Wet canvas

(Unreal Spaces series)
48" x 60"

Well, I am only uploading the larger works. This is that big canvas i stretched a couple weeks ago.

The saints

Wet canvas

In the company of women

It was a good studio day. That means that I made progress on the above painting. I gessoed some small panels and did the underpaintings for four small works.

Also, I am preparing for an open studio in September. I've invited three other artists to bring work to my studio for the open studio, so I am clearing some shelves for display. I have been trying to put in about a half hour of putting things away every time I go to the studio.

So busy day...

Art & 'Tique on Hatfield

You know, I went to Art & Tique last weekend. I finally got the images off of my camera. I wish I could have stayed a little longer. I got to Hatfield just as most of the vendors were finishing setting up.

It was great day for it, too. Not to hot, considering that it's August, clear and sunny. A lot of the neighborhood was out All of the galleries on Hatfield had their doors open.

Wet canvas

In the company of women
30" x 24"

It was good studio day. I stretched two small canvases and gessoed a bunch of substrates.

Stinky's Bar and Grill

I have it on good authority that Stinky's is a pretty good neighborhood bar. It's on Hatfield Street in Lawrenceville.



I didn't realize that it was an Irish bar, though. Maybe they just borrowed Cigna's Blarney stone?

Heppenstall

I happened to have my camera with me on my way up Hatfield Street last weekend. Just another defunct steel mill, on the Allegheny in Pittsburgh.

In this case, they are tearing down the remains of the buildings.

Toxic Por Vida

The trip to Carrie Furnace last weekend was at turns arduous and anxious. It was a long walk, about a half hour. The site was obviously dangerous. Not a trip I would reccommed to anybody that was uninsured.
This was over a long, relatively low, structure just inside the fence. You know, I don't read or speak Spanish. So, just to make sure, I translated the above through an online dictionary. The direct translation is Toxic By Life. Was that the intention of the writer? I could be wrong, but I think the intention was Toxic For Life. As it stands, however, it raises more questions, intentional or unintentional.

As we began exploring the structure, we heard a shifting sound. Debris spilled onto the floor through the vented structure of the roof. There were a few places where the floor was unstable. We walked most of the length of the structure. Climbing out, we found ourselves below a platform that surrounded the furnaces. We climbed up through the drifted dirt and debris, pulling ourselves up onto the platform.

We found ourselves between the furnaces and a cavernous structure. The following slideshow is a slight glimmer of the site.

There is always some tribute to our hometown at these sites. Usually, it's yinz, yinzer or some reference to the steeler nation. Here it is at Carrie Furnace

Signs of life. There were Dragonflys all over the site. I thought it was odd. One of my companions felt that because of the proximity of the Monongehela, it should be expected.

I had posted some videos lats week. Here's the link.

I want to go back.

Wet canvas

It can't be just the heat; it was in the low 80's today. There was a nice breeze. Okay, it was really humid.

I fell asleep in my studio today >gasp<

Didn't get as much done as I wanted/needed to.

Next week - I will get something done.

Wet canvas

In the company of women

simultaneous with working on this piece, I have been constructing what, for me, is a large canvas. About 4' x 5'. I have a hand-held miter saw, which is slow work. Also, it's been really hot.

I finally got it stretched yesterday. The first coat of primer is on. On Friday, I will hopefully get it completely primed and will start painting next week.

Art & 'Tique on Hatfield

Hatfield Street Fair
At least 20 local businesses and artists from the Lawrenceville area will come together on one block for one day to showcase all that Lawrenceville has to offer in a block party setting. "Art & 'Tique on Hatfield" will be held on August 18, from 11AM to 5PM, rain or shine, and is free to the public. The location of the "festival" is between the 4700 and 4800 block of Hatfield Street(one block off of Butler). There will be fine art, antiques, clothing, food, music, and live performances.

"Art & 'Tique on Hatfield" is a collaboration between the Hatfield Street Galleries which is comprised of 4 galleries located on Hatfield Street: DNA Blue Collar, Society for Cultural Exchange, Trinity Gallery, and Zombo Gallery. It is a grass roots effort to unite community, commerce, and art.

For more information, contact Dan Gaser at 412-687-2458 or email at imdan@verizon.net

Survey show @Digging Pitt

Inside Out Six: Selections from the Flat Files
I've been meaning to post about this show for a while now. I though I'd better get it up now, since the exhibit will be closing on Saturday, August 18.

JohnFobes' pinhole photography and Jon Lewis' work is very eerie, but still gives me an opportunity to create my own narrative. I really appreciate that aspect of these works. Eric Stern's work is always interesting, with its emphasis on calligraphy, adding visualization to definition, connotation and combustion.

The exhibit has a nice range of mediums and aesthetics. There are more artists; you should check it out before it comes down.

John Fobes
Eric Stern
Jon Lewis
Inside Out Six: Selections from the Flat Files
Digging Pitt Gallery
MySpace
Pittsburgh Arts - Digging Pitt Gallery
4417 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
p 412.605.0450
f 412.605.0451 Gallery Hours
TH 12 - 9
FR 12 - 7
SA 11 - 7
SU 11 - 7

Carrie Furnace

A little background about Carrie Furnace,

From Wikipedia - Carrie Furnace is a derelict structure which exists across the Monongahela river from Munhall and Homestead, Pa. It had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1908 and they operated until 1978. All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, along with the hot metal bridge.

From Rivers of Steel - Built in 1907, the furnaces produced iron for the Homestead Works from 1907 to 1978. During the 1920s, 1930s,and 1940s, Carrie 6 and 7 consumed approximately four tons of raw materials comprised of iron ore, coke, and limestone for every ton of iron produced. The cooling system for the blast furnace required over five million gallons of water a day. These furnaces reached their peak production in the 1950s and 1960s when they were producing 1000 -1250 tons of iron a day.

A couple of clips from my day trip there. I wish I could include the smell. More to come, once I have sorted through all of the images.

Now showing @Trinity Gallery

Microcosmonaut/Cityscapes & Escapes
Kevin Clancy and Marty Ressler.
Trinity Gallery

I'm glad I made an effort to get into Trinity Gallery today. The current exhibits are worth the effort. Kevin Clancy, the Microcosmonaut exhibit, had some stunning work on display. Meditation on a line was intriguing, with its layers of cut paper. Keep an eye open for him in the upcoming Blogger Show.

In contrast to the internal dialog that Kevin Clancy shows in his work, Marty Ressler had these timeless Pittsburgh cityscapes. The paintings capture the unchanging character of some of Pittsburgh's older neighborhoods, with the row houses and the brick work.

Trinity Gallery has expanded its gallery space, adding a graceful room. Dan Gaser's photographs are featured in this new space. I got a fairy nice long-shot of his installed works, but the cyanatypes that are on the far right wall are among my favorite works by this artist. Well, at least I can provide a link to his other photographic works.


Kevin Clancy - Meditation on a line
Kevin Clancy - Bifurcation of the indivisible ego
Marty Ressler - Morning on Holmes Street
Photographs by Dan Gaser
Microcosmonaut/Cityscapes & Escapes
Kevin Clancy and Marty Ressler.
Trinity Gallery
8/5/2007 through 9/15/2007
4747 Hatfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Phone: (412) 687-2458
Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
By appointment

Alix @drink and draw

Our lovely model,Alix the amazing grey parrot, did a marvelous job on Tuesday night at brillobox's drink and draw.

Next up, Mark and his cast of characters, August 21, 6-9PM

Get on the email list for updates or join us on MySpace!

Wet canvas

In the company of women

Welcome to my neighborhood

Yes, well, the following was in my MySpace bulletins. The bulletin came from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, who also have a MySpace page --

We are writing you today to promote a new semi-annual event in Downtown Pittsburgh: 30 Below, a showcase of artists all age 30 or under. This is no ordinary art exhibit, but instead, an engaging week of exhibition and events that will attract a variety of ages to the downtown area. We are working to make this exhibit an exciting new attraction for the Pittsburgh art community.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

Thank you!

Kaitlyn Wittig
Curator
724. 689. 3652

Emily Fear
Assistant Curator
412. 302. 9119

I'm not quite sure where they are coming from with this under-thirty thing. It's not like the under-30 crowd is under-represented in the downtown exhibition spaces. Future Tenant, for instance, is even run by college students. And the downtown gallery crawl is definitely geared to that age group. All you have to do is stand on the sidewalk outside any of the venues and you can partake of under-30, age-appropriate music. In fact, the entire event seems to be geared to lure the perceived evasive young hipster to the downtown scene.

Can you spell a-g-e-i-s-m?

Arts in educational settings

The New York Times previewed Project Zero's new book yesterday. The book, due for release soon, challenges the notion that arts education increases student academic achievement. What might be more accurate is to say that the benefits of arts education lie in other areas, and is related to quality of life issues.

In their view art education should be championed for its own sake, not because of a wishful sentiment that classes in painting, dance and music improve pupils’ math and reading skills and standardized test scores. (You can read the article here.)

Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland of Project Zero have a very good point. If it is desirable to increase proficiency in math, why not have more math studies? They seem to be championing art for its own sake instead of as academia's lame sister.

I have worked in arts education projects and community art projects for a number of years in several capacities. And you know? I can't really say what the long-term impact of these projects are. Typically, my contact with students is pretty much one-time only. I don't receive reports on changes in the students' achievement.

I think that where artists can contribute in educational settings is in projects that demonstrate synthesis. Arts studies can demonstrate the application of abstract knowledge. This type of project leadership is rarely undertaken, however. It can be complex to administrate. It is difficult to demonstrate the outcomes.

Wet canvas

24" x 30"
In the company of women

SNOWBLIND @SPACE

There's a really amazing collaborative work included in the SNOWBLIND exhibit at SPACE in downtown. If you can make it down to see the exhiibit, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

With the exception of some large works on paper, most of the works were small scale. The installation was pretty good, especially the large number of panels that comprise change of address.

July 27 - September 15,2007
SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
phone 412.325.7723
SNOWBLIND
Guest-curated by Thad Kellstadt

Work by Heidi Anderson, Corey Antis, Chad Gordon, Christopher Herron and Josh Tonies.


A collaborative work by Chad Gordon, Christopher Herron and Josh Tonies - change of address

The following three images are detail panels from change of address




Christopher Herren - zectar 87 an akapoo (detail of dyptych)

Heidi Anderson - Tattoo Face

New work

Pencil on charred paper