ARTOMATIC OPENS and RED PALACE SIGN and RAPUNZEL'S TOWER

Yup, that is a really poorly stitched together photo of the ABJ&AW room on the 11th floor of Artomatic...(BTW, I apologize for the photography in this post, all photos are from my smartphone...) Artomatic opens this weekend, and the above is just a small sampling of the awesome/horrificness that AOM has to offer....come on by this Friday, I'll be doing one of my volunteer shifts opening beers behind one of the bars!

Also I should mention that all of the work in room 1145 is available for purchase via QR Code (that square barcode thingy that you can scan with your smartphone)...so if you like something, just scan the QR Code and it will take you directly to PayPay to purchase it! (or you can always just go to the Artbyjared.com Store page and buy stuff there...)

The other milestone for this week was completing the backdrop/logo for the Red Palace this past Monday:

Red Palace logo backdrop in progress. Its 8' wide and about 7' tall, acrylic on luan.

Much to my surprise, the install went very smoothly....

Expect to see this in the background all over Flickr for the next few years...its okay, you wont have to mention my name or anything...(although that'd be nice...)

The other major post Yuri's Night Milestone is the completion of the Children's Mini Ball at Imagination Stage. It was really fun to once again transform the classrooms into scenes that the kids could interact with. This year's theme was centered around Rapunzel, which is the show currently in production right now....so, they were going to teach the kids sword fighting, so I transformed the Dance Studio into an armory:

And they had a gypsy magic show planned, so I painted a "hopefully not too spooky" gypsy wagon backdrop:

Gypsy Wagon Backdrop, 8'x12' acrylic on muslin

Gypsy Wagon Backdrop during the Children's Ball

But the coolest thing (that photos do no justice to, BTW) was the Rapunzel tower. It's a 19' tall tower in the lobby of Imagination Stage. I had Jason Krznarich build this monster and he delivered it to me to paint a couple of days before install. We had to go really slow down the GW parkway because Jason had the roof section on top of his pickup's roof rack, and it was just about 12'-8"....and the bridges on GW parkway are supposedly only 13' high!

Rapunzel Tower seen as you enter the building

There is talk of selling it to the highest bidder after Rapunzel closes...but we will likely have to destroy it...unless we can find someplace to put it up permanently...anyone want a tower in their backyard?

Rapunzel Tower as seen from halfway up the lobby stairs...

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

Thanks to everyone for such a great Sketching with Santa at the Palace of Wonders! The jokes were bad, the trivia hard, the models hot and the sketching plentiful! Devonshire Cream not only did us the honor of performing, but she is a top notch photographer to boot...Check out some of her photos from last nights event:

Santa, of course...

Gigi Holliday making all of the other Christmas trees green with envy...

And Devonshire Cream backstage (she cant really take photos of herself onstage, can she?)

If you have any more photos to pass along, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Come to think of it, if you sketched last night, and have a scan of a sketch you are particularly proud of, send that along too!

SKETCHING WITH SANTA NEXT WEDNESDAY! and willful ignorance...

NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Sketching with Santa at the Palace of Wonders! How could you miss the opportunity to:

A) Sketch beautiful women WHILST drinking beer
B) Have a private audience with SANTA six months before anyone else!
C) SAVE CHRISTMAS!

ARTISTS! SANTA NEEDS YOUR HELP! Snickelfritz, the "naughty" gift designing elf has taken ill, and Santa needs some fresh sexy designs for this holiday season. For inspiration, Santa has brought you two fresh burlesque performers to sketch. Bring your sketchpad, your sick little mind...and COME SAVE CHRISTMAS!
Christmas in July drink specials all night long! Hey, no artists materials that are too wet or messy. Leave the dirty stuff to us!

If you really need a FB invite, you can go here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136698756364178

To be honest, this Sketching with Santa gig has been a major component of my fever dreams during my recent bout of swine flu (turns out it was strep)...I would lay in bed, sweating through the sheets, imagining that I was stuck in a chimney, and that the gremlins were coming to get me!!!
Needless to say, I haven't been working on very much while I was sick. But what meager offerings I have are worthy of a bit of discussion. First, I started working on a new drawing that was going to be a preparatory drawing for a larger piece.

Bat out of Hell study
Pastel on Prepared Paper 14"x11"

I had the idea of making a real chaotic hell scene (the fever dreams again) where there were devils flying biplanes inside a cavern coated with suffering souls. So, I thought that one way of getting some movement into the piece was to have the planes follow a "flight path" through the cavern, with the foreground plane as a framing device for the rest of the scene. Unfortunately, the pastels are far too clunky for me to get the level of detail on such a small piece of paper. So this remains a study for a larger picture...

The other piece is really an experiment. I had been getting the notion that perhaps my work was losing some of its spontaneity and life. So, I decided to go back to some of my roots. That is, when I started making "art" with a purpose, in late high school, I would make things with a certain wonkyness. Really it was an attempt to convey a sense of aggression and expression to the mark making because I was riding high on all of the abstract expressionist art history I was absorbing...plus it felt good to stab at the canvas, and make bold marks. In the intervening years I dropped this method of mark making in favor of a tighter style (which is probably a consequence of feeling that I needed to prove that I could draw and paint more than I needed to prove that I could, er, emote) So, recently, I got the notion in my head that I should take a whack at trying to recapture that same feeling in my work now. I began working on a full sheet of 24"x36" BFK in pastel, directly from a still life I hastily set up (the skull with the fez is my "go to" still life setup...its cliche, even for me, but it dispenses with the "meaning" of the objects in the still life so I can get right down to business) and I began to attack the paper in the old way, without regard for proportion or draftsmanship.

Still Life with Kraken
Pastel on Paper 36"x 24"

In the end, I don't really know what to make of these results. I enjoy the directness of the process (I knocked this out in an hour and a half) and I even like the "willful ignorance" of the application of pigment...but there is, something about its lack of sincerity despite the fact that I was trying to be very sincere! I particularly like the passage with the bottle...its just enough to give you the idea that it is a clear bottle, while letting the viewer fill in the blanks...Expressionists and impressionists had results like these, but they were supposedly working from a framework of theory that gave their work a reason to look the way it did. I don't have any theory to fall back on (well, conscious theory) and yet wouldn't this somehow be a more "pure" expression of my mental state? Seeing as I freed my mind completely and went solely with "what feels right"?

Anyway, I'd be interested in what you think...does this mode of "expressionism" say something to you? Should I embrace the wonkyness? Am I barking up the wrong tree entirely?

SKETCHING WITH SANTA ANNOUNCED! LOTERIA ON THE 7th!

Last week I showed you the flyer for Sketching with Santa at the Palace of Wonders (July 28th) with some incorrect information...but this week I can show you the flyer with the correct, new and improved information! I realize that you will be bombarded with different requests to come to this event, from Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, CNN...so, I am giving you loyal readers of BTT the exclusive "first glimpse"...so MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

ARTISTS! SANTA NEEDS YOUR HELP! Snickelfritz, the "naughty" gift designing elf has taken ill, and Santa needs some fresh sexy designs for this holiday season. For inspiration, Santa has brought you two fresh burlesque performers to sketch. Bring your sketchpad, your sick little mind...and COME SAVE CHRISTMAS!
Christmas in July drink specials all night long! Hey, no artists materials that are too wet or messy. Leave the dirty stuff to us!

The other show that you should be looking at for the Palace of Wonders is Loteria De Amor (July 7th)...I have submitted the design for the Diablito Card, and will be represented alongside 53 of DC's best artists!

Loteria is the Mexican version of bingo and instead of being played with letters and numbers it’s played with pictures. For Loteria de Amor we’ve asked 54 celbutantes from the DC/Baltimore art world to either do their take on a traditional Loteria image or to come up with an image of their own invention. Among the local artists contributing images are: Tim Tate (el Corazon), Victoria F. Gaitán (la Sirena) and Philippa Hughes (la Surfista).

In between games, the Metro area’s biggest burlesque and vaudeville stars will perform acts based on the Loteria images. Loteria de Amor Numero Uno will feature Malibu, Mistress of Fire, Baltimore’s Boylesque sensation, Paco Fish (www.pacofish.net), and the star of DC’s Gurly Show, Coco Monroe (www.myspace.com/misscocomonroe).

New Directions, New Drawings

First off, I'd like to apologize for not getting a blog posting out last week. KT was in Chicago, and I was having a rough time getting work done because of missing her (ouch! I think I just caused a bit of tooth decay, due to extreme sweetness) Anyhoo, I had some time to think about my working practice, and actually do some experimentation, and I think I may be on to something...
I started to think about what bogs me down as an artist. There are two major things, Time management and presentation. My issue with time management is normally due to the fact that I am working on several shows at once and I find it hard to set aside time to make 2-d art (paintings and such)....well, I have started to realize that I need to start gearing my work towards the three hour window of time between when I get up in the morning and when I need to leave for work. If I cannot complete a major part of the artwork (if not the whole thing) in that three hour window, the project will probably not get done (that is, it will linger unfinished in the studio) So, I need to start thinking about artwork that can be completed in short bursts...

...which has led me to the idea of drawing. It works for me in short bursts and it doesn't require the kind of set up that painting does. I have made a few over the past week as a "proof of concept" and I am really liking the results. They may not be fully formed pieces of artwork just yet, but they are doing wonders for helping me organize my thoughts...and may eventually become paintings...

El Diablito (for the Loteria D'Amor at the Palace of Wonders)
Pastel and Color Pencil on paper 8"x10"

The first drawing I made was for the Loteria D'Amor at the Palace of Wonders starting on July 7th. Its going to be a game-show-come-Mexican-bingo-burlesque-event where local artists have created the images that are traditionally on the cards...I chose El Diablito (the Little Devil). I think he works on a number of levels, and was really fun to make. I should say a word about the technique here, I am kinda using a recipe that Scott Brooks hipped me to...I am using Fabriano paper, which is the same stuff my screenprints are made on, but I am preparing the ground with burnt umber watercolor. (Scott takes the extra step of adding stiffeners to the paper...I am still experimenting with that) and then I try to use that watercolor wash as the midtone in the drawing (between the dark of the black pastel pencil and the light of the white charcoal)

Untitled Tiki
Pastel on Paper 8"x10"

Here's an example of the midtone being the watercolor...whenever I start to experiment with a new process (or when I try to rediscover an old one) I can always turn to tiki....

Diablito with Grinder
Pastel and Color Pencil on Paper 8"x10"

Here I am experimenting with a much darker application of the ground. With obviously darker results. I kinda wanted to make a very old Europe looking drawing...kinda like an old Red Skelton painting...but intentionally creepy...

Draft of the flyer for Sketching with Santa at the Palace of Wonders

I also figured that I would try using this new technique for the flyer design for my upcoming show at the Palace of Wonders on July 28th...THIS IS NOT THE FINAL DESIGN...that is, the information on this picture is not the final, correct text (for example, I think it will be $10 at the door) Anyway, I think it sends the correct message about Sketching with Santa...it will be Christmas in July, and you will get to sketch burlesque beauties! Also, the "sketchy" look of the drawing gives artists (the ones for whom this event is targeted) an inspirational sketch...kinda like the drawing that is printed on the cover of a sketchbook...

So, lets see if I can keep running with this recent epiphany...Hopefully, I will have more to share with you next week!

MORE MONKEYS! S.A.N. and PEREZ REVIEWED

This week I will start with the Monkeys. Below is the next (number 2 of a proposed series of 12) Daredevil monkey painting watercolor sketch:

Watercolor Sketch of "Highwire Hi-jinx" (working title)
Watercolor on paper, 5"x7"

I am hoping to make twelve of these kinds of paintings. Mostly in order to stock up for Arts on Belmont (Adams Morgan Day) in September. Unfortunately I am the type of person that needs a deadline, so without a "show" to work towards, I just don't get anything done. So, hopefully I will be able to make 12 of these types of Daredevil monkey paintings by the 4th of July!

I have been starting with watercolor sketches in order to work out both composition and color scheme. I think that the major issue with this piece is that I needed to demonstrate that the monkeys were really high up...so I thought the inside of a tent, punctuated by tiny flags on the lowest register would help create a sense of height...and at the same time, be pretty neutral so that the background doesn't detract from the monkeys...Unfortunately, Watercolor is kinda unforgiving, so I wasn't able to tweak the background as much as I'd like. But it helps me get the problems identified, so I can work them out in paint...

Did you know that Scenery Appreciation Night (SAN) for PEREZ was this Saturday May, 22nd? Well, you should if you are a loyal reader of BTT...and you already have your tickets, right? If not, here's the address one more time: WWW.LANDLESSTHEATRECOMPANY.COM

We also have been getting some good reviews...particularly from DCTHEATRESCENE.COM

..From here, saving the universe doesn’t sound so far-fetched after all. It doesn’t hurt that the set by Jared Davis – a scenic little panorama of Los Angeles and its iconic landmarks – only comes up to waist-level, endowing the actors with Godzilla-sized stature. Talk about looking down on high society.

And also some praise from the actual writers of the show:

In terms of the physical production, we really loved the brilliant light-up Christmas village version of LA and the fun theatre tricks they were able to pull off in that small space! My favorite type of theatre is done for $100 on a stage the size of a postage stamp, so this was right up my alley.

Hope to see you on Saturday! And remember, we are going to the Girls Gone Gutter show at the Palace after PEREZ for the traditional "post show discussion with set designer Jared Davis"...

PEREZ OPENS, KNOEBELS and MORE MONKEYS!

I got a chance to watch the final dress rehearsal for Perez Hilton Saves the Universe or at least the greater Los Angeles area last night (while taking some photos) and I have to say that this will be a fun show to watch. Mostly if you are fan of the tabloids, like TMZ...or cant stand the cult of celebrity...It should be entertaining for both ends of the spectrum...

Here's a photo of the set at the DCAC (complete with Lady Ga Ga photo):

Perez Hilton...Production Photo
DCAC, Landless Theatre Company

So, just to hammer it home one more time, Scenery Appreciation Night is going to be Saturday May 22nd! And as a bonus, we are having the "post show discussion" at the Palace of Wonders, during the 11:30pm "Girls Gone Gutter" show! Hope to see you all there!

The rest of the week was dominated by last weekends mini-vacation to Knoebels...never heard of it? Check out their website or you can see all of the awesomeness they have to offer from their park map:And you can see that KT and I were having fun on the Ferris Wheel......despite the ubiquitous rusty bolts and whatnot, we managed to survive!

Now that I don't have any impending shows to design, or build, or paint...the first time in more than a year(!) I have started to think about making paintings again! In order to get back on the horse, I have decided to continue right where I left off with my Daredevil Monkey paintings!

Monkey Moonshot Watercolor Sketch
Watercolor on Paper 7"x5"

I have started to take KT's suggestion that Floyd (the monkey in charge of Fearless' exploits) be a tiny monkey. It changes the dynamic between the two characters a bit...More like the small dog and the big lug of a dog in the old Warner Bros cartoons. But, I'm okay with that...The two monkeys haven't really ever been the exact same two monkeys from painting to painting anyway. I like the idea that they are mailable, and can look different in each painting...It keeps these paintings from becoming too repetitious or cartoon-strip-like...

SECOND-TO-LAST-CHANCE TO SEE DIAMOND DEAD IN DC AREA BEFORE NYC

I finished the skulls and the header for Diamond Dead just in time for the Saturday show. I believe that it got their mojo back. They had a great audience (which is really important, because this show feeds off of the audience...literally and figuratively...) and there were almost no technical difficulties. The Sunday and the Wednesday 6pm shows went well too (despite the fact that these are some of the worst times of day to see a zombie rock band)...so, in short you have only one more opportunity to see Diamond Dead before they ship off for the NYCfringe....(well, technically, that is not 100% true...they are playing a gig on Friday, July 31 in Frederick MD...but details are still coming in about that gig) If you have any doubts, you should check out this review on the City Paper...

So, here are some up close and personal photos of the Skully additions to the DC Fringe Diamond Dead Set:

"Brains" Skully
Painted Luan cutout, aprox 24"x24"

"Fez" Skully
Painted Luan cutout, aprox 24"x24"

Here's a composite of all three pieces that I will probably put on to www.artbyjared.com because the photos from inside the tent all came out blurry...

Other exciting news this week includes a step forward for an October project (there are always way too many things going on in October!) that has been percolating for a while now...Hope Operas...It's a set of serialized plays that will be presented every Monday in the back room of Miss Pixies on 14th street during the month of October. The audience votes best show every night, and the proceeds go to the charity that is designated by the winning show. I'll be providing minimal scenery, and, er, logistical support...

ABJ productions had a productive meeting with Longview Gallery this week. We are looking into using their (yet to be completed) new space as the venue for Yuri's Night 2010! Things are still in the planning stages, but I am really hopeful that this works out because it is a really cool space, and it would be a really great fit for everyone...keep your fingers crossed!

Speaking of human spaceflight...we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the moon landing last Monday...I am still shocked that there wasn't a parade, or a national holiday...This is arguably just as momentous of an occasion as Columbus discovering America...and we get "Columbus Day" off...why isn't there an "Armstrong" day? I guess you'll just have to save up your celebratory fervor for Yuri's Night 2010!

Lastly, I wanted to mention that we (DC's burlesque scene) are saying goodbye to a great lady tonight...Bambi Bottoms Galore is moving up to NYC and we are having a sendoff for her tonight at the Palace of Wonders...So come on by and lets give her the sendoff she deserves!

Two weeks worth of postings...

Okay, so I am a slacker and I took a week off. I'm sorry. I have had trouble getting another post out because of the amount of time it takes for me to respond to all of the angry emails saying: "why didn't you post last week?" "I'm lost in this world without your blog!" "your lack of postings is causing the stock market collapse!"...so, again, I apologize.

The Dutch Oven Oktoberfest went splendidly. I was even publicly singled out as the creator of the backdrop...that showed some real class on the part of the Dutch Oven! Its not every day that I get applause for the work I do, and it really felt good to hear such enthusiastic support. (he says wiping tear from eye)...unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out so well...but hopefully some of the photographers at the show will start posting the images soon, and we can get a better pic than this one:

Dutch Oven Oktoberfest backdrop
Palace of Wonders, Acrylic on Black Velour
(now available for rent for your German themed party! I'll even paint you a new barrel head!)

Well, now since its October, the annual Halloween Party announcement should be making the rounds. This year's theme is Heart of Darkness, so I whipped up a heart eating monkey as this years logo:

Spooktacular IX, Heart of Darkness Logo
Watercolor and Photoshop

Some folks that wont be attending this years shin dig are our good friends Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey (they are training in the danger room in an undisclosed location in Vermont) but they have been able to keep the Halloween spirit nonetheless:

But more to the point, I will be designing a show for them when they return this winter. Here, is a sneak peek of the first sketches for this top secret show, codenamed "Mumbo"

Mumbo First Sketch
Watercolor on Paper, 12"x8.5"

Looking forward into the weeks ahead, I will be working on lots of elements for the Heart of Darkness, (there is lots planned, a spooky walkthru, a karaoke tent, a giant carnival game, etc) so, postings and sketches may be lost in the shuffle in the coming weeks (not to mention that President Harding is a Rock Star and a remount of Diamond Dead opens the same weekend as the party) so I will show you what I have, when I have it...like these sketches for some large velour tikis for the karaoke tent:

Heart of Darkness velour tiki designs
Watercolor on Paper 12"x8.5"

These are first sketches...and I may try to make them a bit spookier for the Halloween party (but then again, I like the idea of being able to use them at other tiki parties over the course of the year...) so they may need to be reworked a bit before I commit them to the full 8 feet of velour. I have tentatively named them (from Left to right) Fangs, Fezzy, Rummy and Doc.

Barracks Row, and Ocktoberfests!

This week I am looking forward to finishing the "tent" season for art. I know, I only will have done two this year...but its really taxing, physically and mentally, being outside with your artwork all day, hoping that someone comes along and "gets it"...So, I will have one more this year, tomorrow, at the Barracks Row Oktoberfest. (8th St SE)

The Barracks Row Oktoberfest did inspire me to create at least one more velvet painting. I have been thinking of cool still life subjects that would translate well onto velvet, and I stumbled upon two pieces of hawaiiana that any tikiphile will recognize from their own collections...the ubiquitous Giant Tiki Fork and Spoon...

Velvet Fork and Spoon
12"x24" Acrylic on Black Velvet

Last Friday I talked to Lil' Dutch at the Yard Dogs concert at the Birchmere; and we discussed a project for her upcoming Oktoberfest show at the Palace of Wonders. She suggested that I create some scenery for the show, preferably something I could also rent out to OomPa bands during October when her show was over (slight tangent here...Remember Blobs Park closing? well check this out!) So, I spent the past few nights creating this:

Dutch Oven Oktoberfest Drop
8' X 8' (with 4' X 8' changeable "barrel lid" drop behind) Acrylic on Black Velour

Using the same velour I have been using since Diamond Dead, I have tried to paint a cute Oktoberfest scene. The problems that started to arise as I painted were that the skin tones kinda read as perhaps they are not Germans, but Black folk...This is mostly due to the nature of the "velvet painting" technique. But it is also compounded by the fact that I cannot build up heavy layers of paint onto a drop that needs to be folded and stored for a year at a time. So, unfortunately, the best I can do is try to make the whole thing look kinda dark, in the hopes that the skin tone will read as brightly as possible. The other factor was the Fraulein. She needed to be kinda sexy for the burlesque show, but also kinda innocent looking for potential OomPa bands in the future...I think I did okay trying to strike a balance...but at the same time, I think that I should have had a more solid model in mind, instead of trying to rely on my instincts to achieve this result. In any event, you should come out to see the show next week, The Dutch Oven, Friday October 3rd at the Palace of Wonders.

Loveseat Photos and More Velvet

Thanks to everyone for making the first appearance of the Reverend Loveseat, at Dr. Sketchy's such a success. L'il Dutch and Sugar Ann Spice were just fantastic, and there was a pretty good turnout of sketchers...if you have any good photos (or scans of particularly good sketches) send them along and I will post them here!

The good Reverend preachin' from the good book of bad jokes

This photo says it all...it was a very good night!

Hopefully we can talk the Palace of Wonders into doing another Dr. Sketchy's in February...we were even reviewed...

Just after posting the previous post I went to see the Jerry Springer Opera at Studio. It was some of the best theater I have seen Studio do. In fact, the guy who plays the "warm up guy" role (and another role, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you) is top of the list for my nominations for a Helen Hayes Award...(if I could vote)

On a personal note, my Mother was in town for a recertification class (something epidemiologists need to do from time to time, I guess) and we got a chance to check out the bonsai gardens at the National Arboretum...

Mom and lots of really old, tiny trees

I can also report that progress has been made on Forum. Well, carpentry at least...

Funny...Forum carpentry progress. Lycus' house and Senex's house

And that the Planet Arlington World Playground backdrops are also in full swing (I should have final shots next week)

World Playground drop progress (Stage Right panel shown)
"World" is on its side because the shop ceiling is 11' tall, and the panel is 12' tall...

And Lastly, I have made a few more velvet paintings on the road to the Arts on Belmont art fair...

Robot 0010
Acrylic on Black Velvet, 8"x10"

Tiki Mug 1
Acrylic on Black Velvet, 8"x10"

Tiki 1
Acrylic on Black Velvet, 8"x10"

I'm having a really good time exploring black velvet as a painting surface. (let me just say again that it is very hard to get an idea of what these paintings look like "in the flesh" from these photos...my mother, a woman not given to hyperbole, described them as "lush") It really seems to combine all of the things I love about painting, and it has held my interest very well in the past week or so. Four paintings into this project and I am learning all sorts of neat tricks and getting a good feel for where I will want to go...I had a painting teacher, the late, great Al Loving who once said to me that "...the great thing about Art is that it asks you a question, once you try to answer that question it just leads you to other questions..." That is how I am feeling about these paintings. I am looking forward to going a bit larger, and perhaps less quickly once the art fairs are over...

REV. LOVESEAT PREMIERE PERFORMANCE THIS SUNDAY!!!!

I hope you all are as excited as I am for this Sunday's Dr. Sketchy's...It promises to be a really great show...L'il Dutch is going to be debuting new material, and Sugar Ann Spice has a got a surprise or two in store as well...I hope that the Rev. Loveseat catches the spirit for this late night Sunday service....

In other news, this week saw the annual Yard Sale...a huge success and even quite profitable for some involved...start saving up your stuff to sell next year! (I'm talking to you, silver Christmas caribou)

I've stapled down and started to prime the Planet Arlington World Playground drops (remember those?) and will have lots of progress photos next time.

The other major development this week was of a more painterly nature. Ever have one of those painting moments where you made something and you think you have a whole new avenue open up? Well I had one of those moments this week. I have been agonizing over producing enough artwork for the Arts on Belmont in Adams Morgan (September 14th) (and I am also participating in the Barracks Row Oktoberfest the following week...September 27th) and I have had a hard time coming up with a reasonable game plan for producing enough work to fill the tent. Out of the blue, this little painting popped up:

VELVET ROBOT 0001
Acrylic on Velvet, 8"x10"

What makes him so great is something that you wont be able to find on your computer screen...the background "clouds" were created using a stencil process, but using really thick blue metallic paint. The juxtaposition of this shiny (and hard to photograph) thick surface texture and the matte, light sucking darkness of the velvet really appeals to me. The fact that I have been painting really large velvet paintings all summer has really prepared me for this sort of painting, and the goopy stencil process is a great stand-in for my cut paper process that I love so dearly...Anyway, what I have planned is a whole slew of this sort of work over the next month which has got me really inspired and excited (lately I have had too much going on to be either of those things...)

Lastly, I am going to see Studio's production of Jerry Springer: the Opera tonight...I'll send along a full report for all of you poor souls that don't have $45 a ticket to shell out...(it will be much cheaper when Landless does it, I promise)