MartinJon

Tacqueria Nieva

2012-01-21T08:59:00.001-06:00

Chicago Snow, originally uploaded by MartinJon.

Glenn Wexler at the Elmhurst Museum

2012-01-09T07:20:00.001-06:00

Glenn Wexler is an artist of light, shadow and graphics. Having always been an admirer of the work he does I thought I would post a few pictures from his recent show at the Elmhurst Art Museum

As you can see, Glenn is interested in what is between the lines, squeezed in the cracks and crevases of our subconcience. He exposes the light from within, and with a solid understanding and an intimate relationship with asian cultures Glenn is able to allow his works to be, without burdening them with overindulgent explanations.

2011-12-19T21:07:00.003-06:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by MartinJon.

2011-12-19T21:07:00.001-06:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by MartinJon.

2011-12-19 16.50.28.jpg

2011-12-19T16:52:00.001-06:00

2011-12-19 16.50.28.jpg, originally uploaded by MartinJon.

2011-12-19 16.50.28.jpg

Family

2011-11-26T16:22:00.001-06:00

I will post a lengthy post soon but I have to say it has been an amazing day today with two amazing new found family members, my dads cousin and her daughter. My entire life is changing and I am extremely excited about this entire trip, thank you to everyone that has ever supported me, ever.

Stick figures predict my day

2011-11-19T17:57:00.001-06:00

So my mind was blown at the Prado today.

Mind The Gap (in my focus)

2011-11-17T12:27:00.001-06:00

So a momentary laps and I played the sucker. I got pickpocketed today in Madrid. Got off the plane and before I couls even get out in the Spanish air I was taken, I suspect it was on an escalator, my 2 over the shoulder bags masked the professional hands that are now having a great night at my expense. I will chaulk that up to experience and move on. Tomorrow is a new day and today was exhausting.

The adventure begins

2011-11-16T15:47:00.001-06:00

I leave for Spain with high hopes of finding my grandfather, and having an amazing time.

Enough Space in the Head to Breathe

2011-11-12T21:58:00.003-06:00

I had a great time today at kasia kay art projects, hanging out at the Diane Christiansen show. Let me start by saying that this is a very understated show, at first it doesn’t seem like much. The show consists mostly of a number of relatively small oil paintings on plaster. These are not frescos; the oil paint is applied on top of cured plaster where the paint is layered and sanded, and layered and sanded. Many of the pieces in the show reference landscape, they create a significant amount of space and it should be said that Dine uses a number of techniques and styles to create her work.

All things being equal, the aforementioned points make this show a success. The reality of this show is much deeper than this though. The calm this show creates is downright curious. I say that because I feel that this show has something I just can’t put into words, something psychologically calming to the mind. The missing right angles from the plaster works edges soften the entire space, making everything easier to settle into. I don’t walk away from this show focused on any individual piece, but I walk away having had an experience.

Sometimes art wants to jump off the wall, other times it wants to jump into history, this show, although it will probably do neither of those things, will have affected a great many people. This is a wonderful collection of pieces that has an uncanny effect on the psyche, give it some time, take a breath and allow the work and the space to involve you.

Hull City - Nigel Pearson - Leicester City

2011-11-11T08:02:00.002-06:00

In Chicago, far away from the height of this issue I look to the stalemate reached between Leicester City and Hull City for Nigel Pearson. As A hull Fan I have to say I am sorry to see him leaving, he has accomplished a lot here and done his job quietly and purposefully. I commend Hull City in allowing Nigel to speak with Leicester only after being approached by Nigel himself, something The Foxes didn’t wait for when Hull came-a-knockin’ 18 months ago. I recall the exit interviews that Nigel gave upon leaving Leicester, they were all of him saying ‘Well, I am moving; I was surprised Leicester allowed it’.

Leicester lets him go less than 2 years ago for somewhere in the ballpark of £600,000, he solidifies a team at Hull and is the impetus of a good start to a season that sees us in striking distance of promotion, and Leicester now want to swoop in and grab him for near the same amount they sold him for. I don’t know how business gets done in Thailand but that is not the way anyone I have ever met does business.
Let’s take a closer look at this

1 Pearson was let go from Leicester
2 Pearson is doing well at Hull
3 Leicester is flaunting how much money they are willing to put on the line to secure his return (£10+ million)
4 He will take Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh with him
5 Pearson is defiantly the right man for Leicester
6 Odds are that he will also poach promising players

Now Leicester is threatening the smooth transition buy being a bunch of bitches when it comes to coughing up the money that Hull are asking for. Hull are totally entitled to be asking for £1million at least, look at the list, you don’t tell the world you are going to free up £8million and not pay and extra £300,000 for a clean transition, its suicide.

Leicester are going to force Nigel Pearson to leave Hull on his own and suffer the consequences in court while trying to lead Leicester through a possible promotion run. This is all seeming like another huge mistake by Leicester with the victim being Nigel Pearson. Good luck to Nigel, but Leicester’s owners need to wake up and remember they have a goal and it shouldn’t be to create havoc in one man’s life.

I don’t blame Hull for standing their ground on this issue and it will only hurt the Leicester transition, because you know that Hull aren’t sitting on their laurels waiting for this to finish. They have plans and will execute them as soon as all of this is settled.

Geeting Past The Gatekeepers

2011-10-05T07:48:00.000-05:00

Panelists Elysabeth Alfano, the Creator and Executive Producer of Fear No Art, MartinJon, who is behind the video interview series ChicagoArts and Kelly Reaves the art editor at Gapers Block, discuss what attracts the press regarding covering art work. This Panel will be moderated by artist, author and professor Paul Andrew Wandless of Harold Washington College. So before you go to the first Thursday openings be sure to hit up this informative and artsy discussion.

Thursday October 6th
6pm - 8pm
Washington Hall
30 E Lake

Walter Fydryck at Prospectus Gallery

2011-09-08T16:01:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, after the big opening night of the art season, you might want to get a bit of the hair of the dog down at Prospectus Gallery in Pilsen. Walter Fydryck has been working on a new series of drawings that features prominently in this one man show. For a long time Walter has been inventing and perfecting a process of painting on Plexiglas, a few of these are present and help to understand the place where the drawings are coming from.

In the Plexiglas works we can see the layers that intrigue and inspire Walter’s work, those layers are easy to pick out in the drawings he is presenting us with. Walter’s new works start with a base of blue sponged on as an undercoating, this gives the drawings an odd depth and transparent quality, floating on which are outlines, mathematical symbols and silhouettes. The Imagery floats in space, without a ground to anchor the figures we have little choice but to concede that these are mathematical narratives. Our understanding of the figures and how they interact logically don’t always leave us satisfied, but when in our lives would we be totally satisfied anyway.

Prospectus Gallery
Opening Reception Saturday Sept 10 from 5pm - 10pm at 1210 W. 18th St.

Sounds Like Mustache

2011-08-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

Pranks and comic relief have always been a part of the arts... well, maybe not always but at least for a while it has. Lets just say no one alive today can say there was a time, in their lives, when it wasn't. This brings me to Meg Duguid's performance last night in Wicker Park as Part of the Out of Site performance series done in conjunction with Walkabout Theater Company and Defibrillator. It is hard to really know what to say about any public performance, and this is no exception, so I will begin by just telling you what I experienced.

I approached Polonia Triangle, the fountained island created by Milwaukee, Division and Ashland, and saw four bubble machines spewing bubbles into the air, each machine placed in one of the cardinal directions around the fountain. Speaking of the fountain, Meg was pouring dish-washing liquid into it, which left it with a good layer of suds built up. All of that was going on while three people, dressing white plastic suits, walked on bubble wrap carrying a large spaghetti strainer style mustache made of plywood and what I can only describe as mop yarn.

This performance was funny, but lot laugh out loud funny. It is very possibly addressing the blue collar immigrant history and labor issues the city has dealt with, as well as the massive changes seen in that neighborhood. I heard and saw a mix of reactions from passersby, some smiled and stared as they passed through, some watched for a bit and some voice their opinions to friends they were with. There was all sorts of documentation going on, almost too much, that is unless it was supposed to be part of the performance, this is where public performance pieces can take a weird turn.

Of course it is hard to get 'the public', whoever they are, to interact with performance, but I think it is important to make people feel comfortable to interact with whatever we decide to present within the public sphere, with public space. This whole performance was centered around an old prank of putting soap in a fountain, this is a perfect chance to get people to interact and enjoy an experience within a space that is set aside for them, not don white plastic suits and avoid one on one interactions.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Out of Sit Performances every Friday around Wicker Park, next week will be Rachel Bunting & The Humans performing in the Polish Triange.

MF'n Laser Wolf

2011-07-26T17:38:00.001-05:00

So someone wanted a watercolor of a wolf with lasers shooting from its eyes. I like it.

MartinJon

2011-07-26T06:41:00.000-05:00

MartinJon: "International contemporary artist living in Chicago and focused on improving the relationship between you and the arts."

Another dog for another Lindsay

2011-07-11T18:59:00.001-05:00

Thats right 2 dogs 2 Lindsay's one in Toronto one in Utah, Go figure

New Fiverr

2011-07-11T18:54:00.001-05:00

This watercolor is heading up to Toronto.

The Blind Light, Something, Something...

2011-07-09T18:42:00.003-05:00

Artist Conrad Freiburg opened a show of new work at Linda Warren yesterday July 8th, only a week after closing his long stint at the Chicago Cultural Center that yielded "It Is What It Isn't". Conrad's focus for the show at the Cultural Center was loss that he often explained as nothingness. His new show at Linda Warren "The Blind Light, the Pyre of Night" deals more with crisscrossing ideas about Science, Mathematics, Art and anything else that exists wholly or partially within nothingness.

It is often that we can find ourselves grasping at ideas whose existence is directly related to the amount of energy we give to thinking about them; the harder we try and understand, the faster the ideas seem to dissipate into that nothingness. This is the territory that Conrad creates, and the place that he invites us to explore. Conrad is presenting us with ideas about interconnectedness, hinting at how we relate to the universe and how it can be underestimated but at the same time be unnecessarily complicated by our own thought.

This show, which will be occupying the Linda Warren Gallery through August 31st, will also be host to an album release of Conrad's 'Undecagon'. Come to the Lind Warren Gallery on July 19th from 7-9 pm to help kick off an east coast tour promoting Conrad's new album. Special guest performances will include artists Mississippi Gabe Carter, Bill MacKay, Chuck Walker and Academy Records.

TUTA a Truly Experimental Theatre

2011-06-30T06:40:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

Zeljko of TUTA theatre seems to be one of the most overlooked and underrated directors in Chicago today. TUTA works hard to allow individuals to hone their craft and find their voice whether that be on stage or off TUTA is a truly experimental theatre company. be sure to stop by the TUTA website and see what's coming for the 2011/2012 season.

See Me Better This Saturday

2011-06-23T18:13:00.000-05:00

A month ago I found myself in Bloomington Normal for the One State Together in the Arts, the only conference for Illinois' entire creative community. While I was down there I met a number of people, one of which was Ife Williams who told me about her project “See Me Better”. Bringing together ten Community Organizations to create murals on boards that will be secured over windows of vacant properties in North Lawndale, south Lawndale and East Garfield.

Since late January, students and community members have been meeting weekly, brainstorming ideas for their mural concepts and designs, developing fundamentals in art, as well as participating in neighborhood field trips and history lessons. Classes were led by art students from a number of colleges around Chicago.

This Saturday June 25th the public will get their first look at the results of this project, from 10am -1:30pm at 1528 S Christina you will have the opportunity to meet the artists and talk with the organizations involved in the project, as well as partake in a community barbeque lunch.

Jim Nutt Closes at the MCA

2011-05-28T10:09:00.002-05:00

Jim Nutt is amazing, I finally got over to the MCA and saw Coming into Character. This is a show of portraits over anything else, you have a selection of pieces from his Harry Who Days, which are also portraits, but all of those are over shadowed by his exploration in the imaginary women portraits.

When Jim Nutt was making his wild Plexiglas reverse paintings he used text to indicate and address things within the work, he also used mutations, growths and sales ads renderings. The use of all these devices was necessary to emphasize the work being made. Having painted them on Plexiglas the nature of these early pieces were to be slick, but in order for that to work with his style they had to be dramatic. This is where there is a huge leap from the early work of Jim Nutt and his Imaginary Women.

This series of portraits of women, extending back as far as the mid to late 80's, seems to break all the rules and yet they are a joy to be in the presence of. No longer utilizing text and objects to define the characters in his paintings, he invents patterns and techniques to describe and define. These women that Nutt is inventing stare out past the viewer in contemplation. We look in and are seduced, I want these women to exist because these works say so much; about me and how I see them, about Jim Nutt his approach to painting and his ability. Alas, these are invented, and they are exercises in painting, patterning and design. This show is the reason every design team should have a fine artists. and every museum should have a great designer.

I overheard one lady say she loved one piece in particular and just gushed over it, minutes later, husband in tow, she points to a piece next to the one she had previously addressed and said "Now that takes talent", I would have to agree with her on that. Almost all of these are squares, or just about, and most of them have the original painted frames, as I understand it, he painted his frames and the paintings at the same time, if the painting was altered majorly the frame would be readdressed to correspond with that change.

Of course this is an awful time to be blogging about this show because it is coming down this weekend, but for what it is worth, this exhibition shows Jim Nutt as a thoughtful and intense artists. Jim Nutt was a designer, an illustrator, this could have been his Achilles heal, but he worked within those limitations, not unlike Roger Brown, Ed Paschke or dozens of other Chicago artists, to excel at his chosen craft. It is great to look at this show as a Chicago artist, knowing how far we've come, and more importantly knowing who came before us.

Torluemke's Daily Punch: All American Kid: He Stands For Something

2011-05-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

Torluemke's Daily Punch: All American Kid: He Stands For Something

Detention in West Chicago

2011-05-19T16:11:00.003-05:00

ArtXposium is upon us once again, in it's fifth year in West Chicago IL, this multidisciplinary arts weekend is being brought to life by People Made Visible. "A non-for-profit organization with a mission to facilitate community while fulfilling the artistic, social, educational and cultural needs of the community through an innovative physical and web based presence."

I had the pleasure to speak with one of the featured artists Stine Marie Jacobsen who has been working with teens of West Chicago for her video project Detention Club. Stine has a history of working with reenactments of all sorts from popular films to urban legends, she enjoys repurposing stories to help get across ideas the story was not originally intended to address.

As any good Chicagoland native, I am aware that John Hughes filmed a lot of his movies in the area, especially Breakfast Club. This information led Stine to talk to the local teens of West Chicago about detention, not only as it relates to schools but how it translates to prisons and military detention centers like Guantanamo Bay. During the three weeks that this dialogue went on, Stine was surprised at all the things that could land a high School kid in detention, and found it remarkable how many of the teens she was talking with reiterated that they have never been asked about their thoughts of the process.

After all the talking was over everyone agreed to create a 1 hour silent protest within the West Chicago Community High School District 94 library. This protest was recorded and edited by Stine entitled "Detention Club" this 10 minute video will be played as a loop in the Gallery 200 Studio as a feature in this weekends artXposium.

Dates
Friday, May 20, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m., Opening Reception in conjunction with Local Music Night featuring: 51 Strings, John Keeney & Algebro.
Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 22, noon - 4 p.m.

Location
203 Turner Court, West Chicago, IL 60185

Jno Cook is The Mechanic

2011-05-19T07:59:00.001-05:00

Jno Cook may very well be the best in the Midwest when it come to conceptual art. A long time photography professor at Columbia College, Jno has been contributing to the arts here for decades. Have you ever heard of Spaces.org? That's him, along with ChicagoArt.net and ChicagoArt.org. Jno is not really organizing the visual arts resources and institutions in that city, but he is documenting and adding them all to a database.

Cook's work is filled with imaginative rough cut structures, exposed wires, motors running in cycles and plenty of audio. Some of his pieces have recorded passages coming through exposed speakers but the sounds of his machines create enough noise for one to think about the mechanics of the piece. His motors run on cycles one spins a globe around a light bulb sun to demonstrate approximately how fast we are all hurling through space, and how fleeting time really is. One piece runs a slideshow of found images, advancing one frame at a time, loudly, showing pictures of children on Santa's lap taken sometime in the early 70's, some of these kids are grandparents now, some have debt and some are dead. Jno Cook's work is amazing, I say that because you can laugh while you look at it, that allows you to bring it home with you, then mull it over and enjoy it on levels you couldn't while in its presence.

Cook's work can be seen now through Aug. 7 at the Brauer Museum of Art in Tales (not truths) by The Mechanic & The Handyman alongside another great Midwestern artist Gordon Ligocki. Gordon is showing abstract paintings and collages and, like Jno, uses found objects in his sculptures to get across larger ideas of our place in this world.

Pictures by Linda Dorman

2011-05-15T18:07:00.001-05:00

Playing around with watercolors tonight

A New Statement

2011-05-13T11:53:00.005-05:00

My work comes from a place that I have yet to be able to articulate properly, but seeing as this is an artists statement, I will give it a go.

Having grown up in Chicago most of my experiences were had somewhat publicly, in front of other people. I rarely ever found myself alone, really alone, at any point in my life. Of course, I wasn't able to tell that this might be odd or not normal until I met people who grew up in the country, or the suburbs, who would take for granted that if no one was around they were alone. The sort of experiences I had tended to teach me that I am always being watched or seen. Thoughts like that have been with me ever since I can remember, if I ever did anything illegal or rebellious, I always walked away feeling I was "allowed" to do it, rather than I got away with something.

When I look back and try to figure out how I became the artist that I am today, it is clear I was effected by the thought I could be seen. The figures in my paintings, although I do not consciously try and make them self portraits, are undoubtedly reflections of myself. Putting myself on display like this seems to be me trying to figure out something about my place in the world. Again, this doesn't happen totally consciously. It is me looking at myself struggle to find meaning in my work, and contemplating what that looks like to the eyes that are upon me. Am I stuck, petrified and alone, being watched. All of this is beginning to reflect on another part of my up bringing, Roman Catholicism. Although I do not practice, most of the artwork I was exposed to before the age of 12 was stained glass and Stations of the Cross Paintings.

I refer to my works as surreal, but they are also narratives, telling or showing a story plot at a moment of change. It is said that the only thing that is constant is change and I feel this is most seen in a city, although the suburbs and outlying area may have a thing or two to say about that these days. Everything that I remember is either going or gone, this is reflected in my paintings, but there is also hints of something new. Change doesn't occur just to spite us, although it may feel that way at times, it happens because of choices being made all around us, for better or worse.

To sum up, I have no idea what the hell I am doing but by doing it I am always learning and that is what drives my work.

soaringbird studios

2011-05-12T13:02:00.001-05:00

Julieta Alvarez is a local artists who, like many of us, feel discontented about the state of arts advocacy in Chicago. Although always interested in the arts Julieta didn't find herself working as an artist, or even within the arts, until she parlayed her interest in corporate branding experience into a partnership with RATIOnation, a production and artist management company in Chicago. With this relationship, and her experience as a brand ambassador, Julieta began forging a path that would lead her to helping, housing and mentoring young and emerging musicians, photographers and all manner of other artists.

I met Julieta through my adventures working on ChicagoArts interviews. I was looking for images of Conrad Freiburg to add to his interview but since artists, especially younger artists, don't have very many images of themselves in their studios he introduced me to Julieta. Having taken many images of Conrad in his studio I reached out to Julieta and found a wonderful artists and arts promoter.

Lent her first professional camera in 2009 by her sister who, after leaving school, was uninterested in pursuing photography. As she explored photography she collaborated more with her artist friends and started hatching plans to have multimedia shows that featured music, art and video. Julieta decided to open her space on 3435 S Wood st and make soaringbird studios, a collective where artists work together to organize and promote events to sell artwork as well as market themselves and each other. Through this collective artists are eligible to display work online and at multiple galleries throughout Chicago. Soaringbird studios has regular shows every 3rd Friday at their S Wood location that feature local and resident artists. Julieta also organizes with other galleries and spaces to host feature shows once a month. Currently soaringbird is working with to showcase their artists.

This Friday May 13th 2011, soaringbird studio is Celebrating Women Artists at the Canale Art Lounge with an immense and intense event. Featuring fifteen local women artists, of which three are young artists who will be introduced for the first time publicly. DJ Magpie will keep the music coming and you are encouraged to bring books to donate to Bernies Book Bank. for more information either contact soaringbird studios or visit the facebook page for this event.

images by Angel Clark Photography

Arts Quest Ep. 32 meet David Pluck

2011-05-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

Arts Quest Ep. 32 meet David Pluck. Meet David Pluck at his BFA show for the University of Akron. Awesome ceramics from a young artist

How to Make an Art Career: An Interview with Paul Klein

2011-04-19T12:03:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

Paul Klein started Klein Artist Works as a way to help local artists find success in their careers. After finding a robust webinar software Paul quickly realized this could be offered to artists around the world. Klein Artist worked is now being utilized by artists on every continent to find success within their art careers. ;Visit Http://Kleinartistworks.com for more information about the program and enrollment, a new Course beginning in June 2011.

Art of Futbol

2011-04-14T10:48:00.001-05:00

Artists show their love for the most popular sport in the world on Thursday April 21st at the Addidas store at 923 N Rush St.

The collaboration between The Chicago Fire and Arte y Vida Chicago is something I have been looking forward to for months now. with the Champions League down to the Semi-Finals, all the European leagues coming down to the wire and MLS in full swing, this show couldn't come at a better time. A celebration of the strength, power and fanaticism of the worlds most popular sport through art is something to shout about.

Apparently there will be Chciago Fire players in attendance, as well as voting for fan favorites and music. Everyone is also invited to an After Party at the Crimson Lounge to spend more time with the artists and players.

Thursday, April 21
7 - 9 PM

Arts Quest 24 M. C. Escher at the Akron Art Museum

2011-04-07T13:25:00.001-05:00

Click to Play

in conjunction with Todd V. and Arts Quest ChicagoArts is proud to present ; Arts Quest 24 from the Akron Museum.

Arts Quest 24 M. C. Escher at the Akron Art Museum. Curator Ellen Rudolph tells us about this exciting exhibition.

PeregrineProgram at Vers10n

2011-04-01T11:18:00.003-05:00

Now that it is April we can all look forward to the art fair season kicking off. One of the biggest, and longest running under the same management is Version Fest. This year Version fest will be held from April 22 thru May 2nd with so many different programming platforms that there will literally be something for everyone. Over the next month I will talk a bit about a few of the many groups participating in Version, how you can see them, contact them or get involved yourself.

One aspect of Version will be the MDW Fair, this is a gathering of independent art initiatives, spaces, galleries and artist groups from the Chicago. Only running from April 23rd thru the 24th, at The Geolofts, (3636 S. Iron Street) it is a must see to kick off the festivities. One of the things that you will experience there will be "PeregrinePapers page", a group exhibition that will consist of one piece of work that is made up of small drawings, doodles, any 4"X6" work on paper submitted. Everyone is being invited to take part in creating this piece by contributing these small bits of ephemera, if you are interested in participating you can find the instructions along with where to send it and who to contact on the PeregrinePapers page.

Fear No Art Chicago

2011-03-29T21:13:00.002-05:00

A new episode of Fear No Art Chicago is about to hit the airwaves on WTTW11. The third episode of this wildly popular arts program will feature Chicago legend Tony Fitzpatrick, actress Joyce Piven and puppeteer Blair Thomas. I encourage all of you to tune in at least once to help Chicago get WTTW11 to make this program a regular series and finally get Chicago some serious arts programming.

WTTW11
MARCH 31 @ 10 PM
April 3 @ Noon
April 6 @ 10:30 PM
WTTW Prime
April 1 @ 4 PM
April 7 @ 4:30 PM
April 9 @ 5 PM

Selling These Dirt Cheap

2011-03-28T11:51:00.003-05:00

I am selling this 36 X 48 painting for $800. I am raising money to pay off my tax bill on time, help me out by posting on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites you are working with, thanks.

Help Me Raise Money for My Tax Bill :)

2011-03-28T09:14:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to raise money for my tax bill I am looking to sell a number of paintings, you can make me an offer and if it were in the $500 range that would be awesome.

It Is What It Isn't - A conversation with Conrad Freiburg

2011-03-14T08:55:00.004-05:00

Click to Play

"It Is What It Isn't" is a show at the Hyde Park Art Center and runs from March 20th through June 26th.

You can experience the large scale Harmonograph ; every Sunday for the duration of the show, this is when Conrad will operate the machine with occasional help from visiting musicians.

On May 7th

Conrad is also represented by Linda Warren

Find out more about what Conrad is up to at analogyshop.com

Some photos were graciously contributed by Julieta Álvarez

Harmonograph footage by eventhorizon53

Uncle Freddy's comes to Co Prosperity Sphere

2011-03-09T21:23:00.001-06:00

This Friday the Co Prosperity sphere is opening a new show in conjunction with the old Uncle Freddy's Gallery of Northwest Indiana. For those of you that don't know Uncle Freddy's was a space where artists, that don't fit the mold of the traditional gallery scene, would be able to show their most heartfelt and intense work.

Thomas Hagen spent his like on trains, living and working out of Northwest Indiana, He retired from the railroad industry and then took up painting. Thomas has a knack for painting what he knows and not conforming to too many rules, his paintings are rich with meaning and always honest which give them a special quality.

Em'rynn Artunian is an observer, and a lover of nature, if there was someone I would want with me during and after the apocalypse, it would be this man. His art has spanned lots of mediums but at the core of his work is observation and meditation. Instinct guides his process and what comes of it is always beautiful and balanced.

Billy Pozo, founder of Artists Inc. is a sculptor, he revels in environments, from dioramas to life size habitats. The environments that Billy's figures exist in are pulled from the nightmares of a 9 year old boy, the allow they viewer to step into a place where nothing is hidden under the surface, where ugly is just that and its all around us.

Handel's Hercules

2011-03-09T09:07:00.002-06:00

I caught one of the last runs of Hercules at the Lyric on Monday and I am so glad I did, although when I left the theater I wasn't so sure about that. Peter Sellars offers us a vision Hercules as an American soldier in modern fatigues, and I do appreciate the focus on current events but I feel like the correlations were already there without having to be spelled out so blatantly. There is also the question of Hercules fighting for the US, he is a god after all. So some of the directors choices raised questions, but the performances were stellar across the board.

Lucy Crowe made her Lyric debut with this show, and what a debut it was for her, as a soloist she was able to capture the hearts of the audience even when she was fully cloaked.

Eric Owens as Hercules sounded great but, and maybe this is because Hercules is more an oratorio than an opera, he didn't control his body and movements as convincingly as he sung. Say what you will about fat Hercules, Eric and perform almost as well upside down as he does right side up.

It couldn't have been easy conducting for this performance. There were no real crescendos to speak of, just a bunch of solos, and however wonderful the performances were, three and a half hours of solos can get a bit boring. So a huge thank you goes out to conductor Harry Bicket, without him at the helm I am sure I would have dozed off a bit.

Me and Fiverr

2011-03-02T09:51:00.007-06:00

So Fiverr has been pretty awesome to me, I have, over the past month and a half or so gotten over 40 $5 paintings all over the globe, and no matter which way you look at that it is pretty awesome. I could use to be featured though seeing as the orders have been drying up.

I got a call from the folks at Frogerr and I posted the same gig on their site because they promised to feature the gig, but even though I have gotten over 400 views there have yet be any orders on their site. I am not sure if people just don't trust it or what the problem is. Either way here are a few of my favorite Fiverrs to date.

Check out more on my Flickr page

The Art of Futbol

2011-03-01T14:01:00.001-06:00

I am super excited about an upcoming show I want everyone to know about, and it isn't just because I can finally write about soccer in the arts section. My passion for art is immense, I love doing studio visits with fellow artists, and ChicagoArts exists because I can't keep from talking about great work and trying to let people know how awesome art is. So there are only a few things that get my mind off creativity and the arts, one of those things is soccer. Remember that The Onion article "Nation's Soccer Fan Becoming Insufferable" well, that was me.

Every weekend you can find me at The Globe Pub watching games from around the world as early as 6:30 in the morning, I follow teams the play in Italy, Spain, England, and of course The Chicago Fire. I get excited about the Champions and Europe Leagues, the FA Cup as well as everything USMNT and CONCACAF, so it is not a surprise that I have made a few soccer paintings in my time. The Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Arte y Vida Chicago are coming together to create a show entitled "The Art of Futbol". They are currently taking submissions of soccer related art from both professionals and students in the Chicago area. All you have to do to submit work is send up to 3 images to amor(at)arteyvidachicago(dot)com.

This is the first time that the Chicago Fire entertains the artistic community and I think we should step up and get them to want to engage us again. Of course this to me is like chocolate and peanut butter, two great things that go great together, not everyone will see it that way I'm sure. Either way the reception will be on April 21st at The Addidas Store downtown and the deadline for entry is on March 28th. For more information visit Arte Y Vida.

Eric Daigh at Carl Hammer

2011-02-28T12:43:00.002-06:00

The new show at Carl Hammer, although ultimately disappointing, is interesting at first because all of the large format images by artist Eric Daigh are made with entirely with colored push pins. Red, Blue, Yellow, White and Black pushpins are used like points in printing or pixels on a computer screen to create portraits. These portraits couldn't help but reference the impressionists and Chuck Close, but the depth is more in line with what I would expect to come out of a BFA show rather than be in one of the better galleries in Chicago.

Painting

2011-02-23T20:48:00.001-06:00

This is part of my jesus series let me know what you think.

Bordello

2011-02-07T16:43:00.003-06:00

Chicago Dramatists take on the oldest profession head on with their current performance, Bordello, written by Aline Lathrop.

The entirety of Bordello takes place in the kitchen of Pussy Willow Ranch, located 60 miles outside of Las Vegas in the great state of Nevada.
It isn't easy dissecting this play, first of all, I am a man, and any thoughts I have about what I experienced have to be put into perspective. Having said that, Bordello is not a sexy romp through the lives of some of Nevada's premier sex workers, not that I thought it would be. It is more like a glimpse into the lives of some people that happen to work in a place that happens to be a bordello.

Each of the women employed by Pussy Willow has their own reasons for being there. We learn why they are there and we see how jealousy and manipulation are used to control them by turning them on each other. We also see how they manipulate themselves in order to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Bordello doesn't do everything I would of liked it to have done, but that is the nature of realizing a fantasy, or at least a preconceived idea.

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-04T15:53:00.000-06:00

The art of the commercial is a valid statement.

Are you Creative in Chicago?

2011-02-04T09:35:00.001-06:00

Time to sit down and take the Creative Chicago Survey, help us find out what we need to make this a better city to create in.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CreativeChicagoSurvey

Walking with Artist Willie Kohler

2011-01-26T13:30:00.004-06:00

Click to Play

Linda Warren's current show, Walking, consists of new paintings by Willie Kohler. Willie's approach to painting is a breath of fresh air from what you're bound to see at many galleries today. It is the ability to experience art that relies mostly on observation, both internal and external, to direct the viewer through an individual painting, as well as the entire body of work, that makes Walking so fresh and exciting. Willie's work breathes with nature that is not influenced by Pop culture. Raw and overgrown, these paintings influence us and inspire meditation. They have the ability to transport us to familiar places we have never been and to show us what we only thought we saw.

Memory is an odd thing, it only exists in the abstract unless you actively recall it for a moment, and even then its not completely definable or true. These paintings exist and breath in a state of memory, the more you grasp and try to define them the faster they slip through your fingers.

We at ChicagoArts are accepting suggestions and votes on who we should be interviewing. Do you know someone involved in the arts in or around Chicago that has a unique approach to the wider world of the Arts? If so we want to know who they are so please suggest them on our Google Moderator page

Feel free to reach out to me personally if you are interested in commenting, collaborating or helping ChicagoArts in any way.

Jenna Delgaty can be contacted through her website also http://jennadalgety.com/

Heads on Poles

2011-01-22T05:45:00.003-06:00

The current show that is up at Western Exhibitions was created from a simple call to artists by Paul Nudd and Scott Wolniak, who requested "Heads on Poles". What they got is exactly what you might expect them to have gotten, a few politically driven works, a number that had environmental overtones and some just fun, off the wall pieces. Making your way through the gallery presents a pretty interesting problem. As we all know, we are not supposed to touch the art even if we want to, it is hard not to be reminded that if these were actually dismembered heads on poles, that the same rule would most likely apply.

Decapitation is unfortunately part of our lives, we have seen grainy footage of executions on the internet which have found their way deep into our collective consciousness. We have seen a number horror and comedy movies where a decapitated head isn't treated with disgust at all, sometimes being met with joy as children run off playing soccer with it. As we grow up we all hear stories of decapitation from Inca games, to stories we heard about Vietnam or the Old West, its a fascinating thing to be focused on, and it is never easy to really wrap your head around.

The crowning jewel of the show has to go to Nick Black, whose piece I do not know that title of but consisted of oozing butter, popcorn, disfigured toys and plenty of moving parts. If you haven't seen an art show made up of toys and primarily found objects, hung for the sake of reigniting the place where fun and art intersect, this show is a must see, although I must warn you it is made up of primarily Heads on Poles

Life, Art and a Dinner Party

2010-12-20T14:23:00.003-06:00

Click to Play

Alberto Aguilar made 1000 friends on Facebook and invited them to participate in his Personal Dinner Invitation project where he simply had people over to his home for dinner. Alberto curated the people music and food to create a memorable moment for him and his Facebook friends. One of the guests, Becky Grajeda, recorded part of her evening and made a soundscape entitled Enacting that can be heard during the credits of this episode. ;

A New Harper Gallery for the South Loop

2010-12-11T06:32:00.001-06:00

I got a chance to visit the all new Harper Gallery in the South Loop today. I have to say it is a lot more interesting now that they have a clearer focus. Working with local jewelry designers, toy makers, and of course visual artists they have made a gallery that can be perused rather than just ran through real quick, which is exactly what it used to be.

Owner and operator Colleen Harper said she wished it didn't take so long to figure out how she wanted to run the space, but it seems she has found a wonderful, and broad niche that will no doubt attract designers, creative people and buyers of all kinds.

Colleen has brought on the awesome local king of Plushies and Vinyl toys, Shawnimals and they are the primary focus in Scarlett, a mini gallery inside Harper. Colleen has also got fine art hand color prints and sculptures by Jessie Smith-Larson and individual art action figures and paintings by Mr. Walters. The main Gallery space though is dominated by paintings from Clay Hamilton and John Kurtz. There are also photographs and two glass cases that house Jewelry by Etta Kostick, and Susan Elizabeth, as well as some pottery.

One thing that I need to mention is that there is such a focus on quality and creativity within Harper Gallery, there is a lot within the small South Loop space but to good effect. I don't think there was anything that stood out as being poorly made. That is impressive when you are dealing with jewelry designers and toy makers and then you can top that list off with fine artists. It is not easy to curate all of that together, much less organize it all within one space.

The One of a Kind Show and Sale

2010-12-03T11:25:00.001-06:00

I know Christmas is on the minds of almost everyone these days, and for better or worse we have to accept that fact. So if you are tired of everyone around you talking about TVs, Movies, and the Corporate Crapfest that most holidays have turned into, you might want to turn to local and international artists, crafters, and designers to get your gifts from this year. Through Sunday the 5th you can go talk with creators, attend workshops and get a free years subscription to ReadyMade Magazine.

Head over to The Merchandise Mart and visit the One of a Kind Show and Sale before you have to settle on getting your aunt the Munsters Box Set.

Hot Jewelry Design in Cold Metal

2010-12-03T10:48:00.001-06:00

Click to Play

Vanessa is an intense jewelry designer who loves chainmail. ;

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Indo Window Design

2010-11-19T13:26:00.001-06:00
In collaboration with Change It Up, a challenge organized by the City of Chicago's Department of Environment that asks property owners and their tenets to improve their environmental impact, two creative and concerned artists take the fore by designing window installations with materials that have been diverted from the waste-stream. Indo is Crystal Grover and Linsey Burritt and you can see their latest creative collaboration in the storefront window of 445 North Wells.

photo by Jen
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Still Life Photography in the Modern Food Wars

2010-11-18T11:14:00.001-06:00

Click to Play

Stephanie Dean is focused on food, her photography is informed by Dutch Still Life painting and she uses the same sort of tools as they did to raise questions about the state of our food supply today.

Stephanie Dean
http://www.stephaniedean.com/ ;

Chicago Photography Center
http://www.chicagophoto.org/

MartinJon
http://www.martinjon.com/

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Still Life Photography in the Modern Food Wars

2010-11-17T10:39:00.001-06:00

Stephanie Dean is focused on food, her photography is informed by Dutch Still Life painting and she uses the same sort of tools as they did to raise questions about the state of our food supply today.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Women & Women

2010-11-04T20:47:00.005-05:00
One of the cultural institutions I have often overlooked has been the Instituto Cervantes, or the Cervantes Institute. Upon arriving at the opening of Women & Women, a traveling show featuring 5 female photographers, I quickly realized how much I was actually missing. It is odd for me to have not frequented the Instituto Cervantes, as both an artist and a Spaniard I could have been influenced by a culture I am proud to be connected to but if I were to be honest, know very little about.

Women & Women, as I mentioned, is a show of photography, and the things that set this work apart, or at least link them together, is that the photographers are all Spanish women whose subject matter is women. At first this may seem normal, women artists dealing with women's issues, but that is exactly where the Spanish heritage plays such a big role. Spain is arguably one of the most liberal countries on the planet, and after Franco who can blame them. This liberalism, one would hope, can lift women in society to be equals so they are not considered a fringe group and have the freedom to follow their passions whatever they may be. Women & Women is a peek inside the lives of some very creative and inspired photographers who have an insight we can only imagine.

Sloedad Cordoba's photograph of her being swept away by small birds which very well may be Finches, his seems to suggest a growing connection between her and the vastness that surrounds her. On a very different note, the work of Isabel Muñoz celebrates women of the world for their individual power and prowess from Cuba to Ethiopia. The fun colorful work of Ouka Leele is almost hypnotically vivid and engaging. The work of Beatriz Moreno and Gabriela Grech were also eye catching although I felt the theme was slightly lost on me.

In closing this post I would like to say visit the Instituto Cervantes, their events are more often than not free and they have 12 hour $8 parking validation.

Instituto Cervantes
31 W. Ohio St.
60654 Chicago Illinois
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Martin Mull and Witness at Carl Hammer

2010-10-30T17:18:00.002-05:00

Martin Mull's show entitled Witness opened yesterday at the Carl Hammer Gallery. I would like to start by saying Martin's work isn't the easiest to talk about while trying to be concise, or I just don't have a wide enough vocabulary. Martin Mull has build an entire career examining Americana ideas, ideals, and mistakes. He has regularly challenged and questioned white privilege as well as the American Dream. I think if you were to investigate any part of Mr. Mull's career you would find traces of these challenges and questions. Having said that Witness is no exception.

As America finds itself increasingly in debt, and as its citizenry find themselves increasingly hoodwinked, Martin Mull's career becomes all that much more important to examine how we got here. As part of the baby boomer generation Martin Mull was the target audience for so many Things. He was part of a United States that, although riddled with political and social turmoil, was for the most part wealthy beyond belief. He knew this couldn't last and spoke against it in every aspect of his career, none more so than him as an painter.

Witness is examining the decline of everything the baby boomers held dear, housing, family, jobs and security. Muted colors help tell the stories and separate both dreams and memories from reality. Paul Klein has said about these works that "photographic compositions have you yearning for a bygone era" and I agree, although I have to add that the compositions also are screaming at you because that era never existed. These paintings are soft and easy on the eyes, but they do present us with a number of questions and it doesn't take long for you to start asking yourself "What the hell is going on?".

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Bridgeport Art Center

2010-10-15T21:26:00.002-05:00

This is the weekend of the Bridgeport Art Walk, and a great place to start is at the Bridgeport Art Center where you will find all sorts of stuff. Now I don't spend a lot of time looking at a whole lot of quantity at an art walk, but I did get a chance to spend some time with Fred Camper's photo collages. Fred combines photos taken from different perspectives and this sometimes works out beautifully, other times it looks like a real estate ad, which is a pretty huge comment in itself.

After wondering the floors of the Bridgeport Art Center for a time, I wound my way to the basement where the artists that own power tools reside, this is where I met Gustav Reyes. Gustav attended the Art Institute years ago, after getting over that hurdle Gus found a passion in bending wood. By making a living constructing rings made of reclaimed and exotic found woods Gus is able to make bent wood sculptures. What amazed me about his work was that he bends all of his wood by hand and at room temperature.

Overall I had a great time at the Bridgeport Art Center. It was my first time there but I would have to say if you are heading down to the Bridgeport art walk you should make it to the basement of the Bridgeport Art Center, it might not be as active but if you wind your way to the back and you will be surprised at what you find.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Crowd Sourcing Comes to ChicagoArts

2010-10-12T11:16:00.002-05:00

It is time you had a say in which artists, art groups or galleries should be getting publicity coverage. ChicagoArts is now accepting suggestions via Google Moderator, and the first suggestions to get 100 votes will get interviewed as part of the ChicagoArts video interview series. The only stipulation is that the artists are located within Chicago or the nearby suburbs.

Bring on your suggestions and be sure to include links and brief descriptions so we can see the work and learn more about the artists.

Use the ChicagoArts Youtube Channel or Google Moderator to both submit suggestions and vote.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Beds and Guns

2010-10-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

Kim Protrowski's large format paintings, that will be in display at the Hyde Park Art Center through the end of January, focus on Beds and Guns. Those two topics have the ability to catch the attention of anyone. Not so much because of what they are, although that is enough for some, but because of the instances within our lives that these props played a large role.

Kim's abstract imagination, and her ability to be both specific as well as vague, allow me to recall and explore my history with guns, being held up at 11, interacting with gangs as a teen, hearing gunshots at night throughout the summer. All of these experiences fade into the background as I live the life I decided to follow, but being faced with these images I am brought back into the fray and able to contemplate the role of the gun, not only in our lives but in our minds.

Beds and guns both have the ability to change our lives forever, and although I can not promise you that Kim's show Beds and Guns will ultimately change your life, it may effect the way you see it.

Beds and Guns
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL
60615

Artist's Reception
Sunday, November 21, 3-5 pm

Talk with the Artist
Sunday, January 30, 3 pm
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Clutch Gallery: From Fashion Accessory to Art Gallery

2010-09-21T13:04:00.001-05:00

Clutch Gallery is a 25 sq in gallery in the purse of artist Meg Duguid. Meg has a desire to show great artwork to people within her daily life and what better way to do that than to have it with you wherever you go. This year long curatorial project is ending soon but you still have a chance to catch a show or two before it ends.

The latest show at Clutch is an untitled piece by Trevor Gainer which will be on display through Sept 25th (or there abouts). Upcoming show include the Keys of Zach Rawe, a video by Danielle Ash and an unraveling drawing by Tom Burtonwood. Keep your eye out for Meg and Clutch Gallery, but you can always make an appointment to view the gallery by contacting Meg through the Clutch Gallery Blog or email her at daisyroseduguid(at)gmail(dot)com.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Frank Trankina at Packer Schopf

2010-09-17T08:48:00.001-05:00
Well, welcome to art season.

Last Friday we had a whirlwind of galleries open, and if you got to see more than a few, you probably saw less than most. Within the next few weeks I encourage you to get out and see what all the hubbub was about. Galleries across the city are hanging amazing shows and they are free to stop in and have a look, so please do. it is a ton of fun and one stop I hope you will make is to Packer Schopf where they are showing a stellar selection of artists. One in particular that caught my eye was Frank Trankina.

Frank's paintings are highly realized, brightly colored works that narrate the interactions between collectibles, not really. Frank takes these objects like vintage toys, doll parts, and other ephemera and paints a still life of them arranged on shelves he constructs himself. Painted so realistically you want to believe the shelf is a part of the piece, not unlike the Virtual Still Lifes of Roger Brown, but these paintings reference Renaissance frescoes much more than Brown though. Because Frank paints from life you get to experience not only the work but the presence of the objects within the world. He isn't just painting stuff, he is studying, teaching and participating in a dialog.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Interview with the folks behind Calif USA

2010-08-17T14:50:00.002-05:00

Roger Brown, a Chicago arts icon, is currently being featured at The Hyde Park Art Center. This is a must see show curated by Nick Lowe in conjunction with the School of the Art Institute's Roger Brown Study Collection. It is up and running right now but, if you have a wine and cheese craving, there will also be a reception on Sunday August 29th.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Marilyn Propp

2010-07-31T15:03:00.003-05:00

Last night I met a wonderfully spirited artist Marilyn Propp, co-founder of Anchor Graphics. We talked all about art, Chicago and painting. I just got a chance to visit her site and I have to say bravo. A lively style that references late Philip Guston, without all the gloom and doom, painted on multiple panels. Some come together in organic circular forms that remind me of cellular clusters. Others are strips, but still organic in nature they have the quality of an amoeba. These references to the building blocks of all life are a great base to make these active and lively works.

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

You Should Know More About Printmaking

2010-07-30T19:49:00.002-05:00

It is amazing how many people don't know much about printmaking. I was trained in the ways of printmaking back in 1997 over at UIC. I learned that I had patience and was attracted to the process of creating things, not just the outcome. In printmaking you have to have patience, because every step of creating a print is important to the end product, which you might not get the opportunity to see for a month or more.

Printing is all around us, yet most are oblivious to it. Now that everything is digitally printed in almost every home in the US, it hardy seems like a magical process that has been around since the year 200, but it is, and it has. This somehow brings me to Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art where "Incised, Bitten and Gouged" opened on Friday June 30th. This show is made up of prints from the two printmaking goliaths in Chicago, Anchor Graphics and Chicago Print makers Collaborative.

Whether you want to learn more about Printmaking or not I would encourage you to see this show. It has a wonderful range of printing styles and techniques, for sure, but the artwork is what really makes this show amazing. Sure I could get all gushy about all the different types of prints you can see, by all the different people, but the reality is that this show, of 41 art works, is not just for people who love prints. You will walk away from this show with something, an image, an experience, maybe even a print, but either way you will be much better off for going, I promise you that.

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Falling Into Place but Leaving Chicago

2010-07-10T10:44:00.003-05:00

At The Nightingale Gallery last night I saw something that I have been waiting to see for a long time, a one person show featuring Celeste Neuhaus. Celeste is, if you don't already know, an artist that is wholly in touch with her experience and lives her life honestly to that end. This show, which also has a few video pieces, features a collection of paintings, assemblages, and collages all of which we will just consider objects. I have known Celeste for over 12 years now and she never ceases to amaze me, whether that being her as a person, or in terms of her artwork.

The work within this show has obviously changed over time. They seem to have been labored over, possibly having been completed dozens of times before settling within its current state. This is seen most on the surface quality of Celeste's objects, these are reminiscent of something that has been weathered. The work in this show seems to have been found in a basement somewhere long forgotten. The streamers, flags, trophy plaques and a paper targets all begin to tell a story; but as we fill in the details we do so with our experiences. When one looks at these objects we are immediately transported into your own memories. Her arrangements of found materials can only be described as uncanny, as she forces us to grope within our conscience and link memories of a birthday party, with death or loss in general.

All that being said, there is a great loss we all now have to deal with, and that is of Celeste Neuhaus herself. In August Celeste will be moving to Albuquerque to follow her path, teach, learn and live. I would like to take this opportunity to say I wish you all the luck in the world, and my life will not be the same without the possibility of running into you wherever I go.

Celeste's show at The Nightingale is only up for a week but you can catch it Mon - Fri this week from 5pm-9pm at 1084 N Milwaukee Ave. There will also be a closing reception Saturday July 17 from 3pm to 8pm.

MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Language, Math and Fire

2010-06-06T08:24:00.001-05:00

I finally got away to look at some art this weekend, and what a weekend it was, at least at David Weinberg Gallery where they opened "Wheatley, Kaiser-Smith & Glink". With a title which sounds more like a law firm than an art show I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a room full of small abstract explorations. Rhonda Wheatley is seemingly exploring thought, how thoughts are projected, and how experiences are perceived. She is exploring memory and, I don't know if she would necessarily agree with me on all this, but it seems that she is allowing memory to exist without language. Wheatley's collage's, all untitled, are the thoughts we have before we make the effort of turning them into words. These works seem to show the inadequacy of verbal communication and the poetry of visual communication.

Beyond Wheatley came Yvette Kaiser-Smith, a local sculptor who came here from Czechoslovakia via Texas and is utilizing the structure of math, particularly through crocheting, to organize the world. Delicate hanging geometric sculptures, made by crocheting fiberglass and coating it with a resin, reach out from the wall allowing you to move around it and take in every angle you can. In the final Gallery was Marissa Glink whose Ceramic sculptures topped the show off nicely. I must say I don't know much about ceramics, so that's all I will say about those. If you saw the show and have something to say about Marissa's work, or anyone elses, please feel free to leave a comment.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

The Globe: a Photo Book of Soccer Fandom

2010-05-10T10:35:00.002-05:00

Soccer is a passion of mine and yesterday, Sunday May 9th, was the end of another season of the English Premier League. Unfortunately for me, the team I shout for, Hull City, was relegated out of the EPL to the Championship, a lower league of professional soccer. Unlike other sports, or even soccer in the United States, every year three professional soccer teams get dropped from the top tier league. This is all part of the passion and fandom of soccer around the world.

Following the ascension and dissension of teams halfway around the world would be difficult to say the least if it weren't for very dedicated, and equally passionate, pub owners around the city. I personally frequent one pub in particular, The Globe, on Irving Park Rd., where I met local photographer Chester Alamo & Costello. Chester, an unwavering Liverpool fan is about to release a new book of photos and essays entitled "The Globe". Five years in the Making, this book examines the interactions of fans, their clubs, and the medium which bring the two together week after week, the television screen.

The Globe will be officially released on May 15th and I would encourage everyone, who has never been, to visit The Globe and pick up a copy. you can currently also find this book on Amazon and through the publisher Dark Lark Press. Chester will be doing a book signing on June 10th, which happens to be one day before the first game of the World Cup. This is a great time to start looking into soccer if you haven't already.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Love Crimes: A Hate Story

2010-04-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

Quixotic is a gay-themed sketch comedy company, who, on April 9th began the month long run of Love Crimes: A Hate Story. The collection of sketches brought together for this show was impressive to say the least. One of the nice things about sketch comedy is that there is often more to the punch lines than the laugh, and that is true about every aspect of this show.

As the cast tip their hats to old detective serials and vaudeville, we witness them taking jabs at the changes going on all around us. One of the greatest aspects of Quixotic could of very easily been its biggest Achilles heel, the gay thing. Love Crimes rides a line that is not often very easy to discern, like a good politician, they appeal to all sides. We laugh as we hear why it is a bad idea to leave you first lesbian experiments in the hands of the inexperienced. Soon after that we get a taste of the northwest suburbs as, the very talented Maria Wilson, shows us the birth of a young fag hag.

Finally I would like to say that everyone did an excellent job, Quixotic is truly in love with what they do, they are having a lot of fun and it shows.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Judy Pfaff Finally Solos in Chicago

2010-04-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

After attending the opening to the Judy Pfaff show, at the David Weinberg Gallery in River North, I knew I would require another look before being able to say anything about it. The show, which consists of all new works, is surprisingly Judy's first solo show in Chicago. I say surprisingly because she has such an illustrious career of showing her work all over the world, and to look at the work one would think Chicago would be a place that would embrace her.

Most of the work in this show, which I revisited on Wednesday, sits inside deep shadowboxes, and no photo would ever do, any one of these works, any justice at all. Created out of cut paper that ripples and undulates, she builds these compositions out of random ephemera, natural objects, and all sorts of cultural reference materials. The work is finally painted by hand, pulling it together, and adding a very real and tangible soul to each piece.

The works that are not in the aforementioned shadowboxes are few, but all the more impressive for being so. Hung under vents, and with parts extending about a foot from the wall, these works breathe with a hypnotic rhythm. Like a fire or treetops in the breeze you can hardly look away.

Judy's work fills the space beautifully, the works within the shadowboxes seem to want to be released, but luck for us they are confined in order to examine them. This show will be on display through the end of May but if you don't have time to see them at the gallery you should defiantly stop by their booth at Art Chicago because Judy is sure to have a prominent display there.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Life Drawing in the Real

2010-04-20T12:17:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, and every Wednesday for the past forty years or so, there is an awesome service provided to everyone and anyone who loves to draw. The Drawing Workshop offers drop in live model sessions for $15. I went a few weeks ago for the first time and was thrilled with the set up. They have drawing stools and boards, they have paper if you need it and the model does a series of poses ranging from 20 seconds to 25 minutes. It is so nice to find a classroom environment to do some drawing without having to commit to a weekly class or hefty tuition fees.

If your interested feel free to check it out-
4410 N. Ravenswood Ave. enter through the side entrace
773-334-4412
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Immigrant Nation, at the Chicago Latino Film Festival

2010-04-13T10:14:00.001-05:00

The upcoming Chicago Latino Film Festival is going to be filled with great works from around the world, but one of the most anticipated Chicago debuts will be very local. Esaú Meléndez, a local filmmaker, is making waves with his documentary "Immigrant Nation: A Battle for the Dream". He is excited to make the films local debut after recently winning the Cine Latino Award at the 2010 DC International Film Fest.

It all started when Esaú found himself moved by what he experienced on March 10 2006, this is when thousands of people marched in Chicago for immigrant rights. Esaú was disappointed in the media coverage of, not only the marches, but the media's coverage of the entire movement. As he filmed and followed the movement in Chicago and around the United States Esaú met many people, all with their own story about how they were effected. He talked to people that were part of the Minute Men, a paramilitary group hell bent to keep foreigners out of the US, as well as the undocumented and their supporters.

Immigrant Nation follows the story of Elvira Arellano, who took refuge in a local church when the government was trying her as a criminal for being an undocumented worker. You will be able to see Esau's film during the Chicago Latino Film Festival at the Landmark Century Center on
Sunday April 18th at 4pm
Friday April 23rd at 9:45pm
Wednesday April 28th at 6:30pm

find out more about the film and where else it will be showing at http://www.immigrantnationfilm.com/
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Drift over to {FIB}

2010-04-03T17:03:00.000-05:00

My first visit to Fill In the Blank {FIB} gallery yielded a great evening, with a wonderful variety of artwork from two artists. FIB is an artist run gallery in Lincoln Square whose tag line is "Cultivating Emerging Culture". That sort of a statement is not only something that is close to my heart as a motto, but also exactly what they are doing, so far as I could tell. FIB offers classes as well as having an extensive website with interviews and blog posts with, about and by artists.

The show that is currently up at FIB is "Drift: New Paintings & Sculptures but Greg Davis and Meghan Kerr". Both of these artists live and work in the Columbus Ohio area and attended the Columbus College of Art and Design. Greg's paintings are pure landscape, but he recognizes that they are paintings. Greg is not trying to fool anyone with representation, instead he distresses the surface of the paintings by folding, sanding and tearing the surface forcing you, as the viewer, to look through the surface to the image. Wonderfully constructed Greg's paintings are contemplative and built in a way that doesn't quite allow you to invade the space, they leave you wanting to be closer, and to have more of an impact on what you are experiencing.

Meghan Kerr's work is highly influenced by biology. Her work varies quite a bit within the show, and that doesn't help the overall continuity of the "Drift", but, some of the forms that Meghan brings in definitely trade compliments with Greg's paintings. The thing that will catch your eye, as you walk into FIB for this show, is "Canyon". This is a large wood, plastic and Plexiglas time based sculpture, which utilizes water to erode clay throughout the duration of the show. Meghan seems very interested in time, even individual drawings that are part of her installation entitled Natural Wonder deal with time in one way or another.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

"Op Shop v.2 - Ad Hoc (Adhocity)"

2010-03-26T14:52:00.002-05:00

As spring settles in, I have been drawn outside more and more, this week I headed to Hyde Park, where Laura Schaeffer is preparing to open her second Op Shop. Laura's Op Shops start as vacant store fronts or businesses that she transforms into creative retail spaces. With the help of local artists and visionaries Laura will be offering a space for artists and community members to come together and teach, learn, witness and connect, as well as buy, sell, display and observe. This sort of balance is not easy to maintain, but seeing as Laura is also the owner of the Home Gallery, and hanging the beautiful shows she has at Home, definitely qualifies her to make this an absolute success.

Her artistic eye scans everything as it comes together, artists run a muck in the 3,000 sq ft space of 1530 E 53rd st., and Laura takes pictures and so she is sure to recount the process. In the short time I was there I found out that the space, built in the 30s, was a Walgreen's, a Kroch's and Brentano's bookstore, and a Hollywood Video, but according to a project being done for the Op Shop, the most influential incarnation of the space was the Hyde Park Federal Savings and Loan. Although Laura is directing the resurrection of the Op Shop for Saturdays opening I would like express that this is an evolving space, the item and projects within the space will alter and grow throughout it's existence, which will be until, at least, May 1st.

1530 East 53rd Street

Opening Reception: March 27th, 6-10 PM
Open Wednesday through Sundays 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Closing Celebration: May 1st, 6 - 10 PM
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

The Ooey Gooey Aesthetics of Artist Paul Nudd

2010-03-22T11:05:00.002-05:00

As most of you already know I love a good studio visit, and doing ChicagoArts allows me to visit some of the most interesting studios in the area. I recently met with Paul Nudd who many of you may already be familiar with, due to his prolific showings over the past few years.

Paul is a drawer, he also paints and makes collages, but all of those still can easily be described as drawing because of how they are constructed. I mention that because I think it is rare for and artist to entrench themselves so deeply into drawing. Usually you would see a natural move into the realm of etching, but Paul's work stands alone so successfully as drawing, there in absolutely no reason to make that step.

While talking to Paul I found out he became attracted to drawing in Middle School where he was, as you might of guessed, the funnyman; probably because he was also the drawer of all things subversive. Having been a boy in the 8th grade myself, I am sure I would have gotten quite a kick out of seeing drawings of anything considered inappropriate.

Paul was influenced by the 80's in a very profound way, this has since became the basis of a lot of his work. From the Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages to Horror movies and all the bubbling gooey gross of that decade, Paul is nostalgic about it all. It is no surprise then to find out that he makes work every day, and although he may not complete a piece every day, he is working in this ephemeral tradition that was spawned in the 80's, mainly through advertisements to children. Paul is embracing his experience, exposing the world, not only drawings of Tropical Turds, but to the hair in his shower drain, all of which, in the 1980s, would have been treasures to kids all cross the United States.

Paul's work rides the line of familiar vs. foreign and is done so honestly that it is easy to enjoy his work, luckily there is a lot of it out there to enjoy.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Surprisingly Great Paintings

2010-03-21T20:01:00.002-05:00
Have you ever looked at something and thought "There is no reason in the world that this should be good" and even still, it is? Every now and again I see art that catches me by surprise, not because it is good but because, by all accounts, it should be bad. Think of thick paintings that utilize subdued color, images of bird and flowers, as well as collaged elements and sparse linear aspects, doesn't sound too great does it. Well, how wrong could I be. Nothing would of prepared me for the work of Marti Somers which is on display for the next three weeks at Addington Gallery in River North.

Marti has a grasp on her materials and what she is communicating. These paintings are light, although the process in which she is using to arrive at them is far from that. Soft edges and grayed color float on the surface and I haven't the slightest idea why these paintings aren't just falling apart. They invited me in and I was surprised to spend a few warm minutes with them, the whole time thinking, "These should be bad, but they're not". If you get a chance, check out this show, it is rather impressive, and if you have any idea why it all works, please, let me know.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Kasey Keller and Chris Brown Need Your Support! LOL

2010-03-13T23:58:00.002-06:00
This one is for everyone out there living your dreams.

I read two stories that blew my mind today, both of them shared the topic of asking the public to understand that because some people decided to follow their dreams they should make more money or be more "successful."

First I will start with Chris Brown. I don't know much about this kid, but I read that he is begging for more support. I guess radio stations aren't playing his music enough because he said "They're not being that supportive and I wouldn't expect them to." Really Chris? You know what, welcome to the club kid. Millions of artists out there have day jobs to follow their dreams, and trust me, just because you were getting paid doesn't mean you're all that great.

He also said "My singing and my music is all great, but I do it for you guys and everything else but it won't be possible if I'm not relevant on the radio" What I would say to Chris is, stop doing it for me you fool. Why should anybody care about your relevance on the radio? You seem to be doing fine riding around in limos and wearing new clothes, some of us don't have those luxuries.

Next I want to take a quick side step to sports. Kasey Keller, the goalkeeper for the Seattle Sounders soccer team, has come out in support of an MLS (Major League Soccer) strike if a new agreement is not reached by March 25th. Now I am sure most of you will not care much about the ins and outs of this, but the bottom line is players want to make more money, and rightly so, seeing that they are the lowest paid professional athletes in the US with a median salary of $88,000 annually. Again, making more money is not something I have a problem with but Kasey said "This is truly a case of guys who could make more money going out and getting a job, but they're trying to live out the dream." I would have to say, then go get a job. I would think living out your dream has very little to do with making more than the national average, which is around $50,000.

I would think that if you are living your dream (and if your a professional singer or sports player you are living your dreams) that the joy you have knowing you can do that is enough. Instead you look out at the public, who have dreams of their own, and say yours are more important, and you deserve more.

In closing I would like to tell both Chris Brown and Kasey Keller to suck it.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Liminal: New Paintings by Trine Bumiller

2010-03-06T08:45:00.004-06:00

Trine Bumiller, who currently has a show Zg Gallery in River North, paints trees. You may think that that is nothing to write home about but I would beg to differ. Trine's paintings are more than just trees, they are meditations on nature. These paintings, which are made up of multiple panels, utilize memory and some very keen observational skills Trine transports us to another place entirely.

Skillfully using layers upon layers of paint, Trine recreates a stillness you may have experienced, just before you realized you strayed too far from your hiking party. That is the moment we are reminded, by something ethereal, that everything is going to work out, which is all too often just before you are thrust back into reality and panic sets in. The same attributes that created the stillness, multiple layers, soft edges and silhouettes also create movement within her work. Subtle, and ever so sexy, the paintings breath, shifting their color and mood to tug at our memory and allow us to settle into these images.

Up until April 10th you have plenty of time to experience this show, and I would defiantly recommend that you do. Zg gallery is located at 300 W Superior in River North and is open from 10a to 5:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Injured on the Pitch

2010-03-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

injured on the pitch, originally uploaded by MartinJon.
This is a new Painting that I am submitting for an online show being curated by @GemStars on Twitter. So a huge thanks to her and I will let you all know about where you can see the show when it goes live.

Once again I am grateful for all the support I receive from all of you
Thnaks
MartinJon
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Farther Where Art Thou: The Depletion of a National Resource at Blanc

2010-02-27T11:41:00.003-06:00

My first visit to Blanc, on S Martin Luther King Dr was for the photography of Bryant Johnson. If it is true that nobody reads artist statements at an art opening, Bryant is lucky to say the least. His show, Farther Where Art Thou: The Depletion of a National Resource was, as you might guess, topical to say the least. He was using the ever-present push to live green as a way to address the treatment of black males in Chicago, possibly the United States. Bryant's statement rambled on about how everyone is working at living green while there is a natural resource that is going untapped, namely the black male. Unfortunately it was unclear in the photographs, close up head shots of middle aged black males, how the connection was being made.

His photographs, which I found out from talking with Bryant, were of homeless men he had encountered in Chicago. These were printed on what I would consider to be cheap paper, then mounted with wheat paste on a shallow metal sheet or a wood backing with black frame. Bryant's approach to displaying his work may have been lacking only in an explanation. His photos were powerful, referencing iconic images of black men like Martin Luther King, Rev. Al Green, and Sonny Stitt. Making images like this and treating them like street posters is absolutely no mistake and as intriguing as the show was, I couldn't help but think the statement and the message of living green confused the point that every man is a son and every father is a hero.

Blanc is open Weds through Fri 11am-3pm and Sat by appointment only, and is located in Bronzeville at 4445 S. Martin Luther King Drive. Check out this show and let me know what you think.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Hacking Toys for Fun and Profit: An Interview with Nick Black

2010-02-15T18:47:00.001-06:00

Nick Black is a top class tinkerer and we at ChicagoArts had the privilege of meeting him in his studio for a quick interview about what he does, and how he does it.

Nick will be joining me in the studio for ChicagoArts Live on Monday February 22nd for a live stream of a follow up interview in which you are invited to participate by asking questions or making comments about Nick and his work or the interview.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Addington Gallery

2010-02-12T21:38:00.002-06:00

Addington Gallery opened with three newly acquired artists this weekend, and as always the surface was the focus. In the main gallery was the work of Carl A Linstum, who's mixed media paintings played a bit more like a collection of individual things, rather than complete compositions. The work did have interesting symbolism utilizing birds and butterflies and his statement talked briefly about spirituality, family and the power, or lack there of, of memory, so there was plenty to ponder. Again, I don't think the subject was all there was to see here, a big part of this show was the surface which was layered with wax and lush with movement.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Moby Dick at Packer Schopf

2010-02-03T18:03:00.004-06:00

Timothy Vermeulen's new paintings are based on specific texts from Moby Dick, and currently showing at Packer Schopf Gallery. Tim's figures, and his use of perspective that is just off enough to keep you just unsettled, is reminiscent of the early Northern Renaissance painters, think Hieronymus Bosch and Giotto, but very contemporary. There are lots of things about Tim's work that make each piece not only inviting but engaging, one is his understanding of color and how it effects mood, another is his odd sense of space, as each painting seems to open up to the room. The way he skewed the perspective in the piece made me feel as if I were being enveloped and the paintings became much bigger than their modest 13.5 X 17.5 size.

Each piece was part of the Moby Dick narrative but Tim would place himself in these paintings, participating and exploring as both an onlooker and a participant. His presance in the paintings allowed me to involve myself in the storytelling, reexamining my place in a world in flux. Tim's paintings are brave and confident and this show is not to be missed, unfortunately you only have until the 13th of February to see it.

There will be a special reception for the College Art Association Convention on Friday, February 12, from 5PM until 8PM, which will also host A book release of Words for Paintings by Jason Lahr, whose paintings are also currently on view at Packer Schopf. Don't forget to visit the downstairs gallery while you are there, ventriloquist dummy portraits by Gene Hamilton tie this three person show together quite gracefully, also downstairs get a glimpse of what's next at Packer Schopf.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

M155 4m3r1c4

2010-01-29T21:16:00.003-06:00

Image from Noble & Superior Projects' blog
If you follow me on FourSquare you'll already know I was at the leet speak filled M155 4m3r1c4, or Miss America, last night at Noble & Superior Projects. I had never been there before and thought it'd be a hoot, and it was. Leet Speak refers to elite speak, because it is encoded, and there are plenty of variations to keep people, not in the know, busy for some time.

Noble & Superior Projects hosted what might have been more of a film screening than an art show, but either way I enjoyed the video. Patrick Bobilin was the Filmmaker of the pair of artists that made up M155 4m3r1c4. Patrick did an excellent job with his, part documentary part fictional self-portrait. It was a linier journey for the most part, although it utilized some wonderful symbolism and imagery to make social as well as cultural commentaries mainly revolving around cause and affect. For those of you that might be interested, you also have the opportunity to look at documentation collected during recording and referenced in the video.

In the kitchen of Noble & Superior Projects was a corresponding show, or a rider to Patrick's video and documentation, of Cara Anne Greene's curated culinary creations. That was cool too.

M155 4m3r1c4
Exhibiting through February 16
Noble & Superior Projects
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

ChicagoLand at Peregrine Program

2010-01-23T16:41:00.002-06:00
I went to my first Peregrine Program opening, which happened to be only their third, to see ChicagoLand, a show that consisted of work by Daniel Lavitt. After seeing it I found it difficult to talk about this show to others, because I wasn't sure what it was to be honest. It was kind of a series of sculptures, but it was also utilizing electronics. One piece in particular was an homage to the late Roger Brown, a house sculpture was hung on the wall in which when you interacted with the door the lights in the windows went on.

The whole show apparently had a technology theme dealing with the electronics of these lights that were part of the pieces. It was set up so that you can view the work in an ascending order of the artists technological prowess. The final piece in the show, the most advanced technologically, really caught my imagination. It was part of a house sticking out of a wall, like those damn baseballs people put on their car's rear window, and the lights in the house are on until you approach it. This is where the advanced technology comes in, although not extremely advanced in the grand scheme of programming, the lights turning off as someone approaches, has a lot to say. Actually, I spoke to the artists about this and the house was a replica of his first apartment in Chicago, and because he didn't like his room mates, he would often pretend not to be home by turning off the lights as they would approach.

I left a bit unsure if it was a sculpture show, that had some electronics, or an electronics show that used sculpture as a vehicle. In the end I guess it doesn't matter but what might matter is that we have a new space in Chicago called Peregrine Program, and although it is only a 13" X 23" box the owner Edmund Chia is showing what he likes and I am always excited about new spaces showing new things.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Talking Haiti on Two Guys and a Guest

2010-01-23T04:56:00.003-06:00
This is the first part of Two Guys and a Gust from Thusday January 21st when we were talking to Alex Polotsky about Haiti and Haiti Aid Raffle.

This is the second part of that same show.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Sculptor Bill Boyce Talks With ChicagoArts

2010-01-18T10:37:00.004-06:00

Bill Boyce is a sculptor and metal fabricator that has an uncanny sense of how things could go together. His work flows, and organically comes together so consistently beautiful that I would say it was remarkable. Bill will be joining me in the studio for ChicagoArts Live on Tuesday January 26th for a live stream of a follow up interview in which you are invited to participate by asking questions or making comments about Bill and his work or the interview.

Join us on Tuesday the 26th at 7:30pm here

Contact Bill on Facebook here or give him a call at 773-761-7845

If you know, or are, an artists that would like to be interviewed on ChicagoArts contact me through my website at http://www.martinjon.com
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Help Haiti and Win Art or Donate Art

2010-01-14T19:22:00.004-06:00

I do not normally do this but, this one is from the heart, as they say. I found out less than an hour ago that someone I know died in Haiti. I have never been, nor did I have any inclination to travel to Haiti, but many people that I know have done just that. Two in particular were in Haiti during the recent earthquake.

Sue Frame who I had lived and worked with for a number of years thankfully survived although Flo McGarrell did not. I did not know Flo well enough to feel comfortable speaking about him too much, but I will say he was one of the strongest people I knew, and although I may not have spent long hours getting to know Flo, I do know there is an absence in the world without him.

Sue and Flo were in Jacmel, Haiti, building an artists center. The last I heard was that there was trouble getting the container of tools they had collected past customs. That school has fallen down the priority list now that things like fresh water has been added to the list of needs of the Haitian people.

In response to this loss of a Chicago Area artists, there is a small group of Chicagoans starting an art raffle to help give back to those giving to Haiti. If you are an artists, artesian or anyone willing to donate items to this raffle please upload images and descriptions to this flickr page. Every $5 donated to Doctors Without borders between Wednesday the 13th and Thursday the 21st will buy you on raffle ticket, just send your confirmation email to alexpolotsky (at) gmail (dot) com. For more information visit http://haitiaidraffle.wordpress.com/ , thank you.

Photos via Art21 blog and Sue Frame's Flickr page
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Manipulated Found Photos at the Chicago Cultural Center

2010-01-09T13:43:00.003-06:00

Pittsburgh artists Susanne Slavick had a show open Friday Jan 8th entitled R&R(...&R) in the Northern most of the Chicago Cultural Center's Michigan Avenue Galleries. Susan works with photographs she finds on the internet of war, desolation and/or destruction. After finding the images she wants to work with, Susanne often digitally manipulates them, but that is far from the beauty that is her artwork. Susan's poetic images come from her painting over these found photographs with Gauche. Her use of contradiction and the way she hints at the unknown is uncanny and attracted me immediately.

The piece that was getting a lot of attention while I was there was Remorse: White Curtains. This piece was based off a photo of a building in which Susan had painted thin white curtains billowing from its windows. The delicate way in which she painted the curtains, and the obvious lack of people, made the work eerie and have an overall feeling of desolation or desertion. These sorts of desolate feelings were not consistent throughout the show thankfully, part of the show also consisted of a series of desert landscapes in which Susanne painted this welling up of water from holes in the ground. These works read as hopeful, and the style in which she painted these, and most of her other pieces, were derived from Persian Masters.

Susanne's reconstruction of the destruction within photographs, digitally as well as physically, reminded me that we are not alone. These works, although sometimes screaming out for change, I see more as accepting of what can not be changed as well as an inner look to change oneself. Susanne has a deep rooted faith in humanity and spirituality, you see this as she exposes the unseen within the photographs she finds. A serious game of Tug-O-War is being played on, and literally through, the wreckage of a car bomb.

Photographs although sometimes seen as absolute facts are, like everything else, biased. Susanne Slavick, whose show will be at the Cultural Center through April 4th, has a wonderful grasp of that bias and sometimes exploits it while other times turning it on its head. All that being said, at the end of the day Susanne is making beautiful work. Is it political? Sure it is. Is it academic? Without a doubt, it is, but you wouldn't know that except for the outrageous title cards which are sure to remind you.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Megan Baker photography at AJ Kane

2009-12-16T18:33:00.001-06:00

Megan Baker, a Chicago Photographer, has a show opening Friday at the new AJ Kane Gallery at 119 N Peoria. I met with Megan to see her work and talk about her process as well as her relationship to photography; how it has evolved, and her plans for continuing to hone that relationship.

To look at Megan's work you wouldn't know she is only eighteen. Her imagery references dystopian films and the decay of small towns in the United States. The light in Megan's photographs remind me of the calm before a storm, thick and filled with potential. Her skies are often dense with cloud cover, and although they are only photographs, each one seems to have a soundtrack of either rustling leaves, wind, or the creaking boards of a ramshackle house. These soundtracks come from dozens of movies, performers, and paintings where Megan is informing her imagery, and although we very well may have seen this before, I think the work has a special quality all its own.

I was surprised to here that Megan only takes photos she thinks will work with her process. Not mucking about with dozens of photos that she knows won't work is probably a great time saver. Normally, I wouldn't think this to be a great idea, but it seems to work wonderfully for Megan as all of her photos are top notch.

As I spent time with Megan's photos they did speak to me, but they did so as paintings. I talked with Megan about her process and she references manipulating colors. As she sits with her photos she works with them, just like a painter would work with a canvas, building her composition with color and toying with mood and exploring the image. That sort of care for every pixel is the future of image manipulation in art, and I can only hope the Megan keep making great work and pushing herself and her art to new levels.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Pop Up Goes the Galleries

2009-12-11T15:29:00.002-06:00

Hey, check it out, it's winter in Chicago during a shaky economic time. How many of you can recall a time when there have been so many vacant storefronts in your neighborhood? Have been downtown recently and seen the spaces waiting for some enterprising boutique, or another Starbuck's to move in? I can recall when all of Fullerton from Halsted to Pulaski was boarded up, but that was a long time ago, long enough in fact that we don't just board everything up anymore. Pop up galleries are the new busy bee board up, the idea is too keep the building viable, while owners can find suitable tenets.

Artists around the country are benefiting from these vacant store fronts by being able to show work in high traffic areas. The Chicago Loop Alliance, who a few years ago brought us Looptopia is now offering Pop Up Galleries one which features the work of Sara Schnadt. "Inspired by the idea that we simultaneously live in a real and virtual world, and that the virtual is infinitely expansive, Network uses large quantities of electric yellow twine and mirror to suggest a virtual network landscape cutting through an otherwise ordinary space". Sara's Pop Up Gallery is called Network and can be seen throughout December at 220 South Wabash.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

What the Fuck is PechaKucha?

2009-12-05T07:07:00.003-06:00

I attended my first PechaKucha night at the Hackerspace known as Pumping Station: One, last night. If you are anything like I was before I went to this, you will have no idea what any of that means, and that's okay.

Lets start with PechaKucha; the name is based on the Japanese word for "chitchat", it was originally devised in Tokyo as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has evolved into what almost seems like a party game for the both creative and tech savvy, although neither of these are prerequisites. PechaKucha is essentially a speaker series, for instance, I saw seven different speakers talk about things ranging from the history of metal music to geology. Presenters have to follow some simple guidelines that limit their time, and the way they might decide to present, mainly, 20 images x 20 seconds. Each talk is then limited to 400 seconds (6 min 40sec) and hilarity ensues as the speakers try and fit, and fill information for each image.

Next we tackle the age old question what is a Hackerspace. These are community-operated places, where people can get together to work on projects, simply stated a hackerspace is a geek headquarters. Pumping Station: One, on north Elston, is Chicago's hackerspace, and I encourage you to check out an event at some point, especially if you are someone who has projects. Word of warning, this is not your typical stitch and bitch.

Pumping Station: One is a member based non-profit, but that non-profit status seems to only ensure that there is a space to house something as unique as this is. Okay it might not be a unique as all that, but I do have to say that within an environment such as this it is hard to imagine most people having this sort of experience.

Production is infectious and PS One, having 40 some odd active members, is a snowballing mountain of productivity. That sort of environment can make a huge impact on a person, even a single visit by a less than inspired tinkerer may yield a lifetime of change.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Shiny Work at the Mars Gallery

2009-11-19T11:52:00.003-06:00

If you are reading this I can assume you go to art shows often enough to warrant reading an arts blog. Whether that is true or not, I am sure Tipping Observation at the Mars Gallery would be one of the most shiny show you would come across in, and for, quite some time.

Syndy Ziegenfuss' work consists of painting, collage, I am sure some printmaking as well as other sorts of mark making. What seems to separate Syndy's work from other collage/mixed medium works is partly their size, all of these works are 50" X 50". In their presence you are almost enveloped, an illustration that was once only 3 inches now looms, life size, in front of you, kind of both creepy and kitschy.

Now on to the shiny part. These large collages are covered by a thick blanket of resin, poured by Syndy's wife, it is like the tables at Lazo's on Western. This resin covers everything, and at first being in front of these works is fun and playful. That doesn't last however mainly because of the standard quality of each piece.

We often find ourselves in front of paintings or prints or even collages and the surface quality changes. Maybe not within the same piece but between works there are usually some changes in the surface, but not in this case. There are numerous studies about how when you eat something, with a distinct texture, your mouth gets tired and bored quickly. I would use that same analogy about my eyes in an art show that utilizes the same exact surface quality throughout. Individually, or part of a group show these works would stand out because of their approachability and surface, unfortunately those qualities do not stand up in this case.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Opportunity for the Arts

2009-11-16T09:24:00.004-06:00
The directors of Home Gallery, in Hyde Park, have an exciting and interesting pilot event coming up called the Op Shop. The name refers to Opportunity Shop, and the idea here is to open a temporary space where artists can bring their work, as well as services and ideas, in order to barter, sell and openly exchange. I don't want to give the impression that this is a just retail space, although that is one aspect of what will happen within this space. Artists are being encouraged to be a part of this event organically, utilizing the space to create a dynamic and evolving installation. All mediums are welcome, so artists may host a workshop, lessons, or performances as well as sell paintings or sculptures.

Another aspect of this pilot project, which, if all goes well there will be more of, is to work in conjunction with property owners, bringing attention to their vacant spaces while helping to keep the Op Shop's costs down. This will also attract new consumers to an area and will aid in revitalizing neighborhood shops that may have seen a drop in sales over the past few months. This Op Shop will be located in a vacant space currently owned by Mac Properties in Hyde Park at 1613 E. 55th St.

If you are interested in participating in The Op Shop, you should contact the Laura Shaeffer immediately. They are also looking for people to donate time to help run the space during its open hours.

laura.shaeffer@gmail.com
www.thelarch.org

The planned timed and days for this event are as follows

Dates: 11/27 Fri - 12/31 Thu
Visitor hours: 11am-7pm, Thu-Sun,
Evenings, coinciding with events.

Opening reception: 11/27 Fri, from 6-10 p.m.
Silent Auction: 12/5 Sat from 6-10 p.m
Closing party: 12/31 Thu from 6-10 p.m.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Kevin Sonmor at Addington Gallery

2009-11-12T12:57:00.002-06:00

Roadworthy, paintings by Kevin Sonmor, opened on Friday Nov 6th at Addington Gallery, luckily for everyone who didn't get to the opening night it will be up through Christmas. Kevin's work is a delight to behold, and I mean that. These paintings are breathtaking, Kevin is hinting at landscape while utilizing abstract expressionistic movements to create meditative spaces. His use of space allows the viewer to search the painting and study his technique.

His ability to render is obvious, but his exploration of the paint is what is incredible. Thick passages of rich red paint, cover the majority of the paintings. So much so that it may be surprising that the show demonstrates an overall feeling of calm. Kevin has been painting, and has been recognized for doing so, for a long time now, this show proves why and really should not be missed.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Deborah Maris Lader at Uncommon Ground

2009-11-04T19:15:00.002-06:00

On Thursday November 5th the Uncommon Ground at 1401 W Devon, in Edgewater, will officially unveil their new exhibit. On display until February 1st, this exhibit features the work of the director of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, Deborah Maris Lader. Don't be fooled by the whole printmaking thing, the actual amount of prints in the show are fairly scarce, the bulk of the work are described as mixed media photographic paintings, this just means she uses an array of mediums which involves photography to create the work.

This show is, for a number of reasons, very successful. One reason I think it is successful is that the work compliments the atmosphere. You don't want to be overwhelmed with color, imagery and content while trying to enjoy a Roasted Beet Salad. Not to say that the work is vacant of any of these but one great aspect of Deborah's work is its delicate nature. Deborah's work sits on the wall with muted colors, that offer up a sense of familiarity; this allows us to feel calm in their presence. Another reason I feel this show is a success is its approachability. The surface of the work has a distressed quality which asks of the viewer a little more attention, but it accomplishes this in a very delicate manner.

This show is also, although it is a bit odd to say this, but, autumnal. Maybe it is the bird imagery or the colors, but the work seems to relish in the crisp cool days of autumn in Chicago. Deborah says one of the many themes of her work is "how we must appreciate the moment before it vanishes" and like Autumn in Chicago, this show will be gone before you know it, so get out and celebrate the opening on Thursday.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

The Calumet Region, Photographs by Gary Cialdella

2009-11-02T14:20:00.001-06:00

A collection of Gary Cialdella's photographs of an area that begins in southern Chicago, and ends somewhere in Northwest Indiana, has just been published in a new book. This book of photographs took me a long time to digest, mainly because I know the Calumet region and was not very familiar with this sort of documentary photography. I don't know the area quite as well as Gregg Hertzlieb, editor and contributing essayist for this book, but I have spent enough time in the area to be familiar with the subject matter. It isn't easy to look at photograph after photograph of things you've seen before, all taken in black and white from a six foot eye level. It becomes monotonous and tiring after a while, but I am beginning to understand that there is a lot more here than was originally able to see.

Like I said, I'm familiar with the iconic images of the area, single family homes and industry not only on the same block but often on the same plot of land. These photos show urban decay, liquor and cigarette ads, war memorials, Baptist churches, train tracks and dozens of other "American" images. Upon further inspection though you are not looking only at a region you are looking at individuals. Individuals are making choices about their lawn ornamentation that lend insight into the diversity of the region. On top of that, we are lead through this region so thoughtfully by the editors that we are almost unaware of how much knowledge we are actually receiving from the photographs. Insights into daily struggles, and even inner city infrastructure begin to make themselves known after spending some time studying the work.

There is something very special about these photographs, and I have a feeling it is the relationship between the area being photographed and the photographer. A lot of what has been photographed in this book is gone now, that fact alone will entice locals to reminisce over long loved, and long since lost, local buildings and memories. This is a book you will want to spend time with, like the images of Paris by Eugène Atget we are shown a spirit of this region in a time of change.

But what about people that have never stepped foot into the Calumet region. Well in his essay Gary said

"To this day, I go out of my way to drive through the Region and take it in. Like so much of America, it is both sad and hopeful. I see the Region as a unique place, but I see it also as a metaphor for the contemporary American landscape. Calumet is a real place, and it is home."

When Gary says Calumet is real, he is right. This is where the heart of the steel Industry was, and the only reason it is not as bad as Detroit is because of Chicago. As blue collars become white all across America, we need to look to Detroit and the Calumet Region in order to remember what happens when we believe what we are told. We need to remember happiness is what you make it every day and all of that is very important in spending time with this book. The photographs herein were taken over a span of more than twenty years, and although that is nothing in terms of time, it is more than double the amount of time you would need to make significant changes in a neighborhood today.

Gary is taking us on a tour of his neighborhood, a neighborhood that has changed, and even if we have never visited the area, we have been, and will continue to be effected by that change.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Casey Roberts and Deedee Davis

2009-10-27T20:32:00.001-05:00

The new show at Home Gallery of the works of Casey Roberts and Deedee Davis I think will appeal to a wide audience. Casey's cyanotypes, and the layered glass works of Deedee, at first seem to contrast each other fairly harshly. This, for me, ended up being just an initial reaction, because upon a second look I saw that the playfulness and mystery between the two styles complimented each other quite well.

Deedee Davis' work was very similar to animation cells. On separate sheets of glass with she'll paint and layer the foreground, middle ground, and background of each piece. This creates space and makes a perceptible shadow of one layer on the next. Her layered flat imagery lies out these loose narratives, although there is not a whole lot of information on what those narratives might be. In Elisabeth Furnace II, and Pluto 1 Water1 we might investigate far enough to understand how the titles and images relate but there is more going on here than that relationship. Deedee's work draws the viewer in with her use of bright flat color and allows us to play within the space.

Casey Roberts, has work that showcases his love for printmaking. This will take a little more explaining, Casey works with cyanotypes; this is a process in which a light sensitive liquid is applied to the paper where he makes images by manipulating light and shadow, as well as bleaching colored areas to create multiple tones. These works are little prizes for the viewer because at first glance they look similar to watercolors but slowly reveal themselves as much more. The playful quality and natural imagery of his work invites you into these natural spaces, although they are not there to comfort you. These spaces are uncomfortable by design. Not meant to drive you away, but to help you notice. Brushstrokes and overlaps in this medium don't respect the image that Casey is trying to create, this is very important because there are very often two images on these paintings, one being the surface the other being the images just beyond the surface. This creates a beyond the looking glass kind of thing that plays with your imagination and allows you to explore.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Yozo Hamaguchi at Floating World

2009-10-23T22:44:00.002-05:00

Floating World Gallery had it's inaugural show today, with a wonderful display of mezzotints by Yozo Hamaguchi. Yozo was an oil painter until meeting E.E. Cummings in France who mentioned that his drawings would look great as prints. The rest is history as they say, Hamaguchi returned to Japan and studied printmaking. The prints on display at Floating World are from many stages throughout Yozo Hamaguchi's career. With such wide variety of work it is easy to see the progression of skill Mr. Hamaguchi achieves within the process.

A Mezzotint is done in one of two ways, additive or subtractive. Hamaguchi utilized the former, although the later has historically been more popular. You can easily see that this is the case, because along side of the prints at Floating World are the plates, which is rare for a gallery to put on display. Only adding marks where he wants the ink to print, these plates are inscribed with millions of tiny dots and line to create vast areas of even tones and gradations. His ability to manipulate the tools in creating these prints are on display for all to see, and his mastery of this technique unquestionable.

The one thing that did overshadow the Hamaguchi exhibit though, was the opening of the Floating World Gallery itself. This huge space dedicated strictly to the art of printmaking was astonishing. As a sometimes printer myself it is a joy to know that Chicago, which has a deep history with printmaking, has another stellar venue, for not only showing and selling, but for educating people on prints and the printmaking processes. With an intimate showing space upstairs and the large open gallery down, this space it sure to attract, as well as create, print lovers of all sorts.

Floating World Gallery
1925 N. Halsted
312.587.7800
MartinJon - ChicagoArts

Th!nkArt, Not Just Another Gallery

2009-10-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

went to my first Th!nkArt event this past Friday, and for the event Laurie Glenn, founder of Th!nkArt, hosted an "Aparté," which in French means "something that is apart." This event seemed to have no primary focus, the large scale paintings by local artist Larry Roberts, did not have any more significance than did the opportunity to talk to others, or the ability to hear a brief speech by Senate hopeful Cheryle Jackson. These events are set up with the intention of creating discourse, and it did that quite well.

I find it hard to talk about Th!nkArt because it is kind of complex. Laurie has built Th!nkArt within a vision, and even though I can tell that vision has continuity, it is hard to pin it down to something short and sweet. One thing you can't escape is the French feel. Th!nkArt has a partnership with the Paris-based Friedland Rivault Gallery and works in conjunction with a number of other French Institutions both here in Chicago and abroad. For instance, at the event I attended, Laurie introduced a France Delegation of 10 emerging elected officials of color who were visiting Chicago. This alone was done in conjunction with Chicago United, United Congress, The Sister Cities International Program of Chicago, and Groupe Professionnal Francophone. So you see, reaching out and creating discourses is something that Laurie truly believes in, its not just another buzz word for her.

Laurie has a long history with art, artists, politics and France. This history has created a rich experience that she can't help but infuse into everything she does. Laurie's approach is quite simple; get your hands dirty and keep an open mind. Th!nkArt is not just a Gallery, and you will not understand what Laurie is trying to achieve by attending one event. I had to talk with Laurie, who is very approachable, in order to get an idea of what the underlining themes of the event were and how everything was tied in together. As I mentioned earlier nothing was any more significant that anything else throughout the evening. So Larry Roberts' paintings, as well as the music and the French delegation, aided the experiences by creating a launching point for discussion, as well as places to rest. Laurie has been laying the groundwork for Th!nkArt since 2006 and I am excited to see what the future of Th!nkArt is going to be.
MartinJon - ChicagoArts