No Child Left.

The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins has accepted the above image  AKA "No Child Left..." for exhibition this fall. :P:P It was one of about 60 photos chosen out of over 1500 entries viewed!!   

AND..... that will make 6 exhibits this year!!! One New Years resolution completed!! 

Cafe Ole this November!

Again THIS is a great art year for me!!! (I know I keep saying this, but its true! I have never had so much public exposure)

The Director of Artworks, Mike (aka The Gump), called me a few minutes ago to inform me that he has found a local art venue that would be perfect for my photographs. The venue is a local coffee shop known as Cafe Ole and is located on Warren St in downtown Trenton. Every month new work is hung on the walls by the artists themselves. This November will be my month to hang about 15 pieces of artwork.

The Cafe Ole will allow provide the space and tools needed for the displaying of my work, but does NOT provide anything else such as food and drink for the opening or postcards and flyers for distribution. Artworks and the TDA (Trenton Downtown Association) will send several emails out to those on the mailing list reminding people that there is work worth seeing at the Cafe, but does Not provide anything else. Getting the word out will come mostly down to me. I will need to look around for good prices on printing postcards and see how much food and drink one normally needs for an opening.

I need to figure out a theme for the show. Repetitively hanging the Brazil photos all over Trenton is NOT an option, simply because I want people to see the diversity within my artwork. There is also the issue of cost that needs to be creatively dealt with. In this incomplete year alone I have spent thousands of dollars on my artwork and in the process I have only sold the one photograph last month at Trinity. Granted it is a tough year for anyone in the arts to sell work, but still I need to do better!

Hopefully with the Cafe's central location to the public I will be able to sell additional photos and or make good contacts with people interested in my work.

Tattoo's, Cousins and Wii. Oh My!

Met up with my cousins Kristine and Traci for the Tattoo Art exhibit in Trenton! Had a great time!!

It has been far too long since I visited the art space. It is located in downtown Trenton, NJ and has been used as a gallery, studio space and art classroom for years!  The exhibit was a display of Tattoo related art. Some images of actual tattoos on men and women, and other pieces on display were artwork that would fall into the genre of the Tattoo visual culture both in the often surrealist style and in the use of allegory.  It really was an interesting exhibit! 

There were people outside grilling some food for visitors and other people who owned businesses that fall into the Tattoo artsy culture were there with some products and business cards. This one young lady had some interesting and fun pieces of jewelry fro sale. Unfortunately, because I didn't know there were going to be vendors, I did not bring any cash with me. The whole vibe of the place was relaxed and chilled. People outside conversing, people inside viewing art and children standing close to their parents looking shyly at the artwork on the walls and the artwork on the fellow patrons... well not this patron :P Still I am the only one in my family without ink :P:P My cousin, however, met one of the local Ink artists and made herself an appointment to return for an extension of one of her Tats. 



After leaving the show, so I could drop my cousins off at there car for the long drive back to Sussex County, I went to another friend's place to chill. I wasn't ready to turn in for the night and wanted to do something.  Ended up playing Bowling on the Wii while under the influence of Tequila and I was AWESOME!!! :P:P  but I think I would still prefer real bowling :P

Tattoo Art Festival!!!

Artworks in Trenton, NJ is hosting a Tattoo Art festival this Saturday evening from 4 to Midnight!! 

Its a free event with great art, music and food! Should be a good time had by all!

go to www.artworkstrenton.org for more information!

Planning some future trips!

One of my annual goals is to visit a new country every year! 

I know the economy has been a bit crappy (to say the very least) this past year or so. Things have been tight all over the place. Even with my Pilot Car job the work has been slow despite the promise for extra renewable energy funding. 

But this is not gonna stop me from going somewhere outside the country before the year is out! 

I am thinking that Puerto Rico would be a fun and not too expensive place to visit for New Years Eve. I already have a couple of friends interested in joining me.  Much to plan!! :P I should talk to Jorge on where to go and even where to stay. I'm considering couchsurfing, but I don't know how comfortable my friends would be with the concept or how much of an option THAT would be during a major holiday... 

For the following year I will be joining some TravBuddy friends on an interesting roadtrip around the entire country of Iceland. More details to come on that as time goes on! Lauro is responsible for most of the planning. A highly desired talent of his :P At the moment I know I may be doing some of the driving and there is a volcano to be visited and perhaps climbed?! :P:P

Its good to know people :P

Spoke with the Director of the Robbinsville Library this morning about hanging the rest of me Brazilian photos in the community room for the month of this September. She asked my mother, who works at the library, a month ago to have me contact her about possibly showing my work in the Fall. I brought one of the photos with me to show her the size and to see how they will fit in the given area.  

I'll be displaying them shortly after Labor Day along with my bio and contact info. It will be good exposure of my name and work. 

Yesterday I dropped off the two prints for the GA Exhibit to be framed and learned that my Frame smith, Paul, is now on the Board of Directors for Artworks, a local Trenton art space and artist organization. He strongly recommended that I submit my work to the board for review. Paul thinks that I could get another show with better public exposure for sales. 

I think my photos of Abandoned Rural spaces would be perfect for submission.  :P:P

All in all it is definitely good to know people who know people. 

Where I'm From!

I thought for sure that my work wasn't accepted for the "Where I'm From" exhibit in Swainsboro, GA. The notice was suppose to go out earlier this week. Like 4 days earlier! I was tempted to email the gallery and inquire if the lack of communication meant that I was correct to assume that my photos were not accepted. However I chose not to because I understand that many galleries really prefer not to have their emails and phones congested with information starved artists. I don't blame them. I have seen artists behave terribly when they learn that their work was not accepted for exhibition. Women much older than myself throwing tantrums and insults because the painting they worked on wasn't picked by a juror who is unfamiliar with their local reputation. 

But my work was accepted!!!! 

In fact TWO photos (featured below) are to be exhibited this summer! The focus of the exhibit are images taken and or created by artists based on the theme of the area they call home. The director felt that as artists we take a lot of inspiration from our environment. As soon as I saw the prospectus for the exhibit I knew that my photos from the rural abandoned houses would be perfect! I passed up applying for other art competitions so that I would have the funds to enter, print and frame the images for this show. 

I have never shipped artwork out to an out of state gallery before, but there is of course no better time to learn then the present! 

Discarded in TX (08)

A Man's Castle (09)

The Moving Vegan!

Its official!

This Summer I will be moving from Central NJ to Baton Rouge, LA!

I'll miss NJ. It is, in my humble opinion, the best state in the country :P. But the reality is that I am not growing here. Life has been feeling a bit stale lately and I think a new environment will be what I need to clear both my head and heart so that I can make some very necessary decisions regarding my future.

I'm not looking to settle down or follow the same life path that many around me have chosen. I'm not actually sure what it is that I am looking for, but I know that I am not happy where I am at in life. 

 

Current Exposures!

I just received an email from the Gallery 125 in Trenton, NJ informing me that my photograph "Bonfim Wishes" was accepted for a group photography exhibition this September!!!