Not Frida Kahlo

Those are not Frida Kahlo's eyes... those are my eyes, circa 1980 or so when I was a student at the University of Washington School of Art - the photo was part of a photo project by a Seattle photographer named Judy (I forget her last name)...

The Eyes of Lenny Campello circa 1980

At the Pike Place Market in Seattle

Lenny Campello at the Pike Place Market circa 1980

As I've noted here before countless times, almost everything I know about presenting, selling and discussing art I learned at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, where I sold my art school assignments and other work while I was an art student at the University of Washington.

Unicorn Mare and Foal

Just out of the blue a nice collector from West Seattle sends me a nice note with a couple of images... she acquired this hand-colored print at an antique shop in Tacoma.

"Unicorn Mare and Foal" is part of a series of fantasy drawings and prints that I did while I was at the University of Washington School of Art for illustration class and for a private limited edition of a book that a friend of a friend was printing.

All of these were sold at the Pike Place Market.

Unicorn Mare and Foal - 1979 by F. Lennox Campello

Cicada Nation

 

Cicada Nation

 

Cicada Invasion has begun!

 The 2021 Brood X invasion has begun!

More prep sketches

 

Preparatory sketch

 

Preparatory sketch for SLEEP IS THE COUSIN OF DEATH

Sleep is the cousin of Death - prep sketch

Prep sketch for Sleep is the cousin of death

 

East City Art launches their Artist Directory!

After six months of development, the East City Art team has just finished the ECA Artist Directory which provides an alternative to WPA's soon to be discontinued art file. 

As one of the requestors, the directory was created at the request of many artists who wished to see it continue.

Here is the link - CLICK HERE.

ECA soft launched it last week and it officially went public Friday, April 30. Here are some of the Directory's features:

- Self-serve with a user-friendly interface. Artists can link to their payment processor and ECA never takes a commission

- Artists can post their artist statement, CV, website, social media, coming exhibitions

- This is tied to ECA and function as a classifieds section of ECA, benefiting from ECA's traffic

- The new ECA site is scheduled to launch May 24 and will have a cleaner plug-in to the directory

- Speaking of traffic, the directory will be fine-tuned for SEO. Online and social media ads will feature Directory. They are also planning systematic promotions and communications to ensure continued Directory interest.

- The cost is $120 per year.   

ECA is a jewel of the DMV art scene - let's now support it!

Edzell Arch

 As I've noted before, Queen Victoria, on her way to the Highlands, used to travel through the tiny Scottish village of Edzell, in the Angus region of Scotland. Thus, the locals built an arch to honor their English queen.

From 1989-1992, I lived a few minutes from the village of Edzell, and the arch was a much visited subject of my drawings back then. Below are some examples of those works from those years. These are all in multiple collections in Scotland and the US.

My X/19

 1980 or so in Seattle, Washington... with my little beautiful Fiat X 1/9!

Lenny Campello in his Fiat X 1/9 circa 1980

Wanna go to an art fair?

 Here's my March article in the Old Town Crier...

Wanna stay outside no matter what? Our area has some of the best outdoor art shows in the nation, and while nearly all of them were cancelled in 2020, they are all planning a comeback in 2021 – it is probably the best response to a Covidian model that demands being outside to see and buy art and for those who may still be afraid to step foot inside a space.

Our City, Ourselves: Women Photograph Washington

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities now has an exhibition on view in their virtual gallery space, Our City, Ourselves: Women Photograph Washington. 

I highly encourage you to spend some time in the exhibition; it celebrates not only the talented and perceptive women photographers working in the District over the past 40 years, but also the history and evolution of the city itself. 

You can see the exhibition webpage here: http://bit.ly/CAHOurCityOurselves  or you can go directly to the virtual gallery here: http://bit.ly/OurCityOurselves.

Advice for the Covidian Age

 If you're going through hell, keep going.

  -- Winston Churchill

My gift to the "woke" crowd: the racist Che Guevara

Dear members of the "woke" police...

If you wear, or have ever worn a Che Guevara T-Shirt (unless it is like the one on the left) then you are wearing or have worn the image of a man whose racist writing and actions and beliefs are full of negative, racist remarks about Mexicans and Blacks, and Native Americans. 

This man was a killing psychopath whose image has been re-invented over the decades so that in the past he's been viewed by a large, ignorant segment of the planet's population as some sort of positive icon - he was not.

By the way, "Comemierda" is an almost unique Cuban insult...

Wanna read some of the things this comemierda has written or said?

"The black is indolent and lazy, and spends his money on frivolities, whereas the European is forward-looking, organized, and intelligent."

                        -- Che Guevara 

"The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations."  -- Che Guevara

"Mexicans are a band of illiterate Indians" -- Che Guevara

In an interview given to the London Daily Worker in 1962, Che Guevara said that "if the nuclear missiles had remained we would have used them against the very heart of America, including New York City... we will march the path of victory, even if it costs millions of atomic victims... we keep our hatred alive and fan it to paroxysm."

And this line after the Cuban Revolution in 1959: "We're going to do for blacks exactly what blacks did for the revolution. By which I mean: nothing."

“I don’t need proof to execute a man,” said Che during an interview published in a Cuban newspaper in 1959, “I only need proof that it is necessary to execute him.”

Che Guevara (like Fidel Castro) was sadistically anti-gay. He referred to gay people as "sexual perverts" and also helped to establish the first Cuban concentration camp in Guanahacabibes in 1960 - a camp for gay men. This brutal camp was the first of many that the Communists established in Cuba - with forced hard labor, and the first which focused on gay men. From the Nazis, Guevara also adapted the motto from Auschwitz, “Work sets you free,” changing it in Guanahacabibes to “Work will make you men.” 

Inform yourself - then hunt anyone and everyone who has ever worn a Che Guevara T-shirt or had a Che Guevara poster in their college room and out them and cancel them! 

You want the image of a real Cuban hero for your T-Shirt? How about Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet?

Anderson's top 6 - OK six and a half - picks for the upcoming NFL draft

 Anderson's top 6 - OK six and a half - picks for the upcoming NFL draft:

1. Trevor Lawrence 

2. Zach Wilson 

3. Mac Jones (possible Trey Lance)

4. Kyle Pitts

5. Penei Sewell

6. Ja'Marr Chase

Things that are not OK - and I'm going to start calling them out

One of the most common ingredients of the artworld, and sometimes a formidable tool for emerging artists to build a resume (if you want to know what it is sooooooo important that you develop a valid and sustainable artistical resume, then you need to take my next "Bootcamp for Artists" seminar) is to respond to call for artists, art competitions, etc.

There's always a set of deadlines.

A deadline for entries to be in - the most important deadline for the artist.

A deadline for the hosting entity to respond with notifications of acceptance or rejection.

A deadline for delivery of accepted artworks

A deadline for pick up of exhibited/unsold artwork at the end of competition (if local delivered)

Three of the four key deadlines fall on the artists - and generally speaking, if you miss any of the first two (entry deadline and delivery deadline), then you are OUT!

If you miss the last deadline, there's often a daily "storage charge" until the artwork is picked-up.

One thing that I have been noticing more and more lately, is that hosting venues are often - anecdotal data seems to indicate most of the time - Missing THEIR deadline to notify artists and respond with notifications of acceptance or rejection.

This is not only unprofessional, but puts an extra burden on the shoulders of the artists, who may only have a tight window for decision-making related to the submitted artwork.

What is up with that? Why are we allowing the hosting venues to simply (often without a reason) go silent as deadlines pass and then ad hoc notify artists?

I have been on the jurying end of this process dozens if not hundreds of times, and thus as the poet Marti wrote: "I know the monster well, for I have lived in its entrails."

Sarah's Handmade Ice Cream

 Look what our local ice cream joint has...

At Sarah's Hand Made Icre Cream!

New Corcoran Director

Here's the announcement:

Corcoran community,

I’m very pleased to announce that the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University has named Lauren Onkey as its next director. Lauren most recently served as the Senior Director at NPR Music, where she led a team of journalists, critics, video, and podcast makers and provided the editorial vision in creating innovative cross-platform music journalism. She will begin her director role at Corcoran on July 12. 

The goal of the Corcoran’s search committee was to find a strategic leader with the vision and experience to guide Corcoran into the future. Lauren’s lifelong commitment to the arts as an educator, music scholar, museum professional, presenter and producer makes her the right leader for our school. 

Throughout her career, Lauren has dedicated herself to the arts, cultural studies, education and civic engagement, and she believes that innovation and diversity are the key to growing our vibrant, creative community of cultural leaders. With over two decades of experience ranging from directing NPR Music's team to developing and managing a museum's award-winning education and community programs as the Vice President of Education and Public Programming at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Lauren is poised to lead Corcoran’s future growth. She will help increase our school’s impact and visibility and foster student success.

During her tenure at NPR, Lauren worked with NPR's newsroom and robust member station network to expand the impact of NPR Music and continue positioning public radio as an essential force in music. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum from 2008-2015, Lauren led divisions such as Education, Library and Archives, Community Programs, and Visitor Services to provide programs, classes, and visitor experiences that engaged a broad audience in the history and significance of rock and roll music. 

At the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, which provides civically-engaged humanities education to a large and diverse population of community college students, Lauren led the creation of curriculum and programming and developed strong community partnerships that provided students with opportunities for experiential learning. Lauren also spent fourteen years teaching at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, specializing in popular music studies and postcolonial literature. Over the course of her career, she has published many articles in literary studies, popular music studies, women's studies and pedagogy.

I know Lauren is excited to meet our DC community members at the Corcoran. We will share additional details in the weeks to come about her arrival. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Lauren and her husband to our community!

Thank you,

Kym Rice

Interim Director

Corcoran School of the Arts & Design

The George Washington University