Unblurred in the summer = hothothot

Night Market

I usually get these posts up in a more timely manner, but August makes me lazy. If you missed the August Unblurred, I feel a little sorry for you; it was a blast!

I thought the Night Market was going to be limited to the Cultural District, but it appears to be branching out. A block of N Pacific, between Penn and Dearborn, was filled with local DIY crafters and purveyors of sidewalk cuisine. There were familiar booths and vendors, along with some new faces and new wares.

The Community Center on N Pacific, hosted a small press book fair, which is just the kind of event I love. Local and visiting authors and illustrators were on hand with tables of self-published books, 'zines and graphic novels. I am so glad that I didn't know it was taking place until I was on Penn Ave. I only had a limited amount of cash with me and these events always put a gaping hole in my budget!

Assemble was extremely active, hosting No Fly Zone - an installation by D.S. Kinsel. The space was a riot of color and sound, with paper airplanes (with greater and lesser success) sailing across the space.

Across the street at Mr. Roboto were these super sweet cross stitch pieces by Steel Wools:

Steel Wool at Mr Roboto Project

I spotted several of this artist's pieces in the wilds of Pittsburgh, and have wondered about them. They're such a nice surprise to run into on a street corner. It's nice to be able to make some connection between these anonymous works and at least some semblance of their agent. Steel Wool documents their work on Tumblr. I am looking forward to spotting more works in the wilds of Pittsburgh.

Kathryn Carr Glorious Growth Hormone

Most Wanted Fine Art hosted an exhibit of Kathryn Carr's cut paper works. These are exceptionally striking pieces, with a lot of character to them. I was particularly intrigued by Glorious Growth Hormone (picture above) with its layered papers and its claim to a contiguous, amorphic space. While the works maintain a certain delicacy, they are considerably stronger than previous shows that I have seen.

There are several images of the exhibit in the gallery, but for a more complete picture of Kathryn Carr's work, check this link.

Carolyn Wenning

  Carolyn Wenning opens her doors for some Unblurred events, and I was lucky enough to get in for a few minutes during the last event to see what is fresh from her easel. These very fresh paintings were up in her space. Her work is so atmospheric, with just a wonderful glow. I was so happy to see her open for the event, and I am looking forward to seeing her open again for future Unblurreds.

The next Unblurred is coming up soon, just a couple weeks away on September 6th. The Penn Ave Arts Initiative should be releasing the new calendar soon. I'm looking forward to it!

New Artist Collective: C Space Collective

What the hell is an art collective? From what I can tell, it's a bunch of artists who get along and collaborate on some level. Some like Gilbert & George are almost Siamese twins or Siamese minds.

So we happily announce the at least temporary collaboration of these local artists and designers.

< C > SPACE : COLLECTIVE is a collection of local artists and designers. New work will be showcased every first Friday of each month as part of Penn Avenue’s Unblurred. The collective is located at 4823 Penn Avenue.

Carolyn Wenning
Brett Douglas Davis
Crystala Armagost
Ray-Min Shoulderware
Richard Schnap

Reflections of the May Unblurred.

Spring is swingin' and folks have unleashed their A-game. All of that cooped up energy from winter is being released simultaneously. It's a fun and exciting time. This month's Unblurred was no disappointment. After a string of First Fridays that did little to excite me, yesterday was refreshing.

I started out with a visit to the Community Activity Center, where some of the galleries from Lawrenceville were represented by rows of Bingo-style tables. I'd never been to the location before (it's a former church on Pacific Avenue) and I was struck by the possibilities of the space. Manny T. told me that he booked a show there once. Unfortunately I believe that there are few people outside ofGarfield that know it exists. Anyway, I was pleased (in a vain sorta way) to note that John from the Digging Pitt had a portfolio of my work sitting out. It reminded me that I have to get some of my newer images into his files. Beth from Musee' de Monoian and the owner of the Trinity Gallery were hawking their wares as well. It's just a shame that everyone on Penn Avenue didn't make it to this setup.

It was nice to see Carolyn Wenning's SPACE with an active show of work by CMU students. It's a great looking studio, and run by a talented and gracious woman. Carolyn did say that it will be the last exhibition for awhile, as she wants to concentrate on her own work, and get a figure drawing session up and running (I am anxious to see that happen, as many of my regular spots are shut down for the summer).

The highlight for me last night was the Bigfoot-themed show at Modern Formations. You all should know of my pseudo-obsessive interest in the elusive, furry beast. There was ample quality work in the gallery. The "gentle giant" was represented in needlepoint, sculpture, collage, paintings, and illustrations. Initially I had difficulty trying to choose what I wanted to take home with me. It was curated by parties outside of the gallery, and for some reason the artists insisted on not listing any of their prices. Initially I was put off by this choice, but ultimately it worked to my advantage.

On my second look around the gallery, I noticed a wooden box upon a stool, with a peephole drilled in its front. When I bent down to look at the illuminated scene within, I was struck with joy and wonder. Inside was a diorama with a Bigfoot impersonator languishing in a bathtub with a hairy suit hanging on the wall like a bathrobe. The piece was inventive, lovingly-crafted, and had a lively sense of humor... and I knew I had to have it. I inquired about the price and was stunned by how reasonable the figure was. The artist (Beth Warner, if my flawed recollection is correct) was pleased to have made the sale- but not as happy as I was to purchase such genius. My friends may laugh at my penchant for being first at these events, but I am often rewarded by getting the opportunity to buy the best pieces. Anyway, I left lots of great stuff for them. Luckily for those who missed this, the gallery has a series of events scheduled for this month. It's well worth making a note of it in your schedule.

Another stop worth making is Garfield Artworks. Despite the resident curator's seeming disinterest in the visual arts, every once in awhile he comes up with some gems. My friend Marci Gehring continues her saturation of the local arts scene with her form-fitting afghan dresses and a retrospective of one of her earliest series of paintings. This month she is joined by Jenn Crawford, who displays some of her own slinky (?) fashion designs. Also notable are the Juxtapoz-y paintings of Cleveland resident Amy Casey. Illustrative colorful animals invade post-industrial urban spaces in her accomplished works. Particularly striking is a mural-sized canvas priced beyond my means at $3000. It's worth it if you have the cash. But it don't cost nothin' to see it.

Rounding out the night were exhibitions of the works of Vanessa German (@ The Clay Penn) and Jason Shorr (@ ImageBox). I had seen both bodies of work represented elsewhere around town, but they stood up to repeated viewings. From secondhand accounts, I learned that one very offended "art-lover" actually pulled one of German's pieces from the wall. Apparently he was enraged by its title- "Nappy-Headed Hos". It's really too bad he wasn't patient enough to learn the context of the work- not all art is meant to be decorative. On the other hand, Shorr's work (meanwhile) manages to be both decorative and packed with subtle hints of meaning and inflection. If you ever get a chance to talk to him about his paintings (which are inspired by both Pop Art, classical mythology AND medical illustrations), you should seize the opportunity.

Carolyn Wenning - Hatfield

Sorry for being late in Posting this photo project from last Month.

On August 19, our good friend Carolyn Wenning spent the day catching the flavor of Hatfield Street. The result is Hatfield, a documentation project.