Time Person of the Year, 2011, The Protester

Call it Zeitgeist, which according to Wiki is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."

Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.

The term is a loanword from German Zeit – "time" (English "tide" and "time") and Geist – "spirit" (English "ghost")

I've been watching the protests all over the world this year and thought this was a brilliant choice for the person of the year. 

I also thought it was interesting because of the painting I did earlier this year, "The Activist, The Incognito Project". Did my model and I tap into this Zeitgeist?

The Activist, The Incognito Project, 24x18, oil on panel

The Incognito Project is a collaborative effort between myself and my models where they choose to share their alter-egos or secret selves.

This model choose to be stripped of everything except those things most important to her.

My model is not getting tear gassed or pepper sprayed but in her own quiet way has shared her concerns with the world.

Here are a few other works from the contemporary art world, and about social concerns that I find thought provoking.

Graydon Parrish  -  The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy:  September 11, 2001  - 8 X 18 ft., oil on canvas

Carl Dobsky, The Lotos Eater, Oil on Linen, 24 x 60 inches, 2009 

Banksy

Banksy

War Protester Sign

Max Ginsburg, Torture Abu Ghraib, 46x32, oil on canvas, 2009  

Check out this photo essay portfolio of protesters from around the world by photographer Peter Hapak done for Time Magazine.

You can see a post with close-ups of The Activist, here.

And other posts about The Incognito Project here.

Miller Gallery - CONTEMPORARY REALISM: Invitational

I'm thrilled to have been invited to participate in this show! Cincinnati, OH. Shaping up to be a great looking exhibit.

These images are from the gallery's facebook fan page.
Opening Friday, September 30, 2011, 6-8 pm

The gallery is located at:
2715 Erie Avenue - Hyde Park Square
Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
phone-(513) 871-4420
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 10-5:30 / Thursday-Friday 10-8 / Saturday 10-5:30 / Sunday 10-2
Miller Gallery 

I have a monthly newsletter of show info, workshops, art tips. Interested in signing up for my email newsletter? You may Subscribe Here 

Romantic Realist, Really?

My work was featured on the ArtistADay website on July 16. It's been fun reading the comments by various viewers. A couple have mentioned Romantic Realism as a genre for my work. Curiosity piqued I turned to Google and Wiki for a quick definition. 

Ann Rand defined romantic realism as a portrayal of life "as it could be and should be." She wrote: "The method of romantic realism is to make life more beautiful and interesting than it actually is, yet give it all the reality, and even a more convincing reality than that of our everyday existence."

Today's realists have many modifiers attached as we and others try to categorize our work. Contemporary, Traditional, Social, Political, Hyper, Photo... If Romantic Realism means a love of beauty and discipline of technical skills then I'm fine with the label. Does it also include work of a conceptual and symbolic nature like my work? 

Considering the piece that is on my easel at the moment they may very well be right. This piece is in progress, 30x40, as yet untitled and is for my two-person show with Forrest Solis at Peterson-Cody Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, in November 2011.

I invite you to visit the ArtistADay website and rate my work by clicking on one of the boxes 1-5, five being the highest, You can also share that page with your facebook friends by clicking the like button under Share.

ArtistADay is available as a Google gadget for your Google home page. I have it on mine and enjoy seeing a new artist each day from all over the world.

Art Renewal Center's International Salon Awards

The Art Renewal Center's 2010-2011 International Salon honors have been announced. My paintings "Fast Lane" and "Voice of the Tiger" have been named finalists in the figure category, and my drawing "Mage" is a finalist in the drawing category. I'm honored to have my work included with such wonderful company!

"Fast Lane" can be seen at Peterson-Cody Gallery in Santa FE, NM, you can see my previous posts about this painting, here.

"Mage" can be seen at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA, my previous post about this painting may be viewed here.



"Voice of the Tiger" was sold through Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC, last year in association with the Women Painting Women show. 

Here's a short video of the painting in progress and details.

I have several previous posts about the WPW show.

Many thanks to the people at the Art Renewal Center for encouraging and celebrating realist art in the contemporary art scene.

"Mad Science" in Glass Garage Fine Art Gallery Show, The Machine in the Garden

"Mad Science" will be shown in Los Angeles, at Glass Garage Fine Art Gallery in West Hollywood.

The Machine in the Garden, An Experiment in the Steampunk Aesthetic Movement has been extended through September 26th. The show is "an expedition of Glass Garage Gallery artists into the retro-futurist hopes for a brighter yesteryear." "Mad Science" will be joining the wonderful work of Jerry Wayne Downs, Mikel Glass, Steven Kenny, Tristan Schane, Margo Selski and others.

 

The show is reviewed in ARTnews Magazine, September 09 issue. Richard Chang of ARTnews eloquently describes several works in the show and mentions a "strange mix of optimism, alienation, and nostalgia that animates the steampunk movement".


Steampunk as an aesthetic movement refers to art, speculative fiction or a certain science fiction, music, or fashion that emphasizes technology from the Victorian era. For it's history think HG Wells, Mark Twain, Mary Shelley and Jules Verne. One of the earliest manifestations was the TV show from the 60's The Wild Wild West.

It's a fantastical view of the world as if the past were imagining a future using technology from the Victorian era. Examples of movies that have a Steampunk attitude are Steamboy, Wild Wild West, City of Lost Children, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

"Mad Science" (19x24) is oil on canvas over panel and part of my Incognito Series. The series is an exploration of dreams followed and futures imagined.

It's an interesting idea to me that a costume can reveal OR disguise. These paintings are adventure and magic, a confiding of our secret selves. They are answers to the question "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Thanks to my husband, a great visionary, for being the mad scientist in the basement and inspiration for this painting.

Here are a few more details of the painting.


More details for The Machine in the Garden show or Glass Garage Fine Art Gallery   

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