Covidian? …Covidism? …Covidnineteenism?…Coronaism?
A couple of months ago I wrote about some help lines for artists as the Coronavirulization of the art world, another victim of the planetary infection in what I now call The Covidian Age, was in full attack...
... Leave it to artists to actually do something positive not only with these two political interpretations of a disease, but also with a myriad of interpretations of the Covidian Age and Covidism – and I suspect that a millennia from now, when perhaps even more dark events have been survived by the human race, it is the First Covidian Age artwork which will truly tell the story and mark the crowning spot (pun intended) of the Coronavirulization of art.
Saturday, July 23, 2022
The Coronavirulization of the art world
Friday, July 22, 2022
What shows up on Ebay
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| Skies above the Montrose Links, Scotland 1990 Watercolor on paper by F. Lennox Campello |
This 1990 watercolor - done while I lived in Scotland is currently up on Ebay for a steal! See it here
Thursday, July 21, 2022
When you get grease on paper
Master iguana-eaters perfect their eating craft while carrying one of those giant buckets of popcorn (at the movies) in one hand, and a giant soft drink in the other. No one can resist waiting to be seated to start on the popcorn, and so many of us iguana the popcorn enroute to our seat… the head dips, the mouth opens and popcorn is iguana into the gullet.
As a master iguana-style-eater, I decided to grab another piece of steak, and then head upstairs for the utensils…. my head dipped down into the plate… black charcoaly hands spread out for balance.
I iguana’d the steak bite, raised my neck, and a smaller piece of meat, which had been barely attached to the larger piece in my mouth, went flying… and landed squarely on the middle of the drawing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
My picks for the current Art League show
An easy way to spend most of a summer rainy afternoon (and there are plenty of hem coming!) is a visit to the Torpedo Factory, host to many art studios and some key galleries. While you’re there, go check out the current Open Exhibit, juried by artist Jessie Boyland.
If you’re a constant reader of this blog, then you know what comes next: The Campello awards!
Are you ready for a shock? I believe that for the first time since I’ve been messing around with re-jurying other jurors’ shows and awards (first time was around 1981), this is the FIRST time that I’ve agreed with the Best of Show!
Wendy Donahoe’s “Traveler”, a spectacular charcoal and carbon pencil drawing, is not only a superbly crafted technical masterpiece, but also a work that does something that a master like Donahoe does so simply: in this case capture the psychologic presence of the subject. She nails it and do not be fooled by the simplicity of my words in describing her accomplishment with this piece. These are finely tuned and trained artistic muscles which Donahoe flexes so easily in this work and which are in reality impossibly difficult to deliver.
I also quite liked some of the Honorable Mentions, especially “Transposition” by Susan O'Neill, an elegant figure study employing charcoal, red chalk, and mixed media on paper.
Personally I would have given an award to “Art Lovers 1 - Picasso - Le Gourmet 0” by Leni Gurin, a very elegant Acrylic and a take off on the great Spanish master. That painting is the steal of the show! At 14 × 78 × 11 inches, the cool painting by Leni Gurin is a steal at $900! Go buy it!
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| Traveler by Wendy Donahoe |
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| Transposition by Susan O'Neill |
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| "Art Lovers 1 - Picasso - Le Gourmet 0" by Leni Gurin |
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
I keep giving this advice out...
This month this column is just going to re-address some thoughts about our DMV area non-profits – an idea which I’ve been venting on about for years
The Art League in Alexandria is not only one of our area’s largest artists’ organization, with over 1,200 members, but also a jewel in our area’s art presence. The Art League also operates a school with over 2500 students per term and a supply store for the purchase of art supplies by students and members.
Monday, July 18, 2022
Death on Tik Tok
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| The arrival of Death will be on Tik Tok 2022 watercolor by Florencio Lennox Campello |
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Arlington Art Center to become a museum
The Arlington Arts Center will reopen on 1 October as the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington!
Cool or what?
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Lucky find
A few years ago I told you how I sneak artwork in Thrift shops... perfect way to dispose of frames which have seen better days. etc.
Anyway... recently I placed some art school vintage works in a very large area Thrift store, and even before I had left the store, I noticed that the below sharp-eyed collector had already snatched two of the four pieces that I had placed in the shelves!!!
She left behind this etching of Che Guevara behind... maybe not a big fan of the Argentine mass murderer.
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| The mass murderer Ernesto Che Guevara 1978 litho by Florencio Lennox Campello |
Friday, July 15, 2022
On the subject of photographers
You can put money on this: a thousand years from now, there will still be photographers who still use the techniques of that profession that were invented at the beginning of photography itself. There is something so attractive to the masters of the darkroom about photographic processes such as handmade prints from glass negatives, and other 19th century processes such as Platinum Palladium, Cyanotype, Oil, Carbon, Gum Bichromate, VanDyke Brown, Salted Prints, Tintypes, and Ambrotypes.
Virginia’s Sally Mann, not only one of the planet’s top photographers, but also someone who has been a contemporary pioneer in revitalizing some of these archaic techniques, often speaks of “old-time, folksy, soulful, artisanal processes”… that “slicker technologies have displaced.”
She labels these processes “holistic.
Wanna see some of these holistic processes and the gorgeous works that they yield?
At Glen Echo Park’s Photoworks Gallery, “a group of likeminded photographers presents work that is more than just nostalgia. Each photographer lends her/his own voice with their unique, hand-made images, some of which are augmented by hand tinting. While the images are contemporary, the artisanal nature of the images harkens to an earlier age. The tension between these qualities makes them TIMELESS.”
Represented in the exhibit are works by Rodrigo Barrera-Sagastume, Paige Billin-Frye, Mac Cosgrove-Davies, Scott Davis, Sebastian Hesse-Kastein, William Shelton and Redeat Wondemu.
In addition to the opening, Photoworks will be offering related demonstration and hands-on events during the exhibition:
Zoom Artist Talk (Friday, July 15, 7-8pm) – for those unable to attend the opening, this is an opportunity to hear from and interact with the artists. Learn about the artist and their vision, their chosen photographic processes and related classes offered at Photoworks.
Champagne and Platinum (Friday, July 22, 7-10pm at Photoworks) - spend a delightful evening with the Alt-Photo crowd in the Photoworks Gallery sipping bubbly and watching a live demo of the platinum printing process. Platinum printing allows delicate rendering of image detail with an astonishing tonal range and legendary permanence. ($20 per person)
Wet Plate Demonstration (Saturday, July 23, 11am-2pm at Glen Echo Park) – This is a live demonstration of the photographic process that was dominant from the 1850s-70s (i.e during the US Civil War. The photographer must sensitize, expose, and develop the plate in a matter of minutes, using a portable darkroom. Results are available immediately.
Sun Printing (July 30, 11am-2pm) - A family friendly fun-for-all where everyone makes cyanotype shadowgrams. This is an excellent introduction to cyanotype process. Cyanotype is the simplest historic photographic process to learn. It also can deliver extraordinary creative expression.
Staying on the theme of photography, and through July 24, Multiple Exposures Gallery presents an exhibition of New Photography by Tom Sliter titled "Cold Warriors." On exhibit is “a series of images that takes a different look at the aircraft that defined the Cold War. Rather than focusing on the aircraft’s characteristics, the exhibit delves into the underlying design elements -- the grand sweeps, smooth lines, sharp angles, and graceful curves that are a hallmark of pushing boundaries.”
Multiple Exposures is located inside the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria, one of the great art jewels of the Mid Atlantic.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
37TH Annual Mayor's Arts Awards
The 37TH Annual DC Mayor's Arts Awards will take place in September 2022!
Please visit www.dcmayorsartsawards.com for more information and to RSVP -- Click here to create an account and to vote!
Me bitchin' to the WaPo in 1995
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Artist Panel: Home-Land: Exploring the American Myth
Curators Michael Quituisaca and Alexandra Schuman, together with the artists of the exhibition "Home-Land Exploring the American Myth" at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center will present an artists' discussion and talk panel this coming Sunday!
Date and time: Sun, July 17, 2022 at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Location:
American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20016
Taking advantage of the museum’s proximity to the Department of Homeland Security’s Nebraska Avenue Complex, this exhibition explores the impact that American culture has on its citizens both naturalized and native. Using American iconography, consumer and visual culture, and personal experience, the featured eight Washington area artists simultaneously honor and confront the American dream. The idea of “home” is a promise in America that often goes unquestioned. However, these artists reveal that home is not a privilege for all - for some it is taken, for others it is to be fought for and defended, and, for many artists in the show, it is reforged in a new land. This exhibition, "Home-Land: Exploring the American Myth" highlights how these artists have found their place within multiple frameworks of identity, both ascribed and subscribed.
Artists showing: Sobia Ahmad, F. Lennox Campello, Elizabeth Casqueiro, Ric Garcia, Claudia "Aziza" Gibson-Hunter, Julia Kwon, Khánh H. Lê, and Helen Zughaib
This event will be held in-person at the museum.
Monday, July 11, 2022
Anniversary of the July 11 uprising
Last year, and for the first time (at least in my memory) there were widespread protests in Cuba - the shouts were for "Libertad" which means "freedom." Thousands of people were arrested, many were murdered and many disappeared.
There are planned protests on the first anniversary, and the Marxist dictators are sure to react with a bloody reprisal again - let's pray for these brave men, women and children on the streets of that poor brutalized island!
| "Isla Herida" 1980 F. Lennox Campello Original Watercolor In a private collection in Coral Gables, FL And here again is the flag for the uprising that I designed last year! A take-off on the 26th of July flag - this one has the colors of the Cuban flag (Red, White and Blue). The red stripe is slightly larger than the blue, in honor of the blood being spilled on the streets of Cuba. The "11J" in white is for 11 July! 
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Sunday, July 10, 2022
Opportunity for DMV artists
Art Maryland 2022
Deadline: August 1
Art Maryland is a biennial survey show of artists in Maryland and the surrounding areas (specifically, artists living or working within 100 miles of the Center, including Washington, DC and parts of Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania).
All artists, 18 years or older, residing in Maryland or within a 100-mile radius of Ellicott City, Maryland, and working in any medium are invited to submit up to three artworks for consideration for the exhibit Art Maryland 2022.
Entries must have been completed in the last two years and can not have been previously exhibited in the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) galleries.
Friday, July 08, 2022
Want your art critiqued?
When: Tuesday, July 12 at 6pm EST
Who: Art Clinic Online
LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7135915273
ACO will continue to discuss art in general and conduct some friendly critiques of art. If you would like feedback on your work, kindly send images to Mariana (mkastrin@gmail.com) before the Tuesday session. Suggested topics for discussion are welcome.
Saturday, July 02, 2022
The day I found myself in a metaverse of Frida Kahlos
More early odd works from current scanning of old art slides... this is "The day I found myself in a metaverse of Frida Kahlos" from 1980, when I was in art school at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Artist Panel: Home-Land: Exploring the American Myth
Artist Panel: Home-Land: Exploring the American Myth
Sunday July 17, 1-2PM at American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center.
Artist Panel: Home-Land: Exploring the American Myth
July 17, 1-2 p.m. ET
Register on Eventbrite to attend in-person or virtually
Artists showing: Sobia Ahmad, F. Lennox Campello, Elizabeth Casqueiro, Ric Garcia, Claudia "Aziza" Gibson-Hunter, Julia Kwon, Khánh H. Lê, and Helen Zughaib
This event will be held in-person at the museum.
Monday, June 27, 2022
RIP Sam Gilliam
Just heard the sad news that the great artist Sam Gilliam has died.
Last week I wrote about Sam's first ever major museum show in DC area. My feelings here.
Sunday, June 26, 2022
I will judge this year’s "Paint the Town" Labor Day Show
It will be soon announced that yours truly will be the judge for this year’s "Paint the Town" Labor Day Show sponsored by the Montgomery Art Association
The Paint the Town Labor Day Show is one of the region’s largest and longest-running art shows composed of all local artists. The show will be open to the public Saturday-Monday, September 3-5, and I will do both the closed-door judging and then and on Saturday, September 3, I will also judge the plein air competition and then present the awards.
About the Plein Air Competition: As you walk around Kensington on the Saturday of the show weekend, you'll see dozens of artists painting and drawing all over town. Those are participants of the annual Plein Air Competition. From 7 am-3 pm, adults and children complete paintings with a Kensington theme and submit them for prizes awarded by me. The competition is open to all adults and children. Free for children under 18 and current MAA members; adults pay $10 per person. Registration opens July 15.
Details here.
Schedule
FRIDAY, JULY 15: Call for entries opens (members only)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: Exhibit floor open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Plein air art competition, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. -- Awards ceremony, 6-8 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4: Exhibit floor open, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5: Exhibit floor open, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Pick up purchased artwork, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6: Pick up purchased artwork, 9-11 a.m.
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Three DMV artists representing US at Venice Biennale
There are three area artists who are currently representing the US at the Venice Biennale -Glasstress. That's their collaboration in the background of the photo from the Italian press below:
The Italian press calls Chris Shea, Michael Janis and Tim Tate "international stars" - The Washington Post and other local media call them... oh wait! There's not a single mention of this in our local press!
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