Weekend Rockets

This weekend I had a chance to get to the ICA and saw a really inspiring piece by the Bahamanian artists Tavares Strachan, Orthostatic Tolerance. It is an ongoing work, but what is featured at the ICA is his model rocket launch.  His rocket is made from Bahamanian sand glass and powered by sugar cane.  The whole piece and the installation where beautiful, but it was great to think of something so childish in an aesthetic way.

So… naturally we went directly to the best hobby shop in Philly, and bought ourselves a model rocket kit and returned to childhood.  Somehow our landlord got involved and everyone spent the better part of the day shooting rockets off the roof.  I highly suggest you take a summer day and do this.  Arts, crafts, and explosives!

 

Yes, the little ones are painted with nail polish and sparkles.

Studio Visits

One of my favorite parts of working in a gallery is going on studio visits.  There is something that I find completely intriguing about viewing artists in their own space and seeing work in progress, and as someone trained in art history, they offer a unique opportunity to discuss and critique art with the artists.  Anywhoo.  Last week Garrett and I went on some studio visits around Philly to see the studios of Garrett Davis, Erica Prince, Zach Osif, and our own Garrett Crabb.  We were joined by the amazingly talented Trenton Doyle Hancock, and ended with a perfect barbecue in our yard.  Below are some pics for your enjoyment.  One from Garrett Davis’s and two from the studio of Erica Prince.

Utley’s All Star Dogs

I have been sort of neglectful here, but wanted to make sure we got some information up about our current show.  In conjunction with Utley’s All-Star Animals and the PSPCA, the F.U.E.L. Collection is proud to present Dogs, featuring the work of Denise Fike, Noelle Nardone, and Jay McClellan, from May 29 – June 25, 2009.  

One of my roommates was pet sitting the cutest bulldog ever for two weeks and because she is now gone and I miss her dearly, I had to include a shot of Noelle’s painting.  From the press release, “Noelle Nardone’s paintings are a shout out to LOLcats and punk grunge skate culture that shows people’s need to communicate with, to, and through animals.  Similar to wheat-pasted advertisements on the side of walls, Nardone masks and paints her animals and words directly on maple and oak board, further illustrating her punk rock roots that inadvertently bring to mind a call to action for animal rights.”

 

Painting by Noelle Nardone

Jay McClellan paints his three dogs Drew, Tip, and Honey inside their home in bright vivid domestic spaces, capturing the personalities of man’s best friend.  His aesthetic places the dogs in dreamlike interiors full of pattern and color, that somehow feel homey and calm and highlights the intelligence of our domestic friends.  

Denise Fike’s work is a celebration of her love of fashion and animals.  She has a background in fashion illustration, and her high gloss, highly illustrative, pop artworks reverse the conventional notion of dogs as the ultimate accessory and instead remind us that fashion is the accessory and animals are equal companions and friends.  

 

Below are some snaps from our First Friday opening.

 

First Friday with Jay's work

 

 

 

Shots from First Friday, with Denise, Jay, and Tip and Honey. Painting by Denise.

Inspire

Untitled, 2009 – Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache, and Silk Screen on Paper, 13″ x 17″

After spam and sales, my largest source of emails are inspiration emails from all my friends. We forward each other new artists, you tube clips, and articles to entertain, but also to spark some creative thinking. My most prolific emailer and I started a blog a while back just to share ideas with each other, because emailing was proving too arduous.

Garrett sent me this artist last week, and as he is local, I figured I should share.

Alex Lucas via Fecal Face 

 

City Paper Review

The Philly City Paper has a great review of the Informative Segments show. Page 53 of the May 21 issue. Their website is either broken, or my use of the internet is lousy (probably both are true), but you can find it on any Philly street corner. Their website is supposed to be www.citypaper.net, so try it out for yourself and ill try to update while i’m at the beach (hah). Online version here. Have a great summer weekend.

“In this group show, which aims to examine how our world is simultaneously made more dull and more fantastic through technology, two artists stand out: Matthew Conradt and Lee Heekin. The former, who works with collage, draws attention to the things that we discard either individually or as a society — parking lots, grassy fields, blighted homes. Rendered in cutup scraps, Conradt emphasizes the slow decay of these items. Heekin, a sculptor, creates beautifully geometrical wooden works and wax-light boxes. Her obsession with grids and order, which pops up even in her structures that look like they’re about to fall apart, mimic the Information Age’s reliance on hard-line mathematics.”

FUEL Artists in New American Paintings

Congrats to FUEL artists, one past and one upcoming, on their features in issue 81 of New American Paintings.
 Erica Prince

Pink and Yellow Apartment with Chair Slide
mixed media collage and mirrored mylar on paper
20×22″

Nikki Painter

Float
2008
Mixed media on mylar
30″ x 11″

Visit their websites for more info, and check back soon for a studio visit with Erica.

Informative Segments Opening

I just uploaded some pictures from our opening on Friday of Informative Segments.  Great turn out and great fun, although I was mid severe sinus-infection, so was sadly a little grumpy and tired.  Is also the reason for the slow posts, but I promise I will make up for it this week.  Below are my favorites, see the whole set here.

Garrett and Ben in a congratulatory handshake.

Everyone loves free food and booze.

Lee Heekin’s incredible light boxes.

Work by Matt Conradt

First Fridays!

So the really cool thing about not hosting a First Friday event was that we actually got to visit other galleries on First Friday.  There is so much great artwork in Old City, and seeing it all surrounded by tons of drunk people was certainly an experience.  

By far my favorite Old City art up right now is at the Clay Studio.  Small Favors IV is in the same vein as FUEL’s Grand Small Works, with each artist asked to make a work using a wall mounted 4x4x4 plexi cube.  Gallery here.

John Williams, Drill, 2009, ceramic, concrete & plastic

Also up is Julia Galloway’s Quiescent which features hundreds of small cups and plates, each with their own delicate delft blue drawing of a native bird.  They are so beautiful, and some are placed on special sound emitting boxes, make the whole gallery a harmonious cacophony.  Both are up until May 31.

Informative Segments

Just an F.Y.I. that FUEL will not be open during this First Friday.  But please join us next Friday, May 8 from 6-9 for the opening of Informative Segments.  The show, curated by Ben Pinder, features the work of Matthew Conradt, Tony Ingrisano, Mary Cook, Mary Raap, and Lee Heekin.   I will be doing some more posts about the show next week, but for now, mark your calendars.

Flickr Update

I just updated Flickr with some photos from our Colors of Communication showcase last Thursday (in house photographer Zach!).  Thanks to everyone who came out.  The space looked great and I think that everyone had a great time.  My favorite candids are below.  Works on the wall are part of the University of the Arts photo show.