MIssion Accomplished

Prints for PICA was a blast today. I hung out in TJ Norris' studio all day, sipping on beer, eating pizza, chatting with some fun people. Oh, and I made some artwork too. There were quite a few familiar faces, and a lot of great new ones to meet. I even sold some artwork in support of PICA.

You can click HERE to see all the pictures I took, and maybe even identify some of Portland's art heavy-hitters.

Also, below is some of the artwork I made. And Spongebob and Daniel Duford. Enjoy.

Prints For PICA: The FUN-draiser

Thanks for the image Mr. TJ Norris

That's one hell of a list of artists. Prints for PICA is this weekend. I am ecstatic about being involved with it this year, because there are some amazing artists in the line up, and I am sure it's going to be pretty hectic. So come out to it. The public can come in and purchase artwork at 6pm on Saturday. Be there, or be quadrilateral.

Here's the list in a slightly more legible fashion:

Adam Sorenson, Alex Felton, Annette Thurston, Barb Tetenbaum, Bill Park, Blair Saxon Hill, Bonnie Paisley, Brad Adkins, Brendan Clenaghen, Brendan Sthalman, Bruce Conkle, Bryan Schellinger, Calvin Ross Carl, Carol Ferris, Catherine Rondthaler, Cecilia Hallinan, Chris Gander, Christine Bourdette, Christy Wyckoff, Corey Lunn, Cris Moss, Cynthia Lathi, Dana Lynn Louis, Daniel Duford, Darren Orange, David Corbett, Deborah Horrell, Eleanor Erskine, Ellen George, Emery Hinckley, Emily Ginsburg, Gabriel Liston, Gabriele Irle, Harvest Henderson, Heather Watkins, Henk Pander, Hilary Pfeifer, Jenene Nagy, Jesse Hayward, Joe Hockett, Joe Thurston, John Brandsberg, John Brodie, Josh Berger, Kristan Kennedy, Linda Hutchins, Linda K Johnson, Mack Mcfarland, Manya Shapiro, Mark Mahaffey, Marty Houston, MaryAnn Plus, Meg Peterson, Melia Donovan, Midori Hirosi, MK Guth, Modou Dieng, Morgan Walker, Nan Curtis, Nathaniel Price, Nicole Smith, Paige Saez, Patrick Long, Patrick Rock, Pete McCracken, Philip Iosca, Rae Mahaffey, Rafi Grossman-Naples, Renne Zangara, Rhoda London, Rob Halverson, Robert Gamblin, Samantha Wall, Sarah Gottesdiener, Scott Porter, Scott Wayne Indiana, Sean Carney, Sean Healy, Stephen Hayes, Stephen Slappe, Storm Tharp, Susan Klein, Tim Dalbow, Tina Lange, TJ Norris, Ty Ennis, Yoshihiro Kitai, Yuji Hiratsuka, and more!

Thank You Maldonado, Congrats MK Guth

Victor Maldonado "Map Elegy"

Now that my thesis proposal has come and passed, I have been left pining over one question. Victor Maldonado asked me a question at my proposal that was something I never considered, but now realize how important it may be. Victor asked (to horribly paraphrase), if my work serves as a parody of the West Coast Transcendentalists, Modernists, and Formalists that my work is influenced by.

This seemed like such an obvious read of my work, but it never crossed my mind. Parody is perhaps a bit strong of a word to describe my take on (as Peter Halley would say) this Hyper-Modern world we live in. I think twisting and playing with the strict ideologies of Modernism is what interests me. My process starts with the idea that mundane, utilitarian items can have as much aura as any other materials.

This is a very important issue and conceptual basis for Victor to introduce to my thought process. Thank you Victor. I can already tell that you being my mentor will create an enriching and fulfilling experience.

I also wanted to congratulate MK Guth on her inclusion into the Whitney Biennial. This has been a huge year for her. She is the chair of PNCA's Master of Fine Arts Program, so one could say she is a bit busy. She is the only person representing the Pacific Northwest, and as she told me the other night, "There's a reason the person isn't from Seattle." Congrats MK! I know you will make us proud.


MK Guth "Braid"

New Artwork, Thesis Proposal, PICA

Calvin Ross Carl "17 Hours, 2 Minutes"

You may have noticed I added some new artwork to the Gallery page. I added the latest to the Natural Selection series, and I added an example of my latest work, Hours, Minutes.

I gave my Thesis Proposal Lecture on Monday at PNCA. This lecture involved me discussing my past and present work, and proposing where my work will go in the future for my final thesis. It went extremely well, and it ended up being a really great discussion about my work. I received some fantastic compliments from some people I really respect, so I must admit that I am a little proud. It has been a lot of work to get to this point, and this presentation served as an uplifting reminder that I am moving in the right direction.

In other news, I was invited to be one of the artists in Prints For PICA (thanks to TJ Norris for recommending me to PICA). This is an annual fundraiser for PICA, which involves hanging out it a print studio all day, making artwork, and then later that evening, patrons come and buy the work to support PICA. Come and buy some artwork!

Finally, below is an image of the Natural Selection exhibition at PNCA, which is now down unfortunately.


"Natural Selection" exhibition at PNCA