My Earliest Abstract Work of Art

I recently came across this abstract art project from my elementary school days. It was created by lining a shirt box with a piece of paper, tossing in a marble or small rubber ball, and some blobs of paint. The magic is made by closing the lid on the box, and with a few random shakes of the box, the ball rolls around through the paint. When you remove the lid, there is a surprise work of contemporary art on paper. I always loved this painting. It's my very own Jackson Pollock- style work of modern art.

Looking Back at the Art of Swoon

Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2004)

I moved to Greenpoint in 2000 when it still very much a Polish neighborhood and in many places, an industrial wasteland; not the fancy, hip and cool place it has now become. Often feeling uninspired in my own painting and in need of some air and a long walk, I would head out from within the confines of my apartment with my camera to explore. In the adjacent neighborhood of Williamsburg, I had a few favorite spots that I knew would keep changing when it came to street art. They would get "hit" all the time by many artists, and I could always get some good shots. I liked to see what had changed since the last time I ventured beyond the four walls. This activity of walking and taking pictures and interacting with the art of the streets inspired me. In many ways, it saved me from the boredom of my new surroundings. I felt like I was visiting a museum and returned to my new home renewed with vigor and ready to paint.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2002)

Amidst the simple bubble letter graffiti "throw ups", I started to recognize the work of Swoon (Caledonia Curry) around the neighborhood. Immensely talented, her pieces consisted of intricately cut paper of life-sized figures depicting regular neighborhood folk. With a feminine touch, they were launched onto abandoned walls with wheatpaste. Sometimes the pieces were rendered with sketchy lines. Other times, they were simple paper silhouettes; the negative space giving the work its stark contrast with whatever background was chosen. The paper would eventually discolor, transform, peel, and fade away which is always part of the game. Art of this ilk is temporary.  

Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2005)

I always kept an eye out for the immediately recognizable pieces by Swoon, and have followed her work over the years. I later learned that she was a fairly recent graduate from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn (like myself). I still wonder what her professors had to say then about her work during those dreadful class critiques, and what they would think of her doing her paste-up work on the street in the dead of night. After all, the practice of street art is still very much a man's game. 

Williamsburg Brooklyn, (2006)

In 2010, I headed to Braddock, PA for a road trip. I heard a lot about this once-thriving rust-belt town becoming an area that was being revitalized by artists, galleries, new business, and urban farming. It was a haven for artists and entrepreneurial types fed-up with big-city prices who were starting over in this industrial steel town that was now virtually forgotten. When I arrived, I was delighted to see that lots of recognizable street artists had altered the urban decay of Braddock's streets with murals. Swoon was among them, and she continues to be involved with the area's transformation.

 Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Braddock, PA (2010)

Today, a major show by Swoon, Submerged Motherlands, opens at the Brooklyn Museum. I bet those professors from Pratt would be impressed. Jealous even. You can bet that I'll be checking out that show soon. More photos of Swoon's work will surely be here. Stay tuned.

Ice Queen, Scope Art Fair 2014

Slate Gallery, Brooklyn (2010)

Slate Gallery, Brooklyn (2010)

Brooklyn Waterfront Shelter Sculpture, East River State Park Installation (2010)

Larger-than-life Ice Queen, Downtown Brooklyn Flatbush area (2013)

Small Print, Scope Art Fair (2010)

Bushwick, Brooklyn (with Stikman) (2009)

Williamsburg, Brooklyn (2005)

Braddock, PA (2010)

The Art of Keeping Busy

A scattered mixture of recent work.

Rainy Day Ribbons and Tiles - New Paintings

I love rainy days like today to get some painting done! Despite the soggy fall gloom, I was particularly inspired; the patterns I was thinking about were kind of festive and loopy. These are just two of the pieces I started today. More to come soon.

Latest Work - Science and Math for Back To School

Blow off the dust from that old book! My latest inspirations come from the worlds of science and math. Vintage Coral and Seaweed (left) is like discovering an 18th or 19th century print from an old botany book  uncovered from the spiderwebs of the lost stacks in the Natural History Museum. Pie Shell (right) is a visual math pun based on the Pythagorean Theorem for triangles and pi.

More Pattern, More Color, More Art!

From left to right: Cotton Candy Combustion, Vesica Piscis, and Colloid. Check them out in more detail here!

New Work for Early July

 

I've been working hard on some new paintings this month. 

Please see what else is new in my online shop.

Handmade Italian Paper - Collecting

I was strolling through Florence, Italy, one morning as a student when I found some gorgeous handmade marbelized paper beckoning me from a little shop. Upon entering that doorway, I couldn't get enough. Dead center was a large table of loose paper; I rifled through it endlessly. Every piece was more beautiful than the next. I set a small selection aside that I knew I would not be able to part with. On the floor, a large basket held more sheets bundled in rolls. I glanced around the room, and walls of shelving held even more. I was never surrounded by more beauty in one little boutique and I knew my wallet would suffer dearly in the end. A few years later (and still a student) I found a similar setup in Venice. Here are slices of the many pieces I came home with. Someday, a photobook or other project will claim them. For now, I appreciate the way the colors and patterns dance in an array of unmatched beauty.

April Showers - Variations On A Theme

She always liked the rain. Its sound comforted her ever since she would watch the bold summer storms roll through her small town while sitting on the porch swing with her father. Even when there was a sudden thunder clap and lightning, there was a soothing silence in its power. Now, in the big city, raindrops still have a certain strength in bringing the incessant buzz to a standstill - a constant reminder of nature’s presence amidst all of this harsh vertical concrete. - Raindrop original artwork and prints available in my online store.

On this last day of April, wishing you nothing but May flowers!

Art Forecast - Spring Pattern Color Splash

My latest creations with new spring colors. Available now as originals and prints in my shop. Come on in for a visit!

New Paintings with Scientific Undertones - October 2011

Below are some new paintings I've been working on this month. They appear on scientific book pages that have been carefully chosen to relate to the subject matter. The topics range from human anatomy to physics. Sometimes, the text underneath lends itself to the title. These pieces (among others) can be found here. Enjoy!

Of Sound (left) and Lift (right)

Elements of the Ocean (left) and Spring Bud (right)

Vitamin Chart (left) and Candyland (right)

Origami Cranes Around Brooklyn

As I was leaving for work last week, I saw this beautiful strand of origami cranes floating in a tree. I pass McGolrick Park in Greenpoint daily, but this bright morning was different. The sun was streaming through the colorful strands, and a gentle breeze gave them movement. Luckily, I had my camera in my coat pocket (as I sometimes do) and took advantage of this special moment. I thought for sure that by day's end, the Parks Department or the elements would have ruined this impromptu work of art but they remain. I glanced downward and saw a cluster of votive candles was left directly under it. I assumed it was some local group's response to the tragedy in Japan. After doing a little sleuthing on the internet, I was somewhat right and found that there's more to the story....

The project was created by local musician and songstress, Niabi. It started as a way to keep idle hands busy and combat the endless winter. An ancient Japanese legend states that the person who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish by the mystical creature. Following the legend, the simple act of folding paper has evolved into something more for the artist in light of Japan's crisis:

"I want to give my wish away to someone who needs it more than I do.

 In short, it is my prayer for peace."

In the same week, I was walking through another section of Greenpoint and found this tiny red crane above.  I also found a stash of origami paper in my own art studio. The crane's symblic imagery even appears as a motif on the paper. I don't know how to make anything from it, but I admire its patterns and colors - and all of the little paper animals that seem to be cropping up around my section of Brooklyn lately too.