An old friend returns

Frida Kahlo in a Picasso Style. Oil on wood, 1980 by F. Lennox Campello

In 1980, as part of a student assignment at the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle, we created multiple artworks "in the style" of masters. As part of my highly documented Fridamania, I painted the above oil of Frida Kahlo in the style of Picasso.

I honestly can't recall when it was eventually sold, but I think it was in my show at Georgetown's Fraser Gallery a decade ago, as that show chronicled what was then 27 years of my obsessive interest in Kahlo (read the Washington City Paper review here)

Anyway, this work just made an appearance, as I was contacted by the new owners, who acquired it at an auction in Florida recently!

The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative

Deadline: September 8, 2014

There is not enough that I can say to recommend The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR) to all emerging artists.... I have been lucky enough to have been a mentor twice, and can therefore testify what a boost to an artist's career this program is... and it deals and teaches so many diverse areas.... there is nothing even close to it in the DMV, maybe even the nation.

It was established to help cultivate local visual arts talent by connecting established professionals in all aspects of the field with up-and-coming artists.  Emerging artists will be in residence in the Mansion at Strathmore from January – August 2015. During this time, each artist will have the opportunity to develop an audience in the DC metropolitan area, perfect their craft, create and implement an outreach, educational, or special event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration, and premiere a new body of artwork, including a collaborative piece with one’s mentor, commissioned by Strathmore in a culminating exhibition.

The exhibition of new work will take place in August of 2015 and will reflect the artistic growth of the artist in residence.  Throughout the residency artists meet with a professional artist mentor for career guidance and artistic critique; attend career development workshops; and have the opportunity to teach, lecture, volunteer, exhibit or otherwise participate in Strathmore visual arts programming. Apply here: http://www.strathmore.org/education/series/view.asp?id=10102314

Eligibility:
The Strathmore Fine Artist in Residence Program is open to all emerging visual artists.  All media accepted.
Fine AIR Program Timeline
•             September 8, 2014   Deadline for application
•             September 15 – 18, 2014  Select applicants invited to interview
•             September 29, 2014   Notification of acceptance
•             October 2014   Fine AIR contracts finalized
•             November 2014  Incoming Fine AIR class announced to the public
•             January 2015   Official start of the Fine AIR program
•             August 2015   Exhibition of new work

A Residency at Strathmore includes:
•             An exhibition of new work at the Mansion at Strathmore, Summer 2015
•             Strathmore’s consideration of an outreach, educational, or special event proposal
•             A professional artist mentor throughout the residency
•             Career Development workshops and experiences provided by Strathmore
•             A stipend of $1,000 (Studio space and housing are not available with this residency)

Artist responsibilities include:
•             Mandatory attendance at a Fine AIR welcome event, scheduled meetings with artist mentor, and career development workshops provided by Strathmore.
•             Creation of a new body of saleable work, including a collaborative piece created with one’s mentor, to debut at the 2015 Fine AIR Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore.
•             Creation of an outreach, educational, or other visual arts event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration for future seasons.
•             Volunteering at “Discover Strathmore” and “Strathmore Arts Festival” events and by providing an artist demonstration, pop- up of artwork for exhibition and/or sale, or related artistic presence.
•             Volunteer to teach, lecture, and/or demo for the visual art department at least once during residency.  Strathmore charges admission for these programs and all proceeds go toward supporting the Fine AIR program.

Jacobson on Sislen

Louis Jacobson over at the WCP has for years and years built a track record as one of the DMV's top art critics.

Louie The J tends to focus on photography, but every once in a while he flexes his writing muscles in other genres, and puts most of the other DMV art scribes to shame...

He's also the master of the "mini-review," a "WCP goes yard" concept that I sold the WaPo into a couple of decades ago... as a means to spread out their anemic visual arts coverage.

Read his most excellent review of Alan Sislen's show at Multiple Exposures Gallery (by now the key photography gallery in the DMV) here.

Mary Armstrong at Cross MacKenzie

Mary Armstrong: "Drifting Waters"

Thursday July 24th - September 10th, 2014

Opening Reception: Thursday July 24th 6-8  

Cross MacKenzie Gallery is pleased to present a solo show of paintings by distinguished artist Mary Armstrong. Her ethereal landscapes-which shift between the ground, water, and air-explore the symbiotic relationship between the earth and it's atmosphere, evoking both a sense of serenity and turmoil.

Armstrong's abstract interpretations of a landscape and views of a distant horizon are informed by 19th century painting approaches. Yet the artist's method of scraping through luscious wax and oils on panel in order to reveal hyped-up colors from underneath, lend her work a decidedly contemporary vibe. A self-proclaimed "student of light and collector of air", Armstrong's fascination and deep appreciation for the world outside her studio has led her to translate both the physical and metaphysical elements of nature with a certain type of reverence; her palette delicate and harmonious, her work gracefully hovers in between the earthly and the airy worlds.
Her depictions of water emphasize the mutability and interplay of light and color, effectively creating striking landscapes of the sea and the sky. It is, however, her interest in our constantly altering relationship to the earth itself that has caused her to develop feelings of anxiety and worry, which she conveys in the subtly turbulent overtones of her paintings. The dichotomies of the natural world that Armstrong explores ultimately lead her to inhabit a still undefined space, a realm of beauty filled with ambiguity and uncertainty, where the focus is on the general sensations and impressions, rather than the concrete physical elements of the environment she/we inhabit(s).

Mary Armstrong, a professor at Boston College, has been teaching painting since 1989. She began showing her paintings and drawings at Victoria Munroe Gallery in New York and Boston in 1985, and has since been featured in dozens of group exhibitions and been lauded with multiple awards.

DC Art Bank

Recently I had the pleasure and honor of sitting down with seven other jurors to help select the Art Bank acquisitions by the DC commission and the arts and humanities.

I think initially there was something in the neighborhood of around 400+ works of art submitted for consideration, which is by far, I think, the largest number of artists who have submitted work whenever the city announces that they are interested in acquiring work for the permanent collection of Washington, DC.

But, I still think it's not enough! Everyone of you dear readers who is an artist, and who lives around the DMV, and who did not submit artwork...well, don't complain about lack of opportunities. There's absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be thousands of submissions from every artist in the region... the process is very simple; it's all done online; it doesn't cost anything... there are no excuses. 

For Gawd sakes! there are artists from Baltimore who submitted art... And who at least take the time and effort to send work in!

And, if we eliminate the usual suspects, whom are already in the loop and who submit work for any and everything, I bet you that it was less than 20% of people who are "new" in the artistic scene... At least, new to me. 

Some of these "usual suspects" already have... in some cases, more than 10 pieces of art in the permanent collection of the city... But, they bust their ass, and they work, and they submit, and that's why they get picked!

I submitted work too, by the way.

It got rejected... cough, cough, but I practice what I preach, and have a tough skin when it comes to this... I will submit again for the next call...

Since there were eight different people jurying and grading and qualifying and talking, I think it was pretty fair process - and it was a lot of fun! Some were artists, some were collectors, some were curators, some were dealers, it was a good mix! 

The final selections will be announced soon, congratulations to all of them!

Major moves

There seem to be all kinds of moves going on around the DMV these days; The Washington Project for the Arts, one of the DMV's leading artist service organizations and contemporary art presenter has announced that the “organization will move to street-level office and gallery space in The JBG Companies' Atlantic Plumbing mixed-use residential and retail development in the U Street Corridor cultural district. As WPA marks its 40-year anniversary milestone in 2015, the new space matches the forward-looking vision for the future of the organization with unprecedented opportunities to expand programming and increase impact within the Greater Washington area.”

WPA will move into 1,500 square feet in the main Atlantic Plumbing building at 8th and V Streets NW - adjacent to the 9:30 Club, DC's renowned music venue - by early fall of 2015, which coincides with the launch of the organization's 40th anniversary celebration.

"We are thrilled to offer our artists and the community a dedicated exhibition space. Combining WPA's administrative offices with new galleries in such a visible, flexible, contemporary space will greatly enhance our programming capabilities," said WPA Executive Director Lisa Gold. "We are imagining exciting new possibilities for our artists, partners, and supporters to experience art and engage in dialogue. And, as we approach this important anniversary milestone, this new space is a transformative step towards an illustrious future for WPA." 

 "WPA is a perfect fit with our vision for Atlantic Plumbing," said Robin Mosle, a JBG Executive Vice President. "We are pleased to partner with this inspiring and longstanding arts organization to bring new access to a wide range of art - not  only to Atlantic Plumbing, but to the immediate community recognized for its rich arts heritage."

The WPA space fronts 8th Street NW and will include a gallery to house exhibitions and events, staff offices, and retail space for original artists' works. The space will operate Monday through Saturday from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. with occasional evening events.  

 "The U Street corridor is an ideal home for WPA, given its artistic spirit, history, and diversity," said Kim Ward, chair of the WPA Board of Directors. "Since its founding, WPA has programmed and presented exhibitions in a variety of spaces - remaining versatile and responsive to the art of the times, while acting as a leader in creating partnerships with other arts organizations and institutions. We will continue to do that from a location that will provide a strong community hub for the arts with expanded room for programming and exhibitions."

Also moving are art entrepreneurs Leigh Conner and Jamie Smith, who have  announced they are seeking the next DC home for their powerhouse CONNERSMITH gallery and the (e)merge art fair office. Recently, Smith and Conner accepted an offer from the Capital Fringe Festival to purchase their art space in NE Washington, DC.

Smith and Conner moved their business from Dupont Circle NW to the Trinidad neighborhood in NE DC in 2007 when they purchased an auto body shop at 1358 and 1360 Florida Avenue, NE. The art entrepreneurs converted the two-story building and courtyard into an arts space at a time when the area was known for multiple homicides and police checkpoints.

In the renovated space, CONNERSMITH presented, free to the public, 56 solo exhibitions and 10 group shows of art by established, mid-career, and emerging artists, including Leo Villareal, Zoë Charlton, and my former mentoree, the immensely talented Wilmer Wilson IV. A gallery hub formed with the arrival of neighboring galleries, demonstrating the transformative power of art within a resilient community. While based in Trinidad, CONNERSMITH supported its artists’ exhibitions in museums and biennials nationally and abroad and made over 32 presentations at international art fairs. In 2011, Smith and Conner launched (e)merge, DC’s own international contemporary art fair.

“This transition is a natural evolution for us,” said Conner, “We programmed the Dupont Circle space for eight years and our Northeast space for seven years. Now, we are excited to expand our international presence and digital reach while establishing a new exhibition base in DC.”

“Strengthening our international relationships will advance the missions of CONNERSMITH and (e)merge,” explained Smith. “The gallery and the fair are competitive in the global art market and both strive steadily to contribute to DC’s growth into a world destination for contemporary art.”

Smith and Conner are very enthusiastic about Capital Fringe’s acquisition of the property and look forward to the space’s continued arts usage with the realization of Fringe’s vision for their festival’s new permanent home.

CONNERSMITH will celebrate its last exhibition in the Florida Avenue, NE space with the opening of the annual student show, Academy 2014, and pre-fair party for (e)merge, on July 12, 6-9 pm. WaPo story with some misquotes inaccuracies here.

Ai Weiwei The Fake Case

There is a new documentary about the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei; it is called AI WEIWEI THE FAKE CASE. 

The documentary explores Ai Weiwei’s life under house arrest, where he is restricted by the Chinese Communist authorities in everything he does – but he does it anyway. 

The director Andreas Johnsen gained intimate access to Ai’s environment after the unlawful 81-day detainment, exploring how China’s one-party political system (kinda like the Soviet Socialist Republic of Maryland's) impacts the life and work of an artist who would not stop speaking out. 

Ai Weiwei has always been an outspoken Freedom of Expression advocate, effectively utilizing social media to spread his message and reach the new generation both in China and abroad.  See the trailer video here.

Ai Weiwei’s lawyers were in turn persecuted and arrested, and the ChiComm state never gave his case due process.

The documentary will play in Washington D.C. through July 4-10 at Landmark’s E Street Cinema. 

It will also be at Freedom House, which will be presenting the Tuesday, July 8^th screening with a special introduction by their executive vice president Dr. Daniel Calingaert.

Gallery B Call for Artists

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership are accepting applications for Gallery B in downtown Bethesda!

This gallery, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda, is available to interested artists and arts organizations for one-month rentals. All media including, but not limited to, painting, photography and sculpture is eligible to use the space. Gallery B does not take a commission on any artwork sold during the exhibition.  

We are seeking applications from local artists and arts organizations for month-long exhibitions in 2015. Gallery B has approximately 1,500 sq. feet of available exhibition space. The deadline for submission is July 18, 2014.

To be considered for a solo or group exhibition, and to review the gallery requirements, please complete this application.

Questions?  Please send them an email to artist@bethesda.org.

List of all superheroes and villains

Check it out here.

Barack Obama as The Batman

Barack Obama as The Batman
2014 F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal and Conte on Paper. Framed to 10x10 inches.

Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR)

There is not enough that I can say to recommend The Strathmore Fine Artists in Residence initiative (Fine AIR) to all emerging artists.... I have been lucky enough to have been a mentor twice, and can therefore testify what a boost to an artist's career this program is... and it deals and teaches so many diverse areas.... there is nothing even close to it in the DMV, maybe even the nation.

It was established to help cultivate local visual arts talent by connecting established professionals in all aspects of the field with up-and-coming artists.  Emerging artists will be in residence in the Mansion at Strathmore from January – August 2015. During this time, each artist will have the opportunity to develop an audience in the DC metropolitan area, perfect their craft, create and implement an outreach, educational, or special event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration, and premiere a new body of artwork, including a collaborative piece with one’s mentor, commissioned by Strathmore in a culminating exhibition. 

The exhibition of new work will take place in August of 2015 and will reflect the artistic growth of the artist in residence.  Throughout the residency artists meet with a professional artist mentor for career guidance and artistic critique; attend career development workshops; and have the opportunity to teach, lecture, volunteer, exhibit or otherwise participate in Strathmore visual arts programming. Apply here: http://www.strathmore.org/education/series/view.asp?id=10102314

Eligibility:
The Strathmore Fine Artist in Residence Program is open to all emerging visual artists.  All media accepted.
Fine AIR Program Timeline
•             September 8, 2014   Deadline for application
•             September 15 – 18, 2014  Select applicants invited to interview
•             September 29, 2014   Notification of acceptance
•             October 2014   Fine AIR contracts finalized
•             November 2014  Incoming Fine AIR class announced to the public
•             January 2015   Official start of the Fine AIR program
•             August 2015   Exhibition of new work

A Residency at Strathmore includes:
•             An exhibition of new work at the Mansion at Strathmore, Summer 2015
•             Strathmore’s consideration of an outreach, educational, or special event proposal
•             A professional artist mentor throughout the residency
•             Career Development workshops and experiences provided by Strathmore
•             A stipend of $1,000 (Studio space and housing are not available with this residency)

Artist responsibilities include:
•             Mandatory attendance at a Fine AIR welcome event, scheduled meetings with artist mentor, and career development workshops provided by Strathmore.
•             Creation of a new body of saleable work, including a collaborative piece created with one’s mentor, to debut at the 2015 Fine AIR Exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore.
•             Creation of an outreach, educational, or other visual arts event proposal for Strathmore’s consideration for future seasons.
•             Volunteering at “Discover Strathmore” and “Strathmore Arts Festival” events and by providing an artist demonstration, pop- up of artwork for exhibition and/or sale, or related artistic presence.
•             Volunteer to teach, lecture, and/or demo for the visual art department at least once during residency.  Strathmore charges admission for these programs and all proceeds go toward supporting the Fine AIR program.

We will be at (e)merge this year again...

We got accepted to the (e)merge art fair!

We will be once again showing in the DMV's only world-class fine arts fair.

We will be exhibiting the work of Judith Peck, Tim Vermeulen, Elissa Farrow-Savos and moi of course!

Details later...

Hidden Picasso found in Washington, DC

A hidden portrait has been unearthed beneath Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece “The Blue Room”.

Details here.

Pop Up in DC

Part Cindy Sherman, part Amélie (Audrey Tatou), and a little bit Phoebe Philo, our own "that girl" has just moved flats dans le ville (city) of political movers and shakers, and she's making some moves of her own in the art world. Our chic girl Laila, just got a new pad and is looking to meet some new friends in town and share the best art secrets of a native Washingtonian. But in between her job at International Arts & Artists examining the world of Fakes and Forgeries in the Art World and the Ebony Fashion Fair, Laila along with Adah Rose Gallery is excited to present the works of some our favorite D.C. area artists in her "petite maison."

On Saturday June 21, Laila is partnering with her friends at Adah Rose Gallery for a pop-up at  her new “petite maison” in Woodley Park. They've chosen some fab artists to hang on her walls and invite only the most happening crowd to stop by. Included in our pop-up are super chouette, et brilliante, works on paper, including photography, painting, graphite, prints and mixed media works—only the most daring and brilliant will be allowed.  Laila, along with her entourage from the gallery, will be creating a site specific installation, hanging art and hanging out all night long, so pop by.

The Petite Maison et Adah Rose Pop Up Gallery @ Laila's will be located at:
2401 Calvert Street NW, Apt. 812
Washington, DC 20008

The Opening is Saturday June 21 7:00-9:30..Be There or be L-7!

Mayor's Arts Awards

The Mayor's Arts Awards and Mayor's Awards for Arts Teaching are the most prestigious honors conferred by the city on individual artists, teachers, nonprofit organizations and patrons of the arts. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will present the 29th Annual Mayor's Arts Awards in the fall of 2014. In addition to revealing winners in five arts and three teaching categories, the program will celebrate the District's creative industries in the arts and entertainment community.

Artists and organizations will be recognized in five categories: Excellence in an Artistic Discipline; Excellence in Service to the Arts; Innovation in the Arts; Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education and Outstanding Emerging Artist. The awards are limited to individuals and nonprofit organizations that reside in the District of Columbia.

The Mayor's Awards for Arts Teaching are limited to full-time arts teachers who are employed by a District of Columbia elementary, middle or high school. The three categories for arts teaching are Excellence in Teaching Performing Arts, Excellence in Teaching Visual Arts and Excellence in Teaching Language Arts. Teachers in all artistic disciplines (visual arts, music, theatre, dance or humanities-based) are eligible for nomination.

Nominations are submitted only via online entry using the same application portal as its grants programs. The application portal is here.  Individuals and organizations may nominate themselves or another individual or organization.  All nominees must reside or have a street address in the District of Columbia to be considered eligible.  In addition to completing information about the nominee, work samples, support materials and a resume of bio of the nominee is required along with a 750-word support narrative are included with the online application.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, 11 July 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

For questions about the application or application portal, please contact Steven Scott Mazzola at T# 202.724.5613.

And then... I saw this

Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art Boardwalk Art Show

Virginia Beach, 4:15 pm

Pacific Ocean 6:40pm

Pacific Ocean at 6pm

Congrats!

Dr. Sylvia L. Yount, Chief Curator and the Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will be joining the staff of New York’s The Metropolitan Museum of Art this September as the Lawrence A. Fleischman Curator in Charge of The American Wing.

Want a free sculpture?

My good friend and über talented DMV area artist Joe Barbaccia is offering the below sculpture at no cost to whoever claims it first. Drop him a note...

https://www.facebook.com/joseph.barbaccia?fref=photo

Pan de Guineo y Chocolate con Cascaras de Naranja

Today I needed to come up with a quick new dessert and I decided to invent something new. Yesterday I had planned to make a Cuban dessert called Dulce de Naranja en Almibar (Candied Orange Rinds) but I only had two oranges and needed the dessert to cover more servings.

So I decided to incorporate it into something new and different... I think. In Spanish, the word for banana is banana, but in Cuban dialect, especially in Eastern Cuba, it is called by the Native American word for banana: Guineo.

So I made Banana bread with chocolate and candied orange rinds... Or "Pan de Guineo con Chocolate y Cascaras de Naranja."

You need oranges with a thick rind, as that makes it easier. Then you peel the yellow, acrid outer skin... That makes a great cleaner by the way. Peel it thinly, but make sure to get rid of all of it. Then cut the orange in half and remove the insides, so all that you have left is the orange rind shell.

Put them in water in the fridge overnight, and let it soak.

The next morning, throw away the water, put the rinds in a pot and boil in water for 10-15 minutes and then throw away the water again and repeat this 3-4 times. The rinds will become somewhat transparent.

Once they are somewhat transparent, throw the water away and let them cool off. Then press them between paper towels and remove as much water as you can.

Now to make the "almibar" or syrup.

Boil 4 cups of water and 4 cups of white sugar and 2 cups of brown sugar, a few lemon rind shavings and cinnamon to taste; And yeah, you gonna have to stir constantly.

Once it has boiled for 5 minutes, add the oranges. Keep on a very low fire until the syrup really thickens and sticks to your fingers or the spoon... It will be about two hours.

At the same time make banana bread with chocolate chips... There are a million recipes out there for banana bread... It is the substrate for the candied oranges, so feel free to add any kind of sweetened bread.

Once the rinds are done, let them cool off. Pour some of the syrup over sliced banana bread and then dress it with slides of candied oranges.

Bananas, chocolate and oranges... Yummy!

Nature's Arcade

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant trying to rip off artists:

From:     Roosevelt Nunn (rseveltnunn@gmail.com)
Sent:    Fri 6/06/14 6:52 AM

Good Day,

How is everything with you? I picked interest in your artwork and
deemed it necessary to write you immediately. I will like to know if
you have shipped internationally before and if you have a merchant
that enables you to accept Visa Card or Master Card for payment?.
Could you please respond with your recently updated website so we can
proceed from there
Best Regards
Mrs Roosevelt Nunn

Cuban Gothic

These are my paternal grandparents: Manuel Campello Comba and Rita Alonso Marcos.

They were both immigrants to Cuba from Galicia, the ancient Celtic kingdom in Northern Spain; he was from some village up in the mountains and she was from Lugo. He was a stowaway on a Spanish ship, and arrived in Cuba with his brother (both penniless) in the 1920s. They both started out as ditch diggers, saved money, bought a cow, sold milk, bought more cows, saved more money.

They started a milk farm and lost everything in the market crash of the 1930s and then started again from scratch... by 1959 he was one of the largest milk producers in the country, and then he lost everything again, this time to the Communists of Fidel Castro's Workers Paradise... within a few years, there was no milk available to anyone in the area. 

He had 11 children with my grandmother!

The Catcher in the Rye

Below is "The Catcher in the Rye," a brand new charcoal and conte drawing from my "Written on The Body" series.

The Catcher in the Rye
Charcoal and Conte on Paper.
Framed to 28x24 inches. 2014 by F. Lennox Campello
In a private collection in Virginia Beach, VA

Lumen Prize

The Lumen Prize Exhibition, the global award and tour for digitally created art, opens its call for entries 1 April 2014 and closes 30 June 2014.

There are seven prizes to be won:

The Lumen Prize Winner - £3000
The Lumen Prize Silver - £1000
The Lumen Prize Bronze - £750
The Founder's Prize - £250
People's Choice Award - £250
The Lumen Animate Award - £250 (special award for animation, in Partnership with Animate Projects)
The Creative Coding Award - £250 (special award for Creative Coding & Programming, in partnership with Artists & Algorists)

The 25 exhibition works, including the 7 prize winners, will be part of a global exhibition tour that will visit Athens, Cardiff, Amsterdam, NYC and London.

Photo-montage, photo-manipulation, iPad art, iPhoneography, creative coding, interactive installation, glitch art, HTML/CSS art, web based art, animation, moving image, digital collage, app art, digital sculpture, 3D rendering… show us what you've got.

1 entry fee costs US$40 and allows the submission of 2 works. A percentage of each entry fee goes to our partner charity Peace Direct

Go to www.lumenprize.com to register.

Spark and Stubble

What: Spark and Stubble: A show of recent paintings by Tom Hill

When: Opening Reception: Friday, June 6, 2014, from 6:00-9:00 pm

(Exhibits runs through June 28, 2014)

Where: Hillyer Art Space

9 Hillyer Court NW Washington, DC 20008

202.938.0680

www.hillyerartspace.org

Tom Hill on his work:

For me, making art has always been a balance between expression and communication. As a proud gay man in long-term recovery from addiction, I have spent considerable time learning about and educating others on the connections between addiction, sexuality, and oppression. I have done this in simultaneous roles as activist, community organizer, and artist. In recent years, I have used my art to examine my life as it has been lifted from a foundation of marginalization, self-contempt, and shame. This process of healing and liberation has led towards a raised consciousness regarding the harmful and often traumatic effects that sexism and homophobia have had on my life, as well as the lives of others. It is in this spirit that I make work that directly addresses these as life and death issues. The work has yielded tremendous rewards, despite the costs and consequences of revealing truths that ultimately create discomfort in those who have secured a great investment in lies. A compelling insistence on honesty and authenticity ultimately erodes forces that are designed to control and deaden our bodies, our lives, and our souls.

These paintings are infused with a long personal history of an evolving feminist and queer sensibility and contain references and influences from a diverse variety of cultural sources. These influences include dada and surrealism, pop art, propaganda and political art, pulp fiction illustration, roadway signage, psychedelic and punk rock graphics, muscle car detailing, and vintage physique magazines. Over time, I have developed a visual vocabulary, formal skills, and working methods that are closely aligned with my chosen subject matter. My love of bold and lurid colors is infused with the restless throb of a masculine sex drive. For me, these colors evoke carnival amusement rides, seaside motels, and the recklessness of a drug-induced young manhood. I layer surfaces with candy and metalflake glazes, iridescent overlays, and crystalline veneers. These form skins of sugary sweetness that barely conceal the meat and gristle underneath, embedded with the coarse grit of testosterone, the unmistakable tang of male sweat, and the potent urgency of semen. These images are lifted and altered from advertising and gay erotica, combined with words and symbols to suggest poetic yearnings, amorous quests, and off-color urges. Magnetically drawn to the spark and stubble of sullen youth and rough men, my interest remains tied to developing and defining a queer masculinity that is sturdy, tough, and unwavering, while exuding a spirit of tenderness, grace, and utter fabulousness

Pike Place Market Drawings

I was a full scholarship student at the University of Washington School of Art in Seattle between 1977-1981. While I was there, I used to sell all my art school assignments (once they were graded) at the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.

These sketches are a few out of dozens and dozens from my art journal and simply by age, have now become somewhat historical pieces about Seattle's wonderful market. I also used to draw these sort of drawings on the columns of the market (usually out of boredom).

I left Seattle in 1981, and while I was gone the Pike Place Market was refurbished and cleaned up. When I returned for a visit in 1992, I went to the market for a stroll. To my surprise, my drawings on the columns had been preserved and they had "painted" around them when the columns got their refurbishing coat of paint. I don't know if they are still there, but the ones below I did in my journal.

"Wino and Girl, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Jewelry Craftsman, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Market People, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Market People," Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Market People, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Market People, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

"Market Items, Pike Place Market, Seattle." 8.5 x 11 inches. Pen and Ink. 1979.

Scam Alert!

Beware of this scammer trying to rip off artists:

From: James Adam

Hello,

I am making enquiry if you sell and ship internationally, 

specifically to our location here in the Bahamas.

In addition, I will appreciate if you can get back to me with your price list.

I had a look on your website already and you have a very 

good collection on there.

Looking forward to your quick response.

James Adam.

Stone Lithos from Art School

These were all done in a printmaking class at the University of Washington School of Art in 1980. The assignment was portraiture; they are all stone lithographs.

"Bogey." Stone Litho. 1980. 5x5 inches. Edition of Five.

"Marylin Monroe." Stone Litho. 1980. Edition of 5

"Ernesto Guevara de La Serna Lynch." Stone Litho. 1980. Edition of 5

"Marylin Monroe." Stone Litho. 1980. Edition of 5

Cross MacKenzie Moves

Georgetown's Cross MacKenzie Gallery has moved to1675 Wisconsin Avenue NW and they're having a Grand Opening of their new space on June 6th from 6-8pm.

"We look forward to presenting our monthly exhibitions of exceptional emerging and established, local and nationally known artists, in this new space where the architecture creates a new context for the art we present. Architect William Teass designed a working space with every amenity from moving walls to an outdoor sculpture garden. Cross MacKenzie Gallery invites the community to join us for the inaugural exhibition."

 Their program for the 2014- 2015 Season:

July - August        Mary Armstrong & Angie To - Paintings
September -          Lyn Horton Drawings & Maren Kloppman clay sculpture
October -               Carole Bolsey Paintings, Sheryl Zacharia & StacySnyder ceramics
November -           GAS "Generic Art Solutions", photography interpreting art history
December -           Contemporary French Artists, with the Embassy of France
January   -             Hyun Kyung Yoon - Ceramics after Ai Wei Wei
March -                  Patrick Bermingham, "Bridges", Engineered and non-functional
June -                    Walter McConnell and Ferrin Contemporary's Jingdezhen potters

Small is Beautiful

Andy Warhol

I remember this litho - it was done when I was a student at the University of Washington School of Art as part of printmaking class as a portrait assignment.

"Andy Warhol." Lithograph. Edition of 5. 4x5 inches, circa 1980

Dear Ebay: I told you so!

“Sir,” said the Ebay Support person on the phone, “We’re Ebay, and we’re pretty sure that no one can hack into our system.”

A few months ago, she was responding to my alarmed phone call, as I was pretty sure that someone was hacking into Ebay’s software and system to manipulate the online auction giant and further “hide” already hidden fake auctions designed as a smart phishing effort via Ebay’s apparent ironclad software.

As you may have read recently, a few days ago Ebay requested that all of its users change their passwords. This was as a result of a data breach in which “hackers figured out eBay employee credentials, which helped them gain access to the eBay database.”

Ebays admits now that “email addresses, phone numbers and other details were hacked.” 

But I have evidence from the recent past that hackers also potentially may have manipulated the Ebay auction software to use the auction site as a phishing vehicle.

This is how it all started, and here submitted for your consideration:

On January 27, 2014, I was sitting in Glen Echo while my son was in his music class. I was bored and surfing the net and logged onto Ebay. To my surprise I noticed almost a dozen messages in my Ebay inbox. I write “to my surprise,” because whenever I get an Ebay-generated message (either from Ebay or from an Ebay user sending the email from their Ebay account) I have a rule that automatically forwards it to my personal email account.

That’s exhibit (a) – There were multiple messages from Ebay users to my account, all dealing with the same 3-4 Ebay auctions and messages that were never forwarded to me. If I hadn’t logged onto my Ebay account, I would not have seen them... until it was too late! By the way, all auctions were about to end - they were seven day auctions and all were in day 5 or 6.

All the messages referred to the same assorted “auctions” that had been posted as if coming from my account. I have the word "auctions" in quotes because none of the auctions were mine, and also because all of them were cleverly designed to phish people out of their money. I quickly responded to all the emails warning the users that the auctions were a scam and had nothing to do with me.

The fake auctions had been created without my knowledge and had also somehow circumvented the Ebay notification system that sent an email to my account each time that a real auction lot is created under my account.

That’s exhibit (b) – Someone was able to create an Ebay listing under my account and at the same time prevented the Ebay software from notifying me that a new lot had been created.

The fake listings offered tech goods at ridiculous prices, such as Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15.4" GeForce, or a new Samsung 65" 3D Smart TV.

The hacker had cleverly inserted his email address (4iph55@gmail.com) into the image of the item being offered, highlighted it in yellow, and requested that interested bidders contact him directly prior to bidding. The incoming emails that were in my Ebay inbox (but not being forwarded to my regular email) were from interested bidders wanting to know why they needed to contact the person offering the lots. From reading the threads it was easy to see why…

The phishing scam artist was asking interested parties to wire him money directly, instead of bidding through the Ebay system. When users balked at this, and instead bid the “normal” way via the Ebay lot, he was then able to generate a fake Ebay email from checkout@ebayprotection.com to every single bidder, announcing to the victim that they had won the auction and requesting payment. He also offered next day UPS shipping at no additional cost.

Pretty cool uh? Dude is able to ship a 65" flat screen TV via next day UPS at no additional cost!

I immediately reported the fake auctions to Ebay, and they immediately cancelled them. Subsequently, throughout all this process, I was reporting all of these issues to Ebay via email, and receiving canned email responses from them. I then tried several times to report the issue via telephone, but each time I was assured by the Ebay telephone operator that there was no way that what I was describing could actually have taken place. They told me to change my password (Nevermind that I use really hard passwords: 16-20 mixed characters, and change them several times a year), but refused the logic of the events, or could not explain the technical reasons why these lots had all been posted without generating emails to me, or how the emails to my Ebay account had not been forwarded to me, and even more important --- and the key evidence of hacking into Ebay’s software: why these listings were not visible as my listings in MyEbay!

Exhibit (c) – The hacker was able to create listings using my account and yet they were not listed in MyEbay as my listings.

Working with some of the Ebay users who were nearly scammed, I was also able to piece together the identity of the scammer.

Name: Victor Stan Cornel
Email: 4iph55@gmail.com
Address : Al Solidarnisci Nr. 118/2 00-140 Warsaw Poland.
Bank Name : Millenium Bank
Bank Address : ul.Stanislawa Zaryna 2A 02-593 Warszawa Poland.
IBAN : PL 16 1160 2201 0000 0002 4729 3383
SWIFT : BIGBPLW

I passed all this information to Ebay, who ignored it… at least as far as I know, since I never received a response from them. I also contacted Millenium Bank in Poland and advised them of the issue. They promptly replied to me and passed that they were sending my email to the “right unit of our bank” and advised me to “report it to law enforcement bodies.” And thus I reported the whole event to Interpol, since this phishing mutant apparently lives (or at least has a bank account in Poland). I also tried a dozen ways to report to Google that a phishing scheme was being run from a Gmail account; not sure if I was successful.

Every single thing that I’ve written here has been exhaustively reported to Ebay. When the first telephone operator dismissed me, I called back, got a different operator and reported it all over again from scratch. When that also failed, I did it a third time.

After that I gave up.

And then a few days ago I read about the Ebay system breach. It apparently happened a while back, but Ebay just confirmed it.

Do you think these that two issues are related?

And this is why...

In the past I've harped as to the danger of grouping the Hispanic or Latino vote into one block, as if all people from the twenty-plus nations south of the border and in the Caribbean are all alike and all think alike.

Spanish is a perfect example... Below is an image of something being sold in a local Supermarket which caters to Central American shoppers... The item being offered is "chocho" - which I have no idea what this is, but I do know, that this is also the Puerto Rican slang for, ahem... a woman's private parts and easily a word forbidden on Spanish language radio on the island.

I Googled the word in Google Images, just for fun, and got a boatload of porn.

But here's a Central/South American "chocho"... cough, cough...

Dress for Success Benefit

Happy Memorial Day!

American Flag by Jonathan S. Woods, which was part of Artomatic 2012

DC Judge rules in favor of DC gallery

From DC's Charles Krause Reporting:

After two years of threats, refusing to meet with me or even tell me the nature of the complaints they had received, the Solo Piazza Condominium Board  where I live filed suit on March 16 to shut down the gallery I opened in December 2011.

The issue before the Court was whether an art gallery was an "accessory office use" permitted by the condominium's by-laws, which I was bound by when I purchased my apartment seven years ago. In letters to my attorney, Benny Kass, and to me before the suit was filed, the board changed its story a number of times about why it  was so opposed to allowing me to operate the gallery---especially after it learned that I had obtained a permit from the DC government giving me the right to do so.

Nonetheless, the board clearly expected to win the suit, allocating only $500 for legal fees in the building's 2014 budget (because the bylaws say that if the board has to go to court to enforce the bylaws and wins, the co-owner who loses has to pay both his own legal fees and the condominium's legal fees as well).

Pushing its luck even further, the board filed a motion for summary judgment shortly after it filed its complaint, arguing that since an art gallery  is obviously not an "office," the judge should execute summarily; obviously, they were thinking the judge would make short work of my gallery, not their credibility.

As it turned out, however, the only thing that was obvious about the board's complaint and its motion for summary judgment was that neither they nor their attorney had bothered to do the most basic legal research to determine how the word "office" is defined.  

What my attorneys at Kass, Mitek & Kass discovered, much to their surprise and very much to their credit, was that the word "office" had never been litigated before-- in which case the DC courts rely on Webster's Unabridged Dictionary to define legally undefined words for them.

And sure enough, Webster's defines "office" as "a place where a particular kind of business or  service for others is transacted."

So, dear friends and art aficionados, the judge denied the board's motion for a summary judgment and, instead, ruled in my favor. It's official: my home is now an office and my office is now a place where I can show and sell art that might not otherwise have a home if DC Superior Judge Michael O'Keefe hadn't found that the condo board where I have my home, my gallery and my office hasn't a clue what the bylaws mean nor the wit to look in a dictionary before they file a mean-spirited and expensive lawsuit contending that an art gallery isn't an office and therefore isn't a permitted "accessory office use" of my home office which, by the way, is located in a section of Washington that's an officially designated arts zone.

Is this the end? Probably not. But it's a good beginning.

Read the review of their current exhibit by Mark Jenkins in the WaPo here.

The Lilith

"The Lilith." Watercolor on Paper. 7x5 inches matted and framed to 10x8 inches.

Congrats!

To DMV artist Tim Tate, winner of the 2014 Brilliance Award. Details here.

Opportunity for Artomatic 2012 Artists

Artists who participated in Artomatic 2012 are invited to exhibit in Artomatic Takes Flight opening July 25 in The Gallery Walk at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 

They'll send an email soon with details about the call for entries, online artist registration at noon on May 31, art drop off on the evening of July 18 and the morning of July 21 at the airport, and the reception on July 25.