Thoughts from my studio about artwork; new pieces as well as those things that have have remained hidden in my flat file...

Monday, April 28, 2008

Artwork of the Week, April 28, 2008: On the way...

I will be posting several images of preliminary drawings and studies for the upcoming Artomatic site-specific drawing. My scanner has gone down and my camera won't be home until late tonight. Come back for a look tomorrow evening. I will be making these drawings available this week to the first people who contact me about them...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Monday, April 21, 2008

Artwork of the Week, April 21, 2008


I got some new images of the paintings from last year - and I figured I would post them. I am not labeling which is which, let me know what you think is better - I believe I have my opinion about this piece Obscured Vantage, oil and acrylic on birch, 48"x37"...

Exhibit A


Exhibit B

Artomatic Prep

I have drawn up the plans for the construction of the platform, and bought wood Saturday, but got rained out on Sunday and could not carry the wood on my roof racks because it would have gotten saturated by 3 inches of rain. I got started on cutting and labeling the pieces for assembling on site, here is a small stack. I will resume on Sunday due to some commitments.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Artist Blog: Drawer, Warren Craghead

Warren Craghead (image copyright WC)
Sketchbook Entry from 4.10.2008
I wanted to take a moment on this rainy day to point you in the direction of Charlottesville, VA artist Warren Craghead and his sketchbook blog Drawer. This little drawing from April 10th caught my attention and held it for a while. I really enjoy the string of pages he's been posting for the past two weeks or so, check them out.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Making Progress on the Artomatic Drawing

I want to thank all of the patrons that have stepped forward to support my site-specific drawing at Artomatic 2008. Patrons can still support the artwork and be listed on the installation at Artomatic until May 7th, so if you haven't gotten the payment in, or haven't had a chance to contact me yet, it is not too late. I also plan on making a small limited edition of signed photographic prints available for sale during Artomatic for those who would still like to support the artwork after the deadline, more on that later.
I would like to thank the Patrons that have sent in their support at this time, but I will continue to update this list as the support rolls in. Thank you again!

PATRONS:
Paul So, Alexandria, VA
Norm Scott, Ithaca, NY
Frank and Jan Warren, Germantown, MD
Sean Flaherty, Alexandria, VA
David Vurdelja, Arlington, VA
Warren Craghead, Charlottesville, VA
Richard and Diane Flaherty, Manassas, VA
Carol Lukitsch, Alexandria, VA
Helen and Norman D'Amours, Arlington, VA
Jo Ann and Jim Crawford, Fairfax, VA

More people have contacted me about supporting and I will be adding their names soon, so keep checking! Construction of the platform will begin today and tomorrow after I jury an art show for Fairfax High School Artists, so look for updates tomorrow evening...

Monday, April 14, 2008

Artwork of the Week, April 14, 2008

Sitting Still 52
oil, acrylic, graphite on oak panel

As I post this there are new pieces drying in the studio, I've also prepped/painted some drywall for preliminary drawings for the Site-specific drawing at Artomatic. I've had a great response so far for my call for patrons, please see the post below to help make that artwork happen.
The painting above is still available, so let me know if you are interested or feel free to post your thoughts about it...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Patrons Needed: Site-Specific Drawing at Artomatic 2008

I'm looking for patrons who would like to assist in making an artwork happen. I have chosen my space for Artomatic 2008, and like last year I am planning on doing a large scale site-specific drawing. The artwork will be created on location for the space you see above (marked with the blue tape, about 4 feet by 8 feet) . As you can see, I am not working with a wall space this year, but instead have chosen this wonderful floor space on the 12th floor of the building (the top floor).
The artwork will be created for this space, on location (not in my studio) which is going to be a little tricky, but I have a plan that will be quite incredible. It will involve me constructing a platform on site to raise the drawing off the floor slightly, upon which the drawing will be executed from April 16th to May 7th. I will be starting this week after work, but I have already begun making plans. I am asking for a little assistance to make this happen.
As any installation artist will tell you, there is no easy way to re-coup the costs of creating site-specific artwork, since there is not a final product that can be sold. I have to cover the costs of following: a hefty Artomatic registration, additional lighting (its a new raw building, so lights have not been installed), building materials and paint for the platform, drawing materials (lots of graphite and mr. clean magic eraser and acrylic sealant), printing costs for the text, publicity in the form of postcards, gas driving back and forth to DC everyday, hiring a photographer to document the artwork, not to mention 40-60 hours of time as well as a few personal days taken off of work.

I hope you consider becoming a patron of this artwork. A little bit goes a long way when people work together. For $20 I will list you as a patron on the tag for the artwork at the installation and thank you publicly on this blog. For $50 I will list you as a patron and send you an 8"x10" photograph of the final installation (you will be able to choose from an overall installation shot or a detail shot). Email me and I will contact you ASAP with payment information. You may also use paypal to become a $20 patron:





Or a $50 patron:




I thank you in advance for supporting my artistic endeavors.

This is a detail shot of last year's site-specific drawing, "Relentless Continuity, 2007". The site-specific drawing drew quite a bit of attention from other artists (Glass artist extroidinaire Tim Tate said today that it was a favorite of many of the artists last year and he was really excited about what I would do this year) as well as the public and Washington Post Art/Film Critic Michael O'Sullivan.

I look forward to hearing from you, please respond soon so I can get the show on the road!

UPDATE 4-14-08: Thank you so much to those who have responded already. I have added paypal buttons to make it easier for those of you who are totally in the electronic age and no longer deal with checks. I am looking forward to starting the project this week.