Be careful sometimes you get what you ask for!

Good problems to have!

For the past several months I have been applying for public art events and projects. After a good 20 rejections I received an a acceptance phone call and email of a show in 6/8 and 6/9 Pittsburgh PA.  Great news and finally the validation as I have to admit I was getting frustrated with the rejections and took a brake from applying the past few weeks.

However the problem is that I have a solo show the day before that weekend on 6/7.  This obviously puts me at a situation where I would have to fly out sometime right after my show (including the art).  This of course is the small problem the biggest problem is getting out there!

At this point I was expecting a trip anywhere so a plane ticket is not in the budget.  But that doesn’t matter because I need to find away to get to the show as I feel the exposure, experience, and event can help further my career.

After brainstorming all weekend I have no idea how to make this work financially.  I found a place that I could stay and could potentially send my art to early (if I use different art from my solo show) I can’t end up rejecting my first acceptance.   None the less its good news and a victory!!!

 

Maze-ing Summer

 

Took a few weeks off from drawing and the blog but hope to get back into the swing of things.  I have two solo shows I’m preparing for over the summer and hope to generate a lot of interest in Colorado for my work.

Another cool thing that happened is that the Washington Redskins are going to use one of my mazes for an activity book that they distribute to the D.C. area.  It will be in 300k books so that will definitely gain exposure.

Fresh start to the summer!

 

 

 

I wanted to share an interview I had with a local (Denver) magazine.  I also secured a gallery for two solo shows this summer and with 2-3 fairs I look forward to the exposure.

On an icy Denver evening in the dead of winter, I was welcomed into the warm and bustling home of an artist named Warren Stokes.  As his three boys sat around eating dinner, the boys’ mother—Stokes’ college sweetheart—apologized for their house not being tidy. She mentioned that they would be moving at the end of the week. Blown away by a family that would invite me into their home, at dinnertime, on moving week, immediately set the tone for the interview—these were some seriously kind people.

As Stokes and I settled onto the living room floor, we began talking about everything from his artwork to how he met the beautiful mother of his children, Shana.Stokes’ incredible passion and charisma was instantly clear. And I was hardly surprised when he mentioned his sons as his biggest source of inspiration.

Visit http://303magazine.com/2013/04/maze-ing-warren-stokes/ to read the rest of the interview.

Serenity’s Piece

As I mentioned a few months ago my friend Serenity who has cancer put on an art show to raise funds for her medical expenses.  Here is the piece I did for her.  She likes dolphins, butterflies and hearts.  So I tried to incorporate all of them into a single maze and make it work.  Not my best work but I have to say that the attempt really sparked a change in my work.

The past two mazes I shared were completed after this one.  And I can see in my work more of a story vibe to each maze.  This maze that took a lot longer than usual was the first attempt to the new direction that my art is taking.

Practice pays off!

Practice pays off.

 

 

After doing this maze I figured out my fear of using colors is over.  I could have done better but I like what color does to the maze and how it can help tell a story and add a mood.  I realize I could use some help in the color coordinating department but mazes aren’t built in a day.

The piece is called Freedom by Death and tells a story of the middle passage.  What I like about this maze is that I have been trying to figure out a way to almost create a comic strip setting in mazes that tell a story in one image.  I feel like I accomplished that with this maze.