Saturday, December 29, 2007

Paris



I just returned from a week in Paris where my wife and I were visiting friends. Being my favorite city in the world, it's not hard to get inspired to do more work when I return home. A couple of nights ago I toured through a local art exhibit which happens to be right across the street from where my friends live and there were a couple of artists who were really good and was glad I spent a bit of time speaking with them. I got a chance to speak with a gallery rep as well which was great as I look to both expand my network and maybe have a showing in Paris somtime in the future.

For now, I am back to preparing for the two shows that Marcus and I will be doing in New York in May and June. I'll be posting some of this new work as I get things completed, so keep checking back!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Opening Night

Thanks to all of our dear friends that came out to support us at our opening on Saturday. Marcus and I both had an absolutely amazing time and everything came off perfectly. Special thanks to Mark, Oliver and Jenny for making this an extra awesome night for us. You guys are the best!

Sadly my pictures came out kind of blurry (really blurry, actually). It was a blast though, so who cares how the pictures turned out! With that said, here's one shot that turned out alright.



Stay tuned for our next show coming up in the spring at GALLERYFCB in Chelsea!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

NYC Opening

New paintings by Demetrius Romanos and Marcus Fletcher - This Saturday, December 8th from 8-10pm at Grounded in New York. This will be the first NYC opening for the Cincinnati based artists.




"These pieces are the fusion of my work as a designer and as an artist. I feel a deep need to explore and capture the chaos and instability of nature while bringing a certain order to all of it, satisfying my need for balance."

-Demetrius Romanos



"Within my work, I try to create movement and balance with a feeling of complex simplicity. The line is important and color aids the line or curve in its motion throughout the canvas. There are far too many academic influences to mention in this limited space but I believe that without trust and belief none of this would have been possible."

-Marcus Fletcher





Wednesday, December 5, 2007

(m)orchids

I seem to have gotten in a groove with the orchid paintings lately. I've begun to evolve them and I'm also beginning to incorporate some of the more graphic and geometric elements from some of my other work. I just finished this one last night and it's earmarked for a friend. I'll be moving on from this groove soon before it becomes a rut!


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

One More...

I did a painting earlier this year that I liked, but always thought it looked incomplete. Well, this past long weekend while painting like 10 hours a day, I had a flash of inspiration and did some additional work on this one. Now it's done.


"Factory Girl" - 24"x36"


Friday, November 23, 2007

More New W(Y)ork

I just finished some more pieces that I may include in my upcoming show. I did 3 small 10"x10" Space Bee paintings and a mixed media piece called "Runway 5-A" that I really like. Hope you like them.


"Runway 5-A" - 16"x20"


Sunday, November 18, 2007

Upcoming Show in New York

My good friend Marcus Fletcher and I are doing a joint show at Grounded in New York which opens on Saturday, December 8th and runs through the end of the year. I'll post more details about the actual opening night as things come together, but in the meantime here's some of my latest work that I'll likely be including. Tell me what you think!


"Orchids 2" - 24"x30"


"Cosmonaut" - 16"x20" sold


Space Bee 11/07" - 16"x20" sold


Monday, October 15, 2007

Simplify Man!


In honor of "blog action day"'s global blog topic around the environment, I will prosethletize my personal feelings on the matter of sustainability, conservation, green-ness or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

As a consultant, I design tons of packaging for some of the largest consumer products companies in the world. I actually really enjoy the work as I have all the product and packaging design I've done over my 15 career. The part I have always felt sort of guilty about though is the fact that (at least moreso in the USA) everything we design is predestined to be ladfill fodder anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 months after purchase. I used to find it odd when I worked on technology focused products that I'd often be designing a product to replace the one that had yet to come to market. Planned obsolescence in action.

It seems that only in the last couple of years have the words "green" and "sustainability" gone from meaning color and consistency respectively to environmentally friendly and ethically conscious. It's sad that taking care of our planet has gone from a hippie craze to a niche market to a business trend rather than a true way of life. When Wal-mart is now pushing sustainability to its suppliers, a la P&G, Sony, etc, you know it's become both pervasive and marginalized. Just think about a fashion item being pitched in place of sustainability and you'll see how lame this sounds. And not their green push isn't valid or valuable, just that it's depressing that mankind could give a shit about the planet that we all share without a marketing message to prod them.

My inspiration on the topic of sustainability actually comes from a hippie character on the Simpson's who once eloquently told Homer to "Simplify man!" I tend to follow a more European mindset which is based on simplicity in the sense that I'd rather buy products that were made to last longer, less often. I'd rather pay more for better clothes, electronics, cars or whatever and get longer use out of them rather than to be constantly replacing shit with more but newer shit. Granted, globalization (which should really be called Americanization as long as we're renaming movements) is steadily creeping into more traditional European purchasing habits and way of life, but the point is this, sustainability, green or whatever you want to call it, should begin with simplicity - and by simplicity I mean quality over quantity.

To me, that's as good a place to start as any and simply put, I'd rather have 1 Prada jacket for 10 years than 1 Old Navy jacket every year for 10 years.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Parliament Cigarettes


I dont smoke. Never have. I hate how exposure to a smoky venue makes my clothes and skin stink and my eyes and throat burn. I dont quite understand why people do it or how someone even ever invented it, but funny enough, I think it looks cool; as do certain brands.

The classic cigarette box that tends to be recognized as a design icon is without a doubt, Lucky Strike. This was designed by Raymond Loewy back in something like 1940 or so and truly has withstood the test of time. With logos like Shell, Exxon and Coca-Cola to his name, Lowey's genius was easily applied to the cigarette box.

My wife used to smoke, which I hated. I hated more that she tried to hide it for so long, but that's another story. When she did smoke though, she was a fan of Parliaments, which I referred to as "janitor cigarettes" (I first was exposed to Parliaments by our janitor when I was in design school, hence my name for them). I didn't like that my wife smoked and I'm glad she quit, but I at least was ok with the brand because I really like the graphic look. The chevron is sophisticated, the wordmark is bold and the palette is regal - and it all comes together in a package that's approachable and affordable. I also like that the look is vaguely reminiscent of the old transistor radios from the 60s - lending a retro-futuristic appearance as well as appearing technologically advanced. See the influence?



Not being a smoker, I cant judge cigarettes by anything else than brand statement and graphic treatment. I actually dont have a clue how anyone can differentiate between any of them on anything other than that. I will say though, that if I did smoke, I would likely just pick the ones that looked the best and had a brand image that befits a handsome, stylish lad like me : )

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Pharmacy


I travel alot and when I do I spend much of my time walking around and soaking in all the culture I can. Having grown up around Pharmacies all my life and being a product designer (and semi-hypochondriac), I have retained a fascination with the Apothecary. I particularly like Pharmacies or Chemists in Europe. They're more like Doctors who work at a store and can prescribe not only heart meds and axiety pills, but help you pick out a great foundation color or that right pair of sunglasses. It's great!

One thing I had not really thought about much until recently however is why do European Pharmacies use a green Greek cross as their symbol? The cross has become so synonymous with the Pharmacy, that I never really thought about why. To the internet I thought! I'm going to solve this inquiry right quick.

Well, things didn't quite turn out that way. I have searched for every possible reason and have come across everything from Taiwanese neon green cross manufacturers (surprisingly, more than 1) to Wikipedia entries on crosses and pharmacies and even symbology. But no one reason as to why. A specific Wikipedia entry about Pharmacies was particularly educational from several aspects and even provides a chart of various signs and symbols used in conjunction with the Pharmacy, but I was still left with no clear reason as to why. Now sure, I could come up with something clever or sacriledgious on my own, but I sure would like to know the real reason.

Limnos Montage

I recently returned from Greece where my wife and I were vacationing and visiting all my family. We spent most of our time in Limnos which is pretty much my favorite place on earth. I made a photo-montage of what I call My Limnos to summarize in images what Limnos is to me. Enjoy!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Counterfeit Design

During my recent vacation in Italy and Greece, I naturally spent A LOT of time shopping. I am kind of a clothing junkie and really like stores like Zara, Pull & Bear, Fred Perry, Prada and Diesel. I'm also absolutely fascinated by the (seemingly always) Senegalese guys that sell all the counterfeit products out on the street. It's really the cat and mouse game played between them and the cops that I most enjoy, but sometimes their wares are pretty amazing too.

In Venice I found it really amusing (and I should have photographed it) that these guys would set out their blankets with neatly lined up Prada and Louis Vuitton bags on the pedestrian street right in front of the real Prada and Louis Vuitton stores. They're ridiculousy fake looking to the trained eye, but they still had quite a steady clientele.

In Athens, the cat and mouse game was in full force. First off, there were tons more vendors with lots more product. Anything from the normal purses and wallets, to sunglasses and belts. Funny enough, as homogenous as Greece is, the conterfeit pushers had a fairly broad range of ethnicities. Oh sure, the main purse salesmen were still recent decendents from Senegal, but then you'd have these Sri Lankan guys selling lighted lighters, sunglasses, some not quite as fancy purses and well, flowers. There were some China-men too selling headmounted LED flashlights and dvds. Surprisingly, they were not selling fake purses or glasses even though China is where most of that stuff is actually made. Hmm.

Alright, I had a point in all of this, it was about counterfeit design. Again, anyone at all familiar with high end purses can detect with ease how bogus the bags are - even when they really do say Prada and not Panda or something. The glasses are even worse. Aside from being poorly made, they are probably dangerouse for our eyes to look through. Where am I headed you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It was the belts! Some of the belts were awesome! There were Gucci and Louis and Diesel and Fendi. But you know what were the best? Dolce & Gabbana. They were amazing! Look for yourself, I ended up buying 2 of them!


Actually, the whole point of my post is that the 2 fake belts I bought are actually cooler than any real D&G belts I've ever seen and ironically at a 1oth the price. And why you ask? Design, that's why. Whoever designed these did a really nice job, and thanks to them, I look awsome!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Monocle Magazine


I had some time to kill in Athens airport on my way back from Greece last week, so naturally I browsed its fabulous collection of stores, spending both time and my last Euros, like every good American should. Anyway, I'm a huge sucker for a good magazine, especially anything fashion, art, design or.....finance related. I know, these areas of interest of mine dont all quite go together, or so it would seem. However, as I was flipping through the racks of seemingly endless options, I happened upon a magazine called Monocle.

Calling it a mere magazine just doesn't give it enough credit. It's really more of a journal than anything, covering Affairs, Business, Culture and Design. Wow, finally a magazine for me! Historically I've been a GQ, Inc & Fast Company kind of guy, but this seems to fill some other needs and interests of mine and does so with a more global perspective. The articles are well written and really interesting and informative, as you'd expect from the folks that publish the Financial Times and Wallpaper.

Not sure how easy this magazine will be to come by outside of fancy airport newsstands, but if you come across it and have interests similar to mine, I highly recommend picking up a copy.

Friday, September 21, 2007

My Aunt Virginia Romanou

I just returned from a short vacation to Greece to relax, re-energize and reconnect with my family. One relative I got to see and someone who I absoultely adore and admire as both a person and an artistwas my aunt Virginia, who I hadn't seen in too long (something like 5+ years). Virginia is an amazing artist and designer who has impeccable taste and endless energy! We feel more like siblings than aunt and nephew as it's so obvious we share the same blood.

I used to often wish that I could leave all I know behind and just move back to Greece to live with Virginia and her partner Yianni and just paint all day. As the years have passed and my design career has flourished, that need has faded, but having her and Yianni close by would really make for a more fulfilling life both personally and creatively. The 2 of them have been huge influences on me and my art (which neither of them know) and I long for the day that they can come see one of my shows or better yet, critique my work and give me some guidance with my own art and style.

I hope that it wont be 5 years before I see Virginia again, and I'm certain it wont. If all goes well, within a couple of years I'll be living and working in Europe, which would make things that much simpler. Anyway, I was so happy to see her, even if only for an evening and I'm glad that I can use my blog as a way to share some of my work with her, which could be the first time she's seen any of it! Thank you internet!

Monday, June 4, 2007

Quote...


I've been a lover of Picasso's work since I was a child, being inspired by his painting, sculpture, crazy personality and his carefree life. I'm also quite fond of some of his many quotes. The consummate showman, much of what he's been quoted for sounds typically eccentric, but a couple in particular I really like, and 1 of which totally speaks to me. That would be:

"Painting is stronger than me, it makes me do its bidding."

I like that. And it's so true.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Show's Over

Today was the last day of my show so I went to Sidewinder to take my remaining pieces home. It was kind of sad to take my work down, not because I didn't sell everything, but because almost all the paintings looked so great in that environment and that context. C'est la vie!

On the bright side, now my work isn't subject to the gallery premium, and the prices below have been updated to reflect that.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

non sequitur

Now Showing at Sidewinder in Cincinnati - March 26 - May 27, 2007

The series of work here is entitled non sequitur due to the fact that it’s not the typical series you’d expect, where all the work sort of matches. I suppose you can tell that one hand created all of these, but I like to try different things depending on how the mood strikes.

Enjoy.

DR

CVG-2: acrylic on canvas - 48x60 - sold


Y-01: acrylic on canvas - 16x20 - sold


Mansfield 1: acrylic on canvas - 36x48


Mansfield 2: acrylic on canvas - 24x36 - sold


2002: acrylic on canvas - 20x24


E-07: acrylic on canvas - 24x26


1978: acrylic on canvas - 24x30 - sold



S-11: acrylic on canvas - 24x30



Space Bee: acrylic on canvas - 30x40 - sold



Orchid: acrylic on canvas - 11x14 - sold



Land2: acrylic on wood panel - 16x22 - sold



Mansfield 3: acrylic on canvas - 30x40 - sold



V-01: acrylic on canvas - 16x20




Ides of March +1: acrylic on canvas - 24x36



Still Life: acrylic on canvas - 11x14 - sold


T-N9: acrylic on canvas - 24x36



B1: acrylic on canvas - 8x10



January: acrylic on canvas - 8x10