Anthony Pearson @ Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago

While in town for a weekend to visit a good friend. We usually head over to Shane Campbell Gallery to check out what exhibition they have going on. The first time I went there it was Mark Grotjahn's first show there in 2011. Tremendous paintings BTW. We both walked out really pumped about the work and it made us both wanna go paint right after. The second exhibition was John McAllister in September 2012. Great new take on Matisse, we both had a lot of fun looking at these paintings. The third exhibition we saw was Jonas Wood in October 2013, and while it really wasn't my thing, my friend really enjoyed it.

Yesterday it was Anthony Pearson. An artists from LA who works in very new and interesting methods. Utilizing Pigmented hydrocal, which is a very hard plaster, he's able to make some super hard and heavy duty substrates which he then engraves into. The hours put into these really show in the work and attention to detail. We went from work to work, engaged in discussion how each might be constructed. Thankfully one of the Gallery assistants was happy to talk with us about the making of the art.  One thing he made sure to tell us was how heavy they were. Which to me is even cooler, to think he doesn't care about the weight, he cares more about the final artwork, really makes me enjoy the work even more. When you know an artist cares more about the art than how much materials it takes to make the artwork, you know they are very serious about their art. That tells me a lot about the person behind the work.

 Everyone has their favorites in each exhibition and this is my particular favorite.

Untitled (Etched Plaster), 2014
Pigmented hydrocal in walnut frame
30 1/2h x 20 1/2w x 2 1/4d in (77.5h x 52.1w x 5.7d cm) Check out the detail below...

I wish that if you had missed the exhibition, you would be able to visit, but I got there on the last day. It's probably being taken down as I write this. Just make sure that if another Anthony Pearson exhibition comes to your town...make a special trip. This is definitely new work that deserves to be taken very seriously.

Here are a few other pics of details from some of the other hydrocal works, you can see all the rest of the pics, courtesy of Shane Campbell Gallery on their website.

Tamaqua Artist in Residence....ME.

In April, I was informed that I am the first recipient of the Tamaqua Artist in Residence program in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. I get to go there on the 21st of June for three months, painting, painting, painting, is what I am supposed to be doing. I'm sure I'll be taking in all the sights of this wonderful city that I've been to a number of times. I was introduced to the city of Tamaqua by my friend Joseph Marioni. It was quite a few years ago that he told me he was moving to this city to have a better space to paint. He and his friend who later became my friend Stephen Bennett both got giant spaces out there and began making them their own. Just this year it was announced that there is now an AIR program there, so I applied and after a round of interviews, was announced that I will be the first Artist In Residence.

You can see it's a hilly town, lots of wonderful places to hike, and bike. It's also 2.5 hours away from NYC which makes it fantastic for the traveling person.

Here's the studio. Which is much bigger than my present studio by a factor of 10. With ample light to spare.

Here's the announcement on facebook telling people about me. Click to see a larger version.

I'll be compiling a strip bound diary book to showcase my first art residency. I'm putting them up as a campaign reward for an indiegogo fundraising campaign I am working on. It should end up looking something like this...

Thanks for your interest. Can't wait to share the first pics from my travels.

I'm also now in the process of raising funds to help make this residency a triumphant one. I can use all the help you can give. And I appreciate every bit. Please click the link to learn more.