Best Frida Kahlo deal at Artomatic

Best Frida Kahlo (2D) in a floor with lots of Frida Kahlos will be a really tough category when I explore all floors and give the final award in a few days

On just the 5th floor there are a LOT of art pieces about the Fridanator, including a really good one from a Lebanese artist.  

But what really stood out to me was this work by fellow Cuban-American artist Ric Garcia. 

And at $75 Samolians, this is clearly one of the best - if not the best! - deal at Artomatic! Buy them now!

Young & Frida V by Ric Garcia in room  5033

Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography

I'm going to admit from the very start that I am a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino's films, and as such in reviewing this new graphic book/bio I bring to the review a somewhat deep insight into this master's contribution to world cinema.

Quentin Tarantino: A Graphic Biography is without a doubt a really good primer for those who are novices to the Tarantinean Empire as well as those, who like me, cannot resist watching Pulp Fiction for the 20th time when we come across it the tube while channel surfing.

The graphic bio spends time discussing QT's youth, including the part played in his upbringing by his supermom Connie, who as a single mother raised Tarantino while busting her ass initially as a nurse in California.

Tarantino's "training" as nearly everyone who is a QT fan knows, came from his experience working in a video rental store (remember those?)... if my memory serves me right, one of his best buds from those days was the really super-good artist Steve Martinez, whose work often appears in Tarantino's movies and whose work was exhibited in DC in the 1990s at either the Fraser Gallery or eklektikos - my memory fails me.  The painting of Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction is in fact by Steve.

I remember him and I once discussing the huge size of Thurman's hands, which in the painting look out of proportion, until you fixate on them in any of her movies and notice that the lady has some fucking giant paws!

Back to the book... the press release summarizes it by noting that:

From the set of 1993’s Pulp Fiction, to a bar room meeting with Robert Rodriguez and an inspirational lunch with Leonardo di Caprio, this unique graphic novel takes us across a series of Hollywood-inspired vignettes covering the movie-obsessed life and career of one of modern cinema’s greatest filmmakers – Quentin Tarantino.

It is those meetings that essentially tell most of the story, and it really delivers in a fresh, novel way, as it places the reader next to Uma when she discusses ideas with the man!

Here's one of the panels (note the size of Ms. Thurman's hands... cough, cough...).

The graphic novel is essentially designed in such a way as to be devoured in one reading, and then be lovingly stashed away in your bookshelf as a prize and artsy copy of one of Hollywood's most talented directors.

And do not be surprised if, like it happened to me, you pull it back out, re-read it, re-examine the rather decent artwork and re-enjoy the whole adventure.

And then you discover, that just like the classical Tarantinean trick, you can pretty much open the book anywhere and start reading it from wherever your eyes land!

I really enjoyed it and most highly recommend it! You can buy it here.

Why do art critics hate Artomatic?

Artomatic, as I once noted on the Kojo Nmandi show, is the visual arts extravaganza that everyone loves, but art critics hate.

Why do they hate AOM? In 2009 I explained it thus, referencing the 2009 AOM version:

Criticism, Journalism ethics and AOM

I've been reviewing art shows since the beginning of the 80s decade during the last century, when I started doing so as an art student at the University of Washington School of Art.

Since then I have moved at least 25 times, lived twice in California, twice in Rhode Island, twice in Europe and twice in the Greater Washington, DC area, to highlight a few of those moves. And throughout all those years I have been involved in the arts, usually as an artist, quite often as a dealer, but always as a writer.

And as part of those experiences I have met dozens and dozens of art critics and writers who write about art, and using those experiences I feel that I can form a pretty decent and sound opinion about what I will discuss next.

Most writers who write about contemporary art shows start by physically visiting the gallery, or museum, or space where the show is being held, in order to look at the artwork (I say most because I know of at least two well-known writers, one a critic for a major newspaper and one a well-known blogger, who wrote reviews as if they'd been to the shows, but it was later proven that they had never visited the space nor seen the show).

Is it the case that some reviews are being written after simply viewing an art show online? Probably, but let's say that generally speaking, most art writers and art critics (there's a difference by the way), start by visiting the space where the show is being held.

If they are lucky enough to write for a publication which pays them to review shows, they either get a flat, per review payment, or a per-word payment (usually also associated with a maximum number of words limit). Some also write the reviews for free, just to be published.

So a typical writer either (maybe even and/or):
(a) Get's a flat payment for a review - let's say $500 in our forthcoming example
(b) Get's a per word payment for a review - Let's say $1 per word with a limit of 600 words
(c) Does it for free

So let's say Billy Artsy writes for a publication which uses either (a) or (b) above, and usually Billy goes to a gallery to see a show that interests him, or is assigned to cover a new museum show. It's a little different in either case (museums usually have press previews with all kinds of packages and hand-outs and discussions and opportunities to meet the curators and/or artists and ask questions.

But in the case of galleries, Billy either drives to the gallery, or takes the subway or bikes to the gallery, arrives and enters the space. In the Greater DC area, your average gallery's group show probably has 30-35 works of art hanging by maybe 15-20 artists. Some juried competitions may have as many of 50 artists. The largest (non AOM) group show that I can recall in our region was "Seven," which I curated a few years ago for the WPA and which had 66 artists in the seven galleries of the Warehouse spaces on 7th Street. There were around 200 works of art in that show, as well as a couple of installations and several performances.

But your average gallery group show that Billy is used to seeing and reviewing, and getting paid for is about 30-35 pieces of art by a dozen or so artists. That is his average reference point for a group show.

Once he arrives at the gallery, the owner or attendant recognizes Billy, gets up and greets him (heaven forbid that Billy is not recognized and treated a little special by the dealer). Depending on several variables, Billy can either be aloof or very friendly to the dealer.

Some art writers see art dealers as the "enemy," while others are mature and understand that just like the writers, the dealer is a key part of the art world universe.

Billy then spends about 15 or 20 minutes looking at the artwork, reading any press materials that he may have been handed, and taking notes on his forming opinions on the show. He may ask a question or two, or simply ignore everyone and focus all his attention on the art at hand. If Billy is especially tuned to a show, he may spend longer there, but let's say that all the artists are new to Billy and after 15 minutes he leaves.

Let's do a little Math and let's keep the numbers simple for simplicity sake. We're accelerating Billy a bit (in my own experience as a gallerist, our DC area critics hang around closer to 30 minutes per visit), but he takes 15 minutes to look at 30 works of art; this equals 30 seconds per work of art.

Later Billy submits the review, and a couple of weeks later he gets a check for $500.

A few weeks later Billy's editor emails Billy and asks Billy to do a review on Artomatic, as the editor keeps hearing about this "Artomatic thing" and getting dozens of letters (cleverly being written to the editor by the Artomatic artists) asking why the editor's newspaper hasn't covered Artomatic.

Billy takes the subway to go see AOM, as he has never really driven around SE and the AOM website tells him that the event is located in a building right on top of a subway exit.

When Billy arrives he is greeted by two volunteers who hand him material on AOM, and neither of the volunteers recognize Billy, nor he them. He asks on which floor the show is, and the volunteers suggest that Billy start on the 9th floor and work his way down. Billy finds it hard to believe that there are nine floors of art.

Billy takes the elevator to the 9th floor and comes out to face yet another volunteer sitting on a desk by the elevators. The volunteer smiles at Billy, but does not recognize him.

Billy begins walking the 9th floor. Already, on this floor alone, is the biggest group show that Billy has ever been to; it hasn't hit Billy yet, but soon he'll realize that there are eight more floors to go.

Billy is a little overwhelmed from the very beginning, and because of the large number of artwork and artists, he comes across a lot of what he considers really bad art: lots of tasteless nudies, loads of unsophisticated beginner art, terrible portraiture including more boudoir portraits in one place that Billy has ever seen in his life.

Billy is seeing a lot of the type and level of artwork which Billy has never seen and most probably would never see in the galleries that Billy tends to favor.

Because of the way the artists' booth are, Billy started (pre-conditioned from his many gallery visits) by weaving a sine wave walking pattern around the gallery walls and working his way around the floor and looking at each artist's gallery individually.

An hour later Billy realizes that he's not even three quarters of the way through the 9th floor and he still has 8 more floors to go.

And so Billy begins to (as humans do) adapt to the sheer size of the art show in front of him, and begins to speed up a little. He no longer visits each artist's gallery wall, but walks at a fast clip between the walls and glancing from the middle left and right covering 8-10 artists at a glance and only pausing to look at the work a little closer if something catches his eye from afar.

He begins to miss details and also misses entire groups of artists. When he walks by the Barbies, he doesn't realize that there are multiple artists in that set of Barbie artwork. He also misses the nuances of David D'Orio's wonderfully minimalist glass sculptures of recycled materials. As he makes the turn into a new aisle, his speeded up sightseeing is directed to one side at that moment and he completely misses Rania Hassan's deceptively complex marriage of painting with 3D sculpture.

By the time Billy finishes the 9th floor, he's sure of four things:

(a) no way that he can cover nine floors of art in this one visit unless he speeds up considerably.
(b) most of the work in the show is dreck.
(c) his notes are all from the first hour on the floor
(d) None of these artists are really good enough to show in a gallery and that's why they are here.

He walks down to the 8th floor, where the AOM floor attendant smiles at him, but once again does not recognize Billy.

He is now in full speed mode; if the artist's work doesn't grab Billy from ten feet away, forget it. At this point all that Billy is seeing are robots, skulls and a lot of bad photos of nude women, plus an annoying huge number of bad portrait artists. he is also missing a lot of intelligent, good art, a lot of it.

And then Billy is recognized by an AOM artist, and to Billy's dismay the artist wants to make sure that Billy sees his work. Billy promises to swing by, but in a nice way tells the artist that he is busy and needs to move on.

There's a small crowd of people in front of Deb Jansen's amazing revenge installation on this floor, and Billy, attracted by the crowd, slows down to see what the fuss is all about. He is hypnotized by what Jansen has done and Billy makes some notes about this installation. It's the first time that he has stopped to actually look at work closely on the 8th floor. Had not there been a crowd in front of Jansen's installation, Billy would have missed it as well.

Fifteen minutes later Billy has finished his whirlwind walk through of the 8th floor. It still took him half an hour, and in that 30 minutes he has "reviewed" about 100 artists and about 2500 works of art. He has completely missed the work of nearly a dozen artists on this floor who are already in the collection of major museums and represented by galleries all over the US and Europe. Blue chip artists in a plebian art show.

He also misses several "new" artists who will soon move on to galleries, museums and other such high art places.

By this time Billy's mind is made up. Nothing in the remaining seven floors can save AOM from the wrath of Billy's review.

He debates if it is even worth it for him to look at the rest of the show, but Billy's ethical side wins out and he descends to the 7th floor, where he is greeted by yet another floor attendant who doesn't know Billy from her aunt Elvira.

Billy finishes the 7th floor in 15 minutes, a new floor record. He only stops to glance at the glass displays by the British Sunderland artists because the displays caught his eyes as very "gallery like." The professional-looking displays put Billy in his comfort zone.

But he has already been at AOM for over two hours and has only seen three floors.

He debates skipping the six other floors, and "just to be fair," decides to pick one more floor at random, to "see if anything is different."

He decides on the 5th floor. By now it's getting a little into the evening and Billy is surprised at to how many people are viewing the show. Billy has never seen more than a couple dozen people in an art show at any time in any gallery, and even on the rare openings that he goes to, not more that 30-40 people in at once.

At AOM Billy sees hundreds and hundreds of people pouring in, and the elevators are getting crowded and slow and a tired Billy has to wait for an elevator to take him down.

On the ride down Billy decides on the 3rd floor and gets out. He sort of glances around and tries to absorb the entire floor from the edge of the elevators' entry points.

Billy decides to pack it and go home to write his review of Artomatic. He has seen more artwork in the last three hours that he has all year round. Most of it quite forgettable to Billy, atrocious even. In the process he has also missed seeing more artwork than most critics see in a year. And his visually overloaded mind has not seen the truly outstanding work of dozens and dozens of new and established good artists.

But Billy will write a review about the entire show, including the 700 plus artists whose work Billy never saw. Had Billy known about the scope of this huge show, Billy would have studied the artists' list ahead of time and highlighted the well-known artists whom Billy has already reviewed in the past, when they showed in the galleries that Billy frequents. That way Billy covers his own review foot prints.

But Billy missed them, and he's about to carpet bomb the entire show, including artists who Billy actually likes and whose gallery shows he has reviewed in a positive light.

Billy goes home and he is tired. Because it is now rush hour the subways are crowded and by the time Billy gets home, he is exhausted, both physically and mentally overloaded.

A couple of glasses of wine from a wine box helps Billy to relax a little as he sits in front of his laptop and Googles the web to see what other critics have written about AOM. After all, Billy wants to ensure that he is aligned with his elder critics and with the faddish new ones from the art blogs.

Almost to a man (woman) they all write bad things about AOM's artwork. What Billy doesn't realize is that many of them saw AOM in the same manner that Billy did. Some of them have never even visited AOM, but they still trashed it.

Billy revs up his trendy Mac and begins to earn his $500, which is what he would have been paid if he just went and had reviewed a "regular" gallery show, with maybe one artist's solo or a dozen artists' group show.

Billy trashes AOM, lest he be ever asked to do that much work again.

When the review is published, Billy's editor is surprised by the large outpouring of hate letters and emails and comments about the review. They come mostly from AOM artists, disgusted with Billy's review of the show. But they are unaware that they're about to help with Billy's career at the paper.

Billy's editor is pleased to discover that Billy has so many readers; after all, a letter is a letter, and Billy's AOM review column has received more letters and comments than all of Billy's previous columns added together.

This becomes a good checkmark on Billy's record with his editor. Who knew that Billy's gallery review column had some many followers?

Billy is pleasantly surprised by the positive outcome of an otherwise exhausting event.

Sometimes it bothers Billy to recall that he never really saw all the work in the manner that it deserved, but he does a little Math and he feels better when he discovers that in order to review AOM in the way that he reviews all other art shows, he would have had to spend a dozen hours there just to give each artist about 3/4 of a minute. That's an impossible task, if you ask Billy, especially for a measly $500 bucks.

That makes Billy sleep better at night and feel like he's still an ethical writer.

New Documentary on Artists’ Artist Jacob Kainen

New Documentary on Artists’ Artist Jacob Kainen Slated for Spring Production, Fall Release!

Award-Winning Director Mark Covino tagged to helm film spotlighting one of America’s most influential, underlooked 20th century Modernists.

The Jacob Kainen Art Trust has enlisted the award-winning director Mark Covino (A Band Called Death, The Crest), and producer Jon Gann (Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color, Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection) to create a short documentary exploring the life and art of Jacob Kainen (1909-2001), one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. 

“Jacob Kainen: An Artists’ Artist” follows the life of Kainen, a prolific but often overlooked artist of 20th Century America. From his immigrant upbringing to his rebellious artistic journey in NYC, his leftist ideologies and eventual impact on the D.C. art scene, Kainen’s story is one of perseverance and passion. 

Despite facing challenges like McCarthyism and career limitations, he found solace in his art, especially with the support of his second wife, Ruth. His legacy as an artist’s artist and influential mentor endures, shaping generations of artists to come. Jacob was not only a beloved painter and printmaker, but also as a curator, mentor, teacher, and a major force in developing the post-war Washington, D.C. art scene. 

His work is featured in major museum collections, including the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

Narrated in Kainen’s own voice, unearthed from a treasure trove of recently discovered tapes, the film promises an intimate portrayal of the artist's tumultuous journey. His story will be further explored by curators Jonathan F. Walz (The Columbus Museum) and Seth Feman (Frist Art Museum), alongside perspectives from prominent art historians, artists, and Kainen’s own son, Dan Kainen, audiences will be immersed in the rich tapestry of Kainen’s life and artistry. 

While the initial funds have been secured, the project seeks additional support to license archival materials, ensuring the preservation of Kainen’s legacy for posterity. Every contribution paves the way for a deeper understanding of Kainen’s impact on the art world and his influence on future generations of artists. 

“Kainen’s role in shaping American modernism, particularly in Washington, D.C., is a narrative long overdue for exploration. This documentary serves as a vital conduit for a new generation of art enthusiasts and historians to rediscover his profound contributions,” remarks Jonathan F. Walz, curator at The Columbus Museum. 

More information on the project is online at www.jacobkainen.com/donate

My room at ARTOMATIC

 

Florencio Lennox Campello, Room 4086A at Artomatic 2024

Saturday walk-through the 5th floor at ARTOMATIC

Here's some of the rooms which caught my eye as I strolled through the 5th floor art Artomatic... The planet's largest open art show - over 1,000 artists - opens on March 8th from 5-9PM!

Rejected!

 Once again... thick skin ops!

Thank you for submitting artwork to Open Call for Washington Project For the Arts’ Collectors' Night 2024 Benefit Auction! We received over 250 submissions and appreciate your effort and interest in participating. We regret to inform you that we did not select your work for inclusion in the auction this year.

We hope you will stay connected by signing up for our e-newsletter or following us on Instagram if you haven't already. We post opportunities throughout the year including an Open Call for project ideas later in the fall. 

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions. Thanks again for submitting, and we wish you the very best!

Sincerely,

Emily Fussner

Events Manager & Resident Designer

WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS

2124 8th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

wpadc.org | @wpadc

Isla Herida

Just found this online -- it is footprints like this one that make you aware of what you leave behind as an artist.

See this...

New Documentary on Artist Jacob Kainen

The Jacob Kainen Art Trust has enlisted the award-winning director Mark Covino (A Band Called Death, The Crest), and producer Jon Gann (Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color, Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection) to create a short documentary exploring the life and art of Jacob Kainen (1909-2001), one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

“Jacob Kainen: An Artists’ Artist” follows the life of Kainen, a prolific but often overlooked artist of 20th Century America. From his immigrant upbringing to his rebellious artistic journey in NYC, his leftist ideologies and eventual impact on the D.C. art scene, Kainen’s story is one of perseverance and passion.

Despite facing challenges like McCarthyism and career limitations, he found solace in his art, especially with the support of his second wife, Ruth. His legacy as an artist’s artist and influential mentor endures, shaping generations of artists to come.

Jacob was not only a beloved painter and printmaker, but also as a curator, mentor, teacher, and a major force in developing the post-war Washington, D.C. art scene. His work is featured in major museum collections, including the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Narrated in Kainen’s own voice, unearthed from a treasure trove of recently discovered tapes, the film promises an intimate portrayal of the artist's tumultuous journey. His story will be further explored by curators Jonathan F. Walz (The Columbus Museum) and Seth Feman (Frist Art Museum), alongside perspectives from prominent art historians, artists, and Kainen’s own son, Dan Kainen, audiences will be immersed in the rich tapestry of Kainen’s life and artistry.

While the initial funds have been secured, the project seeks additional support to license archival materials, ensuring the preservation of Kainen’s legacy for posterity. Every contribution paves the way for a deeper understanding of Kainen’s impact on the art world and his influence on future generations of artists.

“Kainen’s role in shaping American modernism, particularly in Washington, D.C., is a narrative long overdue for exploration. This documentary serves as a vital conduit for a new generation of art enthusiasts and historians to rediscover his profound contributions,” remarks Jonathan F. Walz, curator at The Columbus Museum.

More information on the project is online at www.jacobkainen.com/donate

Pretty on Y'all

Just a little short walk from the Mimslyn Inn in Luray, Virginia, there's a "new" and spectacular little arts & crafts shop on Main Street in downtown Luray! 

Immensely knowledgeable retired college professor runs the joint and she's super friendly and a joy!

Also, in the back there's a crafts area where you can make gorgeous stuff! While we were there, about 100 little girls waltzed in and started making arts and crafts! It was precious!

We ended up making a bracelet for the granddaughter, and also got two precious handmade wool sweaters for $35 each!

Most highly recommended if you're in Luray!

Inside of 'Pretty on Y'all' in Luray, Virginia

 

Making a bracelet for Mila at 'Pretty on Y'all' in Luray, Virginia

Hank's Grill - actually "Grille"

 DO not be fooled by the Frenchie spelling of "Grill" - this place in McGaheysville, Virginia is the legendary "bomb."!!!

We're staying in Luray, about 26 miles away from McGaheysville, Virginia, but had heard so many great things about this place (via the great "Get Out of Town" TV show in WETA) that we made the scary drive at night through the winding one lane roads that connect Luray to the town where this jewel of a family-owned Southern BBQ restaurant is located. 

The place was packed with locals, and the young, pretty waitress was not only friendly, but also super knowledgeable about the food, and also very efficient!

Alida standing at Hank's Grille's parking lot

I had my mind on trying their burnt ends, but as advised in the menu, they're usually out and gone about an hour after dinner starts at 5 pm. The waitress passed that they're very popular and sell out every day. "Y'all gotta get here at 5 to get any," she advised.

Nachos Carnitas from Hank's Grille & Catering

I ordered Carnitas Nachos, a little part of me wondering when nachos became Southern food, but whoever added that to the menu hit a homerun and went yard, as (and I realize that my Mexican compadres will hate hearing this), but they've improved the dish! This is really nachos with Southern pulled pork and it was GREAT!

We also had some terrific sweet potato fries.

View of Hank's Grille & Catering Dining Room

The wife had a salad with grilled salmon and I had a combo plate of pulled pork and fried catfish with a side of green beans and ham. The portions were enormous and delicious!

The restaurant is also decorated with some pretty decent artworks... not sure if local art talent or what, but I am always impressed by good art on the walls where good food is served!

Bottom line: Worth the drive!

Zofie King at Fred Schneider Gallery

DMV artist Zofie King has a solo show "Metamorphic Reverie" at Fred Schnider Gallery in Arlington, VA!

The show opens with a reception on March 2, 5-8pm, and runs through April 21, 2024. There will be an artist talk on April 6, 5-7pm, and a closing reception on Saturday, April 20, 5-7pm. Hope I get to see you at one of these events!

Fred Schnider Gallery

888 N Quincy St., # 102 Arlington, VA

301-852-8942

gallery@fredschnidergallery.com    

Thursday - Saturday, 12-7 pm, Sundays 12-5 pm.

Artomatic - Registration day

Last Sunday I drove to the District to register for Artomatic 2024.  I found street parking about a block from the cool Brutalist building at 2100 M Street, NW - the huge site of this year's Artomatic.

DMV area artist Patricia de Poel Wilberg was working the front registration desk - one of the hundreds of artist volunteers who make Artomatic what it is: the planet's largest open art show!

After a very informative orientation session lead by James Tretick, assisted by Artomatic creator George Koch and DMV uberartist Tim Tate, whose career started at Art-O-Matic 2000.

As my good bud Tate is on the 5th floor, I headed up there and managed to snag wall A in room 5086.

This is my wall in room 5086-A at Artomatic 2024

These are also part of my wall in room 5086-A at Artomatic 2024

 

The Empire arrived

When the Empire finally arrived to the Earth,
she was the first one to post them to TikTok
18x9 inches, charcoal on paper
c. 2024 by Florencio Lennox Campello

 

Third Thursdays Openings

Studio Gallery is so excited to be partnering with their neighbors the IA&A at Hillyer, The Phillips Collection, ADA Gallery, Washington Studio School, and the Korean Cultural Center this February to offer Third Thursdays!

February 15th 5-8 pm

Meet & Greet with Artist Wayne Paige (Lower Level)

6-8 pm

Free to the public

*Studio Gallery's upper level will only be open from 5-6 pm.

This Third Thursday, Studio Gallery presents HEAL, a Fellows Group Exhibition on the upper level of our historic gallery. Curated by Atiya Dorsey, this show features artists Olivia Bruce, Amity Chan, Skyler Henry, and Omari Wilson. HEAL follows our Fellowship artists as they as they unpack individual identity-centered healing practices through the process of making, as well as collective opportunities to come together.

On our lower level, artists Chris Chernow and Wayne Paige present their duo exhibits Subtleties of Paint (exploring the use, power, and subtleties of paint) and Figments of the Untamed (black and white dreamscapes). Wayne Paige will be at the gallery from 6-8 pm to meet visitors and answer questions.

In the Garden Gallery, Iwan Bagus presents his photography show WHAT HUMAN RIGHT IS THE RIGHT TO FOOD? and Suzanne Goldberg presents her Grief, featuring paintings and collages. 

The Good One by Wayne Paige

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

Opportunity for Miniature artists: show at a New York City art fair!

Bottom Line Up Front: An opportunity for DMV area miniature artists to have their work curated into a world-class art fair in New York City this coming Fall.

Summary: I have been retained by Ramsay Fairs, a British-based art fair empire that runs art fairs in the United States, Asia and Europe to curate a wall of miniature art to be exhibited and sold at the Affordable Art Fair New York City this coming Fall.

Ramsay Fairs is one of the biggest art fair organisers globally, running 19 fairs a year with over ¼ million visitors. Through a portfolio of art fairs that includes Affordable Art Fair, VOLTA and British Art Fair, we inspire people to collect and enjoy art at every level. 

Preview Night of the 2023 Affordable Art Fair NYC

Definition of miniature art: I am educated by this Council for the Arts website that a: 

"commonly accepted American guideline among many of today's miniaturists is that subjects do not exceed one-sixth their natural size. Exceptions are permitted for abstractions or tiny subjects not lending themselves to the "one-sixth" application provided they Embrace the delicate essence and spirit of miniaturism."

Our own Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. (MPSGS), which has been around since 1931 adds:

This unique art form, based on a minute scale, traces its roots back to the book paintings and illuminated manuscripts set in the 7th century. A work of fine art in miniature is a particularly personal object that draws the viewer into an intimate, concentrated little world that is breathtaking in its execution. Every single detail is miniaturized -- the scale of the subject matter, the brush or pencil strokes -- so that only with high magnification can one behold the immaculate details of the artist's technique which may include stippling, hatching, or pointillism. These techniques are a specialized means of producing a perfect balance of color and detail in a series of thinly applied layers of exquisite color intended to reflect light. The miniatures show a high standard of design and the artist's mastery of the chosen media and palette.

For this exhibition, no 2D framed work shall be larger (including frame) that 8x10 5x7 inches and any 3D work cannot be longer than six (6) inches in any direction.

I plan to have two rounds of jurying:

1. Initially I will selecting semi-finalists from digital images - either emailed to me, or available online once a link is provided. Each artist can submit up to three works for consideration.

2. I will then review all round one selected artworks for in-person review of the actual work to ensure that the actual artwork meets professional presentation standards as demanded by the art fair guidelines.

3. This round two review will be done at a local art gallery or space (to be announced later) with ease of access and parking, etc. This means that the work will have to be brought in - not shipped for this round of final review.

At this point I will sign for and keep all selected works and pack them for transportation to the fair. Each work will be identified by:

• Artist's name
• Title of work
• Media
• Year
• Price

All work must be for sale.  50% of all sale proceeds will go the artist and the remaining 50% will go to a local New York City charity to be selected by the art fair staff at a later date.

Cost to enter the process: Free

Selected work will be driven to the fair by me, installed by me at the fair, and all sales will be run by the gallery at the fair.  Artists will be paid within a week after the fair and provided with the full contact details of the purchaser.

Unsold works will be returned at a selected date after the fair, and must be picked up in person; there will be no shipping back to artist options.

More later... I will design and upload an entry form which artists can use as a reference once the delivery/pick-up locations have been solidified; meanwhile if you have any questions, please send me an email to lennycampello@hotmail.com

REJECTED! Shot down!

I applied to become a mentor/consulting artist in my own county - and just got rejected!

Another example of why artists need to have thick skins! 

How do I feel? I wish whoever they picked 1000% congrats and a load of success!

Parts of me do wonder... cough... cough...

From: Flannery Winchester Flannery.Winchester@creativemoco.com

Fri 2/9/2024 2:06 PM

Dear Florencio,

On behalf of AHCMC, we would like to thank you very much for your submission to our Request for Qualifications for the Consulting Artist position. While our selection committee appreciated the opportunity to learn more about your artistic practice and were impressed with your credentials, your application was regrettably not selected for this position. 

We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with you on future public art projects in Montgomery County. 

Thank you for your time and efforts during this process. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know. 

Warmly,

Flannery

Flannery Winchester

Public Art Program Manager

 

1511361269793_image002.png

801 ellsworth drive, silver spring, md 20910-4438

 

Arts & Humanities Council | Blog |  Twitter | CultureSpotMC| Facebook | MontgomeryTraditions

You like cows?

Back in 1994, I was living near a farm in Virginia with lots of these...

This work just showed up today at a local, DC area auction house - bid for it here.

Lou Ann Collins' Art Reception at Watkins Nature Center

 

Sunday, February 11, from 1 - 3 pm, for Lou Ann Collins' Art Reception at Watkins Nature Center

Lou Ann Collins' plein air oil paintings capture the beauty of nature and its quickly changing light and shadows. Meet the artist and enjoy light refreshments. Watkins Nature Center is located at 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. Visiting hours are: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Sunday 10 am - 4 pm. To learn more about the artist, scan the QR code below.

Wanna go to an art opening this Friday?

 Waverly Street Gallery Presents

2024 Invitational Show

 

Featuring work by members and their guests

 

On display through March 2nd, 2024

Come to the opening reception!  Friday, February 9th, 6-8pm.

An exhibition of over 30 artists! Come see the vibrant work of a community of creators. Ceramics, Paintings, Fiber Arts, Sculpture, Glass, Drawings, Jewelry, Prints, Photography and More!

Waverly Street Gallery 4600 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814

(301)-951-9441

waverlygallerybethesda@gmail.com

Hours: Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays 1 – 6 pm, Fridays 3 - 8pm, and by appointment

 Gallery Artists: Barbara Bickley, Rachel Carren, Dennis Crayon, Geoff Desobry, Bruce Paul Gaber, Mariah Gugel, Wanjin Kim, Keith Kozloff, Barbara Mierau-Klein, Matthew Nance,  Jan Long, Grace Peterson, Michele Rubin, Marc Schneiderman, Pat Silbert, Kanika Sircar, Claire Wright