STRUCK NOW OPEN--Mark your calendars, Opening Party July 25, 7-10pm!!!!!

As many of you have heard, my solo show, STRUCK: Scenic Remnants by Jared Davis opens tonight. Well, that is, everything is installed and available to be seen, probably while you are attending a Capital Fringe show at the Warehouse. But the announcement for the opening party is still in the works (in case you didn't read the title, the opening party is Friday July 25th, 7-10 pm). I have created a postcard for the event, and have sent it to the printers, check it out:

Front of Struck Card

Back of Struck Card

Special for the loyal readers of BTT, I am also posting some shots of the exhibition, shot moments after installation:

Warehouse Gallery installation of Struck (looking towards mainstage)

Warehouse Gallery installation of Struck (looking towards 7th street)

I know what you are thinking, "why is the bar covered up, and why didn't you hang more art on the bar?" Well, rest assured, the bar will be open (beer and wine) during the Fringe Festival...so you will be able to enjoy my work in some of its proper context...

I have also created an artist's statement (heavily edited by my lovely wife...who has fortunately stopped me from sounding like a pompous artsnob...) that I will post at the end of this posting. It will help clarify any misunderstandings about the show. Things like, is this art or scenery? Are you selling this? Will the DIAMOND DEAD performance after the opening party be free? (no, so get your tickets now!)

Speaking of DIAMOND DEAD...

Top of coffin...and the logo for DIAMOND DEAD...

The load in went well enough...some of the scenery didn't fit, or was too complex for the fifteen minutes allotted for setup between shows, so not everything was used. But Skull-Elvis made the cut:

Skull-Elvis drop for DIAMOND DEAD
Painted Black Velour, 8'x8'

Shot of DIMOND DEAD rehearsal after load in...wicked!

DIAMOND DEAD should be a great show, so don't wait until the Struck opening party to go, because they are apt to sell out once they get some press...you can get tickets here

This coming week I have my preliminary sketches due for Funny...Forum, and I also hope to be farther along with a sex machine logo...but until then, enjoy the Struck Artist's Statement:

STRUCK:

Scenic Remnants by Jared Davis

ARTIST STATEMENT

This show is a bit of an odd duck; it’s not very often you see an art exhibition devoted to leftover scenery. The work for this show has been given the theatrical equivalent of a “stay of execution”…after the final curtain call, they were struck from the stage but not sent directly to the dumpster. Instead, I packed these representative pieces in my truck to be saved for later, reworked, or used again. I did not anticipate that they would be hung in a gallery, but here we are!

The art exhibited was created with a different set of rules than usual gallery pieces. They were created to be seen under colored lights, behind actors, and from at least ten feet away. Additionally, they have been around the block, some to several venues. Consequently, I ask that you consider the occasional scuff mark and the bits of ground-in glitter makeup as part of their charm.

For every piece in this exhibit, there are dozens more that have been lost or re-painted. There are also a few who have made it in the hands of collectors. For example, one part of a Lobsterboy Revue set is now a headboard for a waterbed. Another is hanging in the Silver Spring Piratz Tavern. And others have tripped to places like Playa del Fuego.

I have been working and living in DC since 1999. In the usual gallery/art show context, my work is best known for small paintings that frequently feature Tikis and Monkeys. I don’t make a distinction between my work for the stage and my work for the gallery. To me, it’s all painting. The main difference is scale.

I would like to thank the Rupperts who have supported my work in both contexts, as painter and as Scenic Designer. I am thrilled that Molly invited me mount this show during the Capital Fringe Festival. I have a connection with this festival having designed shows for fringe over the past two years. Since I tend to paint in a “lowbrow” style, I also seek out theater that aligns with that sensibility, I believe that this exhibition, like this festival, suits an unconventional crowd.

Lastly, I would like to thank my amazing wife as well as the theater groups and performers who give me opportunities to think and paint BIG.

-Jared Davis

A sexy logo, DIAMOND DEAD skulls & I have a solo show! (sorta)

Do you ever say to yourself, "I wish there were a embarrassment free way to buy condoms"?...well fear not, the good people at Sex Machine Vending are coming to your rescue. They have recently contracted me to take a whack at designing a logo for their upcoming line of condom vending machines. This logo will not only be on the machines (and the letterhead and t-shirts and whatnot) but it will be on the boxes too...(I know my, er, chest will swell with pride every time I see the logo on the box, just before I use their product!) Anyway, my task is actually to revamp the existing logo, which is a punk rock girl straddling a (oddly) downward flying rocket...So, the first line of reasoning I went through was to try to rework the, er, symbolism of the logo, and focus more on the name of the company...here's the first greenlighted sketch:

Sex Machine Vending Logo Sketch
Pencil on paper, 6"x8"

That's right, I went the sexy android route...Ive sold them on the concept, now I have to do the heavy lifting of finding the right pose and style (and probably reintroduce the rocket...but perhaps in a more subtle role) So, as this project progresses, I will be posting updates...I figure you will probably be finding these in your neighborhood bar sometime this Fall...

Progress on DIAMOND DEAD has moved apace...as of publication of this post I have completed the two front "skull" draperies in last weeks design:

Stage Right Skull, DIAMOND DEAD DC FRINGE 2008

Acrylic on Black Velour, 8'x12'Stage Left Skull, DIAMOND DEAD DC FRINGE 2008

Acrylic on Black Velour, 8'x12'

These have been really fun to paint, but I confess, that the time frame is really quick (even for me) because we are loading the show in on Saturday! I still have two more to paint (the devil and the skull-Elvis in the upstage part of the design) and I will be rushing because of the fourth of July Holiday...I also made progress on the only piece of carpentry in the show, the 12 foot high coffin entrance:

Coffin Entrance, DIAMOND DEAD DC FRINGE 2008
Wood, 12'x5'

This is shown laying on its side, and partially folded...I made it hinge so that it could be stored easier at the Warehouse, because there are a zillion other groups performing at DC Fringe, and they all need to store scenery too...

The last bit of news may be the biggest. I am going to have a solo show. Well, sorta. Molly Ruppert called and asked if I wanted to have an art show in the Warehouse during Fringe. Of course I said yes (even though I am neck deep in building stuff for fringe and all of my current inventory of work has been depleted by Art-o-Matic...) So I am going to install a "retrospective" of scenery that I have painted for Burlesque events over the years. So, its kinda a solo show, kinda a retrospective, kinda scenic painting samples...What I need to do is come up with a snappy title for the show and send out invites for an "opening"...next week...