Two opening receptions in one day!

Today I was in attendance (briefly) for two art shows that officially opened today -- The 21st Annual Exhibit of The National Arts Program® for Greater Hartford and Middlesex County, at Capital Community College in Hartford, CT; and the 33rd Annual Salon des Independents at Hygienic Art, New London, CT.



Two of my works, You Taste Like Memories (bottom left) and Chasm (upper right), in the Hartford show.


The opening reception for the Hartford show was in the early afternoon, but I didn't stay for long, since I had to run down to New London to get my painting set up for that show; space there is limited and is first-come, first-served.




I brought my painting, I Am the Blood, to Hygienic this year.  Wasn't able to stay for the opening reception, which didn't start til 8 PM, but I had a chance to see a lot of the art.



I took quite a few photos today, which can be viewed via the slideshows listed below.
(Or, click here and here if the embedded slideshows don't work for you)

This weekend, weather permitting...

On Saturday, January 29, 2011, I will once again be returning to Hygienic Art in New London for their annual Salon des Independants show (which I've mentioned in the past).

From the event description:

The Hygienic Art XXXII Salon des Independents will open on January 29 at 8pm at the Hygienic Art Galleries at 79 Bank Street in Downtown New London. Sign-in and hanging begins that day at 8am and runs to 6pm. The show is open to all artists, everyone is welcome. The exhibition is well-known for its diverse original art ranging from the sublime to the outrageous. We hope you'll join us by submitting a piece! See you at Hygienic!

This year, I'll be submitting my painting Divulsus (which has been collecting dust on my desk for awhile now) -- unless it sells on Etsy before this weekend, haha.

(detail)

(detail)

Now I finally know what this installation is...

A little over a year ago, when I entered my painting All Loveliness Is Anguish into Hygienic Arts' 2009 Salon des Independants, I took a picture of an installation on a nearby building (with my crappy phone-camera), and at the time I had no idea what it was.

Earlier today, however, I came across an article on Connecticut news site, TheDay.com, about the very same installation:

New London - Two years ago, in a moment of artistic inspiration, Jesse Goode poured orange urethane foam down the side of a vacant upholstery shop on Bank Street and created a community discussion on art and aesthetics.

The Blob, as the abstract mass became known, generated enthusiastic conversation, became a mini tourist draw, inspired a downtown movie night, and was briefly considered for a seat on the City Council.

On Tuesday, 18 months later than originally scheduled, the artwork will come down.

"Although it is impossible to remove the Blob's Spirit from New London folklore, I will be removing the sculpture,'' Goode wrote to friends and supporters on Friday.
At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday he will begin uninstalling the sculpture.

Read the rest of the article here, if you are so inclined:

http://www.theday.com/article/20100403/NWS01/304039884

Exciting news - 'Last' has found a buyer

I received a phone call from someone at Hygienic Art early yesterday afternoon to tell me that my painting, Last, had sold! I don't know who the buyer is yet, but the gallery will mail me that information along with the check. Exciting!

Not only am I happy that it sold.. but I am relieved I don't have to trek back out to New London to pick it up, haha.

Last - on display at Hygienic Art

More details as they emerge!

SATURDAY, SATURDAY, SATURDAY

No judge, no jury, no fees — no problem for Hygienic XXXI

The no-holds-barred art show will begin its exhibit and yearly festivities Saturday in downtown New London

...Read the rest of the article here.

Oh, and by the way. Here are a few crappy phone pics of the piece I'll be entering.

Higher-res pics soon!

Hygienic Art XXXI - Salon des Independants

In just two weeks, on January 30, 2010, Hygienic Art XXXI - Salon des Independants will kick off in New London, CT.

More info, from the Hygienic Art website:

January 30, 2010 at the Hygienic Galleries in New London, Connecticut. Modeled after the Salon des Indépendants held annually in Paris since 1884, New London’s outsider art event is open to all artists. The rules are simple: one piece per artist; no judge, no jury, no fees, no censorship.

The Salon des Indépendants movement was created by French Impressionists who were not accepted into the established Salon of the late 19th Century. To protest the rigid arts establishment, these artists exhibited their works in cafés in the seamy sections of Paris. This revolutionary movement included notable characters such as Van Gogh, Matisse, Munch, Rousseau, Cézanne, Modigliani among others. The intent of the artists (and that of Hygienic Art) was to create an artistic event without jury or reward so that all forms of expression and trends in the art of the moment would have a chance to be presented to the public without restriction.

In that spirit, all artists are welcome to submit one piece of their work for the public’s consideration. Sign-in and hanging begins on Saturday, January 30 at 8am and runs until 6pm. The exhibition opens to the public at 8pm that night. The show runs through Saturday, February 13. Art pick-up is on Sunday, February 14th beginning at Noon.

The exhibition is well known for its diverse original art ranging from the sublime to the outrageous. Over its 30 year history, the annual art extravaganza has grown from an anti-establishment visual art show to an anti-establishment multi-media art event including film making, performance art as well as a young artists’ show and musical events. Call (860) 444-6855 for more info.

I will be submitting a piece this year, naturally. I will post pictures and more information soon. If you're in the CT/New England area and would like to meet up for this event, let me know!

My painting in the 2009 Salon des Independants @ Hygienic Arts in New London

At the last minute, I decided to enter a piece in the 30th annual Salon des Independants at Hygienic Art in New London, CT. I started a new painting, but hated how it was coming out, so I then finished a painting I had started for last year's Salon but never got around to finishing.

[* I entered a different painting last year, which didn't sell, & I forgot to pick it up, so I have no idea what happened to it... I have no pictures of it or any other record of it, unfortunately. I could have SWORN that I blogged about the experience, but I can't find a post anywhere in any of my past journals... argh]

My entry for 2009:

Title: All Loveliness Is Anguish
Year: 2008/2009
Dimensions: 11 in. X 14 in.
Media: Acrylic on canvas.

Here's a bit more information about the event:

Hygienic Art, Inc. was created as an incorporated structure in the fall of 1979, when artists employed by a federal Comprehensive Education and Training Act (CETA) grant decided, as a final project, to hold an outsiders' art festival. The show was modeled after the "Salon des Independants," a late 19th century art movement in Paris in which artists had protested the aristocracy by exhibiting their works in cafes located in the 'seamy' areas of the city. The artists in those exhibitions gave rise the the great French Impressionist movement.

The exhibition was presented at the Hygienic Restaurant, New London's only 24 hour eatery, which had been open since 1919. The rules were simple; no judge, no jury, no fees, no censorship, one piece per artist and all were welcome. The show was an immediate success and the Hygienic Art Exhibition became an annual creative arts festival, attracting over 450 artists and an audience of thousands...

...The show has moved around over the years taking root at a pizza joint, rock clubs and other historic sites around the city. Wherever the people were the art was hung. Andn there was a lot of art (last year nearly 500 showed their work) and lots of people to take it in (the show, fondly dubbed New London's only Winter Tourist Attraction, averages more than 3000 visitors on its opening night alone).

Everything changed in 2000 when Hygienic Art, Inc., the non-profit organization formed to oversee the show annually, made a bold move to save the historic Hygienic Restaurant building which was quickly sliding down a path to demolition in the name of redevelopment. The building was purchased, rehabilitated and now houses the Hygienic Galleries as well as a Cooperative of developing artists. Hygienic Art soon took aim at the property next door, a vacant dirt lot, and built the iconic Art Park which now plays host to music, theatre and other community events.

(Above excerpts taken from the Hygienic XXX Collectors Program)

Design: Karli Hendrickson

I arrived at around 4:30 pm, hung my piece, then wandered the space for awhile, checking out all the other art.

My painting on display (I was entry #502):

The official opening was at 8 pm, and since we had time to kill, my friend & I decided to have dinner at the little bistro across the street, Brie & Bleu.

We had originally intended to just order something small, but ended up getting a bunch of stuff to share, it was so difficult to choose! We started with the Tuscan white bean spread with toasted baguette slices, then added the Antipasto plate, which included mixed olives, prosciutto, and cheeses (brie, a 5-year Gouda, & Blue Stilton); my friend ordered the soup of the day, which was a hearty chicken tortilla; I had one of the daily specials, fish tacos (blue corn tortilla, shredded cabbage, white fish & some kind of creamy sauce) with a side of pico de gallo & rice. We also ordered a bottle of wine recommended by our server -- the Don Ramon 2006. After dinner, we lingered for a bit, my friend got a coffee and we shared a chocolate pot d’crème garnished with sliced strawberry.

We wandered back to the gallery for awhile longer, but it had gotten REALLY crowded so we didn't stick around -- there was literally no room to walk around by the time we left.

A few examples of the work on display:

(click the photos for artist information)

[The piece on the right reminds me of a sculpture by Tim Noble & Sue Webster called Pink Narcissus; my friend Dekka Raymaker recently posted 2 pics of it on his photostream --
flickr.com/photos/dekka_raymaker/3233845803/
flickr.com/photos/dekka_raymaker/3237110310/ ]

For more pictures from the gallery, please click here to see the rest of the photoset. This is not a comprehensive collection of the work on display by any means (there were well over 500 pieces); I don't have a good camera (only my cellphone), so I simply took pictures of the ones I liked best to remember them.

If my painting doesn't sell, I have to go back in about two weeks to retrieve it -- I hope I remember to this time!