Cowboy-Up
‘Save a horse, ride a artist?’
I’ll be headed this February to the 31st Annual Artists of the Plains Art Show & Sale, presented by Augustana College and The Center for Western Studies, in Sioux Falls.
This annual juried and by invitation-only event is a showcase of the best of ‘Western Art’ and artists, and I was thrilled to receive an invite this year, and just about floored to be selected and represented. I’ll be joining 22 other honored artists, and if last year’s invites are any indicator, it’s a stellar group for sure, and I’m humbled at best.
A reception is scheduled for Friday evening, with several awards, and a weekend filled with educational classes taught by a few of the artists. The show itself is free and open to the public, and be sure to come out for the reception, as I have aspirations to steal the ‘people’s choice’ award. (we can but try)
Aberdeen!
Here’s the quick word – Aberdeen.
Looks like I’ll be bringing a few selected works from ‘Dakota Requiem’ to the Wein Gallery at Presentation College in Aberdeen SoDak this coming fall, from November through December 2011. Better mark that date!
Let’s go get some ‘art’…
I’ll be headed towards the Postcard Salon, which is held by the Eastbank Art Gallery, for an Artists Reception on November 5th from 5:30-7:30 (although these tend to carry on).
A few of you may recall the last Postcard Salon held last spring at the now closed Horse Barn Arts Center, which I was a small part of, along with many other great artists too. With the loss of one great venue, Eastbank is raising the phoenix from the ashes, as it’s the same idea, with many of the same artists, but at a new home.
Eastbank is really starting to become the new ‘Horse Barn’, which is actually a difficult challenge, yet they’re making it happen, and we’re all grateful to have somewhere to call home. Thanks to their efforts, local and regional artists have the opportunity to show, and are given the respect they deserve, all with an open door too. Kudos.
Anyhow, a ‘Artists Reception’ is just as it sounds, a bunch of artsy folks, who often pass as artists, gathering for the spectacle of what we like to call ‘art’. It also makes for a good time for those who’d like to meet, and otherwise, get along with, us artists.
Actually, things tend to get dull without a little interaction from all of you, or at least a few questions and accusations (you call that art, huh?).
Here’s the details:
Artist Reception for the Postcard Salon
November 5th, 5:30-7:30 pm
8th & Railroad Center, 401 East 8th Street, Sioux Falls, SoDak.
All works are only $30!
Not your usual ‘Dirty Laundry’
Sniff, sniff, smells like whites to me.
I just recently had the opportunity to show in my backyard, at The BrickHouse, for the special one-night show, ‘Dirty Laundry’. Essentially, it was a show about the process of being an artist, the good, the bad, the ugly, and all stages between.
There was a strong mix of work, some narrative, some introspective, some a little more direct, but all fitting the theme of the night.
I was able to fit 6 drawings from ’Dakota Requiem’, which I tend to collectively call ‘Karma Sketches’, on my laundry line.
For more about this exhibition, and more about future exhibition opportunities with The BrickHouse, visit www.madisonareaartscouncil.org
‘Egan’ on the left, Cassie Edwards on the right, and thanks to Cassie for the pics
Prologue, or what I say before the stage race…
Prologue
“My work continues to not only challenge the traditional presumptions and visual language of the modern landscape, it redefines the possibilities of its inherent forms, features, and dynamics, all of which is infused with a strong narrative thread”
– Chris Francis
How about a ‘review’…
A few of you may have noticed a new feature over the past days, or rather page, called ‘review’. It’s essentially a few images and details of my new work, ‘Dakota Requiem’, with far better image quality and clarity than most of the snapshots I tend to usually post and pass as art. For instance, check this out…
Nice lighting, sharp and crisp, truer color, what more could you want (well real art, but this is a digital world after all)
Anyhow, take a glimpse, and enjoy! (and check out all the fresh design updates to this fine blog too)
Postcards coming to a Salon near you…
I’ll be heading towards the Eastbank Gallery Postcard Salon this November, down in Sioux Falls. Each of these fine cards is available for $30 each, with half of the proceeds to benefit Eastbank and the other my back pocket. A reception will be held on November 5th at Eastbank, and the cards will be on display throughout the month.
Anyhow, Eastbank is making an incredible contribution to the region, and that’s great to see happen. In fact, Steve Larson now calls Eastbank home, and that’s just fantastic for us all.
Each work measures 4 x 6 inches, and is completed on a quality tonal paper with colored pencil. Enjoy!
It’s all about the details…
Yes, it’s about those details, and the skill too, or at least the appearance of ability. Perhaps its better to state the obvious as follows: These images show paint up close, and often that makes me look better than what I appear to be from a distance.
Now for the paint!
If you’d like to see lots more of these, feel free to friend me on facebook, www.facebook.com/eastofegan, as I’m not vain enough to make you fan me. (yet)
Next too, but not at The Pavilion…
It’s the first time out for Requiem, and it’s not where you’d expect…
That’s right good friends of ‘Karma’, I’m currently showing ‘Dakota Requiem’ at First Congregational Church in Sioux Falls, which as the headline suggests is ‘Next too, but not at The Pavilion’. Not everything has to be at The Pavilion after all, there is actually art, great art, outside those walls, and that’s refreshing to know. (and be a small part of too)
Anyhow, I owe many thanks to Rodger Ellingson for providing this incredible opportunity to show, as well as to First Congregational for supporting the arts, and the artists too. What a cool venue, and in the heart of the vibrant downtown district at that, I’m thrilled to have a home for the next several weeks. (and be able to share this work with all of you)
So, feel free to join me on Wednesday, November 10th, from 6-8 pm, for an artist reception at First Congregational, with a brief talk at 6, with light refreshments and some moderately good art to follow. (I’ll have to work on that artist talking part, I seem to never have anything ‘smart’ to say, huh?)
Fresh from the Gallery…
Here’s a few fresh glimpses of my new work, ‘Dakota Requiem’, live and uncut. Enjoy!
Something like mauve…
Let’s go with ‘Mauve’ today, as here’s a few fresh works from ‘Dakota Requiem’ that were completed for ‘Paint the Night PINK 2010′ a benefit for the Avera Cancer Institute of Sioux Falls. In fact, 50% of the sale proceeds will go to directly benefit their continued efforts, so it’s a really good cause to support, local artists and the search for a cure, and if you support us with a purchase, it’s a win/win/win.
Each work measures 10×30, oil on canvas, and for those in retail, markets for $250 each. (It’s a good cause afterall)
The third annual ‘Paint the Night PINK 2010′ will be held October 22, in Sioux Falls, at Perspective, Inc. Check back for more about this in the coming weeks, and until then, let’s go ‘mauve’.
I’ve sold my soul, and I’m ok with that…
Alright, we all have tough choices to make, and often those are reflective of a self-imposed belief structure, a constant narrative of what’s right, and what’s wrong, the little voice in the back of our heads. My difficultly tonight was simply the use of the color pink, more so, it was actually called mauve, which makes it even harder to take in some respects.
Why mauve, why tonight, and why this second guessing of the very fabric of my artistic being, and why does my soul say ‘ouch’? Well I’ll tell you why, I need to eat, I need to drink, and I need to make something relevant, something interesting happen, and I would like to submit a few works into a forthcoming show with a pink, or mauve, theme. That even hurts to say aloud, mauve, but the reality of this mauve situation is the following: without the opportunity to show my work I will remain trapped in the outsider role that has hung over my artistic existence for the better part of this past decade, and continue to be in love with my yellow ochre ego.
I’ve grown accustomed to cheesy themes, for instance a recent clown theme, you know, circus antics, big noses, childhood fears, I chose to sit that one out for the simple reason that clown themes are best left to those who paint with numbers. Now, with grudges against clowns aside, the very idea of imposed themes leaves my artistic mantra of ‘do whatever I do’ a little too proud, and thus I sit here writing in a blog to all seven of you, maybe six after the ‘paint with numbers’ remark.
So tonight, I’ve sold my soul, and I sold it for mauve, but it’s for a good cause, so there’s a justification for my ego. Now if I could only get over clowns, cause there’s a lot of those clown shows, and dumb dog shows, and those damn heart shows too. Perhaps it would be best if I go with mauve tonight, that’s about as far as I’m willing to go now, and besides, it just looks like light red.
It’s a statement…
As an artist, at least that’s what I tend to pass myself as, we have the often difficult challenge to actually talk about the very work in which we create. Now that tends to horrify most, as how do you capture the visual into the written form, we’re painters, not poets, right? When was the last time you heard anything life-changing from the jaws of a painter, as we have the responsibility to command the visual first, after all, that’s the goal of this pursuit.
I’m reminded of a past expression a man from Missouri once shared, “I’m from the show me state, don’t tell me, show me” which was often followed by a chain of expletives better left out of this fine outstanding blog. This statement applies best to the actual creation of work, the forms, the colors, the getting it out of the head part that leaves to those late at night wanderings. What it doesn’t do is make the product stand, the actual work itself, as the need to communicate your honest and truthful intentions is often the best justification for your work, and the best singular way to do just that is to write it all down.
Really, it’s not all that bad, but it’s honestly a task not to pass over lightly too, and it some respects it defines a professional artist from another sunday afternoon amateur. Yes, that might be a bit harsh, but actually, if you can’t find the words to at least describe your work, or start the conversation about your work, then this art thing might not be for you. At the very least, we have the responsibility to step out from the shadows, share a few thoughts, give a little direction, express our narrative even, and then exit stage left.
‘Dakota Requiem – Works from the Extinction Layer’
I have worked over this past year to visually capture and explore first-hand a unique geological signature, the lasting remnants of a major extinction event, which can be found within the Badlands of Western South Dakota.
The result of a series of meteor impacts, dating to at least 65.5 million years ago, this relatively thin band of darkened and iridium-enriched earth, often referred to as the KT Boundary, pierces the Dakota landscape. Defining the end of the Cretaceous period and the beginning of the modern Cenozoic era, this event essentially marked a definitive shift of life, and the dynamic end of the era of non-avian dinosaurs.
These collective works are first and foremost introspective, rather than simply representative of a place or an event. Yet, it is my intent that these abstracted forms draw from the landscape itself, and the visual identity of the fossilized life and energy captured within the earth.
Throughout these works, I have strived to bring both a sense of vibrancy and harmony, transcended against the immediacy and strain of this event itself, while capturing the geological moment transfixed in time.
It is my intention that these assembled works will continue to redefine the possibilities, the visual language, and overall awareness of the Dakota landscape.
Chris Francis (that’s me) is a recipient of a 2010-11 South Dakota Arts Council Artist Project Grant Award. South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism and State Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
In the dark of the night…
I’ve made a habit of late-night studio sessions, as those early morning hours have always held a grasp on my senses. Perhaps it’s the lack of sleep, which in its own right leads to a lack of inhibitions, and thus, a sense of clarity, or at least the feeling of acceptance of the inevitable. Regardless of the logic, I find myself drawn to the darkness, and it’s pull has never seemed stronger, and that’s a good demon to have in your corner afterall, when you’re looking to make something happen on canvas.
Last month I posted several initial images of my current work, ‘Dakota Requiem, Works from the Extinction Layer’. They just didn’t seem finished, more so, they seemed distant to me, and that’s not a good direction to be headed with a new body in the works. So, I went back to the shadows for a bit, hence the darkness, late at night mindset, to look for a fresh way out. Not only that, but to try to make a way out from the sameness, as the plain half-spun feel of these works bothered me, more so, they nearly sunk the prospects of the entire project.
Now, I feel that these assembled pieces have a greater sense of belonging, a stronger visual directive, and coherent language too. It’s an ongoing process, and as I continue to work in the coming months, it’s my intent that the work will develop into new and unforeseen directions, at least that is the hope, and what makes me stay awake at night.
I’ve labeled these as ‘Works from Series One’, I have a tendency to avoid individual titles, they often seem to forced, rather, I’m drawn towards the collective body, hence the simplified titles. We’ll call them as they are, 1, 2, 3, and go from there, it’s like pages in a great novel, Series One is just the first chapter to ‘Dakota Requiem’. I hear it’s a real page turner too!
Anyhow, as so far as the technical, these works measure 30×40 inches, on a 1 3/8 stretched 10 oz canvas. Be sure to take notice of the heavy impasto, the introduction of several new tones and colors, and look for the unexpected too. (ignore those messy spots too, they’re fresh from the easel afterall)
Look, all hands, no brush…
I’m back from DrTSF, which was just this last friday in Sioux Falls, with 2 fresh works of karma for all of you to enjoy. These are from my new body of work, ‘Dakota Requiem’, and are indeed a small part of the developing Series One. (Series Two is coming, give me a few weeks to work it out)
As so far as medium, I continue to work with oil-sticks (essentially wax and oil) and they were completed on a stretched canvas, which measures 16×20, with an extra deep profile too. Check out that heavy paintwork, it’s getting thick around here, and a little bright too.
If you’re ever interested in any of these works for your own collections, it’s great to have an original after all, feel free to email chris@eastofegan.com, and we’ll figure those details out.
Also, be sure to catch me in DeSmet this Saturday at The Harvey Dunn Plein Air event, more on that later this week.
First works of Dakota Requiem…
Here’s the first few works from ‘Dakota Requiem’, a small part of ‘Series One’, as things have started to come together, at least this past weekend.
These works measure 30×40, on a stretched canvas, 1 3/8 deep, with a deep brown primer too. I’ve used so-called ‘Artists Paintstiks’, which I tend to call ‘Oil-Sticks’, which is a mixture of wax and oil, which dries in a quick 2-3 days, as opposed to a not-so-quick 12-18 months, and thus makes things easier to live with. (as the smell and toxicity of traditional oil painting can cause some issues in the home-life)
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be going into factory mode, otherwise known as the time in which I’ll crank out as many fresh works as I can. You gotta act when things work right, or at least when you think they do, we can but try!
I’ll be bringing some fresh canvas and Oil-Sticks to DrawnTown this Friday, at the Eastbank Block Party (8th & Railroad Center), starting at 6pm in Sioux Falls. We’ll see how it goes, working in oil on the road could be a challenge, but I’d like to cause a little trouble, and besides, who else is willing to try this? (look for the messy hands, and be sure to shake, it’s only polite after all) (Image Correction- New images uploaded, now that’s color!)
Fresh work going on the road!
On the road again with East of Egan, more so, on the I-29 corridor.
Looks like a few fresh sketches from ‘Dakota Requiem’ (that’s the first mention of the title) are coming to Brookings tomorrow, for the 34th Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, sponsored by the Brookings Arts Council. I’ll be headed up to Brookings late next year for a joint exhibition, so these are meant to be a few teasers for the so-called ‘big show’.
Anyhow, this exhibition runs from August 3rd – 27th at The Community Arts Center, so feel free to check them out! There is also a closing reception on August 27th from 5:30-7:30, how about them apples?
Now for more work:
