviewing what I have so far, but we were interrupted by the Chicago Revenue people putting a boot on their car...

Time in 3:00 + Artist Statement

2010-01-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here it is...my final (I'm basically almost 99% for sure done) draft of my Artist Statement.

There’s something instinctually compelling about looking at other people. I think it has to do with the anonymity- it tricks us into feeling like we know something about them as we imagine who they are, why they dress the way they do and what they had for lunch that day.

It has been this notion that drew me to working with the human face through portraiture: the idea that just by looking at a face your imagination can be activated in a way that makes you feel connected to the subject.

With my most recent series, I posited the idea that a double portrait could provide viewers with a source for imagining their own narrative through the assumed interaction or relationship between the two people. In the paintings, the faces erupt from their stark white backgrounds to confront the viewer. Subtleties in moods, characters, and psychological states- a tilt of the head and a jut of the chin- all tell part of the story.

My goal was to encourage presumptions and subjective feelings, to promote personal interpretation and to avoid definitive statements. This openness for personal relation is a hope for a real engagement between people and the paintings, for each person to be able to tell a part of the story.

(In case you're thinking it, I have looked up the word "instinctually" but have not found it to be a real word. Is there a better word? Or is it creative and artistic to make up my own words when I can't think of another?)

I am still working on getting a Driver's license- I have to wait for my birth certificate to arrive in the mail so I can take another trip down to the DMV to be rejected.

To Do:
Mail Northeastern submission and New American Paintings submission
Finalize CAAP application
Work on IAC application

Playlist:
The Velvet Underground
Beth Orton
Madeleine Peyroux
Aimee Mann- Lost in Space
Lizzie West- Holy Road

I (do not!) heart DMV

2010-01-13T08:35:00.001-08:00

Perhaps the second most challenging piece of my grant applications (the Artist Statement part being the most challenging) is getting an Illinois Driver's license. Since I'm applying for two grants that are for Chicago residents only, I have to prove that I live in the city by showing an ID with my current address.

I still have a New Mexico driver's license even though it's been 3 years since I lived there. I hate going to the DMV and resist it for as long as I can get away with. I know technically you are supposed to get a new license as soon as you move to a new state, but then they shouldn't make it so hard to get one.

Yesterday I went down the DMV to get my new license. I expected difficulty so I made sure to have everything I could possibly need in the correct format and just as they asked for. I even printed the list of acceptable documents to prove your identity off the Illinois DMV website and brought it with me. I had my four documents from the four categories but to no great suprise, they said they were unacceptable. Even though the website asked for an"Official High School Transcripts" as a proof of your date of birth, when I got there one person decided they wouldn't accept out of state transcripts. They wanted me to have gone to Chicago Public School.

What was frustrating about this is that two people said they thought it was fine, but when the guy helping me went to talk to his supervisor to check if he could use my transcript which had the name "Ginny" on it (he didn't believe me when I told him Ginny was short for Virginia- he thought I was trying to pull a fast one) he found out that "Ginny" wasn't a problem, but California transcripts are.

I expect to go back to the DMV once I receive a birth certificate and run into another problem and I expect this will happen at least 4 times. I expect this because this happens EVERY TIME I try to get a new license. That's why I avoid it all costs.

You'd think they'd want to just take my $30 and give me the license.

(photo from here)

Help from Kokoshka and Freud

2010-01-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

In continuing my battle with the artist statement, I decided to grab one of my books and see how some other artists have written about portraiture. In The Grove Book of Art Writing’s section called “ The Human Clay: Humanity in Art”, there is a text written by Oskar Kokoshka- an artist whose name I recognize but I haven't really studied at all. Here are a few of his thoughts:

“What used to shock people in my portraits was that I tried to intuit from the face, from its play of expressions, and from gestures, the truth about a particular person, and to recreate in my own pictorial language the distillation of a living being that would survive in memory….In a face I look for the flash of the eye, the tiny shift of expression which betrays an inner movement...

I see creative art as a source, a spring, like Nature itself. I defend it as the constantly active, living material of thought.”

And from one of my favorite painters, Lucien Freud:

“A painter must think of everything he sees as being there entirely for his own use and pleasure…the aura given out by a person or object is as much a part of them as their flesh. The effect that they make in space is as bound up with them as might be their color or smell. The effect in space of two different individuals can be as different as the effect of a candle and an electric lightbulb…

A moment of complete happiness never occurs in the creation of a work of art. The promise of it is felt in the act of creation but disappears towards the completion of the work. For it is then that the painter realizes that it is only a picture he is painting. Until then he had almost dared to hope that the picture might spring to life. Were it not for this, the perfect painting might be painted, on the completion of which the painter could retire. It is this great insufficiency that drives him on. Thus the process of creation becomes necessary to the painter perhaps more than is the picture."

Artist Statement. Blegh.

2010-01-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of artists dread writing their statement. I unfortunately have not been blessed with the ability to write a captivating Artist Statement. Having to write a statement about my work, artistic process, and concepts and to make it sound intelligent while being concise and intriguing (and maybe even a little witty) seems like an impossible task. Especially after 904 drafts. I feel like Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys: I just keep writing more and more and don't ever get closer to the end. (I even have an equally dirty, shaggy old lady sweater that I wear when I'm working!)

While other artists might dismiss the artist statement as irrelevant to their work and abilities, I do see the value in having a well written one. If written well, they can include viewers in some of the behind the scenes information and give a more comprehensive experience of the work. It could also make some foundation somewhere want to give me money.

So I'm continuing to work on my statement for various submissions to exhibitions and grant applications and am wishing I had some skill with the written word. And to think, I used to want to be a writer!

New Studio

2010-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

My new studio space is almost all put together. It's one of the corners of the dining room and the opposite wall is almost completely windows. I am thrilled to actually have natural light!

To Do:

collect Fermilab materials

CAAP grant application

Northeastern submission description

Submit to "Perceptions"

Tim Vermeulen at Packer Schopf

2010-01-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

This Friday there will be a reception for the opening of my friend Tim Vermeulen's show at Packer Schopf Gallery. He will be showing his latest series of paintings which uses Moby Dick as a starting point for exploring personal narratives through his paintings.

From the PS Gallery website:

"Moby Dick, considered by many the "great American novel," is one of the strangest productions in the history of all the arts. This sprawling novel encompasses all of the contrasts of human experience: life/death, salvation/damnation, good/evil, man/nature, etc. From this tome, Vermeulen has selected a few iconic passages that carry a personal resonance. The images based on these passages are small, figurative, autobiographical narratives. The artist places himself within this narrative and sets the story in a contemporary context. The images refer to issues that may be personal, social, political, and/or religious, and the dramas may symbolize internal states, social conflicts, and past traumas. While the settings are often familiar, there are unsettling, disquieting circumstances that speak to the mysterious and contradictory nature of existence. Objects, settings, and human interactions carry symbols of the subconscious and collective memory."

I have been priveleged to see some of the work in progress and am thrilled to see the complete series this weekend. If you are in Chicago you should check it out. The show runs January 8 - February 13.

Already done:

Submitted images to "Perceptions" magazine

Submitted images for "Nostalgia" show at Chicago Art Department

Worked on IAC grant application

To do:

Fermilab materials

print out materials for Northeastern submission and burn CD

CAAP grant

2010-01-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a workshop for the Community Arts Assistant Program grant that the city of Chicago awards. The deadline is January 25 so I should probably get to work on my application which seems somewhat lengthy. Probably most importantly I need to decide what I would use the money for- what's my project? For the Puffin Foundation grant I just apllied for, I outlined my next series of work and applied for the grant for my material costs.

For the CAAP grant, I could use it to pay for a consultant to help with marketing, or to pay to work with a "master artist" which I think would be great, if I knew any.

"I want to write because I have the urge to excell in one medium of translation and expression of life." - Sylvia Plath

Organizing

2010-01-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Every time I move, I am reminded of what a pain it is to move giant paintings and delicate art objects. This really makes me consider carefully what is worth making and how small I can make it, which may be responsible or may be limiting, I'm not sure. I can see that I need to keep making art but moving and storing becomes more and more challenging. I think the idea here is to start selling it.

Everything has been transfered from my old studio to the new studio but I have lots of organizing to do and I am continuing to get submissions together.

To do:

Set up studio space - sort materials, set up lighting
photograph phase one of new piece (Scott)
Submission for New American Paintings
Submission to Northeastern
Gather materials for Fermilab exhibition
get wood to frame final piece

Playlist:

NPR. My CD player is broken!

Save The Date

2009-12-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

March 10, 5-7pm opening reception for my solo show at Fermilab.

Also on that day, from 12-1pm I will be giving a lecture about my work.

Things have been busy and chaotic this month with moving, holidays, travel and sickness and I am very ready for life to settle back into a routine. I am finishing up a move into a new apartment which is very exciting as my new space for my studio (a section of the bonus large dining room) will be warm and have an abundance of natural light! Pictures to come soon (as soon as I can find the camera cord the is lost somewhere in the boxes).

I have not been painting as my studio is packed up in boxes, but I have sent off two grant applications and just finished my application for Skowhegan. In some ways I feel like I'm sending these things off into an abyss, without any expectations. I think that's really the way to approach submissions: be thoughtful in your submissions and try for everything you have an interest in and don't expect any of them. That way you aren't let down and anything you are accepted for is a bonus!

Portrait of the Day

2009-12-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

From CerealArt:

"Breakfast of Champion" by Hank Willis Thomas and Ryan Alexiev, poster available here.

First snow

2009-12-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last night Chicago had it's first snow, at least the first snow that stuck. A lot of people seem to really like the seasonal changes and are excited by snow. I might enjoy it too if I could afford to turn on the heat so that I can't see my breath inside my apartment. That will soon change though as I'm likely moving into a new apartment with heat included in the rent.

I've been working on continuing to submit: I've made one more submission to a gallery, one contest entry, and one grant application.

I've also started a new piece which I will have to add a picture of my progress later as I've loaned out my camera. I've been saving this larger canvas for a new piece and for a long time hadn't decided on what I wanted to use it for. I have this one shot that I took of someone I used in the double portrait series that has been begging to be put on that canvas. So I started it - it's much larger than the size I've been doing the rest of the portraits in so we'll see what it's like to be painting them bigger.

This week I will have very little time for the studio - it's the show week of the Chorus that I work for so I will be running around fixing costumes and making all those last minute props.

Seven Days in the Art World

2009-12-03T07:54:00.001-08:00

I've recently picked up "Seven Days in the Art World" by Sarah Thornton - I've been looking forward to reading this for a while and finally was able to get it from the library. So far I've read the Intro and the chapters on The Auction and The Crit. I found the one about the Crit fascinating as I love the idea behind critiques however, in actuality find them questionable valuable.

A bit of the chapter discusses different perspectives on a critique- what is useful, what is not; some teachers of MFA programs use a crit to dig deep into the work and challenge the artist to defend themselves, their work and their ideas. Others use it for the artist to listen to what their audience/peers say about the work by not being able to respond. This also challenges the audience to really look at the work/text and as Mary Kelly says, it teaches them to read the work. "Ask yourself 'is this in the text or is this what I am bringing to it?'"

The chapter also delicately addresses the validity of MFA programs and the unfortunate hopes of the students for a ticket to success by receiving an MFA.

Here are a few things I've picked out. From the Introduction:

"Art is about experimenting and ideas, but it is also about excellence and exclusion."

From The Crit chapter: Legitimators of an Art Career:

MFA (better if from a top-ranking school)
Awards/residencies
Representation by a primary dealer
Features in art magazines
Inclusion in prestigious private collections
Museum validation in the form of solo or group shows, international exposure at well-attended biennials
Appreciation signaled by strong resale interest at auction

People often ask me what I hope to do with my art, especially people not involved in creative careers. I think people want to know if I hope to sell everything I make, or get it hung in a coffee shop, or if I make it for my own personal expression and don't care what happens to the actual artwork. I usually say I want to be a successful artist and to feel accomplished in my field, but what that looks like could be many things. I think the things listed above from "Seven Days" and describing them as "legitimators" is exactly what's in my head when I'm thinking about being successful and receiving some sort of recognition.

I think artists (especially young artists straight out of an MFA program) want recognition, but don't want to admit it. Or they think the are entitled to it and dismiss those that don't give it to them. I haven't met very many that will work for that recognition, but rather want to be discovered as brilliant rather than putting the work in towards being accomplished.

The chapter quotes Paul Schimmel, chief curator of the MCA Los Angeles: "Talent is a double edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of, that often makes very good art."

One last point that I thought was interesting from this chapter was the discussion of the word creativity. Thornton's conversations with students at CalArts reflected their disgust with the word. They called it a "lovey-dovey cliche". Thornton then goes on to muse "Perhaps creativity is not on the agenda at art school because being creative is tacitly considered the unteachable core of being an artist?" I wonder if the students want to reject discussion about creativity for fear it would be revealed that they aren't creative.

Submissions

2009-12-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

Last night I began a process that I've been putting off for years. (Has it really been that long?!) After working this past year on my most recent series, spending hours combing the internet for galleries and curators that look credible, and lots of time procrastinating, I have started submitting my work.

About 4 years ago, I had completed at least a dozen or so pieces in another series I was working on, my "Ornament and Silence" series, and started submitting it to galleries for representation. I had dozens of packets put together in all different formats, trying to find the most professional and eyecatching combination of letterhead, business card, and CD label designs tucked in the most appropriate folder of printouts, cover letter and a resume which I probably re-formatted a zillion times to get the perfect level of clarity of information and aesthetic appeal.

After all this work and wasted paper, I really only submitted to five galleries, none of which accepted my work. I realized later that it was probably largely due to the work I was submitting which reduced in scale from 8 foot canvases to a 3 inch printout ended up looking like a fabric swatch. Something was lost in translation and I can see why the work was dismissed.

So I decided I needed to make new work, something that would be easier to understand through a small image on a screen or printout. I had also wanted to do this series of double portraits after playing with portraiture via an alternative monoprint technique. (See my "Corrugated" series).

Also part of the procrastination is that as a starving artist, I don't have much (any) money for submitting to juried shows (a waste of time anyway, in my opinion) and certainly no money to ship my work to anywhere, even if there is an interest in showing it. I have no money to pay for new panels or canvases to get started on my next series, so I'm stuck in this limbo phase, waiting for something to happen, but can't do anything to make it happen, and even if it did, couldn't follow through.

At least that's how it feels sometimes. I think the submission process is actually very fun. While for the most part I have only been rejected, except for the occasional juried show in Nebraska, the process of anticipating a response is exciting. Even if you receive a rejection, it feels like a notch on the belt and you can add that letter or email to your shoebox of rejections. The more rejection letters you pile up, the bigger the acheivement will feel when you finally get accepted. At least that's how I imagine it in my head.

So far, I've sent in 1 submission and 2 inquiries.

"Best of" Blog

2009-11-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-29T17:11:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T12:04:00.001-08:00

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.

Time in: 9:15am + Side Street Projects

2009-10-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

There's a NFP organization in LA that I've come across only through the world wide web, but have really been interested in their programming. Side Street Projects does incredibly interesting and useful podcasts which I've been listening to lately. Last year's podcast series was titled "What Do Curators Want" and consisted of interviews with several well known curators asking questions about what they look for, how they want artists to approach them, what do they love/hate about being a curator, etc.

This year's series is called "Shop Talk". From the website:

Our new series— Shop Talk — debuts today and features frank conversations with your favorite contemporary artists. Hosted by artist Bari Ziperstein, you can think of Shop Talk like that “Inside the Actor’s Studio” show on Bravo, except for visual artists. What are some misconceptions about being a contemporary LA artist? How do you juggle deadlines, personal life, and your day job? Has your life suffered because of art?These are tough questions, and Bari gets some very honest answers from some of LA’s most celebrated and respected artists.

Have a listen. You won't be disappointed.

TO DO:

Nell: right eye, move highlight, the pupil looks dead

Chin/lower lip too dark still

Glasses- thicken on right side

Shirt- make it look more like fabric

Hair- on left side, add under shadow on forehead

Michele:lips- they look flat, need to give them more volume

Nose- doesn't look quite 3D enough

Chin- work on it

forehead- blend more? fix area above right eyebrow, still not quite correct

Think of title

email Ezra regarding "Strips"

Work out schedule for submissions

email about "talking reviews"

Research Puffin Foundation grant

PLAYLIST:

Air

Chet Baker

Thee More Shallows

Conjure One

Thom Yorke

Bird York

Beth Orton

Time in: 3:30pm + colleagues (is it possible?)

2009-10-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Things are happening, but slowly. I have been putting my energies into a lot of business efforts and research, so I haven't had as much to document here. Things I'm thinking about: the next series, places I would like to show my work, possibilities for developing networks for artists.

I was discussing with some friends today how one of the things that I feel is desperately lacking in professional life as an artist are colleagues. It could just be the nature of artists and people in art fields to be solitary and flakey, but I would hope that at some point I begin to build a community of people that I would consider colleagues. For some reason I've found it incredibly difficult in every city that I've lived in to develop such a community/network.

What is it that I want? I would love to have people with common goals and professional pursuits interested in supporting/collaborating/brainstorming/ and working for professional growth. I'd love to have people around with both common and different experiences, yet it's so difficult to develop this and the established networks don't always effectively connect people.

I'm just getting down my thoughts at the moment. Perhaps I'll return to this train of thought with a better idea of a way to move towards establishing some kind of network/community.

I'd be interested to hear any thoughts from artists on whether or not you have what you would consider a professional network, would you even want one, and if so, what would it look like to you?

Gotta keep working

2009-10-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Time in: 12:30pm

I need to get back in the studio and finish up the Nell/Michele piece I've been working on. It's coming along so nicely and I want to include it in some of the submissions I'm working on. Rat removal is completed so I don't have any good excuse not to be in the studio. This is one of those days where I just have to make myself go into work- if I want to feel like painting is a real job, then I need to treat it as such and not lay around just because I'm feeling lazy.

On Monday I have the owner and store manager of Zella Brown coming in to look at my paintings, specifically the "Ornament and Silence" series. They are an art and design store on Milwaukee in Bucktown and I love their stuff every time I go in there. They sell paintings by local artists and I think some of my stuff would work for their clientele. They are also interested in the "I live in a duplex" series- we'll see what comes of it.

TO DO:

Bring stuff down to studio

Around the Coyote registry application

New references for last piece

pick Janneke pic- get canvas (or board?)

Nell/Michele:

Michele- mouth area needs work,

develop creases? expression is slightly off

Nell- right cheek, right eye needs work

finish up earrings

PLAYLIST:

Kings of Leon

Chet Baker

Ry Cooder

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

Spoon

Some worthwhile events happening tonight:

2009-10-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Last week was a whirlwind getting ready for my show- getting all the paintings in hanging shape, moving all the furniture out of the back bedroom into the middle one, and cleaning 8 months of dust off everything- not to mention how tiring (though incredibly fun) the actual event was.

So I haven't actually gotten back into the studio yet this week. (The real reason is the dead rat in the trap in the back of the basement that hasn't been cleaned up yet. One down, probably 14 to go).

There are a couple of events tonight in the Chicago area that I'm trying to decide between. Unfortunately both are happening at the same time, but then that's one of the great things about Chicago- there's lots of things going on.

First of all, ThreeWalls is having an event tonight that is part of their current programming/exhibition called In Search of the Mundane. Their website describes it as such:

In Search of the Mundane, organized by Randall Szott and the Institute for Community Understanding Between Art and The Everyday (InCUBATE) will feature extended conversation and programming about the arts of living. This exhibition's activities focus on mundane life, drawing upon the spirit of Allan Kaprow, Michel de Certeau, Jane Addams, John Dewey, and others. These artists, activists, and thinkers will serve as a jumping off point to consider what constitutes “the good life.” In addition to considering the perceived divide between art and everyday life, we hope to highlight how ordinary creative strategies in day to day life might enhance one's living conditions. What might mark the difference between thinking of art as a career and living life creatively? Associated programming will bring together a range of people engaged with this question to share their own strategies for artful living.

Tonight's event:

"Storytelling as an Everyday Art" with Megan Stielstra, 7 PM  Stalin wrote that, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." Everyday we see this on the news--numbers, numbers, “us” and “them”--and it’s not until we hear the actual story, one person’s loss or love or courage or fight, that we start to understand what’s really going on around the world, a jumping off point to that bigger picture. Art is built around storytelling--a painting, a play, a novel, a film--but there are also the s

tories we tell day-to-day in simple conversation: in bars and at work, to strangers or loved ones, to explain where we're coming from and where we want to go. This lecture will explore storytelling as an every day art; how we connect, teach, bridge gaps, unite communities and find truth. How do you use storytelling in your day-to-day, and, more importantly, how can you?

Also happening tonight is a reading series that a friend of mine is involved in. It's called “This Much Is True” and is a writing group of probably the most talented writers I've heard in Chicago. It's usually side-splittingly hilarious, touching and just downright good writing.

It's taking place at the Hopleaf in Chicago at 5148 N. Clark St. and begins at 7:30pm.

Preview Exhibition

2009-10-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I hosted a one night only Preview Exhibition of my latest paintings. With the help of my Art Preparator (boyfriend) we were able to clear out one entire room of the apartment as a gallery and hang work throughout the rest of the place. I even cleaned up my studio in the basement and hid the rat traps for the brave souls that were interested in venturing down there to see some of my work still in progress.

The place was filled with people from before 5 to well after 10pm. Five of my models/subjects were able to attend and see the completed portraits for the first time, (as well as many of their friends and family, and mine too!). I had a total of eight of the twelve double portraits displayed with three of my single portraits filling in some empty wall space.

One of the things that is always great about showing this series is how diverse people's reactions are to the expressions in the portraits. There were a lot of people that new the subject's personally and were able to have, in some ways, a more intimate connection.

A lot of the comments that I received were about how I chose to portray each person- for example, some of the men that are known to be comedians and always seem to be laughing and smiling are portrayed in more serious moments. Another guy that typically looks pretty serious is shown laughing. One person described it as showing their vulnerability- that the shots I chose to portray of them are maybe not how they usually come off to people, but a side that is not often seen.

It's always great to have people look at your work- otherwise the motivation can run dry and you can start to wonder why you spend so much time making these things that are getting stacked up in the basement and take up half the moving truck every time you move.... I'm not represented by a gallery and haven't really started to pursue gallery representation. I've been waiting so long to develop work that I felt is strong that now I'm wondering if that is the next move I want to make.

I know there are a lot of artist's that don't go the "gallery route" and do just fine. They participate in shows in non-commercial spaces and develop a collector base on their own. While I think the gallery is an important part of that thing we call the Art World, I'm starting to realize that for so long I considered getting into a gallery the goal and hadn't been considering the many alternatives. All that to say that this exhibition, though small and in my home, was one of the ideas I came up with.

If you missed it, the next show lined up is in March 2010 at Fermilab Gallery. The series will be on display through May and at some point in March I will be giving a lecture on the work (date TBD).

Networking (sfhdsifsdikfjl!)

2009-10-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Time in 1:30pm

"Networking" is one of those dreaded words for artists. It's that thing we know we should be doing, but aren't, can't or won't, depending on your temperament. I've been actively working on being a better networker even though I'm not sure exactly what that means. I'm finding ways to network (or the uglier word, schmooze) in ways that I am comfortable. Everyone says to go to galleries and just start talking to people. Go to the openings, go during the day, chat up the gallerists.... I love talking to people, but can't do it if it'll seem like I have an agenda, especially when I see their eyes glaze over at the mention of ANOTHER artist that wants to meet them.

It is much easier to invite everyone over to my place though, to look at my work and hang out without the gallery aura of status climbing. So if you are in Chicago this Saturday evening you should come by. Find my email in my profile and I will send you the details.

Continuing with the networking, I've come across some very interesting artists and want to share them with you. Renee who I have actually mentioned before is having a couple of openings this weekend (which you should check out) and Tom Gallagher is a photographer working on an interesting project:

Renee Prisble Una-

I met Renee at the Open Crit program at the Hyde Park Art Center. She is an installation based artist that uses various materials from ceramic to iron to recycled thrift store items in her work. She has work in two shows this month with BOTH openings on this Friday evening. Here are the details:

Perimeter Gallery
October 16th to November 14th
Opening Reception: Friday October 16th, 5-8pm

Perimeter Gallery
210 W. Superior St.
Chicago, IL 60654
312.266.9473
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:30am-5:30pm

Northeastern Illinois University, Fine Arts Center Gallery
October 5th - October 30th 2009
Reception: Friday October 16th, 6-9pm

The Prayer Wheel Project was curated into a group show at Northeastern Illinois University. The show, Fast Forward, consists of artists whose work looks past the somber events and conflicts of the past several years towards an optimistic future. While recognizing the impossibility of a utopia, the work focuses on concepts such as community, spirituality, and democracy.

The Fine Arts Center Gallery is located on the NEIU campus, check the website for parking instructions.
5500 N St. Louis Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 442-4944

Tom Gallagher:

I have also come across the work of a photographer here in Chicago who specializes in portrait photography. Tom is working on a project right now in which he is photographing artists in their studios/workplaces. This potentially will be displayed in a show or a book format in the future and I'm considering being involved in it. (If you are an artist that is interested in participating you can contact him through his website). I'm not posting any pictures here as I haven't asked permission, so go take a look at the website to see what I'm talking about.

Still raining, still dim

2009-10-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

Time in: 9:00 am

TO DO:

Bio/images for Leaf Garden Press

Continue with Nell/Michele tasks from yesterday

Nell (eye!) Michele (give face volume!)

email AC about commission

frame another piece- pair? (need more wood)

PLAYLIST:

Shivaree

Built Like Alaska

Camera Obscura

Music from "Aspects of Love" by ALW

Bob Dylan

Velvet Underground

Time in: 4:30 + Tom Robinson

2009-10-08T14:29:00.001-07:00

It's dark and rainy today. While I love the rain and quite often wish I lived in Seattle, it reduces the natural light in my already dim basement studio. I'm trying to decide if it will even be worth going into the studio today. I need to get better lighting for down there, but have so many higher priorities on the shopping list.

Over the weekend I went to the opening of a show being held in Tom Robinson's studio space. He is an artist that, among many things, is making these amazing wooden portraits. You have to check them out.

TO DO:

frame "Joking"

finish E.G application*

finish exhibition emails

finish White Columns registry submission

Nell- right eye- what is going on?

her right nostril seems high

Michele- get back expression between eyes

mouth/chin area needs work

Brighten shirt color

Earings on both

PLAYLIST:

June Tabor

Niko Case

Bad at Sports podcast Episode 214: Constellations

Chopin's Nocturnes

One big check on the to do list

2009-10-05T11:33:00.001-07:00

Time in: 1:30pm

I finally finished this piece of Tom and Scott. I've titled it "You think I'm joking?" and am so pleased with how it finally turned out. Scott's facial expression, as I mentioned, was challenging and I thought about changing it completely but I'm glad that I didn't. It feels good to complete this one- it's one of those that's been in progress for too long.

TO DO:

mock portrait for Janneke

Continue with Nell/Michele

West Prize submission

Choose references for final piece

Sarah/Asher: Asher- forehead needs work

eyes

Sarah's cheeks- smooth and shape

PLAYLIST:

The Shins

The Velvet Underground

My Morning Jacket - Z (new favorite song: Wordless Chorus)

Jessie Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

I am Sam movie soundtrack (Beatles covers)

Time in: 1:00pm + Sandor Private Collection

2009-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to take a tour of the Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Collection here in Chicago. It's one of the largest private collections in America and focuses mainly on photography. We spent about 2 hours there and there was so much to see that it was overwhelming, to say the least. Photographs filled the walls, floor to ceiling, in every room, hallway, cabinet door and anywhere else that would hold a picture hook.

Although there was so much work that was amazing and it's hard to even begin to list the artists I saw, I particularly enjoyed seeing Man Ray's photography and the photograph he took of Rrose Selavy, Duchamp's alter ego, after having recently read Man Ray's Montparnasse. I also enjoyed seeing some of Diane Arbus ' work (inluding a painting) as I've been doing some research on her.

On the right are some "in progress" shots of the Nell/Michele piece I'm working on currently. The first picture is after my first session on the painting, and the other two are from the second.

TO DO:

Michele/Nell- Keep developing

build frame

Work on Sarah Asher

Think about images for next piece

Get photographs for new piece

PLAYLIST:

The Murder Room

My Morning Jacket

Ray LaMontaigne

Laura Cantrell

Cat Power

Time in 11:00am

2009-10-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

TO DO:

Tom- Left eye- black line in crease too dark

Eyebrows- to painted on, make to look more like hair

Lips- bottom lip color needs highlight and to be toned down (too pink)

Scott- highlight on left cheek too "L" shaped- check reference

Nell/Michele- develop 2nd layer

Asher- chin

Sarah/Asher- work on Asher's face,

background?

New project: Start large Scott?

Submit images for Banner Art on CAR

Work on West Prize and EG Foundation submissions

Think about email newsletter

start working on submissions; goal of 1/week?

PLAYLIST:

M Ward

My Morning Jacket

NPR

The Murder Room by PD James

Norah Jones

What's wrong with this picture?

2009-09-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Time in: 2:00pm

Sometimes I have a hard time with a piece (have I mentioned that before?) and I have to take a break from it and return to it. Sometimes I just have to start over. I've been trying to figure out what to do with this one. I'm really happy with how Tom (left) is coming along- I think he'll be really good once I tweak a few of the shadows. I really like how the picture of Scott (right) works with Tom, but I'm struggling to capture him successfully.

I mentioned before that I think the captivating part of these portraits are their eyes. When they're closed or squinty, they don't have the same effect. I really want to make this one work though. I just keep painting and painting though and it's not getting to where I want it.

TO DO:

Tom- shadows around right eye and mouth, make contrasts more subtle

chin too big?

Scott- ??

Eyes- up the contrast

L Eye, open up more and round out undershadow

left cheek- make more interesting?

Hair- refine

Build frames

PLAYLIST:

M Ward

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Galactic- Coolin' Off

The Piano soundtrack

New Piece/s

2009-09-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Time in: 1:30pm

I started a few new pieces this past weekend. I'm pretty excited about this one, although I really only have a very rough underpainting done. I plan on developing it much more, but I like the energy it has right now- hopefully I can keep it.

I went back and forth between using these more serious shots, but I am really drawn to them. I am particularly drawn to the shot of Michele (on the right). Typically, I don't paint people with their eyes closed because the eyes are usually a significant part of the piece. I loved her expression though- it could be pain, sorrow, rapture... she could be singing, praying or maybe just have a headache- it could either be seen as negative or positive.

And then the shot of Nell (on the left) always grabs my eye too. These are both very pleasant, happy women and some part of me wants to portray them as such, but I think these snapshots are much more powerful at this moment.

TO DO:

Michele/Nell: 2nd layer

Asher: finish up?

Sarah/Asher: Change background- white out

Finish Scott in Tom/Scott-

Start thinking about titles

Build frames

PLAYLIST:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sublime

Mix Tape from Margaret

Laura Viers

Early Start + thoughts on Andrea Fraser

2009-09-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Time in: 8:00am

In checking out some other artists' blogs, I came across this link. Unfortunately I don't remember where I got it so I can't credit the blogger, but here it is:

Craziest Moments in Modern Art

It lists many of the absurd, controversial, attention-seeking artwork produced in the last century or so. I think it's a great conversation starter as I'm sure many of us have had that "but my kid could do that" argument and have been baffled by some of the more extremely graphic performances and artworks.

Whatever your opinion on the artworks, you can't deny that they have triggered thought and dialogue and challenged many accepted understandings of Art. I had the opportunity to hear one of the artists give a lecture recently. I heard Andrea Fraser at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and it was one of the most stimulating lectures I've heard.

She is an artist that is known for her work with "Institutional Critique." It was clear in her lecture that she is dedicated to the field of art while also being conflicted at what it means and how it affects her to be a part of it. While the piece listed on the blog about her selling a sexual encounter and DVD of the event for $20,000 is most definitely controversial, she was making a point that this is what the Artworld asks of you.

Andrea Fraser was visibly disturbed during her talk while explaining how she arrived at that point. It was hard to tell whether she was upset at the fact that she had done it or that it seemed the only thing she COULD do with the path that being involved in the art world led her in.

It's still a little early in the morning to be getting deep into this for me, but I remember being provoked by her work and discussion and wanted to remind myself about it. And now back into the studio.

TO DO:
Start Sarah/Asher
finish Asher single
Work on Scott
Start Michele and Nell? pick images!
Update website

PLAYLIST:
NPR
The Murder Room by PD James
Lizzie West- Holy Road
Norah Jones
Nick Drake
Chet Baker

Gross

2009-09-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I gessoed a new panel and left it on the floor to dry.

Work, work, work

2009-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Time in 1:00pm

I've got to get some work done today. I finally once again feel energized and motivated to work, and even behind on things (in a good way). I've got a lot of projects that I want to get going and a few more to finish up. Just as I hoped, having an exhibition (even if it is just in my apartment) is putting the pressure on, as are tight finances so I've got some side projects in the works to start filling in the empty spots in my bank account.

I've just cleaned up the basement and have a rat trap down there waiting to be broken in. C'mon rats...

TO DO:

gesso paper for Asher portrait

Get board for Sarah/Asher

Start Michele/Nell piece

Continue Tom and Scott

Title for Dyptich?

PLAYLIST:

Ray LaMontagne

Nick Drake

The Raconteurs

Bob Dylan

Time in: 1:00pm + Mathew Cerletty

2009-09-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Every once and a while I check out Painting People, figure painting today from the library. It has both portraits and figurative work with a wide variety of styles. One of the artists that I am always drawn to is Mathew Cerletty . Maybe it's because his portraits have a similar minimalism to them as mine do, and he often paints himself (like me), but his have a distinct oddness to them and seem to reflect more specific inner narratives.

I'm probably also drawn to the patterning in a lot of them- bedsheets, wallpaper... if you are familiar with my work you know that I did a body of work titled "Ornament and Silence" using only decorative patterns as the subject matter. I blew the patterns up large scale and combined patterns from many time periods, styles and cultures.

As I'm reaching my goal for how many double portraits I've wanted to do, I've been thinking about what I'd like to do next- if I would like to continue with another portrait series and if so, how would it be different? Keeping it simple but with some added information is what I'm leaning towards. I have a few ideas that I'm bouncing around and after mulling them over there's usually one or two that seem to stick and I feel they are worth pursuing.

TO DO:
Clean up studio
white out scott?
gesso paper for Asher portrait
Home Depot? - board and traps

PLAYLIST:
The Murder Room by P.D. James
Tegan and Sara - The Con
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The Books - The Lemon of Pink

(Images are of Mathew Cerletty's pieces entitled The Faux Pas and Last Chance Dance)

Private Viewing

2009-09-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

I've been out of my studio for a week or so and as a result have not had much to post here. The few things that I've been doing are not very exciting- priming panels, sweeping, applying for some competitions... nothing worth writing about in length.

There is one event on the horizon though that I am really looking forward to. Every time I photograph someone, I thank them and let them know that I will be having a party once I complete the paintings to show them the finished piece. This is a way for me to promise it to someone else which in turn means that I need to follow through with it.

I'm excited to say that I've finally set a date (and sent out invitations- so it's real!) for a private preview of this series I am working on. It will be on October 17 and if you are in the Chicago area and would like to attend, please email me and I will send you an invitation with all of the details.

This week I should be back in the studio and working hard. I've got three new pieces I'll be starting, and there is one that I've been working on which I might make a significant change to. I'm in that undecided place where I keep looking at the painting and I think it could be okay in the direction it's headed, but then again, it could be better.

I'm also launching a new project that I'll be working on which I'll go into more detail when I've actually got something to show. Blogs are so much better with pictures.

I'll be gallery hopping tonight...what will YOU be doing?

2009-09-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight is a big night in Chicago for art. It's the start of a new season and it seems almost every gallery in the city is having an opening which means hours of gallery hopping, cheap box wine and cheese cubes, if you're lucky.

If you aren't already in the know- there is a blog that lists the openings in Chicago every weekend called The Gallery Crawl and So Much More. Check it out and maybe I will see you at some openings tonight.

New face to work with

2009-09-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Today I photographed a new person for my portrait series. I met Michele at my critique a couple of weeks ago and she approached me about being photographed for the series. I'm very excited to have some new references to work from and to get going on the last couple of pieces. I've been waiting for someone to pair with another woman that I photographed a while back (Nell) and I think they would make a great combination.

Starting a new painting is always exciting and I can't wait to get back in the studio and get back to work. I've been giving my studio the cold shoulder the past few days in response to its tendency to be an inviting place for rats.

(Latest in the rat saga: the tail that was found in the basement disappeared a day later so I didn't actually have to clean it up... although I hope it doesn't turn up again in another location!)

Not the 80's hairdo

2009-09-02T13:13:00.001-07:00

I just went down into my studio to check on my current painting (I do that occasionally to see if there is more I need to work on) and did my routine scan the floor. If you've made your way around my blog, you know that I have my studio in the basement and have found clues that with careful deduction have led me to believe that there are rats in the basement. Each day when I go down there I scan the bare concrete and dust floor and look for anything unusual. There have been some mysterious items such as peanut shells and disturbed tools as well as some not so mysterious clues like squeaking, pellets, and oh yeah, a dead rat that have all contributed to my belief that there are rats down there.

Today I noticed a strand of fuzz on the ground next to the stack of crates that I use as an easel. There is a small space between the 2 bottom crates on the floor, and the fuzz was coming out of the crack. While the basement is fairly dirty with piles of pink insulation fuzz hanging out of the unfinished walls, I noticed this particular piece of fuzz because it was laying right where I stand while I'm painting.

Upon closer inspection, I found that it was not just a piece of fuzz, but a fresh pink rat tail wearing the fuzz like a cape. My first thought was to wonder if rats lose their tails like a lizard will drop it's tail if it's caught. My next thought was to leave and not go back into the studio today.

So, I'm going to work on some other things until I muster the effort to go down and clean it up.

Time in: 3:00pm

To do:

photograph "Surprise" and Rebecca

check Rebecca- right eye- does it look cross-eyed?

add new pieces to Website

West Prize submission- upload new pictures

website work: add media and availability

Time in: 1:30pm

2009-08-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

To do:

Finish Rebecca- right side of face- extend, right eye

photograph "Surprise"

Home Depot

keep going on Tom and Scott

update website

research

Playlist:

Murder Room by PD James (audiobook)

The Books - Lost and Safe

Air

Vienna Teng

How the critique went

2009-08-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I participated in the Open Crit program at the Hyde Park Art Center. I posted about this particular program a couple of days ago with all the details if you want to take a look. There were four artists that were critiqued last night: Kate Friedman (mixed media artist), Alan Thomas (photographer), Renee Prisble Una (sculptor and installation artist) and myself, and the crit was well attended by a very engaged audience.

All of the work was much higher calibre than the first critique and it was great to be in good company. I presented four of my pieces from the "I live in a duplex" series which I've been working on this past year. Basically, I started out with the idea to paint two portraits together on one panel to see how they would interact. A painting of a single person is one thing, but a painting of two people tells a different story.

I received a wide range of feedback- it seemed either people really liked what I was doing with the pieces, or really disliked it. Each critique is facilitated by two people that are fairly well established in the art community. Last night it was the photographer Dawoud Bey and curator Nathan Mason. They really liked the way that I captured the psychological tone of each person but both thought I was unsuccessful at painting double portraits. Dawoud suggested I cut them all in half and then I would have something.

I really tried to flesh out from them what they thought wasn't working. A big problem for both of them was that not all of the portraits are spacially correct. For example, in some of them it looks like one person is right on top of the other, and then of course each background is completely white and void of spacial reference. While this is intentional, Mason said that for him this made it so that there was no interaction between the two people in each piece. This is probably the feedback that I had the most trouble with. While I understand that the spacial ambiguity might flatten out the images, I didn't understand the leap to then saying there is no interaction between the two people when they are the only thing on the picture plane. They also said it looked "forced" which perhaps refers to the fact that not all of the portraits look natural in their placement. "Clumsy" was another way Dawoud put it.

I've thought quite a bit about whether or not I want them to be spacially "correct." I've always come to the conclusion that I want it to be ambiguous because they don't have to exist in the same physical space (in my portrayal) for them to interact. They can interact in many ways besides being physically next to each other, and this is what I wanted people to think about. They are really only connected because I painted them together. Since both Dawoud and Nathan had a pretty strong feeling on the matter, I'll have to take another look at my work with this in mind and see if I look at them differently; to re-evaluate whether or not they're working.

Part of the reason I started this series is because I'm interested in the stories that are co-created between the viewer and myself. Last night many people chimed in with what "story" they thought was being told in each piece- and they're ALWAYS different from one another. There were people that adamantly disagreed about what was going on in each scenario and I think a lot of people were fascinated by the apparent diversity of responses to one painting.

The critique gave me lots of great food for thought, challenged me to be able to explain my work and allowed me to meet some great people. I even had one woman give me her card because she wants to be included in my series. It's been a while since I had some challenging and critical dialogue about my work, and for those of you that know me well, you know I thrive on it.

Here are some detail shots of the other artists' work: on left- Kate Friedman, on right- Renee Prisble Una.

Untitled but getting close

2009-08-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to finish up part 2 of this diptych that I've been working on. This is the piece that I recently whited out the face and started over on because sometimes you just need a blank slate to work from. Here is a picture of the two pieces together, although the color is way off in the one on the right (Rebecca) which is the one that is not quite finished.

I've been asked whether or not how well I know a person affects how easy or hard it is to paint them. It's an interesting question, and while I'd be quick to say that it doesn't make a difference, that's not entirely true. There have been portraits that I've been working on where the person I'm painting (in real life, not the painting) has said or done something that has bothered me and put me in a foul mood. This does make it difficult as it usually makes me not want to look at their face and I'd rather slather paint all over it. (By the way, I'm not talking about this particular portrait!)

Time in: 3:00pm

To do:

Adjust angle of right eye

Widen side of face by right eye

bangs- highlights a little too much?

varnish

think about title

Get paintings ready for tomorrow's critique

-buy bubble wrap

lips- too much shadow on left upper lip? expression

Playlist:

Bad At Sports podcast- the Stockyard Institute and the Cafeteria Sessions

The Murder Room by PD James (audio book)

The Raconteurs

Ray LaMontagne

Nick Drake

Time in 1:30pm + Open Crit @ HPAC

2009-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Hyde Park Art Center here in Chicago has started up a new Open Crit program that I will be participating in this Thursday, August 27th. Artists can submit their work for consideration of which four are selected per critique. Each critique is facilitated by two established members of the art community: artists, curators, critics... and the public is invited to come and participate as well. This week photographer Dawoud Bey and curator Nathan Mason will be critiquing.

I am really interested in this program as I miss the critique process. In college, it was such a wonderful thing to have regular critiques and to be regularly getting feedback on your work. OK, there were a lot of times that the feedback was utter nonsense, but it's still such an important part of the process to receive critical feedback from a variety of people.

Post-college, it's hard to come by. I've made a point of it myself to find and join established critique groups or to start them so that I have regular feedback on my work. This gives me something to work towards as well as fresh eyes to view the work I've been staring at for so long.

If you are in Chicago and are interested in checking out the program, here are the details:

Open Crit @ the Hyde Park Art Center

5020 S. Cornell

Chicago, IL 60615
Thursday, August 27
6pm-8pm

The Open Crit program asks what is the critical discourse surrounding your work, and how does your work relate to that discourse or not? Designed to be useful for artists who really want to progress to the next level in their career, each selected artist will have up to 30 minutes of dedicated discussion with a facilitator and the audience. The session will provide critical response to actual works brought in by the artists for the evening. At this program Photographer Dawoud Bey and Curator Nathan Mason will be providing feedback to the artists, along with our audience members, embracing the word 'open' and making the experience truly participatory.

Time in: 10am + It Wouldn't Surprise Me

2009-08-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm just putting on the finishing touches of my latest piece: "It Wouldn't Surprise Me." I'll be varnishing it and fixing a few things today, but it's basically done. It's nice to finish this one up; it's been a challenging piece.

To do:

clean up white on "surprise"

varnish

touch up on Eric's nose, and both lip highlights

Rebecca-

keep going on face, refine skin tone

palette- too pink

eyes- develop

lips too high contrast, soften

Frame "No Words"

go to Home Depot and get rat traps

pick references for next piece

small portrait?

Playlist:

NPR

Murder Room by PD James (audio book)

Camera Obscura- "Let's Get Out Of This Country"

Kings of Leon- "Because of the Times"

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter- "Oh, My Girl"

Time in 3:00pm + I like your work: art and etiquette

2009-08-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a new publication just put out by Paper Monument titled "I like your work: art and etiquette" which I highly recommend. 38 contributors (artists, curators, critics and dealers) offer their thoughts on art world etiquette. It's only $8 and is worth it for the laughs and (unfortunately accurate) insight.

Some highlights:

Guidelines for Openings by Andrew Berardini

How Artists Must Dress by Roger White

Anchors Aweigh, Some Advice For Those About to Enter.... Show Business by Bob Nickas

and many other etiquette suggestions as well as favorite awkward moments and faux pas. (It seems the awkwardness of the "cheek kiss" greeting at art openings and other functions is fairly standard in the US.)

Getting back to the studio:

To do:

Get some fiberglass stuff

Rebecca's face- underpainting

finish up David and Eric (title?)

adhere frame to "No Words" and "Two Ways To Think"

Playlist:

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Shins

Feist

Aimee Mann- The Forgotten Arm

Today's Special

2009-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, there was this show on TV called "Today's Special" which took place in a department store after hours. As soon as the store was closed and all the customers gone, the mannequins would come to life and the puppet rats would come out and they'd have lots of educational fun. I loved this show!

Sometimes I wonder what happens in my studio (which is in the basement) after I clean-up, hit off the lights, and head upstairs after a day's work. I wonder this because when I come back in the next day, there are sometimes things that seem strange, like drips on my papers from an unknown source or missing tools.

What's today's special? Peanut shells littering the floor.

I'd like to think that there is a mannequin hidden in the dark part of the basement that is used for storage that comes to life and eats peanuts while contemplating my latest masterpiece when I'm not there. However, I am afraid that it is more likely that it is the rats that come to life and eat peanuts while scurrying around my art.

Starting Over

2009-08-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

When you've put a lot of work and hours into something, a painting for example, you would do anything to salvage it when things go wrong. You can't imagine all those hours wasted if you were to give up- you have to make it work! You keep forcing it, working at it, waiting for that moment for it to gel thinking "One of these days I'll get it right!" Sometimes it works out.

Sometimes you just have to start over.

Time in: 1:30pm

To do:

Work on Rebecca's face

draw out features

complete underpainting

more shading on shirt

Finish up David and Eric

varnish

Research Fiberglass

Playslist:

Bad At Sports podcast- Larry Rinder part deux

The Raconteurs

Jack Johnson

Shivaree

The Band- Music from Big Pink

Time in: 10:00am + thoughts on Sylvia Plath

2009-08-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Sylvia Plath's journals recently and there's something really captivating about following her along her artistic development and thoughts on her work, not to mention

there's something really intimate about reading someone's journals.

I'm still in the journals from her college years when she was young and passionate and determined to find what would make her most satisfied in life. Her determination at being a successful writer along with/in competition with enjoying life's pleasures (a good summer tan, a Friday night date... ) and her pendulum swing between the two pursuits seems such a fundamental human plight: the balance of work and pleasure.

She frequently considers the idea of experiencing life's offerings as a requirement of being a successful writer. I know for myself, I believe I will be a better artist if I am out experiencing life and the world around me but there is also a guilt that I experience when I am not being productive. Maybe it's the tug of the two desires that is important and keeps you going: the pull into the studio, and the pull into the world.

To do:

Finish David & Eric

Eric:

furrow brow more
lips too shiny, bottom lip -underlip-chin needs less contrast

varnish
Title?

Tom and Scott-

Tom

left lip/cheek highlight too bright
left upper lip shadow placement off a little

Scott-

skin tone
jawline, cheek lines
eyes?

Rebecca-

Start over on face. White it out and start over!

Playlist:

Wait, wait, don't tell me (NPR)

This American Life (NPR)

Aimee Mann- Bachelor No. 2

Ry Cooder- Mambo Sinuendo

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man- Out of Season

Tegan & Sara - The Con

Time in: 2pm

2009-08-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

I feel like I made some progress on the David/Eric piece yesterday. Still needs some more work, but it's getting close. I need to start thinking about the title. I also did a quick piece on paper of Perry. Just a touch up or two and I think it'll be done.

To Do:

David and Eric:

David:

Lips? Chin
Hair on left side- finalize

Eric:

finish shirt
shading on cheeks- balance cheeks
Right eye- too much contract on upper lid?
Right eyebrow- good shape but too dark

Perry (Mint One):

Eyes- do they need more work? Review in mirror.

Pick out references for next double.

Gesso board- prep for next piece.

Playlist:

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals- Nothing But the Water

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen (Audio book)

The Books- The Lemon of Pink

Ray LaMontagne- Till the Sun Turns Black

Time in: 3:00pm

2009-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the same 3 pieces for the past couple of months with minimal steps forward, it seems. In that time I've started and completed one double portrait, one large single portrait and one study on paper and those came along very fast. I don't know what the magic formula is- why some seem to come together in no time and others struggle into existence. Maybe it's my playlist.

Here's what I'll be working on today:

David and Eric:

To do:

Work on David's chin and lips
Eric's eyes? need to pop a little more
Eric's chin and lips need some touch up
Eric's nose: something is off about the right nostril
Eric's shirt- decide on the color and finish it up
Mint sketch of Perry

Playlist:

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen- audio book

Air- Walkie Talkie (or is it Talkie Walkie?)

Tom Waits

Beth Orton- Comfort of Strangers

The Great Poor Farm Experiment

2009-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended the inaugural weekend of the Great Poor Farm Experiment- The Suburban's new project way up in Wisconsin. The Bad at Sports blog has a posting describing the project as well so I won't go into too much detail here. I camped out, attended the saddle fitting demo, checked out the art being installed in the building's many rooms and braved the first night's downpour and the second night's electrical storm in my little tent.

I'm eager to get in my studio and get some work done. I've only been gone this weekend, but already spiders have made their homes suspended across my walkway. I know because I'm still picking web off my legs.

Here are some pictures that I snapped this weekend:

Time in: 2:30pm

2009-08-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Currently I have work on display at Wicker Park Grace which is located at 1741 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647. The pieces that are exhibited are all portraits, mostly from my series titled "I live in a duplex."

The series, when completed, will be made up of 12 double portraits. This series is developed around a simple idea: housing two portraits on one surface to tell a story. The idea of a duplex references two-in-one, parallel lives and a location for stories and interactions.

The information in these paintings is intentionally limited, allowing the viewers to create their own narrative. The series is about interactions- both real and fiction, ambiguous and evocative.

The series is still in progress, and being documented here on this blog but you can see the pieces that are finished (so far) here.

To do:

Update website

work on Tom and Scott piece:

Scott-

develop skin tone
neck
eyes?

Tom-

refine skin ton
finalize eyes

Playlist:

The Books

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

The More Shallows

Time in: 12:00pm

2009-08-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to make some good progress on some of these pieces that are moving slowly today. I've taken a break from them so I can come back with a fresh eye. Sometimes the paintings come together really quickly, and sometimes they really struggle to not look like people with unfortunate plastic surgery results.

To do:

Keep going on Rebecca

pick a reference for Yellow study.

emails

photo reference for sleeping painting

photograph installation at WPG

Playlist:

This American Life

Marieanne Faithful-Broken English and Strange Weather

The Shins

Lizzie West- Holy Road

2:15pm-competed yellow sketch

Time in: 2:30pm

2009-07-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Lately my artistic drive has been incredibly low. I've been pretty productive in the studio, but I think I'm experiencing that "I've been out of college for 5 years and what have I accomplished?!" sinking feeling. This "diary of my studio practice" is an attempt to keep myself going forward.

Here's what I'm working on now:

To do:

research fiberglass backing for hanging system

Rebecca (right half of diptych):

Hair- looks plastic and fake. so does t-shirt
Skin- work on shading, both sides of face
mouth placement- what's going on?!
Nose- right side is totally crooked

Eric:

skin tone- refine
develop eyes
Shirt- needs development

David:

Lips look funny
Chin?
Smooth forehead
hair needs work
left side of face- too flat and dark

Playlist:

Harry Nilsson

Thom Yorke

Holly Golightly

Nick Drake

Get to work!

2009-07-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to think of being an artist as a real job. If you're a studio artist, it's likely that you don't have a boss or co-workers, scheduled work hours or pre-determined objectives. You have to do all of it yourself. It's hard to have any accountability because no one is really watching to see if you are being productive or doing your job well.

Since I finished my undergraduate studies, I have been trying to create for myself an environment that I will be productive in. School provides deadlines, feedback, peers, competition... all things that I miss and am not productive without.

This blog is my way of setting some accountability for myself. In my regular studio routine, I sit down before I start to paint and write a to-do list. I intend for this blog to record my to-do list and my thoughts on my process. It's purely a tool to remind myself that there is more work to be done, and to help me know that I have accomplished some things.