Three New Cityscape Paintings + Open Studios

I finished up three new cityscape paintings over the weekend - just in time for Friday night's open studios! These will be hanging in studio #201 on the second floor. Come check them out in person and help us kick off Chicago Artists' Month! In a Silent Way, oil on canvas, 24x48, 2014, $1,100 In a Silent Way, oil on canvas, 24x48, 2014

High Line Bend at 30th St., oil on panel, 24x36, 2014, $600 High Line Bend at 30th St., oil on panel, 24x36, 2014

Ravenswood In Bloom, acrylic on panel, 24x30, 2014, $350 Ravenswood In Bloom, acrylic on panel, 24x30, 2014

Cornelia Arts Building 1800 W. Cornelia Studio #201 Chicago, IL 60657

Art from 30 artists on two floors, live jazz music, and food from a local food truck in the parking lot. Hope you can make it out! All are welcome - invite your friends

Cityscapes @ In Fine Spirits

This week I hung a group of new cityscape paintings at In Fine Spirits in Andersonville. They have a great selection of fine wines, craft beer, and artisan spirits with a strong emphasis on local too. I'm excited to be showing my art again in my neighborhood! There will be an Opening Reception and Wine Tasting on Saturday, April 26 from 3-6pm. More details to come. In the meantime, here are a few photos.

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SoHo Fire Escapes - work in progress

This is a painting I've been working on the last few days. It's based on a photo I took in the SoHo neighborhood of New York in 2006. I'm continuing to work on making these cityscape images more immediate, loose, and painterly. I usually sketch the image onto the surface first with oil bar or acrylic. My goal is to carry that sketch-like quality into the painting style. This will be on display at this Friday's Open Studios at the Cornelia Arts Building. SoHo_WIP SoHo Fire Escapes - work in progress, oil on panel

Here's the photo reference:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Moon Over Soho (New York), photograph, 2006

2014 Open Studios Dates

CAB_2014_email Save the dates for our 2014 Open Studios:

Friday, March 21, 6 - 10 pm Friday, May 16, 6 - 10 pm Friday, October 3,  6 - 10 pm Friday, November 21, 6 - 10 pm Saturday, November 22, 1 - 5 pm

Art on two floors, live music and food from a local gourmet food truck in the parking lot!

Our open studio events are FREE and open to the public.

Cornelia Arts Building 1800 W. Cornelia, Studio #201 Chicago, IL 60657

Young Art Collectors + Open Studios

The Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios last weekend was fun and we had a great crowd to see the art and enjoy the live music. Some of my cityscape paintings and mixed media prints found new homes too! Thanks to all who attended. I was also interviewed by Eva Voinigescu, a Medill School of Journalism Master of Science Candidate who has been working on an article about how young people collect art. It was an interesting interview and hopefully she got some good information. One thing I try to do is to price my art so that most anyone can afford it. Typically my work ranges from $100 - $1,500 (sometimes more). Sometimes I'll have a secret sale and you can walk away with something for under $25.

Studio Interview with Eva Voinigescu, a Medill School of Journalism Master of Science Candidate

The discussion made me think more about open studios and my goals and expectations. I always enjoy talking to people about my art making process which also helps me better understand art collectors and appreciators. Not everyone comes to buy art at the open studios and when they do it tends to be on the smaller/more affordable side. So, I've come to have lower sales expectations and view open studios as just a fun event/party where I can introduce my art to new people.

But more importantly, having people in my studio helps me better understand my own art and how it affects people. By directly interacting with the public, I have learned to explain my work more clearly. I've also learned that everyone interprets images differently. It's always exciting when someone points out something new or different about one of my own pieces and helps me see it in a new way.