Officially an Artist

portfolio thoughts

2011-12-07T00:51:00.001-05:00

I've been working for MONTHS on this artist statement and progress is being made! As soon as I get all this gradschool stuff out of the way I will make a post about the awesomeness of Art Basel. In the mean time, here are some images I am considering for my portfolio because it is great to get feedback (hint hint hint). There are currently 22 images and schools ask for 15 or 20, so I need to take out 2, and then have 5 others that I can take out for the schools that want fewer.

2011-12-02T23:52:00.001-05:00

On January 6 2010 my post read: "I've pretty much finished my artist statement! It still needs a touch of polishing, but I'm excited about it. Writing it was a painful process, but I've learned a whole lot! Thank goodness for applications to really make me sit down and think and articulate and reflect." Oh how I wish I was there now. This is my second time applying to grad school, and writing an artist statement hasn't gotten any easier. It's going to happen though, and it's going to be great.

2011-11-08T13:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's work. I started the background. Also the snakes are getting scaly.

deCordova Collaboration

2011-11-07T14:30:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I participated in a performance workshop at the deCordova Museum. The performance team robinschilds enlisted a group of young artists to create performance pieces that would activated particular locations within the museum. We were charged with each writing a directive, or list of instructions suggesting new ways to move through and interact with the space of our choosing. Mine was made to parallel Orpheus's journey to the underworld, and explored an individual's relationship to the things they lose. The audio files for these directives are available at the museum's website and can be downloaded for the duration of the Temporary Spaces exhibit. Guests are encouraged to listen to and/ or perform them in the museum. Here is a link: http://www.decordova.org/robbinschilds-smfa. The one I wrote is Directive #2. I'll post pictures of the event as soon as I get them.

Also, there is an article about the 48 hour show from a few weeks ago... written in Slovak! http://www.ekumst.sk/sk/moj-kumst/newyorsky-umelecky-maraton-drzi-krok

Friends!

2011-11-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

Dear friends, Annie Blazejack and I will be painting a scroll next weekend, while we are art making we need people to come in and read The Odyssey to us. If you are in NYC and free on Friday the 11th from 1-8 or Saturday the 12th from 1-6 and would like to read to us, let me know when and for how long you are free. Also friends who aren't in town but have access to skype, gmail , or ichat video chats, let me know.

Labyrinths and Portals

2011-11-05T17:38:00.001-04:00

In the time honored traditions of building labyrinths as portals, Annie and I made a labyrinth from a thumbprint on the beach, It is our longest labyrinth yet, which makes it awesome to walk, you really get time to think and contemplate.

2011-11-05T17:35:00.000-04:00

Here are some drawings

The first is of the rain, and what I am thinking of for the background of the drawing below it.

Here is my reworking of Medusa and Athena combined. It's still got a ways to go, but it's getting better. The eyes are really hard to get right because it is so big that when I am close enough to work on it, I am too close to see weather they are the same size and shape and angle and such, which is an interesting challenge.

Awesome performance alert.

2011-11-04T23:17:00.001-04:00

http://www.decordova.org/calendar/interactive-performance-robbinschilds-and-students-smfa

It should read robbinschilds, SMFA students and Geddes. I'm really excited about this performance, if you are in Boston, and can come saturday, please do!

2011-10-27T16:08:00.001-04:00

More publicity for the 48 hour show

http://hyperallergic.com/38980/in-the-middle-of-an-art-marathon/

2011-10-26T14:41:00.001-04:00

Here are the other two drawings I made during the 24 hour art making marathon.

The first is called Persephone's dream.

This is only a closeup snapshot of the birth of Venus drawing, I don't have any full pictures of it yet, I'm letting a friend store it for me, so I have to swing by her place to take a picture of it soon.

2011-10-26T00:30:00.001-04:00

http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2011/10/24/artists-take-over-williamsburg-gallery-for-48-hour-art-making-marathon

Some publicity on the 48 hour show.

2011-10-25T20:22:00.002-04:00

Here are 3 of the 5 drawings I made during the 24 hour art-making marathon this past weekend. They are all 38" x 50" and portraits of other artists participating in the performance.

Come to my opening this sunday!

2011-10-21T22:44:00.001-04:00

I'm getting ready to paint for 24 hours, starting midnight tonight Come see the results at our opening this Sunday (October 23) between noon and midnight at Camel Art Space (722 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn)! I'll try and post some images as we go, but I won't have internet there.

I'm really excited about this marathon because I'm pushing a whole bunch of boundaries. I have done two 24 hour marathons before, but this time I want to make 6-7 large drawings, portraits of the other artists participating, but mythology style. This will be exciting because I might learn a bit about my tendency to make self portraits. I also planned the drawings out ahead of time, which is exciting and unusual for me.

2011-10-19T00:03:00.002-04:00

You know you live in Greenpoint when... your newest artist crush is Polish.

Seriously though, I encounerd the work of Jacek Malczewski for the first time today. He incorporates mythology and humanity and deep emotional explorations with his figurative paintings AND he is an exquisite painter. He is definitely on my artist family tree.

For your viewing pleasure:

2011-10-16T20:03:00.002-04:00

I've started adding color to this drawing, it's helping me make the features more accurate and add to the emotion in the gaze, which is good. We'll see where this goes.

2011-10-13T19:17:00.000-04:00

So I went to the Frick and the Whitney Museums today, and saw some amazing art. I also spent some time thinking about why I ten to make self portraits in my artistic explorations. I think it has something to do with the personal nature of the work. With the mythological self portraits I am reliving and experiencing the myths and then adapting them to my life. I am searching out the fundamental emotions and conflicts of these stories and updating them. Because the imagery and ideas come from such a personal nature and because I am trying to capture a subtle mix of emotions, I use myself as a model. But they aren't really self portraits in the saw way that Cindy Sherman's photographs aren't self portraits, I am just using myself as a channel for this human experience, or role we play. I am a filter for the stories to pass through.

I also added a body to my medusa drawing. I'm still figuring out what else needs to happen to this drawing, but I think one thing might be a need for full color!

A day's work

2011-10-10T22:27:00.003-04:00

She's part Athena and part Medusa. They are two characters from mythology who really mean a lot in contrast with each other. Plus Medusa was normal until Athena snaked and gorgonified her. Not sure yet what else is going to go in this picture, but it'll be epic.

A show you should all come see

2011-10-10T14:28:00.002-04:00

Remember how much I love art marathons? Well there is a very epic one coming up. Thanks to Julie Torres's amazing organization skills, 15 artists (including the two of us) will be in a gallery paining for 24 hours. We will begin painting on midnight friday October 21 and will stop saturday October 22 at midnight. Then sunday from noon to midnight, there will be a show of all the work made. I seriously cannot wait to meet these other crazy artists and make all this art and just see what happens.

Here is the invite for the show, and if you are anywhere near NYC, please come!

these drawings I've been making

2011-10-10T14:20:00.001-04:00

I wanted to think a little about the evolution of these drawings I've been making over the past two weeks and where I am taking them, so I thought I'd put them all together here.

They have started getting a little less messy, and color is coming in selectively. I have been developing the stories behind them more in the recent ones. The words seem to have vanished from the images, which I am not sure how I feel about yet. Anyhow Perhaps my goal for today's drawing should be to go back a step and make messier less colorful ones just to make sure I'm making these changes on purpose.

2011-10-09T18:59:00.001-04:00

I reworked this drawing today, making the figure lighter, and with less distinct marks. I think the balance is better now, and I am going to wait a day or two before deciding if it is done.

2011-10-06T01:14:00.002-04:00

It was a long and hard fought battle, but after 14 hours, I think this drawing is where it needs to be. I might put some finishing touches on it later, but for now, I think it is time to go home and go to bed.

Artist Statements

2011-10-04T16:48:00.000-04:00

Because I really need to get to work on my artist statement I decided to use my giant drawing of the day as a brainstorm. I also looked a little into the specific questions the schools I am looking into are asking. Oh boy I'm already getting nervous and excited.

As you can see I've still got a ways to go, but I'm working on it. I've been circling in color things I think are especially important. So far, I've got:
Performances
Art Marathons
Remove filters
Tap into the Collective Subconscious
Transform experiences
Transform perceptions
Never Never Never Never Stop Making Art
Whimsy & Magic
Understanding
What it's like to be Here
What it would be like if Here were different
Epic things
Poetry
Mythology: Still relevant, but with new perspective... re-imaginings.
Love for all that is
Try new mediums
Meet passionate collaborators
Be in a creative community
Learn

Star honey

2011-10-04T00:02:00.002-04:00

I worked some more on this painting today. I'm still not sure about all the white space, it feels important, but too sudden. I might try mixing a different white or blurring the line between it and the sky.

2011-10-02T21:22:00.002-04:00

Persephone whispers her secrets through my bathroom sink. The ants carry them out.

I think I'm going to have to add some pomegranate seeds, and I'm thinking of writing the secrets by the ants, we'll see.

Starkeeper!

2011-09-30T18:10:00.003-04:00

I made two more star keeper paintings. Neither is done yet, but here they are in progress.

I haven't figured out exactly what to do with this one, I might paint him holding a beehive, or add some bigger stars or give him a net full of stars or something.

This one is going to be a giant nebula and jars of star honey.

2011-09-27T22:59:00.001-04:00

Here is today's 38" x 40" drawing. I think I'm going to have to make a painting tomorrow because I am starting to cough from all the charcoal everywhere.

The drawing is based on a play written by Annie, Maggie and I. Everything this caracter touches turns to art. Up to you to figure out the implications of that. Can she even eat? Of course this is a reference to King Midas, but with a whole new spin as the transformation of the objects she touches are purely in the way they are perceived. Is the chair she touched still art when no one is near it? So many un-answerable questions.

Ode to Broken Things

2011-09-26T22:37:00.001-04:00

I made a drawing today! I'm really into it. Also, it reminds me of Pablo Neruda's Ode to Broken Things poem. Which makes sense as I have a copy of it on the wall by my bed, and so read it often before I go to sleep. I'm not sure it's done yet, but I'm going to let it sit for a bit before I decide.

I also made a few changes to this drawing.

Both these drawings are 38" x 50"

2011-09-24T13:44:00.001-04:00

Updated drawing, I've still got a ways to go with it, but I've managed to fix many of the things that were bugging me most about it.

I've also been researching narratives more, and came across this sculpture by Bernini. It tells the story of the abduction of Persephone by Hades, and as you walk around the sculpture, you are meant ot see different parts of the event.

At first Hades has just caught Persephone and she is pushing off his forehead to escape.

Then at the front of the sculpture, it seems he has a firmer grip on her

And on this side, Cerberus is used as a symbol for them entering the underworld.

I'm amazed, truly amazed, everything in one sculpture with just two figures (and a dog). Pretty brilliant if you ask me.

Naratives

2011-09-21T13:58:00.001-04:00

I'm still playing with the idea of narratives in my painting. I've bene visiting museums often recently, and seeing all these older paintings (Bouguereau, Géricualt, Jacques-Louis David etc....) where the artists are focusing on a moment, or story, or character inspired me to keep exploring the narrative potential in my art. Here's a first go.

POSTapocalypseCARDS

2011-09-21T13:45:00.002-04:00

I bought some very touristy post cards while in France and added my own end-of-the-world twist before sending them to friends. Here are pictures of a few favorites.

Get ready grad schools/ things to paint

2011-08-19T23:50:00.003-04:00

I'm planning to apply to grad school this fall, and I've been researching schools and putting together a portfolio and thinking about my artist statement. This sumer I've been away from my studio so much, I'm excited to get back in september and paint my head off.

Since I graduated I've been keeping a list on my computer of ideas for art projects (currently over 50 projects long). Often when I'm working on a body of work a million other ideas flood my brain, so I put them on this list, and sometimes I get around to doing them, but usually they marinate in the back of my brain for a while to be picked up months or years later or transformed into other projects. Usually though they are forgotten until every once in a while when I read through the list for fun.

I thought I'd post a few for fun

-A woman lives in a whale skeleton. she builds the whale: inside the holy, you pick something you've always wanted to know, to accomplish. This whale is your cocoon. You practice here. You can emerge again when you are satisfied. I will ask others to do this too.

-Tornado Dream underwater greenhouse

-Joan of arcs!

-gun toating

-water floating

-Collapsed and defeted

- indifferent

-More parades

-Euridice under water or on the moon.

July painting marathon

2011-07-28T16:50:00.001-04:00

Julie and I painted another 12 hour painting marathon tuesday. We decided to make it the kind of painting marathon that would challenge us to push our art boundaries a little, so she committed to making one giant painting in the 12 hours, and I gave myself the task of trying to create a visual narrative with my paintings. We probably had way too much fun, and though we had our moments of doubt, we made some pretty kick ass art.

Here is a bigger version of Julie's painting, it transformed so much as she worked on it, and I love the finished product. We decided to call it bottel rocket:

Here is a bigger version of my story about a star-keeper. He collects stars in a large net and takes them to nebulas where they turn into star honey. When this honey drips through the night sky it fills up this constellation of a woman, and she falls into the ocean. There she decides to tie feathers to sharks. The end could use a few more panels. I think she might attach messages to the feathers or something like that.

the light

2011-07-20T22:24:00.000-04:00

The quaker version of prayer is called holding someone in the light, which has always struck me as a beautiful way to think of it. Today in an effort to hold someone in the light, I made this series of paintings exploring the concepts of prayer, support and love.

Contemporary role models

2011-07-09T13:59:00.002-04:00

I've been think a lot about what it means to be an artist lately. I have spent the majority of June/ July so far hanging art in shows and going to art events, to meet people, talk about art, and look at art. While this hasn't given me much studio time, I've only made about 7 or 8 paintings this time, it has given me much to think about in terms of what an artists is and what their role can be in the larger world.

Since then I've been on the search for contemporary artist role models. Interestingly a friend sent me this video of a TED talk featuring artist Shea Hembrey. Who in search of artist roll models seems to have invented his own. http://www.ted.com/talks/shea_hembrey_how_i_became_100_artists.html
So much of what he said about the creative process and many of the general trends in contemporary art are things that I have been struggling with myself. I especially appreciated his ability to create a project that not just allows, but encourages him to work in as many different styles as possible.

So he is my artist role model of the day. Also TED talks are probably going to change my life.

What could be better than Cowboys and Aliens?

2011-06-27T11:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't see the movie yet actually, but I have been set painting for an AWESOME cowboys and zombies play called Death Valley. If you live in NYC it is showing for the next couple weeks, and you should see it.

More info about the show and show dates can be found at http://antimattercollective.org/death-valley/
Here's a link to my set painting bio too http://antimattercollective.org/death-valley/production-team/

Photos of the show

2011-06-21T13:14:00.003-04:00

I'm posting some photos of our show, enjoy!

The artists. Annie and I inadvertently both wore polkadots to the opening. (you can't really tell she is wearing polkadots in this picture cause they were small.)

We had to hang our paintings on ropes so they overlapped each other because we had more square feet of art than wall space.

The first wall you'd see as you walk in.

Annie's feasts!

Floor to ceiling paintings. This wall is secretly all about that crab in the middle.

All the paintings we made on the first day hung in trees to illustrate the structure of the project.

Squeezing in every last painting, yes we hung all 728 paintings, no they were not all visible. We encouraged guests to crouch down and lift paintings to try and see all the layers.

Our carnival corner.

Hell beasts and super heroes (Tom Waits counts as both.)

Famous Paintings.

Annie explaining the project.

The start of our apocalypse room.

All the ways the world could end.

Zombies! (The door was closed during the show, so that you could see Zombie Annie peeking through the window.)

So much art, it took 5 12 hour days with lots of help to hang. Thanks to all who pitched in in the effort of making and showing these paintings, we really couldn't have done it without you.

2011-06-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

http://www.artcircuitsartcentric.blogspot.com/
A mention of our show!

There was also a little blurb in the weekend section of the Miami Herald. The opening went really well and we sold quite a few things which is always nice, I'll be posting some pictures when I get back to NYC.

Show Hanging Has Begun!

2011-06-15T01:20:00.001-04:00

Annie and I have begun to hang our epic art show. I'm so excited about it. We've got so much work to put up, but we're coming up with some pretty creative and dynamic ways to show it. If you are in Miami this Saturday, June 18, make sure to come to our opening at Flagler Arts Space (see previous post for details).

This is going to be AWESOME

2011-06-11T18:19:00.001-04:00

Annie and I are having the best show ever to showcase all 728 paintings we made during our 12 day art marathon. It is in Mimai in june 18th. Anyone who can come should. See below for details.

In art related news

2011-05-27T11:42:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week my friend Maggie and I did a new version of the 12 in 12. We wrote a song an hour for 6 hours. It was my first time writing any songs, and it was great fun. It's also given me a lot to think abou tin terms of 12 in 12's and how they work and what their function is.

Circles

2011-05-27T01:02:00.000-04:00

I've been working more on these circles that I love to paint so much, trying to develop them in all different directions to see what comes of if. Here is what I've got so far.

lion!

2011-05-16T02:10:00.000-04:00

The lion now has a brow and the beginnings of a neck!

Lion Head

2011-05-12T00:09:00.000-04:00

First of all, a big CONGRATS to my housemate, Shannon Rogers, who had his opening tonight for his grad school thesis show. The paintings were amazing, he has such a strong sense of color and space, and it was wonderful to finally see all his work in person (see below for an example).

Monday and today, I worked more on the head for my life-size lion piñata. It's starting too look more convincing, so I'm pretty excited about it.

2011-05-11T01:06:00.000-04:00

I made a bunch of small paintings today, here are a few of them

2011-05-07T18:18:00.000-04:00

I'm going to make a giant lion piñata. I've started working on the head, just to get a feel for the materials, and how long this is actually going to take (hint, it took me most of yesterday and part of today to get as far as I have (which isn't very far at all.)

Here is the cardboard under layer which I will eventually cover in paper mache.

And to give an idea of what it will look like, here is a slightly more lionized version.... heh heh heh

2011-05-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

Here are some physics and some phish... er... fish.

This took me a surprisingly long time to draw

And this took me an unsurprisingly long time to color in.

Animal Parade

2011-05-03T20:12:00.000-04:00

Animal Parade now with flags!

Also, I decided to put a bunch of my art up on the walls of my studio. It is illuminating sometimes to see all the different art I've made together, somehow they all make sense with each other, which is a very nice thing. Most of my art is currently in Miami, but I still had plenty laying around. All of these (and many many more) were made since I moved into my studio at the end of september. I've been rather prolific since I moved to Brooklyn.

2011-05-03T00:33:00.000-04:00

I painted a parade of baby animals tussling. They aren't finished yet, I'm hoping to add banners or flags or something to the background. I had originally been planning on painting the animals in more detail and color but, for now, I like them the way they are.

Highlights from the parade.

Also, Yesterday my friend Jullie Torres did an epic art project called open 24 hours in which she painted for 12 hours and then had a 12 hour opening giving all the paintings she made to the guests. Read more in this article http://hyperallergic.com/23729/julie-torres-24-hours/ In addition to the article, there is a super amazing video of the event compiled from images taken by a camera once a minute throughout the process.

Here are the paintings Julie had left on the wall as I headed home.

And here is the painting I took home with me.

2011-05-01T00:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went into Connecticut to pack up my 364 paintings and ship them to Miami for a show (it will be in June... more details closer to the date.). It was amazing to see them all again, and I was pleasantly surprised by how many of them are pretty awesome. It inspired me to paint some more circles today. I made 9 in total.

Below are the three that I like best. I think I'm going to turn these into a giant parade, but we'll see.

Another highlight of my visit to Connecticut was going to the Yale Center for British art with my mom. She introduced me to one of the art conservators there who had some good insights about gradschool (Yale's in particular). It was really great to meet him and see his art restoration studio as well as visiting the museum which has some amazing Turner paintings.

Everything Falling Into Place

2011-04-27T01:04:00.001-04:00

Monday I got a studio visit from a friend/ extraordinary web comic artist.

Above is an example of his work, go see more at http://dresdencodak.com/.

Aside from getting to have another creative person in my studio, which is always wonderful, he talked to me about things to think about and things to avoid when working on a visual narrative. It was much needed wisdom, and while I'm sure that I still know next to nothing about graphic nove/ comicl making, I feel confident enough that I spent the day planning out my first story. Yay!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

I dyed some eggs with Hero.

Planning

2011-04-22T16:52:00.000-04:00

I've got two big projects in the works.

First, I'm going to make a giant piñata, probably lion shaped, and somehow fill it with all my art themes. Then I'll have a giant party to break it.

I've been thinking more about word art as I doodle in my sketch book (see below) as well as the idea of narrative art. I am thinking of making some kind of unorthodox graphic novel like thing. I've got an idea cooking, but need some thoughts on important questions, namely what is art, what makes something a work of art, and what can art be used for. If you have any thoughts on the matter, I'd love to hear them.

A rainy rainy day = a good day for painting

2011-04-16T23:09:00.000-04:00

It poured rain all day today, and I was happily painting away in my studio. I think I finished my list of themes painting.

Part of what made it such a fun day in the studio was fellow artist Roxy's company.Check out more of her work at http://www.roxydrew.com/

A big painting and a little baby

2011-04-15T12:31:00.000-04:00

My nephew was born two days ago, so I've taken a little time off to marvel at him. Here is a picture of him and his big sis.

I've also been working on a painting of all my themes. It is 4x5.

It takes a surprisingly long LONG long time to paint all these letters!

2011-04-12T23:37:00.000-04:00

Today my niece came and painted with me in my studio.

Also the 2011 list of themes as promised:

Post-apocalypse

Parades

The moon

Stars

Silence

Omens

Wild animals

Lions and horses

Cupped hands

Saints

Silhouettes

Journeys

Zombies

Space travel

Transformed perception

A narrative thread

Rituals

Mythology

Candles (burning at both ends)

Boats

Decay= life-death-life cycle

Super heroes

Parallel universes

Black holes

Color

Sanctuary

Spiritual journeys

Ambiguity

Growth

Boundlessness

Indefinition

Event horizons

Graffiti

Playfulness

Beds

Feathers

Comfort

Epic battles

Bodies of water

Boats

Bath tubs

Exploration

Pushing boundaries

Frontiers

Compassion

Epic-ness

Arbitrary rules

Vulnerability

Innocence

Simplicity

Chaos

Sunny Monday

2011-04-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

Today was a gloriously beautiful day. Sunny and vivid. I spent a good potion of it sketching in the park, and reevaluating my artistic practice. About 2 years ago, I made a list of themes that I often explore in my art, and I decided to make a new list today, to see what has changed and what has stayed the same. I'll post both lists tomorrow for comparison.

Signs of the post-apocalypse

2011-04-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

I'm working on these signs some more. These paintings aren't done yet, but I'm excited to see what comes of all this.

2011-04-06T18:44:00.000-04:00

Here is the pile of art that I made during the 12 day performance.

And here is Annie's pile.

Also, I made a painting today. It is painted over a photograph my father took, which I transformed into a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Done!

2011-03-31T22:55:00.004-04:00

Wow, we just finished the MOST EPIC art project ever. My plan for celebration? I'm going to sleep in tomorrow, maybe even till nine.

We each made a 4' x 6' painting today! We thought it would be fun to paint about the same thing, so we each made a painting about St Thecla. Mostly an excuse to keep painting lions.

At 5pm today I decided I hated the painting I had started, and started over again, it was a mad race to the finish, but I got mine done, and here it is: The ferocious beasts fall asleep at Thecla's feet.

Annie paints Thecla baptising herself in a pool of sea lions. Also check out the EPIC lion battles. And if you can find the cute fighting bears (something you should definitely google image search) you get 10 points.

Day 11

2011-03-30T22:55:00.002-04:00

Only one day left! We are already starting to feel a little nostalgic. We're pretty excited to only make one painting tomorrow. What had originally felt rather daunting now seems pleasant and appealing.

We each made three paintings today.

My first painting of the day is a portrait of Iphigenia and takes into question the varying versions of the myth.

Then I painted a giant zombie portrait of my friend Maggie because it is her birthday today and zombies are fun to paint.

My final painting was inspired by the idea of the chimera I split her into her various animals and for some reason she is pulling around this lady in a half shell. The original inspiration for this painting was a parade to celebrate my sister-in-law's pregnancy. I think perhaps this isn't the ideal parade for the occasion though.

This is Annie's first painting of the day. She was proud to make a painting that scared even herself. Also I think it is a portrait of us.

She repainted yesterday's beet feast. Yum?

And her final painting is having some fun with paint. Also can you find the peacocks?

Day 10

2011-03-29T21:47:00.003-04:00

Wow, we've been painting for 10 days straight, 12 hours a day. Today we made six 25" x 35" paintings.

Annie painted feasts!

I painted one post apocalyptic graffiti

Two feasts (note it's the same cake Annie painted, that is because one time we actually ate this multilayered rainbow monstrosity.)

And three sad ladies, the first is a copy of a Diebenkorn, the second is meant to be a woman dipping her feet in an event horizon, and the third is Eurydice being pulled back into the underworld, or else struck by lightning, who is to say.

Day 9

2011-03-28T21:46:00.003-04:00

We made 10 paintings each today. I decided to focus on a journey to the underworld. Annie painted things she likes.

The entryway to Hades is a deep cavern.

Persephone and Hades (Tom Waits) rule the underworld.

Cerberus guards the river keeping the dead from leaving and the living from entering.

Along the path are formless souls, coal black stallions to draw Hades's chariot, vultures circling the air. Bring coins to pay your passage across the river.

Annie paints her dad, boyfriend as a fox, and a swimming pool.

Her two cats are reclining, and she loves them like crazy.

Annie experiments with circles and left over paint. The bottom left painting was made in her dream last night, and then made in reality this morning.

Day 8: Saving the world.

2011-03-27T23:00:00.002-04:00

Today Annie and I discovered that saving the world is harder than destroying it. We decided after our day of apocalypse mayhem that we should rebuild and offer hope for some utopic vision of the world. Turns out that's rather hard to do.

Also, keep sending us music and thanks to those who have.

These are the first visions of hope post-apocalypse. Check out the sardine feast, it spirals out infinitely. My dad will do pretty well post apocalypse, cause he likes sardines. (painted by Geddes)

We'll still have christmas after the apocalypse, decorating the trees with jewelry. Weird mutant creatures will grace the earth. (painted by Annie)

Plants grow everywhere. New life brings new hope. (by geddes)

Even airplanes become greenhouses (painted by Annie)

We need some superheroes post apocalypse. Annie and my dog Sammy and I are costumed heroes. Sammy's super power is, apparently, being ridiculously cute. (painted by Geddes)

Annie paints portraits of the two of us post apocalypse. Apparently it is windy and cold.

Annie paints some house boats.

And I provide some post apocalypse graffiti.

For our final paintings of the day (we might have lost a little steam towards the end), we decided that the new age should have some reproductions of Milton Avery paintings. I painted the upper one, and Annie the lower.

We are a little shocked that we will have to get up and paint again tomorrow. How did this happen? I'm sure we'll get a second wind soon.

Day 7: APOCALYPSE DAY

2011-03-26T22:20:00.003-04:00

First of all thanks to all who sent us music!!!! Please keep it coming. Second of all, Annie and I decided to paint about the apocalypse/ post-apocalypse today, so brace yourselves.

For our sixes, we painted all the different ways the apocalypse might happen.
Mine are: Alien Invasion, Some kind of pollution/ disease that requires the wearing of a gas mask. protective suit, a giant meteor hitting the earth, global flooding, atomic war and a black hole cause by a large hadron collider.

Annies are: Robots take over, Giant explosion, Over population, Too much trash (in the ocean), infestation of burmese pythons.

Then we painted the aftermath on the things around us. I painted piles of things we will no longer need: computers, cars, high heels, street signs, and money

Annie painted mutant fish with many eyes. Her brother is happy to have caught them because now he'll get to eat something that doesn't come from a can, even if it is mutated and fluoresces a little.

Then we painted the four horsemen of the apocalypse. In tribute to Delacroix I decided to give the world a fighting chance by loosing some lions on the horses.

Annie's are very unlikely apocalypse bringers.

For 3 I painted some event horizons, and Annie painted some feasts (of canned food).

For hour 2 we painted ourselves as zombies. The top two are her paintings. Mine are clearly more gruesome.

For my one I painted the only island left on earth with all my apocalyptic plannings written in side and Annie painted an event horizon under her list of apocalyptic things.

That's 21 paintings each today. Tomorrow we paint 15, and are switching to a yet larger size paper.

Day 7 A humble request...

2011-03-26T14:49:00.001-04:00

Annie and I are painting away, and we have a humble request. Dear friends, at this point in our project, we have heard all our music a LOT of times. If you have some good songs please email them to geddeslevenson@gmail.com

Thanks all for following our project, and for songs if you have them.

Love,
Annie & Geddes

Day 6 aka half way done.

2011-03-25T22:44:00.002-04:00

Annie and I made 28 paintings today. We're half way through the project, and art making is becoming second nature. We are beginning to see and experience things differently.

I re-wrote my astronaut story with a seafarer and a whirlpool. Even the ocean has event horizons.

Annie paint's young children looking at event horizons.

Annie paints famous portraits.

So I did to.

Annie paints housing developments again.

So I painted the Everglades.

Annie writes billboards about art.

Mine are about the post-apocalypse,

I painted a carousel.

Annie made portraits of the horses.

And here are out twos and ones, mine on the top and Annie's at the bottom.

Day 5

2011-03-24T23:15:00.001-04:00

Annie and I painted 36 paintings today. We felt a little sluggish, hopefully we'll get a second wind soon. Tomorrow we're half way through. We also increase paper size tomorrow.

I started out the day drawing everyone in my immediate(ish) family. The paintings curled a little as they dried, sot the faces look a little distorted in this picture (especially Webby and Hero). I promise they are not actually. It was lovely to spend so much time painting people that I love so much.

In response Annie painted her brother 7 times holding various fish that he has caught.

Annie made 8 lists of reasons to paint.

So I made 6 lists of where, with whom, why, when, how, and what I have painted. (there were supposed to be 7 of these but I accidentally used the other paper to make one of my houses.)

Annie paints 6 Florida housing developments.

So I painted 5 houses ( I meant to paint only 4, but a stray paper from the lists made its way here.) The other painting is Annie's 1

These are the states I have called home right-ways and mirror-imaged.

Annie brings my horizontal bars into her 2, and I make them vertical in my 1

Our fours make nice pairs with each other. Annie's are the top ones, and mine are the lower ones.

Our threes are a remembrance of yesterday's threes with my three headed hell beast and her circles.

Annie paints 4 fields and I paint a pair of shivery islands.

Day 4

2011-03-24T00:01:00.003-04:00

Annie and I painted 45 paintings each today, and we're surprised by how much longer the larger pieces of paper are taking us. Still, we're pretty excited about many of the things we made.

Annie starts the day with 9 friends.

I respond with nine superhero portraits of Annie. They don' photograph so well as a group because there is a good bit of fine pencil detail, so you'll have to take my word that some came out pretty well.

I started the day with 9 phantom deer.

And Annie replied with 8 forest fires.

Then Annie made 7 fields

And I made 7 paintings of various critters I used to catch growing up in Miami.

Annie has caught 5 butterflies. Their wings have words on them. Also her batch of one painting is at the bottom right for picture taking efficiency.

Annie makes 6 mountains with monsters from Henry Darger paintings. I respond with two abstract landscapes printed from each other.

For my 6 I wrote a kind of a story.

In my 5 the moon is slowly waning. Annie makes mattress stacks.

Our batches of three complement each other nicely. Annie's paint splotches are talking to each other.

I made a three headed hell hound. Probably my favorite thing that I made today. Also Annie experiences a Rothko-like moment and out came three very beautiful paintings. I like these side by side.

Day 3

2011-03-22T23:15:00.005-04:00

Annie and I each made 55 paintings today bring our total thus far to 199 paintings each in three days. Phew! We are begining to wonder how this project will transform us and our art making ideas.

Annie started the day out with a parade of animals. Note the pig with galoshes.

I turned it into a circus parade of dancing animals. The tiger is my personal favorite.

my 10: All of these are omens.

Annie chose some personal omens that come in pairs.

For her 8, Annie revisited our favorite theme of repainting works by favorite artists.

For my 7, I responded in kind. I had forgotten how much I love Delacroix. As a child, I always marveled at how he got away with painting horses and lions fighting all the time.

My 8 Islands growing. Annie's 7 microscopic cells.

Annie painted me 6 times, and I painted 3 blind contours of her.

6 candles burning at both ends (gee I wonder who painted those) and Annie's 5 birthday cakes.

I painted 4 "couplets" and Annie painted 3 haikus.

Annie uses her 4 pages to make a fire. I do mine on just two, and with no wood. It's a magical fire that fuels on itself. At the bottom are each of our 1 paintings.

Here are our stacks of all the paintings that we have made so far. Tomorrow we switch to a slightly larger size paper.

2 days down, only 10 more to go!

2011-03-21T23:21:00.002-04:00

Annie and I each painted 66 paintings today. It was slightly easier than yesterday, but we still felt pressed for time. We painted them in batches again, but this time in a sort of call and response.

My first 11 "Greatest Hits" I copied some paintings by artists I like

Annie's response: For her batch of 10, Annie made some greatest hits of her own.

For her batch of 11 Annie painted some Islands with treasure, starting each new painting from a print of the last.

For my batch of 10, I copied Annie's printing process, and made ten commandments, a kind of treasure really.

For my batch of 9, I made beds so for her 5, Annie made sleeping animals

In response to Annie's 9 looping highways I made my 8 into a neat loop of its own.

Annie writes some words of hpersonaler wisdom for her 8, and my 1 has some words hidden in it as well. Also, I cut her circles in half.

For my 7 I made a short story. There was a capsule floating in space, which contained an astronaut. His ship broke, and he had to make some repairs. When suddenly... BLACK HOLE. Note the fear in his eyes as he disappears beyond the event horizon. Bang bang bang space astronaut.
In response Annie made two labyrinths, one with multiple escapes and one with none.

Annie made 7 decoy duck paintings, all identical. I made some targets to go with them.

Annie made 6 gardens and planted little seeds of paint from which sprouted my four paintings of chaotic flowers.

From my 5 shivery barren islands, Annie adds some green in her 4.

First row: Annie's 3 flower paintings
Second row, my 3 minimalist paintings
Third row my two paintings, half sun half moon, and Annie's final painting is a sort of summary.

Wow!

2011-03-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

So Annie and I just painted 78 paintings in 12 hours. I still can't quite believe we did it. To respect our triangular number inspiration, we painted them in batches of 12, 11, 10, 9 etc...

For ease of photography, we photographed my ascending and her descending batches in order together, even though that does not represent the order they were painted in.

Annie's 12 and my 1

Annie's 11 and my 2

Annie's 10 and my 3

Annie's 9 and my 4

Annie's 8 and my 5

Annie's 7 and my 6

Annie's 6 and my 7

Annie's 5 and my 8

Annie's 4 and my 9 (it is a re-arrangeable dragon!)

Annie's 3 and my 10

Annie's 2 and my 11

Annie's 1 and my 12

Here are all our paintings stacked together side by side

Also, a friend in solidarity of our extraordinary feat, ate 78 white chocolate Hershey Kisses today. Perfect.

Da dun.... da dun da dun... da dun da dun da dun AAAAHHHHH

2011-03-19T23:03:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow begins the most epic art project I have ever embarked upon. Annie and I are going to paint for 12 hours a day for 12 consecutive days. We will each make a total of 364 paintings. Oh man.

This project is in part an homage to our 12 in 12 performances from last year. It is also an homage to our friend Maggie, who is a brilliant mathematician and helped design the premise for the project. Growing up she always had an affinity for triangular numbers (think the 12 days of christmas or a human pyramid).

On day one we will paint 12 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 78 paintings
On day two we will paint 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 66 paintings
On day three we will paint 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 55 paintings
On day four we will paint 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 45 paintings
On day five we will paint 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 36 paintings
etc.. until day 12 when we will make just one painting.

Here is Annie with all the papers that she has to paint tomorrow (all 78 of them). We might be a little nervous.

Also, this is a big box o' paint

I'm going to try to update as much as possible throughout the process, but since we are making a painting every 9 minutes tomorrow, that is going to be tricky.

2011-03-09T16:06:00.000-05:00

More photo collaborations.

Perhaps the strangest work of art I have ever made...

I matched the colors on the moon a little better. I still don't know if this is finished yet, but to avoid over working it, I'm going to let it sit for a while.

A Levenson & Levenson collaboration

2011-03-08T16:19:00.002-05:00

I've spent the past four days planning, organizing and otherwise preparing for my epic art project with Annie Blazejack. It deserves it's own post, and will get one soon. Until then, here is a hint. We are affectionately calling it a 12 in 12 in 12, even though that's not entirely accurate.

In more recent collaboration news, My father shipped me up a bunch of his photographs to paint on. It is difficult knowing exactly how much to paint and how much to leave, and the photographs are so beautiful to start out with, it can be a little intimidating to paint on them. Still, it's an exciting idea, and a lot of fun.
Here is the picture before I painted on it

And here is the after picture

I also started this painting, it's from the same photograph (he sent me multiples). I believe the bee keeper has become a star keeper. I'm not quite sure what the next step with this one should be. I like it quite a bit as is, but it doesn't seem finished yet.

My dad and I were joking about how to sign these collaborations. I said we could sign his last name if we sign my first name.

Sammy!

2011-03-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

Sammy is my family's dog. He is a smallish dog of the mutt/ terrier variety. He is at least three times life size in this painting, think St. Bernard. I think this would make him verry happy

playing with fire

2011-03-03T14:12:00.005-05:00

I lit the candles in my painting.

I also combined these three paintings from my 24 paintings in 12 hours performance to make a single work of art.

It is pretty different from what I usually make, actually both these paintings are, but I'm devoting the first half of this month to art play. March 20-31 I'm going to be painting 12 hours a day each day to make a total of 364 paintings, so I've decided to remove all pressure and ambition for paintings made in the first half of the month. It is turning out to be a really good thing both for me and my art right now!

Keeping it loose

2011-03-01T15:04:00.004-05:00

I'm practicing being looser in my paintings of people so that they feel a little fresher.

I also worked on this painting. It's not done yet, those are candles that will burn at both ends, in case you were wondering.

Fort Painting

2011-02-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

I also made a painting today.

It is of a sheet tent/ fort that I made a few years ago.

Ah serendipity

2011-02-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

I was playing around with some of the paintings from yesterday that I wasn't quite satisfied with, and in stacking these three, I discovered the potential for a new painting. I think if I taped them together, and reworked them a little as a single piece, they might turn into something exciting.

Highlights from yesterday.

2011-02-28T16:24:00.003-05:00

Julie holds up her favorite painting of the night for a picture. Visit her website to see more of her art http://julietorres.weebly.com

I think this is the first painting I made yesterday. Because I was doing two an hour, I didn't have time to properly document them, and am now unsure of their order. Because I made so many, I'm only posting about half of them. PS I stole this boat from a famous artist. Haha!

A return to the sailboat-bathtub idea.

I made something abstract. Also it isn't rectangular, you can see the shape of the paper if you look closely.

This is an abstraction of a drawing by Schiele

This reminds me of bats circling the moon. I spilled my ink to too long into the 12 hours, and the round shape is the inky imprint of my water bucket on the paper.

Iphigenia came to the party.

I am super into this one.

Sammy! There is something about this that really captures his personality. Also, it's a drawing. I love drawing!

I was going to put feathers in this, but I forgot. I like it the way it is, so I'm glad I forgot.

Just rehashing some old themes. This, like many of these is smaller than I'm used to working (about 8x10). I like making these intense little paintings.

A better photograph of one that I posted yesterday.

Eeriest happy birthday song ever.

You may recognize her, she shows up some times in all her angst and invisibility. I feel like I'm getting a good hang of using silhouettes.

This was my 24th and final painting of the night. It is small and sweet and wonderful.

And now for something not entierly different:

2011-02-27T00:48:00.004-05:00

I painted 24 paintings in 12 hours today. It was awesome. My friend Julie painted 48, and it was her first fully fledged 12 hour painting marathon.

Here are some pictures, I'll post more Monday.

These are just a fraction of the paintings that Julie made... Wonderful no?

Here are a few of mine just being chill and drying together.

These are the groceries I brought home from the market one day when I was studying abroad in Paris. I think I might have been hungry when I painted this.

It's a pony!

2011-02-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

I added umbrella ladies in the background. Unfortunately the face got a little too wet and is currently dripping terribly into the dress, so it doesn't look like this anymore. I am learning about the best viscosity for oil paint. In this case I painted the sky really wet, and since it doesn't dry as quickly as acrylic, it dripped it's wetness into the face which is now sliding on down the canvas. It's a little startling, like something out of a horror film.

Phew

2011-02-23T17:10:00.001-05:00

I was starting to feel really intimidated by this painting because it just wasn't coming out right at all. I spent today fixing it up a bit, and while I've still got a long way to go before I'm thrilled with it (for one thing the shape of that front arm isn't right yet) at least I feel like I'm on the right track now.

2011-02-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

So I blocked in the dress today

And then I lay the painting flat so I could rework the face a little. I think I'm going to have to get a less blurry picture of the face so that I can figure out what is going on. Also I apparently untilted it... I'll need to give it some serious drying time before I can rework any of that. Everything is slower in oils.

2011-02-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

It's an oil painting now. I'm trying to get this fuzzy out of focus feel, but with a painting this large, that's proving to be quite a challenge. I figure 'll let this paint dry for a little so that I can accentuate highlights/ shadows a bit.

I always forget how much I like oil paint. It also always takes me a little time to adjust to it.

2011-02-17T17:38:00.000-05:00

Anyone who would like to see my art work in a show, tomorrow's the day. It is a one night show at Greenpoint Gallery (390 McGuinness Blvd) 8pm - 2am.

I made a smaller study for the large painting I'm working on. The stud is in Acrylic, but I'm pretty sure I want to switch over to oils.

Below are two paintings I collaborated on at last nights art party. Come spring there is going to be a show of the best of the collaborations.

2011-02-16T18:40:00.001-05:00

It took me an embarrassingly long time to get this simple drawing right. I'm debating whether to turn this into an oil painting or keep going with acrylics.

Also, I got a better picture of this painting I made last week.

I'm headed to the weekly collaborative art party in Williamsburg, and this time I'm going to remember my camera.

I did it!

2011-02-16T00:51:00.000-05:00

It took ALL day, but I finally got some of my 12 in 12s on my website!

check it out
http://www.geddeslevenson.com/Geddes%20Levenson/12%20in%2012%27s/index.html

Here is a picture of the original umbrella ladies made during my 24 in 24. I sold it, which is wonderful, only now I miss it.

Also, a few things to be very excited about
February 27 I'm doing 24 paintings in 12 hours with New York friend Julie Torres.
March 20th ish to 31st ish Annie and I are doing an EPIC ART MARATHON, like you've never seen before. Stay tuned for more details.

Paper work

2011-02-14T19:44:00.000-05:00

Today I decided it is about time to apply to some more shows, so I spent most of the day putting together application (only got one submitted so far, but there are some amazing looking shows out there). I also did some sketches for the large painting and worked a little more on the background.

Here is a detail of the blue so you can admire that awesome texture.

While going over old work for the submissions, I decided to rework this old piece. I'm peeling away the tissue paper that the raw sienna colored paint is on, hoping to bring it to a mostly white state. It's slow going, but I'm happy that it is working at all.

working late

2011-02-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

I spent the day stretching and priming this LARGE canvas. Then I put a background layer of blue. I used very watered down acrylic to get the marble effect.

It is currently drying on the floor, so this is the best picture I could get. That is my sketchbook at the top for scale.

Doh!

2011-02-10T01:48:00.002-05:00

I went to an art making party today. There were about 10 of us painting in a room together. There was a table of unfinished works that we could chose from to work on an then either return to the table or declare finished. I think I got to play with some good ideas. Alas, I forgot my camera. Happily it will be happening again next week!

2011-02-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite sure why I'm so into these umbrella ladies, but I've got a good feeling about them, so I'm just going to keep painting them until I figure it out.

2011-02-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

I decided to continue with this painting. It's a double sized remake of a painting I made during the 24 in 24.

same idea

2011-02-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still playing with this idea for a background, trying to get it how I want it. I also am not sure yet if the previous painting is finished, so today I made this. I am sure it isn't finished, but I'm going to give it some time.

Back ground or leave it be?

2011-02-04T16:06:00.000-05:00

I painted this as a background for a painting, but I'm kind of into it as is. I'm going to wait utill tomorrow or Sunday to do any more work on it, just in case I decide to leave it as is. Any one out there want to weigh in?

Snow day

2011-02-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

The streets are treacherous in NYC. Snow and puddles and ice made the 30 min walk to my studio too dangerous to venture. Hopefully the snow storm will be gone by tomorrow!

More Candles

2011-02-01T15:31:00.001-05:00

I'm finally back in my studio in NYC, which means the focus returns to art making.

I want to make an installation about these candles. For now, I'm just going to paint them obsessively. Also, I sold 3 paintings this past week. Yay for being an artist!

First Fig

2011-01-25T17:35:00.000-05:00

First Fig
Edna St. Vincent Millay

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light.

Chaos Theory

2011-01-13T17:04:00.001-05:00

I'm still in Miami, and working part time restoring some paintings that were in a fire, so my painting time has been cut down a good deal. The nice part about that is I have been working more in my sketchbook. Unfortunately painting is the way that I organize my thoughts and center my self, so hello chaos.

A friend mentioned chaos theory the other day, and it started a chain of realizations. Yes, everything is chaos. We are a million leaves in the wind tumbling uncontrollably through the air and colliding with each other. But as overwhelming as disorder can be, some of the most marvelous moments are those where we catch a glimpse of that chaos, and how it somehow comes together to form this world and all our experiences. That, if anything, is magic.

My approach to art making leaves me deeply steeped in chaos, waiting for the series of events and discoveries that will bring the next great inspiration, and in the mean time, painting desperately and incessantly, hoping to stumble into something.

Right now, a large drawing is brewing in the back of my mind. Something relating to Iphigenia. It will be epic, and glorious. In the mean time, I've this ink drawing of a dear to offer you.

Oil paint

2011-01-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

I love oil paint. I'm still in Miami which is where I'm storing some of the best oil paintings I've done. Looking at them all day has gotten me excited about pulling out the oil paints again and making some luscious paintings. To that end, I put a ground color on this canvas.

Also, my dad gave me a print of one of his photographs that didn't come out quite right

And I added a giant tent to it. It was really fun to work on, a new kind of collaboration... perhaps a new kind of 12 in 12 could come from this?