Fun art


This is an early view on a potential masterpiece... art can be fun sometimes, right?

In the developing drawing, Ricky has just returned home a little early and finds Lucy in a compromising situation with fellow Oriente Cuban Fidel Castro.

Lucy... you got some 'splaining to do!

And now...

Possibly Al Gore's Internets world's coolest art website? Check it out here after you get a sample below.

“Girl with Ice Cream Cone” remake by Stephanie Gonot


“Girl with Ice Cream Cone” by Wayne Thiebaud

Job in the Arts

UrbanArt Commission is currently accepting applications for the position of Executive Director for the organization. Interested individuals should view the job description and responsibilities outlined in their website below.

For more information please visit their website at www.urbanartcommission.org or contact them at searchcommittee@urbanartcommission.org.

Free passes to the Miami art fairs?

Anybody need some free passes to some of the art fairs in Miami during ABMB week? Drop me an email if you'd like some.

I've noted with some sadness that the DMV is barely represented this year in Miami - as far as I can tell, only three DMV area galleries (one just an online gallery) and one non profit, are heading to Miami this year plus one Baltimore gallery, one Richmond gallery and one Norfolk gallery.

It's pretty tough being an artist in 2011 and not having a footprint in Miami during ABMB week.

What I don't get - having lived there recently - is how come there are over half a dozen Philadelphia galleries in various art fairs in Miami - twice the number over DMV.

A load of talent


Some of the great talent in my 100 Artists of Washington, DC book - photo taken at a recent book signing event at the home of a a major DMV art collector.


That's me with the legendary Lida Moser.

At Strathmore
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Simultaneous exhibitions in the Mansion at Strathmore represent the largest three dimensional installation pieces ever shown at the arts center in From Forge to Form: Modern Ironwork, alongside some of the smallest, in the legacy exhibition, The 78th Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature.

Both exhibitions are on view through December 30, 2011. From Forge to Form will illustrate the evolution of blacksmithing from a utilitarian trade to a growing artistic medium, featuring 32 pieces of ironwork, totaling 3,500 pounds, by Virginia-based artists Frederic Crist and Nol Putnam.

The juried Fine Art in Miniature exhibition features 667 meticulously painted, sculpted, carved and crafted micro-works from 252 artists. Works in the exhibitions are available for purchase. For more information, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.

An opportunity to help

In today's economy, the term "starving artist" has taken on a much more prevalent and literal definition. But if our professional artists are starving, what does that mean for a children's nonprofit trying to improve lives using art?

It is harder than ever to raise money in the nonprofit sector, but that is exactly what M.O.M.I.E's TLC is still fighting to do. Mentors of Minorities in Education's Total Learning Cis-tem is a nonprofit organization focused on giving at-risk children of color the nurturing environment and leadership skills that they need to succeed. One of their most basic tactics is to use art to help children see the world from perspectives other than their own.

On December 17th, M.O.M.I.E's TLC is hosting a charity art auction supporting its Eco-Green Children's Facility building plan. The auction will take place from 6pm to 8pm at Sankofa Video and Books and will feature gallery owners, community leaders, notable DC figures and many more. The initiative is based on the premise that they can auction art to create more opportunities for art. They are seeking art donations to sell at auction from local high school and college students, as well as professional artists from around the country. The money raised will create a new space to expand and continue their mission of using art to teach life lessons.

The economy may be tough, but every artist or art enthusiast can play a part in easing the burden for someone else. Donate a piece for the auction. Donate time to attend and learn. If you're a local business or gallery, take out an ad in their event program. And if you're able, donate a few dollars for this fantastic cause.

To donate or for more information, visit www.momiestlc.com or email TheVisionsOfGreatness@gmail.com

Brainfart

I just accidentally nuked about 50 unread emails thanks to the "Delete From Imbox" option in the B'berry.

My apologies in advance.

The Lilith Plotting The Sin

Just worked out another drawing with embedded digital component. This time, instead of a video, I embedded a tiny motherboard driving a very small LCD screen. Below is a series of images showing how the piece progressed from conception to changes and final piece.

The work started as "Eve Contemplating The Sin" and this was Eve - note the tiny screen to the right - within the screen, a series of red apples rotate through:



Here's the computer chip on the verso which drives the LCD screen - it has a rechargeable Lithium battery.



Then I framed it all up, and was getting ready to pack it for Aqua Art Fair, when it somehow spoke to me; this wasn't Eve, this was her predecessor - this was The Lilith. And so, I unframed it, and changed the drawing...



And now she's The Lilith... covered in Pictish tattoos! And below is the final piece: The Lilith Plotting The Sin.

The Composer

MPA/Corcoran longtime art teacher Barbara Januskiewicz, together with NY jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, is part of a collaborative art project called The Composer. This is more than an independent film, as it can be developed into outreach programs, art installations, and multimedia exhibits.

Her work this year has been to fuse music, art and the idea of creative critical thinking together. Here with The Composer project, she can reach into cultural art centers, museums and alternative art venues around the world. We know Barbara as a multimedia artist/filmmaker who sees herself and art as a way to celebrate creativity. Her actions have advocated taking art outside of the boundaries of the (art) system and to open it up to multiple possibilities thus bringing creativity into all areas of life. She now needs our support in reaching her goals with this project.

Matthhew Shipp, Barbara's partner:

is a perfect match for her. His talent persists as a resilient outsider, maintaining strong ties to NYC's free-jazz community even as he assails its orthodoxies. His strengths draw from listening to his own voice and taking risk in both composing and performing. He has performed around the world and has over 20 CDs, both solo and in groups. He is also the leader of the Matthew Shipp Trio.

You can support this project on their Kickstarter page at your preferred level. This is a charitable tax deduction courtesy of the American Jazz Museum.

This was taken at a book-signing party for the artists in the "100 Artists of Washington, DC" book at the home of one of the top DMV area art collectors.

That's me signing a book in the rear. In the foreground there's some major talent... that's Prof. Chawky Frenn, the top gun at GMU's Art School taking a pic of the legendary Lida Moser - yep... she whose's work is in every major museum in the world (including all DMV museums except the Hirshhorn... hello H?), and whose life has been documented in not one but two documentaries, and whose image (painted by Alice Neel not once but four times) hangs in a few major museums of their own around the planet...

Good Cuban Food = Cuban Hall of Fame

In Rockville, Maryland there's an excellent Cuban restaurant called "Cuban Corner." As far as my palate is concerned, and as I've stated before, this is the best and most authentic Cuban restaurant in the Greater Washington, DC area. They are at 825 Hungerford Drive, near Ivy League Lane, Rockville, MD, 301-279-0310. Essentially on a strip mall right on Rockville Pike.

The food is authentic, affordable and plentiful (see the menu here). My favorite dish there is "Ropa Vieja," although the "Vaca Frita" is also superb. Either of those dishes, with a side of yuca con mojo or tostones, will delight your mouth and belly. There's something special that happens when yucca and lime and garlic marry. "Ropa Vieja", as Cuban Jews will often tell you, has an interesting tie to Cuba's considerable (and often ignored) Jewish history.

A visit to Cuban corner also delivers the interesting spectacle of the restaurant's Cuban Hall of Fame... or as they call it: The Wall.



The Cuban Hall of Fame, as determined by Joaquin Cabrejas, the restaurant's feisty owner, is composed of Cubans, Cuban-Americans, and people of traceable Cuban ancestry, and is made up of hundreds of name plaques glued to the restaurant's walls.

Some potential surprises to non Cubans (and even to some Cubans):

- Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell - otherwise known as Anais Nin, one of the 20th century's sexual goddesses nymphomaniacs (and a damned good writer as well!).

- Amazon's creator Jeff Bezos.

- Benjamin Huberman, Science Adviser to several American presidents.

- Truman Capote (by adoption)... took the last name of his adopted dad. Capote in Spanish is a large cape or the hood of a car.

- Ysrael A. Seinuk, the "father of the modern New York skyline."

- Eamon de Valera: The father of the modern Irish republic was Eamon de Valera, who was born in New York in 1882. His father, Juan de Valera, although technically on paper always reported as a Spaniard, was really a Cuban, born in Cuba (which was part of Spain back then), the son of a Cuban sugar planter and escaped to New York during the Independence Wars with Spain. There he earned his living as a piano teacher. He met and married Irish immigrant Catherine Coll. Juan died shortly after the birth of their son Eduardo. After Juan's death, his wife sent Eduardo to Ireland, where her family changed his name to the Gaelic version of Eduardo: Eamon.

- Cameron Diaz... we all know who she is.

- Dr. Steve Pieczenik, author of 39 books, including 16 bestsellers. He is critically acclaimed author of psycho-political thrillers and the co-creator of the New York Times best-selling "Tom Clancy's Op-Center" and "Tom Clancy's Net Force" book series. He is also one of the world's most experienced international crisis managers and hostage negotiators.

- Olga Viso, the Hirshhorn Museum's former director and now director of the Walker Art Center.

- The Joker... I mean Cesar Romero.

Ambrosio José Gonzales, this Cuban Confederate Colonel played a significant role in the Civil War and was essentially responsible for building Confederate coastal defenses. He had his finest hour during the Civil War as the artillery commander at the Battle of Honey Hill.

Cubanos todos de alguna manera!

Loads of talent in one pic

At a recent booksigning at the home of a major DMV art collector...

That's me in the background signing a copy of 100 Washington, DC Artists... which continues to sell surprisingly well as more and more DMV area shops and book stores order copies...

And in the foreground there's some major talent... that's Prof. Chawky Frenn, the top gun at GMU's Art School taking a pic of the legendary Lida Moser - yep... she whose's work is in every major museum in the world (including all DMV museums except the Hirshhorn... hello H?), and whose life has been documented in not one but two documentaries, and whose image (painted by Alice Neel not once but four times) hangs in a few major museums of their own around the planet...

Just bragging...

New Video Drawing: Ave Frida

Here's the first stage of the drawing


Here's a better view of the drawing's first stage


The drawing itself is now pretty much finished and it's ready for the narrative video to be embedded


The pattern of the window to be cut in the drawing has been measured and now the drawing is ready to be cut


The window has been cut in the shape of a heart with fangs. A short loop of Kahlo and a young, frightened girl plays in the video player embedded within the drawing


Ave Frida, Mater Omnium Artificum. 22 x 18. Charcoal and conte on paper with embedded video player and historical video in loop. 2011 by F. Lennox Campello.

Why?

A wave of repression is currently taking place in Cuba – but you wouldn’t know about it from the lack of media coverage.

Why is the press at home and abroad ignoring blatant human rights violations?

Why has the current administration consistently coddled this neighboring and brutal dictatorship?

And, what should our elected leaders be saying about Cuba and these human rights abuses?

This will all be discussed tomorrow here.

You can't make this stuff up

From the current issue of The Gazette:

Brindie Lynn Fish and Nicholas Drew Frye were married June 24 at The First and Franklin Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception at The Belvedere in Baltimore.

Tomorrow: Red Dirt Open Studio


Serving warm drinks for your November art-browsing experience
Free parking
Lots of other art studios open nearby, within walking distance...

Nearest metro: Red line to Rhode Island Ave (+ bus to Mt. Rainier) or green line to West Hyattsville and easy 1 mile bike ride from W. Hyattsville

Sunday, Nov. 13 from 1-5 pm for Red Dirt's Fall Open Studio
3706-08 Otis Street
Mt. Rainier, MD 20712

The Miraculous Mass

From Carolina Mayorga:

Hello Sons and Daughters, join me this November 17 at Hillyer Art Space for my next performance art piece The Miraculous Mass. Don't miss the 3rd apparition of the Miraculous Artist in the Nation's Capital, this time performing a ceremony that will turn your life around forever! You might've got the invite via Facebook too, I just can't wait to bless you all, hope to see you there,
Carolina

Hillyer Art Space
9 Hillyer Court, NW (Behind the Philips Collection)
Washington, DC 20008
Service begins at 7pm sharp.
More info at:
carolinamayorga.com

Veterans Day

That's me in 1992 in Skaggs Island, California, and below us my favorite poem about veterans.

In the poem Rudyard Kipling captures what so often in history men and women in uniform have felt and experienced... my favorite lines are at the bottom, when Kipling writes:

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot

Enjoy the poem and a well deserved "thank you!" to all the men and women in uniform around the world and their families, and to all who have had the honor and privilege to wear the uniform of the armed forces of the United States.

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

-- Rudyard Kipling

Bragging here now...

So all I did was to provide the watercolor for the book cover, and yes the amazing photography inside this book and the harsh historical facts coupled with the vintage photography does make Ada Bezos Castilla's book "Cuba en Verso: La Isla Entre Rejas" a gorgeous poetry book... and yes, we all know that Amazon founder-geek Jeff Bezos is Cuban-American, and yes Ada is his aunt...

But amigos, this book was just published and tonight it went number one on this Amazon's Best Seller List!