Horus

Below are three new small tiny drawings. Each about an inch or an inch and a half high.

They are all charcoals and both are my interpretation of the ancient Egyptian god Horus, of whom it is said was born on December 25, conceived by a Virgin, the only begotten son of the god Osiris, his mother was Mehturt, her husband was Seb (or Jo-Seb), his birth was heralded by Sirius (the morning star) and witnessed by shepherds, and then Herut tried to have him murdered, he then came of age at 12, and then baptized in the river Eridanus at age 30 by Anup The Baptizer (who was subsequently beheaded).

He was then taken from the desert of Amenta up a high mountain by his arch-rival Set, who is an Egyptian evil dude. Horus resisted the temptation, acquired 12 followers, walked on water, cast out demons, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, raised Osirus from the grave, and for all his troubles was then crucified together with two thieves and buried in a tomb, but resurrected after three days, and his resurrection was apparently witnessed by some women.

And in the Zodiac he's associated with Pisces, the fish.

He also has issues with one of his eyes.

"Horus" Charcoal on Paper
1.5 inches by 3 inches


"Eyes of Horus" Charcoal on Paper
1.5 inches by 2.5 inches


"Mouth of Horus" Charcoal on Paper
1 inch by 3.5 inches

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: November 16, 2007

Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts Juried Exhibition. Deadline: November 16, 2007. Applications are now being accepted for the DCCA's Annual Members' Juried Exhibition entitled Interrogating Beauty. The exhibition will be held from February 21 - May 25, 2008. For more information and application guidelines contact Samantha Fruchtman, Curatorial Coordinator, at sfruchtman@thedcca.org or by calling (302) 656-6466, ext. 7103.

ArtFest

More than 30 local and regional visual artists will be showcased at the first-ever McLean Project for the Arts MPA artfest, being held on October 14 in McLean, Va.

The inaugural MPA artfest will take place on Sunday, October 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at McLean Central Park in McLean, Va. (1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, Va. 22101). MPA artfest, featuring a juried fine art and craft show and sale, will be presented annually.

“McLean Project for the Arts is proud to bring MPA artfest to the McLean and Northern Virginia community. We hope residents and their guests will enjoy seeing the fabulous artwork of local and regional artists,” said Nancy Powers Perry, the organization’s executive director.

For more information about MPA artfest, visit the MPA Web site at www.mpaart.org and click on the “MPA artfest logo,” or call (703) 790-1953 or send e-mail to artfest@mpaart.org.

Bethesda Artist Market Returns October 13

On October 13, 2007, from 10am-5pm, the Bethesda Artist Market returns to Bethesda Place Plaza, 7700 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda (one block from the Bethesda Metro stop). The event features artwork and fine crafts for sale by nearly 30 regional and local artists working in painting, photography, jewelry, turned wood, blown glass, metalwork and mixed media.

If you're either a beginning or advanced collector, this is a great place to find original and very affordable art being sold by a set of very talented artists. See the exhibiting artists here.

Details here.

Easy newsmaker

Dutch artist Ivo Hendriks uses the tried-and-true formula of easy shock to get some temporary notoriety: he exhibits a collage depicting the late Pope John Paul II being sodomised.

The exhibit is in Ibiza, and the local bishop is really pissed.

So Hendriks achieved what he wanted, but I dare the little chickensit to exhibit a collage of the M-word-dude being sodomized or some well-known and fanatically followed imam being drilled and then let's see what happens.

Read the story here.

New gallerina

Ksenia Grishkova is the new director at DC's Touchstone Gallery, one of the DC area's oldest fine arts galleries, but one which has unfortunately been going through a lot of directors in the last few years. Hopefully the artist-members who run the gallery have found a long-lasting one in Ksenia.

The gallery is currently having a call for artists for their "Art on the Small Side," which is an all media holiday show (including fine craft) juried by Rosemary Luckett and Baltimore painter Jon Wassom.

Selection of work will be done from the actual pieces, and not by slide or digital images. All works must be brought to the gallery during gallery hours of 12 to 5 PM on Saturday, December 8 or 9 from 12-4 PM on Sunday, Dec. 9. No shipments will be accepted.

To get a copy of the full prospectus, go to www.touchstonegallery.com or e-mail Ksenia for more information at touchstonegallery@verizon.net.

Good read

The WCP's Jessica Gould marries a really interesting story with an intelligent artist profile in this article in the current issue of the CP.

Zoe coming to DC

More later, as we get closer to the date, but making a note that H&F Fine Arts upcoming exhibition Dig is not only being guest curated by Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, publishers of Fallon and Rosof's Artblog, which was selected by Art in America as one of the country's top art blogs, but also the exhibition will feature the work of eight Philadelphia based artists, including one of my Philly faves: Zoe Strauss.

I think this will be Zoe's first-ever DC area appearance. This talented photographer was one of the bright spots in the last Whitney Biennial.


Dig runs from October 18 to November 24. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 20, from 4–7 pm.

The eight artists chosen by Roberta and Libby range from major award winners to emerging talents. In addition to Whitney Biennial bright-spot Zoe Strauss, Barbara Bullock, and Candy Depew (and also Zoe) are each winners of Pew Fellowships in the Arts. Fleisher Challenge Award winners Depew and Kip Deeds have had prestigious solo shows at the Fleisher Art Memorial. The exhibition will also feature work by Nick Lenker, Jen Packer, Thom Lessner, and Jayson Scott Musson.

Job in the Arts

The Arlington Arts Center has created a new position and is looking for a part-time (20 hour/week) Program Assistant to support our Exhibitions and Education teams. Responsibilities will include ordering and maintaining supply inventories, coordinating registration for classes, communicating with students and artists, preparing materials for exhibitions and lectures, and assisting with installation and signage.

An ideal candidate will have a BA or BFA, strong computer skills (a knowledge of Photoshop and desktop publishing is desirable), and a knowledge of the proper handling and installation of art. Knowledge of Spanish is helpful but not required. Some weekends and evenings will be required. Candidate must have excellent people skills, a sense of adventure, and flexibility in a fast-paced work environment. This is an hourly position; rate based on experience.

Please send resume and cover letter to info@arlingtonartscenter.org with "program assistant" in the subject line or by fax to 703-248-6849.

Reasons

Why Alexandra loves DC.

Multiple Exposures

Upstairs at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, that forbidden part of the Greater Washington area where DC area art critics seldom venture, two talented photographers share the walls of Multiple Exposures Gallery (nee Factory Photoworks) this month: Grace Taylor and Colleen Spencer Henderson (who needs to modernize her website!).

Colleen explores the landscape by turning her sharp photographer’s eyes towards the ever-changing beauties of the land. In “Three Trees” she pops a range of whites that will astound any student of the genre, and the stone fence, trees and clouds deliver a beautiful image to boot.

Grace Taylor has been amazing me for years now. She is not only an innovator who continues to push the artistic limits of the genre’s craft and vision, but also an old hand who doesn’t sit around too long resting on her laurels. In “Stone Portraits,” Taylor presents a show of images of stones that she has collected over the years. Each one has a distinct personality as Mother Nature, time and weather all combine to deliver beautiful landscapes, images and paintings within the canvas of a stone. Using Epson Ultra Chrome pigment inks, Taylor has scanned the images onto a rich black background that gives the stones a three dimensional aspect that is seldom seen in “straight” photography.

Give Taylor another notch in her string of really, really good shows and inventive ideas over the last decades.