Artomatic - Meet the Artists Night

Tomorrow night (Saturday June 2) from 7-9 PM is Meet the Artists Night at Artomatic. I will be present in my space on the 9th floor near the Peeps in case anyone wants to come and talk to me about my latest steel and glass sculptures. Or just come out and harass me.  :)

Find Artomatic at 1851 S. Bell St. Arlington VA
One block from the Crystal City Metro + plenty of free parking on weekends!

Artomatic - Sculptural Glass Tours

Interested in seeing a guided tour of the glass artists of Artomatic? Want to know more about the processes and methods of each artist? Every Sunday the incredibly talented Sean Hennessey will be your guide.  And... my work is on the tour!  Be sure to check it out...

Sculptural Glass Tour 
(Special)
Sundays though June 17 
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Meet in the Lobby

The Washington DC Metro area has a robust sculptural glass community spearheaded by the Washington Glass School and DC Glassworks. Sean Hennessey, resident artist at the Washington Glass School will be giving tours showcasing select examples of the works coming from these studios, as well as works of other glass artists in the DC region.


Find Artomatic: 1851 S. Bell St. in Crystal City, a block from Metro

Artomatic 2012

I'm spreading the word about Artomatic, which returns this year with a bigger space than ever before and opens to the public on Friday evening. My artwork is located on the 9th floor in space #212, near the Peeps!

I am always excited about Artomatic because it's soooo much fun, but also because I'm debuting 3 brand new steel and glass sculptures. This is a relatively new focus for me, and I have spent the past year and a half learning the skills of glass and metal work in order to create these pieces. It's quite a turn from my Holga photography of years' past, and I intend to take this new body of work even further as I continue to learn and hone my skills.

A couple of key Artomatic events are listed below, but there are many more fun things to experience listed on AOM's web site.

Opening Night
Friday, May 18th
6PM - 1AM

Meet the Artists Night
Saturday, June 2
7 - 9PM
(I will be in my space to meet the public and answer questions on this night!)

My space at Artomatic 2012 - floor 9, space #212 (near the Peeps!)

Artomatic 2012
May 18 - June 23

Find Artomatic at:
1851 S. Bell Street
Arlington, VA

Hours:
Wednesdays & Thursdays: Noon - 10PM
Fridays & Saturdays: Noon - 1AM
Sundays: Noon - 5PM
Mondays & Tuesdays: Closed

Floors 1-4 & 8-11
One block from the Metro: Crystal City Station Yellow & Blue Lines

Admission is free; donations are accepted

More information about driving, parking, and events can be found at www.artomatic.org

Artomatic is not to be missed - I hope to see you there!

artomatic @ frederick - my top 10 picks

artomatic frederick has opened up to the public and i had the pleasure of visiting the other week. normally i participate in AOM, but due to time constraints and not enough new work to show, i decided to opt out this time around. nevertheless, i think everyone should check this show out if they are able. 

there are lots of artists displayed at F-AOM, and in true AOM fashion, a few are superb, and many are mediocre at best. however, i didn't really see anything revolting or so terrible that it left a negative impression on me.  due to the fact that AOM is an open exhibit (meaning not juried, so anyone who wants to exhibit is able), this is quite a feat in my opinion.

i did jot down a list of the standouts (again, my opinion only), and will share them with you below. if you plan to attend the exhibit and / or festivities at some point before the close date on november 6 be sure to check out their spaces. in no particular order, my top 10 of F-AOM artists that you should definitely not miss are:

1.  jeff and kristin bohlander - www.jeffbohlander.net
     installation of wonderful mixed media paintings by jeff and fabric vessels by kristin
2.  krissy downing - krissydowning.com
     large scale stylistic illustration-like paintings that are awesome!
3.  jamie gerhold - jamiegerhold.theartistangle.com
     a fellow savannah college of art & design grad who works in mixed media painting
4.  cinnamonopteryx press - cinnamonopteryx.wordpress.com
     illustrations of strange hybrid creatures - fascinating...
5.  kristin partridge - kristinpartridge.com
     alternative process photos - the real deal!
6.  megan kreh - megankreh.com
     very eerie photographs that captivate the imagination
7.  katie giganti - studiosegue.com
     large scale digital photographic based collage
8.  annie & linda lunsford - annielunsford.com
     illustrations that are quirky and amusing
9.  jenn rinaldi - no site listed, but i found her here: https://plus.google.com/117603612166960552214/posts
     a fellow holga shooter with a good eye for composition and details
10. michael auger - arty4ever.com
     offbeat artwork that features black light activated displays!

see the full list of participating artists HERE.


the majority of the artwork i've purchased has been a result of my visits to artomatic over the years. the displayed work is incredibly varied, and often extremely affordable. if you crave decoration for your abode, consider supporting local artists - they rock!

related: be on the lookout for a post coming up listing the artists whose work i've acquired, and who is on my scope for my future art purchases. ;)

Holga Artist Portraits - Jessica Van Brakle

Jessica is another artists who made my Top 10 Artomatic Artists list. I had never met her before this photo session, but she was kind enough to let me Holga her in my signature style. This is the portrait that resulted, which portrays Jessica with her artwork (as seen at Artomatic on the 9th floor).

Check out Jessica's artwork HERE.

And check back for more Holga portraits of DC area artists to come! Portraying the area artists with the Holga is an ongoing project of mine, and I love that I can lend my own interpretation to their contribution to our art scene.

PS... you only have 2 weekends left to check out Artomatic! Get more info about the show at AOM's website at www.artomatic.org.

Holga Artist Portraits - Todd Gardner

Another artist I was able to Holga recently is Todd Gardner. Todd is a friend of mine, so he was included in my Artomatic Top 10 Friends list. However, I don't think that makes me biased - he's an incredibly talented painter and is displaying some freaky cool robot-plant-animal hybrid paintings this year.

This portrait was taken with Todd's display, which includes a large self portrait, in addition to the robots.

See his work at www.toddgardner.com.

And stay tuned for even more of my Holga Artist Portrait series, which is an ongoing project of mine!

Holga Artist Portraits - Christian Tribastone

He made my Top 10 Artomatic Artists list. His work was so compelling that I bought a piece. He let me Holga him in my signature style. This is the portrait that resulted, which portrays Christian with his artwork (as seen at Artomatic).

Check out Christian's artwork HERE.

And check back for more Holga portraits of DC area artists to come! Portraying the area artists with the Holga is an ongoing project of mine, and I love that I can lend my own interpretation to their contribution to our art scene.

Artomatic Top 10 (and then some)

Lists, lists, lists... anyone who follows Artomatic knows about the "Top 10" lists that are floating around out there. And I have some favorites that I'd like to share. But... it's more than 10. I've grouped them below!

(For reference, look up any of these artists at Artomatic's Artist Catalog)

Top 10 - Artists I do not know, or did not know prior to this Artomatic.
These are not necessarily new artists or new to the scene, but I was not familiar with their work.

1.) Paul Jutton - Floor 3
2.) Corwin Levi - Floor 3
3.) Stephen Beardsell - Floor 5
4.) Marty Ittner - Floor 5
5.) Syl Mathis - Floor 7
6.) Megan Van Wagoner - Floor 8
7.) Jessica Van Brakle - Floor 9
8.) Kira J. Appel - Floor 9
9.) Christian Tribastone - Floor 9
10.) David D'Orio - Floor 9


Top 10 - Artists I knew prior to Artomatic.
These are mostly my friends, or people who I am in contact with and am familiar with their work and the progress on their projects throughout the year. Since I have a lot of artist friends, I mostly chose artists who either switched things up a bit significantly from previous Artomatics (or other exhibits), or who have a display that is quite a bit "outside the box" in some way. Plus, I just plain love their work, so I think that even though I come in with this knowledge and bias, it's still worth checking out what they have to show this year.

1.) Andy Cleavenger - Floor 2
2.) Alexandra Zealand - Floor 3
3.) Sean Welker - Floor 7
4.) Jack Whitsitt - Floor 7
5.) Sherill Anne Gross - Floor 7
6.) Marcie Wolf Hubbard - Floor 7
7.) Sean Hennessey - Floor 9
8.) Rania Hassan - Floor 9
9.) Todd Gardner - Floor 9
10.) Kerri Sheehan - Floor 9


And, for the heck of it, the other artists who made my initial list. It was very hard to narrow down to my two lists above, so I figured I'd include the rest here. Depending on my mood, many of them could have made the top 10 as well. Their displays made me pause and take a bit longer than average to check them out, and I think they all deserve a closer look by anyone visiting Artomatic. Sorted by floor, they are:

Floor 2:
Phyllis Mayes
Susannah Parnin
Ben Tolman
Emily Green Liddle
JT Kirkland / Matthew Langley (they have adjoining walls, not sure if they planned it but they play well off of each other)
Dale Hunt
Jeannette L. Herrera

Floor 3:
Joseph Dailey
Pam Rogers
Caren Quinn
Michael Auger
Susan Chapin

Floor 4:
Brie Husted
Richard J. Bailey
Kelly McGovern
Jamea Richmond - Edwards
Rita Elsner

Floor 5:
Eeshan Meldar
Matthew Carucci
Phil Vickery
Steve Strawn
Paul Sharratt

Floor 6:
Hilary Woznica
Cedric Williams
Susanna Raab
Pat Goslee

Floor 7:
Shawn Helton
Johanna Mueller
Mei Mei Chang
M. Gert Barkovic
Malcolm Blaisdell
Emily Sloat Shaw

Floor 8:
Jorge Caligiuri
Will Mallon
Erica Ricardelli
Novie Trump
Michael Janis
Tim Tate

Floor 9:
Dana Ellyn
Peter Harper


I'm sure I've forgotten a display here or there that I reacted well to, but just either forgot to write down or got distracted. With over 1000 visual artists participating this year, that's bound to happen. There were a lot of displays I really liked, but didn't write down because I had the goal of a top 10 list in mind and wanted to keep it as concise as possible. I'd advise anyone visiting to check everything out for themselves because there is just so much, and art is subjective, and all that fun stuff. But, plan for a good chunk of time - it took me over 5 hours to go through 8 floors of art to compile this list. :-)

To see the show:

55 M Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

May 29 - July 5, 2009

Fri-Sat: Noon-1 am
Sun, Wed, Thu: Noon-10 pm

Take Metro! Located directly above the Green Line Navy Yard Metro Stop, West Entrance.

Meet the Artists at Artomatic!

Do you like to meet artists? If you are in the DC metro area, you are in luck, because Artomatic's Meet the Artists Night is tomorrow. That's Saturday, June 13 from 7-9 PM. And, I will be there at my space (floor 9, area 4, just off the elevators) with my Holga setup to Holga visitors who come to talk to me. See an example of what I did last year right here in this post.
:-)

See the show tomorrow evening with the artists present, or stop by during the next month to check out the art! The details:

Artomatic

55 M Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

May 29 - July 5, 2009

Fri-Sat: Noon-1 am
Sun, Wed, Thu: Noon-10 pm

Take Metro! Located directly above the Green Line Navy Yard Metro Stop, West Entrance.

Artomatic Opens This Friday!

Artomatic

55 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Located directly above the West Entrance of the Navy Yard Metro Stop, located conveniently on the Green Line.

Opens May 29 and runs through July 5th.
Hours:
W-TH Noon-10pm
F-Sat: Noon-1 am
Sun: Noon-6 pm

In case you couldn't tell from the photo of my space, I will be exhibiting 9 of my Route 66 Holga photos. I have shown a few of them in various exhibits, but half of them are making their debut here at AOM. Leave a comment in my book and tell me what you think.

The opening party will be this Friday... so come on out! With over 700 visual artists and a couple hundred performing artists, it will be a blast for sure. I am on the 9th floor just off the elevators, but be sure to check out all 9 floors of art. It's a lot to take in all at once, so I recommend multiple trips. It's free, so you have no excuses!

Valentines Weekend Show

Luck of the Draw: An Art & Music Experience
In the Capitol Riverfront Neighborhood

Friday, February 13 - 6 to 10 pm
Saturday, February 14 - 6 to 10 pm
Sunday, February 15 - 2 to 6 pm

The fun begins at the tent on Half Street, between L and K Streets SouthEAST.
@ Navy Yard metro (on the green line).
Take the Half Street exit and follow instructions from the friendly Clean & Safe folks.

Check here soon for a schedule of music and dance performances!

More music and dance being added, but here’s a sampling:
Scrap Heap, Sejayno, Blue Sausage Infant, Shadow Farm, Doug Stailey and Dan Barbiero, Pilesar, Janel & Anthony.

Some of the visual artists you will be seeing in no particular order:
Sherill Anne Gross, Rebecca Katz, Andrew Wodzianski, David Barr, Chris Bishop, Carolina Mayorga, Alexandra Zealand, Albus Cavus, Tariq Rafiq, Andrea Collins, danny phantOM.

“RED: St. Valentine bled for us”
Curated by Sondra Arkin and Ellyn Weiss:
Sondra Arkin, Ellyn Weiss, Pat Goslee, Joan Belmar, Susan Finsen, Brian Williams, Tracy Lee, Anne Marchand, Tom Drymon, Chuck Baxter, Betsy Damos, Lynn Putney, Tory Cowles, Scott Brooks, Kristina Bilonick, Judy Jashinsky, Veronica Szalus.

Photography exhibit curated by Ten Miles Square:
Erin Antognoli, Amber Baum, James Calder, Chris Chen, Jason Colston, Max Cook, Brett Davis, Angela Kleis, Brian Knight, Marie Kwak, Amber Wiley, Pat Padua, Barry Schmetter, Alexandra Silverthorne, Matt Smith, Paivi Salonen, Steve Strawn, Sanjay Suchak, John Ulaszek, Brandon Wu, Josh Yospyn.

Lots of great restaurants to enjoy nearby at Barracks Row before or after you get your art on.

A collaboration between The Pink Line Project, Artomatic, and Capitol Riverfront BID.

Venues: Velocity Condos, Axiom at Capital Yards, Onyx on First

Artomatic - Meet The Artists Night

This Friday, 7-10 PM, is "Meet the Artists Night" at Artomatic. I'll be there, in my space on the 9th floor just off the elevators on the West Side. Possibly with a Holga setup to make some photos of those who visit my space. Stop by, ask me some questions... and get Holga-ed!

The official press release is below, and see this post I made last week for more details about address and hours and whatnot. I hope to see you there!

"David (Crash)" is one of the photos you can see in my space this year.

--------------------------------

Ever wonder how artists come up with ideas? Or how they create their sculptures or paintings? Make plans to come out to Artomatic on Friday, May 16, for Meet the Artists Night, when many of this year’s Artomatic participants will be on hand from 7 p.m.–10 p.m. to talk with visitors and show off their works.

This year’s Artomatic has more to see than ever before. Ten floors of work, including ceramics, sculptures, installations, paintings, fiber works, murals and photography are on display, and in many cases, the work is for sale.

Visitors on Meet the Artists Night will be able to sample the fun, creative energy that is Artomatic. A full schedule of free events is planned for Friday, including films, dance, poetry, music and even fire dancing. Live music will kick off at 6 p.m. and run through 1 a.m., with performances by James Stephen Terrell, Movimiento, Collider, DJ Sequoia and others.

Artomatic artists are encouraged to throw a mini-gallery opening in their space on Meet the Artists Night and to be on hand to answer questions about their work. Due to legal restrictions, no outside alcohol is allowed at Artomatic at any time. Both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are sold at Artomatic’s first and 11th floor bars.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic is the Washington, D.C., area's one-of-a-kind multimedia arts event. About 700 visual artists and 300 performers are participating in this year’s Artomatic. Presented in collaboration with the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID), Artomatic 2008 is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors during its five-week run. The event is being held at the Capitol Plaza I building, which is located at 1200 First Street, N.E., just one block west of the New York Avenue Metro station, in Washington, D.C.

For a full list of all Artomatic activities, visit the online event calendar at www.artomatic.org/event. The site also contains a catalog of artists taking part in Artomatic with images of their work as well as videos and music from performers.

For directions and hours, call the Artomatic infoline at 202-339-9007. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take Metro to Artomatic.


About Artomatic: Artomatic is a creative community that collaborates to produce and present a free arts spectacular. Participation is open to all, from recognized artists to undiscovered talents, who work in a variety of arts forms. In partnership with the development community, Artomatic transforms unused building space into a playground for expression, serves as a catalyst for community growth in up-and-coming neighborhoods, and helps to grow our creative economy. The nonprofit Artomatic organization is headed by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.artomatic.org.

Artomatic - Tonight!!!

Artomatic is DC's biggest art event. It opens today! Dont miss it!

Its free!
Its metro accessible!
There will be a bar and a cafe!

1200 First Street NE
Corner of First and M streets NE, next to the South entrance of the New York Ave. metro station.

My display of new Holga work is on the 9th floor, just off of the elevators in section A4 NW.

I will be there tonight for the opening, and also next Friday from 7-10 PM for Meet the Artists night. Hope to see you there!


Hours are as follows:

* Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5 pm – 10 pm
* Fridays and Saturdays: 12noon – 2 am
* Sundays: 12noon – 10pm
* Mondays and Tuesdays: Closed

Artomatic 2008 - It's a Done Deal!!!

UPDATE: Registration for Artomatic 2008 begins at Noon on Thursday, March 27! Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of the fun this year!

This just in! Artomatic is happening! Details are as follows:

ARTOMATIC 2008
May 9 – June 15, 2008
Capitol Plaza building, located at 1200 First Street, NE
(at the corner with M Street)
Washington, DC 20002
Metro stop: Red Line, New York Ave./Florida Ave./Gallaudet Univ.
(M Street exit)
Free admission. Donations accepted

HOURS
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5 pm – 10 pm
Fridays and Saturdays: Noon – 2 am
Sundays: Noon – 10 pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Artomatic, the Washington, D.C., area’s eclectic, engaging — and occasionally even eye-popping — arts extravaganza is back this spring and promises to be more of a draw than ever before.

The NoMa (north of Massachusetts Avenue) Business Improvement District (BID) will host this year’s homegrown art extravaganza, Artomatic. From May 9 through June 15, 2008, hundreds of local and regional artists will exhibit their works throughout the Capitol Plaza building, located at First and M Streets, N.E., just one block west of the New York Avenue Metro station.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic transforms an unfinished indoor space into an exciting and incredibly diverse arts event that is free and open to the public. In addition to displays and sales by hundreds of artists, the event features free musical, dance, and theater performances; holiday celebrations; films; educational presentations; and much more.

This year’s Artomatic, occupying 200,000 square feet at Capitol Plaza, will be the largest to date. Designed by the renowned architect Shalom Baranes and owned by Polinger, Shannon & Luchs, Capitol Plaza offers 293,000 rentable square feet of Class A office space, with dramatic Capitol and city views from the upper floors.

Artomatic - This Summer!!!

Bloggers: Artomatic 2008 needs your help!

We need your help getting the word out about Artomatic 2008. Although the details are still being nailed down and contracts are still being signed, Artomatic will happen this summer. The space is near the New York Ave Metro Station in the District and is much bigger than any venue in the past! Word on the street is 8 floors of open floor plans (like the 8th floor in Crystal City last year).

Help get the community buzzing and mention Artomatic 2008 in your blogs? Please sign up for the newsletter at www.artomatic.org to receive the most up-to-date information as it is made available.

Thanks!

Artomatic - Meet the Artists!

Friday May 4th (that's today!) is meet the artists night at Artomatic. The whole thing goes from 6 PM to 1 AM, and artists are encouraged to be in their spaces so that you can talk with them and see the people behind the art. Get the lowdown HERE. Artomatic is just a metro stop away (Crystal City), and there's also free parking across the street. The address for Artomatic is 2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA, in the old Patent Offices. So come and have some fun!

Another bit of exhibit news - I got into the ArtsCouncil@GRACE2007 show! I entered 5 of my Holga pieces (all of which are in Artomatic), but am not sure which one(s) they chose for the show yet. Here's part of the e-mail I received to let me know:

Congratulations on being selected to exhibit your work in ArtsCouncil@GRACE 2007.

We received over 500 artworks for consideration for this annual juried show, making the selection process an exciting challenge for our juror, Irene Hofmann.

We hope that you will join us at the reception and award ceremony for this year’s exhibition at the Greater Reston Arts Center. The opening reception will be held on Friday, June 22, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

In addition there will be an artist’s dialogue on July 12th at 7:30 p.m. at the gallery. We hope that you will be able to join us for this opportunity to discuss your work with other artists and interested viewers.

So great news all around, and I hope to see a lot of people tonight!

Artomatic - Opening Friday 4/13!

Tomorrow begins Artomatic 2007! This is so exciting!
Come see my Holga work at Artomatic... I'm in Room #6A55, and I will be there tomorrow for the opening. So if you are around, stop by and introduce yourself.
:-)

Here are the specs:

ARTOMATIC 2007
April 13–May 20, 2007
2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Va.
Metro stop: Crystal City
Free admission. Donations accepted

HOURS
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Noon–10 p.m.
Thursday: Noon–11 p.m.
Friday, Saturday: Noon–1 a.m.
Closed Mondays

Artomatic, the Washington, D.C., area’s eclectic, engaging — and occasionally even eye-popping — arts extravaganza is back this spring and promises to be more of a draw than ever before.

Held regularly since 1999, Artomatic is the region’s one-of-a-kind multimedia art featuring more than 600 regional artists and performers. The free five-week event, to be held April 13–May 20, will feature nearly 90,000 square feet of paintings, sculptures, photography and other creative work.

----------------------
And here are some photos of the installation. I will post more photos from later on over the course of Artomatic as they happen!

My space featuring my Holga project:



Sean Hennessey and Angela Kleis in Sean's space. His room is awesome, and he does faux finishing like what you see on the pillar there for his living. Very cool!



Angela Kleis during installation. She had collapsed at this point, and like the good friend that I am, I took her photo and then asked if she was okay (in that order!). She's fine, and her space looks great too!



Jesse Cohen, founder of ArtDC.org, gets a little crazy during the last evening of installation, and Jack Whitsitt looks on:



Alexandra Silverthorne, who is located across the hall from me, is hard at work hanging her photos. She does great documentary street photography (that's what she's hanging here, I believe):



Sean Hennessey and Rania Hassan, who are my next door Artomatic neighbors, look at photos they've taken during installation:



I'm having a blast hanging out with all my DC art buddies and meeting new people or the people who I only know from online. Did I mention how excited I was that Artomatic is finally here?