La Cerca

In Spanish, fence is cerca, which oddly enough is the same word for "near."

A big chunk of our back fence was wiped out by a large tree branch which fell during Derechogeddon 2012 and darn nearly took out the entire section of the fence.

Feh!

Hoyo

You are looking at the hole on our roof caused by the fact that Derechogeddon 2012 broke off the top of our neighbor's tree, which then fell on our roof, poked this hole, then rolled off, taking out the gutter in the process, and now lays in our backyard awaiting the insurance man to come over and see what happens next.

Still no power in the house or neighborhood.

The Spanish word for hole is hoyo (pronounced o-yo).

Ouch!

Derechogeddon 2012

Derechogeddon 2012 devastated our backyard, from what pics the neighbors have sent us... no power and no water and no Campellos... a visiting friend staying at the house is now holding up the fort.

Krispy Kream, Belsano, PA

Krispy Kream Drive-In, Belsano, PA... oh yeah... the ice cream was as good as it looked...

Oil City, PA

Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Wolf's Head motor oil companies. Tourism plays a prominent role in the region by promoting oil heritage sites, nature trails, and Victorian architecture. The population was 10,557 at the 2010 census.

 We're here for the wedding of a friend; lots of DMV area artists are also here... pictures later.

Born today...

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter is 435 years old today... and King Henry VIII of England was also born on this day.

But neither one of them can stand up to the genius of Mel Brooks, who was born on this day in 1926.

Mazl-tov! It's good to be the King!

Sister Mary Malbec

Sister Mary Malbec, 10x4.5 inches, charcoal and conte on paper

Thomas Kinkade Museum

In the months before his death, Thomas Kinkade was "extremely focused" on establishing a museum of his artwork at his Monte Sereno home, his embattled girlfriend said in court papers filed Thursday.

"Thomas appreciated that while his art never received critical acclaim, he had legions of fans who were moved and uplifted by his art," Amy Pinto-Walsh wrote in a declaration filed in Santa Clara County probate court. "Thomas wanted to create this museum for his fans."

Pinto-Walsh said Kinkade took her on several trips to art museums -- including the Getty in Los Angeles -- for inspiration.

I can think of at least six artists whose work never received any critical acclaim but now have museums dedicated solely to their work... can you? Read the whole article quoted above here.

Sister Mary Merlot

Sister Mary Merlot, charcoal and conte on paper, 10x4.5 inches, c. 2012

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Viginia, Virginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Winging it in Europe

Winging It!-In Europe: An Empty Nester's Plan for Travel: Designed for Those Young at Heart but Older of Body by Linda Stringer and Jim Stringer

I did a ton of illustrations for this book back in 1991 when I was living in Scotland and the authors were traveling around Europe gathering data for their book, which has become an underground classic of European travel tips... get a copy here. 

 

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?

Painting into Sculpture is an exhibition (at Marlboro Gallery at Prince George's Community College curated by John Anderson) of "painting that embraces the physical space beyond the rectangle. The featured work explores the terrain where painting becomes sculptural through various methodologies: stacking panels, activating negative space, stripping the medium from the support, using objects that function as paint, shaping the canvas, and reducing the brush stroke to an object."

Featured artists include Dennis Dake, Don Kimes, J.T. Kirkland, Donald Martiny, Eugene Markowski, Kris Scheifele, and Dan Tulk.

The exhibition runs through July 19, with a reception June 28, 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

Gallery Hours
9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Monday – Thursday
9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. Friday
Contact: John Anderson, guest curator,
301-322-0959, andersjj@pgcc.edu
Or Tom Berault, Gallery Curator,
301-322-0967, beraulta@pgcc.edu

Returning to Aqua in December

A couple of days ago I was invited to exhibit at the 2012 Aqua Art Fair in Miami Beach; this will be my second Aqua and last year's was not only a terrific fair, but also a lot of fun!

Ali or Not?

The Muhammad Ali Center is suing a Michigan art donor, seeking to force the gallery to take back a gift of more than 180 pieces or allow the center to display it without any conditions set in the donation agreement.

At issue is the authenticity of Ali autographs on six pieces donated in 2009. The center says the signatures are not Ali's and are not in an online database that authenticates signed artwork.

Details here.

Susan Makara at Target

Stocking The Fridge

The notable Washington, DC art couple Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow are keeping it local with their latest exhibition Stocking The Fridge. Known internationally for their whimsical, politically charged, and allegorically satirical paintings, Dana and Matt will "stock" the gallery with nearly 100 fresh, locally grown paintings.

Octobomb by Dana Ellyn

Stocking the Fridge will feature a selection of the best works from the couple's past 31 Days in July projects and include a painting from the first week of the 2012 edition. Matt and Dana's annual 31 Days in July began in 2003. The artists create 31 unique paintings inspired by the morning news from July. Each painting is a reflection of current events, mostly political, and showcases each artist's unique approach to painting.

Stocking The Fridge 

The Fridge

July 7 – July 29, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 7, 7-11pm

Man swipes Dali painting from art gallery

A thief who swiped a Salvador Dali painting off the wall of a New York art gallery may have escaped, but experts say the painting will likely be recovered when it comes back onto the art market.

Police are searching for a slim man with a receding hairline who walked into a Madison Avenue art gallery on Tuesday posing as a customer and walked out with the $150,000 Dali watercolor and ink painting in a large black shopping bag.

Read more here

Gene Davis: Craigslist Art Find of the Week

$1500 via Craigslist! Check it out here - Gene Davis auction prices here.

Michael O'Sullivan's Artomatic Picks

Michael O'Sullivan is the Washington Post's art critic and certainly the one art critic who has been there the longest, thus giving him an experienced and deep eye and knowledge about the DMV art scene. Below are his AOM picks in alphabetical order followed by the floor where the artist is exhibiting:

M. Helene Baribeau (mixed media knit sculpture) 04

Stephanie Booth (photography/needlework) 09

Brash (poetry) everywhere

Peter Byer (illustration) 08

Justin Cameron (installation) 08

Valeria Caflisch (painting and mixed media sculpture) 07

David D’Orio (glass and mixed media sculpture) 08

Cavan Fleming (painting) 04

Eric Gordon/DC Creepers (drawing) 11

Kelly Guerrero (sculpture) 08

James Halloran (painting) 08

Dale Hunt (painting) 09

Rose Jaffe (drawing) 02

Glen Kessler (painting/pastel) 01

Paul Mericle (painting) 07

Greg Minah (painting) 03

Cory Oberndorfer (painting) 11

Thomas Petzwinkler (photography/video) 10

Lynn Putney (painting) 08

Henrik Sundqvist (printmaking) 08

Christian Tribastone (drawings/works on paper) 09

Edmond van der Bijl (sculpture) 02

Steve Wanna (mixed media/installation)09

Stephanie J. Williams (painting) 08

Joanna Knox Yoder (photography) 11

Unleashed at Strathmore

There is a very cool exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore (which unfortunately ends June 23) focusing on the unlikely theme of dogs in art. It's titled Strathmore Unleashed, and of course it includes work by the ubercanine artist William Wegman, but it is Kathryn Freedman and Anna Dibble who steal the show with their intelligent, entertaining approach to the subject.

Admirer by Kathryn Freedman

Kathryn Freedman's Admirer approaches the subject by presenting us with a sexy, superbly composed painting in which the thematic subject (the dog) shares the focus of the piece with the beauty of the female body. It is also a little funny in that the canine is standing by, ready to be called and approach its human, while the feline on the right, is (of course) ignoring everyone.

Their Wolf Ancestors by Anna Dibble

Anna Dibble's immensely funny and immensely smart paintings blend two of my favorite things in art: visual art and text. The above one tells us that:

“Felix, who’d limped into the bar to try and dull the trauma of alteration surgery, realized he’d made a mistake. Buster, an office acquaintance, pontificated about how their wolf ancestors royally screwed up by allowing themselves to be domesticated. This idea irritated Felix. He was rather attached to regular kibble and the blue couch at the Chapmans’. He decided against a 2^nd glass of Pinot.”

Go see this show before it ends!