Artwork

Cardinal (2017)

(2017) Painting. Exhibited at Seattle Art Fair, Out of Sight, Seattle WA. 

 

This painting is a further step in the direction of building my own painting surfaces. For many years I have been building the frames my paintings go on to, and for some time I have wanted to create an asymmetrical frame to better follow the shape of my works. This is the first true venture into this new idea. This involved more than twenty individual parts, both glued and nailed together. Once the frame and surface had been built, sanded, and primed, I then placed the already created vinyl sticker onto the surface of the wood frame. The vinyl sticker had been gradually developed over the previous three years, incorporating both adhesive vinyl, acrylic paint and block print. This is probably not the most efficient way to create this work and in the future I plan to build the frame first then make the painting/mixed media work on the surface. It was very stressful affixing the premade vinyl sticker to the already built frame, there was absolutely no margin for error. With each work, new lessons are learned. I absolutely love how this piece turned out in the end. This work has since been sold.

 

Puzzel Luchador (2017)

(2017) Visual art mask.

 

Luchador mask created for Urban Artworks 2nd Annual Benefit Auction. Made from the trimmed, hole punched petals of the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Spray painted chrome gold, brass chrome and hand sewn to create the look of armor.

 

Photo Danielle Blackwell

WE ARE (2017)

(2017) poster collaboration

 

Collaboration between myself and No Touching Ground. This poster reads WE ARE ONLY AS HEALTHY AS THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US. With this imagery we are saying, we as a society must recognise the form that addiction takes around us, we can not dismiss the epidemic of over prescribed opioids in America. At the same time, we must lift up those most vulnerable, support these humans, give them the dignity of not only a safe place to come to terms with this addiction, but the resources and support to find a new path. Safe Injection sites are the first step towards a better path.

YENOM WEN (2017)

(2017) Installation by The New Mystics collective, CoCA, Seattle WA.

 

For this commissioned work, the New Mystics sourced discarded clothing from the streets of Seattle, and mirrors from craigslist. We fabricated black mirror letters that mounted to the wall and created all needed hardware. We glass etched the mirrors, and created a reflected point of observance revealing our collective question to the city. YENOM WEN NEW MONEY, what will Seattle do with the influx of cash, will a more equitable culture be ushered in or will tech destroy the last grasps of anything cool or derelict, full of character and creativity. This show navigated the space between being complicit in the current homeless struggle and reflecting on one’s disconnection between detritus and desire. We ask the question, what role will philanthropy play in this new frontier? 

 

Public Action (2017)

(2017) Commissioned public art sculpture, Velocity 2. Seattle WA

 

Speaking to the needs of our city and region. Expressing thoughts that have to be seen, heard and acted upon. A sense of permission emerges as one contributes clear messages into the public realm. We must do better to support the most vulnerable among us, we must recognize factually the displacement taking place in this area. We can not stand idly by as this effects all of us. Cardboard letters created with the help of artists Angel179 and NKO, approximate size 20′ by 20′. 

 

Barcelona Bald (2017)

(2017) Public art mural, Barcelona Spain.

 

Mural location acquired through Wall Spots Barcelona. I love when given the opportunity to paint without any needed draft of the proposed work. I am in my most happy place when I get to freehand paint, choosing shape and color as informed by the location and atmosphere. This work took all of one day, and was painted with acrylic paint. The image created is a recurring character named the bald man, I have continued to paint this character since 2001. I explore through this character the idea of how my creativity changes over time with one fixed point. Acrylic paint, dimensions 22’x10′.

 

Owl House (2017

(2017) poster collaboration

 

Three-way collaboration between Baso, No Touching Ground and myself. Placed in the doorway of The Northwest Film Forum, right above a regular sleeping location for people experiencing homelessness. We as a society have the means to provide a roof over the head of each and every human in the US, the only thing that stops us from achieving this most basic of human needs is, the rot and greed of capitalism.

 

Free Rent (2017)

(2017) poster collaboration

 

Collaboration between myself and No Touching Ground. Seattle has an ongoing affordable rent crisis. New development continues to displace the most vulnerable among us. Without being too politically pointed, we felt this image of a birdhouse with the words FREE RENT painted on the side, communicated that humans, being truly nothing more than animals, deserve shelter.

 

Nikitta poster (2017)

(2017) designed and hand painted poster

 

No Touching Ground and I teamed up to create this large poster for Seattle mayoral candidate Nikitta Oliver. We worked together to create the overall design, chose the intended location, and hand painted both the portrait and font. Zorn B Taylor generously allowed the use of his photograph as reference for the portrait. It felt really good to look back at my path as a street/graffiti artist and see all the steps that lead to creating a work like this. In a lot of ways this is what I would love to do more of in the future. I feel graffiti artists have a unique perspective when it comes to, among other things, location and placement, very relevant attributes when dealing with messages that need a high level of visibility. I’m proud to support progressive candidates for office locally and nationally.

 

Psychic Radio Star (2016)

(2016) performance premiere

 

Part of a series of performative gifts for my mother, this solo performance commissioned by On the Boards, Psychic Radio Star explores an aspect of my relationship with my mother, related to the performance Mother for you I made this.

As I have grown up, my mother wants to hear about my life as an artist, and upon hearing, her reply has become, “I’m famous too, I’m a Psychic Radio Star”. Through this performance I imagine who her Psychic Radio Star is. This self given title is so evocative I can’t help but think of images of: 

  • unfathomable universal forces, 
  • mythology of the galaxy, 
  • ancient cave paintings, 
  • neon fish, and 
  • the dark shadowy depths of the sea. 

These images evoke memories of growing up with my mother: her sensibilities and joys; her hobbies and eccentricities; and her complicated, beautiful mind as it slips, piece by piece, into unbalance.

Through this work I feel that I am able to provide a voice for my Psychic Radio Star mother, while encouraging a healing and constructive conversation around the failed mental health care system in America. A major goal of this work is to engage with community/organizations through the idea of art as therapy. In the hopes of creating a safe place for anyone to talk freely about their own experiences with mental health.  As I continue to explore my mother’s story – I also tell my own.

Collaborator Credits:

Jen Zeyl Artistic Producer.

Danielle Blackwell Costume Designer. 

Paurl Walsh Sound/Composition. 

Leo Mayberry Video. 

Jessica Trundy Lighting. 

Weirdo Set painting. 

Steve Carlino Stage Manager. 

Adam Michard Tech Director. 

Anthony Rigano Photographer. 

Anthony Jepson, Kyle Loven, Erik Andor, Tim Stackpole, Lily Raabe, Kaleb Kerr, Benjamin Maestas, Larry Browning, Lia Surprenant, Anne Marie Minnick, Brandon Estrella, Matt Sherrill, Equinox Studio’s, Pol Rosenthal, and NKO Rey.

Commissioned solo performance. On The Boards, Seattle WA. 

Psychic Radio Star is a recipient of the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project Touring Award, and Production Residency Award, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. As well as the 2016 Artist Trust GAP Grant, and a generous grant from the Bossak/Halibron Charitable Foundation. 

 

Psychic Radio Star previews:

Questions & Answers with Michèle Steinwald and Ezra Dickinson
OtB Writing Corp Profile by Michelle Penaloza
Seattle Times Preview by Brendan Kiley
Seattle Magazine Fall Arts Preview

Psychic Radio Star Reviews:

NKO Rey OtB Blog
Natalie Singer-Velush OtB Blog
Markeith Wiley OtB Journal

 

Want to Support more work like this?

 

Performances:

(2016) Premiere On The Boards, Seattle WA.

(2016) Solo performance of Birth, preliminary choreography for Psychic Radio Star. Velocity Fall Kick-Off. Velocity Dance Center, Seattle WA. 

(2017) Dance showcase for Pacific Northwest Performance Platform during APAP, Gibney Dance, NYC. In this showcase I took the end of birth into life sections from Psychic Radio Star and performed them with the fabric and costumes for a live audience in the round. I employed two assistants to help with the performance which was about fifteen minutes in length.

(2017) NDP Commissioned Tech Residency, On The Boards, Seattle WA. Funded through NDP’s residency Grant, this residency was used as a way of preparing the piece to tour in the future. All tech elements were re-created and in some cases refined as needed for touring the piece.