I just received word that my painting “War Child” was selected for The Peace Project which is being put on by The Whole 9. In addition to being selected, “War Child” also won the Peace Maker Award, which is one of the highest honors.

The Peace Project is an international collaborative art competition and exhibition created to connect peace-minded individuals everywhere.

Artists from around the world submitted work that expressed their vision of peace. 150 pieces were selected from over 700 submissions spanning over 30 countries. The selected pieces will make up a mosaic that will be exhibited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.

To select the participating artwork and highest honors, The Peace Project turned to a very esteemed panel of judges.

Karen Blessen Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist

Sylvia Laudien Gallery Lecturer & Educator, Guggenheim and MoMA, New York

Claudia Hinterseer Managing Director, NOOR Photo Agency

Gail Gaynin Founder & Principal, Morgan Gaynin

Frank Meo Photographer’s Representative, New York

Mark Balet Founder & Creative Director, Mixed Business, New York

Peter Clothier Novelist, Art Critic, and Blogger

The Peace Project exhibition dates are as follows:

Los Angeles — Opening Saturday, September 25, 5:30pm – 10:00pm (runs through November 6)

Gallery 9

6101 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

San Francisco — One Night Only, Tuesday, November 9, 6:00pm – 10:00pm

Meridian Gallery

535 Powell Street

San Francisco, CA 94108

New York – TBD

To find out more:

http://www.thewhole9.com/thepeaceproject-info.php

About my painting, “War Child”

In 2009, I was selected as the Featured Artist for New York’s Freedom Week. I painted the portraits of people who have been greatly affected by have their freedom robbed from them. One of my subjects was of Emmanuel Jal. Emmanuel Jal is a former child soldier turned musician/peace activist. Instead of me telling his story here, you should see it yourself. The documentary “War Child” is the story of Emmanuel Jal. Here is a link to the movie’s website http://www.warchildmovie.com/.

I painted Emmanuel’s portrait while painting live at Heist Gallery in New York City.

It feels good to be home. After a 6 month stint of working with acrylics, I am back to working with encaustics. Those “modern-day” mediums were fun and convenient but nothing can compare to working with wax. Amazing things to come…..

“War Child” was selected out of 1,583 submissions to be exhibited at the First Annual Wide Open Art Show.

The Show’s theme is an exploration of the concept “wide open.”  Both meanings of the statement will be presented through the works’ at the BWAC exhibition.  The concepts of being “wide open” to love, freedom,  etc. will be displayed, along side works showcasing what it is to be “wide open” to corruption, exploitation, etc.  Overall the theme of the show will present both the dark and light sides of  what it is to be “wide open.”

The piece was selected by:

Anne Strauss – Associate Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Nicholas Baume – Director & Chief Curator, Public Art Fund, NYC
Mark Hughes – Director, Galleria Lelong, Chelsea, NYC
Bill Murphy – Associate Professor & Gallery Director, Printmaker & Painter, Wagner College, NYC
The opening reception will be: Saturday March 13th, 2010 1-6 PM

The show will be open: March  13th- 28th, 2010 weekends 1-6 PM

BWAC is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn at 499 Van Brunt Street

For more details: https://www.wideopenartshow.org

Here is the Invitation from the BWAC website:

I want to give a big “Thanks” to Todd from Black Umbrellas. He spent the day photographing my artwork. He is a master art photographer (perfectionist!). I recommend to all fine artists to have your work professionally shot. It makes a world of difference. I will eventually be updating all the pictures on my website with pictures from yesterday’s shoot.

I just completed my latest painting titled “Jackson”. Official photograph will be posted to the online portfolio in a few days.

FYI. I am interviewing myself

Q. Why did I feel compelled to do a self portrait?

A. Through every art history book I have ever read, through every gallery I have ever visited, the artist’s interpretation of themselves has always been the most fascinating facet of art to me.

As artists, I believe that we all share one common element. Sensitivity. Sensitivity to our environments, to people, to life.

Hightened sensitivity is both a gift and curse. It allows us to taste food more richly, see colors more vividly, feel emotions more deeply.

I know I went through life hating the fact that I was sensitive. I viewed myself as fragile and different then all my peers growing up.

Art eventually helped me use that sensitivity to my advantage.

When you finally accept yourself, you learn to harness that sensitivity and allow it to bring you deeper into the beauty of life.

It must be easy to swim in a pool only a few feet deep, yet it must get very boring. While the waters can be rough, I am happy to be swimming in the Ocean.

Q. You just ranted. How does this pertain to your self portrait?

A. Stop interrupting yourself and let me finish. I was saying how all artists share that one comment element of sensitivity. That sensitivity causes you to have a very unique look at yourself. It can be very complex. Knowing the range of feelings that an artist can experience, seeing how an artist portrays themselves to the world is fascinating.

Q. What are you trying to express to the world with your self portrait?

A. The decision to do a self portrait was unexpected. I think if it was a few years ago, my self portrait would look more like a Francis Bacon painting.

The past few years have been the most critical moments in my life as an artist. I learned how important art was to my well being. This resulted in a connection to my art like I never had before. It created a sense of purpose, a sense of certainty, a sense of self.

The reason the painting looks the way it does is because I feel completely connected to my work. Everything is coming together in clear detail.

I wanted the painting to lack abstraction. My connection to art has never been more concrete.

I am very proud of this latest piece. It represents where I am at this point in time.

With all this said, I want to thank Dr. Paul Lichtenburg who has been a doctor, a friend, and a guide.

*Warning* – I had English/grammar class right after art. I was always dizzy from the fumes so I didn’t absorb much and now I have terrible grammar. (You don’t have to excuse the terrible excuse above, but please ignore any grammatical errors)

I get asked these two questions almost daily. I am going to use this blog to explain the history of encaustic painting and my discovery of it.

I am pulling this “textbook” definition off of the R & F website:

“Encaustic is a paint composed of beeswax, damar resin and pigments. The term “Encaustic” is often used to describe both the paint itself, and the method for using it. Encaustic paint is applied molten to an absorbent surface, and then fused, (or re-melted), to create a variety of effects. Unlike other paints, encaustic is never wet or dry – it goes from a liquid to solid state and back again in seconds, which means additional layers can be added immediately, without disrupting your composition. Once the surface has cooled, the paint has reached a permanent finish, but the painting can be revised and reworked with heat at any time – minutes or years later.”

Now for the quickest art history lesson on record:

Encaustic painting is an ancient technique that originated with Greek painters in or around 5th century B.C.

How I discovered encaustic painting:

I started attending art school when I was 5 years old. The 18 years to follow were full of art education. Encaustic painting was never a technique that was taught or even mentioned in the classroom. My curiousity lead me to this medium after reading about it in a book about Jasper Johns.

I have always been attracted to bold colors, deep layers, and the idea of unpredictability. For example, I used to make my own medicine mixtures as a child with the idea that I was going to find the ultimate cure for any disease. (I know this sounds dangerous. It probably was. My parents did not have it easy with me.) My “Gesso” was always calamine lotion. From there I would layer on other things from my medicine drawer.

I regress. My point is that encaustic is a medium full of unpredictability that holds no boundaries. I often describe it as a dream. The way your subconscious takes the wheel while you watch how things unfold.

Encaustic painting can be challenging but it offers rewards that are impossible to receive from any other medium.

I have seen artists encapsulate metal and instant coffee grinds in their encaustic paintings. I have seen other artists paint 50+ layers and then burn through them with a blowtorch. The possibilities are endless and if you want to stimulate your creativity, just google “encaustic painting” and learn a little bit about what you can do with this versitile medium.

I am an encaustic painter because I love the challenge of controlling the paint. You must work from your instinct because you are painting with wax which hardens within seconds.

Without giving too much away, I start by creating a long color story. I use that color story within countless layers of encaustic paint applied to a wooden surface. Once the layers are all fused together, I approach the painting as if it was a sculpture, carving out elements, exposing it’s depth. Other mediums such as Oil Sticks, Sumi Ink, and gold leaf seem to make frequent appearences in my work.

My subjects are never what they seem. I tend to choose pop culture icons in order to capture the eyes of the public. These recognizable images are just pieces in a puzzle that are put together forcing you to look for the deeper meaning in the work. The truth lies within the painting’s physical depth.

Encaustics will take your creativity to a new place. You can do things that you probably didn’t think were at all possible.