Thesis 1

I was originally going to work on a theme centered around homelessness and poverty, however, I decided to expand that idea. I plan to do 12 paintings, each representing a different social issue. The paintings that I have started thus far include (in the order that they are shown): Homelessness/Poverty, Domestic Violence,  Teenage Pregnancy, and Prostitution. The other paintings will  include (but are not limited to) Unemplyment, Abortion, Obesity, War, Religious Liberty, Pollution, etc. The paintings are rather small being 18''24'' and they are painting in a monochrome pallette. Some of the artists whose works I have been viewing and those that have been recommendations from others include Zhang Haiying, Steven Mumford, Luc Tuyman, Leon Golub and a few others.

Resource List for Emerging Artist

1. Future Generation Art Prize

The Future Generation Art Prize established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is a worldwide contemporary art prize to discover, recognize and provide long-term support to a future generation of artists. Artists around the world, without restriction of gender, nationality, race or artistic medium may enter the competition through online application.

20 shortlisted artists will be selected to show their work in an exhibition at the PinchukArtCentre (Kiev). These artists will be judged by an international Jury who will award one main prize and up to five special prizes.

The first prize will receive $100,000.

2. Mural Artist Program

Jersey Cares is always looking for new Volunteer Mural Artists to join our Mural Artist Program. Mural Artists incorporate the requests of our agency partners and then Jersey Cares recruits volunteers to paint in the lines. Professional training is not required - just artistic ability. This is a great way for volunteers with artistic talent to give back to their communities while doing something enjoyable.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

- Dedicated artists with experience in sketching and painting are encouraged to apply.

- You do not need to be a professional artist to participate in this program.

- The ability to travel to the project site to complete the mural sketches in advance of

   the project date is required.

- Students are welcome and encouraged to join the program as well.

Online application:

http://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Contact/ContactUs.asp?ievent=303374&en=emIXLbOTIoJWK7P1IjKQJgO4KsJ4LaNTIiJ1JiN4IqL2IiN1LjKRKaM0KjK1KvI

3. Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

February 4th, 2010 - Competition opens 
March 14th, 2010 - Submission deadline 
March 26th, 2010 - Results announced 
August 17th through September 10th - Exhibition for the selected artists

Accepted Media

All media is accepted with the exception of video art, film, performance art, jewelry and crafts

Eligible Artists

All visual artists above the age of 18 are eligible to participate.

Juror

Megan Fontanella is an Assistant Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which she joined in 2005. She conducts collections research for the Guggenheim, focusing on institutional history and provenance. In addition to her research work, she has curated several collection-based installations for the museum’s Kandinsky Gallery and Thannhauser Gallery, as well as From Berlin to New York: Karl Nierendorf and the Guggenheim and Selections from the Collection: Pop and the Art of Assemblage, 1960–1975. She likewise co-curated From Public to Private: Collections at the Guggenheim for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

Awards

Awards valued in total of Thirty Eight Thousand dollars ($38,000) will be distributed as follows:

•                Exhibition - 15-20 Artists will participate in a collective exhibition at Agora Gallery 530 West 25th Street , Chelsea , New York City.

•                Cash - $1000 will be awarded to three (3) artists each receiving $500, $ 300 & $200 respectively.

•                Internet Promotion-Six (6) artists will be awarded placement of 6 images on www.Art-Mine.com for a period of one year.

•                Review by an art critic - One (1) artist will be awarded a one-page review with two (2) color images in ARTisSpectrum Magazine.

4. Open Call: Motion Portraiture and Self-Portraiture

What is a motion portrait?  Is there such a thing?  What distinguishes motion portraits from biographical films and documentaries?  Portraiture and self-portraiture have fascinating histories in painting, drawing, sculpture and photography, but what has happened to the form of the portrait in the digital age?  Are contemporary filmmakers, video artists, animators and programmers pushing the disciplines of the portrait and self-portrait into motion?

The Cornell Council for the Arts, Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts at Cornell University, and Cornell Cinema invite submissions of motion portraits and self-portraits for a curated screening.

Through this open call, we seek to uncover the full depth and range of contemporary portraiture and self-portraiture in time-based arts.  Broad interpretations of “portrait” and “self-portrait” are welcome.  Accepting all artworks which can be screened in video (including film, video, motion graphics, animation, programming, game interfaces, flip books, etc.)  Due to scheduling limitations, works under 5 minutes preferred.  Exhibition of the curated show will be at Cornell Cinema in April 2010.

Curated by Darren Douglas Floyd, Artist-In-Residence, Film and Video, Cornell University, 2009-2010 (web.mac.com/humiliated) with the assistance of Cornell University students.

Deadline: All entries must be postmarked by March 15th, 2010.
There is no entry fee.

Please send submissions as .mov data files on DVD to:
Open Call: Motion Portraiture and Self-Portraiture
c/o Darren Douglas Floyd, AIR
123 Risley Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-5801

cca.cornell.edu
www.risley.org
cinema.cornell.edu

For more information please direct queries to Darren Douglas Floyd, Artist-In-Residence in Film and Video, Cornell University, 2009-2010 at df278@cornell.edu.

5. Art Studio Intern

Bobby Hill

Description:

I am an artist in a Ridgewood Queens, which is literally across the street from Bushwick and 10 mins from Williamsburg. The studio is accessible by the L train to the Jefferson Street station. I am opening up my studio to the public as a personal gallery/ store. I need people to be present at the studio from Weds- Sundays (12-9). There is no monetary pay however, in exchange for your services you will be allowed to use my screenprinting machine during certain days and times. Reply asap because the holiday season is upon us and i want to open up for business very soon. Thx.

Qualifications:

Must be able to talk about art 

How to Apply:

Email: bkhill83@aol.com

6. Regional Art Competition for Artists ages 18 – 25

Regional Art Talent Competition for young and up and coming artists (ages 18 - 25) for representational paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel.  The deadline is April 6. The Exhibit will be April 16th through April 18th.  Awards include Best of Show $500; Second Place $250; Third Place $100; People's Choice Award $50 and Trophy. Mary Birmingham, Curator of the Hunterdon Art Museum will be judging.  For a copy of the Prospectus and other information visit www.highlandsartgallery.com.  Artists can enter by mail or online.

1. Location. Highlands Art Gallery, Chester Village Square, 54 Main Street, Suite 3

(behind 44 & 50 Main Street) Chester, New Jersey. 2. Number of Paintings in Show. The maximum number of paintings juried into

the show will be 50. 3. Awards. Best in Show $500, 2nd Place $250, 3rd Place $100, People Choice

Award $50 and trophy. a. People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award will be announced

at 4:00pm on Sunday, April 18th.. 4. Juror for the Hanging Show. Mary Birmingham, Curator of the Hunterdon Art

Museum, Clinton, New Jersey will judge the final 50 paintings and award Best in

Show, 2nd Place and 3rd Place. 5. Show Duration. Friday, April 16th through Sunday, April 18th.

Eligibility: 1. Artist Age Group. This competition is open to artists between the ages of 18 and

25 years, only. 2. Type of Artwork. Representational paintings of original concept and design in oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel. No mixed media will be accepted.The Prospectus and Entry Application can be downloaded from the gallery website www.highlandsartgallery.com.  Artist can also apply online at the gallery website.  Follow the links to the "Competitions" page. 

Painting Criteria: 1. Paintings entered must have been painted within the last two (2) years.

2. Maximum outside frame dimensions: 22” in height and 22” in width.

3. All paintings will be framed and wired ready to hang. No metal frames allowed.

4. All paintings must be for sale at the artist’s current retail price including the frame. There will be no “Not for Sale”.

5. Paintings created in an instructional setting, including workshops or art classes are not considered original artwork.

7. Artwork Exposure Opportunity

BookBarkCovers.com recently patented a unique school and textbook base sheet from a blend of reinforced poly coated paper stock. We have been successful in shipping product to over 35 states. We would like to expand our line to include unique amateur artwork and would like to offer an opportunity for the right artists work to be featured on one of our covers. Your name and information would be posted on our home page website that would refer to your paricular print(s). We are looking for drawings and digital art that can include abstract, peculiar sorts, sports themes,christian art, trendy that would appeal to kids ages 8 years to 18 years old. Panels consisting of children in ages 8-12 and 13-18 will judge submitted artwork. We cannot accept morbid,depicted nudity or partial nudity or occult related work, but aside form that the sky is the limit. The slected artsist will gain notoriety not only from the website information, but from shcool and text books in classrooms across the country. No upfront funding or pay will be provided for this exposure opportunity. If interested in being considered please contact us at or submit a sample of your best work to admin@BookBarkCovers.com

Qualifications:

Excellence, Imagainative, trendy artwork that would appeal to school age kids ages 8-18 We are looking for a wide range of subject matter and themes including but not limited to sports themes,scifi,universal, galaxies,nature,potrait,government…

No age or credential requirements, just imagination and talent!

How to Apply:

Artwork submissions will be accepted on an ongoing basis at admin@bookbarkcovers.com in the form of a PDF file.

You would be notified via email if your work is selected for judging. You may enter one submission or an entire gallery. If your submission(s) is selected in judging you would be notified for your permission for your work to be used on an actual book cover and would be advised as to when it would be released on our web site. Your signature may be and is advised to be part of your finished work to gain the best exposure through sales and distribution of the book covers.

8. Call for Artists

We are seeking high quality photographic work for our Biennial Juried Photography Exhibit 2010, scheduled for May 15-July 11, 2010.  Juror: Lesley A. Martin, Publisher of Aperture Foundation’s book program. Submission deadline: 3/22/10.  Click here to download Prospectus.

Checklist:

-Entry form filled out clearly and completely

-Artist statement and brief bio

-Entries on CD in Jpeg format

-$30.00 ($25 members) for first 3 en- tries; $5.00 for each additional entry

-SASE for return of CD

Submission Deadline: Monday, March 22, 2010

Artists will be notified of selections by: Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Delivery of accepted work:

Monday, May 10, 1-7 pm Tuesday, May 11, 12-3 pm

Opening Reception:

Saturday, May 15, 5-7 pm

Pickup:

Monday, July 12, 12-7 pm

Please send all application material with SASE to:

Photography 2010 Edward Hopper House Art Center 82 North Broadway Nyack, NY 10960

For further information, call us at 845-358-0774 or e-mail us at info@hopperhouse.org. Thank you.

MFA Show: 11/13/09

I thought the MFA show as a whole was - for lack of a better word - okay. There were works that stood out to me and some not so much in a good way. The work in the first room to the left when you walk in really did not appeal to me and the paintings on the far back wall just left me with questions. I did not get them at all. The ones in the back kind of bothered me, especially the scribbles in pencil to the right of the canvasses. I in no way consider that art. It doesn’t seem to be any kind of method or technique applied. They’re just scribble paintings. I don’t knock anyone’s art because, as they say "to each his own", but I was completely left in the dark concerning these works.

Caitlyn Booth’s Night Park painting stood out to me because I am creating Night Paintings that are quite similar. Guerra’s work was interesting. I walk past his studio often and he’s ALWAYS there! He literally never takes a day off. He’s always wearing those big old earphones and doing something that makes him look busy, but when I look in I’m like, “What the heck is this guy doing? What kind of art is that?” His stuff is really different, but he just seems so passionate about it. I guess it doesn’t really matter what others think about it, he enjoys it and that’s all that matters, and that’s fine with me. [but I wonder what he listens to on those earphones. I’ve never seen him without them!] However, I actually did like his work in the show. It’s not something that I would usually be attracted to, but it’s interesting to say the least. I was really fond of the colors and the texture. They make you want to touch them. I also like the way that they were displayed. They were on the ceiling, on the floor, suspended in the air… it was like some sort of invasion!

Then there was Eileen Behnke’s work. They just speak for themselves. I related most to her than any other artist whose works were on display; mostly because I am usually doing something that involves portraiture. It looks like she painted them from photographs and that’s something that I sometimes do as well. I like “Rage” the most because of the woman’s expression. The artist also uses a palette full of color, which makes her paintings interesting to look at. I love it when artists pull colors out of skin tone that aren’t really there. It makes the work more dynamic and appealing.

The most alluring works in my opinion were Betsy Vanlagen’s photographs. They were utterly amazing! They were very exciting and unusual. Someone found out her name (since there weren’t any labels by her work) so I decided to Google her and she has a site that I recommend everyone visit. Her work is very distinct and pronounced. There’s a lot of energy in each photograph and they’re just so unique and fun. I like the photographs in which she plays with light or puts the model in front of a black backdrop. This adds dimension and highlights the model and the props she sometimes uses.

Overall I would give the MFA show a B-/C+

Don't forget to visit this site. It's impressive!

 http://www.betsyvanlangen.com/

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Chapter 3: "The Fair"

♥ “If you go after art and quality the money will come later…”

♥ “An artist doesn’t become an artist in a day, so a collector shouldn’t become a collector in a day. It’s a lifetime process.”

♥ When Mera, speaking of herself and her family states, “we read, we look, we hear, we travel, we commit, we talk, we sleep art”, I find it very admirable to here of people who enjoy art with no other motive than that they are drawn to it, not just as something to show off. They don’t purchase art solely as a social activity, but rather immerse themselves in the world of art and are highly engaged with and informed about things related to the art world. This is a nice diversion from the extremely wealthy individuals referred to in the reading that simply collect as a hobby or way to elevate themselves socially. Their passion and love of the aesthetic really comes through when Mera says “But it’s not a sacrifice, it’s a real privilege.”

♥ I think it’s particularly special that the Rubells are not only interested in a specific work that they are purchasing, but also in the artist as well. That’s not often seen. I think it’s very empathic of them to take an interest in what they refer to as the “confidence-building” of the artist. “It’s not just about buying a piece. It’s about buying into someone’s life and where they are going with it.”

♥ I also find Mera’s reaction to being asked if she minds being followed around the fair to be note worthy. She compares it to something as intimate as being in her bedroom, and it didn’t seem that serious to me; after all you’re viewing works that are already open to the public anyway. Then again I guess one does have a very intimate relationship with certain pieces of art. There is a lot of scrutiny and analysis that occurs when you view art, so to have someone observing you while you are in the process of examining something else can be really nerve-racking because you are aware of being surveyed.

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MFA Programs

I have always been interested in the idea of attending graduate school, but lately I have become more and more disenchanted with the idea of being in school any longer. To be quite honest I am really tired of school right now, but I think that if I take a break and gather my thoughts concerning what it is that I want to do as a far as a career is concerned, I may change my mind later. I don’t want to just be in school spending money and wasting my time if I am not absolutely certain what it is that I want to do. I think it’s best that I take at least a year off and then find the best program for me.

Some schools that I am interested in include:

The Tyler School of Art

Pratt Institute

University of the Arts

The School of Visual Arts

Parsons School of Design

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

Moore College of Art and Design

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"John Hawaka: A Retrospective"

“Not to be unappreciative, but I cringe when someone says: "Your painting is 'nice'". A "nice" painting does not offend nor does it stimulate. I don't paint to match the colors of your couch or your rug or your drapes--I paint to stimulate. Like my work or not, I hope that the viewer walks away stimulated.” –John Hawaka

I visited the Alfa Art Gallery and saw the solo exhibition of seventy four year old artist John Hawaka. One of the more noteworthy mediums utilized by the artist is lacquer which he applies to poster board. I am not sure how he applies the lacquer but in some instances it appears as though he may have slowly poured it and in other cases as though he splashed it onto the surface. The way in which the lacquer and pigment react with their union to the surface on which they are applied creates a lovely and stunning effect. Each application of the lacquer creates a bleeding effect that is soft and wise concerning its mergence with other layers.

Some of his works are more abstracted and seem to focus on color and the texture that the lacquer makes, but others, such as Blue Dahlia apply the same techniques but in the form of a representational image. If my presumption about him pouring the medium is correct, then I imagine that it would be fairly difficult to create a specific image using such a method. Outside of this technique the artist also uses other styles of painting where he focuses on either outline and color, texture, or a sketch of an image.

Blue Dahlia shown on left

What I really enjoyed was that the gallery also had on display older works by Hawaka including the artists’ very first painting. This allowed me as a viewer (especially one who is new to Hawaka’s works) to see a change and even a progression in the artist’s style. What I specifically noticed was that Hawaka’s signature changed drastically over the years. The artists’ signature was originally legible with a strike through it, and over the years it has become more and more abstract. Currently it looks like tally marks. I thought that was really interesting because I had never seen an abstract signature before. His present signature could probably be better regarded as a symbol of the artist.

First Painting

Signature 1

Signature 2

Current Signature

John Hawaka’s works don’t seem to parallel mine in any particular way. Yet I enjoy the amount of freedom that is conveyed in his paintings. He is in no way restricted by any limitations or conventions, but rather it appears that he lets the paintings go wherever they wish. I later visited the Alpha Gallery’s website to see more examples of the artist’s works and while reading about the artist I learned that he doesn’t have anything in mind when he begins a painting but he instead just allows his imagination to flow. I enjoy this in art and would like to apply it to my own works. I tend to focus on accurate depictions, but I’d like to allow more expression rather than accuracy.

Select works by John Hawaka:

 

October 9th - October 29

Alpha Art Gallery, 108 Church Street, New Brunswick

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Kinetic Compositions: The Art of Alex Masket

I went to see the work of Alex Masket at the Art Library. On display were 13 works by the 22 year old severely autistic artist whose works are described as being a combination of mixed media, paper collage and color constructions.

Knowing of his ailment ahead of time, for some reason I was expecting his work to look as though they were produced by someone with autism. However, based on the work itself I never would have guessed. I suppose it’s because there are so many straight lines that neatly overlap one another and the general placement of items within the art were so masterfully laid that it didn’t necessarily distinguish Masket’s work from that of someone who does not have his ailment. When I saw his signature however, I immediately thought that it looks as though it were written by a child. The titling of the works is in a very neat and scriptive handwriting and it is clear that he has had someone else print that on the image for him.

His Giclee Pigment prints of Legos (Harmony, 2007; Echo, 2007; and Yellow Brick Road, 2007) are reminiscent of Mondrian paintings where there exist the primary colors which are sectioned off into geometric shapes. He literally lays colored Legos down and together they form the image. It shows the artists’ concern with placement and the role that color plays in it. They appear to be randomly laid, but they fit together nicely and the fact that the colors are in no specific order is interesting. It’s relieving not to see a pattern in this presentation and the spontaneity of the situation is intriguing.

In his vinyl adhesive works (on either canvass or poster board) Masket takes what appears to be large labels where he has peeled away the text and sticks to the canvass what is left of the label. Left with only the negative image of the labels (or vinyl adhesives) Masket uses the negative space and its contrast with the surface onto which it is place to create a work of art. He applies several of these adhesives overlapping them. They are ultimately quite interesting to see. Some of the images consist of black, white and red adhesives applied to black boards, black on white; and multi-colored adhesives on multi-colored backgrounds. Of Masket’s works I was most drawn to Red/Green, Fusion, and Color Fields.

In Color Field in particular he paints the canvass various colors such as red, blue, orange, black, and purple, then he applies gold, silver, purple, neon green, blue and red vinyl adhesive to the colored canvass. These are visually stunning. I am partial to color, but in this instance the vinyl adhesives overlap and the colors fuse and on the dark background the colors are further accentuated. It’s really amazing. The works are really crisp and clean and look like they could have been made by machines except for the fact that the artist fumbles with the adhesive which sticks to itself at times and fails to lie down properly. I like that this happens sometimes. It makes the work more unique. You can see that the artist was hands on with the project. I like mistakes in art. In this case it works. It also makes me think that because he is autistic he may not be as delicate with the material as he should be, and therefore he mishandles the vinyl, but it’s something very precious about that because he can’t help himself and it’s nice to have this in mind when seeing the works. This is one of the few times that I have actually kept the artist in mind while viewing their work. I even visualize him as he is creating these works and that creates a different experience that is also quite enjoyable.

The contents of the vinyl adhesives cannot be considered text because it’s not comprehensible in any way, but rather it is simply a sequence of letters, numbers and punctuation marks along with every other character imaginable on a standard keyboard. (I can just imagine the artist slapping his hands on the keyboard and whatever gets typed gets printed and applied to the work of art). It also looks like someone is trying to communicate something but they can’t quite find the right words and therefore they’re just making a bunch of noise. The artist uses a simple font like Arial which draws to mind the elementary alphabet and makes me think of childhood which also has its reference back to the artist.

The fact that these works are in a library setting detracts from them. Unlike a gallery setting where people come to see the art, here people come for a specific purpose (to take out a book, use a computer, study) and since they are so preoccupied they don’t even notice the works which are pushed to the back walls. The paintings are strong enough to attract attention, but if you are not looking for them you probably won’t notice them. I do think that they look rather out of place. They are just so vibrant and that they seem way too fast paced for their slow and subtle, lackluster surrounding. I just feel like they are not being appreciated in this particular setting. I’d prefer to see them on white gallery walls in abundance rather than on painted cinder block walls situated above and around bookshelves. The works do the place justice, but the place doesn’t offer anything to the works.

All in all I really enjoyed the mixed media pieces. I think I like them even more because of who the artist is and the fact that he does have autism. I think that is important because it shows that anyone can be an artist.

Art Exhibit Opening: Kinetic Compositions: The Art of Alex Masket. The work of Alex Masket, a gifted, young artist with severe autism will be shown all semester at the Art Library, Voorhees Hall, College Avenue Campus.

 

visit aemcreations.com for more info on Alex Masket

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