Recent Long Poses

The studio has a Long Pose session on the first and third Thursdays of the month.  Of course, the three-hour pose is fairly short compared to the multi-week poses in academia, but it's a little more accommodating than the 3–4 quicker poses we do on Wednesdays. It's just a great way to throw some paint down and exercise your art muscles.  I've definitely noticed improvement since we started doing these.

Here are a few of the my more recent studies, done over the last few months.  All three hours.

I decided to do a drawing on this one.  Even though Rena's red hair is great to paint, something just struck me about the values in this, with her straight, bobbed hair and dark-rimmed glasses.

Did this one yesterday evening.  Brittany came in with an awesome headwrap on, and asked if we wanted her to take it off.  When we asked what was underneath, she almost guiltily said, "a mohawk." Heck yeah, mohawk it is!

Patrice is always a great model, for any length of session.  Such a warm and genuine person.

"The Welder" Accepted to Salmagundi Club Exhibition

I just found out that I was accepted into the Salmagundi Non-Members Exhibition!  This show is put on by the venereble Salmagundi Club in New York City.  This is the second year I was accepted, and it's really an honor.  After last year, I thought there was no way I'd be able to pull it off again, and it really forced me to step up my game.  That trip was really life-changing, and I met so many wonderful people.  I really hope to be able to make it out there again.

I've really been pushing myself to take my work where it needs to go, and this trip was a huge part of that.  I'm really excited to share some of the pieces I have in the works soon.  I feel like I'm finally starting to say the things I need to say with my work.

My painting of my friend Josh is the piece I will be sending.  People really seem to single this one out and relate to it, and I'm fortunate that I was able to convince Josh to sit for me.  Well, I'm not sure if it was me or a few beers that did the convincing, but I'd say it worked out.  Thanks Josh!

Pfister Video Interview Posted

The Pfister has posted the video interviews with the six finalists to their Vimeo page.  You can click here to see them.  It appears that they edited out a lot of my psycho-babble, which somehow bounced between bizarre topics including arctic research stations, Stand By Me, and homunculi.  It's probably for the better since I was a little concerned about coming off as a lunatic after my interview, but it seems that the video crew covered for me.  This clip is pretty much a collection of the most mundane sentences in my interview.



Artist in Residence Finalist: Matt Ducket from PfisterHotel on Vimeo.

Thanks to anyone who has voted in the Pfister Artist in Residence poll on Facebook (here and here).  If you don't have facebook, you can send an email to: amyhansen@marcuscorp.com.  Just throw Artist in Residence Vote and Matt Duckett in the subject, and that should be fine.

Here are a couple more pieces I've done over the last few months. I told myself I'd keep on top of this blog a little better than before, and here's the next batch of work.  These are a couple drawings I did last fall.

 

 

Cave Man, charcoal and graphite.

 This self-portrait was for a drawing show, so I wanted it to be as much about the act of drawing as it was about me.  For a self-portrait, I went back to a park where I spent quite a lot of time as a child.  But the imagery really is a commentary of drawing itself.  The large steel doors behind me had hundreds of dents in them, both tiny and quite impressively deep.  The deepest seemed to form the initials 'RS,' visible over my shoulders.  Maybe it's because I was there in a particularly introspective mood, but the act of marking a place with initials seemed to parallel those prehistoric cave drawings. They both seemed to say "I was here.  I did this."  They are both a record of experiencing a particular place and time.  I picked up a rock and scrawled my own initials on the concrete.  I remember using rocks to draw on sidewalks being a somewhat earth-shattering discovery as a kid.  I wrote my initials to say that I, too, had been there.

All of this is captured in my own record of the experience, using graphite and charcoal.  I wanted to stack these frames of experience on top of each other, and see drawing—basically mark-making on any level—as a rather vain attempt to capture the act of being present, a small moment in time made nearly permanent with rocks and sticks.
 

Portrait of Frances, graphite and charcoal

This is a drawing of our friend Fran, who just gave birth to a beautiful little daughter.  Though this was done months ago, I suppose it makes this a double portrait.

Recent News...

It's been a pretty wild few months.  There's a little bit of news to share, so I'll be updating this blog (and my website, finally) over the next few days. 

My work was accepted into the exhibition "Au Naturel" in Astoria, OR.  I hope I can make it out for the opening in February.  Better start saving my pennies.  Or have a garage sale at the studio....

I am also a finalist for the Pfister hotel's Artist in Residence.  It's a year-long residency at one of the best hotels in the nation.  They built an artist studio on the ground level of the building, and support the artist while he/she creates work and interacts with the public.  The artist will also help folks check out the surprisingly large collection of Victorian  art the hotel has.

The public can vote on facebook for the winner, at both the Pfister's page and their sister hotel the InterContinental's.  The six finalists all have an exhibition at Gallery M in the InterContinental hotel.  If you'd like to support me, please check out the show if you're in the Milwaukee area, or go to the two links and vote for me.  Unfortunately, this year they've ceased text voting and other options, so facebook is the only way to vote.  That rules out quite a few of my friends and family, which is probably one reason I'm second to last in voting!  Oh well, there's still time.  Thanks to everyone who has voted so far!

I haven't posted any new artwork in quite a long time, so I'll start.  Here's a couple new pieces I've made in the last few months.  I'll be updating the blog with more work throughout the week.

Welder, oil on canvas

 This is of my friend Josh.  Sadly, the beard and most of the hair are no longer a part of him.  That's okay, I guess, I think I have met my quota of paintings of beardy guys.

Self-Portrait, graphite

Poets and Artists Magazine

I am very fortunate to be included in the current issue of Poets and Artists magazine. It's an incredible publication, and the list of past featured artists reads like my weekly blog-stalking list.  It includes artists like Michael Klein, David Kassan, Tony Pro, Jeremy Geddes, Brad Kunkle and soooo many more.  You can check out the online version or order a print one, if you're so inclined.  There's a ton of art and poetry in there beyond my meager contribution, and you'd be supporting a top-notch, AD FREE magazine.  Didi really does an admirable job putting this magazine together. 

Back from New York!

Well we had a GREAT time in NY.  Much better than I could have even hoped for.  We met some really great people there (despite Vernil's warnings!) and really fell in love with the city, like everyone else that has been, I'm sure.

We got to see some music at the famous Birdland jazz club, which was an amazing experience.  Thanks to Vernil for inviting us.  Our food there was like two sculptures.  Some of the prettiest food I have ever seen. 

We also saw a great Irish traditional session at the Landmark Tavern, complete with authentic Appalachian songs...via some Swedes. 

Of course the art was unbelievable. 

We got to see the legendary Arcadia Gallery, where so many of my heroes are represented.  That place just reeks of artistic brilliance.  I can only hope I brought some of the stink home with me!  We even met the owner, Steve, who is every bit as genuinely nice as his artists' blogs claim he is. 

As for the Salmagundi Club, it was such an honor to be a part of something of that caliber.  Truly humbling, and incredibly inspiring.  The reception was a great time.  I feel like I didn't even talk to anyone, since it was so packed.  I'll post pictures soon.  Thanks to everyone for the well-wishing before we left...it must have worked because we had such a great time!