Paintings at the Hyde Park Art Center

My paintings will be at the Hyde Park Art Center this October along with paintings by Emmett Kerrigan, one of my painting heroes. I'm so excited about this show. Thanks, Melody Saraniti for curating. 

Gwendolyn Zabicki and Emmett Kerrigan at Hyde Park Art Center Opening September 28th – October 31st Reception: October 9th from 6:00- 8:00 pm. Muller Meeting Room - 1st floor 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Chicago, IL Curator and artist Melody Saraniti investigates the relationships that shape artistic practice by inviting one artist to select another with an influential but divergent practice to exhibit their work together. For the third installment of this project,Gwendolyn Zabicki’s ornate paintings of individually wrapped gifts will be paired together with the heavily layered landscapes of Emmett Kerrigan.  Zabicki celebrates the contagious delight and anticipation of receiving an unexpected gift. She focuses our attention on the solitary gift the moment before it is torn open and its contents disclosed. Only the package and none of the partygoers are visible, adding mystery to the narrative.   Kerrigan hints at the personal narratives hidden in urban landscapes. His unique ability to preserve a tenuous moment in a copiously painted surface is what connected Zabicki to Kerrigan’s work. In her statement for the show, Zabicki states “He builds his houses in paint much like a carpenter would, laying them down brick by brick, shingle by shingle, each brick equaling one brushstroke. A single brushstroke becomes a unit of construction and a unit of time.” She goes on to say “Carpentry and painting can be viewed as a struggle, against obliteration, against death. But seen optimistically, they are generative processes, the creation of new structures that will outlast their creators, gifts to the future.”   Generous, deliberate and tactile are the inherent qualities in these selected works by Zabicki and Kerrigan.  More information available at: MelodySaraniti.com Images: Top: Gwen Zabicki, Polka Dots and Fur, Oil on canvas, 14" x 18"  2014 Bottom: Emmett Kerrigan, From the series Home Sweet Home, Oil on canvas, 12" x 12" 2011

Expo Chicago 2014-- Amy Bennett

There is always so much to see at Expo Chicago. It takes a lot of bravery to show a tiny painting like this one by Amy Bennett. Something like this is so easily overlooked at such a massive, visually stimulating art fair. Also, this might be the most easy to steal piece I saw all weekend. 

Claire Ashley

I danced in a Claire Ashley performance today. It was a dream I didn't know I had! So much fun and such a joyful experience. Basically, I learned a line dance which I performed while carrying a bounce house with a bunch of 13 year olds. Sounds like it came from a dream, but it was real.

Her performances and sculptures look like this:
"Ruddy Udder Dance" for ACRE, 2012 from Claire Ashley on Vimeo.

And here are some photos I took of the practice:

Anders Zorn, Self Portrait with Fur, 1915.

I'm reading a book about Anders Zorn right now. I learned about him on my trip to Sweden this February. Turns out, he's very well known there, but not so well known in the U.S. His beautiful self-portrait makes me want to paint more fur, maybe some more portraits. 

One year later...

 Today Kent and I painted over a few patches of graffiti on the Rogers Park mural that we finished last summer. Overall, it has held up very well and still looks bright and fresh.

SIde by side

Here are my new paintings and my models, side by side, for comparison.