Good Photos of Super Secret Show! Mermaid not so much...

So our good friends at Furcafe have just posted some great photos of Trixie's Super Secret Show! I've pulled the best ones of the scenery (natch) Enjoy:

This one is my favorite, its got all of the silliness and Film Noir mood rolled into one!

Unfortunately Furcafe did not seem to make it to the Virgin Festival, so the only documentation I could find of the Mermaid Misting Tent was from random people on Flickr:

Because it was so misty, the above photo is what most people's photos looked like...How was I to know that it would be so misty in a misting tent? At least I polycryliced the heck out of those flats...they are probably warped real good now!

To complete this post, I'll briefly tell you that we got the Buick back from North Carolina...and KT is looking at trading it in ASAP (something about being an "old lady car"...she might be having a "30's" crisis...so I'll cut her some slack)

I also painted out the rabbit on the Palace of wonders sign, in preparation to paint "Al the cat" in its place...more on this as it develops...And lastly, I'll tease you with this fragment of a design I am working on for another (not Trixie related) secret...

Feels like I am slacking...

I don't know why I have been going around feeling like I have been slacking this past week. I guess it was the fact that I didn't have any extremely pressing deadline to meet. Upon reflection, I did get a few things done this week after all.
First, I was able to chip away at the tattoo I have been working on. I don't know if I will be able to get a final design to him before burning man, but I think some large strides were made.

Tattoo Sketch
Photoshop, 3"x5"

I am getting close to the end on this design. I need to redraw the whole thing so that the tattoo artist can translate it into his medium...

This week also saw the completion of the Joseph... model. I did a 1/8" scale model of the set to show the producing staff on Saturday. Unfortunately, I don't have the model anymore, because I gave it to the director to show the cast, and I didn't take any pictures. I did, however, start a Vectorworks drawing of the set:

Joseph and the... Technical Drawings
Vectorworks, 1/8"=1'

TAP loaded into the shop on Tuesday, so that means that we are swinging into high gear for this production...expect pictures of progress over the next month and a half.

Speaking of theater, I have accepted the set design role for Batboy the Musical, with Landless Theater Co. (the same people who brought you Cannibal the Musical and Night of the Living Dead) at the DCAC. The tricky part is that Batboy opens the same day as Joseph...

This past weekend Hal and Ellen were in town. A good time was had by all...I even feel that they might have left too soon...

And lastly, I started work on a project that I have been putting off for far too long. I traded some jewelry for a painting. Well, a commission for a painting, Of Sandy's dog, Ralph. I decided to try to tackle the project in oil, a medium befitting portraiture of such a noble beast...I blocked in the color this morning:

Portrait of Ralph, in progress
Oil on Canvas, 36"x30"

Tune in next week to hear the travails of "the expedition of the Buick Century!"

Mermaid o' the Mist

Another whirlwind weekend. This Saturday I got to see the scenery for the super secret show in action at the Warehouse. My pictures are really crappy though...and I seems that I will have to wait for better pictures from the official Fringe photographer...which means I shouldn't hold my breath. Its a good thing I took those photos in the shop... the ones I posted last week...

Production photo of Trixie's Super Secret Show at the Warehouse Theater
This is the best I could get, without disrupting the show

I would like to make it clear that the show was friggin' FANTASTIC. I think that they should tour this puppy around the country, it was that good. (if they do that, I will have to talk to them about doing a program for the show...so I can see my name in print as the "set designer"...but I take no credit for the desk....)

Anyway, after the super secret show, we went to Deb's housewarming party in Germantown. (we missed the opening of the splashpark around the corner of or house) and returned kinda late to the closing party for Art in Heat. We had to leave early from that because we needed some shuteye for the Yard Sale on Sunday. The Yard Sale made us some money, and got rid of lots of stuff, which can be counted as an overall success. That evening KT and I crashed hard, so we missed one of the many "farewell to the Warehouse" evenings. But that farewell was to be short lived for me, because on Monday night I accompanied Scott in the process of taking down all of the art in heat artwork and redistributing it to the artists. We joke about not wanting to do another one next year, but I think we might do another one...just you wait...(I also used this uncertainty to start rumblings about Yuri's Night 08)

So then the marathon effort of getting the Mermaid Misting tent backdrop made started. Yes, I was able to complete the project in under a week...and all told, perhaps only two days! The idea for the tent was to have some sort of underwater scene. So I wracked my brain for underwater imagery and came up with the idea of having Poseidon watersking on crocodiles. I did a quick sketch, and the rest fell into place...

Poseidon Riding Crocs

Pastel on black paper, 12"x16"

I was going to do this on three flats, the 4'x7' flats left over from Bill Crandall's Chernobyl show, hinged together. So I had to change to proportion of Poseidon a little bit, But all of the other elements seemed to fall into place...

Left Panel (Poseidon) of Mermaid backdrop

4'x7', Acrylic on LuanCenter Panel (Moai) of Mermaid Backdrop

4'x7', Acrylic on Luan

Right Panel (Diver) of Mermaid Backdrop
4'x7', Acrylic on Luan

And here's the finished product standing in the shop:Mermaid Misting Tent Backdrop
12'x7', Acrylic on Hinged Luan Panels

So, go on out to the Virgin Festival this weekend, and get cool at the misting tent!

Next week, I will have photos of the model for Joseph...and they start building in the shop!

Super Secret Show opens, Art in Heat Closes

This week has been dominated by getting the Super Secret Show up off the ground. I spent the large part of Saturday painting the show(basically Noon to Midnight...which isn't bad on a Saturday because I get to hear the whole Saturday lineup on WETA, which is great...except for "the splendid table", but I digress...)

Gun and Hooch flats for Trixie's Super Secret Show

11'x7' cutout luan, Hinged in the middle

Owl and Phone Flats for Trixie's Super Secret Show
8'x7' cutout luan, Hinged in the middle

Progress shot of Super secret backdrop being painted flat in scene shop
12'x12' Muslin Backdrop

Hopefully this week I will be getting some production shots of the show...but its going to be difficult because the Fringe festival has events booked back to back...

I am going to start work this week on a backdrop for Trixie, in her mermaid persona, for the Virgin Festival. She's given me free reign over the design, which she may live to regret...of course, this is due by a week from Friday (Aug 3rd), so the next pictures I will have for you is of the finished product.

I had some good news on the Palace of Wonders front. I had a sit down with Erik, and he enthusiastically agreed that a "quarterly" design arrangement would be best for the valance project. So you can expect me to kvetch about designing and painting another valance every three months or so...

I also made some progress on a tattoo I am designing for Dustin. He wants to have a matchbox on his arm, and he has asked me to design the cover. The matches are for a mythical motel (perhaps mythical is not the right word...perhaps existential is better) called "the Chaos Motel".

Chaos Motel Tattoo Design
Photoshop Sketch

This is really a process sketch, so don't look at it as done in any significant way. I will be adding monkeys and babes, and alligators to the pool...I need to move a bit faster, however, because he wants to have it in place (on his arm) in time for Burning Man...

This weekend we can look forward to two significant events. First, our annual "purge" yard sale. This year we will be having it at Blair and Gwen's place (3210 38th St. NW...near the Cathedral) on Sunday 8am-3pm...come on by and take some of our crap back to your house!

And Lastly, all good things must come to an end!

Closing Reception for Art in Heat: Saturday, July 28

It’s the last week for Art in Heat, and we’re having a closing reception this Saturday, July 28 from 7 - 9pm. Swing by and join us for one last hurrah!

The Capital Fringe Festival is going strong. There are several events at the Warehouse itself, so catch a Fringe show and stop by before or after.

Alert your procrastinating friends, and come on out.

Warehouse Arts Complex
1021 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-783-3933

Letting you in on a secret...

Right off the bat I'd like to admit that I have not had it together enough to submit anything for the DCAC Wall Mountables show. Which is a shame because I probably wont remember to renew my membership this year without being in the show...Oh well, I still encourage everyone to go out an see this show, because there is always a great selection of artists, and it is good to support the DCAC in general.

I do have pictures to show of progress on the two other things I mentioned at the end of the last post. I have gotten over the first design "hump" for Joseph...

Joseph and the... TAP, Thomas Jefferson Theater
Photoshop Sketch of Pharaoh number

The director seemed to like my concepts for the entire show. He seems to have a good sense of humor, and wants to the show to be "Vegas/circus"...so that's what I'm shooting for with these quick photoshop sketches. I have developed a shorthand for sketching with photoshop that sometimes feels like cheating, but to be honest, it really speeds up workflow, and generates more ideas. Lots of people (like Ming Cho Lee, and other old guard theater fuddy duddies) are against using the computer as a tool in design. I can see where they are coming from with lots of people who design everything in CAD, because their work looks stilted and mechanized, but that is not what I am doing. I don't think its wrong to use the computer as the best-est collage tool ever. For someone like me who cant work if something becomes precious (by slaving over a drawing for example) its great to have a medium that can be undone, and rescaled, flipped, distorted, recolored and filtered without losing any of the work. I would go mad if a director wanted to change something in a design I spent three days inking...with this process, that is no longer an issue. So its not really cheating, its just a new tool; and my only sin is showing the process to you, and everyone else on the interwebs...

The other show that I have been working on this week (and I hope to have finished and installed by Monday...goodbye weekend!) is Trixie Little's Super Secret Show for the Fringe Festival

Backdrop design for Super Secret Show
Photoshop sketch for 12'x12' drop (Trixie and Monkey added for scale)

Hooch and Gun masking flats
Pencil Sketch and Photoshop

This should be a fun show. It was kinda last minute (everything with Trixie is...) (actually that is not entirely true. If we do have a concept early, it never seems to get enough steam to get off the ground...) Its a "Film Noir" show, which has a "body cavity search" effect...can you guess what is going in that big blank space on the backdrop? Anyway, I better get back to making this show a reality...Next week, I'll show you finished photos and let you know about the "Mermaid" backdrop I will be working on for the Virgin festival...

Photopalooza!

I have been really busy these last few weeks (months really) and I know you have noticed a significant decline in the quality of the reportage here at BTT. I would like to apologize. I promise to have more time to whine about my personal artistic crises in the coming weeks, especially since Art in Heat has moved into the "exhibition only" phase. Which is to say, if you missed any of the events I will be showing pictures of, you can still see the show, that is, the artwork, between now and the 30th (did I mention that Art in Heat got a mention on the Kojo Namdi show today?)

So I will try to be roughly chronological with the pictures of the show, starting with the opening:

Picture of the display window in front of the warehouse on 7th st NW...can you make out the severed panda head on a fork?

Random crowd shot at the start of the opening. (DJ ADAM and DJ AMOL are apparently kicking out the mellow tunes at this point.) We had a good crowd of people throughout the night. In fact we broke some sort of record with the warehouse for bar sales! To be sure, this wasn't your typical DC Gallery going crowd!

Yours truly, stopping briefly to lend a reassuring smile...

Wanna buy anything? Just ask Kate!Scott (big chief curator) Brooks poses with some of the shows artists, Emily and Candy...

So then one week later, we did it all again (sorta) with the Dr. Sketchy's show!

Elvis, Lil' Dutch, Bambi Galore and Buster Hymen all pose at the end of the night while some of DC's best artistic talent attempts to capture the moment on paper...

It was a religious experience, I tell ya...

These are just some of the photos that helped capture the last two weeks of Art in heat craziness...if you have any of your own that you would like to share, please drop me a line.

I hesitate to mention it here, because of a certain conflict of interests I feel about this, however, if you are a regular reader of BTT you will know that I have been trying to get my "Valance" concept off the ground at the Palace of Wonders. Well, as it turns out, they were having their one year anniversary on the same day as the Art in Heat opening...and they asked me to do an anniversary valance for it. Here's a photo of the result in the shop:

And here's one of it installed at the POW

I took it down today, with the intention of repainting the rabbit, substituting the bars cat "Al" in his place. If I understand correctly, you might be able to get a T-Shirt with this image on it in the very near future. I'll keep you posted.

Hopefully by this time next week, I will have some good updates about, Wallmountables at the DCAC, Joseph... and Trixie's Super Secret Show for Fringe!

Dr Sketchys THIS SATURDAY JULY 7th

As part of Art in Heat, there will be a Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School this Saturday night at the Warehouse. Hosted by Elvis, the “Red King” (yours truly) and featuring Bambi Galore and Lil’ Dutch. The show starts at 7, and drawing continues until 11:30. There will be drawing contests and drink specials, and everyone is invited to stay after Dr. Sketchy for karaoke with Elvis.

Space is limited, but you can buy tickets online now and reserve a spot via the Art in Heat website: www.artinheat.com

Date: Saturday, July 7
Time: 2 Sessions! Act I: 7-9pm, Act II: 9:30-11:30pm
Place: Warehouse Second Stage
Cost: $8 for each session or $10 for both

Email info@artinheat.com if you have any questions.

art by Alan Defibaugh

FAQ (courtesy of www.drsketchy.com)

How is Dr. Sketchy’s different from a normal life drawing class?

In normal life classes, silent students sit in a silent room and draw a bored, oft-uninteresting model. In Dr. Sketchy’s we’ve got bodacious burlesque queens as models. We’ve got ridiculous art contests (best incorporation of a woodland animal? Best imagined costume?), good music and flashy prizes. We’ve got a selection of posh beverages- alcoholic and not- available to buy.

At Dr. Sketchy’s, we don’t care if you picked up a pad yesterday or 50 years ago. Come to drink or to draw. We’re happy to have you.

What mediums can I use?

All dry mediums are okay, as are dip pens and a neat watercolour sets. Oil paints, messy mediums and stinky mediums are not okay. Please don’t cause a mess. Sharpen your pencils over the garbage can.

Are there easles? Tables? Sketchpads?

The Warehouse has a few tables. All seating is first come, first served.

ART IN HEAT!

Join an eclectic mix of 18 emerging and established artists from the DC area, as well as The Lobsterboy Revue for Art in Heat! Opening night festivities are June 30, 7pm, at the Warehouse and will run late into the hot summer night. Lobsterboy will be on hand at 8pm and 11pm with his “Tiki Party from Hell.” DJ Adam will be keeping the party going in the upstairs gallery.

The selected artists represent the best of DC’s Outsider, Lowbrow, and Pop Surrealist artists. They’re notable for creating work that’s fun, twisted, sexy, and just plain wrong. Featuring: Ed Bisese, Chris Bishop, Scott G. Brooks, Lisa Brotman, Anna U. Davis, Jared Davis(yours truly), Alan Defibaugh, Margaret Dowell, Dana Ellyn, Gregory Ferrand, Linas Garsys, Laurel Hausler, Candace Keegan, John Lancaster, Emily Greene Liddle, Albert Schweitzer, Matt Sesow, and Ben Tolman.

On Saturday, July 7th, join us again for “A Very Special Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School.” Bring your sketchpad and twisted little mind for an evening of art and burlesque.

Art in Heat will unofficially kick-off this year’s second annual Capital Fringe, which opens July 19th along the 7th Street corridor. The Warehouse is a popular venue and meeting place for Fringe, and Art in Heat is the perfect appetizer.

Visit www.artinheat.com for more information and to see selected pieces from the exhibit. A complete gallery of the work will be online by June 29th.

Art in Heat
June 30 – July 30, 2007

Opening Reception
Saturday, June 30; 7pm–11pm

The Lobsterboy Revue presents “Tiki Party from Hell”
Starring Swami Yomahmi, Sugar Ann Spice, L’il Dutch, Bambi Galore, and many more.
Saturday, June 30; 2 shows, 8 pm & 11pm
Tickets: $12 available only at the door

A Very Special Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School
Hosted by Elvis "the Red King" (yours truly again) and featuring Bambi Galore, and Lil Dutch.
Saturday, July 7; in two sessions, Act I: 7pm-9pm, Act II: 9:30pm-11:30pm
Tickets: $8 for each session or $10 for both – limited seating – tickets will be available online.

Warehouse Arts Complex
1021 7th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Hukilau is History, here comes Art In Heat!

So I am really sorry about not getting more posts in before Hukilau, but it really was a rough time. I am glad to report that Kate's foot is on the mend, our bathroom is done, I sold lots at Hukilau, and I am ready and refreshed for Art in Heat!

So I'll just jump into the slide show of the trip:This is Mark and Amy's Airstream, which graciously hauled my stuff down to hukilau...its a pretty sweet ride, pictured here at "south of the border" (see the sombrero observation deck in the background?)
This is a photo of the booth. Its more impressive in the flesh, but we didn't get any complaints. I had three category of things for sale, Paintings, Screenprints, and MR TIKIHEADs. (I guess I can let the cat out of the bag now about MR. TIKIHEAD...its a magnet set that is like Mr. Potatohead, because you can move the features around and create your own tikis. They made their debut at Hukilau, but I hope to have them for sale soon at www.mrtikihead.com.)
If you want one now, you can always contact me directly @ Jared@artbyjared.com (they'll only set you back $10...What a bargain!)

Our booth was set up directly across from the esteemed witchdoctor Dr. CARDOO. He helped cure KT's foot (he said something about her foot being "good stock for soup", whatever that means...He's available for parties, oddly enough here)We were also set up next to a couple who go throughout Polynesia and get the "real deal" tikis...I had to have this one:I don't know what to call him, but he will find a place of honor in our house! (I still need to call them to ask about the provenance, but I believe he is from New Guinea...)

There were so many great things that happened at Hukilau, I can't really expound on them all here, so I will just sum it up by saying that we will be making the trek next year!

So now that Hukilau is behind me, its time to start working on Art in Heat! Here's just a taste of the upcoming scenery for the Lobsterboy show on opening night!I'll have progress reports this time next week, to let you know all about Art in Heat, Palace of Wonders, Joseph, and my debut at Dr. Sketchy's as "the Red King"...

DubbleWhammy...

What a weekend! I'm sorry that there is no picture this week, but these last few days have really taken it out of me... Our bathroom remodel is behind schedule, we are living at a friends house, my wife has a broken foot, and my studio is full of drywall...(the wedding and pirate party were lovely, thank you very much!)

But all is not lost! I am currently working on purses (yes purses) for Hukilau, and I fully anticipate being back in the swing of things by this time next week (I will have to, seeing as I leave for Hukilau in 14 days!)

Until then, please, enjoy the toilet you have, and watch your step!

Calm between storms

So this past weekend might go down in the books for me...I had an opening, saw two movies, (Shrek the third, 28 weeks later) a blowout bachelor party, and closed down Art-o-Matic...Wait till you hear about this weekend!

One of my final acts during Art-o-Matic was to distribute the redesigned Art in Heat cards:

Whaddyathink of the redesign? I think landscape helps make the panda look more appetising!

So the opening went well, no sales, but I don't think that the WPAC crowd really gets where I am coming from...they all seemed pretty serious about their art (not that one shouldn't be serious about their art, lord knows I am, but one should not take oneself too seriously) In any event, all of the pieces are still for sale, so get them now, before they leave for Hukilau!
Over the weekend I started toying with doing some more monkey paintings...this is kinda a fork in the road for me, I feel I have lots to say with these monkeys, but I need to make more tiki themed work for Hukilau...so I need to start finding ways to incorporate more obvious tikiness with these monkeys...so I will share a sketch I am working on, of monkeys on a vespa (I feel that vespas are very "mid century" but not necessarily tiki, but I might put a tiki amulet around one of the monkeys, to hammer home the point)

Sketch for Monkey Vespa painting

So on Saturday I attended a very wild bachelor party. I got really twisted and had to spend the whole next day running away from a hangover...So there was appropriate self loathing for not getting more work done. You see, I have about two good work weeks before Hukilau, and I don't have time for hangovers! (this is also the time my wife and I have decided {actually our contractor decided} to remodel our bathroom. What were we thinking?) I don't have a minute to spare between now and when I load up the airstream and head south! Be forewarned, I will be doing very short BtT entries over the next few weeks, please don't take it personally...

On Monday I attended the preliminary production meeting for Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, an Arlington Players production that I am the granted service for. (if you are experiencing deja vu, it is because I did the same show last summer at Imagination Stage) It seems like the director wants to go in a direction I will enjoy, but I just don't know about how much time I have to devote to it between now and July.

Speaking of not enough time, Trixie has started to rope me into helping decorate for the one year anniversary of the opening of the Palace of Wonders...looks like I will be getting to do that valance after all!

This weekend will be a crazy one too...tonight we have the rehearsal dinner, tomorrow the wedding, our bathroom will be demolished all weekend, I'm going to set up for making some Hukilau screenprints, Mark is having a "pirate" themed birthday party, and Dan wants to BBQ, and I am scheduling myself to make half a dozen monkey paintings...no rest for the wicked...and I have apparently been very wicked....

WPAC 9x10 Opening this FRIDAY!

So this past week has really been a kick in the pants. I went into high gear trying to paint (and cut) at least four of my "Sea Monkey" paintings, as I outlined in my previous post. Well, as it seems to happen in many painting projects, we didn't end up exactly where we expected. What really happened was that I was cutting out monkeys, and then pasting down the "positive" to a canvas board, and pasting the "negative" to black paper. I didn't want to go blindly into the paintings, so I started doing "color studies" in pastel pencil and color pencil...In the end, I wound up with six color drawings, and no paintings to show. I am, however, very happy with the result, and I hope that these are great starts on a whole new vein of work for me. So, without further adieu, these are the six drawings in the 9x10 show:

Shore Leave
Color Pencil on Cut Paper, 11"x14"


Periscope
Pastel on Cut Paper, 8"x10"


Sonar
Pastel on Cut Paper, 8"x10"


Smashed
Color Pencil on Cut Paper, 8"x10"


Coconut Monkey
Color Pencil on Cut Paper, 8"x10"


The Diplomat
Color Pencil on Cut Paper, 11"x14"

Please let me know what you think of this new direction, and please come out to see the work in person! You can get more info about the show here.

On the Academic front, Here is the final photo of the last pose in Academic portrait painting:

Academic Portrait painting
Third model, final state

Mai Tais and semester bye byes

What do a Pineapple, Green Drink Monkey and a disembodied tongue have in common?

Well, dear BTT readers, are getting a sneak peek at the next big thing in kitchen decor...Stay tuned for the grand unveiling! (Needless to say, much of my week has been taken up with this thing!)

Friday was "Meet the Artist" night at ArtoMatic. Aloha to everyone who attended. I understand that, in a very unscientific poll, the Mai Tai was named as best free beverage...EVER! In the crush of art aficionados, I was able to expound on my art theory, and why it is that I am drawn to painting Bears and Monkeys...I even sold a painting that didn't even have any monkeys or bears. (Frog prince, for those who are counting, has a frog and a tiki...)

On Saturday, most of my day was taken up with setting up and tearing down the mobile stage for the Gin Blossoms. I didn't see the show, so don't ask. I was a bit grumpy because when I said I would be there for strike, I didn't know that I would be missing the Mayweather Vs. De La Hoya fight...Turns out, I was able to catch the last four rounds standing on my tip-toes looking into an Ethiopian restaurant on 28th St, at 12:30 at night...so at least I can say I saw some of it...

On Monday, I attended my final classes for this semester at the Corcoran. The critique of 14 paintings went fairly well, but the class didn't seem to have much experience with the crit experience...so it was kinda a "lead by the nose" sort of morning...
In Academic portrait painting, I went in with the idea that I didn't have much to do, and that I might even paint a one session study, however, I wound up changing the background, and therefore most everything else...I don't have a picture this week, so I will try to remember to post it next time!

And now I really need to swing into action to make enough new work for the install of the WPAC 9x10 show on Monday! I have four monkey paintings planned. (with their accompanying drawings) They will all be based on the "Sea Monkey" theme that I discussed a few weeks ago. The first will be of the monkeys in the sub, Second will be the monkeys in a car on the way to the bar (they rented one for the duration of their shore leave), Third will be of them in the tiki bar brawling, and fourth will be of them in the brig...It should be very cute, if I can pull it off between now and Monday! By this time next week, I will be posting pictures of them...installed!

Meet the Artist night at Artomatic THIS FRIDAY!

This has been one wacky week for art. As the title of the post implies, (actually it downright tells) this Friday is Meet the Artist Night at AOM. So come on down and have a teeny-tiny mai tai on me (well, they might be bigger if no one shows up...either way, you wont get any if you don't show) and talk about the art. You wont really have much to choose from if you were planning to purchase something, however (all of the monkey themed work is gone, for example) This week has seen a lot of work sold. Here's a list of what sold, just this week!

The Spy, Pastel on Cut paper
The Projectionist, Pastel on Cut paper (the original buyer never emailed back...but it resold fast!)
Backyard BBQ Bears, Acrylic and cut paper on board
Mythological Tiki, Cut paper on board (there is confusion about this one...but I'm pretty sure its this one)
and the Big Tiki, Luan cutout

So, in short, there are not many things left...so come and get a gander, before they are all gone!

This past weekend was a really great weekend for the DC art scene in general. On Friday I went to see the ArtDC show at the convention center. It did not blow my socks off, but it was a really good first attempt at a DC art fair. Hopefully they can keep the ball rolling.
Over at the Warehouse they had two shows of abstract works...and the news that the Rupert's have a really high tax bill...There was a "performance" piece (emphasis on "") where some dude cut off his foreskin, and stuck it to the wall...Hey buddy, been there done that, get a therapist not an art audience...
On Saturday I had some pieces up at the Rock and Roll Hotel on H St. for the Big Art Show. It was similar to the Dr Dremo's event that posted about in January, except this time it was over at 2am and they let the bands play while the art was up.
Just down the block, at the Palace of Wonders, our friend Amy was matriculating, onstage. She did her graduate performance for the Burlesque University...Congrats Amy!

The only other piece of news is that I think that my super secret magnet project may just be able to be produced for Hukilau...so stay tuned for further details! (working on a secret project is part of why I don't have many pictures to show....)

This will be the last 14 paintings...painting that I will show, seeing as we will be discussing the semesters work in the last class next week. So, Steven's instructions were to simply paint something you were inspired by. I have a hard time being inspired at 8:30 on a Monday morning, so I went with a film noir theme...I realize that the proportions are off, but I was painting in oil, so it is very hard to correct BLACK...It did open up a very good discussion with Steven about whether or not abstract painters should draw more...and how much of their work is inspired by the observed world...

Last Painting, 14 paintings in14 weeks

In Academic portrait painting, I have found myself in the position of being pretty much done with this sitter, and I still have one more session to go...I don't know if I can do anything more than minor tweaks at this point

Academic Portrait Painting, Third Model, third sitting