Patrick Kemal Pryor

Small Paintings

2011-09-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Little Canvases from my Collaboration with Christopher Straub

2011-09-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

The following are sets of canvas pieces left over from Christopher Straub's design creations using my paintings on canvas. These are real paintings of mine on canvas, and I have cut them from amongst all the scraps to select the most interesting areas.

Each canvas is 4x4 inches. They are being sold at Saturday's opening reception of "Fashioned" at the Anita Sue Kolman Gallery for $55.00 each. To reserve yours please contact the gallery.

Anita Sue Kolman Gallery
Phone: 612-385-4239
E-mail: info@askanita.com

Look#1, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#2, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#3, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#4, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#5, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#6, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#7, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Look#8, left to right 1-3, 4x4 inches each, acrylic on canvas

Donation to Free Arts Minnesota

2011-09-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Someone will be the lucky bidder to take this painting home from an evening of fundraising for Free Arts Minnesota at the Ritz Theater in NE Minneapolis.

Painting Study, 18 x 18 inches, acrylic on canvas

Fashioned: One Becomes Another

2011-09-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

Paintings and found objects get reborn in unique exhibit at the Anita Sue Kolman Gallery

Abstract paintings become haute couture dresses; a chair becomes a birthing place for mushrooms; and vegetable bags become high-design sculptures in an exhibit that explores transformation and renewal.

Look #7, Pryor & Straub Collaboration

August 31, 2011 (Minneapolis)--Project Runway designer Christopher Straub, fiber-art pioneer Nancy MacKenzie, abstract painter Patrick Kemal Pryor, and eco-sculptor Kate Casanova transform ordinary objects and found materials into distinctive artworks in “Fashioned: One Becomes Another,” at the Anita Sue Kolman Gallery, September 10-October 29, 2011.

In a true collaboration between fashion and high art, Minnesota native and Project Runway contestant Christopher Straub turns giant, abstract paintings by Patrick Kemal Pryor into eight designer dresses that function as much as fashion as they do elaborate three-dimensional sculptures.

“It has forced me to develop a new way of painting,” says Minnesota artist Pryor. “I had to worry more about pattern than composition. And I’ve always wanted my paintings to be able to literally move…this collaboration allows that.”

Pryor’s colorful and abstract images were as large as 60 square feet before he handed them over to Straub for re-imagining. The end result is a series of breath-taking canvas dresses that honor Pryor’s aesthetic through Straub’s unique cuts and swirling designs.

“He honored the paintings, used the fabrics and the shapes to inform the designs,” says Pryor. “He transformed them into something of his own but still mine. I love that.”

Minnesota native Kate Casanova also reconstructs objects, turning an old living-room chair into soil for a fruiting mushroom plot. Giant pink mushrooms grow from the cushion, creating a vibrant, living artwork.

“I was really drawn to this idea of taking something and transforming it into something else entirely,” says gallery owner Anita Sue Kolman. “It’s this whole idea of artists using materials in ways they don’t normally do.”

Kolman was drawn to Minnesota artist Nancy MacKenzie’s works for the same reason. MacKenzie sculpts intricate artworks from a mix of bailing twine, plastic vegetable bags, and twigs. Her vegetable bag sculptures are so elaborate and colorful they conceal their humble origin.

“For a long time, Nancy has been using materials in a way that we now call ‘recycling’. And she does it in such a way no artist I have seen ever has. What she creates is really beautiful.”

The opening reception is Saturday, September 17, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. is the world premiere of original Christopher Straub designs fashioned from abstract paintings on canvas by Patrick Kemal Pryor. Models will display the dresses before they become sculptures on dress forms.

The gallery and reception are free and open to the public.

The Anita Sue Kolman Gallery is located in Studio 395 in the Northrup King Building at 1500 Jackson Street in Minneapolis. For more information about “Fashioned: One Becomes Another” and the Anita Sue Kolman gallery, please visit the gallery’s web site at www.askanita.com or call 612-385-4239. You can also reach Anita Sue Kolman, the gallery owner, at anita@askanita.com.

I Could Be Prouder

2011-06-01T10:34:00.000-07:00


Janna blowing bubbles


I Could be Prouder, 36 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas

The Canvas Dress on Kare 11

2011-05-31T13:35:00.001-07:00

My dress made out of canvas was featured in this interview with Allison Hamzehpour
of Ignite Models. Next time we'll make sure that the dress travels with it's own press kit so it's creators get proper credit! It was designed by me with strips of torn paintings and sewn together by Stephanie Weber of Artful Decor.

Here's the dress again on the Sol Inspiration Flickr site. Btw, the dress IS for sale!

Red, Yellow, Black

2011-03-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Red, Yellow, Black, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches

Forks

2011-02-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

I've been making fork sculptures. When I paint and when I create sculpture I want the object or the figure to move as if it is alive. There must always be movement; walking, rearing up, slithering, growing, decaying, falling down, or other-wise changing in some way. They are changing, transforming, or becoming something else. Pictures below:

The Pieta

This one was made by guest artist Jim O'Neill

Alternate view of Jim's fork carrying spoon, ...or attacking spoon

Anita Sue Kolman Gallery - in progress

2011-01-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

Gallery renovation in progress.

Everyday Objects

2011-01-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Bedside Bulldog Upside Down

The Bedside Bulldog sculpture works better upside down. Otherwise it looked too much like a table. This was a piece I created after the New Music Sketch. We are doing our first public performance of the New Music Sketch at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis on Feb. 4th. Email me (patrick(at)patrickpryor(dot)com) if you want to participate in the madness as an audience member.


Urchin Pillow Spilling Out

Urchin Pillow torn open. While in New Zealand I experimented with the broken urchin exoskeleton. I used paper to simulate something spilling out of it. The Maori collect the urchins in great quantities and eat the roe. I collected and ate a lot of it while I was visiting. The insides of the urchin spilling out exaggerates the volume of material that actually comes from a single urchin. The pillow indicates preciousness. The piece is about sustenance; inside versus outside; and preciousness. I am still trying to figure out what I am trying to say, and I am quite happy to have discovered how much more impact the piece has now that I've ripped open the pillow.

New Paintings

2011-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

Red Medium, 36 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas

Yellow-tailed Squirrel Jockey, 30 x 30 inches, acrylic on canvas

Better images of recent paintings...
More on the website

The Hatchet Story

2011-01-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

When we were younger my sister, my mother, and I would travel together. My father never traveled with us. We would go camping as a family of three. My mother was a very brave woman. I can see this clearly now as I look back on these memories as an adult. She was 42 years old when we took our first camping trip to upper Michigan in a tent she’d never set up before. My mother’s friends all thought she was crazy to go into the woods alone with two young children; one nine years old and the other only three years old. But she had good provisions for the trip. Prior to this trip my father had acquired a small tent by using a number of “coupons” from the Chesterfield cigarette company to “buy” the tent. He was an avid smoker.

I remember him smoking in the house for years and from each pack collecting one little green coupon and saving it in a drawer full of other coupons. The tent he had bought had always remained unused until just before our departure when we tried to set it up in the yard before embarking on our camping trip. We never succeeded at properly setting it up before the trip and would need to enlist the assistance of fellow campers when it was necessary to sleep in the tent. The small tent was called a three-person tent, but it was misnamed. It was a cramped space; perhaps only large enough to kennel a Pomeranian. It was two-toned; yellow and rust colored with nylon ropes attached to small plastic yellow tent stakes that bent a little bit when I’d try to hammer them into the hard ground with the back of my hatchet. I realize now that when my father gave me the small hatchet of his to borrow it was really a parting gift because when we would return from the camping trip he would be completely moved out and my parent’s divorce would be final.

It was on this and subsequent camping trips during my childhood summers that I further developed my interest in the natural world. The three of us would rent canoes and paddle down strange rivers in upper Michigan. I never learned any outdoor skills from the cub scouts – I learned it all from my mother. Furthermore, I learned a sort of ambitiousness and fearless naiveté from her. She would announce that we were going canoeing so I had better figure out how to paddle and steer the canoe. We needed to build fires so I took on fire building. We needed to cook dinner over the fire and we figured this out too. It was a wonderful time. She loved the water and we always found ourselves near a lake, a river, and most often somewhere on the shore of the Great Lake Michigan. So many areas we visited had miles and miles of unpopulated shoreline, and since we could not see any distant shore it felt like we were at the edge of an inland ocean. The three of us would spend all day at the beaches walking and walking and walking. We’d choose a direction and just take off. Stopping only to collect things from the beach and put them into plastic bags and into my mother’s trusty little collapsible backpack. It was the kind that you could stuff into a little sac no bigger than an avocado. It was then there my propensity for collecting was fostered.

I am still a collector and I express this through my sculptural work. I use bones, shells, rocks, sand and other things that I collect to create sculptures and assemblages on canvas.

The Blue Fish Story

2011-01-13T22:31:00.001-08:00

For being 6.5 months pregnant my sister was quite a “trooper” (as my mother would have affectionately called her). While in Tahiti we decided that my mother’s final resting place would be on a “bed” of coral in the reef somewhere. My mother had come to my sister in a dream several weeks earlier and requested this, apparently. The burial reef was the reef near our over-water bungalow on the island of Moorea. It wasn’t quite swimming near – it was more like small outboard motor near, but we didn’t have a motor. We didn’t have a boat either. I was not going to risk swimming that distance with my pregnant sister.

After some unsuccessful searching I found a solution. I was able to convince the pool guy to let us use the resort's economy style kayaks for half the day so we could complete our mission. I found out later that the 30 minute time limit for renting kayaks was put in place because the kayaks take on water and sink after 30 minutes. But first we had to do a practice round. Our plan was to be underwater and empty the contents of the blue urn onto some part of the reef itself – like a “bed” of coral.

My sister had never been in a kayak. I asked if she was experienced with snorkeling. "A little bit," she said. I was really worried. I was worried because I had a scene in my mind. I had a scene in my mind of the worst-case scenario. The kayak had no way for us to attach a rope to it so that we could hold on to it while we were snorkeling, and we didn’t want to ask anyone else to go out on this excursion with us. That would have been awkward. We wanted to do it alone. I imagined that the kayak would be swept from my grasp by the wind that was strangely strong on that day, and I would be forced to drag my pregnant sister back to shore across a large expanse of very deep water separating our bungalow from the reef. I had no idea what it would be like snorkeling with a pregnant woman! Would she be slightly more buoyant or would she sink like a rock? What if we dropped the urn in the deep water? What if the ashes clouded up the water and we couldn’t see anything and then a shark came by? What if she couldn’t get out of the kayak? What if she couldn’t get back in? Even without all of these considerations there are so many things that could go awry considering the deeply emotional task we were taking on.

Aside from our kayak taking on quite a bit of water we had good fortune with our practice run and good fortune during our burial. With our masks and snorkels we took turns holding the kayak while the other would be underwater reaching into the urn and placing her remains on the reef amongst the corals, giant clams, and the starfish. We laid the little blue urn next to a large bed of coral and almost immediately a school of tiny blue fish – the same color as the urn began to surround it and hover near it as if protecting it. We laid a flower wreath around the urn as it lay underwater and my sister climbed back into the kayak with only a little bit of physical awkwardness. We had done what we came for.

As our bags were being picked up on our last day in Tahiti I was doing some last minute packing which included using an iron to dry some underwear that had been washed and were not quite dry. I didn’t want them to get weird inside my luggage so I was pressing them with a hot iron. My sister got a ride up to the front of the resort to wait for our transport while I finished up. After I dried my underwear sufficiently I packed them away and ran off to meet our shuttle. I sat down on the bench seat inside the van hurriedly and slightly out of breath next to my patiently waiting sister.

She asked me, “How did it go under there?”

I looked at her quizzically and replied, “Under where?"

“Exactly” she said.

Artist Statement January 2011

2011-01-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

Everything I do now is something that I did as a child; only now I do it bigger. When I was a child I would find things that other people were throwing out and I would build other things out of them. When I found bones in the woods I would collect them, when I found bugs I would collect them, and of course when I found a baby raccoon I kept it as a pet. I did not care for normal toys; I would rather try to revive store-bought chicken hearts with batteries and re-assemble their skeletons after dinner.

I work with abstract yet recognizable forms that are familiar, conjure memories, or hold power. I find myself drawn to physical structure, and I am interested in spontaneous immediate compositions, as I have no patience for anything requiring tediousness. I use play to generate ideas with humor, beauty, and madness.

2011-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Pepé
20 x 24 inches

Yellow-tailed Squirrel Jockey
30 x 30 inches

Like a Bob Dylan Song
24 x 24 inches each

2011-01-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

The New Year 2011
24 x 24 inches each

Ice Cream for Breakfast
36 x 36 inches

The Seduction of Europa
36 x 60 inches

2010-12-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

in progress
using palette knife to see where it will go

2010-12-15T13:35:00.001-08:00

From the studio. Some of these may be still in progress...

These three are each 24 inches by 24 inches

36 x 36 inches
poor lighting in the studio, however, I'll re-shoot outside when the sun is out

24 x 24 inches
I started this one in Ajijic, Mexico last spring, and finished working on it yesterday. I may not do any more to it.

2010-12-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

More Depths to Discover, 24 x 24 inches

Etude #5, 12 x 12 inches

Etude #6, 12 x 12 inches

Etude #7, 12 x 12 inches

further explorations with color and texture. More Depths to Discover is available in Minneapolis, and the Etudes are schedule to go to a gallery in Chicago. Email me with questions and inquiries from my website.

The Flying Chair - from the recent New Music Sketch

2010-12-01T02:49:00.000-08:00

The End, The Beginning, and Everything in Between

2010-11-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

72 inches by 96 inches (6 feet by 8 feet)
Acrylic on canvas

More fun from The New Music Sketch

2010-11-29T19:44:00.001-08:00

These are some sculptures from last week's New Music Sketch. I took a couple days to go through all the stuff that everyone brought for the event and continued with the madness.

Jim O'Neill and I started doing Music Sketch about five years ago to experiment with musical and visual art collaboration. It's all improvised, totally spontaneous, and a little bit crazy. Our last performance lasted two hours and was created entirely out of things that participants brought to the event. Thank you to all of you. The musicians working with me are Jim O'Neill, Aaron McCabe, Michael McGarthwaite, Mark O'Day, and Justin Hartke. They made music out of all the objects too. Everything was fair game.

scale

sad glasses

rearing up closet organizer

pinned car

pink glasses

Flying Chair

Chair Boy and Shy License Plate

Bedside Bulldog

and of course, I am still making paintings. Email me from the website for pricing.

A Dress out of Canvas

2010-11-29T19:29:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Weber of Artful Decor asked me to design a dress with her for the fund-raising event Fashion + Fusion this year. This is the dress worn by Alison Holmes that won "Most Wearable". One of the judges was a contestant from Project Runway named Chritopher Straub. I made the dress out of old canvases torn into strips and fastened together.

Paintings Available for Sale

2010-11-26T17:52:00.001-08:00

Please email me for more details about the paintings if you are considering adding to your collection or beginning a new one.

Many people tell me that my paintings are the first paintings they purchased to begin their art collections. Furthermore, a large number of those people come back to me years later to add to their collections. This is encouraging, and it is also a warning to you. You may not be able to stop.

Island Bay
30 x 38 inches
acrylic on canvas

This painting was painted in New Zealand during my three month residency there. It captures the color and energy of the ocean near Wellington on the North Island. It is named after the Bay where I would get off the bus from "home"and begin my 30 minute walk along the shore towards Owhiro Bay where my studio was located at Nautilus Studios - Hill Yis!

Bacon for Dinner
30 x 30 inches
acrylic on canvas

Named as such because any kind of breakfast food for dinner is more than merely decadent.

Serious Cat
24 x 24 inches
acrylic on canvas

Yes, it is named after an internet meme. My favorite iteration is this one below:

Dramatic Prairie Dog
24 x 24 inches
acrylic on canvas

Yes, this too is named after a funny clip taken from a Japanese video of a children's show:

She's a Premium Person
24 x 24 inches
acrylic on canvas

This painting is named for younger sister's wry sense of humor (only recently discovered by me) and premium character. It is by far, one of my most favorite paintings from the entire Paradisio Series that I created during a recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I am quite surprised it has not been snapped up by some aspiring art collector, but I will be quite happy if it never does. The word "premium" in the title comes from its use by a character in the book Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.

The Bengal Liger
3 feet tall by 4 feet wide
acrylic on canvas

Named for its skills and magic.

Little Red
12 x 16 inches
acrylic on canvas

You Know You Want It
3 feet tall by 5 feet wide
acrylic on canvas

Untitled #1
3 feet by 3 feet
acrylic on canvas

Music Sketch #24
4 feet tall by 5 feet wide
acrylic on canvas

James Tyler O'Neill and I have been creating performance based interdisciplinary artworks of sound and visual art for over five years. This is one of them.

Emergence #2
4 feet by 4 feet
acrylic, and mixed media on canvas

This painting takes my design style and messes with it a bit - introducing chaos to order and inspired by the Minnesota winter.

La Rouge
10 feet tall by 6 feet wide
acrylic on canvas

Big, bold, and passionate.

The End, The Beginning, and Everything in Between
6 feet tall and 8 feet wide
acrylic on canvas

Packed full of emotion, this one is.

Foushee Commission Highlights

2010-10-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

24 x 24 inches, paver dust, acrylic on canvas

48 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches, paver dust, acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches, paver dust, acrylic on canvas

18 x 18 inches, acrylic, leaves, rust, linen, paper, and paver dust on canvas

18 x 18 inches, acrylic, paver dust, on canvas

Pretty Dead Things Exhibit at Normandale Community College

2010-09-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

Pretty Dead Things
Normandale Community College
9700 France Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55431

Opening reception - Thursday, September 30th, 2010 from 4:00 - 7:00pm
Exhibit runs through October 30th, 2010

red fish, 30 x 38 inches, dried fish, sand, acrylic on canvas

Contact me through my website at www.patrickpryor.com

Why bones and dead things?

I am a collector. When I travel and explore the outdoors I collect things from the woods or the shore that interest me aesthetically or otherwise.

I've been particularly attracted to the sculptural form of bones since I was six years old. Bones intrigue me because I am fascinated with internal structure and how it affects the way living things move and how they look. Found bones offer clues to the past, and allow us to understand biological life at a deeper level. Furthermore, I am interested in process and objects that have undergone process. In order for there to be bones there first must have been birth, a life experienced, a death experienced, processes impacting the bones after death, and finally, my own re-configuration and re-presenting the bones. I seek to explore new structures, new combinations and new forms.

About The Exhibit

In Pretty Dead Things I explored the use of color and presentation to attract viewers to found objects from my personal collection that might otherwise repel them. In doing so I hope to present a new idea of beauty.

Along The Mississippi, 30 x 38 inches, found objects on canvas

Along the Mississippi is a record of a late summer walk I took along the Mississippi. I found all of these bones, fish skeletons, rocks, shells, and sand along a half-mile of shoreline. The found objects represent a "curated" story of my excursion. My own unique perspective and propensity (or obsession) for collecting bones guides the material usage, and my re-composition of the objects allows one to experience the pleasure of "finding" each of these objects.

pink bird, 8 x 10 inches, bird skeleton, acrylic on canvas, wood box

pink pelvis, 8 x 10 inches, found pelvis, acrylic, wood box

pink skull, 8 x 10 inches, acrylic, wood box

These pink boxes contain found objects presented as pink specimens in storage boxes. The pink is a non-sequitor humorous attempt to associate the object with youth, innocence, and new life.


ribs on pink, 11 x 14 inches, found bone, acrylic on canvas

skull painting 1, 12 x 12 inches, skull, acrylic on canvas


skull painting 2, 12 x 12 inches, skull, acrylic on canvas

skull painting 3, 12 x 12 inches, skull, acrylic on canvas

These skull paintings were an experiment in using a physical object as an inspiration for an abstract work that includes the actual object.

bone painting 1, 20 x 16, paper, found bone, acrylic on canvas

bone painting 2, 20 x 16, paper, found bone, acrylic on canvas


bone painting 3, 20 x 16, paper, found bone, acrylic on canvas

The red in the bone paintings are inspired in part by Salustiano, and it is also an attempt to over-stimulate the eye with an attractive red. It is the same red I use in many of my abstract paintings.

red ribs, 24 x 24 inches, found bone, resin, acrylic on canvas

composition with ulna, 24 x 24 inches, found bone, resin, acrylic on canvas

deer jaws, 24 x 24 inches, found bone, dead moth, resin, acrylic on canvas

Deer Jaws is composed of found deer jaw bones (and one other random ungulate) to resemble a mouth or other opening. The moth was accidental, but I am pleased with where it landed.


trophy buck, 45 x 24 inches, bone, antlers, resin, acrylic, wood box

bones on fabric, 30 x 24, found bones, plaster, fabric, acrylic on canvas

2010-09-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Accident, 2010
acrylic on linen

I made this from an old white linen shirt of mine that had finally lost its functionality as a shirt.

Steps along the way

2010-08-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I've been working on for quite some time. While some paintings are completed in one session others like this one take years.

2010-07-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Jackson Pollock - The Deep (1953, oil and enamel on canvas, 220x150cm)

I found this painting of Pollock's on The Everyday Art - it is somewhat similar to some paintings I did a few years ago.

Patrick Kemal Pryor, Joffee Center Commission, 2008, 48 x 60 inches

Patrick Kemal Pryor, Joffee Center Commission, 2008, 48 x 60 inches

Patrick Kemal Pryor, 440, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

2010-07-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've changed the way I sign paintings...

They used to be like this

2010-05-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Studies for a special residential commission project which includes 11 canvases of various sizes...

2010-05-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on skin under natural light and photographed with my little digital Canon PowerShot

Miracle House Celebrity Plate Auction

2010-05-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Miracle House

Celebrity Plate Artists Include:

Ross Bleckner
Malan Breton
Bethenny Frankel
Kathie Lee Gifford
Teo Gonzalez
Shoshanna Gruss
Tommy Hilfiger
Damien Hirst
Hoda Kotb
Libby Langdon
Jay Leno
Patrick Kemal Pryor
Robert Marc
Marsha Mason
Jerry Mitchell
Elie Tahari

2010-05-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

day one

day two

day three

day 7

2010-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

a set of paintings that have transformed into different paintings. Picture was taken up on the roof terrace at my neighbor's place in Puerto Vallarta...

2010-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

From today's Star Tribune, by Tom Wallace

Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Foot in the Door 4

2010-02-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the opening of Foot in the Door at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts! The exhibit runs until June 13th, 2010. Artists from all over the the state of Minnesota were invited to participate.

and here are some photos of the exhibit wall from the spy camera:

Me? In a Movie?

2010-02-18T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today I accepted a part in Roger Corman movie about a mutant creature dubbed Sharktopus - that's right. Didn't see that one coming? Neither did I. I think I am awkward in front of cameras. I never know what to do and I am shy about my cheeky smile, but when the director asked for more nerdiness from my character I knew I'd found a role I could handle.

Don't know who Roger Corman is? Here is Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show talking about Roger and the new movie...

2010-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

after being in New York for a week, 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm)

2010-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Amy & Reid
30 x 30 cm

2010-01-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

12 x 12 inches (30 x 30 cm)

12 x 12 inches (30 x 30 cm)

12 x 12 inches (30 x 30 cm)

2010-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

banderitas, 30 x 30 cm

three fish, 30 x 30 cm (each)

painted as a special gift for my new nephew (due late April) and his family

More Little Paintings

2009-12-15T08:00:00.001-08:00

del los huertos mangos - the mango orchards
12" x 10" each

Little Paintings

2009-12-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

coati 2, 30 x 30 cm

coati 1, 30 x 30 cm

chicharonnita, 30 x 30 cm

jugita, 30 x 30 cm

azulita, 30 x 30 cm

michelada, 30 x 39 xm

2009-12-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

I found a lot of bones on the beach near my house and have been inspired to include them in paintings again.

While retaining some of the gestural work - I get to work with/against the aesthetic of bone.

2009-10-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

working in the mobile studio...

Music Sketch #28

2009-10-05T11:50:00.001-07:00

The latest Music Sketch from this Saturday. Thank you to Jim O'Neill, Aaron McCabe, and Mark O'Day for making amazing music.

2009-09-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Quixotic, 24 x 36 inches, acrylic on linen

Josie and Jason Got Married, 36 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas

2009-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

the great wave

2009-09-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

sculpture play

2009-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

each sculpture uses found bones from many different creatures. I am exploring my fascination with the material of bone and my desire to create new structures by placing bones in arrangements outside of their natural configuration.

Pillow Sculptures

2009-09-06T21:16:00.001-07:00

These were inspired by my trip to New Zealand. They explore ideas of comfort, death, and "preciousness"

Art For Choice

2009-09-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

Art For Choice: Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6:30 - 9:30pm at the W Hotel in the Foshay Tower.

Minneapolis artists, such as Amy Rice, Michael Birawer, Jennifer Davis, Terrence Payne, and myselft donate 100% of the profits from our original artwork auctioned at the event. Bidding for the auctioned art starts at 1/3 to 1/4 of the original retail value of the artwork.
The proceeds support Pro-Choice Resources - a Twin Cities grassroots organization that has worked for over 42 years to knock down the barriers that keep women and youth from receiving the sexual health information and services they need and want. Each year they serve over 25,000 people through one-of-a-kind programming.

In addition to viewing the artwork online, you may see it on display at Nina Bliese Gallery from September 25th – October 1st, 2009.

Soap Factory - $99 Sale

2009-08-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've finished a small 5"x7" painting for the Soap Factory's $99 Sale. The sale is "an aesthetic melee, a statement about the inherent value of art," and a fundraiser for the Soap Factory.

The most exciting part? None of the works of art are labeled with the artist's name so one get's to sort of play detective and try to figure out who's is whose. The following is a list of some other participating artists:

Ta-Coumba Aiken, Vena Ambrose, Abigail Woods Anderson, Nadine Anderson, Dan Attoe, Daniel Atyim, Nina Lola Bachhuber, Gabriel Backlund, Michael Basler, Heather Beal, Melissa Bean, Scott Bean, Loretta Bebeau, Barbara Bell Smith, Neil Beloufa, Kim Benson, Ken Boland, Beth Bowman, James Boyd-Brent, Tamara Brantmeier, Kyle Bravo, Bryn Bundlie, Nate Burbeck, Cathy Camper, Sandra Capecci, Andrea Carlson, Jaime Carrera, Tim Carroll, Kate Casanova, Pamela Caserta, Eva W. Christopherson, Katherine Clanton, Caleb Coppock, Beverly Cottman, Michael Coventry, Howard Cruse, Virginia Davis, Jamie Winter Dawson, Loretta Day, James Dayton, Lee Delegard, Nico Demm, Debra deNoyelles, Noelle DeHarpporte, Jesse Draxler, Pete Driessen, Steven Dropkin, Andy DuCett, Tim Eastop, Courtney Egan, Lillian Egner, Beth Ensign, Jan Estep, Bob Fagerhaugh, Faith Farrell, Chris Faust, Rochelle Feinstein, Clea Felien, Mark Fischer, John J. Fleischer, Lisa Fraker, Patrick Gantert, James Garofalo, Masaaki Genka, David Gillette, Felicia Glidden, Ruth Ann Godollei, Bill, Gorcica, Rebecca Grady, Will Grant, Katie Grilleart, Carmen Gutierrez-Bolger, Jessica Hagen, Lindsy Halleckson, Chad Hambright, David Hamlow, Todd Harper, Sally Heller, Michael Hersman, Lauren Herzak-Bauman, Ben Heywood, Jess Hirsch, Tom Hollenback, A. Holligan, Norm Holmberg, Keri Huber, Luke Hunt, Timothy Hutchings, Joshua Huyser, Andrea Jenkins, Eric Joas, Seitu Jones, Bethany Kalk, Diane Katsiaficas, Lisa Kellner, Sandy Kinnee, Pamela Kirton, Ann Klefstad, Carolyn Kopecky, Suzanne Kosmalski, Linda S. Koutsky, Patrick Koziol, Ryan Kronzer, Matthew Kunes, James Michael Lawrence, Jenny LeBlanc, Shaina Lee, Shawna Lee, David Lefkowitz, Kurt Liljequist, Jacque Liu, Alan Livingston, Fiona MacNeill, Jorge Manghi, C. Mansfield, Ruth Marquardt, Rod Massey, Liz Miller, Lawrence Mikesh, Sarah Moeding, Ilene Krug Mojsilov, Zoran Mojsilov, Matt Monaghan, Kristina Mooney, Clive Murphy, Ana Musachio, Scott Nedrelow, Molly Nelson, Nick Nelson, Charlie Nestor, Lisa Nguyen, Gabe Nielsen, Ruben Nusz, Chiaki O'Brien, Suzanne O'Brien, Sara Parr, Gary Paterson, Jehra Patrick, Lidia Pavitova, Maia Pavitova, Natalia Pavitova, Marie Pelkey, Eric Plumb, Cat Pond, Anthony Portz, Kirsi Poupore, Elisabeth Preble, Lyz Preus, Ashley Prichard, Patrick Kemal Pryor, Ernesto Pujol, Katherine Raadt, Ana Raba, Shannon Rankin, Mitch Redepenning, Giselle Restrepo, Colette Ricci, Jill Richardson, Justin Richel, Aaron Ridgeway, Nicole Riemenschneider, Ewan Robertson, Katherine Rochester, Thomas Rose, Lindsay Roth, Molly Roth, Cathy Ryan, Brandy Satchell, Boris Scherbakov, Jenny Schmid, Jes Schrom, Kari Schuster, Josi Severson, Aki Shibata, Patrick Smith, Alec Soth, Peter Sowinski, Roxie Speth, Jill Stafford, Zac Stafford, Joe Steinbach, Marilyn Stevens, Dmitry Strakovsky, Scott Stulen, Andy Sturdevant, Carolyn Swiszcz, Philip Taylor, tectonic industries, J. Temple, Tiffany Thayer, Tamara Thomsen, Liz Tjepkema, Toneski Love, Colin Trechter, Jodi Trotta, Erik Ullanderson, Bart Vargas, Chris Walker, Maria Walker, Hillary White, Jim WIdder, Rosemary Williams, Peter Wilson, Caroline Woodruff, Colette Woods, Jane Wunrow, Irene Ziegler, Anthony Zinonos

work in progress

2009-08-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

2009-06-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Big Blue

2009-06-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

120" x 72" mixed media on canvas

this painting is the last one created in the studio at the Northrup King Building, Minneapolis Minnesota completed in May of 2009

New Zealand Show - Star Tribune Video by C.J.

2009-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the Video from the private collector's showing of the New Zealand Series at Richard and Kristen's house.

...and to the article in the Star Tribune which first mentions Robyne Robinson's (our very own chic art connoisseur , jewelery maker, and anchor-woman) trip to Urgent Care.

Below are screen captures from C.J.'s roughly edited video:

leaving the old studio

2009-05-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Art-A-Whirl 2009

2009-05-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

I took this video as I was setting up for Art-A-Whirl at the studio in NE Minneapolis May 2009. This was my last show at the Northrup King Building.

Here is half of the studio as it looked when the show was hung completely

the NZ show at Richard and Kristen's home

2009-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

A special thank you to Richard Holt and Kristen Sparks for opening their home to me for the NZ show! Their loft at 801 Washington is for sale - visit Edina Realty's site for details.

that's different...

2009-04-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary Larry and Carol.

Buenos tardes...

2009-04-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

completed today
24"X24"
perhaps influenced by the colors of Mexico

my painting assistant

2009-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

Working in Mexico

Listening to Kutiman!

Scorpion on eggshells

chorizo and scorpions

2009-03-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Posting food pictures is irresistible! Today's lunch: Pico de gallo, really fresh avocado, two fried eggs, and a special chorizo mix. The chorizo is the soft spicy Mexican kind fried with sliced plantains and banana chili peppers. An amazing balance of salty savory, hot and sweet.

I am fickle about arachnids. I don't mind spiders around the house, and sometimes if necessary I will gently usher both poisonous and harmless spiders out of the house on a peice of paper. I am, however, not so tolerant and magnanimous with scorpions.

My friends Richard and Kristen just returned from a trip to the fjordlands of New Zealand. It's one of the few places on earth where there are no scorpions. That's why everyone there is so chill.

Phoenix Airport

2009-03-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I am blogging from an airport and marks a move toward the proper tone of a blog; as an actual web-log, an account of what is happening now. I must belabor you again with my descriptions of the sunlight.

To me the variations in light through time and geography are as diverse as regional accents, and I delight in most of them - especially Long Island. The accent. The sunlight too I suppose. But Phoenix is absolutely golden. The skin of the locals is equally golden. Everything seems to glint as if it were gilded and covered in tanning oil.

I wonder if our eyes change in different sunlights like sometimes our voices adopt that reciprocal lilt or drawl of someone we are speaking with?

I am going to Mexico. Again. I like the way it smells.

I am reading Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer, and listening to Pandora Radio. Everything IS illuminated.

2009-03-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Music Sketch - The Missing One
48"X48"
Acrylic on canvas

Music Sketch #22

2009-03-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Commissions

2009-03-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I received the honor of creating a commissioned painting, and felt immense gratitude to include another person in my creative process. I've never had a bad experience with commissions, but sometimes I've felt like my freedom was being limited. It's an illusion, however; freedom is a state of mind. I don't think we (artists) ever create art solely for ourselves. It's impossible. Refuting this is like being suicidal.

Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, NZ

2009-03-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

tree ferns

more tree ferns

Sketches, and such...

2009-03-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

bird bones, sand castle

possums, fish, penguin, lobster, and resin

bird bones up close

pelvis, and assorted found objects

Experimentation

2009-03-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

part of fish skull and large painting in background

found object assemblage

sea urchin (kina) with paper

kelp, wire, plaster, and painting in progress.

In The Studio, Owhiro Bay, NZ

2009-03-09T22:48:00.001-07:00

close up of a painting using various material

bird bones

kelp and wire armature

bird sculpture

South Island, NZ near Nelson

2009-03-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

2009-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Zucchini

2009-03-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love zucchinis. For some reason they are the first thing that I learned to cook after I'd figured out how to use the toaster when I was 5 or 6 years old. When I publish my cookbook there will be a special recipe in there for the courgettes as our friends overseas call them. Better than any other squash. Black pepper, garlic, a dash of rosemary, chili powder, cayenne, and sautéed with butter. That's how I had them for lunch today - they made me think of Mexico as I peeled off the little sticker that indicated their origin.

Ah, Mexico. I leave in two weeks to go there. In honor of the next trip I had a papaya with lunch. One has to eat a dimpling squishing papaya before too long. I prepared it with fresh lime juice and salt - it smells of Mexico. Of course anything with lime juice and salt smells like Mexico to me. My cookbook will feature many dishes with lime juice and salt - and drinks!

Not much time for painting these days - too busy updating the mailing lists, preparing for 2008 taxes, writing drafts of the cookbook, and planning for the next online auction. I am also closely watching CaringBridge updates from a dear friend Larry who is lying in a hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico recovering from intestinal surgery - he's like my second father.

He was scheduled to come out of sedation today, but will remain so until a blood sepsis clears. I guess telepathy will have to serve until I get there to visit. Hang on Larry.

NZ paintings arrived

2009-02-25T22:18:00.000-08:00

I picked up my New Zealand paintings today from American Airlines. They look different in the light here! I Painted them with diffused natural light coming in from skylights in my Wellington studio whereas I paint mostly by artificial light and ambient light in Minneapolis. Additionally the color and intensity of the sunlight is different in New Zealand in general and in Wellington most notably. Its much more intense there and whiter than our warm yellowish light in middle America.

I'll be showing them in May as part of a proper show.

2009-02-19T02:42:00.000-08:00

Departing New Zealand is bittersweet. Today I cleaned out my studio; brought buckets of sand back to the beach; swept, and carried the canvases out to the car. I spoke little to my studio mates as I was rather melancholy.

Sailling

2009-01-28T15:11:00.001-08:00

For the past four weeks I have been working quite hard at painting and have created a number of new works influenced largely by my daily walks and swims along the shore between Island Bay and Owhiro Bay.

Tomorrow I leave for Auckland and then sailing in the Bay of Islands for one week with the YBD's (young British doctors) and Diego the Chilean.

Helicopter ride over Wellington

2009-01-25T02:40:00.000-08:00

Over Owhiro Bay with Richard and Kristen from patrick pryor on Vimeo.

by the way...

2009-01-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

...found you! from Emily Tyra on Vimeo.Here is the video that was chosen for Choreographer's Evening 2009, curated Sally Rousse starring Emily Tyra and Caroline Fermine, edited/produced by Emily Tyra, and shot by me.

Day 49 in New Zealand

2009-01-22T00:41:00.000-08:00

Southerly view from the first leg of my commute to the studio from the house. It is opposite Mt. Victoria in Wellington. Neighborhood of Hataitai. My rather dodgy shared abode is the barn-shaped structure on the left side of the image. The water is Lyall Bay and the South Pacific.

Taputeranga Island along the last leg of my route to the studio between the bus stop at Island Bay and Owhiro Bay.

Water-bird sculpture in the water outside Owhiro Bay, Wellington. One hundred paces from my studio.

Kiwi Talk

2009-01-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

Day Ten in New Zealand

2008-12-19T01:01:00.001-08:00

Today I drove from Motueka to Blenheim after two days of hiking in the Abel Tasman National Park where my path wove in and out of temperate rain forest, tidal pools, tidal flats, sandy beaches, warm humid coves, and dry warm rocky points.

I met with the owner of Gravitas Wines today over a spit cooked lamb a Sauvignon Blanc called Wandering Piano. It is a name I like very much. I always considered pianos to be kind of sessile creatures and not prone to perambulating. This one has been on the move for over 14 years apparently - Kazakstan and London to name a few. A client whose name I cannot mention has comissioned me to do a painting inspired by the Sauvignon Blanc. I am to drink and paint.

Tomorrow I return again to the same vineyard to learn more and taste the soil.

Twin Cities Live

2008-12-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

While away my paintings were featured on Twin Cities Live with designer and TV host Cy Winship. You can view the entire program on their website. Then click on Tuesday, December 17th and you'll find there is a link for Local Arts!

NWA World Traveler Magazine

2008-12-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

In the December 2008 Issue, click on The Buzz...

New Zealand Post #1

2008-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning. I leave in three hours barring any delays. I am finally excited and present to the adventure of having three months with no itinerary. I only have an intention to create art inspired by the shore. Simple.

Live Auction at Studio

2008-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

Location: My Studio
Date: Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Start Time: 8:00pm
Preview: 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Auction Items:

Emergence #1 58"X44"

Emergence #2 48"X48"

Emergence #3 48"X48"

Emergence #4 48"X48"

Strong Night, 36"X48"

Chromatic Orgasm (triptych) , 36"X48" each canvas

Alex Kanevsky in Synecdoche

2008-11-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite living artists. Alex Kanevsky. Interviewed Here. Has his paintings in the new movie Synecdoche, New York by Charlie Kaufman. He offered this advice to young artists:

"The moment something works well and is under control - is the time to give it up and try something else.

Put all your eggs in one basket. Precarious situations produce intense results.

Forget subjective, it is mostly trivial. Go for the universal."

On The MARQ

2008-11-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Artist Event At Woman’s Club

by Sarah Ramsay

T Lee Fine Designer Jewelery in Minneapolis, MN

2008-11-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

Time:

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

6:00 - 9:00pm

· wine and hors d'oeuvres
· Music by Cellist Diane Tremaine
· Sign up to win a $500 gift card,
two diamond pendants, and one of three gemstone pendants

Location:

Tlee
18 University Avenue NE (Across from Surdyks)
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Parking available in the West Photo parking lot

Music Sketch #27

2008-11-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis, MN

You are cordially invited to
An Evening of Experimental Art, Music and Inspiration

Music Sketch is an experimental improvisational conversation between music, visual art, and dance:

James Tyler O'Neill - Piano
Dave Madson - Bass
Aaron McCabe - Trumpet
Ryan Johnson - Drums

Penny Freeh and Emily Tyra - Dancers

Painting and audio recording available for purchase.

Friday, November 21, 2008
6:30 p.m. Light Supper
7:30 p.m. Showtime

The Woman's Club of Minneapolis
410 Oak Grove Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-813-5300

Tickets: $39.00

Advanced Reservation Required
For reservations, please call The Woman's Club of Minneapolis at 612.813.5300.

This event is part an exhibit of new original Music Sketch Paintings created privately within the last six months. Exhibit runs November 1-December 31, 2008

Music Sketch #25, 60"X48"

Art Attack 2008

2008-11-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is the fall event where you may see the greatest number of artists displaying their recent work at the Northrup King Building of Minneapolis, MN!

The painting below is one of many new paintings exploring familiar movement in a new color palette...

Thursday, November 6th
(First Thursday)
5:00 - 9:00pm

Friday, November 7th
5:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 8th
12:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 9th
12:00 to 5:00 p.m.

To the website gallery...

2008-10-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Music Sketch #25
October 28th, 2008

With new guy Ryan on drums, Dave Madson on bass, Aaron McCabe on trumpet, and Jim O'Neill on the keyboard. We reached a synchronicity we've been striving for.

Being in Europe

2008-10-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

To generalize. The experience of Europe is a little maddening in a good way. It wakes up sleeping parts of my mind and then suddenly I must do something with them. Now there is more to deal with. A sleeping dragon poked opens an eye.

A couple new music sketches

2008-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Anticipation is building for Music Sketch #27 - the next public performance of Music Sketch on November 21st at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis. Well, my anticipation is building anyways. Jim and I have been practicing quite a bit, and it seems like we are beginning to figure it out somewhat. Sometimes I would try to lead and have the music follow the paint and sometimes jim would lead and I would let the musical imagery guide my work, but it always turns into something else. Our dynamic is back and forth. Here are some pictures of the last few...

#19

#21

Choreographer's Evening at Walker Art Center

2008-09-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

A still from the film, Found You by Emily Tyra and Caroline Fermine. Shot by me. It will be part of Choreographers Evening at the Walker Art Center.

“[An] annual smorgasbord of classic, offbeat, up-and-coming, or just plain zany talent.” —The Rake

Choreographers’ Evening 2008 features: Battlecats, Maggie Bergeron & Company, Tim Cameron, Jaime Carrera, Mary Easter, Judith Howard, Nicolas Lincoln, SuperGroup, Tamin Totzke and Dustin Haug, Galen Treuer, Emily Tyra and Caroline Fermin, Pramila Vasudevan, and Chris Yon.

For more than 30 years, Choreographers’ Evening has served as the major gathering for the Twin Cities’ vital independent dance community. Witness and celebrate the remarkably diverse range of Minnesota dance—from established choreographers playing with new ideas to some of the freshest
talent on the scene. This evening of short works has ranged from ballet to clogging, classical Indian dance to Spanish flamenco, dramatic dance-theater to comic vignettes. Curated by Sally Rousse, vaunted dancer/choreographer and cofounder of James Sewell Ballet.

A Natural...

2008-09-03T00:48:00.000-07:00

Stephanie wanted to shoot some painted nudes, and these are my shots from the evening. Thanks to our graceful and patient model.

Music Sketch 15 & 17

2008-08-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight I finished a painting that I had started four months ago. The initial painting was created as a live music sketch with an audience and we finished the painting without one. Finally there is resolution to the story of this painting whose beginning was tainted by very bad news delivered by a dear love interest only hours before I began it in April. The eve of this painting's creation was marked by jealousy and a bruised ego, and the eve of its completion is of resolution and completeness.

the final painting "A Grey Day in London"

Here is an image of the painting as it was left on April 3rd, 2008 after Music Sketch session #15...

the initial painting

I call it "A Grey Day in London" based on the imagery that Jim's music created in my mind. While the final painting above barely shows the grey that existed in the previous painting beneath - it still peeks through - a reminder of the shame of the past and the completion of the present.

Body Painting

2008-08-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

As a canvas a body presents a unique opportunity to work with an existing narrative. There is no way around the fact that it has its own story and its own way of expressing - one cannot do anything but work upon it rather than create a completely new thing.