The Trip to Istanbul has been postponed

Due to circumstances beyond the control of the curators of the 4th installment of the Kuf/Mold exhibition, the project has been delayed until next September 2011. As in 2007, it will coincide with the Istanbul Biennial. There is some talk that the project might be included in the Biennial itself, which would be very exciting. I still plan on participating, which has been aided by the support of all those who supported my Open Studio event of the past summer. I will keep you posted on updates and developments of this project.

Open Studio Event

Here are some photos of the Open Studio event held on Saturday, July 24th, 2010. In spite of the heat, we were pleased that many people braved the heat. Big thanks for coming out everyone!

(Photos clockwise from top left - Manuela and friends, Lottie Leymarie and Jeph Gurecka checking out some art by Manuela Paz)

Some drawings by Sheila Ross. Mustafa Atakay and Manuela Paz enjoying some mojitos.

Lukas and Derek Yilmaz are all smiles after Lukas purchased a DOG Y C T-shirt.

SNEAK PEEK

Tomorrow is the Open Studio Event. I have posted two images of a series of paintings and an installation of drawings. Enjoy the preview of the Open Studio event. Hope to see you there! I bought an A/C so at least we will survive the heat.

One week before the Open Studio

Still working on this series of paintings, but decided to lay them out on the wall, in preparation of the open studio event next Saturday. I like the paintings more than the drawings. For some reason the paintings are coming together much faster than the works on paper. I have no idea why the paintings have been easier to resolve and feel "fresher" than the works on paper. My theory is that since working on panel is a "new" format for my work, perhaps I am working more freely with it.

I am curious about what the reception will be about the paintings. Someone asked me yesterday what kind of work I do. I said I am a sculptor primarily, which take form most often as drawing based installations, but lately I have been making a lot of painting. About the event next Saturday, July 24th, there has been some confusion whether it is going to actually be a real or just virtual event. My studio mate Manuela Paz and I are going to be hosting an actual event from 4pm - 7pm. 255-266 Calyer Street in Greenpoint Brooklyn. 3rd floor. We hope to see you there!

Some new work

I am posting a few new works (still in progress) on panel and paper. These are a few of my favourites. While I have been working with traditional "wet" media for years, including ink, flashe, acrylic, casein, and watercolour paints for years, this is the first time in almost 20 years that anything has come to fruition on either canvas or panel. Seems that my early training as a painter has returned!

All works are currently untitled and are on panel except for the yellow image at the bottom. They are all acrylic, mixed media on panel and are quite small scale ranging from about 6" - 15" in height and roughly the same in width. More details when works are complete.

Drawings in Progress

Here is a quick snap of a drawings series that has been in progress for more than a month. As the drawings are created from layers of paint, collaged elements such as tape and contact paper, it is often very slow going. This series is slowly coming together and should be complete for the upcoming Open studio event.

DOG Y C at art sites gallery in Riverhead, New York

On June 19, 2010, I participated with Laura Ten Eyck, my ongoing collaborative partner in the second annual Peconic River Day event at art sites gallery with collaborative project DOG Y C. Check out the images of the installation, which was combrised of multiple tents, including a variety of tent shelters designed specifically for dogs!

View from my Roof

While my view out my studio window looks east on onto the street, this is the incredible view I have from the roof of my building looking west at Manhattan. It would be a great place to watch the July 4th fireworks. I doubt I would get much done if I could stare at this view all day long. Somehow the Manhattan skyline never gets old. Perhaps with such a view, it might even influence my work. In 1998, I had a studio on West 29th street and 6th Avenue with views of many water towers. Guess who was making images of water towers?

Random Drawings on my Table

Studio Shot on a hot June day

Welcome to my blog about my studio and my art. The main reason I decided to create this blog was so I could quickly post works in progress, new work, post announcements and generally disseminate information about my art much more quickly than I am currently able with my website, and other modes of sending out information. I also look forward to posting info about other things going on in NYC, including other events, exhibitions I have seen and some of my own musings about them.

You will be able to see my process, works in progress and my work in a way that would not normally be posted on a formal website. In this post, I am sharing a snap of my studio on a particular day. My studio is in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which is quite convenient to where I live. In the background is Kiosk drawing completed in 2003 and a mock up of Lilliput installation. My space is surprisingly quite tidy. Generally when I really get working, it is controlled chaos at best. Shortly, I will post another shot, to give you another snap shot of a day in my life as an artist in New York.

Exterior shot of my studio