gRAPHICaNATOMY

"The twenty-somethings who insist on putting thousand plus price tags on student grade work because they are so favored and desirable,  socially. 
Yet, all I see is they become totally moody and stand in line for free drinks like jerks over and over again; collecting some number from some dope and pretending he's a big art collector dude. 
It's annoying, but if they are extremely promising and talented;  what I do is drag them along."

Labels: art, fine art, galleries

Actually, I'm fairly pleased with the way the show turned out.
It matched what i had in mind fairly well and looks good.
Many people took photos of themselves in front of the hands, doing hand signals.
Which is good. Probably my most photographed show.

Labels: acrylic, art, art shows greensburg, exhibitions, figure, fine art, galleries, gallery crawl., pgh, pgh art unblurred, unblurred

Labels: art, figurative, figure, fine art, galleries, gallery crawl., pgh art unblurred, unblurred

Pittsburgh, PA June 2, 2013- Exploring the homoerotic subtext of the superhero culture at the Pittsburgh GLCC.

The GLCC is showcasing the artwork of local and international artists in the comic book genre. If you grew up with comics and graphic novels, you may have noticed: The incredible bodies in flamboyant and skin-tight outfits. The leading of double lives. The intense male/ male relationships. The strange, unusual and even “unnatural” powers. Maybe it was the lack of positive gay role models in the mainstream culture or maybe all superheroes ARE kinda gay.
Things have progressed a bit from Northstar to Batwoman to a gay wedding in Archie. This show is meant to explore and celebrate all the hints, the winks & nods and the glorious camp that occurred over time.
Show opens Sunday, June 2nd 6-9pm. Free admission, Free drinks & snacks, Free parking downtown. Wear a cape.

Exhibition runs from: Sunday June 2nd to Sept. 25th.
Gallery Opening: Show opens Sunday, June 2nd 6-9pm.


Pittsburgh Gay & Lesbian Community Center provides the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals, their families and supporters in Western Pennsylvania with resources and opportunities to promote visibility, understanding and equality within the LGBT communities and the community-at-large. The GLCC will work toward these goals through education, social support, networking and advocacy.

GLCC
210 Grant St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219
http://www.glccpgh.org
412-422-0114

Labels: art show, comics, curating, galleries, glbt, glcc, graphic novels, lgbt, openings, pgh, pgh art, superheroes, trans

You are not a natural... born.. artist....
You studied hard and worked your ass off. And you deserved better than to be taken advantage of.  There are many, many opportunites to show work thorughout Pittsburgh.  Don't think this is your only or best route.

Pay-to-play galleries that want a chunk of money up front to give you shows or wall space, especially those that tantalize you with the prospect of exposure in major art centers like New York or London.
 To begin with, what incentive does any venue have to sell your art when you pay them in advance? Certainly a lot less than they have if the only way they make their money by selling your art (like most galleries do).

It is just a pyramid scheme for artists.

Pay to play opportunities are like vanity galleries.
A vanity gallery does not involve the mutually beneficial aspects of an artist co-op-- instead, vanity galleries benefit from the desperation of artists who want their artwork seen in a physical exhibit, no matter what the cost. Thus, vanity galleries are art galleries that charge artists fees in exchange for exhibiting their artwork. Point blank-- vanity galleries have no incentive to sell art because they have already cashed in on the artist, so to speak.

But like Gleason said, the trick is to branch out--always. These vanity spaces are not looking out for the artists' best interest in the long haul, they are merely trying to keep their exhibition space afloat.

Take the money you would have spent on one nigth show in a bar and take a class, get a professional website done, register a copyright... get decent business cards and stickers made.
The end result being that you had an art exhibit that is of little to no relevance-- and will certainly not help you to gain the reputation that you are seeking from established galleries nor gain the credibility that you want to convey to potential buyers and art collectors in general.



Sources:
http://www.artbusiness.com/osoqutscawas.html
http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2013/01/the_price_of_famelocal_promote.php
http://www.merylpataky.com/my-raw-artists-experience.html
http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/orange/pay-to-play-oc-vanity-art-spaces.html
http://faso.com/fineartviews/25387/vanity-galleries-can-they-be-harmful-to-your-reputation-and-art-marketing-strategy
http://www.arthash.com/2011/09/artist-pay-to-play-galleries-exhibitions-publications.html

Labels: art, art show, fine art, galleries, pittsburgh

I was a bit disapointed that the SWAN festival in Pittsburgh does not have a focus on Visual arts.
I'm sure what they DO have is nice. But why aren't the Visual Artists represented in proportion to wealth of talent we have?
It's been this way. So much so that I had to have my own SWAN Day exhibit. (Artform 2011) and i was sort of hoping someone would pick up the torch.
*shrug*
How is the climate of sexism in the Pittsburgh Art scene?
Do artists working today complain about being left out of shows because of an Uterus?
Actually, not that much.
I've felt left out of the little clique's here and there.... but i don't think it's based on gender.  But something else entirely.
I have witnessed would-be patrons and gallery owners take an interest in female artists with an ulterior motive;  *wink wink*. I find  this behavior quite reprehensible.
Truth be told some of the strongest and most creative artist in the 'burgh happen to be vaginal- Americans and should be given due respect.
We're putting PGH on the map.
Maybe we don't need a contrived or forced lift. Maybe it's better to be recognized as an Artist, rather than a Woman artist.
Maybe the SWAN Day visual art celebration isn't needed since we are in every other show every month on Penn Ave.
And while some nneanderthals still drag thier feet, the over all movement is heading in the right direction.

Labels: art, feminism, galleries, gallery crawl., pittsburgh, sexism, swan day

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