New projects for new seasons

The Creative Soul show was a tremendous success! Turnout for the opening last Friday was much larger than I expected, with a couple hundred people streaming through the gallery over the course of the night, and the art on display covered a much wider range of styles than I would have thought to come from Dayton.
On top of that, I received an award for Best in Media for Painting. Not one of the top prizes, but definitely a nothing to complain about considering the amount of painting that was in the show.
Additionally, several other artists I know or am connected with all received awards as well. One of my roommates, Hillary Hopkins, received another Honorable Mention award (a link to her blog can be found on the left), and one of the other artists of the Summer Space studio at Excelsior, Darren Haper, received one of the Grand Prize awards as well. On top of that, several of my past professors from UD all received various awards, so it was great to see the success of so many people I've gotten to know.
Here are a few shots from the show, including views of my two paintings that were in it.

I just realized that I didn't have any good shots of my second painting in the show, so here it is when it was 90% finished. I'll likely be going back to the show in the next few weekends, so maybe I'll put up some better shots if I get any (clearly photography is not my forte). And a reminder to all those in the Dayton area (or within driving distance): the show will stay up until November 6th, and is open every Saturday from noon to 4 pm. Please come check it out, and make sure you vote for a piece for the People's Choice award, which will be announced at the closing reception in November (5 to 10 pm on the 6th).

Moving on, I'm beginning several new projects over the course of the next few weeks, some more worth mentioning than others. Starting sometime soon, I'll be working on a project for the A Special Wish Foundation, which I'm very excited about. More to follow on that later as I get closer to the project. Coming up sooner, I'll be doing a collaborative effort with local Dayton music act BJSR. Details are still a bit up in the air for this as well, but it should be interesting. Finally, right now I've begun the biggest painting of my career. Just finished building the stretcher, stretching, and priming the canvas in the past week, now all that's left is actually starting the monstrosity. It measures in at 6 feet tall by 15 feet wide. Excitement is an understatement, though daunting is also soon to be true, as fall is beginning and all warmth in our studio is slowly slipping away.

from the studio

This Friday marks the opening of the Creative Soul of Dayton show, which'll run until November 6th at the Armory Building in the Oregon Arts District. The show features the work of over a hundred Dayton artists, including many of those that I link to on my site (Hillary Hopkins, Amanda Baker, Lauren Tomasella, Mike Elsass, and myself, to name a few). If you're in the area, don't miss it!
More information on that can be found at the Creative Soul website.

Also, about to start a big project, the largest painting I've ever attempted. It's a mystery now, but expect updates within the week.

Finally, I need to mention something very new and very important. One of my roommates and fellow Dayton artists recently published a book on the Oregon Arts District in Dayton. She's a photographer, and so the book is filled with pictures that capture the spirit of the district. Overall, it's very well-done.
You can check it out here, be sure to preview it and buy a copy or five.

blues

"Untitled"
Oil on Canvas

"Genesis"
Charcoal, Acrylic, and Oil on Canvas
48" x 36"

Two paintings from a few months ago. Both oil on canvas, both untitled. Expect more to follow shortly.

Catchup

Alright, lots of paintings to be caught up on here. Following my graduation this past May, I've recently begun a lot of very new and exciting things in Dayton, all revolving my inclusion in the new Artists of Summer Space program. Once I get my past portfolio more or less updated on this site, I'll talk about that more. In the meantime, check out the website here or at the link to the side of this page.




These pieces are part of the "Creation/Conviction" series, each in acrylic, charcoal, and oil paint. This series was a reflection on creation stories of Genesis, focusing on both the building up and fall of man in the first chapters of the Old Testament.

"Prophets in Exile"
36" x 48" - acrylic, oil, charcoal on canvas

December of 2008. Bronze patina on ceramics. Weird.