(Post transferred, original content posted January 1, 2015)
2015 if off to a running start. While this is great news in terms of my work, it is bad news in terms of keeping all of you updated. So, please forgive the scattered nature of this post.
I began January with the 4th annual Supersonic Electronic Invitational, hosted by Spoke Art. It was an amazing experience to be part of a show that included such a fabulous lineup with work from Sail, João Ruas, Henrik Uldalen and many other artists I've admired for years. A big thank you to Zach Tutor, who curated the show, for including me.
(L) Nate #4, 12x23in, (sold) (C) Vernell, 17x23in, (sold) (R) Bill, 12x23in, (available here)
The show also gave me a chance to create a few small works, something I don’t do very often. I enjoyed falling headfirst into each of the three pieces—there is something delicate about the scale that made me feel connected to the physical process of drawing in a very different way than I do with my normal large-scale work.
The three subjects I chose to draw were Nate, Vernell, and Bill. Nate is a subject who has become a good friend over the course of several drawings and more than 3 years. He is a retired Navy pilot who, after leaving the service, happily flew for years with United Airlines before the FAA finally realized he had lost his left eye in combat. He told me last year,"I just wore sunglasses everyday and no one noticed because I was a damn-good pilot. Then somebody tipped them off and that was that."
Vernell is Nate's professed cousin, and the two are virtually inseparable. Nate and Vernell take turns looking after Max and Coco, Vernell's indomitable and eminently intimidating guard animals. I don't think I'd drawn a dog since 3rd grade, and I had a wonderful time trying to capture their very disparate personalities and how they contrasted with Vernell.
My third subject, Bill, approached me while I was photographing somebody else. Bill asked if I would be willing to do a portrait of him as well. I found the contrast between his sense of shy fragility and the bravado in his posture deeply compelling.
(Image courtesy of Shaun Roberts)
(Image courtesy of Shaun Roberts)
January also saw the release of a limited edition print of one of my favorite drawings from the past couple years. I drew Blue with a Bicycle in 2013, and the lovely folks over at Alai Alai , all the way from exotic Denmark, were kind enough to reach out and ask whether I would be willing to do a print of him. I believe there are still a few prints left available here.
Blue with a Bicycle, 50x50cm, Limited Edition of 50 prints, Printed on Innova Smooth Cotton 315 gsm
Matt, 100x72in, Private Commission
Finally, while I may try to pretend that my artistic life is entirely made up of glamour, excitement and rainbows, I’ve actually spent the majority of the month alone in my studio attempting to portray chrome pipettes and radiator spines on a life-size motorcycle. It’s been an exciting experiment figuring out how to draw so many shimmering metallic surfaces. A heartfelt thanks to Matt Altman for the challenging commission.
UPCOMING:
March 5-8 | Art on Paper | Hashimoto Contemporary | New York, NY
April 2015 | Molskine IV | Hashimoto Contemporary San Francisco, CA
May 2015 | Art Market San Francisco | Hashimoto Contemporary | San Francisco, CA