Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Annus Mirabilis: A Retrospective of 2013

If there is one word I can use to describe 2013, it would be "dramatic." It's a fitting "third act" for the sequel to my first art book, Post-Consumerism. That's right, I didn't mention that I'm working on another book. This one is picking up where I left off, in the fall of 2010. It will catalog all the paintings I've done since then until now, and will chronicle the events in my life that inspired my work. And with 2013 being so eventful, my book will definitely have a very interesting and happy ending.



January

dsc_0420 for web


I started the year off completely immersed in a project. But it wasn't a visual art project. It was writing. I wrote a screenplay and then adapted it into a novel, returning to a story that I had abandoned long ago. And I used my desk at my studio as a writing space.

I also decided to try something new at my studio and serve fresh popcorn.





February


Fall in Love with Art 2013


The third annual Fall in Love With Art event was a lot of fun. People came and devoured the mini cupcakes.



March

March was a great month for Post-Consumerism. I had a solo show at the main branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Harold Washington Library on State Street.

my paintings at the library


I also had the honor of teaching some kids at the Chicago Children's Museum how to make art out of cardboard.



Remember Iris?






April

Chromatic Quilt-rotated3

In April I finally finished a piece I'd been tinkering with since 2012, Chromatic Quilt.




May

In May, I saw a great show at the MCA that really inspired me, Destroy the Picture.

Destroy The Picture at MCA Chicago - Lee Bontecou

Perhaps that was what inspired me to finish another piece I'd set aside for a while, a mini painting entitled Constellation.

Constellation

Kana and Constellation

Building upon the visual style and technique of Constellation, I created two new paint skin assemblages, Art Store and Art Supplies, companion pieces to Imperfect Things.





June

June was a very busy month for me because in addition to NeoCon, which I attend every year, I also had two art shows at The Double Door. And I was one of the featured artists during the grand opening of Gallery Bar.

#NeoConography
NeoCon

The RAW show at The Double Door

The Doll Project at the Gynaeceum show at The Double Door


Gallery Bar


I finally finished Color Cornucopia.



Color Cornucopia

It was also the month I decided to start showing classic TV shows about art at my studio.





July


In July, I went to the AFRICOBRA show at the Logan Center at my alma mater, University of Chicago. It was an amazing show.

light fixture, dining room, private residence

I also had the opportunity to return to the Merchandise Mart for some clients who wanted their dining room to have a stunning finishing touch.




August

In August, I completed two commissioned works: Violet Unfolding and Journey to You.

DSC09806-web

Journey to You

I saw the next installment of AFRICOBRA at the DuSable Museum of African-American history.

AFRICOBRA Show at DuSable Museum


I also  celebrated my third anniversary in the Fine Arts Building with a delicious chocolate raspberry cake at my August open studio.

DSC09817-web



September


In September I was too busy studying for Jeopardy! to get much else done, though I did make it to the Renegade Craft Fair and the Expo Chicago show at Navy Pier.




October

As soon as I got back from taping Jeopardy! in California, I had the opening reception for The Doll Project at the Adler School of Professional Psychology.



I spent much of October checking out work by other artists because it was Chicago Artists Month.

DSC08785



November

Having exhausted myself in October, I came down with pneumonia at the end of the month and had to take things easy for the first few weeks of November. But I did manage to go the the SOFA show at Navy Pier.

SOFA 2013

I also made a lot of Christmas ornaments.

handmade ornaments



December

December was a very exciting month. First, I got a chance to be featured in the Chicago Reader.


Since the end of September, I had felt like December would never come. Once it arrived, the wait was finally over and I could finally tell everyone about Jeopardy!


For those of you who missed it, here's a video of me playing my first game on YouTube:



And here is a post-game interview:




I also did one last painting for the year, Exotic Matter.

Exotic Matter

So after worrying that I wouldn't make any money, defaulting on my private student loans, having my car die on me twice (both times with the same painting in the back seat), and catching pneumonia, getting some publicity from the Chicago Reader and Jeopardy! made this year turn out so much better than I expected. While studying for Jeopardy! I decided to brush up on my Latin. (Sadly, I didn't get that category.) I came across a phrase I had forgotten, "annus mirabilis," which means "year of miracles." And that's what 2013 has turned out to be. I look forward to seeing what 2014 will bring. Happy New Year to all of you and thanks for reading my blog!

Monday, December 30, 2013

My next-to-last blog post of the year

Because I was studying for Jeopardy, I didn't get the chance to post about these shows when they were current. So now I belatedly bring you three great shows I went to in the fall: Maleness to Manhood at The South Side Community Art Center, Expo Chicago at Navy Pier, and The Renegade Craft Fair. And the Guerrilla Truck Show pictures I took got overlooked while I was uploading my photos from NeoCon, so I'm posting those, too.


Guerilla Truck Show

First I went to Packer Schopf Gallery since I passed it on the way to Fulton Market.

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show




I also checked out the Mars Gallery.

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show
Mars Gallery


Then I went to Fulton Market to see the trucks.

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

v2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show

2013 Guerrilla Truck Show



Maleness to Manhood

This powerful art show featured work by a large number of African-American male artists and addressed the many different issues they face in our current society.





Maleness to Manhood at South Side Community Art Center

Maleness to Manhood at South Side Community Art Center
Thomas Williams



Maleness to Manhood at South Side Community Art Center
Adam Guichard

Maleness to Manhood at South Side Community Art Center
Raymond Thomas

Maleness to Manhood at South Side Community Art Center
Clifton Henri





Renegade Craft Fair

As always, I went to the Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park and had a great time. I feel bad that I didn't write a post about it and all the great artists and crafters I saw there, but I don't even know what I did with all their business cards.


2013 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair

2013 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair

2013 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair

2013 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair

2013 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair




Expo Chicago

I really enjoyed the second annual Expo Chicago show at Navy Pier this year. It was such an inspiring experience. My apologies for not getting more of the names of the artists.

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 Expo Chicago Art Fair
Markus Linnenbrink
2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair


2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair


2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Howardena Pindell
2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Erika Rothenberg

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Josh Garber

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Louise Nevelson

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Roxy Paine

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Glenn Kaino

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
James Welling

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
William Artis

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Sargent Johnson

2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair
Charles Howard


2013 EXPO Chicago Art Fair




Fountain Art Fair

The Fountain Art Fair was a satellite fair of the Expo Art Fair, held at the new Mana Contemporary Studios building on Throop.

2013 Fountain Art Fair

2013 Fountain Art Fair

2013 Fountain Art Fair

2013 Fountain Art Fair

2013 Fountain Art Fair

2013 Fountain Art Fair

This interactive kinetic sculpture piece was sort of like a musical Rube Goldeberg device. Swinging on the swingset plays the instruments.


2013 Fountain Art Fair


They also have a nice little cafe in the building, which is good because there are so few restaurants nearby.

2013 Fountain Art Fair

Who knows, maybe I will get a studio there one day.