Houston Bound - Dean Day Gallery

As of this month I will now be showing at Dean Day Gallery in Houston, Texas. I am pretty excited about this, Houston being the 4th largest city in the US, and a lively art scene. Here is the gallery's little blurb from their site...

DEAN DAY GALLERY has provided art expertise & resources in assisting private collectors & design professionals in the acquisition of fine art since 1980. The gallery features contemporary, abstract & realist artwork that appeals to both the beginning & serious collector. Dean Day Gallery is centrally located on "Gallery Row" in the Upper Kirby District and is a member of the Houston Art Dealers Association.

Dean Day Gallery
2639 Colquitt
Houston, Texas 77098
713.520.1021
www.DeanDayGallery.com

SO, if you are in that area, stop by and say hello, my first work (3 paintings) will be in the gallery for their opening on March 26th.

Charleston Style & Design

There's a nice little article about the Wells Gallery in the most recent copy of Charleston Style & Design Magazine (Winter 2011). It features my painting "Flight" alongside paintings by Glen Harrington, Karen Larson Turner, and a photograph by John Michiels.

Twas the Season...

I had a couple of commissions to do for Christmas, this one was my favorite. A friend of mine asked me to paint a portrait of his 2 year old little girl to give as a gift. I could not help but smile the entire time I was painting, it brought me a lot of joy...and simultaneously a lot of stress. With any portrait I put a lot of pressure on myself to get the likeness, it is terrifying thinking that you are painting an image of an individual, in some cases someone you have never met, FOR someone who obviously knows them very well!

From what I have heard it was very well received, what a relief!

Brandt-Roberts Galleries

I am excited to announce that I will now be showing at Brandt-Roberts Galleries in the Short North Arts District of Columbus, Ohio. This is a brand new gallery, they are having their grand opening tonight (Friday Oct. 29th) and will be open and rolling-right-along next week for the first Saturday Gallery Hop (Nov. 6th).

If you are in that area, stop by and have a look. I am told thousands of people converge on the Short North District for first Saturdays, evidently it is the place to be, lots of galleries, boutiques, and restaurants doing it up right.

I have two pcs. at the gallery right now, and a few smaller paintings headed there for a small works show next month.

Brandt-Roberts Galleries
642 N High St
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614.223.1655
www.brandtrobertsgalleries.com
info@brandtrobertsgalleries.com

Pike Takes 2nd

Pike was awarded 2nd place this month in the Bold Brush Painting Competition. I am humbled to place at all, each month a lot of amazing artists turn out. A big thanks to Daniel Keyes, the judge, for choosing my work!

Duveneck, Twachtman, Ohio

I have always been a fan of William Merritt Chase, but a couple others from the same time and group definitely worth admiring are Frank Duveneck, and John Henry Twachtman. These guys kind of blew the doors off American art at the time, bringing impressionism and/or loose brushwork into play. They all inspire me, and although it may or may not be apparent, they likely have, and will have, some influence on my work...you never know what slips in.

On a side-note, subtly related...in that they were a major part of art in the midwest...and to a degree Ohio...I will soon be showing in Ohio...Columbus...the Short North District...more on that to come. (I know that was a stretch)

Charleston Art Auction

My painting, "Masu", will be included in the Charleston Art Auction Saturday, November 6th, 2010. This is a huge honor, and I am extremely humbled to be alongside some amazing talent and ridiculously famous artists. A big thanks goes to Wells Gallery and Morris Whiteside Galleries for making it possible.

If you like art, like auctions, like Charleston, I would recommend registering and attending!

Red Star and Gallery 903

These are a couple new paintings, Red Star and Red Star 2, both 24"x 24", 28"x 28" framed.

I am very excited to say that I am showing again in Portland. I will be represented by a brand new gallery in the Pearl District, Gallery 903. The gallery just had their "soft opening" this past Thursday. Both paintings from this post are hanging there now. The newly remodeled space looks great, and it was awesome to see a LOT of traffic there at the opening which coincided nicely with Portland's "First Thursday" event.

Here is the link to Gallery 903

Diebenkorn, Westmark, Evans

I really liked this past statement I came across by John Westmark.

(John is featured on ArtistADay today)

"Since 1999, my work has been predominately influenced by Diebenkorn, and to a lesser extent, Matisse. I agree with their approach of moving beyond the initial architecture of a painting by concealing and correcting previous marks, with the goal of maintaining a stance of unself-consciousness and rightness. I believe that the relationship between the unconscious, spontaneous reaction and the premeditated, intentional mark is the key to a successful painting. Developing the intuition to know when, and when not to rework, is paramount. Ultimately it is this dichotomy that creates the painting - a collection of brush strokes and marks that reflects the energy and spirit of the artist at the time of its creation.

My subject matter is derived from collected experiences and memories. Each painting becomes a struggle to create a unique visual language - an abstraction of color and form - and not to adhere to a literal translation of a scene or object. This lack of dependency on the literal translation is usually a liberating aspect of the work."

This statement coincided with a Diebenkorn kick I have been on lately. I have never been a huge fan of his actual paintings, but I have found that I agree a lot with aspects of what he has to say about painting. Both Diebenkorn and the statement above say it in a bit more philosophical and elegant way than I would have written, but the concepts are there.

The painting attached to the post is actually by a totally different artist John Evans, which I came across on this recent Diebenkorn voyage. He has done a series of paintings that feature what seem to be a pretty extreme overhead view, something I had started to look into, and first attempted with my painting "Farewell". His are much more successful in my opinion, and certainly more "Diebenkorn-esque", but I continue to attempt these ideas in my own way as they come along.

Southwest Art - 21 Under 31

I had the honor of being included in Southwest Art's "21 Under 31" feature this year. The article is in the September issue, which should be on shelves now, so go check it out if you get a chance!
www.SouthwestArt.com