The Bethesda Art Walk returns on Friday, June 10th from 6-8pm.
Participating Galleries:
Gallery B
Studio B
Triangle Art Studios
Waverly Street Gallery
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Join me on ZOOM this morning
Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am
Join me at 10:30 this morning at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being me, and an artist, what has influenced me, etc.
About Art Clinic Online (ACO)
The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs.
The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students.
ZOOM Dial in: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84149389951?pwd=QkNqUU1ZMFJ5SXpSU1dFOVFTeXZZZz09
Friday, May 27, 2022
Mattawoman Creek Art Center Call for Artists
MCAC holds 8 - 10 exhibits each year including an exhibit of local high school artists, invitational exhibits (showing the work of individual artists), multi-media exhibits (open to members and non-members), and occasional specialty or themed exhibits.
Their first exhibit of each year is the Seven-up High School Exhibit open only to local high school student artists who are selected by their art teacher.
Their invitational exhibits are by application only and are open to all artists. Guidelines are as follows:
Artists of all media are invited to apply to show their artwork in an individual invitational exhibit. The Mattawoman Creek Art Center Gallery is spacious, light filled, and overlooks the Mattawoman Creek.
The Art Center's Artist Advisory Committe meets in August of each year to select applicants for the following two years.
Interested applicants should submit the following:
an artist statement and/or resume
15-20 .jpg images which are representative of their work, to be sent via e-mail, or a CD via regular mail. Be sure the images are in .jpg format, and include title, medium, and the size of each original piece of art work; and
a printable (.doc) or printed listing of the images.
A self-addressed stamped envelope if you are sending your application/CD by mail and wish to have it returned to you.
For applicants who are accepted for exhibition, there is a $300 gallery fee due at contract signing to cover the cost of postcards, postage and the opening reception.
Please download an Application and a copy of MCAC's Framing Standards.
Join me online tomorrow!
Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am
Join me at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being me, and an artist, what has influenced me, etc.
About Art Clinic Online (ACO)
The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs.
The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students.
ZOOM Dial in: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84149389951?pwd=QkNqUU1ZMFJ5SXpSU1dFOVFTeXZZZz09
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Bethesda Painting Awards Finalists
The 8 finalists have been selected for the Bethesda Painting Awards exhibit being held from June 9 - July 3, 2022 at Gallery B. I will review their artwork and pick the one who would win if I was the sole juror! Looks like Maryland rules this year and DC got skunked as Baltimore takes over!
Finalists:
Emma Childs, Baltimore, MD
Jim Condron, Lutherville-Timonium, MD
Andrew Hladky, Kensington, MD
Jeremy Jirsa, Dundalk, MD
Magnolia Laurie, Baltimore, MD
McKinley Wallace III, Baltimore, MD
James Williams II, Baltimore, MD
Ju Yun, Chantilly, VA
Gallery hours:
Thursday - Sunday, 12-5pm
Opening Reception:
Friday, June 10, 6-8pm
My money is on Andrew Hladky, whose almost three-dimensional works are essentially immensely intelligent wall sculptures, although I suspect that they'd be a nightmare to keep clean! :-) They are different from what jurors usually see, so bet on his work.
My other choice would be James Williams II, whose work has presence and social commentary - would not be surprised if he took the prize!
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Emergency Grants are available!
The purpose of the Maryland State Arts Council Click here for further details and the full program guidelines.Emergency Grant program is to support the needs of independent artists as they adjust to income losses as the result of an emergency situation (including, but not limited to, the ongoing impact of the pandemic).
This Emergency Grant program is accepted on a rolling basis with a monthly review process. Grants are available for up to $2,000. Click here for further details and the full program guidelines.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Monday, May 23, 2022
A few thoughts on a few things which should be of interest to all artists
Airportism: As you travel across this great nation, airports strive for unique individualities – but the one common denominator is how boring and predictable the public art which decorates airports has become over the decades. There are exceptions – such as the rare airport which also boasts of built-in art galleries, which rotate shows as any gallery would – of course avoiding any of the taboos mentioned above.
Art History: The number one spot in my top ten most influential books (on me) of all times has been occupied since 1977 by The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Thursday, May 19, 2022
The great Dulce Pinzon
Today I got to finally meet the great Dulce Pinzon! Art world royalty!
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| Dulce Pinzon and Lenny Campello circa 2022 at VOLTA Art fair in NYC |
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Volta Art Fair opened today
Pretty decent opening of the Volta Art Fair New York City at the Hauser & Wirth building in Chelsea. I sold a ton of the Bisque pieces as well as my largest drawing, a 36x36 mixed media painting from my "obsessive" series.
This piece is heading to North Friesland, Germany, which means that I have to pack it back in the van and drive it home and then crate it and ship it.
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| Suddenly, She Wasn’t Afraid Any Longer Original mixed media painting on 300 weight paper by Florencio Lennox Campello |
Monday, May 16, 2022
Art Clinic Online: Bootcamp for Artists!
Art Clinic Online - Saturday, May 28 from 10:30 -11:30am
Join me at the Art Clinic Online for a discussion and Q&A about nearly everything you wanted to know about being an artist, grants, resume-building, approaching galleries, etc.
About Art Clinic Online (ACO)
The Art Clinic Online community aims to create a friendly artsy environment and bring together artists who may have taken classes with us before or who are contemplating it and want to learn from one another in an online community-based setting. As such, they are not didactic sessions but a forum for the equal exchange of art ideas and art information as well as an opportunity to share art challenges and breakthroughs.
The Stone Tower resident artists created the ACO after hearing the need for such a forum expressed by many of their students. If you are interested in joining, click the button below and email Mariana to join! Yes, it's still FREE.
Location: Glen Echo.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Rejected!
They do not want me to do this portrait... cough... cough...
Dear Florencio,
Thank you for your application to create the official portrait of former Rhode Island Governor (and current U.S. Secretary of Commerce) Gina M. Raimondo. I’m sorry it has taken so long to reach a conclusion to this process, but we are happy to say that Secretary Raimondo has made her decision.
As you know, there was a significant amount of interest in this commission. Many, many excellent candidates submitted work, and any number of artists would have been an excellent choice for this important commission. While we appreciate your interest, I regret to say that you were not chosen for further consideration.
We are not prepared to announce the chosen artist until all arrangements for the commission have been concluded, but we will be happy to share the announcement with you once it has been circulated.
We wish you all the best and thank you for your interest in this project.
Molly Dickinson
RISCA public art director
on behalf of the Gubernatorial Portrait Selection Committee
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Exhibit Opportunity: Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House
Exhibit Opportunity: Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House
The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House is seeking exhibition proposals for 2023.
The Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House is a non-profit gallery located in Columbia, Maryland. Operated by the Wilde Lake Community Association, the gallery features two spaces within the Slayton House lobby and Conference Room that hosts multiple juried art exhibits per year.
Details here -- Send completed application forms to Lisa Kim at events@wildelake.org.
Friday, May 13, 2022
Bethesda Fine Arts Festival this weekend!
Get excited for art, entertainment, food & more at the annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, May 14 (10am - 6pm) & Sunday, May 15 (10am - 5pm)! Stroll Norfolk & Auburn Avenues to see 100+ artist booths, listen to great music & enjoy food, wine & beer for the perfect weekend in downtown Bethesda.
All free and also plenty of free parking!
You can see the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival 2022 artists here.
You know what's coming next - my awards for top artists in the show. As a brilliant juror, I can use my experienced eye from the thumbnails and website visits to award the Campello awards.
For the painters I liked Zhiyi Li (from Enfield, CT) in Booth #66, and Thomas Williams (from Chicago, IL) in Booth #78.
All three printmakers in the show are exceptional -- I've written a lot about Joseph Craig English from Washington Grove, MD (Booth #84) - in this show John Pernell and Michael Nemnich are also quite good.
For Mixed Media, my top pick was Sandra Sedmak Engel, whose sensual work is a pleasure both to the eye and the eros that outdoor shows usually try to eliminate.
There are a lot of talented photographers in the show. See them all here. James Richmond from Titusville, Florida (Booth #76) went to Cuba and has the mandatory photos of old 1950s cars in Havana, as I understand that the Cuban dictatorship will not allow tourists (and photographers especially) to depart from the jailed island unless evidence is presented at the airport that photographs of the vintage cars have been taken.
Pet peeve aside, Richmond has an exceptional eye for capturing the grace that is human kind, all the way from Portuguese card players in Old Europe to gorgeous indigenous women in Panama, to Cuban farmers in the brutalized Castro Brothers' Workers Paradise.
It is a wonderful photograph, capturing the essence of the Cuban guajiro, his ancient Basque bloodlines still quite cleaning running through his veins as evidenced by the telltale ear lobe, a wide smile for the American tourist on his thin lips, and a hand-rolled Habano in his mouth, the envy of every smoker millionaire around the planet.
"Cuban Farmer" by James Richmond
In the category of sculpture, Tanya Tyree caught my attention as her sculptures struggle between talented efficiency and a bit of whimsy. What is clear is a straight and unique vision being delivered by the (I suspect) very strong and skilled hands of this artist.
And the Campello pick for Best in Show?
It goes to painter Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #51.
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| Parachutes by Cassie Taggart |
While anyone can immediately see that Taggart's work explore surrealism, what she has brilliantly done is to deliver a new 21st century version of surrealism, where her skilled painting talents marry it with fantasy, and the fantastical (which is different) as well as a healthy dose of narrative storytelling.
It is "otherworldly" artwork deeply anchored in data which lives hidden in our ancestral brain. This is work which once you buy it and hang it in your house, will dominate everything else which you have hung on those walls.
Go outside and see some artwork this weekend, talks to artists and artisans, eat some bad-for-you food and listen to some outdoor music.
Opportunity for Artists: HoCo Juried Silent Auction 2022
Deadline: June 20, 2022
The Howard County Arts Council will hold its annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala on November 5. The Celebration is an exciting showcase for local artistic talent, and is one of HCAC's major funding sources for arts programs. They are seeking artists for the Juried Silent Art Auction, which takes place in the Rouse Company Foundation Gallery at Howard Community College and is an essential part of the Celebration.
Eligibility:
2D, 3D, and fine craft artists who work, live, or study in Howard County are eligible to submit, as are HCAC members or artists who have exhibited at the Howard County Center for the Arts within the past year. Artists must be 18 years or older. Artwork exhibited in previous auctions is ineligible.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Meet Sagitarius A*
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| This is the first image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Credit: EHT Collaboration "It’s the first direct visual evidence of the presence of this black hole. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array that linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope. The telescope is named after the event horizon, the boundary of the black hole beyond which no light can escape." - Read about it here. |
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