It’s that time of year again when people line up, wait for hours, fight and hurt each other all to save a little bit of cash and put the rest in the pockets of companies that only think about how this year, will stack up to last years profits. So why not spend your money on art, support an independent artist, and really make a difference in someones life (including your own). There are so many talented artists having Black Friday sales. This is a great opportunity to stay in your house, sip on some coffee (or beer) and buy some original art and/or prints that will be shipped directly to you, and you don’t even need to get trampled for it.
Here is a selection of artists and art shops that are offering deals this Black Friday. Be awesome, spread the word.
From now until December 1st, Samantha Levin Fine Art is offering 30% off Caitlin Hackett’s gorgeous limited edition print of “In Memory.” The image size is 24″x18″ printed on Archival Arches BFK Rives 315gsm Cotton Rag paper. This small edition of 20 is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a certificate of authenticity. To purchase: Visit Samantha Levin Fine Art and use code REMEMBERNOVEMBER at checkout.
Dorielle Caimi has a new print available entitled “Commotion”, which can be purchased by sending an email to Michelle at info@gusfordgallery.com. The great thing about this release is that she also wrote about what the painting means to her and what inspired it. I love the connection of this painting to Gentileschi’s (seen below post). I know I might be digging here, but I also noticed that the pose was reminiscent of the figure seen in “Leda and the Swan” by Da Vinci. The story is of course about Leda being seduced (raped) by Zeus, and to me this is what makes the figure Caimi has painted to exude even more strength. I could go on and on about this piece and the possible connections, but there is nothing better than the artist’s statement about the work.
The painting “Commotion” was initially inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting “Susanna and the Elders.” Her painting depicts a distressed bathing woman whose privacy is breeched by two leering men who desire her for her female flesh.
As a feminist and a female artist, I wanted to put a contemporary spin on this painting by taking flowers (a stereotypical symbol of femininity) and creating a piece that illustrates the imposition of feminine societal norms on women. I sought to paint a woman with a healthy and realistic physique to illustrate her non-participation in the pressures for women to be thin and “sexy.” In the painting, she is being bombarded with a tsunami of flowers that insist that her identity is the stripped down and simple version of what it means to be female.
For me, this painting represents the strength women possess to push away dictative societal pressures. My hope is that the figure’s expression of disgust and distress, displays her discomfort with the idea that women need to accept society’s ideals of femininity. The flowers in the painting could represent a number of things: cat-calling, Women’s Health magazine, constant apologizing, bulimia, the “Smile” command from strangers on the street, lesser wages, prying when-are-you-having-children? inquiries, and so on. If I could conjure just one reaction from my audience through this painting, it would be to just LET HER BE.
I called the painting “Commotion” because I wanted to address exactly what I felt the flowers were doing, namely causing (as the dictionary would describe it) “a state of confused and noisy disturbance.” Just as I felt for the discomfort of Susanna, who was not okay with the violation of her privacy, as do I hope my viewers can consider that we might not be okay with all the commotion that confuses and distracts us from accessing our truest and authentic selves.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Susannah and the Elders. 1610. Oil on canvas. 1700 x 1190 mm. Collection Graf von Schoenborn, Pommersfelden
For the past year and half, Tom Bagshaw has been working on a inspiring project entitled “The Black Lodge”, setting out to create a series of portraits that would only be available through his online shop. Along with the framed, one-off digital prints, there is also a limited edition book available with the collected series of portraits and additional complimentary works. The book is limited to an edition of 100 and is numbered, signed, and embossed. The following is an intro by Tom about this exciting series.
The whole project really came about as an experiment to see whether I could get some volunteer models for my work via Instagram. I had a rough idea that I wanted to produce some darker themed portraits, and finding suitable models always causes me no end of problems. So at the beginning of January 2013, I put up an ad on Instagram asking for some volunteers for the project. I was pretty amazed by the response; I ended up with 800+ people putting themselves forward over a weekend! After 48 hrs I went through every single picture and profile and selected a group of models, thanking everyone else for volunteering.
I sent each of the models a rough sketch of a pose and got them to take some basic photo reference shots. Then I went ahead and started working on one portrait at a time. Obviously, because it was a personal project I had to fit it in around commissions and exhibition work. To produce the 18 portraits, together with 5 complimentary pieces, it ended up taking a year and a half. The main idea was to produce one off portraits that would be sold via my online store rather than as a gallery exhibition, purely in an effort to create works that would (hopefully) be within reach of a wider collectors market. I also wanted to produce a show catalogue or book that would collate the series, essentially making mini prints available to those who could not afford or missed out on the framed works.
In the end I was able to produce a 7×9.25″ perfect bound book, with a soft velvet laminate and spot UV cover, more than I originally intended but hopefully people will like it! The framed works, along with the book will be launched on the Mostlywanted Shop on the 1st August, I’ve had a lot of fun doing this project and am really pleased to see how well things are being received so far!
Take a look at the preview below; order and see the rest of the series here: MostlyWanted
From a quick glance, Nicoletta Ceccoli‘s porcelain creatures, in their odd, sticky-sweet surroundings seem a bit like illustrations for children’s books. The artist’s palette of childhood pastels and ghostly whites, softly rendered into gentle forms, are nurturing and inviting. This lure gives way quickly, revealing the uncanny, visceral qualities of her creatures’ gestures and facial expressions, belying their innocence and emotively exploring the confusion of adulthood. They are, in their surreality, uncomfortably real.
In connection with Nicoletta Ceccoli’s new exhibition Eye Candy, AFA Gallery is offering up some new, gorgeous, exclusive prints on their site that you can purchase here. Her new original paintings will be on view at AFA from November 17th through February 3rd, 2013.
Alix Sloan of Sloan Fine Arts and AFA Gallery are about to open their newest group exhibition entitled Awakened with an absolutely amazing roster of artists. This exhibition’s focus is on the powerful and positive impact pets have on our lives and in our homes. Prints by Nicoletta Ceccoli, Tom Everhart, Shepard Fairey, Camille Rose Garcia, Daniel Merriam and Marion Peck will be available in a live auction, led by celebrity pet advocate Pia Salk, during the opening reception. To boot, this exhibition will be celebrating the release of Alix Sloan’s new book, Pet Sitter: A Jenna Stack Mystery, which she wrote with writer and journalist Amy Eyrie.
A portion of all sales from the show, including book sales, will be donated to AdoptApet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, to help support the organization’s mission of finding homes for wayward creatures.
Scroll down for a little peek of the artwork that will be on view. Participating artists include:
Jennybird Alcantara, Jessicka Addams, Nicole Alvarez, Nana An, Jean-Pierre Arboleda, Carrie Anne Baade, Rebekah Bogard, Mia Brownell, Tim Burton, Bill Carman, Bryan Cunningham, Jason D’Aquino, Michelle Doll, Peter Drake, Nicole Etienne, Tom Everhart, Eric Finzi, Marc Finzi, Erik Foss, Camille Rose Garcia, Theodor Geisel, Kady Grant, Leontine Greenberg, Linda Griggs, Gris Grimly, Evan B. Harris, Jason Holley, Anthony Iacono, Kate Javens, Lisa Lebofsky, Travis Louie, Julia Marchand, Elizabeth McGrath, Daniel Merriam, Gabriela Mesa-Jonassen, Scott Musgrove, Kathie Olivas & Brandt Peters, Joshua Petker, Ransom & Mitchell, Kirk Reinert, Martha Rich, Paul Richard, Ron Richter, Chris Roberts-Antieu, Jean-Pierre Roy, Jonny Ruzzo, Isabel Samaras, Charles M. Schulz, Ryan Scully, Maurice Sendak, Heather Sherman, Nathan Skiles, Sally Sloan, Aaron Smith, Owen Smith, Nathan Spoor, Jonathan Viner, Melanie Vote, Lindsey Way, Casey Wedlon, Eric White and Brad Woodfin.
The show opens this Thursday the 20th, however the opening cocktail reception takes place on the evening of the 22nd. If you plan on attending, RSVP is required: rsvp@afanyc.com. Hope to see you there!
Michael Hussar has dropped his second limited edition print of 2012 since Modern Devotional back in February (featured). This print entitled Red King is 12.5 x 9.5″ inches, signed, numbered, and titled in an edition of 88 and also comes with a certificate of authenticity. As with most prints I have seen by Birdbath Publishing, this print is sure to look outstanding, is on top-notch rag paper, and presented and shipped in the best way possible.
Also, for fans that happen to live in London — or can simply fly over there — on Sept 28-30th, Michael Hussar will be at the 8th International London Tattoo Convention. On Saturday, Michael will be giving an “Alla Prima” painting demo, so if you have ever wanted to see Hussar paint in person, and paint in the Alla Prima fashion which is simply “at once”, make sure you are there. Otherwise he will be at another location following the convention. Full details on the site here: London Tattoo Convention.
Dan May added a new limited edition print to his online shop today entitled Moonlight Meeting. The print is 11″ x 11″ on Hahnemuhle German Etching, 310 gsm, signed and numbered in an edition of 45. The great thing about this piece, is that is signifies a change in Dan May’s work. The monster to the left showcasing the style we have seen in his paintings for years, and the figurative foreshadowing on the right side. His paintings are becoming more figurative lately, so this piece in a way visually shows this transition.
