Installation Shots

I finally made time to do a few installation shots of the New Art in Austin: 20 To Watch exhibition. If you haven't made it out, the show is up through May 11, 2008. The show then travels to four more spaces: Blue Star Art Space, San Antonio, Oct 4-Dec 28, 2008; The Grace Museum, Abilene, Jan 24-Apr 19, 2009; DiverseWorks, Houston, May 1-Jun 12, 2009; The Art Gallery at UNT-Denton: pending Fall 2009.

I plan to attend each opening so I hope to see you there!

Perfect Strangers

Just this week I received two separate emails from perfect strangers who after seeing my work in the New Art in Austin: 20 To Watch exhibition at the Austin Museum of Art felt compelled to write me. I have excluded their names and personal info yet included short statements from their emails.

Thank you for your kind, encouraging and honest responses to the photographs.

"Today I spent my afternoon at the Austin Museum of Art soaking in all that the current "20 to watch" exhibit has to offer. The final works that I saw were your photographs, and I was so moved upon seeing them that my legs felt weak and I spent the entire bus ride home blinking back tears. I came home and looked up your name on the internet, found your site, found your blog. I am relatively new to Austin and have seen few pieces of art (music, plays, and dances included) that have shaken me to the core like I was this afternoon at the museum. Thank you."

"I just visited "20 to Watch" at AMOA. I would like to share with you my response to your work. Of all the work in the exhibit, I made the strongest connection with yours and Baseera Khan's paintings. I am a quiet, introverted, thoughtful man. I read the information about your work, as well as seeing what you had to say in the video, so I understand what the conscious, or intentional, theme in your work would be.

However, I was drawn by the intimacy of the photos. You appear to share both your body and your emotional state so openly and intimately, showing great trust and courage in a vulnerable position. That's the message I came away with. I saw a beautiful young woman, frightened and saddened by her situation, choosing to honor and take care of herself and others by sharing her experience with beauty, dignity, and kindness. Anyway, I feel inspired, so thank you for sharing."

Artist Talk Thursday April 3

On April 3, myself along with artists Alyson Fox, Andrew Long, Baseera Khan, Jill Pangallo, and Rebecca Ward will be giving artist talks at the Austin Museum of Art in conjunction with the New Art in Austin: 20 to Watch exhibition. The event begins at 7pm.

Also opening that night is Yoon Cho's solo exhibition, Nothing Lasts Forever, opening at Women and Their Work in Austin. I meet Yoon at our recent opening at AMOA. The opening is from 6-8pm.



"Cho uses video and digital photography to examine the ways we constantly create and re-create our identities. Utilizing blurring, pattern overlay, image insertion and other digital techniques to manipulate photography and video installations, Cho trains a sly and poignant lens on the ephemeral and ever-shifting nature of human persona. If life is a stage, Cho’s body of work investigates how we get into character".

AMOA: 20 to Watch Video Interview

In January, I was interviewed by Andrea Mellard, Curatorial Associate/ Manager of Public Programs at the Austin Museum of Art. It was rather nerve racking. Its been awhile since I had been interviewed let alone filmed during the process. I come off sounding as if I actually know something about my work and my self. So please checkout my video as well as the 19 other participants in the Austin Museum of Art: 20 to Watch exhibition. Don't forget I'll be giving a short artist talk on April 3, 2008. Hope to see you there.

Video Interview

New Art in Austin: 20 To Watch Opening

Despite the cold weather....yes it gets cold here in Texas, rain and tornado warnings nearly 1500 people attended this years New Art in Austin: 20 To Watch opening. I think the show was a huge success and thanks to everyone who came out that night. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the crowd.

The work is extremely diverse showcasing performance, video, site specific installation, painting, sculpture and photography. I was especially interested in the work of Jen Hirt and Scott Webel, a collaborative group known as the Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata. If you haven't been out to see the show yet it runs through May 11 before heading on a two year tour through Texas.

In conjunction with the show there are two more fantastic events to attend. On Thursday March 6, the video shorts will be screened at the museum. It will provide an inside look at each artists' working process as well as their studio spaces. Throughout the month of April, all 20 artists will be giving artist talks on Thursday evenings. I am part of the first round on April 3. Hope to see you there.

Home Stretch

Three days to go till my first museum opening. Yes I'm excited. This past weekend I traveled from Houston to pick up my three prints for the show and hand delivered them to Austin and then returned the next day to Houston. Nothing can prepare you for the amount of time, energy and especially cash that goes in to getting your work seen. This year as in 2008 I've already spent hundreds on competitions, portfolio reviews etc in addition to printing, shipping and return shipping works to three separate shows happening simultaneously. Its the price of being an artist you could say and of course its a catch 22. You are poor because you are an artist however you can't get your work out there, seen by the right people unless you spend money which you know you don't have. On top of that you want to make new work because once your art is out there and people start paying attention they want to know what you are working on now. Again more money spent that you don't already have. Debt is a common word out of my moth. Credit card and student loan debt–it never seems like it will go away. I'm hoping that from these recent shows others will come and hopefully lead to sales or a solo show. As an artist as many of my artist friends know you have to stay positive keep pushing your work even when you get back hundreds of rejection letters. Eventually your work will be in front of the right person at the right time and things will snowball from there. At least thats what I have been told.