Closer, come close...

Hey there sport fans, Al here with the latest!

New Flash! If you haven't been following any of the invites on Facebook or the separate Black Box Visual Arts Facebook page there has been some interesting new and confusion as well.

All of this pertains to the DIVE IN! art show this September. Only in two weeks.
Originally set for the 19th for an opening due to a scheduling conflict with the previous artist The fine folkes at NWIPA have asked if I would be able to show 2 weeks early.
I said yes.
Then due another scheduled conflict at NWIPA the event will officially open September 12th.
Did ya get all of that? Show opens the 1st, Grand Event opening The 12th. The show runs through till October 16th!
It's all pretty crazy.
Now on top of that the artists bio and series statement have been typed up and are being proof read by a large amount of artist friends (some of which are reading this blog right now) to help me refine and condense the show's intent.
these next couple of images are what I have to date for the show.

Here is the latest for the poster that I have in mind for the show. Hopefully it will get the point across when the show is and what to expect for the the style of the show.

There has been some confusion as to when because there has been a couple different start times due scheduling conflicts and the like.

What's new?

Well as the show gets closer there is definitely things changing and this show is no different.

I still have a playlist for music to put together that suits the deep sea diver motif when the Event opens on the 12th of September. To add to that there is merchandise that I have to plan for while I am not at NWIPA while I toil at my 9-5 job. Prints and original pieces of artwork have already been assigned to my SQUARE app and it seems that this (my store) can be linked to NWIPA's iPad and charge sales to there. This will make things so much easier to track sales for me and them since there is about 4 different guys working there during the course of the week.

So I do have a listing of different nautical tunes in mind so that I hope will be the last thing I do.

Being stressed bugs me a lot and this show is much more than anything I have planned on for. In the last couple of years I could have never thought that I would have such a turn out or anything but this year will be different. The work is strong and constantly getting stronger all the time. I love that.

After looking on line for several sample of both this is what I was able to come up with for the "DIVE IN!" art show. Writing in the third person is not something that I do well. Never have so I have post both of these for people to look at and tell me what are glaring issues with either one of them. I really think that this show will take off for me because there is so many loose ends that I have accounted for and I really want Parker to take off so that I can begin to make more work with him in it and pull away from the 9 to 5 job.

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

That is and interesting idea. There are in fact two different things on my plate firstly is a new series of 9" x12" scratchboard for small groups to be sold in sets. Mad Scientists, Robots, Rocketmen. Noir Detectives, Popart 60's Etc. All of these have that old nostalgic feel to them and make it easier for me focus on a few different options and still keep my work fresh.

ON TOP OF THAT...
I have also been working towards setting up new art shows for moi and others when they are ready and put them in touch with the people to know. Haven't started charging a finder's fee yet but you never know.
Looking at setting up a scratchboard show at NWIPA along with some of my fellow scratchboarders and setting up another solo show at the Slingshot Lounge as well.

Well that's it for the kid I am outta of here.

posted from Bloggeroid

Now for the tough job....

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:
The kid now has ALL of the work ready and varnished but now comes the framing part of the job.
Now mind you I'm a pretty detailed kinda guy so when it comes to framing I know very little about it but try my damnedest to learn what I can do.
With 14 9" x12" 's and a couple of 11" x14'"s and one 18" x24"

			The Framing of Richard Parker all 9"x12" in 12"x16" frames

I think I'm gonna have my hands full framing these pieces then there is the ever pesky thing about writing about yourself both in the first person for the artist statement and third person for your personal bio. That's the one that everyone falls into the idea of parody OR so esoteric and snobby that nobody would want to look at the work.
You just have to use the hook like you would for selling Indy Comix at a show.
Biggest difference is your showing for a month not a couple of days.
At least that's the way this comes through to me.
The whole art gallery and dealing places and the show curators have been hard to pin down what the best way is to approach and make your pitch for a potential show.



There is also what stuff do you bring from the last show to the newest one? Which pieces make the cut and which don't. And sometimes just sometimes a piece that you are really attached to is like that and nobody see what you see in it.
I've got a piece like that.

A small 5"x7" with the Manwolf image I did.
I really don't want this one to go because it also represents for me a cool story idea for dealing with Captain America's shield in a story called "The SHEILD".

But this is just and idea that Cap's Shield would be the main focal point of the story between different heroes in the Marvel Universe and a couple parallels. Of course I might have to use a villain that I love in it as well which is Kang the Conqueror. A mini series if you will and Deathlok, Major Victory and Killraven as well as the ManWolf would be involved in this story to preserve all of mankind's accomplishments as well including technology transcribed by Reed Richards and Tony Stark.
I also might throw in the Winter Soldier in there as well.

Of course this is a fan boys idea of using these older characters that I was reading about when I was younger.

BUT I got off topic there. 

there is a few pieces left to frame but the majority of them are done and that part I am happy with. I have been told that the show now has moved up for show time which means for me that I got bust my balls getting work done. And then there is talking to the curator of NWIPA (which they didn't used to but having a place becomes more well known after their third year they needed one.) time to hang work, gallery cuts artist's statements and bio's. 

It all gets very confusing. But work is progressing .

There is a new learning curve that is being thrown around at the Condo of Concepts and that is instead of constantly limiting myself with my art and the originality of the work which is never to be seen again make larger pieces that can be used for prints and crop the image to fit a 8" x8" format for the BIG  500.
Now the biggest reason I have sooo fixated on this is because the show has proven to me to be the one place that seems to be the one place I know I could sell work on a regular basis. Knowing that I could sell at least 7 out of ten pieces of work pretty consistently.
A number of friends had badgering me (though genitally) to think bigger. I always agreed with this but how?
I know I'm not always the brightest Bulb in the box but give me a little more to work with. Conceptual design is great but how could take what I already have going (which is fantastic looking to begin with to toot my own horn) and adapt it. I'm not talking about how to make more buttons and t-shirts or coffee mugs but make prints work for the original and still sell that at a gallery.

Oh well that's it for the kid here as I start moving to a birthday and other stuff.