A Last-Ditch Effort with Kickstarter

Hello all,

I've just launched a Kickstarter project to help fund attending an artist residency at Ox-Bow and a whole summer full of art-making. Please feel free to pass on the link — I would greatly appreciate any and all support, even if it is to share the link or make a post on your blog. There are lots of fun rewards for all donation levels!

Getting Ready, and, It's Going to Be An Ox-Bow Kind of Summer

I had off today from any sort of obligations whatsoever. It felt really good. I slummed it a bit, but I also managed to make progress cleaning the basement. This is necessary not only because it was so messy that it was depressing, but also because my studio is down there and I am due to have some curatorial type folks come by one day soon (pretty much once I get my studio in order, so I had better get to it!).

So the basement as a whole is now in much better shape, but my studio still needs tidying and organizing. For the past couple months, I've been mainly running in and grabbing stuff I need and then throwing it back in when I'm done. You can imagine what any room will look like after a couple months of that sort of activity.

I don't think it will take too long to get it in presentable order, and I am excited to reclaim the space as somewhere I can make new work. I need to start doing that like yesterday with all the stuff I have coming up this summer and fall.

On another note, I am thrilled, like THRILLED to announce that I have been awarded my first artist residency! I'll have the pleasure of two weeks at Ox-Bow in July to focus on my work. It is much needed!

It's really going to be an Ox-Bow kind of summer, because if you recall I mentioned that I will also be attending the Paper & Book Intensive in May, which also takes place at Ox-Bow.

I hear they have the most excellent food there.

Art Hound!

A few days ago I discovered a wonderful site/blog about art called Art Hound. I just love Kate's sensibilities and wrote to her right about how I get inspired by other collectors of more modest means like her, and to introduce my own work. To my surprise, she profiled my abandoned house paintings yesterday! No joke!

To say I was thrilled was certainly an understatement. I have a lot of back reading to do... Kate picks some really interesting artists among who I am happy to be among the ranks!

***

It's been too long since I've been in touch, I know. How have you been?

I'm busy! I'm still thoroughly enjoying my new life path as an independent artist and teacher. First, I'll tell you about the shows I have lined up in 2011.

• Until April 9th, I have my (almost) complete set of house paintings at Gibson Gallery at SUNY Potsdam.

• In July, I'll be showing my work along with Elizabeth Leader at WNYBAC.

• In August, I'm having a show with another as yet undetermined artist at Studio Hart.

• In October, my first international solo exhibition! It'll be at Weston College's Bath Spa Gallery in Weston-super-Mare, England. I will be traveling there to attend the opening and perhaps do some other travel and activities.

I'm also excited to announce that in May, I'll be attending the wonderful two-week long Paper and Book Intensive at Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, MI. I have also been awarded a Nell Meldahl Scholarship which pays for half tuition. I couldn't be more pleased, though I have to admit that it will be strange being away from home for that long. I'm sure the time will fly by, though!

I've been continuing to make house paintings and still enjoy exploring their possibilities... but I have also been missing working with the figure and portraiture, inspired by artists like Leonard Rosoman, whom I read about in a book about acrylic painting a few months ago. I love how he combines architectural elements and puts his figures into sometimes quite elaborate scenes. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any of the works that appear in that book to show you at the moment, but maybe I will try to photograph the pages because his work is stuff people should know about. I was rather shocked that he flew over my radar all these years!

Recently, my website got a wee bit of an update, a little dressing up and updated text, etc. I'm still working on getting a suitable gallery section together, but for now you'll be directed to my Flickr which I manage to update much more frequently.

I'm aiming to post more often here again! So much more to tell you about! Until next time...

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.

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.)