News From Kitchen Stadium

4 crazy months since my last blog post…hard to know even where to begin so i’m jumping in with the latest…

first up -

The RI Commission on Women invited me to show the food paintings for an event in conjunction with the RI Community Food Bank’s Women Ending Hunger Program.

it’s my first solo show in a large space - the atrium gallery in providence’s capitol hill/state house complex - and it’s looking like i’ll have 45-50 pieces to fill er up.

i’ve always said that a well-made painting should be able to hold its own on a wall, regardless of the size. now it’s time to put the theory to the test.

the reception this coming monday, april 6th from 4-6pm. (more info at the bottom)

among the rhody-inspired works in the show is this 12×12 in bag o burgers, still wet and shot in what my better half likes to call ‘kitchen stadium.’

it’s literally our kitchen - i’ve moved my studio back to the home base to save both time and money - and have been paintin up a storm.

the rest of the studio is around the corner, and the proximity to the big butcher block, fridge, and controlled lighting (that lil white remote is a dimmer) has paid off in works more ambitious in both setup and scale.

above, the initial blockin on a 20×24in bag o’ bread courtesy of an amazing local baker - great guy, food tv challenge winner, published author…and well, that’s another story.

and after…if you look closely, that’s the fridge to the right, complete with some finger paintings and doggie meds on top. 4 more bread-inspired works will make the show as well.

last, but certainly not least - i was recently honored with the 2009 RISCA Fellowship in Painting Merit Award. congrats to winner and former studio mate Sean Thomas - additional 2009 recipients can be found here.
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Will Paint for Food
reception Monday, April 6, 2009 from 4-6pm
show thru april 14 at the Atrium, One Capitol Hill, Providence RI 02903
401-222-3880
http://www.arts.ri.gov/about/directions.php

Bite-Sized Holiday Update

vanilla extract, bubble gum, ea 3.5×3.5in, acrylic on panel

Little Pictures at the Providence Art Club saw the debut of the new bite-sized food paintings i’ve been working on.

the reception was great - someone remarked, “i’m enjoying that your paintings are getting looser and more expressive, especially at that small scale.” couldn’t ask for a better comment on my work. (well, that, and this.)

hunt and peck, 18×36in, acrylic on canvas
(image courtesy charlestown gallery)

the chickens feel just as loose at 10x the scale. they’re among the works that will be on display this saturday at Charlestown Gallery’s Hoiday Show. (They’re also the only gallery outside of my studio that currently carries the large food paintings.)

More Rhody Holiday show info:

my Holiday Studio Sale is tomorrow Dec 6th - Bulls, food paintings large & small, and some new nocturnes. for hrs and a sneak preview, click here

Little Pictures Providence art club hrs and directions click here.

Last but certainly not least - finally pleased to announce that Dryden Gallery (aka Prov Picture Frame) is carrying work. They’ve been behind me since Sale no 1 a few years back and will be my home base in providence going forward. Just stocked em with a selection of bulls, food paintings and new charcoals. Great folks, top-notch framing, and, maybe best of all, are part of the expansion of Will Paint for Food.

Halloween treats - candy corn, lucius malfoy, stephen king

Halloween is here, bringing a bone-chilling 31 degrees to New England this morning, along with ghosts and vampires and werewolves and, of course, candy corn.

candy corn, 4×6in, acrylic on panel -available-

this year’s also brought another volume in author Gregory Maguire’s delicious Wicked Cycle - great way to (temporarily) escape a news season filled with stories of a fear-mongering witch from alaska, a ghastly economy, and the spectre of election tricks, not treats.

if you click on the photo above, the candy corn above can just be seen to the far right, along with bigger ‘food’ paintings (pumpkin, 12×12) and much bigger works (like the burger, 2ftx2ft) during our open studio last month.

as always, it was a treat to see friends and extended family - and the overwhelmingly positive response to the the first color ‘farm’ works (for scale, my dog andy is on a 2fx2ft canvas) and newer bulls (below: strange II, 30×40 and cherry bomb, 2ftx2ft) made my leap to larger, brushier formats worthwhile.

the biggest surprise was spotting actor Jason Isaacs, aka Lucius malfoy. The actor was truly gracious - warm and polite when recognized and - after mentioning that his wife told him to bring some “iconic Rhode Island artwork” back to london - he bought a frozen lemonade print. Warm fuzzies all around - a piece of my art going overseas, 100% of the purchase going to the RI Community Food Bank, and some imaginary ad campaigns full of possibilities (Join a Death Eater in the fight against hunger… or This year, Michael Caffee is helping Rhode Islanders…) i’m still smiling.

cannoli, 4×6in, acrylic on panel

The chocolate-chip covered cannoli is one of 10 works that have been up at Susan Maasch Fine Art in Portland, Maine the last few months. It’s especially sweet to show in Maine - home to old friends, family, and memories - like the field study below…

maine field study ca. 1993, 9×12in, oil on board NFS

…home to longtime artistic heroes the Wyeth clan, Winslow Homer, and Stephen King (the work below, inspired by It, was pretty much my first stab at painting with brushes and canvas in high school.)

Pennywise ca. 1988, 24×24in, NFS

…but perhaps the best reason is that i’m showing alongside longtime friend scott conary. He’s got a post about it here. (although i’ll admit it’s pretty spiffy to be showing alongside william bailey, eric aho and titus welliver, too.)

maine cheese, 6×6in, acrylic on panel

This cheese (Eleanor Buttercup from Hahn’s End in Phippsburg, ME - picked for us by Kris at K.Horton specialty foods) came home along with a few other maine treats, including killer bread from Micucci’s Ital grocery & a whoopie pie from Two Fat Cats Bakery. wish we could’ve brought home a trunkload of fries (best-ever) from duckfat.

most of the above were all one one killer food block, topped off by the fine folks at Rabelais books. (everything you ever wanted and more ’bout cookbooks & food & farm culture - even out-of-print- in one bookstore) Inspired into taking a road trip? this site is worth a look.
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this weekend is also traditionally a time to honor the departed…so a last nod, and some words to live by, from Paul Newman:

“We are such spendthrifts with our lives,” Mr. Newman once told a reporter. “The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster. I’m not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out.” (from the NY Times obit)

Supersize Me: big works, big news…

…or what i did on my summer vacation.

we’re celebrating our 3rd annual Open Studio this weekend. (has it really been that long? as Chazz Michael Michaels sez, it’s mind-bottling.) if you’re interested in coming out, we’d love to see ya - info’s at the bottom of the post.

end-of-summer recap:

FINALLY ventured into making dining room-sized works - the 24×24″ pieces below were among those featured alongside Andrea Kantrowitz this past august at the charlestown gallery. her work crackles with an intensity - almost too much - akin to Ivan Albright’s.

owners gilly & renee surprised me with a limited run of one of the popular works, with 100% of proceeds going to the community food bank - $300.00 generated to date. thanks guys!

the philly pretzel was a prize catch from a road trip to see family earlier this summer, and served as inspiration for the work that’s part of a group show at the courtyard gallery (click for additional image and info) this month.

soft pretzel, 5×7in, acrylic on panel courtyard gallery

gallery owners rudi & frances are kindly are donating 15% of ALL sales to community food banks. (additional special thanks to roland and jackie for the unexpected long-term loan of the copper pot - lotta wiping down and repainting - sorry it took so long to get it right!)

copper pot, 10×14in, acrylic on panel courtyard gallery

the nocturnes below are part of a solo show on display thru the end of October at Jonathan Edwards Winery. (for scale, the small one on the right is 20×20″…apologies for the poor photo!)

it’s our favorite vineyard in the region, and i was psyched to be invited to show during the harvest. dynamite wines and a beautiful setting make it worth a picnic run while the weather’s still with us.

one last shoutout - i’ve donated a work on paper to the as220 print lottery. there’s a lotta good stuff going on all month, culminating in the lottery on the 27th.

and one last heartfelt thankyou - to everyone that dropped me a line or stopped by the blog, studio, or openings this year. many thanks for the continued support.
sk
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Open Studio info:

friday Sept 19th 7-9
sat/sun from 12-5.
560 Mineral Spring Ave #319**
Pawtucket Rhode Island 02860
(bet. Lonsdale and Smithfield aves, opp. Lorraine fabric)

there will be shuttles running between the 9 participating mills this year. click here for more info.

**please note the new room address - if you’ve been to the studio previously, we’re in the same building, but at the opposite end on the top floor. take the main staircase to the top, make a right, and go to the end of the hall.

Weekend Update:Best of RI, new bulls.

Newsflash #1 - Rhode Island Monthly’s annual “best of” issue hits the streets this week, & the food paintings are included as a 2008 Editors’ Pick. i’m blown away - and speechless. the link to the complete writeup is here.

Newsflash #2 - for the first time in….ohh…3 years, maybe? there are some new bull paintings available - just in the nick of time for the flora & fauna opening at the charlestown gallery this weekend.

it’s meant some late late nights (driving by the 560 mill at 2am-ish and wondering about the heavenly chorale coming from somewhere above? it was Górecki’s Symphony No. 3.) really feel like the food works paved the way, & am looking forward to seeing what happens next with em. here’s a sneek peek:

strange & thunderhead, ea 30×40in, acrylic on canvas

the gallery currently has 5 bull paintings & a selection of charcoals in addition to the food works.

Flora & Fauna
reception Sat Aug 2 5:30-7:30
Charlestown Gallery
2183 Matunuck Schoolhouse Rd
Charlestown, RI 02813
401-364-0120

rhode trips

frozen lemonade, 5×7in, acrylic on panel

a friend put it best - “the weather’s been hell on my lawn, but it’s perfect for (getting out on) my motorcycle.” (amen, and thanks, dave)

today i’ll be cruisin down to the charlestown gallery to drop off this frozen lemonade commission. (in the area this weekend? it’s also the 30th annual hot air balloon festival - which also apparently features pig races.)

earlier this week it mean a trip down to judge the 10th annual little compton art show with nancy-gaucher thomas and whitmore boogaerts. (festival is this weekend - great reason to stop in at evelyn’s.)

cannoli, 4×6in, acrylic on panel

tomorrow, it’ll mean a trip to the Hill, where we got the reference for this chocolate-chip covered cannoli. if ya need an excuse besides the al fresco dining, Giuliano Bugialli will be up at Venda on saturday (spend $10 and you’ll get a copy of his foods of sicily and sardinia…ciao!)

ketchup, mustard, brewer, patriot.

squeeze bottles, 8×8in, acrylic on panel

it’s finally Hot - true summer HOT. it’s also All-Star break, and a buncha Sox are off to Yankee Stadium this week. pick your excuse - either way, it’s perfect time for a cold one and a coupla dogs (or is it the other way around?)

lager bottle, 5×12in, acrylic on panel -sold- thx, joe!

nother local boy heading to the game is brian fox - his second consecutive year as official artist of the MLB event. i’ve known bri a long time (can’t claim that it was since little league, but i was in the dugout when he took his work from triple A level to the big leagues) and it’s been a treat to see the hard work in the batting cages pay off. congrats, bro.

Rhode Island, reds

fruit tartlet, 4×6in, acrylic on panel

these 3 studies in red are…uhh…fresh off the vine. well, freshly varnished.

i’m still fightin reds - and, armed with a lighter touch & a more vibrant palette, i lost the first few rounds to the cartoonish colors of the tartlet, the soft velvet of the raspberry cake, and the deep deep gloss of the berry.

mini raspberry cake, 4×6in, acrylic on panel

the colors were pure enough, but also to the point of feeling local and unrelated. out of frustration, in spite of the unresolved paintings, i ate my reference and turned the works to the wall to cool their heels.

when i finally came back to them, i decided to work from memory - after all, wasn’t the point of the studies to improve my hand and eye for the imagined bulls and landscapes?

strawberry, 4×6in, acrylic on panel

i’m happy with the results - even if they may lack some of the immediacy and swashbuckling strokes of the ‘from life’ works.

We’re back at the Charlestown Gallery for our second season and the freshly-varnished trio is part of a passel of ‘food paintings’ i’ve just dropped off. we’ll even be showing some of the bulls and farm stuff later on this summer.

The gallery’s in South County, Rhody’s bread basket - if you’re looking for something else to do in the ‘hood, the URI Farmers’ Market takes place ’bout 10 minutes up the road on saturday mornings.

2183 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road,
P.O.Box 1367,
Charlestown, Rhode Island
401-364-0120 :: www.charlestowngalleryri.com

cause(s) for celebration.

quick Ides of May update - 10 reasons to toast.

1. finally completed this champagne bottle. some births are difficult, and this one - slated for the food…glorious food show in december, has been giving me pains for a while now.

champagne, 7×12in, acrylic on panel (click image for detail)

2. we’ve been invited to show in a Portland, Maine gallery starting in june.

3. accepted an offer for a solo show at a fantastic vineyard this sept/oct, during harvest. (details soon on both soon - along with some other gallery happenings)

4. just dropped off this martini, commissioned as a gift from the folks at Powers Gallery to another artist in their stable on his 90th birthday. had a great day in next-door Concord, Mass.

martini(detail), 5×7in, acrylic on panel

5. can’t confirm the final tally just yet, but last i’d heard milkbone piece (new pics here) at the RISD museum benefit had a bid of $400 on it.

6. thanks mostly to the efforts of my studiomates, the open studio was a hit (photo below: ‘gallery wing’, just before my camera ran out of batteries for the day)

7. my work made a cameo in the Macolm Grear exhibit at RICs Bannister Gallery last month - drawings i’d done as a pup for the olympic medal campaign back in 95!

8. shipped boxes of food notecards up to Montpelier, VT, where our friends Josh & Jess just opened Capital Kitchen

9. In Prov, it’s gallery night tonight. if nothing else, go see Dean Richardson’s work at the Providence Art Club before it comes down this weekend.

10. free iced coffee at participating dunks today. nuff said.

iced coffee 2007, 8×10in, acrylic on panel -sold-

Open House: Let there be (north) light

The new studio is finally up & runnin. to celebrate, we’re havin an inaugural open house this saturday afternoon - a chance to meet my new studiomates and see the new digs.

we’ve got north light, great work space, and both gallery and lounge areas.

if you’ve been to my old studio. the new one’s in the same building - now at the 3rd floor, at the opposite end. (take the main staircase to the top floor, make a right, and follow the sign of the bread to the very end of the hall.)

new studio mates, from left: jason brockert, dan sousa, sean thomas.
(click on each for links & work)

we’ll have some cool beverages and snacks - if stoppin by and need wanna check out some great local chow spots, i’ve listed some at the bottom of the post.

here’s the skinny:
sat May 3rd 11-5
560 Mineral Spring Ave #319 Pawtucket Rhode Island 02860
(bet. Lonsdale and Smithfield aves, opp. Lorraine mills)
new to the area, my studiomate jason posted a map here.

(*note: this isn’t the big building- (or pawtucket-) wide open studios - those are in september)
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local chow spots:

wicked good cheap eats, just north of Mineral Spring on Smithfield Ave - Shish Kebeb (lebanese), La Arepa (stuffed corn pies), and Hartley’s Pork Pies.

heading down mineral spring into CF: on Broad - killer mex at La Casa del Pueblo. on Dexter: Stanley’s Famous Hamburgers (RI institution since ‘32) as well as a ton o’ Latin American restaurants

About 2 miles away, on the Pawtucket/Providence East Side: Dougherty’s (140ish beer options to go with great pub food) and the timeless Moder Diner. At the junction of East Ave & Hope St/Blackstone Blvd: LJ’s BBQ, Garden Grille (Vegetarian), Rasoi, India (both Indian), Ran Zan (Japanese) & Chez Pascal (dinner only -think Chez Panisse and Gramercy Tavern)

At Mineral Spring Ave & Charles St - Pinelli’s North End Cafe. (gluten-free!)
About a mile down from the Mineral Spring/Smithfield Ave intersection (heading to Providence) - Chelo’s.

oops - almost forgot. KILLER vietnamese food- Pho Horn’s. bout 1-2 miles away in the Shaws plaza on Main st (leave the studio, make a rt onto Lonsdale, which becomes Main st.)

and, of course, Dunks everywhere. mine’s cream no sugar if you’re driving by.
Hope to see you!