Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley

"The Arrival" watercolor on paper

Kamala Dolphin Kingsley's organic,kitsch, Art Nouveau-inspired watercolor paintings have never failed to amaze me with their offbeat subject matter and attention to detail. She depicts creatures and fauna in a way that is gorgeous and quirky while appearing both antiquated and contemporary.
In addition to selling her original paintings, Kingsley offers prints of varying sizes so that even the brokest of us can afford to hang her magic in our homes.
Here is a play by play description of how creates her paintings:




"I begin with reference images and initial, pretty bad hand sketches

...after I figure out the general layout I want, I paste all the different things together in Photoshop to make the final sketch.

Yeah, I'm a cheater.





I blow the photoshop sketch up to 22x28 (the full size of the final painting), tape it to the back of the watercolor painting, and trace it onto the paper.

I work on it in pencil until I like it, then start on the sepia (watercolor & acrylic) wash, and then start on the colors, and add many layers of colors until I get it where I want it.


I like the interaction of light & dark, good and bad, innocence and complication, humour & gravity, and the reality of the natural world & the human need to idealize it. Oh yeah, and I really like glitter.
"


www.kamaladolphinkingsley.com
And see more Fine art on Flickr

Newsworthy: A year in Pictures

On Friday, January 2nd at Bobo Gallery, the S.S. Drawing Club will debut their handbound and illustrated book, Newsworthy. These limited edition books are collected illustrations loosely based upon factual news reports gathered from various sources throughout the year of 2008. The show is a retrospective of the most macabre and strange events from around the world during the year as we come to its close.
The S.S. Drawing Club (formerly known as Segment 16) is currently comprised of Julie Armbruster and R. Brooke Priddy - both accomplished artists in their own right.

Vickie L. Wrenn

Vickie L. Wrenn is a local artist who sells color copies of her paintings in downtown Asheville for a donation of $1 - $5. If you don't have $1 to spare, she'll probably just give you print anyway. Wrenn can usually be found outside of Malaprop's Bookstore on Haywood St. on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights. She told me she generally makes one painting a day and has been painting for over a decade. Her original paintings will eventually be auctioned off via the Internet. Visit her downtown to see and purchase prints of her inspired and varied paintings.

Two ways to do fiber

Handbag by Lisa Klakulak

Last weekend I attended the studio sale of fiber artist Lisa Klakulak. Her one-of-a-kind hand-crafted and sculpted felt accessories are precisely executed as well as designed. I especially like her necklaces, rings, and pincushions. She gave us a demonstration on how to make felt which turns out to be quite a tedious process but I imagine it could be sorta fun if you can get into the zen quality of it.
Check out www.strongfelt.com for more information on Klakulak and the workshops she teaches.

"Rock-n-Roll" Jacket by Valerie Hoh

So there we all were, making felt, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed the super stellar jacket of one of the participants in the group. I guess it caught my eye because it was so funky and unexpected. It was made out of a yellow leather and suede patchwork material with black zippers sewn onto it. Turns out, the woman wearing it, Valerie Hoh, also made it, and is the creator of Hoh Couture. Check her website out! It's pretty terrific.
www.hohcouture.com

A recipe for curing creative block

According to Wikipedia, creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts. Or simply the act of making something new.
Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in an artistic, musical, or intellectual endeavor. Literally, the word means "breathed upon."
Whatever. I've been having a bout of neither of those lately, which explains why I'm copying and pasting out of Wikipedia.

I've done a little Internet research on how to deal with creative block and to be honest, I am finding all the links and sites on this topic to be either dumb, too emo, too cliche, too much of a scam, too corporate or annoying as hell

Here is my personal remedy:
1. Go to a store. Purchase anything that has stimulating qualities on your physical and mental psyche.
ie: coffee, green tea, matte, trucker speed (aka mini thins, yellow jackets, or ephedrine, they make an herbal version of this stuff as well and I hear it works wonders.), Pepsi (gag) or an energy drink with lots of stuff in it (double gag.)
2. Consume the upper of choice with a friend and then talk about art for 15 hours.
3. Before you crash, start painting or drawing or writing, or whatever it is that you do.
4. Go ahead and sleep if you need to.
5. When you wake up you will be so blown away by the masterpiece you've created that you won't be able to stand your genius self and you'll just have to keep going with it.

The end!

Sewing the Muse on the Internet

Visit the link here
Thank you everyone who helped me and supported me with this project.

"Sewing the Muse" on URTV

"Sewing the Muse," an Art Seen Asheville production, is finally complete and will be airing repeatedly on URTV. This week it is scheduled to air on charter cable channel 20 at the following times:
Monday Dec. 1st - 2:00 am and 9:30 pm
Wed Dec 3rd - 2:30am, 2:00pm, 10:30 pm
Thurs Dec 4th - 9:30pm
Sat Dec. 6th - 4:30pm
If you are one of the many who proudly do not own a tv or have cable you can now stream URTV on your computer! Go to www.urtv.org and check it out.
URTV is the public access community television station in Asheville, NC and broadcasts to all of Buncombe County. It is a tremendous resource for the community and a plethora of groovy shows have sprouted out of URTV.
The KC Waters Show, Mount Dungeon, Pleasure Saucer, The Wall Paper Project, The Mad Monk of Montford, The Matt Howard Show, Glo Lady TV, The Ellen B Show and The Global Report are among my personal faves.

An interview with Chris Bower

Chris Bower lives in Asheville and has produced several short films in addition to the feature length science fiction epic Moon Europa. Bower is currently producing We Won't Bow Down a documentation of the Mardis Gras Indians of New Orleans. In addition to his film making pursuits he fronts the notorious and ever-evolving punk filth band, The Sexpatriates

www.mooneuropa.com
www.wewontbowdown.com

-----------------------------------------------------------

ASA: How did you get into film making?

CB: I started doing experimental film and slide dissolve back in 93 with a group of artist in Knoxville. From there I messed around with it when I could get my hands on a camera. I jumped around a lot as a younger artist. I did music, painting, sculpture, installations, photography, writing, design and went to school for historic restoration. I came to a point where I felt I needed to commit to one thing. I decided it would have to be film because it is the one field where I was going to use everything I was into. Also it was the most challenging.

Do you think you have a specific style or approach to your films that differentiates you from other filmmakers?

My style is very visual. I’m sort of old fashion in that I believe in “pure cinema”, telling a story through images. I like to push the medium, experiment with the camera and with narrative structure. There is a certain magic that can be achieved through proper cinematic decision-making. I also believe that film can be a powerful art form and not just a commodity. I’m not sure if that differentiates me from anyone but these are the ideas that shape my process.

What are the advantages to being a filmmaker in Asheville?

You have a lot of community support from individuals and small business. A good infrastructure with Blue Ridge Motion pictures. As well as a large pool of talented people to collaborate with.

Disadvantages?

It has very little economic opportunity. The arts are used to attract people to the area but there is little offered to help the artist. The city and county could get together and offer healthcare and housing/studio services to the people whose backs they have built their reputation on but I doubt this even registers in their thought process. They take our creativity, commodify it, and sell it to the outside world. What does the artist get? Nothing but higher rent. What is the artist worth? After a few nice words and a glossy magazine spread, Zero. Give back? What is that? Support? We’ll give bloated prices for a piece of bullshit public art instead of making a significant contribution to members of the arts community that are struggling to survive.

Again, the city and county could offer health care to artists through the health department. And use some city funds and land to build short-term housing and studio space to nurture and replenish what they have harvested from us. This would free up resources and allow artists more time to develop, produce, market and sell innovative work. Leading to a more vibrant community and more tax dollars. But unfortunately, I think that the city’s love and support of art is really the love of exploiting people for it’s nice P.R. and ad campaigns. I sound jaded I know, but I think this can change for the better if we want to make it an issue.

What prompted your interest in documenting the Mardi Gras Indians?

Steve Mann’s photographs. When I first saw his images I knew I had to see these amazing people. I got my chance after Katrina when Steve invited me to go down to help document how Katrina was affecting the Indians. We were trying to get a grant that George Soros was giving away to help tell the story of that tragic situation. Unfortunately we did not receive the grant. A good six months went by and I couldn’t get it out of my mind so I went to Steve and Craig Hobbs, producer of Moon Europa, and asked if they wanted to do a feature documentary on the Indians. They said yes and we went down and talked it over with some of the Indians and they were down so we went for it.

How has the production of a documentary been different than the production of a narrative movie?

The whole process is different in everyway.

Are there any movies or filmmakers that specifically inspire you and your vision as a filmmaker?

I like the philosophy of Herzog, the grand vision of Kubrick, the dedication to craft of Sergio Leone, Ridley Scott and the Coens, the daringness of Godard and the completeness of the Maysles brothers.As far as films go, so many mean so much to me in different ways that it is to hard to single any one out.

You've been painting lately, is this something you've always done or is it new to you?

When I was younger I concentrated on painting but gave it up because I wanted to explore other things. Then when I lived in Paris I did a series of paintings based on space but then got wrapped up in film and once again lost interest. I haven’t painted in almost 8 years so it feels very new.

Describe your process of making the paintings.

Well it’s like found object art. I paint houses to pay the bills and so I’ll save left over paint I find on the jobsite. I’ll find boards and other scrap material in the alley, I live chicken alley, and then I’ll find random imagery that excites me in some way. After I get enough stuff together I’ll do as many paintings as I can as fast as I can. It is sort of primitive I guess.

I love to work as fast as possible because film making is soooo slow. It takes years from beginning to end. After doing film for so long it amazes me that I can create something and it is finished quickly. Sometimes in a few days!

In your opinion, are there any similarities between your paintings and your film making?

We built the spaceship in Moon Europa and Solatrium out of found and salvaged objects, so I bring that same spirit to the paintings. But what I like about my painting is that I can just let go and do it. With the films I am constantly thinking, questioning and planning.

Chris Bower discusses the inspiration and costuming of Moon Europa in "Sewing the Muse" a new Art Seen Asheville production about the work and collaborations of R. Brooke Priddy.

Asheville HATCHfest

HATCHfest is a multi-day experience that includes performances and exhibitions, interactive mentoring labs, panels and demonstrations, lectures, parties, and awards. It is described as a "mentoring festival" which means that established professionals from various disciplines will be brought to Asheville to teach workshops and provide assistance to people about their discipline. The workshops will be free and open to the public and among the disciplines provided will be fashion, architecture, journalism, photography and illustration.
The first annual Asheville HATCHfest will occur April 15-19, 2009.
R. Brooke Priddy has been instrumental in the development of Asheville HATCHfest through her creative presence at fund raising events and assistance provided with establishing the fashion portion of the festival. This past October, Priddy was invited to create a performance for the HATCH festival in Bozeman, Montana. These are pictures of her installation entitled "By Land." To read more about the creative unfolding of this project visit her blog here. The photos were taken by Taylor Richards Glenn. taylorglennphoto.com

Alison Watson is the co-chair of the Asheville HATCHfest and she appears in "Sewing the Muse" to discuss HATCHfest in greater detail. Watson began her career directing and producing documentary films, which have won recognition and awards across the US. She spent several years shooting and producing outdoor films and television commercials, and has worked with the Media Arts Project in building the media arts industry in WNC. Currently she is involved with the Asheville Film Commission and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance.

www.ashevillehatchfest.com

Rene Treece

Check out the blog of local photographer, Rene Treece
where you will find her stop-motion videos and personal photography journal.
Rene Treece appears in "Sewing the Muse" as friend and collaborative partner to R. Brooke Priddy. Read another post I wrote about Rene here.

An interview with Megan McKissack

I often seek the advice of Megan McKissack when I'm working on video projects. I trust her eye, her opinions, and her technological know-how. Megan developed the opening title to Art Seen Asheville, and has helped with production of "Sewing the Muse." She has made leaps and bounds as a video projection artist over the past two years both technically, and creatively, and best of all she's really cool to hang out with.
---------------------------------------------------------
ASA: How did you get into video projecting and electronic media in general?

MM: I started out editing my partner Ben's music show on the local public access station, URTV about two years ago and working with my friend Scott Furr who is a vj. Scott was the first person I had seen do that style of video performance and I was blown away. He introduced me to the software and got me started with how to use it and we started doing shows in tandem. I have always been fascinated by and impressed with the potential of computers but had never really had a worthwhile computer until four years ago, I was typing papers on a manual typewriter until about my second year of college. I guess now I'm making up for that by trying to learn as much as I can.

ASA: Describe what you do.

I curate video clips and edit them down to their essential parts and then use video mixing software similar to a dj and play and mix clips live in reaction to music played by a band or dj.

ASA: How do you find your images?

Some clips I make myself but a large amount of clips I use come from places like youtube, archive.org (which has a lot of open creative commons videos) and old vhs tapes that I find.

ASA: What are you looking for when searching for imagery?

When working with a band or dj, I start thinking about a theme or a mood that the music expresses to me and then collect imagery that I feel relates. I am really biased toward videos that are homemade and more lo-fi. I usually don't like to use video that is too high quality unless aesthetically it is of a beautiful subject. I like using youtube videos because they express a human touch, there is bad lighting or glitches in the video, they are never seamless and perfect, a quality that makes them attractive to me.

ASA: What programs do you use and why? what are you learning? what is your favorite program?
I use final cut pro, vdmx (video mixing software), quicktime, and photoshop almost daily. VDMX is wonderful in that you can take the basic elements that the program provides and build a custom video mixing system suited to you, in that same respect it can be challenging because you don't just open the program and start mixing. It makes for a really dynamic program in that you can constanly learn about and change the program from top to bottom. I'm also trying to learn more about adobe after effects and quartz composer.

ASA: What has been the most challenging event you've done?

The most challenging event so far has been working on the Arts Council Purple Ball. I had spent a lot of time preparing video to go on all of the screens in the building plus using the projector as a lighting source for a dance performance but on the very day of the event nothing was working so I spent every last minute right up until the start of the event redoing a lot of the work I had done and it came together just in the nick of time. It was the most stressfull thing I have ever done but the staff at 11 on grove were extremely helpful in getting everything together.

ASA:Tell us about a really fun event.

After everything came together for the Purple Ball, it turned out to be a great event. I worked with Brooke Priddy projecting onto an 8 foot tall dress that she made for a singer to wear at the Purple Ball. I loved being able take the projection off of a flat wall or screen and onto the architecture of the dress.

ASA: What is your favorite thing?

The smell of old books

ASA: What video artists or people in general inspire you.

I really like the work of Takeshi Murata, Stan Vanderbeek, Josef Albers but I'm really inspired by my friends and other artists I have meet here in Asheville, they consistently do amazing work despite not have any support from the community at large and performing even when they don't get paid.

http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2003/12/takeshi_murata.html Takeshi Murata link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Jf_p3lHxY Stan Vanderbeek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLqa2Jf35o4 doom ribbons link

Amanda Boekhout and Elliott Elephant Clothes

Inspired by Asheville's unique fashion aesthetic, Amanda Boekhout taught herself how to sew shortly after moving to North Carolina from Florida. What began with embroidery and stenciling on t-shirts, has now transformed into her clothing line Elliott Elephant.
Using old clothes Boekhout creates one-of-a-kind pieces that are sold at The Honey Pot and on Etsy.com

Amanda Boekhout has modeled for R.Brooke Priddy and credits Priddy towards inspiring her tailoring and sewing. She will appear in "Sewing the Muse" an Art Seen Asheville production which features the work and collaborations of Priddy.
Visit www.elliottelephant.com to see Amanda's paintings and clothing.

Paul Olszewski

Paul outfits Aubrey Adams. Photo by Stephen Miller

As Paul Olszewski tells it, ten years ago all the elements of the universe came together in such a way that suddenly one day he found himself designing and sewing leather pants for legendary fashion designer Anna Sui. From a warehouse in NYC's Meatpacking District Olszewski and a friend created leather bags, guitar cases, hats, pants and jewelry for top name designers and celebrities including Julia Roberts, David Bowie and Metallica.

Today Paul Olszewski lives in Asheville with his wife and two kids and continues to construct leather belts and straps. Frequently he collaborates with dressmaker R. Brooke Priddy for fashion happenings including the The Post Apocalyptic Fashion Show, and The Red Carpet Vortex.
A graduate of the School of Visual Art, Olszewski also paints and creates video installations. See more of his work at www.industreehouse.com

Julie Armbruster

The characters are disturbed, yet are set in a familiar illustrative context. The combination of layered materials and concentrated attention inextricably link the process of automatic drawing and repetition to the preoccupation with finding meaning and satisfaction in life. ~ Julie Armbruster

Believing that she should be able to afford her own work, Armbruster often creates pieces that are small in scale. She has been a contributing artist to the Artomat Project where her cigarette box-size works are sold in vending machines nationally.


Julie Armbruster appears in the upcoming Art Seen Asheville program, "Sewing the Muse" as friend and collaborative partner of Brooke Priddy. Julie and Brooke have been members of a drawing club called Segment 16 and will be exhibiting their drawings in January 2009.
Visit www.juliearmbruster.net to see more of her work.

Sewing the Muse: Josephine Foster

Brooke Priddy and Josephine Foster

I am currently working on an episode of Art Seen Asheville in the studios of URTV called "Sewing the Muse" which features the work and collaborative projects of local dressmaker, Brooke Priddy. In addition to Brooke I have interviewed a bevy of local talent who have collaborated with Brooke in some form. I will be posting blogs over the upcoming days about the people featured in the show and the wonderful talents associated with this project.

Cover Art for Hazel Eyes I Will Lead You

Josephine Foster has graciously allowed me the use of her music as soundtrack for "Sewing the Muse." A friend to Brooke Priddy, Foster has performed locally in Priddy's West Asheville shop, Ship to Shore. My introduction to Brooke and Josephine was a collaborative performance where Brooke cut and hemmed a gown upon the lovely Josephine while she majestically performed her indescribably haunting music. A self-proclaimed "opera school dropout" Foster uses traditional instruments like guitar, bells, harp, ukulele, dulcimer, kazoo and sitar to blur the definitions of folk and experimental music. Her sinewy voice weaves through her compositions as its own instrument akin to a musical saw. That Josephine Foster performed wedding and funeral songs at age 15 is no surprise giving that her music harkens celebration and melancholia simultaneously.
This Coming Gladness is her most recent cd release.

Two cool things in one night!

Tonight at 8:00 at the Firestorm Cafe,The Iron Ladies will be screened as an event to benefit Asheville's Tranzmission Prison Books Program. The Iron Ladies is a Thai comedy based on a true story about a men's volleyball team whose players are mostly transvestites, transsexuals and homosexuals. I haven't seen it, but it looks like it's gonna be campy as hell and awesome. Proceeds from tonight's movie will go towards the Asheville Tranzmission's Prison Books Program. You are encouraged to donate money and books that are LesbianGayBiTranny/Queer specific or are written by queer or tranny authors, or that pertain to gay men. The books will be sent to prisoners around the US who have requested them. Tranzmission serves to promote awareness and advocacy around gender issues, and they often throw fabulous fundraising events which is why I love them so much. More info about Tranzmission can be found here.
After the movie, check out Bobo's for some great electronic ambient bands including Body of John the Baptist and klezmiresque music by the once duet now quartet Ashes in Order

On Friday October 24th

Lube Royale

Lube Royale will be making a special appearance in West Asheville at The Rocket Club friday October 24th. I'm very excited about this because I've never seen them play live but I love their music and from what I've seen on video, their performances get arty and weird. Show starts around 11:00ish.

Also happening on Friday night at 9:30: The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be showing at 191 Lyman St. in The River Arts District to benefit the Asheville Free Book Exchange.

My 15 minutes of cyber fame

Here is an interview I did for Steven Gray who publishes Art Re-Source a blog he created as a response to the frustration he was feeling in art school. Art Re-Source is read by artists and students to supplement education through interviews and useful links. I hope you enjoy it.

Brian Mashburn

While overseas (in China and Hong Kong), I observed layers of buildings and endless rows of skyscrapers with a continuous ebb and flow of people, reminiscent of tides, and while I do not fully subscribe to the idea of the human race as a virus, I do think these cities epitomize visually the human condition and its subsequent effect on the environment. - Brian Mashburn

View more at www.brianmashburnart.com

Proud to be living in Asheville

Graffiti found near the railroad tracks of the River Arts District as photographed by Henry Neufeld for the book Asheville's River Arts District by Henry and Rob Neufeld.

Art Classes by two great artists!

Local painters Alli Good and Julie Armbruster have designed a class focusing on innovative techniques in drawing and painting to help strengthen the imagination. By the end of the three sessions each student will complete at least one painting and experience a variety of drawing and painting media. In addition, each student will have lots of individual attention and an opportunity to learn from other young artists through collaborative warm up exercises. The class will meet Saturdays November 1st-15th from 12:30pm-2:30pm at Woolworth Walk in downtown Asheville. This class is open for young artists aged 6-12 and costs $40 including materials. Please send inquiries and suggestions to doodlesociety@gmail.com or call Woolworth Walk at (828) 254-9234.

Michael Traister's Faces of Izzy's

I love looking at photographs of people I know. I love to stare at them -- like really stare into their eyes and examine the muscles of their face, frozen in time and wonder what they were thinking in that moment. Michael Traister's show Paying Customers Only: The Faces of Izzy's indulges that desire for me, and so much more.
It's such an intimate show; dozens and dozens of black and white photographic prints hang modestly by clips and cover the walls of Izzy's Coffee Den on Lexington St in downtown Asheville. Each photo is of a paying customer to Izzy's coffeeshop. I wonder if Traister had any plan in mind for the order in which the photographs are hung, but they appear to be randomly displayed and the association of each person to their neighbor was often very funny to me.
It was such a delight to scan the many familiar faces and read their names written in ink on the lower left corner of each photo. What a relief to put a name to a face in this small town where so many of the subjects of this show I've seen a million times. The way Traister captures the essence of each person is remarkable. For example, there's a photo of a guy who I think is the biggest turd in town, and he is captured giving the fuck you sign. (Now I've really enticed you haven't I? Bet you can't wait to see who I think the biggest turd in town is.)
I was so delighted by this show that I checked out Michael Traister's online portfolio. Turns out he has been shooting bands and sock monkeys professionally for several years...normally both of those things (bands and sock monkeys) don't entice me as photographic subjects, but Traister really does a great job with both! His sock monkeys aren't kitschy, but more like... badass. Like the black and white photo of rock icon impersonator, El Vez holding a sock monkey complete with sombrero.
See for yourself: www.traisterphoto.com
The exhibit at Izzy's will be up through the month of October.
It is not to be missed.

William Kentridge

The animated films of William Kentridge are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second to two seconds' screen time. A single drawing will be altered and filmed this way until the end of a scene.



A theme running through all of Kentridge's work is his particular way of representing his birthplace of Johannesburg, South Africa as metaphor for the duality of man. I am particularly drawn to the expressive and raw quality of his drawings, and his courage to represent the lonely and dissociated state of the ruling class.

What reality TV wishes it could be.

This Saturday Oct. 11 at Asheville Arts Center (308 Merrimon Ave.) 8:00pm and 10:00pm

Sometimes the most bizarre quality of low budget/home made video is the absolute normality of it. There is comfort in discovering that other people are just as insane or banal as you are. If you're a voyeur and into stuff like homemade music videos and bad public access TV as evidence of a truly inspired culture, you will probably appreciate this event.
View the trailer here
Read more here

Art Party!!!

When we think about art -- particularly visual art -- we often think of the singular artist's vision. Lately I've taken an interest in art groups and art collaborations as metaphor for community. In these days of apocalyptic thinking, learning to work together intuitively and cooperatively could be one of the most useful tools we have in dealing with and overturning the current economic crisis of the free market economy.

www.pacificartcollective.com

Painting has always been a solitary act for me. I prefer to do it alone because I find the company of others distracting, and to be honest, I feel self conscious. My friend Courtney Chappell is the opposite. She likes to have a lot of people around. She says it quiets the negative voices in her head, and stimulates her art making process.

My side of the porch.

Last Saturday on a whim Courtney came over and we set up our gear on my porch. I realized that this was the first time in years that I had painted with another person nearby. My friends and I often have art parties, but usually I occupy myself with something like embroidery or smoking.

Courtney's side of the porch.

Maybe the weight of painting has always felt too great for me to share with others, but the experience of painting with Courtney allowed me to take risks and approach the process in ways that I haven't in the past. I've decided that I want to bring more collaborations into my life, and not hide out so much with regards to painting. I'm beginning to think that art as a communal and collaborative experience just might be a wave we can ride joyfully into the future. Or at least I'm hoping it is.

Gabriel Shaffer

Some time back I had the opportunity to interview and video Gabriel Shaffer in his studio for Art Seen Asheville. I watched as he started a painting and sprinkled dirt -- or maybe it was ashes -- into the paint he was using. He said it added a story and an energy to the piece.

The scale of Shaffer's art runs the gamut between small works on paper and large canvases. He layers different drawing styles, materials, symbols and marks into each piece. His process is as varied, energetic, and intuitive as the art itself.

www.gabrielshaffer.com

Be sure to check out Shaffer's solo exhibition If You Want Blood currently on display at The Satellite Gallery in downtown Asheville.

Click here to see the Art Seen Asheville video of Gabriel Shaffer.