Friday, May 07, 2010

Gopnik on Abramovic

I for one, agree with Blake's review of the Marina Abramovic MoMA show, but Aline Martinez doesn't.

Read her letter to the WaPo here.

At the end of the day...

The 1,000 point drop in the market yesterday was buzzing through the crowd coming to the Affordable Art Fair in New York. However, having done this fair many years, it seemed that Thursday's attendance was quite good considering it was a Thursday, so there were mixed signals: good crowds + bad economic news = slower sales than preview night.

Also, last night was "Brooklyn Night" and the crowd seemed younger and more interested in the open bar for wine and beer and the cool DJ who was actually playing music from a record player... than in artwork.

At the end of the day Mayer Fine Art ended up selling Sheila Giolitti's second largest painting (a major sale), a few more paintings by Matt Sesow, and as the lights were being flickered at 9:30PM, one of my large drawings ("Eve and the Lilith"), which ended up being acquired by the Sonya Spann Collection.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Thursday afternoon

Good crowds still and lots of artwork being sold at the Affordable Art Fair here in New York. The London gallery across the aisle from us is selling large color photos and they're flying off the wall (the price is right).

Tonight is "Brooklyn Night" or something - another party.

So far today we've sold a very large Sheila Giolitti painting (last year she sold 19 paintings). The one that she sold today was her second largest piece in the show and is heading to a collection in New Jersey.

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?

Opening Reception: Friday, May 7, 5:30-8 pm - Things Uncertain: Recent Works on Paper by Ellen Verdon Winkler at Washington Printmakers Gallery.

Also photos by Andrew Zimmerman open at the Arts Club of Washington on Friday, May 7, from 6:30 - 9 PM.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Preview Night at the Fair

Today was the press night and VIP preview night at New York's Affordable Art Fair, held at 7 West 34th Street, right across the street from the beautiful Empire State Building.

In the many years that I have been doing the AAFNYC, tonight's opening was by far the most crowded and buzzy preview that I have seen. It seemed like most galleries were selling something.

Norfolk's Mayer Fine Art, showcasing several DMV artists including my work, also did OK, with several sales by multiple artists, including a couple of sales by Novie Trump, a major piece by Rosemary Feit Covey on hold, a few sales of Matt Sesow, and sales of four of my drawings, including my two largest pieces that I brought to NY: "Batman Naked" and "Suddenly she discovered that she wasn't afraid any longer".

One Hour Photo at the Katzen

One Hour Photo, is a quite novel exhibition opening May 8th at the American University Museum at Katzen Arts Center. One Hour Photo features works by 128 artists from 13 countries.

Each photograph will be projected for one hour and then never, ever seen again since all of the artists showing photos in this exhibition have signed release forms honoring and promising that those particular photos will not be reproduced or ever exhibited again. Adam Good, Chajana denHarder and Chandi Kelley curated this most interesting concept.

I have a piece in this exhibit, which I can't show you because, as I said above...

The opening is Saturday May 8th 6:00-9:00PM. Pinkline's Tara Hauser interview Adam Good here. Through June 6, 2010.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Unthinkable

Something that I thought would never happen just happened! I had lousy matzoh ball soup in a Jewish deli in New York City!

Walking along Broadway, around W. 38th Street is the culprit. A good looking Jewish Kosher Deli, with several Hassidic families happily eating inside, and so I thought to myself: "Mmmmm... matzoh ball soup..."

I sat down and was promptly given a complimentary small dish with four or five nice pickles and some excellent coleslaw... nice!

I then ordered the soup, enjoyed looking at all the happy customers and awaited my feast. Then I noticed that this was a combo Jewish Kosher deli and Sushi bar. A slight alarm went off, but then I figured that maybe it was Kosher sushi, if there is such a thing.

When the soup arrived I was shocked! Not only was it thin and watery chicken soup, but it also looked and tasted like those soups that one makes from powder... you know, the Lipton soup packet types that have those tiny, almost invisible noodles? Yep... that bad.

The matzoh was gigantic and tasteless - essentially plain dough.

I was shocked.

The matzoh ball soup at the Parkway Diner on Grubb Rd in Silver Spring, right past Chevy Chase off East-West Hwy in DMV is a gazillion times better!

In fact, the matzoh ball soup that my shiksa wife makes is a thousand times better than this crap that I had in NYC tonight.

What's going on here New York?

Style Resignation

Scott Vogel, the Arts editor at the Post, just resigned. From the WaPo:

We are sad to announce that Scott Vogel has resigned as fine arts editor. Scott is a masterful editor, passionate about his reporters, the arts and the newspaper. He has been a wonderful colleague, whose humor, talent and devotion will be missed and not easily replaced. We wish him well.

Shortly we will post for Scott's position, one of the most demanding and most rewarding in the newsroom, working with outstanding talent to cover this city's ever-evolving arts world. If anyone has suggestions for people who would build on our momentum, please let us know. In the interim, the also wonderful and talented Peter Kaufman will come help.

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

This weekend is the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, the highest ranked outdoor fine arts festival in Maryland and one of the top in the nation. About 30,000 people will enjoy and buy art from 140 juried fine artists and crafts folk from around the nation.

Saturday, May 8, from 10am - 6pm
Sunday, May 9, from 10am - 5pm
Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, Norfolk & Auburn Avenues

Check out the juried artists here.

Want free tickets to the art fair?

The Affordable Art Fair NYC is this week, opening on Thursday in New York. Drop me an email if you want me to set you up with a couple of free tickets to the fair.

If you go to the fair, swing by and say hi... I'll be with Mayer Fine Art. Reports coming as time allows.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Art Criticism, Texas Style

Some nuts in Texas...

Are protesting a sculpture on the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock. They have mounted an instantaneous online petition a mere six years after the artwork was installed.

YCT says the work, ”Tornado of Ideas” by Tom Otterness, commits sacrilege against the Masked Rider, a revered Texas Tech idol, depicting Him using a javelin to commit gross indecencies on a police officer. The work is also said to show two lesbians actually sitting together.
Details from Mike Licht here.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

Next weekend is the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, the highest ranked outdoor fine arts festival in Maryland and one of the top in the nation. About 30,000 people will enjoy and buy art from 140 juried fine artists and crafts folk from around the nation.

Saturday, May 8, from 10am - 6pm
Sunday, May 9, from 10am - 5pm
Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, Norfolk & Auburn Avenues

Check out the juried artists here.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Guevaraing on May Day

The racist psychopath Guevara continues to haunt my drawing hand; here's version III of "ASere SI o NO".

Che Guevara


"ASere SI o NO" c. 2010. Charcoal on Paper. 5.5 x 14 inches.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Wanna go to an opening tomorrow?



The Brentwood Arts Exchange @ Gateway Arts Center
3901 Rhode Island Ave.
Brentwood, MD 20722
tel. 301-277-2863
tty. 301-446-6802

Judkis on Wodzianski

With the exception of the interviews and the constant influx of well-wishers, Wodzianski is sleeping a little lighter, painting a little less, but still spending his mornings with the Washington Post and the Diane Rehm Show over a cup of coffee. “This is the most boring porn ever,” one commenter remarked on his live stream.
The City Paper's Maura Judkis has a fascinating piece on the current Andrew Wodzianski performance going on in his 100sq. ft. residence. Read it here.

Wanna go to an opening this Saturday?

Addison/Ripley Fine Art in Geortgetown presents "an uncompromising selection of new works by Washington artist, Dan Treado. This work continues to surprise and delight with the artist's signature serial imagery; layers of color, light as air, add dreamy associations and an impossible depth to the lush surfaces. In some of the paintings, appropriated samples from selected illustrations and texts provide tense contrast. In others, a crazy quilt of disparate organic images is woven together by this talented painter. At once cryptic and mesmerizing, the paintings in this third exhibition by the artist at Addison/Ripley demonstrate a rich complexity and accomplished maturity."

The reception is Saturday, May 1st, 5-7pm.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wanna go to an opening Saturday?

Nancy Donnelly and Jill Finsen open Saturdaay, May 1st at City Gallery, 804 H St NE in DC. The reception is 6-9 pm.

Nancy's glass bird forms in colors, are now swooping around the gallery, the egg shapes, also in colors, are lit from below and are quite beautiful.

Supergirl Flying Naked

The latest offering from my naked super heroes series. And just to stop the question: no, I'm not doing a drawing of Krypto, the super dog who belongs to Superman, and no, I'm not doing Superboy either, just in case.

Supergirl flying naked above Gotham, by F. Lennox Campello


Supergirl Flying Naked Above Gotham, c. 2010. Charcoal and color pencils on paper. 24 x 20 inches.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

At the Katzen

Convergence: New Art from Lebanon, the first comprehensive North American exhibition of art made in the aftermath of that country’s tumultuous civil war (1975-1990), is currently on exhibition at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C. It continues through Sunday, May 16.

In case you haven't noticed, this show has been getting a lot of critical attention both locally and nationally.

The exhibition includes nearly 50 paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and media-based art by 29 artists—more than a third of them women—based primarily in Beirut. "Reflecting the memories, hopes, dreams and political and religious realities of a culture seeking to reclaim itself, the exhibition introduces Americans to the vitality and volatility of today’s art from Lebanon."

Locals are well represented in the show by work from GMU professor Chawky Frenn.

Let me say this again: The Katzen's exhibition agenda continues to impress me by its diverse mix of shows that not only bring international art and artists to the DC area - often setting such firsts as this one - but also has become the DMV's only museum space that pays attention to its own backyard.

Kudos to Jack Rasmussen.

By the way, this Friday, in in the Katzen Arts Center Rotunda, is the opening of the First-year MFA students exhibition.

LEF Foundation Grants

LEF Foundation Grants offers funding for contemporary works in the visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, architecture, design, film and new media. The intent of the grants are to provide opportunities to produce and present new work; to honor creative merit and foster critical discourse; encourage dissemination of work by emerging and under-recognized artists; increase exposure of established artists in regions where they have not been widely represented; to promote new concepts, technologies, and approaches that are experimental or innovative; to support work that may be considered controversial or provocative; and to enhance the voices of marginalized cultures.

Interested applicants should send a one page Letter of Intent. Applications accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information or program guidelines, contact:

LEF Foundation
945 Greene St.
San Francisco, CA 94133

Wanna go to an artist's talk tomorrow?

*a pop-up project invites you to join them for an upcoming artist talk with NYC artist Mikel Glass at 6 pm on Thursday, April 29th. The talk will be held in the former Numark Gallery space at 625 E St, NW Washington, DC 20004.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Mary Coble at Conner

One of my favorite artists on this planet is Mary Coble and her upcoming solo show "Source" and performance at Conner Contemporary Art in Washington, DC opens on Saturday, May 15th, 6-8pm.

Important News follow: Mary Coble's performance begins at 2pm and will continue on into the opening which is from 6-8pm. Coble will also be showing video, photography and an installation piece as part of the exhibition.

New video and photographs by New Yorker Janet Biggs in an exhibition titled Nobody Rides for Free will also be on display. This is Biggs' first solo exhibition with the gallery.

Be there!

Batman and Robin Naked

The Bat Cave will never be the same again, but here's my latest offering from my series of naked superheroes:

Batman and Robin Naked by F. Lennox Campello


Batman and Robin Naked, c. 2010. Charcoal on Paper. 8 x 18 inches.

This is my first crack at the dynamic duo, I will do a couple more versions in the near future.

New Art Market in Alexandria

The Opening day of a new art market in Alexandria, Virginia is June 5th!

Kimberley Bush is the creator and market coordinator for the Alexandria Art Market, or as she calls it: "your monthly dose of art in the heart of Del Ray."

The monthly market will be held on the 1st Saturday of June, July, August, September and November from 10-4pm at Colasanto Park at 2704 Mount Vernon Ave in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, VA.

Bush brought a proposal to the board of Directors to create an Art Market in December 2009 and the Board gave me approval to move forward in March 2010...and now they are set to go live June 5th!

She reports that she has many artists who have applied and expect the Opening Day on June 5th at Colasanto Park at the Del Ray Artisans Gallery to be huge. They also expect to have yummy eats and several multicultural performance groups. It is all free and open to the public.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Ladies in White

Why is the Cuban government so afraid of the current six women members — down from nine last week after the brutal beating by Castro's thugs — of the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White):

After seven years of peaceful protests following Mass in Havana's upscale Miramar neighborhood, Cuba has begun blocking the "Ladies in White" from marching since the group never obtained written permission to do so.
Details here.

This is their leader, an elderly lady named Laura Pollan, who is the wife of jailed Cuban dissident Hector Maseda Gutierrez.

Libertad!

Miami art critics fired

I don't know the who's and what's of the issue (yet anyway) are, but an email drive is underway to try to restore three art critics fired from the Miami Spanish language newspaper El Nuevo Herald. Here's the letter:

As people of the arts, we write to express our disappointment and frustration having learned about the decision of El Nuevo Herald to discontinue the collaborations of the art critics Ms. Janet Batet, Ms. Adriana Herrera and Mr. Carlos M. Luis, based on unfounded allegations of “conflict of interest”, brought by the owner of a local art gallery, who advertises in the art pages of El Nuevo Herald.

Ms. Batet, Ms. Herrera and Mr. Luis are recognized scholars of a long and distinguished careers in the field of the arts, in Miami and in other Latin American countries. Most relevant in this instance, is the fact that they have conducted their academic and journalistic work with the most rigorous ethics.

Losing their contribution to the paper, will certainly diminish the level of interest and intellectual impact of your publication.

The decision of El Nuevo Herald’s management has seriously compromised its editorial integrity, and its credibility damaged. We encourage you to reconsider this issue and provide a mutually agreeable solution for all the parties involved, and reinstate your readers trust in El Nuevo Herald.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Pep

(Via)

Guajira Guantanamera

I am told that the most recorded song in the world is the Beatles' "Yesterday."

But among the top 10 most recorded songs in the world, and also the most recorded Spanish language song in history is the Guantanamera (real title is Guajira Guantanamera or the "Peasant Girl from Guantanamo").

Even if you don't know it yet, you've heard this song a million times. And yet, there is fierce debate as to who is the author of the Guajira Guantanamera? Who is the author of the musical introduction? and where does its chorus come from?

Most of this because originally in Cuba, the song was, other than the chorus part, an improvisational song, where the words to the song would be improvised by the singer as he/she sang it. There are no words to the Guantanamera!

In the 1960s Peter Seeger added the verses from Cuban poet Jose Marti in a performance at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and thus now the most common version of Guantanamera is the one with the Marti verses.

But this amazing song has no real written words - one just sings it and improvises as one goes.

Three versions below - The Sandpipers, Celia Cruz, Pete Seeger... and in Japanese.








Saturday, April 24, 2010

Dawson on DMV

The WaPo's Jessica Dawson covered a wide range of the DMV art scene in this review(s): She covered shows at McLean Project for the Arts, Thomas Drymon Selects at the Studio Gallery, Carroll Square Gallery, Amy Lin's exhibit at Addison Ripley, and Andrew Wodzianski's Pop-Up living space in 100 sq. ft. performance.

Think about this: in order to cover all those shows, Dawson had to travel all over the DMV - and I'm sure that she visited a lot more spaces than those that she wrote about.

That is why writing art criticism is so time consuming: it takes a lot of gallery hopping just to produce a good round-up article like this one. Good job!

Andrew Wodzianski: 24/7

Click here or watch below:


Andrew Wodzianski Live from his 100 sqft home

Paneling

I'm part of the panel Special Seminar: Social Networking and Marketing Your Art, which is is today Saturday April 24, from 1-3PM. All the details are here.

Why not the visual arts?

A while back I was told by a writer (and later by a photographer) from the Gazette newspapers (which are owned by the Washington Post), that the WaPo has been using articles originally published/done for the Gazette to augment its coverage.

Years ago I suggested to the WaPo Arts Editor exactly the same thing: that they augment their visual arts coverage by publishing the reviews from the Gazette in their Style section, especially during the Dawson/Gopnik off weeks.

It made sense to me; they own the articles, so why not re-use them as needed. Like the Post has done with all of my constructive criticism and improvement ideas, they filed it in the round file and I've never heard back from them.

But apparently this "re-use" has been happening with some Gazette articles recently - but not the visual arts. I don't know which articles, and I don't know how to find out, and I am told that the Style section co-editor/editor (I'm not sure what he is) Scott Vogel doesn't answer emails, and I don't know who to ask.

However, it still makes sense to me. The Gazette has two really good writers in their employ to this end: Dr. Claudia Rousseau and Jordan Edwards.

Rousseau is a highly educated art critic and scholar with an impeccable pedigree and highly respected not only in our area, but also in Latin America, where she wrote art criticism in Spanish for many years before returning to the US. Read some of her recent reviews here.

Edwards is a journalist with a taste for the fine arts. Since I've been back living in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Montgomery County, I've been following his writing in the Gazette and he has earned my respect for the mind-boggling diverse genres of art that he covers for them. Check him out here.

How about it WaPo? If you don't get it, you don't get it...

Friday, April 23, 2010

Congrats!

The Cultural Development Corporation (CuDC) has announced the 2010-2011 Creative Communities Fund (CCF) grantees. Just over $50,000 will be awarded to 25 outstanding artists working in the DC-metro area. Grants will be given to artists participating in the Flashpoint Gallery, Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint and Source Festival programs.

Grantees include a wide range of visual, literary and performance artists; funds will support the creation of 12 new works for the stage and five exhibitions from visual artists.

“We are thrilled to provide cash grants to artists along with the space and support we offer through the Flashpoint and Source programs. The Creative Communities Fund enables Cultural Development Corporation to provide artists with the nurturing environment necessary to develop outstanding new work,” says CuDC Executive Director Anne Corbett.

Launched in 2005 by The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, CCF seeks to improve the ability of artists to live, work and flourish in the DC-metro area. In 2008, CuDC was selected to be the Fund’s lead agency and entered into a two year partnership with The Community Foundation for the program’s transition.

The visual arts grantees are:

* Patrick McDonough, media: installation
* Adam Griffiths, media: drawing, installation, mixed-media and painting
* Adam de Boer, media: painting
* Alexa Meade, media: installation, mixed-media, new media, painting, photography, sculpture, video and performance art
* Michael Dax Iacovone, media: photography, installation
Also my good friend Kristina Bilonick for the Source Festival | Artistic Blind Dates.

Gleeks

My daughter Elise is auditioning for Glee's nationwide auditions. You can view her audition as she sings "Rehab" and then and vote for her here.



Statement

Glee | MySpace Video


Rehab

Glee | MySpace Video

Superman Flying Naked (version III)

Superman drawing by F. Lennox Campello


"As The Man of Steel flew closer and closer to the sun, his Superman suit burned away, leaving him naked" c. 2010
F. Lennox Campello. 30 x 22.5 inches. Charcoal on Paper.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Bourgeon: A Local Arts Magazine

Bourgeon’s mission, through our online publication and community initiatives, is twofold: to increase participation in the arts and to improve access to the arts. Although artists and audiences are diverse, often they are not equally represented in the mainstream press. We believe that greater involvement in the arts can strengthen individuals and communities. Bourgeon is a program of the not-for-profit Day Eight.
It's an excellent resource (they've been around since 2005!) to our area's art scene. Check it online here.

New drawing of an old drawing

This is my second version of this drawing, image courtesy of my reliable source book of poses for artists. In this version I expanded the negative, clean space dramatically and it has a huge effect on the composition - both visual and psychological - on the drawing. This is my third drawing of 2010.

Nude drawing by F. Lennox Campello


"Suddenly, on a Wednesday afternoon, she discovered that she wasn't afraid of him any longer."
Charcoal on Arches Watercolor Paper, c. 2010. 30 x 22.5 inches.



Detail

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Katla

Having been to Iceland many times, I suspect that the disruptions caused by the current Icelandic volcano with the long-assed name would pale in comparison if Katla, also in Iceland, decides to burp.

Katla is a game-changer for the entire planet.

At Arlington

Good pics here of the Arlington Art Center's Spring 2010 Solo shows openings. My good bud Jeffry Cudlin keeps doing a great job there.

Wodziansking...

DC artist Andrew Wodzianski is living small. He's also living under public view.

POP-UP LIVING is Wodzianski's latest over the top performance piece (after a still-unconfirmed casket piece in October) that houses the second tallest man in the DC art scene into of a 100 square foot cube (Note: ubercollector Phillip Barlow has him beat by an inch).

The minimalist space is considered Wodzianski's home until May 1, and while he does leave once in a while to teach courses at the College of Southern Maryland, he's spending a lot of time inside his new box. While inside his new digs, he's under the constant observation from not only a 24/7 surveillance camera, but also curious pedestrians on U Street NW.

Wodzianski says, "The work has many discussion points, which makes it fascinating for a lot of people. At its core, I believe my performance is straddling two issues: living with less, and perhaps more provoking - the separation between reality and fiction."

Wodzianski's "performance" hours:

Sunday, April 18 10:00 AM - Monday, April 19 6:30 AM
Monday, April 19 3:00 PM - Tuesday, April 20 11:10 AM
Tuesday, April 20 10:30 PM - Wednesday, April 21 6:30 AM
Wednesday, April 21 3:00 PM - Thursday, April 22 6:30 AM
Thursday, April 22 8:30 PM - Monday, April 26 6:30 AM
Monday, April 26 3:00 PM - Tuesday, April 27 6:30 AM
Tuesday, April 27 3:00 PM - Wednesday, April 28 6:30 AM
Wednesday, April 28 3:00 PM - Thursday, April 29 6:30 AM
Thursday, April 29 8:30 PM - Saturday, May 1 5:00 AM

Read and then see the NBC4 TV News piece here.

Read the Washington Post article on the performance here.

Check out some videos of the performance here and here.

Location: 1318 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009

POP-UP LIVING is Wodzianski's performance piece in a much larger collaboration and cause. Wodzianski partnered with The JBG Companies, Studios Architecture, and Coakley Williams Construction for the Cultural Development Corporation's Pop-Up Gala. An additional four partnerships were formed to create POP-UP structures across the region. Each structure is on display until May 1, when they will be relocated to the CuDC's Gala at Longview Gallery. More information about the Gala, CuDC, and the other POP-UPs can be found at this website.

New Drawing

This is only my second drawing of the year.


"Writing with her finger on the floor, she plotted her revenge against men."
8 x 40 inches. Charcoal and colored pencils on board. c. 2010


Writing with her finger on the floor, she plotted her revenge against men - by F. Lennox Campello

"Writing with her finger on the floor, she plotted her revenge against men". Detail.
8 x 40 inches. Charcoal and colored pencils on board. c. 2010

Wanna go to a Maryland opening tomorrow?

Artists Circle Fine Art has its first 2010 exhibition, featuring the works of five local artists who were selected for their "immensely diverse portrayal of different subject matter, unique use of materials and incredible craftsmanship." Artists Circle Fine Art considers these artists some of DC’s “hidden art gems”.

Francie Hester is a long-time resident of the Washington, DC area. Armed with a variety of power tools and refined palettes of paint, Francie tackles thick, waffled sheets of aluminum to create abstract, dimensional works that have a raw, industrial – yet aesthetically beautiful – look.

Angie Seckinger has thrived in the DC area as a corporate-industrial, studio product and editorial photographer for the past 25 years. Her little known secret? - She takes fantastic macro photos that are a testament to her technical mastery of the camera.

Alan Simensky is a self-taught artist residing just outside of DC. His bright, post-Pop-esque works incorporate recognizable imagery which have been referred to as both fanciful and witty. The show will feature several pieces from Alan’s Disgruntled series, portraying themes from the workplace.

Jessica van Brakle’s most recent body of work is inspired by construction in the DC area and an ongoing interest in nature and decorative textures. Jessica’s mix of precise, hand drawn lines with carefully painted organic patterns makes for an intriguing and striking body of work.

Pamela Viola began making photography-based images at the age of fourteen. Emerging as an outgrowth of her extensive experimentation with photographic transfer printing, her current photography work focuses on textural DC landscapes
The opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 22nd from 6 to 9pm.

Fierce Sonia at the Art League Gallery

The current “Paper Dolls” exhibition by photographer/model Fierce Sonia set all kinds of “new” for The Art League Gallery in Old Town Alexandria. For one thing, I am told that the opening reception and meet the artist function was one of the largest, if not the largest opening in the gallery’s long history.

And it wasn’t just the exceptional photography which caused all the “buzz” in the Greater DC arts community, but also the photographer herself (who is the subject of her own work), who contributed to the immense interest in this solo debut by one the area’s best known, drawn, photographed and painted art bodies. You see, Fierce Sonia is usually seen posing, rather than creating.

But a creator she is. Several years ago I came across her seminal photographic work, and even curated her into my WPA/Corcoran show "Seven", where her early photographs sold well. This new work, the first that I've seen since then, is a spectacular departure and growth from those early images of her nude body.

Ritual Repeat by Fierce Sonia


Ritual Repeat by Fierce Sonia

Her press release said it all:
“During her tenure as a figure model for The Art League School, Fierce Sonia quietly acquired a top-notch visual arts education. Motivated by the artwork she saw, she became eager to create her own work. She cabled her camera to her TV and released the shutter with an infrared remote. Sonia used herself as her own model, learning more about composition and technique based on what she saw on the screen.

Her figurative photography has evolved to a new and exciting place. The focus is on process. In Sonia’s latest series “Paper Dolls,” the same images reoccur with confident changes to the surface. Her work is no longer straight photography. With the integration of painting and collage into her images, Sonia’s work has reached a new level.

The black and white images of herself are often printed on paper that has been painted white, which creates a rich texture. Each piece is created in a unique way. Previous prints may be collaged to create depth. Multiple runs of the same print may be made on the same piece. More painting, layering might be necessary to create the desired effect. These alterations to the surface blur the identity of the original image, and make the series of work about the medium and the process, and not about the subject matter.

Sonia’s work has been exhibited and won accolades nationally. She is a professional art model and muse for artists and photographers and has worked with nationally and internationally known artists.”
And for years, this muse for artists has been absorbing, truly by osmosis, an art education that is truly remarkable.

For "Paper Dolls", Sonia used her camera like a weapon; trained it onto her own body, put a focused mind to work on the photographs, and created a memorable set of images that make her solo debut one of the best, if not the best, photography shows that I’ve ever seen at the Art League.

And Sonia doesn’t simply follow in the footsteps of those who have focused the camera to themselves; most notably Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin. She does that and then twists the weapon a little deeper into our visual cortex: she manipulates the image, she manipulates the paper, she manipulates our most primeval erotic thoughts with images of her body and imagery of bones, and repetitive imagery of thoughts buried deep inside our moist hereditary memories.

Fierce Sonia

Material Things 13x 29 inches.

This is an old soul being displayed on these 21st century images. We knew her in the caves of Altamira and Lascaux, and her image graced the walls of Egypt, Greece and Rome, and perhaps a standing stone or two in the ancient lands of the Picts.

Fierce SoniaBut this new 21st century imagery has been now manipulated, twisted, tortured, reworked and updated by Sonia.

She brings it to a delicious 21st century dialogue where her image is no longer about herself. It is now about ideas, about texture, about layers, and about the sensually cognitive act of repetition. It is also most importantly about the harsh de-objectification of her own figure, or perhaps the attempt to do so, while leaving tantalizing remnants of her presence.

This is an artist who uses her body to make a living as a professional model. And in "Paper Dolls" she makes a bold statement about her own physical attributes that demystify that ancient quality that she possesses and re-invents her figure as part of the whole of her art, rather than the sole commodified subject of the art.

In refreshing this ancient imagery through a fresh set of eyes, Fierce Sonia accomplishment covers many roads and ideas, and seldom have they been traveled so successfully in a photographer’s solo debut.

The show is "Paper Dolls" and it is on through May 3rd at the Art League, inside the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. Don't miss it.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Light at the end of the tunnel?

I think that the brutal dictatorship of the Castro brothers is beginning to show the secondary signs of the end of their world as they know it.

Cuba's Roman Catholic cardinal says the country is in one of its worst crises in recent times, with its people demanding political and economic changes sooner rather than later.
More evidence here.

Meanwhile the Damas de Blanco keep marching in Havana and keep getting beaten up by Castro's thugs; but they do not give up. Other than the local news in Miami, you'd never know what's going on in Cuba from the US main stream media.

How Linn Meyers draws



Also, on Friday April 30th at 12:30PM, Meyers will be giving a talk at the Hirshhorn Museum with Carlene Stephens, Curator of Time at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and Ryan Hill, Curatorial Research Associate at the Hirshhorn. The talk is part of a series called "In Conversation".

MFA Thesis Shows

The MFA Thesis III and First-Year Shows at MICA will open next Friday, April 23. This preesents an opportunity to start keeping an eye on Katie Miller's work. She will have a new painting in the First-Year Show, located in the Pinkard Gallery on the first floor of MICA's Bunting Center, at 1401 West Mount Royal Avenue.

The graduating second-year MFA candidates are showing in the Fox Building next door. Both shows feature work from all of the graduate programs, generally encompassing painting, sculpture, photography, video, interdisciplinary, and installation.

Miller will be at the opening reception on April 23 from 5 - 7 pm. The opening involves both the Pinkard Gallery in the Bunting Center, and the Meyerhoff, Decker, and Fox 3 galleries in the Fox building.

MFA Thesis III
Friday, April 23-Sunday, May 2
A public reception with the artists takes place Friday, April 23, 5-7 p.m.
Gallery Talks: Tuesday, April 27, 3-5 p.m. and Wednesday, April 28, 1-3 p.m.
Fox Building: Decker, Meyerhoff, and Fox 3 galleries (1303 W. Mount Royal Ave.)

For a slideshow of Thesis (second-year) work, please visit this website.

See Katie Miller's work here.

Open Studios

April 24 & 25th - click on image for more info.

At George Washington University: More Photographs Than Bricks

By Bruce McKaig

There is only a couple of weeks left (through April 20) to catch an exhibition in DC at GW's Luther W. Brady Art Gallery that pushes the envelope about what a photograph can be. More Photographs Than Bricks (exhibition title and part of a quote from John Szarkowski) has assembled a myriad of works that explore the medium and act of photography in surprising ways, including photographs that are not pictures and a few works that are not photographs.

The artists chosen include emerging and world famous artists: Nancy Breslin, Edward Burtynsky, Chuck Close, Kim Keever, Ana Labastida, Amy Lamb, Bruce McKaig, Megan Marrin, Abelardo Morell, Yasumasa Morimura, Martin d’Orgeval, Sean Scully, Jeffrey Smith, and JeongMee Yoon.

Emily and her pink things


Jeongmee Yoon, "Emily and her pink things" (2005)

Jeongmee Yoon was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to New York in 2004. Her work, inspired by life experiences with her own children, examines cultural codes and gender-subjective consumerism. In Emily and her Pink Things, Yoon constructs then photographs a Pepto-Bismol world cute enough to make anyone sick to his or her stomach. This work does not stop at examining the way gender is used to market products. It is thoroughly personal – Emily is Yoon’s daughter, who “loves pink, like my son [Donghu and his Blue Things] loves blue” – so it is also a confession about having acquiesced, to being engulfed in the marketing strategy.

Martin d'Orgeval (French, b. 1973) lives and works in Paris. His work is an impressive use of space, history, and imagery. Touched by Fire blends tragedy and beauty with images from the entomology and taxidermy store Deyrolle, devastated by fire in 2008. These constructed still lifes have a temporal reference, depicting the passage of time less like a voyeur and more like a detective, or even an archivist trying to put the pieces back together.

Kim Keever (American) lives and works in New York City. Keever’s “landscapes” are studio productions, still lifes in fact. Keever constructs underwater scenes then photographs them, hence the moody weight to his images. Heavy atmosphere aside, the nature of the work requires Keever to capture the scene under a sense of urgency as the materials are in fact more fleeting than stable.

Ana Labastida (Mexican) lives in San Francisco. Her installations are composed of bugs and baskets, moths in this case, made from fabric and photographs printed on glass. From a distance, the installation wants to be playful – and it is – but on closer inspection, the urban imagery on the giant insect wings becomes somewhat disturbing.

According to Lenore Miller, Gallery Director, and Olivia Kohler, Assistant Director, the exhibit started by searching for works that could be academically classified as “new history” or “new landscape” and so forth, but months of conscientious and creative detective work uncovered photographic explorations that would not conveniently fit into “categories that had served to structure art from the 16th to the 19th century.” This discovery prompted the selection process to include some non-photographic works.

The exhibition catalogue has an essay written by Virginia K laying out some of the historical context for the visual dialogue between photography and painting. Many artists and authors have commented on the interaction between photography and painting, and some have examined the resurgence of 19th century techniques in contemporary art.

David Hockney makes a comparison between photography and painting with his assertion that “photography is really good for making pictures of drawings.” (Hockney on Art, 1999). Hockney insists that the lack of “hands on” in photography explains why paintings are better at depicting reality. However, in the same book, he also says that because society is increasingly less certainty that photography is ideally suited to depict reality, photography “has been brought back into the area that painting has always dealt with.” What would Hockney have to say about this exhibition? Another prominent figure in the art world, John Szarkowski, once said, “A photograph is essentially a picture. Not everything that is sensitive to light produces a photograph. A sunburn is not a photograph.” (Looking at Photographs, 1973) Where would Mr. Szarkowski place these works? Perhaps the curator, author and historian Jean-Claude Lemagny (French, b. 1931) best describes where to place these artists by asserting that some artists are photographers, some bump up against photography.

Nineteenth century photo techniques never entirely disappeared from the art world, but the last decades have seen a significant resurgence of these dated processes used to produce contemporary works. Photography’s Antiquarian Avant-Garde (Lyle Rexer, Abrams 2002) lays out an historical timeline to situate these processes, then proposes a number of contemporary artists’ twists on how they are used today (Chuck Close - also in this exhibit, Susan Rankaitis, Jin Lee, Ilan Wolff, Mark Kessell, Bruce McKaig, to site a few). In Rexer’s words, these artists “[work] in both mystical and material ways, letting the chemistry of the emulsion register chance and time, turning Talbot's ‘pencil of nature’ into a paintbrush."

More Photographs Than Bricks is the second of three exhibitions supported by Clarice Smith with a focus on creating a dialogue by bringing the highest quality art for display in the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery. Ms. Smith is a local patron of the arts who has supported numerous large-scale projects to help bring art and people together, and personally explores the arts through her paintings.

More Photographs Than Bricks

March 24-April 30, 2010
Luther W. Brady Art Gallery
The George Washington University
Media & Public Affairs Building, 2nd Floor
805 21st Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20052
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For more information about the Exhibition and the Luther W. Brady Gallery: Click here. For more information about the author: click here.

Monday, April 19, 2010

American Contemporary Art magazine

The April/May issue is out and there are several reviews of DC galleries as well as a DC-centric article by yours truly in pages 22-23.

You can also read it online here.

Calling all Artists: Win This House Essay Contest


The lead says it all. Details here.

Little Junes Update

Anderson Campello


Anderson Lennox Franklin Lars Timothy Angus Pict Eric Florencio Brude James Tiberius Campello Anderson Cruzata Jaspersen Alonso Zaar Marrero Karling Comba Noren Dalke Hartsell y Lennox.
Circa April 16, 2010. Flesh and Blood. 24 inches by 24lbs 2 oz. NFS

Fierce Sonia at the Art League

The review is coming.

Meanwhile, if you didn't go to the opening (as around 400 people did), see the video below and check out what an immense happening you missed. Seldom has a new artist's solo debut gathered this sort of response around here, especially at the Art League.




The show is "Paper Dolls" and it is on through May 3rd at the Art League, inside the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. Don't miss it.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Going Postal in London

Deadline: June 7th, 2010

On 16th June, the Chelsea College of Art and Design is having an auction of postcards and postcard-sized artworks created by international artists and designers. This event will be called 'Going Postal' and any monies raised by this auction will go towards funding their final MA show in September 2010. They tell me that they "would be delighted if you would be willing to contribute a piece to this auction."

If any of you want to participate, either work on the postcard they can send you upon request or produce another piece of an approximately commensurate size (A6 or 105 × 148 mm) in any materials you want. Please return all work for the attention of Brian Chalkley to the address below before June 7th.

The auction will be held at the ICA, Central London and looks set to be an interesting night with a range of international artists, collectors, gallerists in attendance and compered by artist and head of MA Fine Art at Chelsea, Brian Dawn Chalkley

Contact
Attn: Brian Chalkley
Chelsea College of Art and Design
16 John Islip Street
London SW1P 4JU

Some online contact info here.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Congrats!

To DC area artist Amy Lin, who was just awarded a Strauss Grant!

Lin's current exhibition, "Kinetics", is at Addison/Ripley Fine Art, 1670 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 through April 24, 2010. The artist will be in the gallery today from 4-6pm.

Buy Amy Lin now.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Open House This Saturday - Meet The Artists

Pyramid Atlantic and the Washington Printmakers Gallery will be hosting an Open House on Saturday, April 17 from 1 pm to 4 pm at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center, 8230 Georgia Avenue.

City Gallery

A new cooperative gallery on the H Street corridor NE
By Bruce McKaig

Last month, a group of artists formed a new cooperative gallery on the second floor at 804 H Street NE. City Gallery, with approximately 20 member artists, opened March 6th, 2010 with a members group show and will cycle through the membership hosting solo exhibits for most of the year ahead. Members work in diverse media; painting, drawing, photography, sculpture etc.

The gallery’s principals, Philip Hutinet, Geoff Ault, and Ellen Cornett make the decisions about membership and exhibition scheduling, but all members can participate in meetings as part of the decision making process. Membership exists at two levels: full membership and associate membership. Each category has different terms and perks.

When the trio decided to open a gallery, they took a look at how other cooperatives work to assess strengths and weaknesses. One thing they felt important: do not require members to take on gallery responsibilities. As a new facility, they are still forging some of the policies and practices they will eventually establish and hope to develop relationships with other art groups in the area and eventually beyond to bring member art to other venues and perhaps host nonmember work in their space. As well as hosting exhibitions, City Gallery also provides gallery space rental and catering, art advisory and curatorial services, art installation and new collector consultations.

The current exhibition, Magical Realism, displays watercolors and collages by local artist Gina Clapp.

A long-term personality in the Capitol Hill arts scene, Gina’s works demonstrate a rigorous understanding and control of her medium though the subject matter sometimes sits shallow. Gina’s meticulous control of the medium stands out in the gallery, despite the diversity in sizes, eclectic framing and assorted subjects.

Song of late summer. Watercolor by Gina Clapp

The exhibition also includes recently made collages. These collages also demonstrate Gina’s firm grip on visual composition, but with surprising material choices, including sequined cloth. Whereas her mastering of materials is part of what holds the watercolors together, somehow it seems a bit unresolved in the collages. With the more adventurous, want-to-be playful choice of materials, perhaps the collages are waiting for a looser, more playful gesture in their construction.

In Gina’s words:
My watercolor work often takes weeks/months to paint. Collage takes less time and is relaxing and more cerebral. I like to arrange the shapes and colors to depict a mood without having to do the intense realistic studies beforehand. The other aspect of collage that I enjoy is collecting and using odd bits of Japanese papers, exotic or florid fabrics, and papers with unique textures. Combining these scraps with some watercolor, I create collages that are more symbolic of a mood, time of day, landscape, or place. They are rather abstract, the watercolors more realistic. Yet in both I strive to suggest the motion, life, and magic of living things, and their relationships with objects that surround them.
City Gallery’s presence on the H Street corridor brings the number of galleries in the area to seven. The various galleries are pursuing possible ways to collaboratively work to bring more artists and art aficionados to the area.

The next exhibition at City Gallery will be Light and Allusion, showcasing works by Nancy Donnelly (glass) and Jill Finsen (painting) May 1-29. The opening is May 1st, 6-9pm.

City Gallery
804 H Street NE Washington, DC 20002
202.468.5277
Hours: Friday 1-5, Saturday 1-5 and by appointment
For more information about City Gallery:
www.citygallerydc.com
For more information about the author: www.brucemckaig.com

Wanna go to an artist's talk tomorrow?

Our own Rosetta DeBerardinis is giving an Artist Talk on Sat. April 17th at 7pm in conjunction with her solo exhibit, "Coming Home: A Collection of Works by Rosetta DeBerardinis" at the Corner Store.

The Corner Store is at 900 South Carolina Ave., S.E. @ 9th Street near the Eastern Market. The band Gessford Court to follow. Contact Kris Swanson @202-544-5807 for additional info.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

19th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival

Check out the artists juried into the 19th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. This is one of the best outdoor art festivals in the nation. It takes place on the streets of the Reston Town Center — Reston, Virginia, May 15 & 16, 2010. 10am — 6pm daily.

Pencil it into your schedule and drop by and say hi at Booth 204.

Tax Day

According to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization, about 47 percent of Americans will pay no federal income taxes for 2009.

Having paid income tax since my very first job ever at age 13 (after school vacuum cleaning several stores along Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn and also cleaning their bathrooms after they closed), I've managed to pay income taxes every year since that year and this past year was the most brutal tax year ever for me.

It has also always escaped me the fairness of having about 1% of US households pay about 40% of all taxes collected in this nation and the other top 9% of US households combine to pay almost 75% of all taxes collected.

The reason that most European nations and especially the new democracies from the former Soviet empire adopted either a flat tax system or a Value Added Tax (VAT) system is simple: "It's simple!"

Every nation in Europe that I've lived in had a flat tax, except for the UK, which has a VAT (17.5%).

But here, the tax laws are so complex, and the tax load so disparate and so huge, that we need an army of IRS folks to enforce them and an even bigger army of accountants and lawyers to interpret them.

Makes my head hurt; check's on the way.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

LottoHEART

CAMP Rehoboth in Delaware is an awesome GBLT advocacy group has grown up from a grassroots effort reacting to a health epidemic to a powerhouse fighting for human equality. This year they celebrate their 20th year anniversary.

Their annual fund raising art event has evolved to a week-long exhibition that culminates with a boisterous Game Show Event and Live Auction at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on Saturday, July 3rd. Last year was a great success – thanks to everyone, they raised over $35,000 for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center.

How to Participate:

This year they’d like 200+ artists to each create one original, unframed, 5" x 7" (exactly) work in any medium — it should not be matted or framed. All works are donations and will be sold for $100 — the catch is that your identity will not be known by the buyer until after the purchase. Also, the order in which a buyer gets to select their art is random (hence "lotto") and will be pulled off as part of the LottoHEART Game Show on July 3rd.

Here is one great success story: DeMarquis Johnson, a participating artist from Mississippi, was contacted by the person who got his work, who in turn suggested his work for a show in DC! Look for DeMarquis Johnson’s work hanging in Vastu on 14th Street NW in DC June 14 – August 19, 2010.

Register Online Today — Number of participants limited so sign up today here.

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP – May 7TH
ARTWORK DELIVERY – JUNE 20TH
PREVIEW RECEPTION AT CAMP REHOBOTH – JUNE 26TH
LOTTOHEART GAME SHOW – JULY 3RD

While the deadline for registration is May 7th — the number of participants is limited. Over 100 artists are already signed up. Join them today. I registered yesterday - take a peek at who is participating here.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

100 DC Artists

I have been retained by Schiffer Publishing to edit and create a coffee table size book titled “100 Washington, DC Artists” as part of their series on national artists.

This was based on a proposal that I sent to them a while back, and I am happy to report that they have approved it for publication in the spring of 2011. The book will cover 100 key artists working in the Greater Washington, DC area which encompasses the District and surrounding suburban areas of Maryland and Virginia.

Like all Schiffer art books, this will be a high quality book which will be available nationally and online, as well as available locally at museum gift shops and local area bookstores. Each artist will have a two page spread, with 3-4 images of their work, a small head shot, and a 300 word essay about their work.

I've got most key DC area artists already selected and I've been in contact with them with details, etc. I'm aiming to include all the major DC area visual art names from William Christenberry on down the list, as well as key emerging artists.

Speaking of key, two artists that I'd like to include in the book, but which I have been unable to contact either through their dealers or directly via email are Iona Rozeal Brown and Yuriko Yamaguchi. If anyone who reads this blog knows them personally, please tell them to contact me at my email address even if it to say that they're not interested. I'd hate to skip these two important DC artists because they're not reading their email!

Still speaking of key, I've also asked several key DC area art dealers and collectors and even art critics for their input, just to make sure that I'm not forgetting a key name in our visual arts community.

I'm quite stoked about this project, although one of the drawbacks can be that I'd have 100 happy artists and 1,000 bummed out ones.

For the latter I've only one thing to say: a book titled "Another 100 DC Artists" is already in my mind.

Special Seminar: Social Networking and Marketing Your Art

Saturday April 24, from 1-3PM. All the details are here.

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Muckin' O Geordie's Byre

Just in case you think that Old Scots is English... here's one of my favorite Andy Stewart tunes:





Noo whan Ah-want-ta lauchin Ah think of the scene
Whan aa'body roon cam ower tae clean,
An claarted themsel's richt up-ta the e'en
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Wi Robbie the Rochie an Willie the Doo,
The officer fell fur Jeannie McGrew;
And aa'body else that hud hud a capoo
At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.
Och! siccan a sotter wis aa'body in,
Five mile awa ye cud hear the din;
Even the verra-coo hud to grin
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.

Noo the bobby cam roon tae quell the fowks doon
The cratur gat loast whaur the ricks hud thur foon
He fell in the midden, wis like tae droon
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
The wecht o him syne sends the barrow in bits,
The wheel cairries oan an the officer hits;
Losh ye shud hiv seen hoo she did the splits
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Och! siccan a sotter wis aa'body in,
Five mile awa ye cud hear the din;
Even the verra-coo hud to grin
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.

Oh the whisky gaed roon, Tammy's fleein the doo
An aye as they drank, the mair they gat fou
The only yins sober, the calf an the coo
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Tammy roared oot, "Ring the bell fur mair"
Syne he tuggit the coo's tail, an pult oot a hair;
She kickit oot an gaes up in the air
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.
Och! siccan a sotter wis aa'body in,
Five mile awa ye cud hear the din;
Even the verra-coo hud to grin
At the muckin o Geordie's byre.

Artist Interview: Marianela de la Hoz

Marianela de la Hoz


Mejor que la liposuccion (Better than Lipsuction), c.2008. Egg tempera on board. 4 x 2.3 inches

Born in Mexico and currently residing in San Diego Marianela de la Hoz is absolutely one of my favorite artists, period. I first came across her meticulous work at an exhibition of contemporary Mexican work at the Cultural Institute of Mexico years ago, and have been a fan ever since. We asked her our usual questions:

DC: Who or what has been your biggest influence as an artist?

Since I was a little girl my maternal grandfather introduce me to the arts, we used to enjoy many art books and I fell in love with Leonardo and the Flemish painters, then I discover Goya and there I found the most appealing images for my own aesthetics. His etchings, full of dark imaginary and dark humor have been my biggest influence.

DC: What are some of the challenges or mistakes that you have experienced as an artist and what did you learn from it?

One of the toughest challenges in life was deciding to leave my career as a Graphic designer and dedicate my life, body and soul to painting. I studied Graphic Design at the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City and I work as a graphic designer for 14 years, I was successful, earn good money and yet something was missing; it was not until my second child was born, almost 18 years ago, that I had enough clarity to convince myself of something I had always known but was afraid to accept. I wanted to dedicate myself to art and in painting I found the deep meaning of my whole existence, that passion surrounded me completely.

DC: Do you use a method for pricing your artwork?

My artwork is not easy to price because of the very small formats.

The first time I had an exhibition in Mexico City , the gallery owner set the prices and I trusted his knowledge about the art market, the collectors and my pieces, when I arrived 8 years ago to San Diego something similar happened when David Zapf the owner of the gallery I began working with did the same.

After building my own market, I have been able to set prices calculating the hours I dedicate to each painting, egg tempera requires a lot of time to be finished, I could not fix prices taking the size as a variable because of my very small formats

DC: Have you done any of the art fairs? If so, does your work do better at the fairs or at the gallery shows?

I have done several, Scope, Bridge, Pulse, Artamericas, the NY Affordable Art Fair. I would say that though I have sold in some of the fairs, my principal sales have been in my hometown galleries, first Mexico City and second San Diego.

DC: What advise would you give to emerging artists?

To always be honest and true to their believes and voice, betraying this principles in the pursuit of fame and money would not be soul satisfying. To work hard, use discipline everyday, inspiration is fine but daily work is the one that moves a true artist to a solid body of work, Don't trust excessive EGOS , and last to have an iron stomach to stand destructive criticism or excessive praises

DC: Who is your favorite DC area artist?

I don't know if he is local, I know that Conner Gallery represents him, Erik Sandberg

DC:
Anything coming up in the near future for you?

Last March 25th I had the opening for my solo show "Mise en scene" at the Noel-Baza Gallery, San Diego CA.

Marianela shows with some of the top galleries around the nation and would probably make a great fit in a DC area gallery. If you want to get in touch with her, drop me a note.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Seminar Pics

Yesterday's Bootcamp for Artists Seminar at the Gateway Arts Center was packed with a standing room crowd. About 60 people showed up (only 50 had RSVP'd). The seminar was free, courtesy of Gateway CDC in partnership with MNCPPC.

Lenny Campello

That's me discussing the ever popular subject of juried art competitions. Photo courtesy of Terry Ward.


Lenny Campello and pricing artwork

And that's me and a partial shot of the crowd. The discussion now is the even more dicey subject of how to price your artwork. Photo courtesy of Terry Ward.


Rosetta de Berardinis and Alexa Meade

After the seminar there was a closing reception for the current show - which I had curated. Here are artists Rosetta de Berardinis, who is back in the DC area after a three year exile to Baltimore and Alexa Meade, whose amazing work is really lifting her young career to new heights.


And the kid with artist Terry Ward.

Great deal on Ebay

Check out one of my vintage mermaid drawings (done 11 years ago) currently on Ebay. Initial bid makes it a steal. See it here.

Wanna go to an opening this Friday?

Sold

The Mera Rubell effects tide continues; a major art collector just acquired both of these pieces, which I had done for the Rubell studio visit:

Che Guevara by F. Lennox Campello


"Asere, Si o No?" 19"x48" Charcoal on Paper

About this piece: The appropriated image of Che Guevara from a photograph by a Commie photographer somewhere (ironic that Communists always nationalize and appropriate private stuff, so I have no issues appropriating their imagery) is to the left in a very Christ-like pose. Behind him, a slogan or graffiti on the imperfect wall asks the question in Cuban slang: "Asere, Si o No?" which means "Friend, Yes or No? in Cuban street dialect and is meaningless to all other Spanish speaking peoples. The capital letters answer the question by spelling out ASESINO or assassin.

Che Guevara's betrayer

Finalmente Denunciamos a el que traiciono al Che (Finally we denounce he who betrayed Che). 4 x 24 inches. Charcoal on paper

The Spanish words announce that "finally we denounce who betrayed Che." The capital letters answer the statement: FIDEL.

Thank you Mera.