Hit the Deck! Art on Skateboards
June 20, 2009 | Filed Under Art Shows, Chris, For Sale, Our Artwork | 2 Comments
Here are some pictures from the Hit the Deck! show at HUB-BUB that went from end of April through June. I was asked to be in the show along with alot of other great artists, artists I now want to know more about and see more of their work. I found myself wishing I had thousands of dollars to buy these amazing artworks on skate decks…
Many thanks to Stephen Long, Andrew Blanchard, and the rest of the HUB-BUB people for asking me to be a part of the show and for being such a great art space. Come to think of it… I still need to go pick up my decks… hmmm, gotta do that this week…
To see more photos from the opening night and more pics of the other artists’ decks, check out HUB-BUB’s flickr page. Photos by Stephen Long at HUB-BUB.
Whew.
June 20, 2009 | Filed Under Friends + Family, Life | 1 Comment
This one’s for you, Tim French!
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The past 12ish months has been one of those years. You know, the kind of year when every day that goes by is filled with uncertainty, trying to figure out how to be “successful” at doing art, working hard but feeling like you’re running a marathon on a treadmill without getting anywhere, but peppered with moments of excitement and a sense of accomplishment, moments when you think, “I’m really doing what I’m supposed to be doing…”
Let’s see… arty-farty recap. Over the past 12ish months, I ventured into the wonderful world of freelance (a.k.a. Feast or Famine), which comprises an entire universe of problems, joys, failures, successes, lessons learned, and so on, we had about a dozen art shows between the two of us (alumni show, art & light gallery, Plants + Animals in NC, CLIPPED at the ex-Silver Chair Bookstore, a handful shows at BANG Hair Salon (hi Janet, you rule), the FUEL Project collab with Jason Waggoner, got Rescue in the Clemson national drawing & printmaking exhibition, 6 painted skateboards in the Hit the Deck! show at HUB-BUB in Spartanburg, plenty o’ art put up around town at coffee shops and and such…), started our Etsy shop, drove to muh hometown of Chicago to show our artwork and do a presentation at a youth art festival, then drove to Pennsylvania where we met our amazingly awesome new friends / amazingly supportive new patrons (Hi Deb and Doug!) who stocked up on botanical drawings and etchings galore… and a bunch of other stuff that will take too long to remember and write.
And as I type, I’m in the thick of the biggest project I’ve ever had to tackle, a big graphic novel. Funny, when I was a kid, I devoured comic books and comic book art, telling myself that one day I would do them myself. And years after getting out of college and making all sorts of imagery and illustration work, now I find myself actually illustrating a graphic novel, for real, with alot of the days feeling like the toughest job in the world, and on the best days feeling like I’m getting paid to play. But when it comes down to it, I’m making art, telling a cool story about interesting, well-written characters, collaborating with really great people on the other side of the country through the power of the internets, and providing for myself and my wife and kid by doing it. Whoah. I’m grateful. Especially in this economy. No joke: the same day I got contacted about the project in late February, I was dropping off applications at Starbucks. Providence has a funny way of stepping in last-minute, every time.
A few months ago I moved into a studio space a few minutes from home, where now I can really focus to get the work done, with relative quiet and privacy. Pretty cool place, a super old big house (pretty much got the coolest room in the place, thanks for the first dibs, Caroline), more on that soon…
…
I think that covers about 10% of this past year’s chaos.
I’d love to share more, but man… tired of staring at the computer screen… will need to be back in front of it in an hour to work on a photo-illustration collab project with Aaron Greene. Time to go play with Marshall / prevent him from hurting himself.
Oh, check out the etsy shop. Lots of goodies just added, with more on the way…
Absentee bloggers
June 17, 2009 | Filed Under Life | 1 Comment
Yes, it’s been plural months since our last post, with good reason. Around Feb/March I started on a huge project that has kept me from doing just about anything else, blogging included, and will keep me booked solid for the next few months. A lot has happened during our blogosphere leave, and we’ll update you all with the goings-on soon…!
birds birds birds
March 30, 2009 | Filed Under Annie, Art Shows, For Sale, Our Artwork | 2 Comments
More 8 x 8″ acrylics on wood panel. On display at art & light gallery this Friday night! If you’re in the area, come out to see these and alot more new pieces of Annie’s.
Coffee & Crema
March 28, 2009 | Filed Under Annie, Art Shows, Chris, For Sale, Friends + Family, Life, Our Artwork | Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, a fellow named Shannon Hudgens got in touch with me, asking about hanging some artwork at his soon t0 be opened coffee shop in the Forest Park Shopping Center off Laurens and Pleasantburg. It was a pleasure to meet Shannon and check out the new shop while it was still under construction and to hang some artwork of mine (and one piece of Annie’s).
Now the new shop is officially open for business, and boy does that floor look shiny! Woo! (Click the pic to visit C&C’s blog).
Every week at the Haywood Mall shop and the new Forest Park shop, public cuppings are held for anyone interested in learning about the coffee Coffee & Crema serves. They are relatively informal affairs but there will always someone to walk newcomers through the experience. There’s no cost and they even give samples to any attendee that stays from start to finish!
Weekly cupping times:
Haywood Mall - every Saturday at 1PM
Forest Park - every Wednesday at 12PM
If you need a coffee break (and a break from your usual coffee shop), stop by the new Forest Park Coffee & Crema to get some truly excellent coffee and see some Koelle art on the walls! Mostly drawings of people with bikes from Sweet Ride, and some cameras, a skateboard with a king painted on it, and so on. The usual stuff.
Cedar Leidigh
March 24, 2009 | Filed Under Chris, For Sale, Friends + Family, Life, Our Artwork, Portraits | Leave a Comment
An oldie but goodie. Our good friend, storyteller, and Mother Nature’s Son: Cedar Leidigh of Montana. Painted back in the day when we were all art majors together. You may behold a sampling of Cedar’s art here. And be sure to check out Cory’s Cedar post at his blog (second post down).
Oh, and this is Cedar with our firstborn son on his very first Hallow’s Eve. Cedar put a Sleepga II spell on Marshall, as you can see.
Favorite brown butterfly
March 23, 2009 | Filed Under Annie, Art Shows, For Sale, Our Artwork | Leave a Comment
I love this one. Annie calls it her favorite. Good job, Annie. Everyone’s happy!
Gastropacha
March 20, 2009 | Filed Under Annie, Art Shows, For Sale, Our Artwork | Leave a Comment
Annie just told me she’s really happy with this one. Nice to hear someone be honest about their work when they actually like it. As opposed to me always being like, “I hate everything I do.” Which isn’t entirely honest.
This (among many more) will be at the art & light gallery “Things That Fly” show as well.
Tiny 4×4″ acrylic on wood panel.
