First pour.

Here are some images from our first pour here.

the gap widens

So that gap is going to stretch into January. (Drag) I am having a show At kaiku gallery in February so we are doing a low temp melt in december for bronze and aluminum. The school wishes to maintain resin bonded sand which is cool, I have tracked down sand, (expensive) chemicals (also expensive) and Made flasking materials and other tools from scrap wood and metal lying around. I am going to buy a bag ofbentonite in december for green sand to meet the environmental criteria. During the down time, I have been up to some other nonsense, taking a play from the Stuart Kent Playbook and Carving some wood (a first for me) and helping some students disassemble a car for their steel project. It is worth mentioning that the work is entirely theirs. I was just the metals lecturer. It was lots of fun helping them though.

The fantasy comes to life.

So remember when I promised that I would keep folks up to date on my goings on? Hmm yeah, I meant like every two months. But here is a torrent of posts to keep things up to date. The school, is KuvA, www.kuva.fi, here is a picture of that.

Once we arrived, everyone has been awesome, and they showed me to the foundry (or what was to become the foundry) sadly it had been a carving studio and junk pile before that. here is what it looked like.

From there, I started the massive overhaul of the facilites and it turns out that there was a foundry under all that rubble, at least parts of one. With a bit of building and determination, we were able to get things up to snuff and ready to start.

adly, then the school came across a major budget shortfall. Things are all put on hold until that can be Ironed out.

Forum box

The Forum Box is currently showing work by Turku Artist, Hannakaisa Oksane. The Majority of the work is scululptural in nature, featuing several wall pieces reminicent of painting. Using wood as a primary material, the artist has developed a cohesive body of work, involving thread or sewing technique as the primary form of joinery. The work relies heavily on contextual reference inherent in the materials. Wood and twine used for the most part to create abstract often explosive forms, some of which allude to themes of femininity or domestic discontent through the loaded imagery (dresses, Needles etc.)

For the most part the strength of the show is in the abstract sculptures, pieces like Uhka, an urchin of wooden steaks, precariously balanced and restrained with what remains of the hook from an old chain fall.

The majority of the two dimensional pieces reiterate the what the artist is doing with the three dimensional work, and while fine aesthetically, the ideas work much better off the walls.

The stand out in the show for me is the piece Pieli Nelua. A needle and thread whittled from wood, this work combines the materialistic and conceptual themes of the exhibit, while presenting them in a starkly different manner than the other work on display.

Suomessa

So here we are. things are good so far. The persons at the Fulbright center were spectacular. Things are being worked out as far as space for the fall and there is room already for the foundry work to begin. Sadly, that room is currently filled with crap which will need to be removed and sorted out before we are able to really start building. There is a plan to have courses ready to teach some time in the end of November perhaps, we will have to see how it goes. Beyond that, there are phenomenal studio spaces her and i am excited to begin working. There is a possibility of a show here in the spring, which I am excited about.

Helsinki is a beautiful city. There are parks and trees everywhere and we have yet to find an area which is not immediately accessible by rail, bus or bike. Very modern, in fact it often feels like we are a few years in the future when we are walking around here.

The language is tough, but we are trying our best to muscle through it. I am hoping to be on point when Christmas comes around, but we will see.

Severna park to centreville to JFK to Rekjavik to Helsinki

Thats the itinerary. We are on the jersey turnpike right now. Did you know that they sell NJ turnpike memorabilia? I was going to buy a sweatshirt but they were sold out. Hot item with the tourists I suppose. What else besides your shoes smelling like gas could you possibly want for a souvenir of your trip through ( or to ) the garden state. 

The weather says it is in the 60's in Helsinki and I feel like winter will be coming on pretty quickly after we arrive. We have some fancy things to attend at first and some basics to sort out, the real work begins next week. Probably coming up next the list of things I will/ won't miss while abroad this time. Most likely from the plane. 

Remember 2003?

http://www.ginandtacos.com/2010/08/16/a-very-special-time-warp-fjm/

And we are back.

So we are back online, It has been a while since I posted anything but pics and announcements. Sorry about that. The story is that I have been awarded a Fulbright grant and am moving to Helsinki for a year, starting next week. As such I will be falling out of the DC and baltimore scene.

Either way there is a lot of things that I have been up to. And my goal is to keep everyone that reads up to date with posts similar to the last time I was abroad.

One I have been in several shows, Most notably Art Scouts Curated by many, but it was Sculptor Mary Early who brought me on board for the show. The work by all the curators is really fantastic, and if you have a chance this weekend to go and see it before It comes down give it a look. Also noteworthey Of Itself, Curated by JT Kirkland at the athenaeum. Here is a brief review.

Beyond that, I am now married, and am very excited to be making my way back into the studio in the coming weeks. The blog is going to expand in format, and I am really hoping that it will be kept more up to date. Ok great.

School 33 May 14- June 5 2010

OOps!

I am sorry if this has been a total drag to read for all these years. I have been a total complainer. What a drag. Sorry. Life is awesome again .

Hamiltonian Artists MArch 27th

New Work:  Katherine Mann, Michael Enn Sirvet & Christian Benefiel Opening Saturday, March 27, 2010, 7-9 pm Hamiltonian Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works byHamiltonian Fellows Katherine Mann, Michael Enn Sirvet and Christian Benefiel. In moments both subtle and cacophonous, each artist reflects on often-overlooked nuances in their environments in which they live and environments created through their work. Katherine Mann's paintings take the viewer into wildly vivid landscapes that teeter between recognizable matter and abstraction.  Mann initiates her paintings with pours of ink and paint and creates a colorful base of blobby stains bleeding into one another.  On top sit carefully    rendered shapes, outlined drips and structures that form interlocking systems.  Mann elegantly overflows her paintings with ambiguous forms, which recall elements found in the sea, in the sky, and under the microscope, yet remain unidentifiable. Katherine Mann relates this poetic smash-up of incongruous pieces to her own life of heterogeneity. Shingled cherry-wood plates umbrella out into an imposing conical shape,which gracefully hangs from the gallery ceiling.  Nature is the source of wonderment and inspiration for Michael Enn Sirvet'sabstracted, archetypal sculptures.  In his newest work, Sirvet creates structures on a scale relatable to one's own body through forms that suggest a human-sized cocoon, a gigantic seedpod, or represent the feeling of wind enveloping the body.  Sirvet observes and restructures nature in his work to relay to the viewer his sense of reverence for nature. Christian Benefiel literally draws from his environment by implementing reclaimed and recycled materials and parts made from disassembled, mass-produced, low quality construction debris.  By recontextualizing machine-made products, Benefiel imbues them with the essence of specialized labor and craft of building.  Benefiel's assemblages physically engage the viewer to be more hands-on, which reflects his sincere nostalgia for a more authentic, handcrafted, production industry. This exhibition will run from March 27 - May 1, 2010, with an opening reception onSaturday, March 27, 2010, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.   Please contact Hamiltonian Gallery Director Jacqueline Ionita with all inquiries.  202.332.1116, Jackie [@]hamiltoniangallery.com

Hamiltonian Artists Hamiltonian Gallery 1353 U Street, NW Suite 101 Washington, DC  20009 202.332.1116 www.hamiltonianartists.org www.hamiltoniangallery.com

coming up

Hello all, 

I  Hope that you have all are digging your way  out of winter. Here are two shows that i am in this weekend, the First is in Chicago IL, so if you are out there, please stop in and check it out. Opening is this Friday from 6-9 at the ARC gallery, 832 W superior #204, Chicago IL. There are a lot of works in this show, and I have a small rust piece. 

Also I am going to be a part of the Microwave project at the G40 art summit in Crystal City VA on Saturday. 

http://microwaveproject.org/section/149155_project_2_G40.html

I hope to see you out at the openings, But if you miss them both shows run through the end of March.

I will be sending out another announcement soon about spring events. 

ok great, hope all is well 

xnb

Dear Art Enthusiasts, 
 
Get inspired for spring at ARC Gallery Friday March 5, from 6-9 pm by attending the "Materiality," Opening Reception. A vibrant display of colors, textures, and innovative concepts around materials comes just in time for the sun to start shining and the birds to start chirping! 

Here's a sneak peak of the exhibit:http://bit.ly/MaterialityExhibitARC
 
See you there! 
 
The ARC Membership

_________________________________
 
Exhibition Dates:  March 3-28, 2010
 
Opening Reception:  Friday March. 12th, from 6-9 pm

Gallery hours:  Wed.-Sat. 12-6 pm, and Sun. 12-4 pm

ARC Gallery Juried Exhibition: "Materiality" 
 
View Photo Album of Exhibit:http://bit.ly/MaterialityExhibitARC
 
ARC is proud to be hosting "Materiality," a group exhibition juried by Jeanne N. Long, Independent Curator and Associate Director of Special Exhibitions at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  The exhibition explores the place of material in contemporary art practice, encouraging innovative approaches to working with material-including but not limited to traditional domestic crafts, fibers, building materials, found objects, trash, etc. Immateriality is defined as having no consequence, and history often grouped craft, low-art, and the feminine as such. As the do it yourself aesthetic hits mainstream and the processes of the feminine domestic are re-invented into social activism, bricoleurs (matter makers) are at the forefront. So what is materiality in the 21st century? Artists will examine not only the value of material and its uses, but the meaning within formal, social, political, or ecological contexts.
 
List of Exhibitors:
 
Caroline Anderson
Kristina Bell DiTullo
Christian Benefiel
Elisa Berry
Carrie Betlyn-Eder
Peter Bullock
Michael Cain
Susan Case
Cassie Christenson-Edwards
Candace Downing
Emily Eakes
Liz Ensz
Firat Erdim
Kristina Estell
Carrie Fucile
Faith Hagenhofer
Hyeon Jung Kim
Julia Kemerer
Kristi Kohut
Julie Kornblum
Carrie Larson
Elizabeth Leal
Kelly McCafferty
Darcy Meeker
Jason Meyer
Claire Micklin
Sarah Nishiura
Ken O'Toole
Marcy Pope
Renee Prisble Una
Kerianne Quick
Cheri Reif Naselli
Linda Robinson Gordon
Naomi Schliesman
Anne Spence
Susan Springer Anderson
Olivia Valentine
Georgina Valverde
Niles Wallace
Cheryl Wassenaar
Nicki Werner
Jeff and Sabrina Williams
Fo Wilson
Brian Yates
 
The Materiality Exhibit runs from March 3-28, 2010. Don't miss it! 

Open studio and then on the road.

Stimulus. Response.

Mouth activated inflatable sculpture.

more hot cheddar

Nearly frozen

cool winter hot plaid

VSC Sculpture

Green beforegreen was cool

Natural maple syrup!

Studio day three : inflatable inflated wood glued.

Day 2- extra sharp cheddar

Vermont Studio Center

So I am in Johnson VT doing a mini residency at the Vermont Studio Center, and it is pretty cool so far. I am doing some inflatable work and Am trying to sort something out working with the snow. I am going to try to keep this up to date with Daily photo posts. Either way Thanks for looking out.

Studio Day one at move in.

End of Day one