LUNES, EL SIETE DE MARZO, VEINTE-ONCE
Drove from Vegas to Sedona, back up to Flagstaff, Arizona today, snowing in Flagstaff, but sunny and hot down in the Sedona canyon.
here's a snowball at ya:
DOMINGO, EL SEIS DE MARZO, VEINTE-ONCE
Here's some photos of the crowd at La Luz De Jesus Gallery for the opening of 'Everything But The Kitschen Sync'. It was a great night, packed, with a bar out the back. The bottom photo shows my five little paintings in the show.
I also came back from LA with four new-to-me retablos and ex-votos, so I'll post those soon too.

LUNES, EL DOS DE MARZO, VEINTE-ONCE.
Five orphans that have found homes in the USA recently. I've actually only reproduced/shown one of these works on the internet, either on Facebook, this blog or my website. Many of these figures in the paintings have been kicking around in my work for several years now, yet I'm still getting milage out of them. Usually, if I'm done with them, that's it, I'll leave them be, but these ones specifically, keeps reappearing.
There probably won't be many blogposts over the next couple of days
as i'll be away from my computer, but I'll update you as soon as I have a bit of spare time.
MARTES, EL UNO DE MARZO, VEINTE-ONCE.
Speak of the devil, this arrived in my inbox this morning, an invitation to the Creative Hawkes Bay Invitational 2011. See Sunday's post to view my painting that will be in the exhibition.
DOMINGO, EL VIENTISIETE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
A triptych painting that will be exhibited in the 'Creative Hawkes Bay Invitational' at the Hastings City Art Gallery in April. The painting is titled 'Creator, Nurturer, Lifegiver' and was painted in 2010. It measures 2725mm x 1050mm.
VIERNES, EL VIENTICINCO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Thinking of Christchurch...If you're with Westpac, there's a safe way (by that I mean it goes to the Salvation Army via Westpac) to donate to the Christchurch Quake fund. Every little bit helps.
MIERCOLES, EL VEINTITRES DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE

An update for Feb / March exhibitions:

I have one exhibition now open in Brooklyn, New York at DUBpies, a small cafe at 211 Prospect Park West (corner of 16th St). This exhibition features fifty-one small paintings which can be viewed on my website at the link below:

http://www.mattcouper.com/Dubart.html

and an upcoming group exhibition at La Luz de Jesus on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles. I have five paintings that have been accepted for the annual 'Everything But The Kitschen Sync, Vol. XVI'. More details on the La Luz De Jesus website here:

http://www.laluzdejesus.com/shows/2011/Kitschen-Sync2011/KitschenSync-index2011.htm

If you'd like more information on the exhibitions, feel free to get in contact with me by contacting me via my contact page.
You can also find more updates on upcoming exhibitions on my website homepage.

I also want to take this chance to extend my sympathies to those in Christchurch who have suffered in the recent earthquake. It was very distressing watching the events unfold so far away. My thoughts are with those who are affected.

Matt.


Snake and Monkey, 2011, oil on metal, 200mm x 275mm


MARTES, EL VEINTIDOS DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
My thoughts go out to those in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the devastating earthquake on Monday. I also extend this to the art community there, hoping that everyone is safe and sound.

DOMINGO, EL VIENTE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994). Happy Birthday Kurt!

LUNES, EL VEINTIUNO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Our latest acquisition, a ceramic crucifix by Seattle artist, Charles Krafft. The vertical text reads 'No Spitting On The Swans'.
SABATO, EL DIECINUEVE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Just about fallen of the face of the earth, well, here anyway, been busy with work and also had a week of gigs, exhibition openings and meet-ups with friends, which is when I usually set up my posts for this blog.
Went to two gigs of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Cosmopolitan on Tues and Wed, you can see pics by Jo here.
Also been busy finishing up, packing and sending paintings around the country. Some headed off to LA to La Luz De Jesus for a group exhibition opening on the 4th of March for the annual '
Everything But The Kitschen Sync, Vol XVI'.

St. Peter Crucified in New Zealand, 2011, oil on metal.
LUNES, EL CATORCE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Heart
, 2010, oil on metal
, 127mm x 174mm / 5in x 6 3/4in
DOMINGO, EL TRECE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Recently completed paintings, destined for Brooklyn, New York. Some are developments from previous paintings and drawings, (the Nubian carving in the blender, the broken heart, la Mano Poderosa, the sphinx, the Chardin painting monkey) and some are new developments from drawings and sketches since moving to the USA. The devil on the toilet painting comes from a tradition of velvet paintings that I recently discovered on the internet, once I discovered it for myself, it seemed to keep popping up everywhere (google devil on the can/john/toilet an you'll come up with several examples on Ebay, etc.) I like the devil for a couple of reasons - I see it as a follow-on from the caganer tradition in Spain and also it reminds me of a statement by Russian painter Kasimir Malevich who stated that ikon painters from Russia painted the hairs on the devil's tail the same way they'd paint the hairs on God's beard...an interesting painting dilemma. I haven't got the source for the quote as I remember reading it over a decade ago, if I remember correctly, in a Harold Rosenberg article.

VIERNES, EL ONCE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Have been flat tack with new paintings for my next couple of shows. One in LA at La Luz De Jesus Gallery on Hollywood Blvd, which opens on the 4th of March, a little show in a cafe in Brooklyn opening next week and some works for an upcoming exhibition in Whanganui, New Zealand at the Rayner Bros. Will fill you in a bit later on with more details and the works in the shows.
In the meantime, here's a couple of studio shots:
LUNES, SIETE DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
third and final installation photo from 'One Wall / Thirty-Three Paintings' at Enrique Nevarez Studio at Blackbird, 1551 S. Commerce St, Las Vegas. The exhibition was for one night only, but the works can be viewed on my website at the link above.
DOMINGO, SEIS DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
second installation photo from 'One Wall / Thirty-Three Paintings' at Enrique Nevarez Studio at Blackbird, 1551 S. Commerce St, Las Vegas.
VIERNES, CUATRO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Tonight is my little exhibition 'One Wall / Thirty-Three Paintings' at Enrique Nevarez Studio at Blackbird, 1551 S. Commerce St, Las Vegas. It's only up for for one night and I'l be reconfiguring the hanging throughout the night, trying to have some fun with the works and making some different narratives with them. I'll be taking photos of the installations and adding them through the night on my website. Some of the works in the exhibition are online here.
If you're in Las Vegas, come along, introduce yourself and say hi.

JUEVES, TRES DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
A little experiment - I spilt some indian ink the other day over some pieces of aluminum that I had laid out ready to prime for oil paintings. It was damned expensive ink too, so I spread it over a couple of the pieces and let it dry. This afternoon, while watching a doco on Delacroix, I picked up the piece and started scratching into it with a compass. It reminded me of the scraperboard drawings we did at school, but those ones were on cardboard prepared with a layer of clay, then covered with indian ink. In a way I like this better as you get the glistening of the shiny metal when exposed. You can see in the photo below, there were some areas where the ink didn't take to the surface of the metal as there must have been some oil-based residue on the surface, which acted as a resist to the ink and when scratching into it, whole flakes came off. Something I'll need to assess if I want to use this medium and technique.

I like how this technique lines up with my scrimshaw which are halted at present due to not having the tools to make them. This is like the photographic negative of them.

MIERCOLES, DOS DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-ONCE
After a couple of months, I sat down and decided to finish the spleen painting. I actually posted it back in November, last year, here on my blog. Based on the Catholic 'Sacred Heart', I ended up thinking it would be best to keep the imagery reasonably generic and then went to work drawing sketches of what I thought were good analogies for 'venting', and to keep it kind of upbeat for such a tempestuous subject. I decided on the flick of a rubberband, the violence of the broken bottle as a weapon , wrist-slitting, a gunstapler attack on a penis (as seen on Dirty Sanchez) and a snail traveling over a razorblade.
LUNES, EL TRIENTIUNO DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
I've just finished a new little version of 'The Teacher' (you can see a bigger version of it in yesterday's post), made to fit a decorative frame I found at a swapmeet recently. As I used to do in New Zealand, I'd trawl junk shops and opshops for old period frames to mount my paintings in. Often, I'd have to work on a specific sized surface that I'd have to cut especially for the frame rebate. It was a hassle if I didn't pull-off the painting as then I'd have to have another go at repainting the idea, trying to get it right for the frame. I recently also found an old photographic frame for an 8x10 Ambrotype or tintype, so I've painted a retablo of an old view camera to mount in it. I'll post that as soon as I've photographed the work in the frame.
VIERNES, EL VEINTIOCHO DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
'The Teacher', 2010, oil on metal, 8in x 10 1/2in.

MIERCOLES, EL VEINTISEIS DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
'Family Portrait', 2011, oil on metal, 8in x 10 1/2in.
One of my favourite paintings so far this year, mostly because of the colours of the background and how they relate to the figures and forms. I resisted putting too many forms in this painting, especially as it's a family portrait (which in my family are only taken when EVERYONE is home). There are familiar symbols, the Liberty/Zelandia figure with the Parthenon head, the bees, my Great Grandfather's Rotherham pocket watch, the Southern Cross and the Eye of Provenance. The text, 'Historia Luget' comes from an inscription of the tomb of Leonardo Bruni in Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, a moving two words, that can be taken in a 'glass half empty/half full' kind of way.
The camera is starting to reappear in my paintings too, mostly because of it's 'birth' is so close to that of New Zealand's signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. In several new paintings, the camera signifies the birth of a nation, which in turn has sparked off many new ideas on that topic. One o the initial pattern recognitions was Griffith's early 1900's film by the same name.


MARTES, EL VEINTICINCO DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
A one-night-only exhibition that I'm having in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks time. I'll post a link to the new work on my website shortly.
DOMINGO, EL VEINTITRES DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
A photo taken by JK Russ of me painting, probably about two-thirds through a bigger painting. This was taken a couple of weeks ago and I've just about finished it. It features references to Sassetta's St Anthony Tormented by Demons and Chardin's Le Singere (both works I've referenced in the past, as far back as 2002). I've decided on a title for the painting: 'The Trickle-Down Effect' which will make sense once I've finished it and posted a photo of the finished painting.
JUEVES, EL VEINTE DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Jules Breton, Le Chant De L’alouette (Song of the Skylark),1884, oil on canvas, Chicago Institute of Art.
I've uploaded an image from the net and a photo I took, framed included, from 2008.

MIERCOLES, EL DIECINUEVE DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
I've just completed varnishing, 'antiquing' and archiving thirty-two new retablos and ex-votos from December/ Jan. The majority of the paintings are small oils on metal, approx 125mm x 90mm and seem to be assessing my new American environment and art scene. I've been keeping to smaller works to keep a balance of confidence and development as I've really just come to understand the gravity of our recent move to the USA and how daunting it really is. I've been looking back at some of my painting from 2003 to 2008 where my work shifted focus from NZ to the USA and popular culture, whilst trying to assess how narrative art from the Renaissance has been transformed into the narration of popular culture. When I first arrived in the USA in July, I was treading water and repeating works that I'd done in 2003/2004 to find an equalibrium to help me make the adjustments to living in a new country. After 5 months of painting, this new series of small works, I think, hold the key to my assessment and assimilation into the new country. Useful talismans/heirlooms indeed.

MARTES, EL DIECIOCHO DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Painting problems. Usually, I can solve issues with paintings (the issues, if explained, would seem nonsensical and ridiculous, so i'll just say they're 'issues') through drawing - developing sketches and doodles from the original invention/drawing. Sometimes it's along time which helps resolve the problem. Time allows for clarity. But sometimes in a particularly tricky painting, such as the one below, I want it to be something that it is not. That is, an older painting from 2008 called 'Big Garden'. I painted Big Garden after returning from a 5 month trip around the USA and Europe. I actually started this blog on returning to NZ and you can see the painting in development in some of the early photos (that's Big Garden on the ground by Jo). That painting took 4 days to paint, without any prior drawings or sketches. I just knew what and how it needed to be painting. The work below that I've been nursing for 3 months and been through 3 incantations now and I've just painted over the third. I now saw what needs to come out of this painting and to involve the spirit of the original 'Big Garden' I'm going to attack the painting without any prior sketches and develop it in the canvas.

SABATO, EL QUINCE DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
I cleaned up the studio today, hadn't been done for 3 months and it was filthy and not conducive to the vernissage process (hair, dust, ants and other studio ephemera). Here's a stitched together photo of it spick and span:
LUNES, EL DIEZ DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Today on Facebook, I was asked to explain a painting, or myself, from 2005.
I ended up answering:

'It's not enough for me to watch a single football game. I want to see two football games played at the same time on a field that cross over each other. I want the half times to be staggered so there is play all the time. I'm happy for the o...range boys to run on the field too, rather than the players leave the field. I want the player to be able to play any field position in the team and be able to use their hands, even if they're not playing goalee. When the game is close to finishing, I'll get nervous because I want it to continue, so I'd happily be able to pick the players I enjoyed watching the most and make them play in the next game, but of course they'll get too tired and let me down, so I'll need new players, but perhaps not football players.'

I resent handing over answers. If I knew what it meant in the way that people want to know what it means, I'd hesitate because it's then presented in words and in a manner to resolve or make succinct and it becomes that. In the end, the answer will be different according to what I'm specifically asked or wanting to elaborate on.
DOMINGO, EL NUEVE DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
Have been flat out with work recently, so nothing interesting to post. Here's a version of Millet's 'Man with Hoe' that I saw at The Getty recently. It's a painting I got back to (along with the Ensor's 'Christ Entering Brussels') over and over again. I'm interested in the social message vs. the romanticism of his images, especially in the dusky sunsets he often portrays them in. Jules Breton fits into this mode as well, along with one of my favourite paintings of his in Chicago, 'The Sky Larks'.
LUNES, EL TRES DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
This morning it started snowing here in Las Vegas. It was snowing a bit like this on the 30th when we were out at Red Rocks Canyon, but not as much as this.
In the second pic, the neighbour wasn't impressed with the pitch, but I loved it...
SABATO, EL UNO DE ENERO, VEINTE-ONCE
first painting of 2011; 'Valley of the Dry Bones'. Happy New Year!
MARTES, EL VEINTIOCHO DE DIECEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
The Christmas/ New Year's break is always productive. I feel like I can get on with my work while others are off on holiday, so there seems to be a quiet around the city. I've had three good steady days of painting, drawing, inventing and reading (have got through a bio on Warhol, Stephen Fry's 'The Hippopotamus' and am making my way through Moby Dick).
It's only these days, with this consistency, that development seems to happen and I'm reminded of a letter I received from Scottish artist, Alan Davie after meeting him in Inverness in 1997. It may seem old-fashioned, but I still believe
merits of hard work is the only way to get a glimpse of the dwat.
The quote reads: 'Only a lot of work and struggle will produce the real magic - and it only comes through the struggle of working - (no easy way)!!'
LUNES, EL VEINTISIETE DE DIECEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
I hope everyone had a great Christmas break. Here are three photos off our Xmas presents; the 'Trubyte Dentures Portfolio' and Casey Weldon's 'Kitty Kitty (Rust)' painting.

MIERCOLES, EL VIENTIDOS DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Merry Christmas, y'all! I'm taking a few days off from the blog, will be back online just before New Year's... have a great one, drive and eat safe!
MARTES, EL VIENTIUNO DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
R.I.P. Captain Beefheart. Click here to read my friend, Simon Sweetman's obit on Blog On The Tracks.
LUNES, EL VIENTE DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
I've now got our Prologue website back up and running on the internet. I had it hosted on a free server which because a spammer's pitstop, so the site couldn't be shared on forums and along with javascript issue, I couldn't put it on my website hosted site asa subdomain. So with a quick fix of the pop-ups, I'm now hosting it on my domain server.
The website was intended as a co-catalogue (we printed a very limited edition hardcopy catalogue too) for the physical exhibition at the Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui, NZ and contained about half to 2/3rds of our present collection.

DOMINGO, EL DIECINUEVE DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
My work has been featured on ShareMag, a website/blog from Portugal, promoting international artists. I was asked to submit some works from a series with text, so I put forward a few of the retablos from my series 'Thirty-Three'. Also accompanying it is part of the essay by Dr. Peter Howland, '
The Divine Self and the Church of Auto-Resurrection', which will be published in full in my upcoming publication catalogue for the touring exhibition 'Thirty - Three'. You can view my link on the blog here
SABATO, EL DIECIOCHO DE DECIEMBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
The last of the three new works I acquired in LA. This one is possibly a devotion for healing
endometriosis, dated December, 1941, making this piece 96 years old to the month.
VIERNES, EL DIECISIETE DE DICIEMBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
A Philip Guston painting from a low angle to catch the light and thickness of the paint surface. @LACMA.
JUEVES, EL DIECISEIS DE DICIEMBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
two of three new mexican paintings I aquired in Santa Monica at Historia Antiques. The third one is another small ex-voto by the same artist that I already have an example of.

left:
San Geronimo, attributed to Geonimo de Leon, Mexico, c. late 1800's, right: La Vindimia Mistica, Unknown artist, Mexico, Oil on tin, 19th century
MIERCOLES, EL QUINCE DE DICIEMBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
In front of Martin Puryear's work 'That Profile' at the Getty, LA. A perfect day to see it with the fog as a backdrop. Photo by JK Russ.
LUNES, EL TRECE DE DICIEMBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
me in front of Fra Angelico's 'Mocking of Christ' at San Marco, Florence, Italy in 2004. Part of a big European trip tacked on at the end of an exhibition I had in London.
We're off to LA today to mix a bit of pleasure in with some business. Will update the blog soon.
DOMINGO, EL DOCE DE DICIEMBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
A recently completed painting, titled 'Neo-Contemporary Self Portrait', now winging it's way to a new home in Denver, Colorado.
The painting is made up of several symbols that, I believe make up me and my practice. I don't want to spell it out (I dread it when someone asks me 'what it means', I tell them something and they instantly believe it)
There's a reference to Fra Angelico's 'Mocking of Christ' fresco from San Marco, Florence, Italy; also a reference to Philip Guston's Klan figures in the hills. Beato is Italian for 'Blessed' (Fra Angelico was known as Il Beato Angelico) and my silhouette is saying 'nothing'
Now, all you have to do is the math.

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