Re-Review Or Gone But Not Forgotten

The exhibit has come down (“Imprint/Impact" at Bucks County Community College). The review I wrote has been posted at The Artblog. However, I thought now would be a good time to post a link to the review in case it was missed. The review highlights not only the exhibit but also the state of the arts in Bucks County (a county known for the "Pennsylvania Impressionist" movement.) Click here for a link to the review.

Books of Mold by Gail Deery

Seeing Snow

Recent snow storms in Pennsylvania have allowed me to take a closer look at snow. I am reminded of the painter Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) who keenly observed how circumstances effect the appearance of snow. When a storm is brewing a range of grays compete; when the storm passes (and the sun is shining) the shadows can hold stunning blues. At sun rise and at sun set, following the storm, the snow can glow with pinks, purples, and oranges. I am also reminded of the short time in which the trees hold the snow. Snow fall causes trees bloom with white until the warmth and wind melts and shakes the snow to the ground. For me this is a reminder of the flowering of the spring and provides a respite from winter routines. Below are samples of Rockwell Kent's artwork.

Recharged

I am aware that my blogging output has steadily decreased as the months have past (shame on me). I have noticed that I either forget my camera when I go out or I bring my camera and the batteries are dead. This situation has not help my blogging. However, I am proud to say I acquired a new fifteen minute battery charger. So more images should be forthcoming.

Secondly, I have been distracted from blogging by web design. I have recently redesigned my website www.kipdeeds.com and it includes a short film I made this fall about drawing.

Now I will get out there and mix it up.

Fall News

This fall I have been taking courses in web and media design at Bucks County Community College and I am learning many fantastic programs, techniques, and processes. Soon I will have post-able examples of my progress. So far I have made ice cream melt in Adobe Flash, a poster in Photoshop, a kangaroo logo in Illustrator (it is a copy but I am mastering the pen tool), and finally I have made a button which when pushed meows like a cat. Other than school work, I have made new drawings and have made one journey to "The Big Apple". While in NYC, I sought out Paul Klee's drawings at the Met. Below is a work I saw at the Met. It is titled One Who Understands and is dated from 1934.

Paul Klee, German (1879-1940)

Finally, of note, I will be having an exhibit at the Abington Art Center which runs November 28 - January 31 2010. An opening is scheduled for Saturday December 12 from 3 to 5pm. Also on December 5th the Art Center holds a "Coffee Break" at 9:30 am and I will talk about the exhibit and coffee will be sampled.

Summer Hiatus

Since my last post in May, I have been traveling and busy making art. I spent much of the summer in Northern Michigan teaching at Interlochen Center for the Arts. In June I drove westward and stopped in Detroit. My main destination was the Detroit Institute of the Arts. A sunny day added to the allure of the visit. I found many folks out on the front lawn of the museum catching rays as they faced Woodward Avenue. The Institute houses Diego Rivera’s installation of murals titled Detroit Industry. The murals portray Ford’s assembly line and chronicles mankind’s advances and struggles with science and technology.

Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry (Detail), 1932-33

The Rivera murals occupied a whole court yard of the museum and are stunning to see. As it turned out I was equally impressed with the rest of the museum. When I arrived in Detroit I had low expectations given the press the city has gotten in recent years. However, I left the museum feeling that its collection is on equal footing with the best museums in the country and that the city will have better days ahead. The museum's $158 million expansion project (completed in 2007) is partly responsible for this feeling but the collection, the curatorial work, and the staffs helpfulness sealed the deal for me.

The Institute has a particular diverse and strong collection of contemporary art including a special emphasis on art made by African Americans. Below are three more samples from the Detroit Institute.

Donald Lipski, Waterlilies #58, 1990

Jane Hammond, Mad Elga II, 1997

Kehinde Wiley, Officer of the Hussars, 2007

Beyond this excursion off the beaten path I spent most of the summer in a relatively rural spot in Northern Michigan not far from Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. Reflecting upon this veritable isolation from urban life I produced a (seen below)drawing titled Off the Grid.

Kip Deeds, Off The Grid, 2009

Soaking Stamps

Stamps often provide an introduction to subjects and people

that are unfamiliar. Finding a good stamp can be exhilarating. 

It can be akin to finding a little work of art. 

Having outbid everyone else on e-bay (accidentally), I was blessed

with several pounds of canceled stamps. At least  four pounds 

were American flags. However, I managed to find some less common

ones in the mix. I have spent the last week sorting and soaking off the

paper adhered to the back of the stamps. Below is one of the little 

miracles I found.

Next time you go to the post office consider helping out the postal
service by buying unusual stamps and avoiding the forever stamps.
Forever stamps also equal more of the same for stamp collectors.
You will be helping out collectors and artists like me who
use stamps in their art. Below is one of my watercolor/drawings
that includes stamps.


Wall Drawing, 22" x 15", 2008

Spring Training

When I consider the spring season the first thought that comes to mind involves Baseball.  I think of the Phillies practicing in Clearwater, Florida.  If Baseball has spring training I thought there ought to be a spring training for art or at the very least I thought I needed a project to spring me into action.  The image above, titled "Spring Training", is my vision of the spring time and my attempt to move forward.  It brings together and attempts to balances several artistic approaches including abstraction, collage, observation, and a bit of playfulness.  In Pennsylvania spring would not be spring without a little rain hence the little lady with the umbrella seen in the detail below. 

My spring training regiment this year involved a piece of Arches watercolor paper (16 inches by 12 1/4 inches), ink, watercolor, acrylic paint, and stamps.