ArtPrize 2009

What an event! I'm sure all of you know about the results of its magnitude from the papers and various articles online, and it was absolutely all that! Art is now put back on the map, big time, and that is something many of us have been waiting for. I met so many wonderful people, and received some excellent comments and feedback. The energy, interaction, and conversation -what ArtPrize was all about - drew in a crowd of over 37,000 viewers with over 330,000 votes placed. I was honored to have been one of the 1,262 pioneering artists who contributed to making this cultural experiment such a success, paving the way for a future ArtPrize to be held again.

I had a great time showing alongside artist Cory Vanderzwaag of Grand Rapids, who created a sweet installation piece titled Familiar Analysis involving a table setting he constructed with interactive media features. Our work was a perfect fit together! Check out more on his profile.


On the front window of the gallery. . .


"Apple of My Eye." 30" x 40." acrylic on canvas. sold


Cory Vanderzwaag's interactive installation piece.

A huge thanks again to Amy and Josh of The MuStache Gallery located in Grand Rapids' Heartside area, a budding arts district with galleries, shops, and a music scene. The opportunity to be a part of the event would not have been possible without them!


Amy and Josh of The MuStache Gallery in Grand Rapids.

Some of the many viewers who came by opening night.

A great time had by all. I made 4 trips out in the course of the two weeks, and still was not able to see everything. Visit my Flickr album to see more of what I was able to catch, as well as mlive.com/artprize, and the ArtPrize Blog, to read reviews and all news about the event. Shore Magazine recently featured it as their cover story. Read all about it here. Thank you ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos and all involved, for encouraging art appreciation among the general public and for recognizing and putting such a high price on the value of what we artists do.

"ArtPrize" Update for Voters/Attendees

A quick update on "ArtPrize" and the voting procedure. Voters may now pre-register online at www.artprize.org. You still will have to show ID in person at the event to be eligible, however, this will save you time when you get there. Below are the rules. Additional information regarding voter registration stations at the event, etc., can be found at www.artprize.org/vote. Hope to see everyone there! The first week of voting, September 23-30, is the one that determines the top ten, so please plan on visiting and voting during that week! The final round (second week, October 1-7) can be done online. Feel free to also spread the word wherever you hang out online as well, by posting my "ArtPrize" badge above. Thank you all for your support!

Voting rules
Anyone who registers in person at the ArtPrize event can vote. You cannot vote without registering at the event.

• Attendees will be required to present a valid government issued ID in person at a registration station
• ID can be drivers license, other state ID or passport
• Pre-register and save time activating your voter status at the event
• There will be voter registration stations throughout the city September 23-October 7

Week 1 voting - All artists

• Voting begins 6:00pm, September 23, 2009
• You can vote on more than one work
• You cannot vote more than once for the same work
• Live results can be viewed online
• Week 1 voting ends 11:59pm, September 30
• Top 10 finalists will be announced evening, October 1

Week 2 voting - Top 10, ONE vote

• Voting begins after announcement of the Top 10, October 1
• You have only ONE vote during Week 2
• You may only vote among the Top 10
• You may change your vote until voting ends
• Results are concealed during Week 2
• Week 2 voting ends 11:59pm, October 7
• Winners will be announced at a gala event October 8

ArtPrize - World's Largest Art Competition

I am happy to announce that I have been accepted to show in ArtPrize, the world's largest art prize, to be held in Michigan's own Grand Rapids this month. I am very excited! Thank you to Stache Gallery, who has chosen to represent me in this global competition as my hosting venue. I was also given the opportunity to display additional work alongside my ArtPrize entry, so come on out and see my little show within the show!

For those who have not read about it in the papers or online in one form or another, this radical competition, part art competition, part social experiment, and labeled by some as the "American Idol" of the art world, is one huge event you do not want to miss! The winner is determined by public vote. To vote, you must be present in person at the event in Grand Rapids, which runs from September 23 - October 10, 2009. Voters must also be registered with the event to be eligible to vote. Beginning September 14, 2009, voters may pre-register online at http://www.artprize.org/. Voting at the event will be entirely electronic (via cell-phone or internet) and results will be available for live viewing online during the duration of the event. There will be two rounds of voting over the course of the two weeks. The first round determines the top ten finalists, and the final round determines the prize winners. Please visit www.artprize.org/vote for all registration and voting information.

Out of nearly 2,000 applicants from over 20 different countries, approximately 1,200 artists have been chosen to show in this event, spanning a three-square-mile radius of the city. Painting, sculpture, installation, and performance art are just a few of the many mediums that will be showcased. Grand Rapids will be the art hub of the world for these two weeks. Go, Michigan!

So come on out, be a part of a unique cultural experience, and vote for yours truly! :) I'm only revealing a tiny portion of the painting I did for this event (seen above) - you will have to come out to see the real thing!

Please visit http://www.artprize.org/ for more information, and check out my official ArtPrize profile HERE.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ArtPrize

ArtPrize is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in the city who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends.

We are living in a time of great change. New ideas, fresh inspiration will move us forward.There are enough art competitions where the winners are decided by a jury of experts. That's not the competition we are creating. We're looking for a giant conversation to happen between artists and the public. That is why we developed a radically open framework for this event, which gives power to everyone's opinion.When everyone's opinion counts, everyone is included in the conversation. ArtPrize exists to reboot the conversation between artists and audiences on a grand scale.

This is the prize breakdown of the largest art competition in the world:
1st place: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $50,000
4th: $7,000
5th: $7,000
6th: $7,000
7th: $7,000
8th: $7,000
9th: $7,000
10th: $7,000

Children's book out now!

I am excited to announce that the children's book I recently illustrated is out, and available for purchase!

A great story created to teach children about the importance of caring for the environment, and how to leave less of a footprint on the earth, it is a sweet, fun, educational read for children and adults alike. I was completely taken aback with awe when the first copies arrived to me. Seeing all the work I did in published form - hardcover with a dust-jacket and all - was quite a surreal feeling, and a great one. A big thanks to my client Holly Knight, who was a joy to work with throughout all the comps, edits, and press checks.

Purchase your copy online here!

Book signing events are in the works, and I will update everyone when those dates become available.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Clubhouse Conundrum
by Heather Meloche, Julie Angeli, Kathleen Pranger
Illustrated by Andrea Kowch

Children's book, 32 pp

The IHM Sisters use a story about building a clubhouse to teach children about environmental responsibility and the spirituality of sustainability.

The Clubhouse Conundrum, a 32-page, four-color, hardbound book tells the story of Monica and Gabe who want a clubhouse but disagree about whether to tear down the old fort and start over or to renovate what’s already there. When Monica’s Aunt Sarah, a nun, hears their debate, she takes them on a tour of her Motherhouse and show them how she and her 480 sisters resolved a similar problem.

During their amazing tour through the sisters’ earth-friendly home, Monica and Gabe learn about the sacredness of all creation, discover a little about post-modern nuns and find an answer to their problem.

"Refuge"

40" x 30"
acrylic on canvas



One of the several paintings I have going at the moment. This is one I wish to leave up to the viewer - an ode to the hidden sanctuaries we run to to seek solace, wherever or whatever they are.

"Tour of the Universe" 2009

The night of July 24, 2009, was indeed a night to remember at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre as Depeche Mode kicked off the North American leg of their 2009 world tour, "Tour of the Universe." It's no lie when they say a DM concert is a spiritual experience. Absolutely incredible. I was so fortunate to have experienced it from the main floor, and, as expected, the show was lined with stunning visuals, incredible energy coming from 16,000 fellow DM devotees, and the Mode themselves as spectacular as ever. In a nutshell, it couldn't have been more perfect.

The day's drive to Toronto was beautiful, with the 401 winding through some of the most gorgeous fields and lush farmland. If I was not on a tight schedule, I would have definitely spent some time exploring the landscape. The weather was something to behold as well, everchanging throughout the day from crisp sunshine, to dark, rolling clouds, to violent rain, to sun again. Crows were abundant, flying every which way over and alongside the highway as I drove, only to show up again as part of DM's stage visuals later that night. I was floored. More sweet surprises showed up when the band switched up their scheduled setlist, performing songs that I really hoped to hear live. It took an hour and a half to move three miles in the concert traffic, and, after the show, the parking lots became an after-party, as the hundreds of us waiting for traffic to move out, mingled and blasted Depeche Mode favorites out of cars. What better way to top the night off? The universe was definitely smiling those 24 hours. "Sounds of the Universe" indeed.

"Blackbird Ballads" Released

This past February, I was approached with the wonderful opportunity to have my work appear on a CD cover - something I've always dreamed of! Now I'm pleased to announce that Blackbird Ballads, the recent music collaboration between LA-based poet Brian Michael Tracy and musicians Andy Hill and Renee Safier is now released! I couldn't be more thrilled and honored to be a part of this project. A lyrical, wonderful album combining music and the spoken word, it was performed in its entirety at the release party in Redondo Beach last weekend, and is now available for purchase through Midnight Tea Poetry. The imagery and the album's subject matter could not have been a more perfect fit. A great way to unwind after a long day, get yourself a copy, kick back, and let your senses flow. . . .

"In the Path of the Wind"

40" x 30"
acrylic on canvas sold



One of my latest recently shown at the College for Creative Studies Spring Exhibition. The natural world is always the keeper of mysteries and phenomena that surround us and keep our world an ever-changing place. Just as the earth moves and undergoes change, we, as people, continue to move forward. In the Path of the Wind speaks of those times in our lives when we try to create order out of chaos, when the fear of the unknown dwells in our subconscious, refusing to be addressed until an inner transformation takes place.

Change is an inevitable part of life’s cycle, whether we wish to embrace it or not. The imagery in this painting serves as a metaphor for that moment when we come to a crossroads, unable to decide which path to walk. It is a time when destiny begins to shape itself with unstoppable force and events are set in motion. Logic soon departs, and intuition takes the reins, leading us where it deems best – just as the wind blows a seedling to where it is destined to take root and grow.

Fear, uncertainty, confusion, and chaos counterbalanced by a strange sense of peace were emotions I wanted present in this work, to illustrate how, despite the state of things during the "storm," situations eventually become clear in the end. The mind finally opens to accept what is, after finding the courage to let go of what was, and all is reborn.

"Spectrum 16" update!

Just a heads up from my earlier post. Expect to see No Turning Back in this year's "Spectrum 16" annual, coming out later this year!

Update!

A warm hello to everyone! It has been a while since my last post, but things have been cooking! I have been teaching, recently completed press checks for the upcoming children's book, which is now going to print (see my previous post), and working on other commissions. The past few busy months in addition to the past year, however, have caused me to currently take a break for a bit to regroup. Lots of new things are begun and in the making, however, so stay tuned!