DOMINGO, EL SIETE DE OCTOBRE, VEINTE DOCE

Recent published articles on my work over the last couple of months:
Fran Dibble, 'Palette of Painters', Manawatu Standard, Palmerston North, NZ, 2 October, 2012
Unknown, 'Matthew Couper and JK Russ: Firmamentation', Australian Art Collector, 2 October, 2012
Scott Dickensheets, 'We Chose You', Desert Companion, Las Vegas, October Issue, 2012
Anthony Behrens, 'Hidden Talent', SwampThing Magazine, 20 September, 2012 (PDF)
Checko Salgado, 'Matthew Couper: Skins & Teeth Review', Arts Vegas, 15 September, 2012
Jenessa Kenway, 'In The Thick Of It: Matthew Couper's Skins & Teeth', Las Vegas Citylife, 14 September, 2012
Brian Paco Alvarez, 'Las Vegas Based Artist For Export', Las Vegas Arts & Culture, 12 September, 2012
Scott Dickensheets, 'To Do Thursday: Matthew Couper's Skins & Teeth', Las Vegas Citylife, 12 September, 2012
Eric Minh Swenson, 'Is Tim Bavington the Ed Ruscha of Las Vegas?', Huffington Post, 22 August, 2012

VIERNES, EL DIEZ DE AGOSTO, VEINTE DOCE

MATTHEW COUPER : DESERT INVENTORY -- COLLECTING CONTEXT IN LAS VEGAS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4fa_D8loYM

Film by Eric Minh Swenson. Music by Mountaineater

Los Angeles filmmaker Eric Minh Swenson traveled to Las Vegas to visit New Zealand-born artist Matthew Couper, who recently immigrated to the USA.

In his apartment in Las Vegas, Couper's collection of religious Spanish Colonial paintings from Mexico provide a rich cache of narrative and allegory that inform the artist's reactions to his new and unique environment. Over the past two years, Couper's paintings have collected and collated visual and psychological symbols of Las Vegas, culminating in a hybridized form which Huffington Post art writer John Seed suggests is 'a pagan Catholic Cirque du Soleil', accentuating the artist's 'Kafkaesque view of the world'

For more info on Eric Minh Swenson or project inquiries visit his website  www.thuvanarts.com/take1

JUEVES, EL DIEZ DE MAYO, VEINTE-DOCE

Works packed, all ready to be shipped to PG Contemporary in Houston, Texas.

MIERCOLES, EL VIENTIUNO DE MARZO, VENINTE-DOCE
Yesterday at my talk, I mentioned Bosch's painting in the Prado, 'Lubbert Das/Extracting the Stone of Madness' and how it related to my retablo '1994' (see below). Click on the link above to see the alternative translation of Lubbert Das that influenced my painting.

JUEVES, EL UNO DE MARZO, VEINTE-DOCE
JK Russ's solo exhibition 'Garden of Earthly Delights' opens tonight at 6pm, (artist talk at 7pm) at Sin City Gallery in Las Vegas, NV:

JUEVES, EL NUEVE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DOCE

I am being interviewed at 4pm today (Pacific Standard Time) about my exhibition 'Thirty-Three' on Radio Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
Frequency details can be found here: http://www.radiokidnappers.org.nz/internet_audio.php

UPDATE:

replay, PST is Thursday, 3.05pm/ NZT Friday, 12.05pm. Also, it will be available for download from here under 'Dishing up Art' :http://www.radiokidnappers.org.nz/search_air_db.php

MARTES, EL SIETE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DOCE
screen shot of the Las Vegas episode of The Ethical Hedonist. Presenter Bob Kelly came to Las Vegas to not only check out the casinos but to see what type of art is being made here. He visited Jo and I in our studios and then we took him around the local 'Arts Factory'. The photo below was part of the filming at Blackbird Studios.
From the website:
'Las Vegas: Bob Kelly time in Las Vegas starts by experiencing some of the hedonistic highlights of the city: incredible hotels, swim up blackjack, huge trampolines, big shows and helicopter rides over the nearby grand canyon, before meeting up with some true Las Vegans and going out to a local burlesque evening. It is then time for Bob to start giving back so he offers himself for a day volunteering with international organisation, Habitat for Humanity, who build low cost housing for families in need. Being a big fan of golf, Bob then arranges a round with members of the local Native American nation, the Paiute, at the course they own where he learns more about the current state of their culture. Bob is lucky to meet Oscar B Goodman, the ex-mayor and ultimate spokesperson for Las Vegas, and spend some time following this charismatic gentleman to his appointments and engagements. Finally, he is taking a helicopter ride out of the city for the day to fly over, and land in the Grand Canyon. Duration: 60'

EL TRENTI Y UNO DE DECIEMBRE, VENITE-ONCE
My last painting of 2011 (2012 defeating 2011) - started this morning and almost finished bar some text on the shield and title, date etc. Oil on tin, 14" x 11", based on San Miguel figure represented in Spanish Colonial painting.

EL VEINTICUATRO DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-ONCE
Feliz Navidad!

SABATO, EL VEINTISEIS DE NOVIEMBRE, VEINTE-ONCE
back to work (photo by JK Russ):

JUEVES, EL DIECIOCHO DE AGOSTO, VEINTE-ONCE

I'm framing up some preparatory ink and wash sketches that I like. I ordered several frames, square, off-white in which I'll float-mount frame about 8 drawings. This is number two drawing, literally, of a devil on a toilet. I've just recently posted a photo of a ceramic talavera version of this motif that is on show at Rayner Brothers Gallery at present. I'm also working on my hand-modelling angles and techniques.

SABATO, EL TRECE DE AGOSTO, VEINTE-ONCE
Today is International Left-Hander's Day. Below is a painting I made about the Wrath of the Left-hander.

SABATO, EL SEIS DE AGOSTO, VEINTE-ONCE
(left) Lorenzo Monaco 'Man of Sorrows with Instruments of the Passion', 1404, tempera on panel, Accademia, Florence, Italy, (right) Matthew Couper, 'After Lorenzo Monaco's Man of Sorrows', 2005, pencil on paper, 7" x 4 1/2".

I did this drawing while doing some relief teaching for a friend who'd broken both wrists in a bike accident. I'd come across a black and white reproduction of the painting and really liked the relationship of the figures in the shallow space compared to the apparitions of the symbols of the Passion, more so than my other favourite of Fra Angelico's fresco in San Marco. I finally got to see this painting in the Accadamia, Florence in 2008

VIERNES, EL QUINCE DE JULIO, VEINTE-ONCE
it was just over a year ago that we moved to the USA. It's been a blast so far!

VIERNES, EL OCHO DE JULIO, VEINTE-ONCE
Yesterday I took my usual LA pilgrimage out to Historia Antiques in Santa Monica and met up with James Caswell to discuss all things Spanish Colonial... it usually goes on for quite a while but is always absolutely inspiring and illuminating.
Here's a photo of some of my paintings in his store amongst ecclesiastical paintings.

I think we leap-yeared from Post-Modernism to Post Post-Modernism, then took the moving walkway to Dystopia-Networkism.

'The Meadows', JK Russ & Matthew Couper, 2011, oil and collage on metal, 275mm x 360mm, available to purchase
courtesy of Thermostat Art Gallery, New Zealand, http://www.thermostat.co.nz/
©2011, Couper Russ Studios LLC

DOMINGO, EL DIECINUEVE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-ONCE
Happy Father's Day!

('Me and Dad', 1997, oil on panel, 240mm x 120mm)

JUEVES, EL NUEVE DE JULIO, VEINTE-ONCE
I was asked by the editor of the weekly newspaper, Las Vegas Citylife if I'd be interested in saying a few words about my painting that's on display at present as part of '89XXXhibition' at UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum (4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, USA, 20 May - 9 July 2011) I'm alway happy to talk about my work, so here's the article.

LUNES, EL DIECIOCHO DE ABRIL, VEINTE-ONCE
finally stretched up and ready to go. Am leaving this one in the USA for now. I think it's more apt here than in NZ. I was painting this way back here.

Trickle-Down Theory', 2011, oil on canvas, 58" x 46

SABATO, EL VEINTISEIS DE MARZO, VEINTE-ONCE
A great little ex-voto that piqued my interest in Albuquerque at John Isaac's Antiques store in the historical area. It's got everything, aesthetically, that I like in an ex-voto, the pinky/cadmium scarlet floor, the soft blue sky and the beautifully crafted vision of Christ.
Things have been a bit hectic at my end due to several things need attending too, so that explains the lack of posts. Once cleared, I'll post the offending pieces here on the blog to catch you all up!