The Cuba Series

The last time that I moved was in 2009, when I left Media, PA and moved back to the DMV. The below post(s) are from 2009... all of these are now sold and in private collections all over... One of these... Cuba, Isla Judia (Cuba, Jewish Island) was part of a sub-series dealing with all the various types of immigrants to Cuba who made up the Cuban people: Galicians from northern Spain, Africans, Jews from Poland and Germany, Lebanese, Chinese (who were treated horribly and not allowed to bring women), French, Jamaicans, Haitians (mostly in Oriente province), Italians, and Americans (mostly Southeners who moved to Cuba after the US Civil War).

These pieces below are from a set of about 100 small watercolors, oils and acrylics and prints that I did either for one of my senior year exhibition projects at the University of Washington School of Art in 1981 as well as class assignments through the years (1977-1981). Probably 80 of these have sold over the years. They all have the map of the island of Cuba as the focus.

Update: Some of these images are from owners that bought some of these sending them to me.

"Isla Prision (Prison Island)"
c. 1980, Ink wash and wood rods on paper
In the collection of The Cuban Studies Institute, Miami, Florida

"Isla Prision"
Monoprint enhanced with Charcoal and pins, c.1980
In a private collection in New Jersey

"Isla Prision"
Monoprint enhanced with watercolor and pins, c.1980
In a private collection in Florida

Isla Encadenada
Acrylic on paper with metal chain, c. 1979

Isla Encadenada
Colored pencils on paper with metal chain, c. 1979

"Isla Herida" c. 1978
Location unknown

"Donde crece la palma" 1978
Location Unknown

"The Island that Time Forgot" 1981

"Mi verso es un ciervo herido Que busca en el monte amparo" 1979

"Stabbed Island" 1980


"Isla Roja" (Red Island) 1981


"Isla Carcel" (Jail Island) 1981


"Isla Encarcelada" (Jailed Island) 1981


"Isla Ensangrentada" (Bloodied Island) 1981


"Isla Encadenada" (Chained Island) 1981


Isla Pesadilla (Nightmare Island) 1981


Isla en Jaula (Caged Island) 1981


"Isla en Goma" (Inner Tube Island) 1981


"Isla Prisionera" (Prisoner Island) 1981


Isla Deshuesada (Deboned Island) 1981

"Isla Llorona", oil on board c. 1978

"Isla Abandonada (Abandoned Island)"
Oil and Acrylic on Gessoed Board, 8x10 inches, c.1979
In a private collection in Hialeah, Florida

Nubes Lloronas, Oil on board, c.1979

"Isla Llorona", oil on board, c.1978
In the collection of Queens' University, Charlotte, NC

Cuba, Isla Desbaratada (Cuba, Disassembled Island). Pen and Ink. 2009.


Cuba, Isla Encarcelada (Cuba, Jailed Island). Watercolor and Wire. 2009.



Cuba, Isla Judia (Cuba, Jewish Island). Watercolor. 2009.

"Isla Clavada (Nailed Island)"
1980 Color pencils and embedded nails

Isla Prisionera
In a private collection in Miami, Florida

Isla Balsera
Location Unknown (Sold at Pike Pace Market, Seattle in 1978-79)

"Isla Balsera (Raft Island)" - Happy Birthday America, Wishing We Were There!
Collage on Paper, Framed to 30x40 inches, c. 1976
Was in a private Collection in New Jersey - donated to American University Art Museum in 2015

"Isla Prision (Prison Island)" By F. Lennox Campello
c. 1978, Charcoal on paper
In a private collection in New Jersey

"Isla Prisión" (Prison Island)
Watercolor on Paper by F. Lennox Campello, c. 1977

Best deal ever?

This is possibly the best deal that I've ever seen in the secondary art market for one of my originals! I sold this drawing in 1992 and now is for sale here for about a tenth of the original sale price!

Check it out here.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this rat trying to rip off artists!

From: David & Son Investment Ltd - lsdcp12300@gmail.com

Subject: Order Inquiry

--

Good day,

My name is Lucas David,I am a reseller in Bermuda (David & Son Investment 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.

Regards

Lucas David

David & Son Investment Ltd

120 Front St City of Hamilton,

Bermuda

+1 470-673-8099

Lest we forget




"Studio View, 9/11"
Oil on Canvas c. 9/11/2001 by David FeBland

2nd Tri-Annual Maryland State Artist Registry Juried Exhibition

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 19 I 6pm - 9pm
On View:  Thursday, September 19 - Sunday, November 10

Performances:
Thursday, September 19 I 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Performances by:  Margaret Rorison, A. Moon, Sara Dittrich, Maren Henson,  and Jason Sloan
Saturday, November 9 I 9pm - 11pm 
Performances by: Dominique Zeltzman, Shonnita Johnson, Ceylon Mitchell and Stephanie Barber

Join Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) this September, in celebrating a statewide, juried exhibition highlighting the wide range of artists and artwork featured on the Maryland State Artist Registry. The exhibition will take place at Maryland Art Place located at 218 West Saratoga St. from Thursday,September 19^th – Sunday, November 10^th. A reception will be held on Thursday, September 19^th from 6pm to 9pm.

Performances will be held during the opening reception on Thursday, September 19 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm and Saturday, November 9th from 9pm to 11pm. 

Visual Jurors: Dr. Susan J. Isaacs and Jeremy Stern
Performance Jurors: Ada Pinkston, Hoesy Corona, and Laure Drogoul

Participating Artists:

Visual Artists: Gregory Hein, Richard Weiblinger, Shanthi Chandrasekar, Saeideh Gilani, Judi Gunter, Acquaetta Williams, Kristina King, Cat Gunn, Alan Callander, Carmen Martini, Sylvie Van Helden, Gregg Morris, Amy Boone-McCreesh, Alizah Lathrop, Barb Siegel, Janet Olney, Magnolia Laurie, Elli Maria Hernandez, Megan Maher, Leslie Shellow, Amanda Burnham, Nick Primo, Hollis McCracken, Hsin-Hsi Chen, Maria-Theresa Fernandes, Saloni Shah, Shana Kohnstamm, Virginia Sperry, Stanley Wenocur, Betsy Packard, Patricia Autenrieth, Giulia Piera Livi, Christine Strong, Dominie Nash, Brad Blair, Sara Caporaletti, Janet Huddie, Danielle Fauth, Yam Chew Oh, Trace Miller, Helen Glazer, David Leonard, Paul Ford, Gregory McLemore, Daniel Humphries-Russ, Nilou Kazemzadeh, Don James, Osvaldo Mesa, Juan Rodas, Erin Fostel, Evans Thorne, Bruce McKaig, Taha Heydari, Nicole Stokes, Megan Burak, Roger James, Ram Brisueno, McKinley Wallace III, Rick Ruggles, Aubrey Garwood, Scott Ponemone, Margaret Huddy, Victoria Rouse, Ariston Jacks, Karen Warshal, LaToya Hobbs, Lauren Castellana, Florencio Lennox Campello, Aaron Oldenburg, Annette Wilson Jones, Mike McConnell, Linda Agar-Hendrix, Nicoletta de la Brown, Maren Henson, Amber Eve Anderson, Carrie Fucile, Noah McWilliams, Jackie Hoysted, William Richardson, Carolyn Case, Corey Grunert, Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi, Oletha Devane, Kate Kretz, George Lorio, Anna Fine Foer, Robert Cantor, Mia Halton, Jason Patterson, David Page, Jowita Wyszomirska, Diane Lorio, Marcia Wolfson Ray, Tom Boram, Margaret Rorison, A. Moon, Sara Dittrich, Jason Sloan, Dominique Zeltzman, Shonnita Johnson, Stephanie Barber, Ceylon Mitchell, and Valerie Smalkin. 

Inaugural Exhibition at Freight Gallery

FREIGHT GALLERY - Presents Diane Szczepaniak

Floating Light: An Installation In The Freight Elevator

Opening Reception on Sunday, September 22 from 3-5 pm 

Freight Gallery is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition featuring an installation called Floating Light, by Diane Szczepaniak. A painter and sculptor, Szczepaniak focuses equally on the object as well as the space around the object:  “When successful, the space becomes a sense experience that eludes description, but is felt in the body.”

About the artist: Diane Szczepaniak has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Among her other accomplishments, she won a 2019 Fleur and Charles Bresler Residency at VisArts in Rockville, MD and in 2014 and 2011 she was a Semi-Finalist for the Sondheim Prize at the Decker/Meyerhoff Galleries, MICA, Baltimore, MD.  She was a finalist for the Trawick Prize in Bethesda, Maryland in 2012 and was awarded an Individual Artist Award in Visual Arts: Sculpture from the Maryland State Arts Council.  She has presented annual workshops exploring color, perception, and space to the Dudley Fellows at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her work is in numerous private and public collections.  www.dianeszczepaniak.com

About Freight Gallery: Freight is an artist run pop-up gallery in a 1925 Hollister Whitney freight elevator in Washington, DC.  The space is 75 inches wide, 95 inches high, and 85 inches deep–a perfect container for displaying sculpture and small installations.  Its mission is to create more opportunities for artists. Freight is located at 2414 Douglas Street NE Washington DC 20018. There is plenty of on street parking.  Please enter on the side through the loading dock.

Next week's 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 21, 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.

Art All Night 2019

Please join the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), eight of our District Main Streets and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) on Saturday, September 14, 2019 for a FREE all-night art festival!
 
Festivities in select DC Main Street corridors will begin at approximately 7 pm and end around midnight, though some neighborhoods will keep the celebrations going until 3 am (Sunday morning). The festival will showcase visual and performing arts, including painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, dance, theater, film, and poetry, to indoor and outdoor public and private spaces, including businesses.

The festival is presented by Mayor Muriel Bowser and in partnership with Destination Congress Heights, Deanwood Heights, Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets, H Street Main Street, Minnesota Ave, North Capitol Main Street, Shaw Main Street, Tenleytown Main Street, with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD).

To visit the official Art All Night 2019 website for more information about the night's events, click here.

From a collector...

A collector in NYC sent me a photo of three of my pieces that he owns and how he has installed them in his penthouse in NYC - I thought that they looked very cool!

Congratulations to Oletha DeVane!

Congratulations to Oletha DeVane of Ellicott City, MD, the 2019 Trawick Prize Best in Show Winner! 

Additionally, Mojdeh Rezaiepour of Washington, D.C. was named 2nd place; Renee Rendine of Towson, MD, 3rd place and Monroe Isenberg of Washington, D.C. was named the Young Artist winner of 2019.

The exhibit of all eight finalists will run through September 28.

The Trawick Prize, which was one of the first regional competitions of its kind in the metropolitan area, has received over 3,000 artist submissions over the years.  Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC. This event is produced in September of each year by the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District & Bethesda Urban Partnership and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition.

Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E
Gallery hours: Wed. - Sat, 12-6pm
Reception: Friday, Sept. 13, 6-8pm

The curious case of the DC art collection

All out war between the DC mayor and the city council over who runs the District's Art Commission... just got word that the mayor sent a police officer over to the the art commission and changed the locks on the Art Bank storage facility, essentially seizing control of all the artwork inside!

On Identity in the Arts: What it means to be LatinX

We are all set for September 21, 2pm at Montpelier Art Center for my lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What it means to be LatinX.

Give it a shout out if you can and share it around. Seating is limited so folks are asked to call the center at 301.377.7800 to register.

It's all free - courtesy of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division of The  Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Address of Montpelier Art Center is
9652 Muirkirk Rd
Laurel, MD 20708

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.

Zofie King: Secular Relics and Apocryphal Fossils

Please join the very talented Zofie King for her solo exhibition "Secular Relics and Apocryphal Fossils" at Hillyer, opening on Friday, September 6, 6-9pm, with an artist talk during Art All Night, Saturday, September 14 at 8:30pm.

Final Thoughts, c.2019
Found objects, acrylic, resin, LED, velvet, cyanotype on satin
66" x 20" x 15"
Image courtesy of Pete Duvall

She writes:

When making the pieces for this show, I was reflecting on how objects connect us to history, both geological and cultural. Fossils serve as a record of geological time, in which humans are a mere blip, while reliquaries encapsulate myths that go back several centuries. The origin of relics is often dubious, and their provenance hard to track. In fact, a reliquary is venerated for what it is thought to contain, and its real value lies in the story that surrounds the object. Similarly, fossils hold our fascination by telling us about the history of life before humans. Studied extensively, they are put into context using the scientific method, but in holding a fossil, one is also physically connected to a prehistoric time. 

 9 Hillyer Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008
202.338.0325  |  atHillyer.org  |  ArtsandArtists.org

A new art fair model!

For many galleries, art fairs present a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” proposal. The cost to participate has grown increasingly steep, with many charging tens of thousands for a booth, plus expenses for shipping, travel, and insurance. Do more than one fair a year—let alone five or six—and that number balloons quickly. On the other hand, not participating can amount to a significant lost business opportunity.

Future Fair, a new New York startup launched by fair veteran Rachel Mijares Fick and art adviser Rebeca Laliberte, poses an answer to this problem: it will cut a share of its profits with participating galleries.

Read the whole article here. 

Villagallegos in my past footprint

Just discovered that my paternal grandmother was born in Villagallegos (Celtic Village), in the municipality of Valdevimbre, in the province of Leon, in northwest Spain... even today pretty much a one horse village, with about 100 people living there!

Plein Air Painting Competition at Serenity Farm

FARM HERITAGE CONSERVANCY
1st Annual Sunflower Festival at Serenity Farm
6960 Serenity Farm Road
Benedict, Maryland 20612

Labor Day Weekend 2019, August 31 and September 1, 10am – 4pm

En Plein Air Day, August 30 8am-dark

Plein Air Entries created on August 30 will be judged by Dr. Margaret Dowell, Adjunct Professor of Art, College of Southern Maryland.  Artworks will be available for public viewing and purchase at the festival on August 31 and September 1.  Twenty percent of all art sales will go to the Farm Heritage Conservancy, a non profit 501(c)3.

Prizes
1st Prize: $200
2nd Prize: $100
3rd Prize: $50

AUGUST 28: Deadline for artists to contact Franklin A Robinson, Jr to reserve a spot. Space is limited to twenty entrants. E-mail fhcbenedict2015@gmail.com

AUGUST 30: En plein air day, 8am-9am, artists report to the Harvest House at Serenity Farm to fill out Artist Participation Form and to join us for donuts and coffee for meet and greet. Then the full day to wander the farm and paint.

9am-dark, paint on location at Serenity Farm, at the end of the day works will be given to Franklin Robinson for hanging.  Canvases MUST HAVE eyehooks and wire. Artists will submit title and price for work.

AUGUST 31 AND SEPTEMBER 1, 10 am – 4 pm. Art works created on August 30 at the farm will be on public display during the festival.

SEPTEMBER 1, 3-4 pm.  Artists’ reception in the Yellow Barn.  Artists pick up works not sold during festival.

Vintage nude drawing at auction

Check out this 1995 drawing now being auctioned off by someone in New York - click here for details.

Time for 2019 Trawick!

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District will honor the top artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C. & Virginia for the 17th annual year.

The exhibit will be held from September 4-28 with a public reception on Friday, Sept. 13 from 6-8pm.  This year it is a tough one to pick a winner... but I'm betting on Muriel Hasbun.

2019 Finalists:

Stephanie Benassi, Linden, VA

Monroe Isenberg, Washington, D.C.

Hoesy Corona, Baltimore, MD

Renee Rendine, Towson, MD

Oletha DeVane, Ellicott City, MD

Mojdeh Rezaiepour, Vienna, VA

Muriel Hasbun, Silver Spring, MD

Anne Rogers, Baltimore, MD

Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E
Gallery hours: Wed. - Sat, 12-6pm