August 6, 2008

Part of today was spent pricing art work for the two person show coming up. The Gallery I will be working with gets 50% of the total price. I decided on a price for one of the larger paintings which is sized at 38" x 38". Next I multiplied 38" x 38" to get the square footage of the painting which is 1444". Assuming that a painting of this size could sell in the Pittburgh art market for about $3000 I then divided 1444 into 3000 which is 2.07 or $2.07 a square inch. I then had this formula to go by for pricing the rest of the art work.

August 5th

Roots
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"

Today I've decided on the art work to be taken to Pittsburgh for a two person show coming up:

1. A Silver Titter Stole My Baby
2. Jackson’s Trip To Heaven
3. Summer ‘07
4. Meanwhile Back in the Congo
5. Menstruation Theater (Installation)
6. The Wall (Installation)
7. Distractions
8. Big Gulp aka Soft Machine
9. Fear Based Choices
10. Hermit of Halfmoon Hollow
11. Roots
12. Secrets
13. H. B. Meagan
14. I Had a Dream
15. Steph & Sharon
16. Family Album (sculpture)
17. My Struggle w/Morality
18. Two Women By Pond
19. Untitled
20. I Don’t Beleive (sic)
21 .Not Quite Dead (Sculpture)
22 Red Riding Hood
23. photograph frame

August 4, 2008

Steph and Sharon
2001
acrylic on plexiglass
48" x 30"

Several hours were spent today running errands for the upcoming show. I needed to drop a slide for printing at the photography house. The print will be an 8" x 10" image of a painting "Things Are Better With Soup" which I painted a few years ago, had photographed and then decided I did not like, turned the painting 180 degrees and painted "Summer '07". I left as many remnants of the earlier painting as possible. For this show I thought I would include this photo, framed to match the painting it goes with.

Also a trip to Old Main Frame Shop was needed to frame one more piece that I uncovered this weekend. It is amazing how different a painting looks with each frame you try. I was down to five frames ultimately choosing a frame that compliments most of the other pieces of art as they would be shown together.

The last errand was to Home Depot to buy a piece of chain to make a hanger for Steph and Sharon which is acrylic on plexiglass. The chain is to be wrapped around two large bolts that I inserted through the plexiglass and tightened with nuts.

August 3, 2008

Hermit of Halfmoon Valley
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"

When you think of art you rarely thinking about dusting yet that was exactly what needed to be done in order that I get my artwork ready for a two person show I've been invited to do at the Fein Art Gallery in Pittsburgh beginning immediately following Labor Day weekend. I've committed to bring twenty - twenty-five pieces of art. Simultaneously I have three pieces in another art show which runs at a concurrent time.

Hours bled into hours as I pulled paintings from a variety of storage spots and wiped off the dust on those pieces that were not wrapped in brown paper or packed in shipping crates. At the first pass through I counted twenty pieces, then reassessed the unchosen pieces to see if any of the remainder would qualify. The last two additions were "Not Quite Dead" a piece about racism, sexism and bigotry and a small painting I created in 2001 called "Red Riding Hood".

August 2, 2008

The Housewife
1998
acrylic on metal toy
5" x 3" x 2"

I have mentioned in prior post that my art training was in graphic design not painting. Several of my artistic neighbors wanted to start an art critique group and encouraged me to start painting so I could participate. One of my earliest sculptures was "The Housewife" which was acrylic paint on a metal toy and fimo. It was the first time I used my art to express a thought albeit a simplistic one (the classic whore vs mother images of a housewife).

August 1, 2008

H.B. Meagan
2006
acrylic on canvas
36" x 16 "

Today I spent mush of the afternoon riveted to a book by Kien Nguyen called "The Unwanted". It is a memoir of a man who grew up during the Communist takeover of Vietnam. As I was reading this book I realized that I tend to choose non fiction literature more often than not. I do read other types of literature but true stories are what appeal to me most.

This desire for "real stuff" follows suit in my music, art and podcasts interests as well. In music I am drawn to the authenticity of Laura Nyro,Todd Rundgren and John Lennon, art it's Frida Kahlo and my favorite podcast is Keith and the Girl. There's a similarity in presenting these artists' truths-not always the easiest to ingest but compelling nonetheless.

When I create I try to emulate those who put themselves out there by expressing themselves truthfully whether easy on the ears, beautiful to the eye or inspiring to the head.