What Is The Best Miami Fair For Emerging Artists?

 What is the best Miami fair for discovering emerging art and emerging artists? In my highly educated opinion, and after visiting almost all Miami art fairs for the last 8-10 years or so, I recommend that you vote for Aqua in this poll being conducted by New American Paintings:

In a little over a month people will be flocking to Miami to visit countless art fairs. Everyone has their favorites, based on a countless number of criteria. New American Paintings In my prides itself on helping expose the work of hundreds of new emerging artists each year. We continue to serve as a publication that allows its readers to discover new artistic talent in each issue. Not surprisingly, we feel a good art fair should also be a place where art-lovers can have that same sense of discovery.

Our poll question is simple; What is the Best Miami Fair for Emerging Art? Think about which fair consistently gives you that sense of discovery. We have gathered a list of fairs that have been regular attractions during this important week of December. Of these, which one best answers this question?

VOTE RIGHT HERE

Backyard visitor

This guy was standing just outside my backyard sliding glass doors... staring at me while I was in the process of taking a few pictures of him...

He seemed to be saying, "Wanna come out here and mix it up big boy?"

Having been raised in Brooklyn, I was a little afraid that he might eat me, so I made sure that the sliding glass doors were locked.

After a while he ambled off to the side, ate most of my potato plants (again) and came back to look inside some more.

He kept looking to the sides, and then back inside the house, actually looking a little bored that no action was forthcoming.

Then my wife came down and still the buck stood there, placidly looking at us look and gesture at him through the glass doors.

Finally, bored by the two humans, he walked to the fence, looked back at us as if to say, "Look what I can do" and jumped straight over the fence back into the woods.

That's right, you better walk away!

Cough, cough...

Not heard (yet) on Univision

Newspapers from the Dominican Republic are all abuzz about one of my peeps, Cuban-American Senator from New Jersey Bob Menendez, allegedly shortchanging two sex workers from the Dominican Republic during an alleged Easter week booty call to a luxury estate that allegedly the Senator likes to visit.

And there's a video where the two Dominican sex providers discuss how the Senator promised them $500 each, but after he was done, only paid them $100.

Cheap comemierda...

Wanna go to an opening tonight?

Divine Revelations: Passages from the Life of Our Lady

Divine Revelations: 

Passages from the Life of Our Lady

by Carolina Mayorga

Opening Reception: November 2nd, 6-8pm with performance at 6:15pm
Exhibition Dates: November 2 – December 21

*temporary satellite gallery location: 1922 MLK Jr Ave. SE

Divine Revelations is a site-specific photography installation in which Carolina Mayorga uses her own image to recreate Roman Catholic religious scenes inspired by masterpieces. For this project the artist reconstructs iconic depictions of Virgin Mary in a series of photographs and text. This is a continuation of projects examining issues of cultural identity, gender and ethnicity.

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Mayorga is a Colombian-born and naturalized American citizen. She has had solo exhibitions in Colombia, Mexico, Kansas and in the Washington, D.C., area and has also participated in exhibitions in Europe, Central and South America. The artist lives and works in Washington, D.C.

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*Please note: The Gallery at Vivid Solutions is under construction. Divine Revelations is at 1922 MLK Jr Ave SE, a few blocks away from their current location (2208 MLK Jr Ave SE). It’s a 5 minute walk and street parking is available on U Street SE. The gallery hours are the same: Tuesday-Friday Noon to 5pm and Saturdays 11am-5pm. Email or call with questions or to set up an appointment: 202-365-8392 and arts@archdc.org

Chelsea underwater

"A walk through New York’s epicenter of contemporary art on Tuesday afternoon revealed wide-spread damage. The floodwaters of Hurricane Sandy smashed walls, ravaged office spaces and destroyed artworks."

Read the whole article here.

Yes I did...

If anyone was planning a "November surprise" of some sorts... too late!

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?

“Evidence” by Lori Anne Boocks

EXHIBITION DATES: October 31 - November 24, 2012

First Friday Reception: Nov. 2, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Opening Reception: Nov. 10, 4 – 6 PM

WHERE: Studio Gallery, 2108 R Street N.W. Washington, DC 20008 

Lori Anne Boocks's solo show at Studio Gallery is a dynamic exploration of the power of stories and memory. In her acrylic paintings, she renders text in expressive charcoal and forces the personal to become universal. Words are rehashed, reworked, and stripped down to the bone then built up again. Layers of color are added and partially removed to become a lens through which she shares her cache of stories and invites viewers to reflect upon their own.

By documenting the past, she is gathering evidence: Evidence to describe what a memory looks like and how it changes over time. Evidence from the little crime scenes of our lives and the things we walk away from—or the things we can't. Through these works, Boocks offers visible proof of the significance of the many moments that make up our lives while questioning her own remembrance of events.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Lori Anne Boocks received her BFA from Old Dominion University. Her work is included in private collections in the Metro DC area, California, and beyond. Recent solo and group shows include the University of Maryland University College, Delaplaine Visual Arts Center, Maryland Federation of Art, and Adah Rose Gallery.

For more information about Lori Anne Boocks visit:

http://www.studiogallerydc.com

Paintings: lorianneboocks.com
Art Blog: laboocks.blogspot.com

Opportunity for Artists

Between the Lines: Contemporary Drawing Now Deadline for Entry: November 5th, 2012 Exhibition Dates: January 5th - 27th, 2013 Description: Between the Lines: Contemporary Drawing Now is an exhibition that examines current trends in drawing today. This is an all media exhibit ranging from pencil on paper, to the conceptual, and to the three-dimensional. It is open to all artists nationally and internationally. Juror: Linn Meyers is currently a DC-based artist with a BFA from The Cooper Union in New York City and a MFA from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries both nationally and internationally. Meyers’ work is in private and public collections in both the United States and abroad; DC area museum collections include The Phillips Collection, The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Smithsonian American Arts Museum and The National Museum of Women in the Arts. Meyers has received numerous grants, residencies and awards, including the Pollock Krasner Award, Artist in Residence at The Hirshhorn Museum, and a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship. She has produced site-specific wall drawings at museums and galleries, including The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Paris Concret in Paris France, Morgan Lehman Gallery in NYC, The Phillips Collection and Katzen Center Museum in Washington, DC, and many others. APPLY ONLINE NOW

Heard on Univision

Today I saw the first Romney ad ever (at least that I've seen) on Univision - Obama ads have been on constantly on Univision for months - also loads of Virginia's Tim Kane ads in Spanish (he seems to be fluent in it).

Someone is still standing guard

In case you were wondering what the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honor guard does when the federal government shuts down because of a hurricane...

Happy Birthday Bob Ross!

Robert Norman "Bob" Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) probably got more people interested in painting in the US than anyone else on the history of the planet. He was a positive influence on the world and yet I suspect that he will never be included in Janson's.

Ray Burns at Yellow Barn Gallery

Even though the air already smelled a little of the incoming Frankenstorm, Glen Echo was as usual, packed with children playing in the very cool playground there, which is usually deserted until the puppet show ends and then it is invaded by a small army of little ones.

At the Yellow Barn Gallery, Ray Burns was in the final day of his two day show, and the exhibition, which according to the artist "is the result of several years' worth of painting and exploring - exploring various locales, subject matter, painting surfaces, and media..." is a really good example of how a successful painter must continually engage a diverse set of skills and visions in order to continually expand his artistic horizon.

The show is a mixture of plein air and studio painting, and both offer vibrant examples of enviable painting skills combined for a really good eye for light and color.

The plein air paintings are excellent in that unique sense and courage that painting in nature gives artists. We see colors that a studio artist would never imagine or dare try unless he or she is out and about really observing nature and what she does with light and surface and time.

There's a legendary story that Monet was once painting out on a field, and someone approached him and observed the master recreate a natural scene in front of both of them. The observer was quiet for quite a while, but then quizzically approached the master and said: "I don't see all those colors out there..."

Monet turned around and responded, "Don't you wish you did, Madam..."

Burns, who studied at Maryland under David Driskell and Martin Puryear, and then subsequently took a plein air painting class at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with artist Dean Fisher, notes that it wasn't until he took that class that "his art took off."

The works at Glen Echo's Yellow Barn Gallery are evidence of this and are certainly evidence of a highly talented painter and observer of our world.

See more of his work here.

When Hollywood Screws Up

I'm really a huge fan of the new ABC television show Last Resort... but it really pisses me off that they are too fucking cheap to hire a Navy advisor to help with a TV show about a Navy submarine... And I know that I am a pedantic Virgo --- BUT----- I just finished watching the latest episode of the Last Resort TV show... and after all these years of making military and naval movies and TV series, you'd think that Hollywood would know that the US Navy does not salute uncovered!!!!

Feh!

Frankenstorm approaches

Here comes Frankenstorm: This gorgeous image of Sandy is from the "visible" Day-Night Band on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), located on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite.

Al Burts at International Visions

Local Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Competition winner Al Burts was chosen to represent Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC in the national final competition held during Art Basel Miami Beach this December 2012. 

He will be competing against 9 other top artist from around the country and will exhibit at SCOPE Art Show during Art Basel MB week.

The winner of this final competition will win a solo exhibit at Rush Fine Arts Gallery in New York City in 2013. The aim of the Artisan Series is to discover new artists from a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, graphics and digital art. 

Al Burts will be showing at International Visions - The Gallery in a solo exhibition  title "Passport Please" featuring new artwork from Burts. That show is from November 8 - December 8, 2012. An Opening Reception will be held for this exhibit on Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 6:30pm-9pm.

Cock soup and Fish Tea

I suspect that this soup mix might sell a little better if they used the alternative name for this avian species and called it "Rooster Soup."

Next to it was a mix for "Fish Tea." If you don't believe me...

If you want to know where to buy some, send me a note... ahem!

Congratulations!

Anonymous Was A Woman is an unrestricted grant of $25,000 that enables women artists, over 45 years of age and at a critical juncture in their lives or careers, to continue to grow and pursue their work. The Award is given in recognition of an artist's accomplishments, artistic growth and the quality of her work.  It is not need-based.

The name of the grant program, Anonymous Was A Woman, refers to a line in Virginia Wolf’s A Room of One’s Own. As the name implies, nominators and those associated with the program are unnamed. The award was begun in 1996 in response to the decision of the National Endowment of the Arts to cease support of individual artists.  

And an extra congrats to the DMV's own Jae Ko, who is represented locally by the Marsha Mateyka Gallery.

 

Anonymous Was A Woman

$ 25,000. grant

2012 Award Winners:

Ann Agee

Uta Barth

Andrea Fraser

Jane Hammond

Mary Kelly

Jae Ko

Judy Pfaff

Betye Saar

Lorna Simpson

Jessica Stockholder

Heard on Univision

Univision's two main talking news heads (Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas - both of whom are fair of hair, light of skin and green-eyed) are having fun with some ignorant idiots who are taking issue with Disney because they have debuted a "Latina princess" named Sofia, who is white with blue eyes.

This is why I too have so much fun in my artwork with this confusion between race and ethnicity and what stereotypes are supposed to fit who...

Check it out here.

DMV collectors recognized

Ben and Gisela Huberman are not only two of the DMV's top art collectors, but as a fellow Cuban-American, Ben is obviously a kindred spirit, a brilliant mind and an accomplished scientist. His amazing wife Gisela is a visionary genius, with the sort of natural intelligence that most of us can only dream about.

Both he and his lovely wife Gisela are HUGE supporters of DMV area artists, avid art fair and gallery aficionados, and owners of one of the best art collections in the world.

I am proud to be in their collection (multiple times) and happy to see them recognized in the current issue of American Style magazine.

See more on the article about the Hubermans here.

Opportunity for Artists

BlackRock Center for the Arts Call to Artists 2014 BlackRock Center For the Arts is accepting entries for exhibits January - December 2014. You can download the prospectus by clicking the link to the right or go to www.blackrockcenter.org Deadline:  Friday, December 21, 2012 Entry Fee: $35 check or money order made payable to BlackRock Center for the Arts Eligibility: Open to all artists 18 years and over residing in  Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.  Special Consideration: Artists who are willing to conduct a lecture or workshop for a BlackRock standard fee will receive special consideration during the selection process.     About the Gallery BlackRock Center for the Arts gallery is 1500 square feet of gallery space.  Its high white walls and beautiful windows allows in just the right amount of natural light. We take pride in the outstanding artists we have exhibited over the years, which have been reviewed by Claudia Rousseau, Lenny Campello, and other art critics in the area. Eligibility The Call to Artists is open to all artists residing in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC over the age of 18 for original artwork only. All work must be ready for sale and to be presented in a professional manner to the public at the time of delivery. (See Terms for Exhibit for details.) Pedestals are available for three-dimensional work. Selection Process This call will cover exhibits in the Gallery from January to December 2014. An exhibit may include one applicant or a combination of applicants, based on the judgment of jurors (i.e., 1 or 2 wall artists may be combined with a pedestal artist). A jury will select the artists and create eight exhibits to be included in the exhibit year. This season, the jury panel is comprised of Lenny Campello (artist, writer, blogger), Marsha Staiger (artist, Torpedo Factory), and Tim Tate (artist, Washington Glass School). In addition, the panel will have an alternate juror, Krista Bradley (Executive Director of BlackRock).   CLICK HERE FOR PROSPECTUS Send to: BlackRock Center for the Arts Call to Artist 12901 Town Commons Drive Germantown, MD 20874 Questions? Contact: Kim Marshall Gallery Manager kmarshall@blackrockcenter.org All correspondance by e-mail, no phone calls please.