White House blues...

Redux: It all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is...

Cough, cough...

Lisa Montag at AU

Korda at Oregon

Chicoms and fake art...

No Chinese painting had ever fetched so much at auction, and, by the end of the year, the sale appeared to have global implications, helping China surpass the United States as the world’s biggest art and auction market.

But two years after the auction, Qi Baishi’s masterpiece is still languishing in a warehouse in Beijing. The winning bidder has refused to pay for the piece since doubts were raised about its authenticity. 

 Read the NYT story here. And chances are that if you think that you own a real Wifredo Lam, you're in the same boat... cough, cough...

For Miami...

Just ordered the largest frame to date for my most ambitious electronics-embedded project yet... not my largest work of art ever - that monster is in a private NYC collection - but my largest work with embedded electronics.

It will be three feet by five feet and part of the "Contemporary Art" series, where I usually show someone overwhelmed by contemporary art... painting actually. It will start at ten grand; my most expensive piece yet and a natural growth in price over many years.

We will be at CONTEXT in Miami in December, and showcasing Dulce Pinzon, Simon Monk, Ric Garcia, Audrey Wilson and yours truly.

If you are an artist, or a gallerist, or a serious collector in 2013, then you need to go to Miami in December, but before you do that, you need to make sure that you have plenty of the most valuable commodity on the planet: information!

La Rubell all over Baltimore

Over 150 artists entered the lottery to have the opportunity to have Mera Rubell visit their studio and these are a few of the lucky 36 selected. Ms. Rubell and Ms. Gold, Director of the WPA, were joined at points throughout their tour with notable arts professionals from local museums and galleries as well as members of the press from Baltimore and Washington, DC. After the 36 hour marathon Ms. Rubell has invited participants and all applicants to 36 Studios: Part Two to join her for an after party at the Lord Baltimore Hotel on Sunday, October 27 from 6-8:00pm.

 Cara Ober has a very cool report on Mera Rubell studio-visiting tour all over Baltimore... check it out here.

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival Call

Call to Artists

WHAT: An Outdoor Fine Arts Festival 

WHERE: Bethesda, MD

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday 

May 10-11, 2014

 

NOTEWORTHY: 

*Complimentary breakfast and lunch for participating artists. 

*Free parking within 1 block. 

*Limited to 140 booth spaces of juried fine art and fine craft.

*Estimated attendance: 20,000. 

*$2,500 in cash awards. 

*24-hour security. 

*Booth sitters. 

*Entry/booth fees: $30/$425 (10x10); $850 (10x20).

*For more details about the show, click HERE

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival was ranked #78 of the 200 Best Shows in the USA by Sunshine Artist Magazine in September, 2008, making it the highest ranked fine art festival in Maryland. Artists report consistently high sales every year. Electronic application available on the festival's website. 

Ancient DNA Links Native Americans With Europe

"Im still processing that Native Americans are one-third European," says geneticist Connie Mulligan of the University of Florida in Gainesville. "It's jaw-dropping." At the very least, says geneticist Dennis O'Rourke of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, "this is going to stimulate a lot of discussion."

Details http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6157/409.full

Alex Queral "Face | Book - Phonebook Portraits"

I know this show is in Philly and not the DMV, but my peeps Alex Queral is not only a University of Washington fellow grad, and a fellow YUCA, but also such a terrific artist who has carved a niche (pun intended) like no one else in the art world, that this show deserves a shout out:

November 1 - December 21, 2013
Artist Opening Reception:  First Friday, November 1^st, 6-9 pm

Projects Gallery Philadelphia is pleased to present Alex Queral’s “Face | Book – Phonebook Portraits”.  In his third solo exhibition with the gallery, Alex explores the duality of the recognizable and the anonymous in modern society.  Works being featured include his signature hand-carved telephone books, as well as large-scale digital prints.

Born in Cuba with a migration to Mexico before landing in the U.S., the artist has experienced first hand the sense of invisibility.  Taking, until now, an easily discarded object like a residential telephone book with its lists of thousands of faceless names and numbers, Alex transforms them into three-dimensional portraits of the famous and no-so famous of today’s mass media.  Using the simple tools of an X-ACTO® knife and a little acrylic paint, his talented hands dissect, eviscerate and reconstruct these pages of soft material into incredible art objects.  Utilizing classical carving techniques on an unexpected material, Queral brings forth the individual from the faceless masses. The artist crafts recognizable visages, vaguely familiar but elusively foreign, as well as evoking his own cast of characters from the found sheets of paper.

What happens to these images when you enlarge them five fold, returning them to the cinematic context from which they came?  The graphic details become surprising clear.  The object transcends the material and becomes the focal point of discovery and serendipitous moments appear.  John Wayne’s given name (in the female) appears on his forehead; Clint Eastwood has a listing of funeral homes, perhaps a reference to the many men shot by Dirty Harry; Zimmerman is hidden behind the head of Bob Dylan.   However, with either media, the distinctly iconic work of Alex Queral cannot be denied.

Mr. Queral received a B.F.A. from the University of Washington, Seattle and a M.F.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.  His works have been exhibited around the world and throughout U.S.; most recently at the Philadelphia International Airport and in Hong Kong.  They are in the collections of Ripley's Believe It or Not!®, Sasktel Canada, Jerry Speyer and numerous private collections. His images have appeared in numerous books, including Art Made from Books; 500 Paper Objects: New Directions in Paper Art – A Preview; Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Enter If you Dare!; Playing with Books: The Art of Upcycling, Deconstructing and Reimaging the Book.  Queral's work has gained International acclaim through numerous internet bloggers.   His carved telephone books and prints are exclusively represented by Projects Gallery.

Face | Book – Phonebook Portraits will run November 1 – December 21, 2013 with an artist reception on First Friday, November 1st from 6-9. The reception is free and open to the public.  Projects Gallery is located at 629 N. 2nd St. in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section. A preview of works may be viewed on the gallery’s website at www.projectsgallery.com. For more information and images, please contact Projects Gallery at 267-303-9652 or info@projectsgallery.com

A comment on the proposed new covers (hats) for the USMC

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha... cough, cough.... Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh Man! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!!!

Ev Clark at the Art League

The Art League Gallery in Alexandria has an interesting show coming up soon:  "Cities in the Air" is an exploration of the urban wilderness that surrounds and permeates Richmond, VA.  The show is up from November 7 to December 2.  The opening reception on Thursday, November 14 runs from 6:30 PM - 8 PM. 

You can visit Ev Clark's work at: everittclarkphotography.com

 

The Art League Gallery

105 North Union Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

General Hours:

Monday - Saturday (except Thursday) 10 AM - 6 PM

Thursday 10 AM - 9 PM

Sunday 12 PM - 6 PM

Howard County Arts Council Announces 2014 Arts Scholarship Program‏

Are you planning to pursue higher education in the arts? The Howard County Arts Council’s 2014 Arts Scholarship Application is now available!

The Howard County Arts Council will award a minimum of $10,000 in scholarship funds to students entering college in the 2014-2015 academic year. Scholarships must be used for enrollment in an accredited college program for a degree in the arts. Awards will be made in the minimum amount of $1,000 and may be used for tuition and fees only.

Applications will be reviewed by the Arts Council’s Scholarship Panel, made up of professionals working in a variety of artistic disciplines. Review criteria will include artistic merit, demonstrated knowledge of an artistic discipline, commitment to a career in the arts, and a demonstrated track record of success in an academic setting. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision in March 2014.

Applications for the scholarship program must be submitted online. Prospective applicants should visit hcac.culturegrants.org to initiate the application process. Applicants must be legal residents of Howard County in their senior year of high school. Applications must be submitted electronically by January 15, 2014. Contact the Howard County Arts Council at 410-313-2787 or email info@hocoarts.org for more information.

Why Artists Should Use an LLC for Their Business...

The LLC has become an increasingly popular corporate structure.  LLC’s combine the personal liability protections of a large corporation and the simplified tax structure and filing requirements of a partnership or sole proprietorship. Traditionally, corporations were the only structure that afforded personal liability protection. Because corporations are distinct entities with the power to make agreements, sign contracts and even commit crimes, owners couldn’t be blamed for its actions. Owners are merely shareholders; the corporation is the one that should pay for the wrongdoing. That was a benefit many businesses wanted.

Details here.

The Accidental Owner of a Banksy

“Are you going to be rich?” That is the first question people ask me upon finding out that in the wee morning hours of October 17, the famed street artist Banksy painted a mural on the side of a building my family owns in East Williamsburg.

The truth is — at the end of an exhausting day filled with phone calls talking to lawyers, security companies, art experts, and reporters — I have no idea what it means. There is no rule book when one of the most famous artists in the world decides to drop his work into your life.

Details here.

Washington Redskin Potatoes

Not only has PETA allegedly stolen my wife's October 9th idea about renaming the Redskins... cough, cough, but they have also come up with a lame new logo... that moon rock thing doesn't even look like a redskin potato!

Some other folks have jumped in the bandwagon and designed some even lamer helmet designs... Wait till you guys see the new logo that the Kid has been working on...

And PETA, please stick to throwing red paint on models wearing furs... cough, cough.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant:

From:	Karl Neil (zhangjz@cspp.com.cn)
Sent:	Fri 10/18/13 9:43 AM

Greetings,
How are you doing today? I am interested in purchasing some of your products, 

I would like to know if you can ship directly to Reykjavik (Iceland). 

I also want you to know my mode of payment for this order is via Credit Card. 

Do get back to me if you can ship to that destination and if you accept the 

payment type I indicated. Kindly return this email with theprice list of your products.
 
Regards
 
Karl

Friends in Motion – an exhibit by Marsha Stein

November 7 – 30:
Friends in Motion – an exhibit by Marsha Stein
Studio 21 Gallery Opening and reception on November 7 at 6pm.

You hear the music…the laughter…the shouts. You inhale the wild aromas of the food booths and flowers and feel the vibrations in the bright hot air.

For 22 years, Marsha Stein lived and painted in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. She was widely known there for her carnival scenes—stilt walkers, in particular. The island and its people demand a looseness of form and composition that is fitting of the uninhibited joy of the street festival.

Marsha majored in art at American University after a childhood filled with artistic expression. In St. Thomas, she was drawn to realism as a way of making the sights around her come to life in a new way. Her emotion-fueled expressionism easily morphed into the carnival scenes. To add to those disciplines of reality, she turned to classical drawing, studying in Florence for six months to discover the techniques of the Italian masters.

Back in Washington, Marsha has expanded her themes and techniques. She looks to combine the disciplines of classical drawing with the looseness of the Caribbean works in her portraits and landscapes.

Gallery Hours: Thurs-Fri 5:30pm-8:00pm; Sat 12pm-4pm

Studio 21 is located on the Arts Walk at Monroe Street Market – just steps from the Brookland/CUA Metro (Red Line).

(e)merge art fair wake effect... Part II

Another nice review! 

This time from Berlin Art Link

Read it here.

The (e)merge wake effect

Kayleigh Bryant in The Examiner discusses the (e)merge art fair and has some very positive things to say about my artwork.

Read the article here.

Enormous Charm

Enormous Charm
Oil and Alkyds on Wood - 60x50 cm. 2013 by Simon Monk