I can't wait until things really get cooking again in the studio, it will make this blog writing so much easier and more fun. I am waiting to start a large commission, and as soon as I get the canvas my world will be taken up with the exciting challenge of painting a 5.5x 7 foot painting. I really can't wait to get started and work on such a grand scale. That process will be documented here to some degree. In another week or so I plan to look back and do a year end review of 2010. It has been an amazing year for me personally and professionally. I think perhaps one of my best. I look forward to examining it and sharing it with you all. I have a lot of things going on currently and as you know I am frustrated I am not painting regularly at this time, but I know this is just a phase and I will rise above it soon enough. Who knows what my art brain has in store for us all.
Now, just in case the locals of Northwest Arkansas don't know where to find my work (and the work of many talented others) for your holiday gift giving or just for yourself.... We now go to a public service announcement courtesy of KUAF our NPR station.
In Hot Springs, Arkansas you can find my paintings at the Blue Moon Gallery, and some of them are specially priced for the season as well. Click on the image below for more information.
You can also find two pieces of mine at the first annual Snow Flake Invitational exhibition at 110 Church gallery and at Art @t Bridge Club of Center City in Philadelphia. I am very pleased to have been asked to participate, and have two paintings from the white series currently on display, one at each gallery. This is a cash and carry show, and 100% of the sale price of the work goes to the artists. To learn more click on the image below.
I hope you enjoy browsing the links, and if you are in Northwest Arkansas, Hot Springs, or the Philadelphia area, please check out my work in person.
Next week, the year in review...
********* For your listening pleasure : Please check out this video directed by my friend and fellow artist Thomas Petillo. This is a song off Hammock's newest E.P. The Longest Year.
I just want to remember some of the things that inspired me this week. Things that sent shivers down my spine, things that made me feel like anything was possible. I want to remember the little connections and the epic ones.
This week, I had the pleasure of hosting visiting artist and friend Thomas Petillo. He arrived on Tuesday and left this morning. He brought his beautiful photographs with him, and presented Fayetteville with his stunning exhibition, North, West, East, South in the Hive Gallery at the Fayetteville Underground. It was so lovely to have him around the Underground and introduce him to my studio mates, and show him around town. Having him here really helped me appreciate my town and what is happening at the underground even more. It is always nice to see your world through a different set of eyes. It was a joy to be able to introduce such a beautiful soul and talent to the folks of Fayetteville. If you are local or regional don't miss Thomas Petillo's exhibition, his work will be up through October 2nd. The Fayetteville Underground's galleries are open W-F 12-7 and Saturday 10-5.
Also to learn more about some of what I do at the Fayetteville Underground, please check out this recent interview. I was thrilled to be asked to participate in Christopher Spencer's Five Questions segment for Ozarks Unbound.
First Thursday was last night, and it was another wonderful event. I didn't spend the usual amount of time in my studio, as I wanted to be in the Hive gallery with Thomas for his show. At the end of the night I went back to my studio and found this note on my desk. I had a moment to myself, so I picked it up and read it. I must say this note moved me so deeply. It meant a lot to me that this high school art student would take the time to write. As I read, tears welled up in my eyes. This is something I will treasure always. I hope he doesn't mind that I documented this note and am sharing it. I also hope to meet this young artist one day, and even more that that, I hope to see his work on a gallery wall in the near future.
In other news, I am still so pleased that Delay before Abandon, the collaborative paper painting that Steven Heaton and I have been working on is going to be in the Chaosmos 2010 exhibition as part of the Liverpool Independents Biennial, which opens this month. Last month, I mentioned that besides our collaborative piece, Steven Heaton would have other works in the exhibition. Well, I just want to show you a couple of those pieces because I am also so inspired by them. I could get lost in all the layers of paint and decay, the hints of color and sparks of orange and rust all encapsulated in resin. I like everything about these rich and layered works. How I wish I could see them in person.
And lastly, this song and video sends shivers down my spine, and will serve as an anthem for the upcoming Fall. I look forward to returning to my studio on Monday to paint to this song on repeat. The world is full of magic, beautiful people and beautiful art. I am grateful for it and for you...
I painted Still at the same time I worked on Upon Waking, the large painting I shared last week. This piece was a quiet spot that I could visit when the large painting was giving me trouble. This painting seemed to flow and come together quickly and without strife. I enjoy the fresh subtle colors radiating out and away from the lines and against the milky white. I am very pleased this painting has found a wonderful home in England, and will be headed there soon.
This week, I had a harder time focusing on painting and got caught up with administrative work at the Fayetteville Underground. However I did manage start another large 36x48" canvas, and I believe this one will be horizontal in orientation. We will see how it all works out. Next week will mostly be about preparing the galleries for the next First Thursday at the Fayetteville Underground. I am looking forward to having Thomas Petillo's photographs in the Hive for the month September. Not only will he have his work in the Hive but he will be in town for the reception!
Thomas Petillo
Hive Gallery
Thomas Petillo : North, West, East, South September 1st through October 2nd 2010 Opening Reception September 2nd 5-8pm
Thomas Petillo is perhaps best known for his strikingly intimate portraits of great musicians (Robert Plant, Ben Folds, John Prine, Kid Rock and Porter Wagoner, to name only a few).Thomas has spent fifteen years honing the skills necessary to produce these beautiful images for record labels, magazines, and ad agencies. These portraits have come to define his style. But a very different Petillo has emerged in the last few years as the result of a series of commissions by Hammock, the ambient duo, who asked him to create images for their recordings. No matter his subject, Petillo's images are characterized by a delicate balance of stark realism and magical wonder, as if he stands with one foot in the spirit and the other in the flesh. This rare talent has given his work a singular imprint and has earned for him a distinguished place among contemporary photographers.
I hope all the locals will come out in droves and get to know Thomas' beautiful work and meet the artist himself. We have a wonderful September in store for you at the Underground, to read more about all the exhibitions that will be featured visit the Fayetteville Underground Blog.
And before all that kicks off, on this Saturday, August 28th at 11:00 am at the Underground. I will be giving an informal art talk on the exhibition Ghosts in the landscape #2, currently on display in the Hive by Christian Demare. This will be the final day of the exhibition, and I hope folks will come down and explore further Christian's dark, mysterious photographic worlds.
Those are the simple nuts and bolts of this artist's life for this week. There was more to it than all that, and I would like to write more about my process or my personal feelings about my art or the art world in general but the simple reportage style seems to work currently.
If you have bought my art either recently or long ago, if you have talked to me about my work, or taught me, if you have shared music with me that has inspired my art, or just supported me emotionally while I work, I just want to say thank you. I can't work alone in a vacuum, and the support I receive near and far is directly proportional to the work I put out. So, if you think I am a prolific artist, it is only because I have prolific supporters, so from the bottom of my heart I thank you all.
And as always, keep fighting. The world needs your art.
In the studio with: Still, Upon Waking, Somehow we find ourselves on the same continent, and Sometimes
The institute du loop's premier international exhibition debuted last night in the hive gallery within the Fayetteville underground to a First Thursday packed house. It was a thrill for me to be able to talk about the institute's work with the crowds and to explain my involvement in the project. I was so pleased to witness the moment that some of the viewers connected with the work, taking the time to look and explore, to absorb the music that the artist had especially composed for the photographs, and to read the artist's words about why he had created these images. I felt pride in my ability to bring the project to fruition and to expose Fayetteville's residents to this talented artist that I admire.
There were many questions about the work, the artist, and my role in the project so I am going to try to answer some of those in today's post. The institute du loop is an individual who currently lives in Taipei Taiwan, he is an English born sound and visual artist. He has lived in Taiwan for 2 years and feels that he has truly found his home in the world and his artistic identity on the island.
I met the artist via myspace two and half years ago and was very taken with his work, and we became friends and have stayed in contact via email about art and life over the years. I have always encouraged him in his work and even before I was an artist in the underground, I was attempting to find him a space locally for an exhibition. I know how important it is to have someone in your corner supporting your work, and I also know how important it is to have deadlines and a focus for your work, so an exhibition is always a good thing. I wasn't even sure if he would be interested in showing his work in Fayetteville Arkansas but when I proposed it, he was excited about the opportunity. Over the years we have developed trust in each other and our artistic sensibilities and knew we could pull this off. I had never curated a show of this magnitude or involvement before, and this was my first experience curating an international exhibition. The artist and I have been working on this exhibition for months via hundreds of emails and msn chats. Talking about the content of the exhibition, logistics, expenses, gallery dimensions, design, display and pricing, we discussed and worked out every detail, compromises were made, and we both learned a lot because of the experience.
The exhibition arrived on the two flash drives, and the one hundred twenty-four photographs were printed here and each hand stamped with the loop stamp the artist had designed for the occasion. They were hand cut and meticulously mounted flush to the wall in a grid pattern.The institute picked the order of the photographs and which images would go on each wall. There were limited edition posters, postcards and booklets to design and print, and Cd's of the soundtrack to burn after the mounting of the exhibition. All of this to complete the artist's well thought out vision. There were many late, sleep deprived nights leading up to the show. I even moved my sleeping bag into the gallery and put a note on the gallery door asking not to be disturbed as the images were installed. It was such a thrill to remove the black paper from the glass walls of the gallery and see the exhibition as a whole. I contacted the artist after the installation was complete and told him I felt he needed a larger budget, a museum and a book deal as I was so impressed with what he had created.
People have asked me what I get out of this or if I get paid for doing this. The answer is, no I don't get paid for this work. I do this work because I believe in the power of art and I believe in this artist's vision. I do this work because I feel that I am part of a global arts community and I am to fortunate enough know some of the most amazing artists on the planet and if I have the ability to shine a little extra light on them, or encourage them by offering them an exhibition then I am going to do it. I also believe Fayetteville deserves high quality art from around the country and the world. I am very fortunate that I have the trust of the Fayetteville Underground and the artists I work with. I feel honored to be able to do this type of work, it expands my vision as an artist and it keeps me involved in the bigger picture. In August, Christian Demare from Paris France will also be featured in the Hive gallery, and in September Thomas Petillo from Nashville, Tennessee will be in the hive as well. These are photographers I love and I can't wait to share their work with folks who don't already know it.
institute du loop: a place to drown on display through July 31. Hive gallery Fayetteville Underground gallery hours W-F 12-7 and Saturday 10-5
Photographs are $30 per image (open edition) and they are also priced by the wall collection. There is a booklet with a different set of images and words by the artist for $ 15.00 and the limited edition exhibition poster for $25.00. The soundtrack composed by the artist is also available for $10.00. Near or far, please contact me if you would like more information about this exhibition at megancha@gmail.com
I will close with a few words from the institute: "After all the longing and drowning, after all the decisions about the layers of images and sequences, the "image pools" are on the walls..." -institute du loop
Today, we are going back to the art career basics and building blocks. I want to talk about the importance of creating a web presence. Hopefully, many of you already have one. A web presence is crucial for exposure and networking for your art. This article is for those who think it costs a lot of money, time, or energy to maintain a website. I have some free and simple solutions to get you and your work online in no time.
First, of course is the very popular social networking site MySpace. I have to admit I wasn't much of a fan at first, I was under the impression that the sites were always ugly and glaring and that MySpace was primarily a place for teenagers. Well, I stand corrected. I have seen some beautiful MySpace sites run by emerging artists and professionals. You control your space, and can easily upload your art into a slide show or other format, choose some music and set the scene for showing off your art to the world. You even pick a URL that you can share with others and not just other myspacers. You can share your links to other sites/galleries you might be affiliated with to direct visitors to your "real" website or galleries if you have one. Before you know it you will be finding friends that you had forgotten about as well as letting everyone know you are an artist, and all for free.
Also, it is a great way to make the larger art community feel smaller and become friends with other artists you admire. If you are not already on MySpace check it out, I highly recommend it. Just watch your time on the site- it can become addicting! Now with this being said, I wouldn't only use MySpace to promote your work. Most of the time, MySpace pages tend to be a little more personal in nature, and might not be professional enough to submit to a potential gallery or client as your "website."
There is also Facebook which is becoming more popular, as the layout is clean and simple. You don't get you own URL though so only other Facebook friends in your network can see your work. Again, you can display all your links to various other websites where your work is hosted, which is nice. I enjoy the MySpace application more for promoting your art, as it seems a bit more dynamic. Yet, I do currently have both.
If you don't have a website for your art and only do one thing towards setting up a web presence, I highly recommend setting up an online portfolio on a site called carbonmade. This is a great application, and the closest thing I have seen to a FREE classy website. This site is very easy to use and update and allows you to create a beautiful and did I say a FREE web presence. With this site you get your own URL so this is something that can be professional enough to print up on some business cards when you are just starting out. It has little fluff or frills, but it looks sharp and does the trick. It doesn't take long to make a site that will fit your needs here. I also have a carbonmade site, where I keep a virtual studio sale for my older work that is in a different style and no longer represented by galleries.
If you are really trying to make a go of it as an artist without a web presence in this day and age you are just shooting yourself in the foot. There are many opportunities to be had out there and the web really allows you to reach clients and galleries from all over the world. You do not need a web designer, or your own domain name to play in this game, nor do you need money. So, stop with these excuses. It is up to you to put yourself and your work out there. You can do this!
If you have created a great looking MySpace page that promotes your art or a carbonmade portfolio, or a portfolio on another free site that I need to know about, please post it in the comments section.
See " Desire Suspended" by Megan Chapman at the Blue Moon gallery located at 718 Central Ave. Hot Springs, Arkansas
blank but not for long... © 2010 Megan Chapman
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