skip to main |
skip to sidebar
SABATO, EL VEINTITRES DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZYesterday, JK and I went on a big evening outing, The Erotic Heritage Museum had free entry from 5-7pm, so we checked out that (the photo below is of the Larry Flint section, including his purple velvet wheelchair). After that, we headed to the Barrack Museum at UNLV for two art openings; one on local comic artists and a group exhibition of past and present students. We then met up with M & T at Jimmy Smalls at the Hard Rock Hotel and then onto see Interpol at the Joint. The gig was excellent, especially after not really enjoying Interpol in Wellington. Paul Banks, the lead singer was quite chatty and was very good about the persons running onto the stage and hugging him. It seemed the security were more keen on kicking out smokers at the gig. The band played for over an hour and then did a 3 song encore, finishing with Obstacle 1, probably my favourite song. 
VIERNES, EL VEINTIDOS DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
I'm heading to Interpol tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. I saw them first in Wellington in 2005 (I think). Here's a link to the new Charlie White video for 'Lights'
JUEVES, EL VEINTIUNO DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Exhibition invitation to Blackbird Studios Day of the Dead art exhibition in Las Vegas, NV, USA.
MIERCOLES, EL VEINTE DE OCTUBRE, VIENTE-DIEZ
Just got this in the mail, an Invitation to the opening of the 2010 Wallace Art Awards at The New Dowse in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. My painting, Half and Half is in the exhibition. I w0n't be there (obviously) but my agent Mark Hutchins of Mark Hutchins Gallery, Wellington will be heading out to the opening.
DOMINGO, EL DIECISIETE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
We headed out to the Arts Factory last night to catch some of the performances that's part of the 'Off The Strip' exhibition, there was a lot of stuff on, including the weekly painters on the patio, combined (perhaps dangerously) with a beer-tasting festival and free concert, including Kid Meets Cougar's last gig for a few months. Was really impressed with musicianship and multi-tasking. Probably the best use of visuals I've seen a band use ever.
Then to the Huntridge for beers and chats...
Sorry no pics (I need to get a phone with a camera) so here's a picture of a dog having a champagne breakfast.
SABATO, EL DIECISEIS DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
working.
VIERNES, EL QUINCE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
There's a heck of a busy weekend ahead here in Las Vegas. A couple of exhibition openings tonight, Hitchcock's Psycho is playing at the Arts Factory, then there's the "Off The Strip" art exhibition weekend and happenings at CAC (got an email from an online friend from LA saying that his friend from New York is exhibiting) and all around Fremont Street and the downtown area. Diane Bush's Smear and Loathing Campaign looks interesting- Images of senators and political figures will be attacked with bleach, can't wait to get photos!
JUEVES, EL CATORCE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Here's a detail of a new painting, a mound of human flesh, still in progress. The painting will probably be called 'La Colera de la Persona Zurda' or 'The Wrath of the Left-handed' and borrows from Bosch's Seven Deadly Sins, a table top painting in the Prado, Spain.I'll post the painting in it's entirety once it's complete.
MIERCOLES, EL TRECE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Not much has been happening of late, just in the studio working away.
SABATO, EL NUEVE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZYesterday afternoon, we met up with the crew and went to the Renaissance Fair at Sunset Park, just South East of the airport. The fair goes for 3 days and has stalls, fair rides and lots of 'medieval' eats. Here's me with turkey leg. Two of those and your blood turns to gravy.
VIERNES, EL OCHO DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
I've been thinking about this whole 'left-handed' thing that I've been blessed/cursed with. Of course one of the most important texts on the subject, is in storage in New Zealand, so I'll have to make do with the internet, but will have to cross-reference everything as the internet is notorious for factual error, well, not the internet, but the people able to upload to it.
I've decided to start curating an exhibition about the subject. A mix of extant works I know of and works I'd like to commission by artists who I think will tackle the subject interestingly.
When it comes to being left-handed, I usually think of the negative things that annoy me, such as smudging ink while writing, sports equipment and, as you can see in the last post, guitars.
I'm painting a larger painting at the moment based on the theme of 'wrath of the left-hander'
(below) an ex-voto celebrating Left-Handed day in 2007. 
JUEVES, EL SIETE DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZSpeaking of left-handed retardedness, my new guitar arrived yesterday - a cheap Silvertone that I picked up for a very cheap price. I found a 40 watt Fender amp at a thrift store a couple of weeks back so it made sense to buy a guitar for it. I like the guitar, it's got the faintest twist in the neck, but the intonation is good and the tuners are solid, the humbucker pickups are grunty, especially through the amp, so it'll do me fine for noodling around. In the picture on the right, you can see a couple of retablos with left hands in them. It's a theme I've been looking at for a while now. I'll elaborate on that a bit later on. (photos by JK Russ)
MIERCOLES, EL SEIS DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
A photo by Jo, looking through my studio window a couple of weeks ago. The wall behind is now full of half-completed retablos. Danger, Left-hander operating stick with hairs attached.
MARTES, EL CINCO DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
I received the image below from Stephen via Facebook, who had visited the Wallace Art Awards in the new location at the old Pah homestead in Auckland. He had this to say about the placement: Matt, I found the hanging of this exhibition very odd. In your work, for example, your signature was at my eye-line. I'm 6 feet tall. Go figure.
LUNES
EL CUATRO DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZJuan Muniz painting in reverse-glass technique on Gina Quaranto's office window at Blackbird Studios.
(photo: JK Russ)
DOMINGO, EL TRES DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Here's two artist's work I'm interested in here in Las Vegas. Enrique Nevarez (left, who also runs La Gloria Clothing label) and Tod Mitchell. Nevarez uses screen-printing and stencil techniques to render assassination victims with their killers emblazened on a standard underneath the portraits. I met Tod at a screening of Car Wash a couple of Friday's ago. The work behind him is from when he was younger and had a Pettibon feel to it, except it elaborates on his personal experiences. Tod's obsessed with Surrealism, so we get on well! 
SABATO, EL DOS DE OCTUBRE, VEINTE-DIEZ
Last night was the Zombie Apocalypse / First Friday exhibition openings in Downtown Las Vegas. We started of at Blackbird Studios where Jo and I both had work in the exhibition then we walked around all the other exhibitions at the Arts Factory and on Casino Center. First Friday is getting so big now that it's near impossible to see everyone and every show in the night.
(all photos by JK Russ)
