Solo Exhibit, Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Tech

My charcoal drawing on plywood quantum physics Installation "Quantum Confusion", which I'm trying to tour like a hyper Indie Band, will be at Tennessee Tech's Satellite campus, The Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN, until Aug 19th. The center is 6 miles south of the Smithville exit, and the 1st left after the bridge over Caney Fork River, which is massive at that location. The campus is deep in the woods, and is a collection of teaching studio buildings, arranged by media. The main building contains two gallery spaces, a gift shop where you can buy fantastic work from both the faculty and other regional artisans (including some of my friends :-)), and a really, really good cafe. Their hummus salad plate is the best I've ever had.


My installation is in Gallery Two, which means you have to go through the gift shop to get there, and, ha- "Exit Through the Gift Shop" to leave. (Thank you, Banksy!) The gallery architecture is very sculptural-it has a sloping wood slat ceiling with big beams, and an extension area with huge windows looking into the woods.


The lighting makes cool shadows in the back.

Detail. The lighting with the rest of the space in shadows makes reflections really strong.

Gallery One had a Studio Instuctors exhibit-killer glass, ceramic, paintings made from dyed and textured paper pulp, mixed media work, and a cockroach in a tiny silver and copper coffin. I know students who've gone to school here, and they hate to leave. One of my friend's daughters even slept in her car just to afford to be here. I don't blame her-this place is another world.

ArtPrize

My installation, "Quantum Confusion", will be hosted by Open Concept Gallery http://www.openconceptgallery.org/ in the 2011 ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan from Sept. 21-Oct. 10.

ArtPrize, in it's 3rd year, is one of the most unusual art events internationally, and can best be described on it's website: http://www.artprize.org/.

In the meantime, "Quantum Confusion" will be installed later this week in Gallery 2 at The Appalachian Center for Craft/Tennessee tech in Smithville, TN, untill Aug. 19th.

June 3rd Asheville Art Walk/Crawl

Friday, June 3rd, 2011 from 5-8 is the next Asheville, NC Downtown Art Walk. Danna Anderson at 16 Patton is getting "Twisted Jimmies" ready for the window that looks all the way down Patton Ave. Anybody getting a donut urge after seeing it while walking or driving up the one-way section of that street will have some trouble-despite Asheville being a food-topia, I don't think anyone downtown sells donuts. They'll just have to buy the painting. It is even better than the real thing-0 calories.


Besides my Produce Paintings and one more snack cake painting at the gallery, there will be some plywood people hanging around.

Megabus won't be my buddy

I tried to talk Megabus into letting me buy an extra seat to carry a packed up plywood people piece to the DC area, and they turned me down. Rats. It would have cost an x-tra $15.00, added to my $15.00 out, and $10.00 back. Then, I would have had to pay for one bus to get the couple of miles to Alexandria, VA, (maybe $1.00?) then one free trolley to the Torpedo Factory's Target Gallery. So much for my efforts to use public transportation. if this was South America, they'd even let me bring my free-range chickens!

More Exhibits/ Spring 2011

I've got some of my plywood people in "Mountain Visions", at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. (The exhibit name doesn't fit the show-it's very progressive)

The exhibit was juried by Greg Shelnutt, who is a professor at the North Carolina School of Art in Winston-Salem.

http://www.etsu.edu/reece/default.asp

Exhibit overview

My plywood people, from my big installation"Quantum Confusion", enjoyed the reception.

Daniel Marinelli, and instructor at Penland, had quite a few pieces, and got the big award.

A Jackson Martin wall installation. We are both in the Tallahassee International at the Florida State University Fine Art Museum in Tallahassee later this summer.

Gorgeous fiber piece by Stacey Isenbarger.

_______________________________________________

One of my Produce Portraits just got Best in Show at the "American Still Life: Yesterday and Today" at The Bascom, in Highlands, NC. http://www.thebascom.com/ They are mixing contemporary work with a selection of 18th and 19th century work, which should be really interesting.

"Observation" oil on linen. Commentary on human migration over political borders. Historically, Still Life was always way more than stuff on a table. It was always loaded with symbolism.

Its' a very cool teaching art center, similar to Arrowmont and Penland. They have 2 really nice galleries in the main building, and a series of walking trails outside. They regularly have exhibits with sculpters who do found object outside sculpture and installation art along the trails which I love. The exhibit was juried by Kevin Grogan, Director and Curator, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA

_________________________________

Both Alison Oakes and I have work going to Target Gallery's (Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA) "In the Flesh lll". 630 entries, 28 accepted, 2 from Knoxville, and this is the 2nd time Alison has been in it! I was hoping they'd take my nude paint-flesh ladies with the glitter, but they wanted the one that has been up at the Custom House Museum in Clarksville in their "Ladies First" exhibit (along with 3 Alison Oakes paintings) since March.

http://www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/target_calendar.htm

______________________________________

More upcoming exhibits and stuff:

"Point Time", a group exhibit of Knoxville artists curated by Jean Hess, that has been at the William King Museum and Slocumb Gallery, goes to Association of Visual Artists Gallery (AVA) in Chattanooga, TN this May.

http://www.avarts.org/www

Knoxville Arts in Airport, reception 5:50 -7:30 May 5th. The work stays up 'till October. (group exhibit)

http://www.tys.org/arts-in-the-airport

I'm waiting for my copy of INPA 1 (International Painting Annual 1) to arrive from Manifest Gallery Press http://www.manifestgallery.com/ I believe they are being printed now. I will also be in INDA 6 (International Drawing Annual 6) along with a couple other Knoxville area artists, and other artists from around the country and world. That publication will go to press later this year. Manifest makes awesome publications, and the gallery has really great exhibits, most of them open juried with very cool themes. Being on their mailing list is critical, I think. If you get into an exhibit, delivery to Cincinatti is easy.

Solo exhibit at Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Tech that opens in June.

http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/exhibitions-calendar/

Tallahassee International, starting in Sept.

http://www.mofa.fsu.edu/pages/explore/schedule.shtml

A two person exhibit at Yeiger Art Center in Paducah, KY with Christine Wuenschel in 2012

http://www.theyeiser.org/

http://www.christinewuenschel.com/ChristineWuenschel/Home.html

Nu Nudes

I haven't done any serious nudes for awhile except for fairly regular life drawing sessions, and keep missing opportunities to submit to figurative and nude shows. SO-I searched a whole pile of reference photos I had taken at the Notorious Fleshpainter exhibit I helped curate a few years ago. (Those who participated or attended definately remember this night with a smile. Yes, this did happen in Knoxville. Yes, the Naked Carpenter was there, too, and he did get painted. Yes, it was fun, and nobody got arrested. John, the Fleshpainter, has unfortunately gone back to Orlando, though.) Both drawings are both full scale, free standing, charcoal and pastel pencil on plywood. And glitter. I'm still undecided on a title. Paintskins? Paintskin Glitteratti?

Do You Think We're Naked?

The boots and shoes were real. They had to wear something on thier feet. We had this event in that place next to the old Blue Cats and it was a bit nasty. Used condoms behind the plastic couches nasty.

I mention Glitter because I used lots of it it. Lt. pink, hot pink, green, bronze. I soaked it in the varnish layers where the color is. It adds sparkle that is, of course, slightly lowbrow and ironic. And make-up/beauty industry appropriated. And made a hell of a mess in the garage where I spilled some. Now if I get lucky-they will be going somewhere. If not, they will wait around to go somewhere else. Hopefully. They really want to go out and have a good time.

"Ladies First", Custom House Museum, Clarksville, TN, March 3-May 1, 2011

Each March, Terri Jordan, curator at the Clarksville, Tennessee Custom House Museum, examines the work female artists are producing in the state of Tennessee. This is the second year I have been honored to have been included in it. Last year's "Modern Girls" was a massive installation in the huge, three story high Crouch Gallery.

This year's exhibit, "Ladies First", was a more intimate exhibit in the museum's Orgain Gallery.

Panoramic view of one wall, with Alison Oakes. The big yellow painting behind her is a Camille Engel

Alcove view. The museum has an extensive costume collection that was integrated with the art for a very cool effect.

Work, left to right: Jennifer Otto, Tammy Dohner, Edie Maney, Melinda Peavy

Each artist was asked to communicate where they were at this point as an artist and woman. The responses ranged from historically based feminist observations to deeply personal musing.

Alison Oakes works it with the mannequins. Her triptych from her "Repulsively Beautiful" series, is to her right. All are oil on porcelain.

My installation, "Domination Extinction" (charcoal and pencil on plywood), is a deconstruction and feminist updating of Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass", which I expounded on in an earlier blog.

A detail from Sher Fick's installation "You Made Your Bed". Fick takes her own empty perscription bottles and uses fabric and found objects to create comfort scenes from her childhood spent sleeping in the same room as her sister. Her adult perscriptions for anxiety and depression successfully make her live and thrive as an artist, mother , and wife.

A detail of Miranda Herrick's post-consumer recycled food container piece. Lots of Tostinos and Cherrios! Herrick directs Mir Gallery in Nashville's dowtown Arcade Building.

Terri Jordan's self-portrait with son and dog involves lots of symbolic objects used in portraiture since the Middle Ages. White tulips I believe are for purity, dogs symbolize loyalty. To the right is a Sandra Paynter Washburn, and a Claudia Balthrop.

Some people can't handle the wine at receptions.

Hats. Amazing hats. Mid twentieth century, I believe.

The old ladies at church used to wear these when I was a kid and creep me out. Who even came up with this? Truely one of the most bizarre fashion trends in recorded history.

Alison Oakes, Sher Fick, Terri Jordan, and photographer and playwright Mitzi Cross.

Other artists in the exhibit, which can be seen 'though May 1st, are Linda Kerlin, Diane Shaw, and Cyndi McGrail.