Fine Art World News
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Mindful Christmas
It seems we're in a recession and we could all use a little assistance this year. I've been working with a very creative author, Barbara E. Kilikevicius. She's written an eBook called "A Mindful Christmas". It's been talked about on BookStorePeople.com and she has an interview on BlogTalkRadio.
It seems we're in a recession and we could all use a little assistance this year. I've been working with a very creative author, Barbara E. Kilikevicius. She's written an eBook called "A Mindful Christmas". It's been talked about on BookStorePeople.com and she has an interview on BlogTalkRadio.
This book offers great ideas and projects to make your holiday less about spending and more about creating... bringing the spirit of the season into your home. Visit her site for a free Holiday Blues Guide and a chance to read more about this amazing book.
Happy Holidays,
S
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Friday, November 7, 2008
a new piece
i just finished a new piece. i'll be bringing it along with me to the rocky mountain art fair. i'll be doing a demonsration of relief printmaking there next weekend, but most of the work i'll have on display will be of the monotype variety. still, it's a little window into my soul.
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a new contributor with a new outlook
i got an invititation from shadna to contribute to this blog. i suppose he is looking for some new perspectives and some insight into the minds of the artists he and his galleries represent. but for me, this was an incredibly difficult excercize to wrap my head around. i used to say that if i could use words as an effective means of communication, i wouldn't need to make the pictures i make. but that's sort of a cop out. now, i'm not going to give you a step by step process, pointing out each nuance of thought because that would rob you of some of the magic. you don't really WANT to know how a magician pulls off that perfect trick, do you? i didn't think so. but, it might be good to know just enough to make yourself even more curious.
so, when i was accepted to the inaugural show of a gallery to debut in brooklyn this weekend, i decided to take the opportunity to give both you and me a better understanding of what goes on in this more than slightly disturbed brain. aeonlogic gallery will be opening tomorrow at 4 malcolm x blvd in brooklyn, and feature not only work by artists, but also a statement of motivation to make the art. it's a bit of a rejection of photos of poop that seem to be altogether a bit too prevelent in the art world these days, and an attempt at a return to a more human approach to storytelling. i am not an expert in all things art-worldly by any means, and so if i am missing the point of poop photography, i apologize. but i do like what this gallery is trying to do. so when i was invited to participate, i accepted happily despite the fact that i would have to stretch beyond my comfort zone and try to make sense of my work for the benefit of the audience, if not for my own. below is an excerpt from my attempt at the logic behind my work. i hope i didn't give away too much of myself. i like to be a little mysterious...
I wish I were a storyteller. I wish I were articulate enough to bend the ears and capture the imaginations of those around me with my tales of life and love and legacy, to have my words flow from my lips like a mountain stream trickling around rocks and roots, collecting into a crystal clear mirrored pool in the valley.
I am not. There is this disconnect between my brain and my heart, between my brain and my soul. I have tremendous difficulty deciphering my own hopes and dreams, let alone spinning a yarn that will hold captive the minds of others.
But sometimes, things click. The pawls align, the gears engage, and an image flows from my hand like that stream from the mountaintop. Collecting its tributaries one after the other, building in volume and strength, becoming a powerful river until it pours onto paper like so much water into that lake in the valley. Often, I have to keep these images close by, constantly looking for that place in my mind or my heart or my soul where they might have come from. But they don’t seem to fit anywhere very neatly. They do, however fit in between. Between my heart and soul, between my heart and mind, between waking and dreams, between disappointment and regret, between life and death, between sin and redemption.
They narrate for me what my words could not; what my mind or heart or soul could not have done alone. They pull from all sources the shattered pieces and make them whole, to make available to the viewer that which sloshes around inside me like a whirlpool. When asked what my work is about, I used to say that if I had the words to describe it, I wouldn’t need to make the pictures to begin with. But that is a cheap cop out. It isn’t true. My work is about where people live. Not on the mountaintop, or the pool in the valley, but on the slopes. In between.
Maybe I am a storyteller…
Mark Phelan
6 November 2008 ¶ 8:25 AM 0 Comments
so, when i was accepted to the inaugural show of a gallery to debut in brooklyn this weekend, i decided to take the opportunity to give both you and me a better understanding of what goes on in this more than slightly disturbed brain. aeonlogic gallery will be opening tomorrow at 4 malcolm x blvd in brooklyn, and feature not only work by artists, but also a statement of motivation to make the art. it's a bit of a rejection of photos of poop that seem to be altogether a bit too prevelent in the art world these days, and an attempt at a return to a more human approach to storytelling. i am not an expert in all things art-worldly by any means, and so if i am missing the point of poop photography, i apologize. but i do like what this gallery is trying to do. so when i was invited to participate, i accepted happily despite the fact that i would have to stretch beyond my comfort zone and try to make sense of my work for the benefit of the audience, if not for my own. below is an excerpt from my attempt at the logic behind my work. i hope i didn't give away too much of myself. i like to be a little mysterious...
I wish I were a storyteller. I wish I were articulate enough to bend the ears and capture the imaginations of those around me with my tales of life and love and legacy, to have my words flow from my lips like a mountain stream trickling around rocks and roots, collecting into a crystal clear mirrored pool in the valley.
I am not. There is this disconnect between my brain and my heart, between my brain and my soul. I have tremendous difficulty deciphering my own hopes and dreams, let alone spinning a yarn that will hold captive the minds of others.
But sometimes, things click. The pawls align, the gears engage, and an image flows from my hand like that stream from the mountaintop. Collecting its tributaries one after the other, building in volume and strength, becoming a powerful river until it pours onto paper like so much water into that lake in the valley. Often, I have to keep these images close by, constantly looking for that place in my mind or my heart or my soul where they might have come from. But they don’t seem to fit anywhere very neatly. They do, however fit in between. Between my heart and soul, between my heart and mind, between waking and dreams, between disappointment and regret, between life and death, between sin and redemption.
They narrate for me what my words could not; what my mind or heart or soul could not have done alone. They pull from all sources the shattered pieces and make them whole, to make available to the viewer that which sloshes around inside me like a whirlpool. When asked what my work is about, I used to say that if I had the words to describe it, I wouldn’t need to make the pictures to begin with. But that is a cheap cop out. It isn’t true. My work is about where people live. Not on the mountaintop, or the pool in the valley, but on the slopes. In between.
Maybe I am a storyteller…
Mark Phelan
6 November 2008 ¶ 8:25 AM 0 Comments
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Circlegal Featured in Gavin's Underground
We would like to congratulate Circlegal (Michelle Kurtz) on her interview on Gavin's Underground a popular blog about the art and music worlds of SLC.
Circlegal is represented by Iao PROJECTS and is the most prolific and poetic artist in our roster if not in Salt Lake City today. Her images are whimsical, socially aware, and conceptually stimulating. Think 1980's Pop Artist Keith Haring (image below) and you'll begin to understand the importance of her work in Utah. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Click Here to read the interview and view the works your self!
¶ 2:41 PM 0 Comments
We would like to congratulate Circlegal (Michelle Kurtz) on her interview on Gavin's Underground a popular blog about the art and music worlds of SLC.
Circlegal is represented by Iao PROJECTS and is the most prolific and poetic artist in our roster if not in Salt Lake City today. Her images are whimsical, socially aware, and conceptually stimulating. Think 1980's Pop Artist Keith Haring (image below) and you'll begin to understand the importance of her work in Utah. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Click Here to read the interview and view the works your self!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
It's a Shoe-In | Ballet West's Point Shoe Art Competition
In 2009 Ballet West will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes—the legendary dance company founded by Serge Diaghilev that first introduced the 20th century icons Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, and George Balanchine to the world stage. He threw together painters and choreographers; poets and composers and out of these unlikely collaborations sprang extraordinary ballets such as Afternoon of the Faun, Petrouchka, Firebird, Rite of Spring, Apollo, and Parade.
In the same spirit of collaboration and invitation that inspired Diaghilev at the start of the 20th century, Ballet West would like to reach out to the artistic community here in Utah to see what you have to offer now in the 21st century.
This is what we propose:
We would like to give you one pair of pointe shoes. And we would like you to give us back a piece of art.
The theme is "Brave New World". Every ballet in the 2008-2009 Ballet West season (with the exception of the Nutcracker) is new to Ballet West. The ballets travel from a magical island in the Caribbean to Japan to the Middle East to the mountainous terrain of the Caucasus to the perfumed salons of Paris.
Please submit your sketches to this email address to submissions@balletwest.org as soon as possible so we can put together a list of artists to distribute the shoes to. Regrettably pairs of shoes are limited so we will be going with the most unique designs with the fastest execution.
Good luck and we look forward to seeing your work—
Jami Lynn Vienneau and Christopher Renstrom
Ballet West Ambassadors
¶ 2:25 PM 0 Comments
In 2009 Ballet West will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes—the legendary dance company founded by Serge Diaghilev that first introduced the 20th century icons Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, and George Balanchine to the world stage. He threw together painters and choreographers; poets and composers and out of these unlikely collaborations sprang extraordinary ballets such as Afternoon of the Faun, Petrouchka, Firebird, Rite of Spring, Apollo, and Parade.
In the same spirit of collaboration and invitation that inspired Diaghilev at the start of the 20th century, Ballet West would like to reach out to the artistic community here in Utah to see what you have to offer now in the 21st century.
This is what we propose:
We would like to give you one pair of pointe shoes. And we would like you to give us back a piece of art.
The theme is "Brave New World". Every ballet in the 2008-2009 Ballet West season (with the exception of the Nutcracker) is new to Ballet West. The ballets travel from a magical island in the Caribbean to Japan to the Middle East to the mountainous terrain of the Caucasus to the perfumed salons of Paris.
You can do whatever you want with these shoes—including re-imagining or re-shaping them all together! Anything goes as long as the end result is [a] transportable and [b] non-perishable. We want to encourage you to explore all kinds of mediums and to push the
boundaries.
boundaries.
The shoes will be displayed in the lobby of the Capitol Theater during the run of each ballet, so the sooner that you, the artist, complete your piece, the more exposure it will get. In the end the shoes will be auctioned off at the Ballet West Fashion Show (May 30th) with all
proceeds going to Ballet West. What you, the artist, get in return is exposure to thousands of our audience, donors, and patrons—many of whom buy and collect art as well as have an avid interest in promoting the arts here in Utah and the careers of Utah artists. But it doesn't
stop there. Like Diaghilev, it is Artistic Director Adam Sklute's vision to work with Utahan artists on future ballets. That could mean commissioning a score, collaborating on a "site specific" work, or even a new full-length story ballet with costumes and sets designed by
a local artist. Anything can happen, but the first step is the shoes.
proceeds going to Ballet West. What you, the artist, get in return is exposure to thousands of our audience, donors, and patrons—many of whom buy and collect art as well as have an avid interest in promoting the arts here in Utah and the careers of Utah artists. But it doesn't
stop there. Like Diaghilev, it is Artistic Director Adam Sklute's vision to work with Utahan artists on future ballets. That could mean commissioning a score, collaborating on a "site specific" work, or even a new full-length story ballet with costumes and sets designed by
a local artist. Anything can happen, but the first step is the shoes.
Please submit your sketches to this email address to submissions@balletwest.org as soon as possible so we can put together a list of artists to distribute the shoes to. Regrettably pairs of shoes are limited so we will be going with the most unique designs with the fastest execution.
Good luck and we look forward to seeing your work—
Jami Lynn Vienneau and Christopher Renstrom
Ballet West Ambassadors
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
337 Project | Urban Gallery |
Ever since the 337 Project splashed down a year ago, Salt Lake City has been caught on a wave of contemporary art and expression. The 337 Project hopes to continue adding to the wave with it's latest exhibition "Urban Gallery".
Ever since the 337 Project splashed down a year ago, Salt Lake City has been caught on a wave of contemporary art and expression. The 337 Project hopes to continue adding to the wave with it's latest exhibition "Urban Gallery". Urban Gallery is a large outdoor exhibition focusing on the transformation of the urban landscape. The show will be unveiled this Friday at 7pm at the Neighborhood House (1050 w. 500 s.) with live music, food and entertainment.
Like all of the 337 Project events, this promises to be a big one.
Cheers,
S
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