I absolutely love Artist and Craftsmen Supply Store in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. I find myself there almost weekly, whether I need anything or not. It helps that I live nearby. The employees never cease to be friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They feature local artists every month behind the front counter, and I recently got a turn. Works shown are “Woodstock the Golden Conure,” “The Watcher“,”Stripes,” and “Tiger Shark.”
Here in Pittsburgh we have an awesome annual event: Art All Night. It’s art, and music, and beer… all night long. It’s free for everyone, and anyone in the burgh can submit one artwork for display – with all being accepted. It’s such a great way to see the creativity going on throughout the city from hobbyists, pros, children, and dabblers alike. Needless to say, there are thousands of works on display. And it’s an absolute blast. My pastel drawing “Dexter” was my featured work.
Recently one of my digital artworks, “Ocean Invasion #12: We’ve Got Crabs!” was accepted into the juried exhibit “In the Belly of the Beast” at the Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. This past weekend was the opening reception, which was quite an exciting event for me, especially being my first such experience. I had no idea what to expect. Hell, I didn’t even know if their were general rules for what to wear (luckily there were not).
NOTE: This exhibit will be hanging at Sweetwater Center for the Arts through July 28th, 2012. So go check it out if you get the chance.
Exhibit description:
“In the Belly of the Beast
Reception: Saturday, June 30, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
The raw force of nature unleashed. The soul of a beast exposed. The sheer power of entities not made by man that humble humanity into feeling small. This exhibit will reveal the essence of the organic: plants, animals, water, earth, sky, fire. Not in the safe, controllable way people see them, but instead showing the dynamic strength and ungovernable temperament that they truly possess. Selected art will focus on Mother Earth in an unaccustomed way. Work may also express the contradiction of what is man-made versus wild.
This exhibition is juried by Cynthia Shaffer, who built her art career in New York, Chicago and Phoenix before moving to Pittsburgh in 1990. She currently divides her time between henna tattooing, teaching art, taking photographs of animals at the Butler County Humane Society, volunteering at the ARL Wildlife Center, and working on her own art. Using bones, dead bugs, stones, feathers and other natural elements, Shaffer creates intricate patterns and mandala designs that juxtapose these components. Her objective is to show the beauty in things most people find repellent. “The color of a Japanese beetle is more exquisite than I can paint. The curve of a pelvic bone is more graceful than I can design. It fascinates me.”
The opening reception of In the Belly of the Beast will be attended by Pennsylvania creatures saved by the Animal Rescue League Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, with photographs and information about their organization.”
My first presence in a juried art exhibit!
I was also incredibly lucky to have my wife and several friends there to show support (and observe the other art and eat the shrimp and meatballs and ogle the porcupine and turtle).
Me and my friends, taken through the walled mirror.Cool 2 level layout at Sweetwater. And my friends.
An interesting side note: the building featured in my artwork (with the crabs scurrying up it) is actually the apartment building in which several friends live.
Occupants of the building in my artwork: Benjamin and the Sarahs.
Another cool aspect of the exhibit mentioned above was the fact that the Animal Rescue League was there, along with some of their rescues, including a porcupine and Eastern Box Turtles!
Porcupine rescued by the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh
All in all it was a wonderful experience, and I hope to do it again soon.
