ChociBlog

Monday, November 1, 2010

Back from the Dead

I've been MIA, but not for lack of activity. All kinds of things in the works.

For now, I've been teaching college-level art and a bunch of bookbinding workshops.

I made some new paintings. I still need to document them.

I hope this finds you well and prosperous!

In recent news, this painting has found a new home with a collector in Asheville, NC.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Coming up

OK, so more stuff fell in my lap:

Another little show at a restaurant, this one is in Niagara Falls (my city!) and has incredible food and atmosphere:

Ancestry

Stuff I'm doing.

These are portraits of my great-grandparents, my dad's father's parents. James sort of disappeared from the scene a few years after my grandfather was born, and apparently Augusta was a nasty old woman by the time she came to live with my father's family when he was a child.

The little bit that I know about these ancestors leaves me with so many questions.

(Each painting acrylic on canvas, 11" x 14", 2010.)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Stuff I am Doing

July has turned into one of those busy months... my show at Betty's got extended another week, last day to view it is on July 18th. I've also been co-curating a show over at WNYBAC, and it opens on Friday night!

Then, next week? I'm so excited, taking my final week of vacation at work and attending Type Camp as a day camper. Giddy! I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but it should prove to be very interesting, fun, and a great professional development-type thing to do. (I wouldn't mind signing up for the one taking place at the Bauhaus next year, but I seriously doubt I would be able to swing it financially!)

I've recently started thinking about the things I'd like to do and accomplish next year. Among my ideas:

• Paper & Book Intensive, which will be at Oxbow near Chicago in 2011 (totally drivable!)

• An artist residency somewhere

• Attend the College Art Association Conference in New York

• A few more solo shows — I think my focus will be on university and college art spaces, but I'll still work on commercial galleries as well

• Seek out more grants and funding

• Continue seeking out teaching opportunities of various types

• Keep my eyes and my heart open

etc. etc. ad infinitum

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Here and There

This Way Out, 2010. Mixed media on paper, 10" x 8"

Mary Mary, 2010. Mixed media on paper, 6" x 6"

These little works have been around for a couple weeks now, but I am just getting to doing anything with them. The latter is being shipped to the UK for a trade, and the former may have a new home... waiting to hear. If not, I'll happily keep her (yes, she's a her) hung up in my cubicle.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Next Up!

Among whatever else I have going on in the studio, I also have a specific project in mind to work on: a book about Love Canal. It's a neighborhood in my city, Niagara Falls, NY, that was discovered to have been built on top of a toxic waste site and came to international attention in the 1970s thanks to a grass roots effort by a housewife named Lois Gibbs.

I have been fascinated by what remains on the site for many years now, and have seen it transform into an increasingly wild area spotted with the very occasional house still standing and occupied. I'm not sure exactly how I want to approach this. I'd likely let my photos speak for themselves, but considering that I do also enjoy writing, I'd also like to compose accompanying text.

I'm thinking about trying to interview the current occupants of the remaining houses. I'd really like to do that, in fact. I've been so curious about why they decided to stay all these years. Or maybe they are people who bought real estate dirt cheap and decided to risk contamination in exchange? One house I've noticed even keeps a large vegetable garden.

Incidentally, wildlife seems to be thriving there, at least the plants, trees, and birds I've seen.

Last weekend I drove around and took a few photos.

Cutter

Here is one painting that didn't make it into my show at Betty's (it didn't really fit—I had planned to make other quilt paintings and just ended up focusing more on the houses). The inspiration for it was one of the so-called "cutter" quilts I bought recently. A cutter quilt is one that has been so loved and well-used that it is falling apart in places... and they can be had for not very much money, as one might imagine. But, that status doesn't lessen the fact that their beautiful colors and patterns remain, even if some are faded or deteriorated. I obviously take a lot of liberties in my interpretation... I'm not interested in creating a realistic rendering but rather to showcase the aspects of the quilts that dazzled me so much in a more simplified, graphic manner.

This painting is 16" x 16", acrylic on canvas.

***

By the way, the opening for my show at Betty's went really well. So many people came out to show support, and I got lots of great, interesting feedback. Even sold one piece, and have interest in a couple others! That's always nice. Working with Kathy Sherin, the curator, was great. She really has a wonderful eye for grouping works together and making the show feel really cohesive. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take photos. If anyone has any I'd be grateful if you'd share!

That said, I am glad it's out of the way and will be hanging through July. Next up is my show at ArtMission in Binghamton, where I'll be showing more house paintings—the batch that are already made (including the Betty's paintings, and the ones languishing in New Hampshire) plus some new ones, too. Exciting! But I am glad to have a break from any major art activity, aside from studio work.

Speaking of which, I am starting a two-week vacation on Friday! You can bet that I will be happy to spend a good portion of that time in the studio... I can't wait.