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Christina Massey

February 28th, 2010 · No Comments

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1.  Brooklyn: An Art Community, BedStuy, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas and Paper, 34″ W x 26″ H (framed), 2009.
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2.  Brooklyn: An Art Community, Bushwick, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas and Paper, 34″ W x 26″ H (framed), 2009.
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3.  Brooklyn: An Art Community, Fort Greene, Acrylic and Oil on Canvas and Paper, 34″ W x 26″ H (framed), 2009.

Artist Statement
My work has focused on the challenge of taking painting to another level where it blends with sculpture and installation.  Using methods of constructing and deconstructing, I am constantly re-using and re-purposing my artwork.  One series literally leads to another, where previous series of works are cut, torn and sewn back together again into new series of works which may again be reconstructed into yet another art form.  The past always present in the current and future works, they tell a story of my progression as an Artist, and question the finality of Art.

I often use word play, theatrics and general political topics as a way to communicate opinions that ultimately define an observation about the Art world itself.  Recently I have been interested in involving the audience more in the decision making of the deconstruction process.  I am working on three series currently, “The Chopping Block,” “Bits & Pieces” and “Hung Out to Dry.”  All of these works have been influenced by my changes of situation during this Recession.  I will soon be posting works to viewers in order to get their opinion on what works will remain intact, and what will ultimately be “destroyed” or transformed into a new life as another form of Art.

Website
http://cmasseyart.wordpress.com/

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Tags: Painting

Scott Faucheux

November 29th, 2009 · 1 Comment

faucheux_001_lines2lines 001: 9″ x 9″; ink, paint marker, automotive paint, on paper

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bagtag 006: 9″ x 9″ ; found printed paper and glue on paper

faucheux_lightning

lightning: 24″H x 36″W; found printed paper and shellac on canvas

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jellyfish: 72″W x 48″H; housepaint, acrylic and shellac on canvas

Artist Statement

my work is about the mechanical expression of natural phenomena. I’ve heard my studio described as the CERN lab of patterns, as if i am actually getting all these individual visual elements moving near light speed and just smash them together on a canvas, looking for the birth of a new universe.

that actually doesn’t sound bad.

each of my pieces is the result of dozens, hundreds or thousands of actions taking place in the same space. each actions bends and transforms the next, adding layers and layers of richness to the surfaces. i have almost found the secrets to bending these forces to my will. almost.

Website
www.scottfaucheux.com

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Tags: Collage · Drawing · Painting

Lauren Simkin Berke

November 1st, 2009 · No Comments

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Artist Statement:
Excavations and Adaptations is a series of more than sixty small works that combine ink drawings from my sketchbooks (through the use of xerox transfer) with collage. The drawings are mostly based on photographs, both found and personal, with a few drawn from direct observation. The collages vary from simple swaths of color to complex abstract patterns.

About five years ago I started to collect old photographs, and then I began to draw from them. I find these photographs at flea markets, in antique and junk shops. They are often family snapshots, from the 1920s through the 1970s, or studio portraits from the last quarter of the 19th century. I find it strange that these documents are for sale as part of a consumer market place, instead of being in albums on bookshelves in the homes of the families of those in the photos. I find myself at the intersection between a fascinated voyeurism and a determination to know these documents as well as humanly possible in order to give them new, longer life.

Website
http://www.simkinberke.com/

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Tags: Collage · Drawing

Steve Riley

May 31st, 2009 · No Comments

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Good Morning Universe, 8×9.5″, 2009

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Brave New World, 8×9″ 2008

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Broken World, 8×9″, 2008

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Stream, 10×10″, 2008

Artist Statement

I am drawn to everyday objects that are often overlooked or discarded. Using a wide range of disciplines, I transform the materials into small works. With a modern primitive style I balance the positive and negative space that gives a piece a sense of beauty. Taking an unorthodox approach I embellish the surface of my work with steel nails and apply tiny circles to explore nature and its relationship with the synthetic.

Website

http://www.steveriley.artlogsites.com/

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Tags: Painting

Diana Leidel

May 4th, 2009 · 5 Comments

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Toujours Prêt, collage and paint on wood, 14″ x 10″

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Black and White Chair, acrylic on paper

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4-Part Red and Yellow Chair, acrylic on paper

Artist Bio
Diana Leidel is an artist who is also a creative director in magazine publishing and is currently art director at Playbill Magazine. She has been the recipient of numerous design awards for her work with Pointe magazine, Pilates Style magazine, and Dance Magazine, and has been a contributor to Graphic Design USA. She holds a BFA from The Cooper Union and an MA from New York University, where she also taught graphic design.

She exhibits in New York and Brooklyn and is a member of the Brooklyn Artists Gym.

Her paintings, on canvas and paper, are color studies of single objects that celebrate the world of the everyday.

Diana describes  her collages and drawings as Non-Fiction Art, in which the fictional world in the artist’s mind meets the news in the real world. She combines words and statements from news stories and consumer media with painting, collage and found containers to make wall-piece boxes. The pencil drawings are portraits of newsmakers, performers and innocent bystanders, from chickens to tango dancers
and health workers. Her abstract work is also inspired by images from print media.

Website
http://dianaleidel.com

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Tags: Collage · Drawing · Painting

Helene Mukhtar

April 4th, 2009 · 2 Comments

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East West (2007)
Paper collage and oil paint on canvas
30″x40″

“East West” explores the visual similarities between Western graffiti and images from Eastern societies. This series, which I just started, is inspired by a recent trip to Pakistan.

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Subway Space 2
Paper collage and oil paint on canvas (2006)
36″x36″

In my series “Subways”, I contrast the vulnerability, helplessness and passivity of the subway riders to the hardness of their surroundings: the metal structures, beams, platforms and tunnels. The riders are reduced to “subway legs” which evolve in an angular, distorted and somewhat threatening environment. These paintings and collages were triggered by the subway bombings in London and Madrid and my own experience riding the subway in New York City.

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Harmony 4 (2007)
Paper collage and oil paint on canvas
30″x40″

“Harmony” is an attempt to reconcile and join two geometrical symbols, the
circle and the line through the imagery of architecture and music.

Artist Statement
My work reflects the tension, uncertainty and unease permeating our societies today. These feelings are in part generated by international terrorism, violence and militarism.

My photographs are usually at the base of my creative process. I travel extensively and the shots taken on my trips are integrated into my paintings. In recent years, I have been particularly fascinated with graffiti and photographs of graffiti have now become an important visual element in my work.

These images are printed on paper and glued onto the canvas. Graffiti from New York, Paris and Berlin, glass architecture from modern European cities, Mogul buildings from Pakistan, headless mannequins from the streets of Paris are collaged together. They may or may not “fit together”. Out of this visual cacophony, I create a harmonious whole. It is like a puzzle. I use oil or acrylic paint. I proceed through trial and error and constantly build and destroy. Each piece is different with its own unique problems and solutions.

In my latest series “ Veni, Vidi, Sgraffiti”, I started incorporating drawings into my work. This new development has enabled me to inject humor in a serious discussion about war and violence.

Website
http://www.helenemukhtar.com/

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Tags: Collage · Drawing · Painting