Jeana Sohn's Closet Visits..

I noticed Jeana Sohn has an upcoming show at Taylor de Cordoba this July. I'm really excited to see what she gets up to with this show. So far, the above piece is all I have seen - and I am into it. I am also realllllly into Jeana's Closet Visits she does on her blog and the new site for the project. Jeana  does a studio visit-esque visit with her lady friends. They show off and model their wears and jewels - it's subtle and personal and inspiring. Check it out!

Images via Taylor de Cordoba and Closet visit

q a with Jen Corace..

I must confess that I decided to put off this latest q&a due to the holiday season until now, I absolutely love Jen Corace's work and I did not want the interview to get lost in the shuffle of all the holiday madness. Jen answered these questions right after her solo show, Our Finest Hour opened at Giant Robot. I've included a bunch of the paintings from the show in this post, as well as images from her latest illustrative endeavor Hansel and Gretel with Cynthia Rylant. It was a pleasure to read about the goings on behind the scenes of Jen's illustrations, process and cooking with whiskey!What do you love most about being a working artist?

Ihave always loved the schedule the most. There's no beating having acustom schedule to do what you enjoy most. I am a night owl...I havealways known this to some degree but I have finally come to fullyaccept it. I prefer starting work around five or six and then workinguntil two or three in the morning...you know, with some dinner and afew breaks here and there. Can you tell us a little about the mediums you work in? What are your favorites?

Mymediums of choice are pen and ink...which sometimes isn't ink, butconcentrated watercolor, acrylic and watercolor paint on eitherwatercolor paper or Rives BFK. I tend to stick to this formula. Itworks best for me, I've learned most of their strengths and have foundways to navigate around their weaknesses.  

Oneof the many things I appreciate about your work is the abundance ofanimals. As a child did you have lots of animals around you?

Wehad our share of family pets. There was Ginger...the family dog, shewas a Collie mutt, and then three cats...Tara, a mutt-like Siamese,Tia, our Grandmother's cat, and Casper who was my own cat. When mybrother was in the first grade we discovered that he had severeallergies to pet dander. The cats went to different homes and Gingerled a cloistered life in our laundry room and garage. It was a bummerof a time...for my brother and for me. And I'm not going to lie...Iheld it against him.I have always lovedanimals...constantly took books out of the library on dogs, elephants,turtles. Biology was a favorite class in middle and high school.These days I have a solid reference section on animals in my libraryand collections of images in binders. Do you start drawing first, or do you develop an idea first?

It'ssort of a fuzzy mix. I draw, randomly, over a series of sketchbooks.I usually have three or four going at once. Then the sketchbooks willsit and percolate for awhile, I start staring and thinking... Eventually I will look through old sketchbooks and will pull ideas outwhat I have drawn months ago, combine it with things I have beenreading or thinking about and then make a series of lists to organizemy ideas.

It's the lists that structure what Ido. It's not until I have written two or three collections of editedlists that I will start on thumbnails. And even my thumbnails are ajoke. They're really loose, almost unreadable...sometimes even to me.The lists generally directly translate into the final piece.

Weatherinspires me. Water. I am more inspired by atmosphere and any figurein the piece that finds their way to fit into that atmosphere. I have somehalf-finished final drawings that went nowhere because I started withthe person and not the feeling/atmosphere of the piece as a whole. Ihave thought of ideas for shows based on a doodle in a sketchbookwhere, at the time, my mind clearly clicked with ideas at that momentwith that one image. More often than not I have scrapped those showsbecause I didn't set down the foundation first.  Your work often seems to be peering into a child's life. Would you say that your work is autobiographical?

Ifmy work is autobiographical then only distantly so...I think that mylife and experience has influenced how I think and what I put out, butI don't think that I have directly translated events in my life ontopaper. My images have a narrative quality, but the story itself has avague quality that I could never pin to an instance or moment in mypast.

Youhave illustrated a few children's books. What's it like knowing thatyour drawings are subconsciously and consciously inspiring children?

Aroundthis time last year, maybe a little later, I had just finished up workfor Hansel and Gretel. I was visiting my dad, his wife's sister andfamily were there at the same time and we were all looking at theimages on my laptop. After I had finished showing the artwork Iprobably spent another half an hour with my three year old step cousin going through certain images over andover again. He was fascinated by the images of Hansel and Gretel intheir cages, the witch and the chicken bone scene. It was then that Iunderstood what was going on and could remember feeling the same wayabout certain images and stories that I had grown up with...how certainpictures and story lines become internalized and personal and how theystick with you. It was an amazing thing to see happen. 

Idon't think about it too much...maybe I am afraid of jinxingsomething...but if it is happening then that might be my favorite thingabout being a working artist. What were your favorite books as a child growing up?TheLittle Mermaid, The Snow Queen, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. A lot of storieswhere someone has a hard lesson to learn or there is some intense selfsacrifice. I also have a collection of memories of books of the late60's early 70's that are printed in two or three colors...I'm thinkingof "I Know an Old Lady" illustrated by Abner Graboff.  But there were alot of books that used great line work and this particular shade of red. I read on your blog that you like to ad whiskey to almost everythingyou make...what is your favorite recipe and can you share it with us?Ithink that my favorite recipe that involves whiskey are sweet potatohome fries.  I don't have specifics...like measurements or times...Itend to cook a lot on the fly. But generally speaking...onions,garlic, sweet potatoes and red potatoes get diced up and put into aglass casserole, tossed in oil w/ salt, pepper and chili powder. Addwhiskey to the bottom of the casserole...maybe 1/4"...sometimes i dohalf whiskey, half water.  Cover the casserole w/ aluminum foil and popit in the oven (450 degrees) to steam up the potatoes...check in maybeten minutes...you want them soft, but not mushy. Careful removing thefoil because the whiskey vapors can be dicey on the nose. When thepotatoes are tender, remove the foil, turn down the oven to maybe 350degrees and then roast until golden...occassionally running a spatulathrough them. Re-season if necessary.I once also steamed some kale with a splash of gin...it was surprisingly good. OurFinest Hour, your most recent solo show at Giant Robot, features more than50 framed portraits. They are all of women in fancy dress from erasgone by...who are these fine ladies?  What were your thoughts behindthis group?Theladies come from the practice of Victorian or period novels wherecharacters identities are kept anonymous when news or scandal isrevealed about them or they are involved in said news or scandal andtheir anonymity is important to their social character. It's a deviceI have always enjoyed. I just wanted to create a show that was easygoing and and easy fun for me to make. I enjoy all the shows I do, butthe sort of work and the toll of the work differs. I also likecreating women who have their own identity only it's a mystery to theviewer. It opens up possibilities of invention to who they are andtheir stories. What is coming up for you through 2009?Rightnow I am working on my next children's book "Mathilda, the OrangeBalloon" by Randall de Seve. I created imagery and windows forCraftland...Providence's annual holiday craft show. For 2009 I have another children's book in thewings, a group show at Schmancy in Seattle in early February, a soloshow at Art Star in Philly at the end of February and I am planning ontaking March off.To read and see more of Jen's work check out her website and her blog.

i'm still here kelly lynn jones solo show..

well, i thought i would be back to posting regularly by now, but alas my mac g4 died for real. so things are going to be a bit sporadic until i buy a new computer in a week and a half. yes, i am counting the days! boston will have a tax free weekend and i am cashing in on that shiznit for sure. but i am feeling really itchy and there is much i want to blog about. first being kelly lynn jones' solo show a new frontier opening this friday at little bird gallery.

aren't these paintings beautiful? kelly's consciousness around the environment that filters into her work always gets me. i think it's safe to say that many of us are starting to really think way more about our surroundings and our effect on the earth. kelly's work is timely, subtle and so beautifully done. here is an excerpt from the press release:

"kelly lynn tackles thecomplexities of the decaying connection between nature and man. in acountry whose facade speaks of unity, growth, and wealth the reality isquite the opposite, revealing isolation, over population, and poverty. focusing her paintings on the effects of urban sprawl and the strugglewith our sense of community the artist depicts the relationshipsbetween the internal (being one’s home) and the external (being one’scommunity) as a crucial component to one’s daily practice of living."

good stuff, hmmmm? i thought so. i've done a huge amount of thinking about my impact on this life and my contribution to this world. what i take away, what i leave, etc...kelly lynn's work really drives it home for me. if you like kelly's work you should consider buying her zine published through analogue books' running amok. you can get it right here.

bloggy vacay..

i hope you all are having an awesome summer. i spent the weekend in the cape w/ a friend and it was delightful. lots of seafood, sun and bad tv. i couldn't ask for more, now could i? anyway, i just wanted to post and say that the blog is gonna be on a break until august. i recently got a second job and i am completely overloaded. burning the wick at both ends as it were. in short, i'm exhausted. so i am going to take some time and get a little organized w/ the bloggy. also, my birthday is coming up w/in a week...and i don't know, i always try and get a little reflective around this time. please be safe, i hope the summer is treating you as well as it has been treating me. i appreciate all your comments, emails and readership...it really means the world to me. so until august 1st or around about there, i bid you a sweet farewell. love, meighan.

Aunt Peggy has Departed..

Auntie Peggie Has Departed, 2003. by Shane Waltener - mercerised cotton, audio equipment, 2 part looped soundtrack. Aldwych Tube Station, London, England.**

What a joy it would be to encounter this one morning on your way to work. Installations like this make my heart skip a beat. I found this via Art Nite. Be sure to play the soundtrack that goes along with it. It's pretty dreamy and a bit creepy, in that Twilight Zone kind of way.

"Doilies are like dream catchers, each knot holding a thought, a memory. The sum of these make up the history of a place. The soundtrack accompanying this piece echoed the sounds of people going by, things rushing though, the circulation of air itself.

It focused the attention on the character of the subterranean space: angular and mechanical noises, musical fragments, sounds signals, human voices, echoed from one area to another. The soundtrack created a unique aural experience out of a real, remembered or imaginary situation.

The piece was dedicated to Peggy, and her lifelong enthusiasm for the crochet work and needlecraft."

**I originally posted this on my now defucnt personal blog, Wild Horses...but I just loved this post so much I wanted to share it here for those of you who never saw it.**

Greg Eason..

Less is more in Greg Eason's work. He plays with negative space in his drawings, leaving the viewer to fill in the gaps. I'm feeling it. You?

emmanuel polanco..

As I was trying to figure out what to post on the blog for today I was going through my bookmarks and saw the above skull in Emmanuel Polanco's blog and stopped in my tracks. I love his range of graphic design and illustration, and I thought you guys would too, so here you go...see more on Emmanuel's website.

jill bliss saelee oh 2009 calendar..

jill and saelee have certainly outdone themselves with their fourth annual calendar: gathered together. i just want to climb into each month and break out my barbies and start playing. yikes. ok, enough of my youthful regression here's what the ladies have to say for themselves about it:

in "gathered together," we explore the theme of keeping afloat, both inwaters and in spirit of the heart, and tried to illustrate the ultimatetriumph of hope and happiness that regenerate from isolation and suddenchange. these microcosms ofdetached yet connected elements remind us that although we may beisolated "islands" at times, we are never truly alone in the world.

gathered together is a 13 month (january to january) calender and ummm, the perfect gift to buy for yourself! i mean come on, we've all gotta keep track of things...and what better way to support the arts people! help them help you! places to buy the calendar are jill bliss' website, buy olympia and saelee's website. stay tuned for more info about the calender later on in the year...

lil sneak peek from know hope..

just sent over some shots of work he has been working on. The pictures in the background are wicked, and I love the use of yarn as a cat's cradle. I threw in some detail shots because after a year & a half I still haven't adjusted the specs on this blog. LORD.

Studio Visit Kevin Cyr..

As I mentioned on Monday, I was fortunate enough to check out the studio's of both Jessica Hess and Kevin Cyr for their upcoming show, Temporal Surfaces curated by Lainya Magaña at White Walls. On Monday I posted Jess' visit, today you'll get to check out my visit with Kevin in his Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio.

Kevin opened up his studio to me earlier last month. We met early for coffee and headed over to his studio where he had been spending long, but enjoyable days. It was clear how hard Kevin had been working the minute I stepped into his studio. Most of his paintings were finished and hung in perfect grid like patterns. His famous 2010 West Prize winning camper kart was parked in the middle of the studio and model trucks lay strewn about in disarray on his drafting table, complete with a Mr. T. It was definitely the makings for a tight show. Like Jessica, Kevin has no background in graffiti culture. His interest lay in how the vehicles he captures age and take on the environment around them. Looking at his work, you would never know he didn't grow up in graf culture, which just makes me love his work that much more.

More images after the jump.