gRAPHICaNATOMY

If you have experience with acrylics, I thought you might be interested in the following job opportunity in Munhall , PA. If not, I would greatly appreciate it if you’d pass this message along to any local acrylic painters and/or arts organizations who might be of assistance.

Grumbacher paint is looking to hire accomplished acrylic painters to teach two hour workshops at a major retailer in locations across the United State and Canada . Artists must be capable of demonstrating a still life, landscape, seascape, and floral. We have developed a flexible curriculum in acrylics for an artist to use or adapt to fit to his or her style. We plan to conduct approximately one to four workshops per store per month and the artist will have flexibility in scheduling. Compensation is $100 per workshop, and teaching materials will be provided to the artist at no cost.

Please have anyone who is interested email Jennifer Kopec at jkopec@chartpak.com with examples of their work in acrylics, along with a resume and contact information. (Chartpak is a manufacturer of fine art supplies. Grumbacher, Koh-I-Noor, Higgins ink, and Clearprint are some of our brands.)

Thank you in advance for any help you might offer.

Kind regards,

Jennifer Kopec
Educational Coordinator
Chartpak, Inc.
1 River Road
Leeds, MA 01053"

Dropped off my entries to the Steeltown Stock Poster show.
This should be good. Some of the entries are posted on their site. Some really good stuff.

I decided to sue the posters I made for the London based hip hop group: Original Project Caramel.

They are worthy of the exposure and it shows off my drawing skill incorporated into graphic design. It will be interesting to see the reaction of the audience. I doubt many other Pgh-ers are familiar with the band, so... if it gets them more fans; I will have done my job.


Anyway, to drop off the art, I had to go out to Artist & Craftsman's Supply out in Squirrel Hill. This is the first i have ever been there and was amazed. This store is awesome. If you haven't been out there, http://www.artistcraftsman.com/.

Over the weekend I ventured out to a new gallery in Shadyside.
The Gallery 4: a bright, clean place featuring some great prints of Joe Sorren & Glenn Barr.


Glenn Barr , originally from detroit, has a great charm to his work. You can see his influence on Ren & Stimpy. The gallery also had a shelf of clothing and limited edition toys. In the back, I saw some work by Sam Flores & Shepard Fairey. If you like the Juxtapoz- kinda stuff, check this place out.

Labels: galleries, pgh, review

I know. I know. You're thinking, "duh". But surprisingly so many people don't get past the first step. I know so many who wanted to be artists, who had talent but never got around to making anything.
Make the time.
You'll never find the time, you have to make it. Re- arrange your schedule and priorities. Cut out the useless time wasters that aren't getting you anywhere.
Make the space.
Your studio should be a sanctuary of sorts. The materials can be modest at first. Just create. Make art. Make lots of art.
Art about what?
If you're out of practice or stuck, make art about anything and everything you see and feel. You know how sometimes you have to run the faucet in order to get to the hot water? Sometimes creativity is like that. You have to get the mundane out of the way to make room for the really good stuff. After all this is a discipline and you have your practice phases as well as your top performance stuff.
If you still don't feel motivated, try going out to a gallery. This always works for me. Either the art is so good I feel uplifted and inspired to make something..... or the art is so bad that i say "I can do better than that."... and go make things better than that.

Salvador Dali was first born October 12th 1901.
Then died August 1, 1903 of gastroenteritis .
Died. Dead.
9 months later. The Slavador Family had another boy, which they named, Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech.
His father, also named Salvador, took the young boy to his brother's grave to teach him that he was the reincarnation of his dead brother. Slavador (the youngest) came to believe this.
He "was probably a first version of myself but conceived too much in the absolute."

Dali was also known to say, "The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad."



"I don't do drugs. I am drugs."

“I am not strange, I am just not normal.”

“It is not necessary for the public to know whether I am joking or whether I am serious, just as it is not necessary for me to know it myself”



“Happy is he who causes a scandal”

“At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.”

“The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot”

“The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents.”

“Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad.”

Labels: dali

Artsy events with wine & hors d'oeuvres in the Carnegie Ballroom WOULD be very glamorous no matter what.
There seemed to be some after effects of the economic crash (thanks W!)
The carnegie was charging for parking and i swear we didn't have to last year.
Also no more open bar, so having to pay for alcohol weren't properly liquored up to pay for art.
At least not my art. No, sadly there were no bids when i last looked. It's a bit disappointing.

The signature artwork of the event Scott Ward's Alesbian Gothic sold for $2100 (valued at $1200). The take on Grant Wood's American Gothic follows up his similar piece from last year American Gaythic, which also quoted the often quoted American Gothic. And that piece too, was nice. Charity event's like this.... nice is good.... go with "nice"... nice , safe, nice. Let's hope PERSAD goes in a fresh direction next year. Scot Ward from Seattle is a nice artist, but why not pick a new nice artist? Preferably a local Pittsburgh artist? Surely one of us has to be nice enough?




An event like this can shed some light on PGH's taste in art. The most money bid (as far as i can tell) was on a photograph of the Thunderbolt at Kenny-wood, by Mark Perott for $3100. That sold higher than the Keith Haring. At least he is local.

Meanwhile, an original sketch by Bob Kane sat in the back corner with one bid for $300.


Remember how I said Vanessa German was THE artist to watch for? That she was on the verge of busting out? (well, i did.) Her sculpture won the juror's grand prize and the auction of hers started at $400 toped off at $2,600. A jump like that could translate in to how badly it was desired. Good for her and great for PERSAD.

Mahogany showed up in full drag looking fierce as usual. Many patrons thrilled at getting their photo taken with Mo and even Vaughn Michael.



Even though my work didn't sell like i would have wanted, I'm not going to take it personally. I'm moving on to the next project. I sold 2 other paintings later that same night. I have a show in Texas and one at Artforms this week as well. Sure, not everything is going to work out as planned; but the key is to keep going.

The idea was to go for the jugular. Close up cropped intimacy on an often overlooked body part- the neck.

I started in Shadyside, this place used to be loaded with galleries. Now its down to about three. It's always kinda sad to see galleries close.
Then moved on to Penn Ave., Garfield.
I was very impressed by the Batiks of Rushyan Yen at he International Children's Art Gallery. Gorgeous scenes of vibrant colors on flowing silk. I also enjoyed the way she displayed them in the space. It was a treat to walk through them. She was more than willing to educate the crowd about the techniques. This was a great show for the ICAG.



I had high hopes for Masha Vereshenko at Modern Formations. She was showing small intimate pieces of ink on wood. And she does have a very recognizable style. As if it is influenced by Byzantine icon work. But I wanted more. It didn't seem to fill the space.
Finally, I wandered back down to Butler street ; the "We Need More" collective took over the Blue Moon Cafe and had their own art show. These guys are go- getters. There was tons of artwork, all brightly colored. And I commend them for the DIY attitude.

Because you have to "DIY" as an artist. You have to put yourself out there, make tons of work and look for any and all opportunities. No one else is going to hustle for you, like you. More & more galleries want to charge the artist upfront fees rather than SELL work for a commission. And with the internet and access to technology this is the best time ever to self- represent yourself as an artist. And when you do get a space, gallery or otherwise, use it to the best of your advantage.

Otherwise THESE guys will be picking the next government in PA
Based on Recommendations of the Gertrude Stein Political Club and Steelcity Stonewall Democrats.

United States Senate
Joe Sestak- http://joesestak.com/

Governor of Pennsylvania
Joe Hoeffel - http://joehoeffel2010.com
Joe Hoeffel's Western PA Headquarters is at 214 N. Highland Ave, and there are volunteer opportunities every day of the week. Please call 412-206-9900 or email: pittsburgh@joehoeffel2010.com for more info.

LT. Governor of Pennsylvania
Jonathan A. Saidel - http://www.saidel2010.com

U.S. Representative, District: 14
Mike Doyle - http://mikedoyleforcongress.com

U.S. Representative, District: 18
Dan Connolly - http://www.voteconnolly.com

PA Senate, District: 42
Wayne Fontana - http://www.fontanaforsenate.com

PA Representative, District: 19
Jake Wheatley - http://www.jakeforstate.org

PA Representative, District: 22
Chelsa Wagner - http://www.chelsawagner.com

PA Representative, District: 23
Dan Frankel - http://www.pahouse.com/frankel

PA Representative, District: 24
Joe Preston - http://www.pahouse.com/preston

PA Representative, District: 28
Sharon Brown - http://www.mccandlessdemocrats.org/brownhouse28/index.htm

Democratic Party State Committee (You may vote for more than one candidate)

District 37
Daniel Bricmont

District 38
Brenda Frazier, Daniel Jimenez, & Pamela Macklin

District: 42
Robert Vincent Frank

District 43
Barbara Ernsberger, Rich Fitzgerald, & Marvin Leibowitz

PA Representative, District: 21
Mark Purcell - http://www.ThePeoplesFriend.net/