Fernando Botero Became Famous Despite the Art World’s Scorn

Botero may be an international, populist favorite, but most North American critics won’t give him the time of day.

Read a really cool article by Scott Indrisek here.

Calling all local printmakers!

Printmaking Coffee and Fellowship
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

June 21, 3-5PM

Calling all local printmakers! The Katzen invites you to the museum for coffee, fellowship, and networking. Meet printmakers from across the DMV and view our two ongoing printmaking exhibitions! Please let us know if you plan to attend by RSVPing here. 

Solo show!

By now I've told you a few times: I'll be having an (unexpected) solo show of new work at the Stone Tower Gallery in Glen Echo Park in Maryland! 

Opening is July 5th, 6-8PM!

Just finished this little piece, about 14 inches in diameter - "Supergirl Flying Naked", charcoal on unfired Bisque... from my "Obsessive Drawings" series.

"Supergirl Flying Naked", charcoal on unfired Bisque, 14 inches circumference, c. 2019

Gottlieb Emergency Grant Program

Deadline: rolling basis

This emergency grant provides financial assistance to painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation.

Apply here.

Can fine art be funny?

Big News: I'll be having an (unexpected) solo show of new work at the Stone Tower Gallery in Glen Echo Park in Maryland! 

Opening is July 5th, 6-8PM!

Just finished this little piece, about 3x2x1 inches - "An unmarried man begging his cat for forgiveness", charcoal on unfired broken Bisque...

"An unmarried man begging his cat for forgiveness", charcoal on unfired Bisque...

Solo show coming in July!

Big News: I'll be having an (unexpected) solo show of new work at the Stone Tower Gallery in Glen Echo Park in Maryland! 

Opening is July 5th, 6-8PM!

Just finished this little piece, about 2x3x1 inches - "An Unmarried Woman", charcoal on unfired Bisque...

 "An Unmarried Woman", charcoal on unfired Bisque, 2x3x1 inches, c. 2019

Grand daughter #1: Mila Audrey

Mila Audrey Tarasova Campello
Newborn photos done by Lauren Cross Photography
(Red hair courtesy of her maternal grandmother... I think)

Calling all local printmakers!

Printmaking Coffee and Fellowship
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

June 21, 3-5PM

Calling all local printmakers! The Katzen invites you to the museum for coffee, fellowship, and networking. Meet printmakers from across the DMV and view our two ongoing printmaking exhibitions! Please let us know if you plan to attend by RSVPing here. 

Go to this today

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

Come to this seminar today!

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? 

Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

Residency in Portugal

ARTERRARESIDENCIAS | CALL FOR ARTISTS AND PROJECTS 2019

They accept application from artists who work in all disciplines and at any stages of their career. The residency program hosts multidisciplinary artists from all over the world since 2010. 

ARTErra is placed in a green beautiful village between mountains in central/north Portugal. 

No Entry Fee. 

Details: http://bitly.com/1OXhNPg OR arterra.geral@gmail.com

Tomorrow at the Cato Institute

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

Pencil this in: Lecture: Art with a Twist

Sunday, October 13, 2pm.

Lecture: Art with a Twist

Montpelier Art Center

9652 Muirkirk Rd

Laurel, MD 20708

Join me as I take a fun walk through art history that culminates in contemporary art where I will discuss the work of some DC area artists and our regional art scene, and answer questions.

Lecture is free and open to the public.

Vanessa Campello Strasser

More charcoal on broken unfired Bisque... this is my firstborn Vanessa Campello Strasser...

Vanessa Campello Strasser

Elise Tarasova

More charcoal and conte with a little color pencils on unfired Bisque... this is my second born: Elise Tarasova nee Campello... about 3 inches by 3 inches...

Boot camp for artists scheduled!

Boot Camp for Artists

Saturday, November 2nd, 10am-4pm , in the John Addison Concert Hall of Harmony Hall

Harmony Hall Arts Center presents Mr. Lenny Campello’s seminar, “The Artists’ Boot Camp”, open to all Prince George’s County artists, 16 and up.  Mr. Campello is the Greater Washington D.C. area’s pre-eminent art dealer, critic, consultant and blogger as well as artist. He designed his seminar to deliver information, data and proven tactics to artists, and to allow them to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. Some of the topics that he will cover are, creating a resume, creating a body of work, selling your art, juried shows and news releases, just to name a few. 

The seminar is free and lunch is included. Seating is limited so please call 301.446.3251 or email stuart.diekmeyer@pgparks.com to register and provide lunch preference.

Deadline is by 5pm, October 25th, but this seminar usually books very quickly, so I'd recommend that you RSVP as soon as possible!

Harmony Hall
10701 Livingston Road 
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Solo show coming up in July!

I have a big announcement to make: I have a solo show coming up this July - more details later... but meanwhile, here are a couple of graphite drawings on broken, unfired Bisque... the subject is Little Junes...

Boot Camp for Artists Scheduled!

The Artists’ Boot Camp

Saturday, November 2nd, 10am-4pm , in the John Addison Concert Hall of Harmony Hall

Harmony Hall Arts Center presents Mr. Lenny Campello’s seminar, “The Artists’ Boot Camp”, open to all Prince George’s County artists, 16 and up.  Mr. Campello is the Greater Washington D.C. area’s pre-eminent art dealer, critic, consultant and blogger as well as artist. He designed his seminar to deliver information, data and proven tactics to artists, and to allow them to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. Some of the topics that he will cover are, creating a resume, creating a body of work, selling your art, juried shows and news releases, just to name a few. 

The seminar is free and lunch is included. Seating is limited so please call 301.446.3251 or email stuart.diekmeyer@pgparks.com to register and provide lunch preference.

Deadline is by 5pm, October 25th, but this seminar usually books very quickly, so I'd recommend that you RSVP as soon as possible!

Harmony Hall
10701 Livingston Road 
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Montpelier Art Center

9652 Muirkirk Rd

Laurel, MD 20708

Saturday, September 14, 2pm.

I will be delving deep into the history and evolution of the Latino ethnic label and then discussing important questions on the issue while wrapping it around the context of the fine arts in a sometimes funny, but always informative presentation. 

Lecture is free and open to the public.

A hidden Cupid in one of Vermeer’s most famous paintings?

Say whaaaaat?

From Artsy:

Johannes Vermeer’s Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657–59) was recently undergoing restoration when conservators made a groundbreaking revelation. Forty years ago, X-rays had discovered an earlier version of the painting was dominated by a large image of Cupid that comes in the form of a painting within the painting. It was assumed that Vermeer himself had painted over the figure before the work was finished.

Read the whole fascinating article here... 

Don't miss this panel next week! Free!

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

And then this show up in a consignment shop

Follow this link... cough, cough...

Scroll down till you see this work...

Call for proposals

Deadline: July 1, 2019

The Rosemary Duffy Larson Gallery of Broward College is currently seeking proposals for the 2020-2021 exhibition season. 

Group exhibitions and curatorial proposals are welcomed, as well as solo exhibition proposals. 

Please submit the following materials to the email address below: 

1) Resume or CV (include artist website address if available). 
2) Detailed proposal of the exhibition.
 3) Artist statement.
 4) Artwork samples, using the following specifications: a) 15-20 digital images (JPEG) - 72 dpi, 1024 x 768 pixel maximum. 
b) Up to 5 minutes of time-based work with a description of no more than one page in digital format contextualizing the work. 
5) Image list (including title, medium, dimensions or duration, and date). 
6) Indicate if you are interested in being included in a group exhibition if you are not chosen for a solo exhibition. 

Please email the submission to Angel Clyman – Gallery Director: rosemaryduffylarsongallery@gmail.com

More information can be found at: http://www.browardvpa.com/call-for-proposals/  

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival is this weekend!

This weekend! May 11 and 12!

Delight in fine art created by 130 of the nation's best artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. Located in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Auburn and Del Ray Avenues. Festival hours are Saturday, May 11 from 10 - 6pm and Sunday, May 12 from 10am - 5pm. Loads of parking garages right on top of the show!

Admission to the festival is FREE and free parking is available in the public parking garage on Auburn Avenue. This event is held rain or shine.

You can see all the artists here.  My faves from that group are:

By Teresa Haag

Zhiyi Li from Enfield, CT in Booth #83

Teresa Haag from Phoenixville, PA in Booth #51 

Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #55

Loretta Petraitis from Saint Petersburg, FL in Booth #99

Both printmakers in the show (Edward Bordett from Fincastle, VA in Booth #108 and Joseph Craig English from Washington Grove, MD in Booth #104 ) are absolute masters of the art, and easily one of the best deals in contemporary art on the planet.

By Cassie Taggart

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival features live entertainment! Some of the region's best bands will be featured on the stage this year. Make sure you stop by to hear live rock, jazz, reggae, Latin music and more!

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival restaurants will be on Norfolk Avenue next to the stage. Drop by during the festival for sliders, sushi, barbecue, Indian cuisine, ice cream, beer, wine and more!

Best in show? Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #55 - go buy one of her amazing paintings!

15th Annual Gateway Open Studio Tour this weekend!

Join us for the 15th Annual Gateway Open Studio Tour!

Saturday, May 11th
11 am - 5 pm

Explore the largest concentration of artist studios in the in the region! The Gateway Arts District (comprised of Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, and Hyattsville ) is a hotbed of artistic energy, and May 11th is a great time to check it out in a self-guided tour! 

Over 200 artists will be open to the public on the same day and the same time. This one-day, FREE event gives you behind-the-scenes access to the creatives and their work spaces in this exciting cluster of artists and organizations just over the DC line.

More details, a map, and artist links at GatewayOpenStudios.org. 

PS: After the tour, join the artists for an after party held at the NEW culinary arts incubator, Savor at Studio 3807!

NUE Magazine

My article in NUE Magazine on a couple of NYC art fairs is up... check it out here.

Finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards announced

BETHESDA PAINTING AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

 $10,000 to be Awarded to Best in Show

Eight painters have been selected as finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition and exhibition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. Nearly 300 artists from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. submitted work to the 15th annual competition created to exclusively honor regional painters. The work of the eight finalists will be on display at Gallery B from June 5-29, 2019.

The top prize winners will be announced and honored on Wednesday, June 5th at a private reception held at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E. The Best in Show winner will be awarded $10,000, second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000.

The artists selected as finalists are:

• Mary Anne Arntzen, Baltimore, MD
• Taha Heydari, Baltimore, MD
• Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD
• Gina Gwen Palacios, Baltimore, MD
• Erin Raedeke, Montgomery Village, MD
• W.C. Richardson, University Park, MD
• Nicole Santiago, Williamsburg, VA
• McKinley Wallace III, Baltimore, MD

A public opening will be held on Friday, June 14th from 6-8pm. Gallery B is located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6pm.

The competition’s jurors are Kyle Hackett, Professor of Studio Art, American University, and the 2014 Bethesda Painting Awards Winner; Sue Johnson, Professor of Art, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and Susan Zurbrigg, Painting and Drawing Area Head, Professor of Art, James Madison University.

Based on what I've seen so far, and essentially based on this gorgeous painting, my fave so far is Nicole Santiago...

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by local business owner Carol Trawick in 2005. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda and established The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation in 2007. She is the former Chair of the Maryland State Arts Council, Strathmore, Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and founder of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards.

Previous Best in Show winners include:

Carolyn Case, Cockeysville, MD (2018); Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Washington, D.C. (2017); Tanja Softic, Richmond, VA (2016); Bill Schmidt, Baltimore, MD (2015); Kyle Hackett, Baltimore, MD (2014); Barry Nemett, Stevenson, MD (2013);  Ali Miller, Baltimore, MD (2012); Alison Hall, Roanoke, VA (2011); Nora Sturges, Baltimore, MD (2010); Camilo Sanin, Jessup, MD (2009) B.G. Muhn, North Potomac, MD (2008) Matthew Klos, Baltimore, MD (2007) Tony Shore, Baltimore, MD (2006); Joe Kabriel, Annapolis, MD (2005).

Morris Graves Museum of Art Call for Proposals

Deadline: December 31, 2019

EXHIBITION PROPOSAL GUIDELINES: An Exhibition Selection Committee meets once a year to review the proposals that have been received and which adhere to the evaluation criteria and artist responsibilities outlined below.  The committee will review proposals for the 2020 and 2021 exhibition calendars. 

PROPOSAL EVALUATION:  The Exhibition Selection Committee will evaluate exhibition proposals from artists or groups of artists based on the following criteria: 

1. Diversity: The proposal is a reflection of current multicultural and diverse art and art-making strategies that exist today. 2. Professionalism:  The artist(s) are professionals whose resume reflects exhibitions and other professional activities on a regional, national or international level. 3. Innovation: The proposal makes innovative use of concepts, materials, themes and space. 4. Community Engagement: Special consideration will be given to proposals that promote community engagement through interactive or educational activities associated with the exhibition. 5. Contemporary and Historical Relevance: The proposal demonstrates an awareness of contemporary and historical art movements and challenges an audience’s perception of "What is art?". 

Please visit www.humboldtarts.org for more information on submitting exhibition proposals. 

Questions? Please contact Jemima Harr, jemima@humboldtarts.org  

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant trying to rip off artists!

From: Lucas David beew73822@gmail.com

Subject:  Order Inquiry

Good day,

My name is Lucas David,I am a reseller in Bermuda (Lucas Store Ent Ltd) I sell to end users only. I have a shipping agent that can handle the pick up down to me here. I will be paying with my credit card and I will need to know the delivery time. Please let me know if I can make a purchase from your company.

Kindly get back to me asap.

WPA Gala Night Auction

I attended the Washington Project for the Arts Gala Night Auction yesterday and was happy to run into several old buds, including megacollectors like Joannie Webber and Doctor Fred, as well as good  ole buds DC area artists Gerardo Camargo, Amber Robles-Gordon, M. Jane Johnson, Baltimorean Greg Minah, and others - and I finally got to meet Lori Anne Boocks!

There seem to be a lot of decent bids on many of the works (including both of my pieces - thank you whoever ended up with them).

The Rampant Lilith (Suddenly She Wasn't Afraid Any Longer)

This year’s art was selected by both open call and invitation. 400 artists submitted more than 1,600 works of art to the open call, and of these, about 20% were selected. The submissions were reviewed by a committee of art professionals who made recommendations to the WPA staff. The majority of artists participating were identified through this process. An additional dozen or so were invited by WPA’s staff.

Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Kristin Adair, Farnoosh Ahmadi Shirazi, Sondra N. Arkin, Eames Armstrong, Mary Anne Arntzen, Selin Balci, David Barr, Kyle J. Bauer, Mary Baum, Erick Antonio Benitez, Julia Bloom, Chris Bohner, Lori Anne Boocks, Michael A. Booker, Anthony J. Bowers, Nakeya Brown, Gerardo Camargo, Florencio Lennox Campello, David Carlson, Hsin-Hsi Chen, Larry Cook, Kyrae Dawaun Cowan, Markele Cullins, Frank Hallam Day, John Deardourff, Monique Muse Dodd, Alexis Duque, Alex Ebstein, Pam Eichner, Edgar Endress, Nico Fertakis, Amy Finkelstein, Lloyd Foster, Stephen Hendee, Jessica Hopkins, Timothy J. Horjus, Michael Horsley, Erik Hougen, James Huckenpahler, Sarah Hull, Nate Larson, Magnolia Laurie, Khanh H. Le, Andrea Limauro, Kim Llerena, Timothy Makepeace, Tsedaye Makonnen, Jon Malis, Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Antonio McAfee, Nat Meade, Veronica Melendez, Linn Meyers, Maggie Michael, Greg Minah, Tyra Mitchell, Goitseone Bothale Moerane, Jonathan Monaghan, Ali Newhard, Lee Nowell-Wilson, Christos J. Palios, PLAKOOKEE, Rodrigo Pradel, Amber Robles-Gordon, Kate Sable, Nicole Marie Salimbene, Kim Sandara, Josh Sender, Joseph Shetler, Alexandra Silverthorne, Dafna Steinberg, Dan Steinhilber, Mark Stockton, Cindy Stockton Moore, Monica Stroik, Martin Swift, Rob Tarbell, Trish Tillman, Richard Tuttle, Julie Wills, Jordann Wine, Ellen Xu, and Helen Zughaib.

My faves in the show included Rodrigo Pradrel's realistic paintings of buildings with parts of them exploding? or disintegrating? On his website, "Apparition" is simply spectacular!

Arrival by Rodrigo Pradel - Oil on wood, 14 x 20 inches

The gorgeous drawings by Mark Thomas Stockton were also in the top of the food chain category - this Philadelphian can draw! 

His presentation is also gorgeous, although (since the drawings are not under glass) I would never show them without protection from flying art destroyers such as flies, red wine, etc. 

In a group show he would have won Best in Show from me. His superb portrait of 1960s Communist icon and Castro-apologist Angela Davis is simply breath-taking.

Angela Davis by Mark Stockton

My wife liked the intricate ink skull drawings by Alexis Duque and a quirky piece by Nat Meade, as well as the Latino-influenced works by Veronica Melendez, which reminded me a little ( a lot?) of the works of Ric Garcia.

"Last Meal" by Nat Meade

We also liked the very unique work by Selin Balci - This artist (like Michele Banks) is a visual artist and biologist who creates artwork by using Petri dishes filled with mold, fungus, and other gross living things to create unique pieces of art.