I was lucky enough to be asked to be a part of a group show called ‘The Renaissance Showcase‘ a few months ago, and this post comes about ten days since the show went up. It felt amazing, after nine months of inactivity on my part, not only to be working again, but also to feel sought after. I have consistently shown two to three times a year since graduation. This has happened with no pursuit on my own part, but rather, because others have found me and asked me to participate. Obviously I am fortunate, and feel thankful, but it is now obvious that I need to be pursuing my creative work seriously if I am ever to aspire to better venues and shows, and not to rely on the kindness and good graces of others.

Nine months out of the studio is a long time, but 2010 was a difficult year, filled with unpleasant surprises. Probably the greatest was breaking my right forearm. The initial healing process was to be expected, but it seems every now and again the injury finds new ways to hinder me. I believe it also became something of an excuse for me to not work or think in a creative way.

I feel I was very close to losing sight entirely of my art and its importance to my person.

I am hoping this blog can become more of a constant companion for me, those who care abut the work, and the muses I am lucky enough to cross paths with.

My art career has to be my own. I cannot go through life as a weekend warrior painter.

Where have I been? Alive, and working again, that’s all that matters.

Thanks to everyone for coming, the evening was a resounding success!

Credits for all images to Jennifer Fredholm.

In one week, on February 4th, I’ll be exhibiting some entirely new paintings (as well as some old ones) at the Night Owl Bar, a new bar in Williamsburg. I’m really impressed with the space of the bar and the help I’m receiving to make it possible. A certain Kevin Kelly (http://is.gd/7gZOK), former fellow classmate and colleague, decided my work was strong enough he wanted to spotlight that. As a result, I’m happy to announce:

What: “Paintings for Giants”

Who: Me, at the Night Owl

Where: 170 North 4th Street, Brooklyn NY

When: Thursday, February 4th. 7pm until LATE

I want to see everyone there. Come on by, have a drink, and wax poetic to me about what you see. If we’re lucky, we might get some Giants too

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Stay tuned for the summer…

When are we allowed to turn away from the screens?

At which point do we forget to analyze a real thing, something with depth, with clarity, without HIGH DEFINITION, without 1080P RESOLUTION, without a Low-Glare-Back-Lit-Glazed Display? Can we still interpret on our own? How much of us is slush? How often are we allowed to crane our heads skyward again, to tilt our throats upward to the clouds and the sun, to breathe in an atmosphere and suck up and experience, drink it down, not be afraid to let it dribble down our chin with enjoyment?

I have forgotten, beneath an orange haze that knows no dawn, how to find the inky depths beyond the Milky Way. I have forgotten to not be afraid of the utter silence of nature. I only have ears for the holler of traffic, the yammer of the air conditioner. The bellowing belch of grainy-asphalt-black-rubber-dust is what fills my mouth and nose now. I am rendered blind, deaf and brainless.

Perception is an assumption made possible by self-imposed lenses, personally specific filters. How turned on are you by what you see?

To quote the great Mister Waits…

“What’s he building in there?”

Hope to see you all in February. Fingers crossed.

Yes, the news is true.

Myself and two other talented artists, the lovely Mary Benyo and Elise Gaffey, will be having a group show this next Thursday, october 1st.

The space is called Cameo, I’ve been there several times before, and tend to enjoy the musical performances here. In order to get to the space, you’ve got to crawl through to the back of the Lovin’ Cup cafe–just act like a VIP who’s done it all before. You’ll be rewarded by arriving in one of the newest, hippest art spaces this side of the East River! Also, part of the good news is aural, because following the opening, you’ll all be able to enjoy the music of The Albertans (who I’ve seen before) and Mon Khmer (new to me, I’ll admit).

Come one and all, and enjoy an evening of art, music, and celebration! Be sure to get here before the lights turn down though, and remember, it’s kind of a one-night deal!

Press release:

CAMEO ART GALLERY presents “Humanity, I Love You”, a group show assembled by emerging Brooklyn-based artists Mary Benyo, Elise Gaffey, and Jack Walsh. Inspired by an e.e. cummings poem of the same name, this exhibit provides a simple and elegant chance for the artists to investigate their own preoccupancies with, and observations of, human nature in a multidisciplinary space. Human identity is a familiar problem for artists to confront, the exploration of personal burdens we all live with on a daily basis.  Being human means living in a state of constant contradiction and disparity of behavior. Control is out of our reach, whether it is the surrounding world, or our own subconscious. This breadth of work is presented as a continuation of that conversation: a dialogue of ideas.

Mary Benyo uses oil paint to weave visceral memory-scapes evoking atmospheres both imagined and concrete. Impressions of colors and patterns blend to create scenes that slip in and out of focus. The visual experiences that live in puddles or the subconscious’ ability to remember a moment provide endless inspiration.
Mary Benyo graduated from Pratt Institute in 2007 with BFA in Arts Education.

Elise Gaffey is a visual storyteller finding inspiration in subtly outrageous and playful works of collage, employing paint, vintage paper and ephemera.  Her work investigates the nuances of feminity, gender and sexuality as she systematically neuters taboos with aggressive glee.  Small works in watercolor and graphite create a matrix of illusion and disillusion through expressionist motifs.
Elise Gaffey is a self-taught artist currently studying at the Art Students League of NY.

Jack Walsh’s vast conceptual landscapes are empty industrial wastelands, obsessed with the culture responsible for creating them. Identity is represented with holes where faces should be, enforcing the quiet tension found in the work. In a world where globalization has become responsible for human hot-spots, he finds contemplation in the ignorable spaces of in-between.
Jack Walsh graduated from Pratt Institute in 2007 with a BFA in Painting.

OPENING RECEPTION: October 1st, 7-9pm. Gallery Hours: By appointment thereafter. 718-302-1180

I’m in the midst of a few new things currently, working like a madman to get some new things done before October. There are several new pieces to see in certain sections, not least notably the skateboards in “Painting.” I am also quite pleased with how a portrait of a good friend came out. More on what October will mean for everyone, later. Meantime, here is a taste of what’s new is everything old under the sun again…

What is the purpose of this blurry sketch? Who is he? Who, in fact, cares?

You may remember this piece…

And while not an update, here is an example of progress of how “Paolo Soleri” took shape. Bonus points if you know who that wonderful man is.

I have a truly oddball deck up at Avenue A Sushi again, stop on by this Thursday night, from 7-11pm, for “Night Of The Living Decks”, a show put on with the help from my good friends Miss Gunns, Mike A, and an acquaintance from the old spinner rack, Fangoria Magazine. I’ll probably be there from 7:30pm onward.

Come on by!

Some press: http://fangoria.com/home/news/10-events/2916-night-of-the-living-decks-updates.html