Friday, December 19, 2008

The Gift of Art!


Economic times like these are not exactly the best to be thinking about buying stuff, but it is that time of year I suppose. Instead of just buying more plastic junk that will overstay it's welcome before 2009 is even up, why not look for gifts that last, like artwork? I know that it may cost more than a dvd or a sweater, but art will last lifetimes, not unlike say a redwood tree or a big rock but doesn't take up much space.

With that in mind, I have some inventory of paintings from the shows this year and am offering them at a 20% discounted price. Click on the right under the "paintings" tab and have a look at available pieces. Anything that doesn't say "sold" is still available. Email me with questions at atelier.romanos@gmail.com.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Artist Reviewing Artists


Several months back I stumbled across an art blog called Thinking About Art, written by an artist and art enthusiast. I liked his posts and also liked his approach to the art world. One day when I was checking in on his blog he had a post about art reviews and their bullshitty and incestuous nature. The point was that most artists reviews are either written by artists that weren't successful or by people who were not really qualified to review art at all. With that, he decided to do an open call to artists to review other artists. This would be a good way for artists as peers to review one another. Great idea!

So, I submitted a piece that was pretty indicative of the style and theme I was working with at the time and in return I was given a piece to critique, all to be done anonymously and then would be posted on the blog to be shared with the community. Well, as the posts began to go up and I was able to see others work and their associated reviews I was even more excited to do my part.

It seemed that the tone of the majority of the reviews was fairly friendly that was more to be encouraging to the fragile artist ego that the typical reviews which would be deifying or completely dehumanizing. With that I thought I would at least try to review the piece that I received as objectively and positively as I could. Then the piece that I was to review arrived in my inbox and to my dismay it was a painting of a reclining nude. How many paintings of reclining nudes does the world really need to see at this point in time? Doesn't matter, I want to be fair and judge the piece independently for it's quality, composition, etc, which I did in my review.

Anyway, the piece did nothing for me personally but I sent in my review and eagerly awaited mine. Several weeks passed and I was finally sent the review that the other artist did of my painting. I was really interested to see how it went over and to my disappointment, Mr. Reclining Nude guy's review was less than favorable. Now having been an artist and designer for the better part of 20 years I have quite thick skin at this point in my life and I truly believe that art is more for the artist that created it than any viewer. What bugged me though was that the bitterness of this artist came out in his review of my work, which went counter to the objective of the peer review project. Especially when even the crappiest of napkin drawings had been reviewed by other artists glowingly!

Yesterday the review of my work was posted on the blog and I thought I'd share that. Each artist had the opportunity to offer some sort of a response and add another piece if it helped give some context, which I did.

Overall and bad review aside, I still like the concept of the initiative, but the inconsistency of the reviews in relation to the quality of work was in reality no different that if they had been done by so called professional art critics. In the end art is just too subjective, which makes artists own confidence and personal network that much more necessary. If you like your own work, keep doing it. If you value the opinion of someone in particular,in my case my harshest critic (other than myself) my dad, bounce the work off of them. Either way, always push, push, push. Like your work, but never rest.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Upcoming Opening 12/05/2008

On Friday December 5th I will be exhibiting 4 paintings as part of a group show at the Passionate Arts Center in Covington, KY. The opening will be from 6-10pm and while I wont be there since I'll be lounging my days away on a Thai beach, you will at least be able to see a few of my pieces and also some from my coworker Mike Roller, who I've posted about here before. The PAC is located at 31/33 Pike Street in historic Covington's arts district. I hope you'll have a chance to go and support the local artists.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Art Off-Pike 2008 - Part 2


So, last weekend Marcus and I participated in the Art Off-Pike arts and music festival in Covington, KY - which is right across the river from Cincinnati. Covington is sort of our Brooklyn (sort of) and they are really trying to build an arts district, which I give them credit for doing. The potential is high for the area, as it still has tons of historical character, cheap real estate and a growing community of dangerous liberals. This was actually the 4th annual Off-Pike festival, though I'd never heard of it.

There's a place locally called Building Value that sells used building materials. Basically when a house is getting gutted or someone is doing a remodel, you can donate your cabinets, sinks, etc to Building Value for resale and proceeds go to a charity. I wasn't being charitable on the occasion of my visit, but I was on the lookout for some blank, white doors to show our work on. I ended up buying 9 doors and hinged them together in pairs to create some mobile screens to hang up the work.

So, Saturday we met down at our spots and began set-up, which didn't take too long, though those pop-up tents dont exactly just pop up. The doors worked out ok but the uneven pavement required shims to stay marginally stable.

The show only lasted from 11-5 and had about 50 "artists" displaying and selling their work, but after seeing much of it, my conclusion is that the jurying criteria was likely just whether or not submission checks cleared or not.

Although the weather was great, and sitting outside enjoying art and the weather on a Saturday was quite a treat, I was turned off enough by the outdoor show, that I doubted that I would do this fest again next year. Once the wind picked up and blew our work over, I was certain, never again. Not long after though, I actually sold a piece. Granted it was the smallest and cheapest, but a sale is a sale. Not long after that, around 4:30, the committee announced it's award winners, of which I won 2nd place and was handed a check by a guy who looked an awful lot like the Monopoly man.

This now has me reconsidering my 2009 participation as I have learned a few things about outdoor art shows.

1. Even if you sell nothing, it's more fun to sit outside drinking and showing off your artwork than doing house chores.
2. The streets of Covington do not lend themselves to panels that need level flooring to stand securely.
3. The sweet spot price-point for street fair art is under $100 (though I sold mine for $185).
4. The standards for a show like this and their stringent jurying process made victory that much easier.
5. The range of folk that a fest like this can attract is mesmerizing. Seriously.

In closing, thanks to those that came and thanks to those who were genuinely into my work. I know it doesn't appeal to all audiences - which is how I like it.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Art Off-Pike 2008

I will be exhibiting at the 4th annual Art Off-Pike arts and music festival this weekend, Saturday October the 11th. The work I'll be showing will be a selection of the work that I showed at my last 3 shows in New York. Hope to see you!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

GalleryFCB Opening - my paintings

The collection of 10 pieces I painted for this show have been accumulating over the last 6 months with few people having seen them until show night. Now that they are public, I have posted them here for all to see.

Runway 1 - acrylic on canvas - 15x30


Runway 2 - acrylic on canvas - 30x40


Runway 3 - acrylic on wood panel - 16x26


Subway - acrylic on canvas - 18x24 sold


Marais Reflection - acrylic on canvas - 16x20


Asphalt Interruption - acrylic on canvas - 18x36


Eclipse 1 - acrylic on canvas - 11x14 sold


Eclipse 2 - acrylic on canvas - 11x14 sold


Eclipse 3 - acrylic on canvas - 18x24

Limnos - acrylic on canvas - 30x40 sold

Monday, June 30, 2008

GalleryFCB Opening - pics


I'm still in the afterglow from the reception on Saturday night. Even torrential downpours and the pride parade blocking 23rd couldn't dampen the spirits. It was awesome to have so many people come out to see the work and support us! There were old friends, new friends, family, colleagues, some surprise out-of-towners and just random art lovers.

So, with that, here are some pics from the opening. My next post will have my work from the show.


Set-up on Saturday morning





Lots of people enjoying the show and awesome sangria.



Marcus and I in front of our interpretations of Kim Nickoson's photograph.



Gallery director Oliver Werner and photographer Kim Nickoson.



Artist Marcus Fletcher and photographer Kim Nickoson.



Good friends, John Devanney (left) and Clint Bottoni.



Me in front of my painting entitled asphalt interruption.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

GalleryFCB Opening Reception


Last night's show opening was just awesome! We had an incredible turnout, the space looked fantastic, the work was strong and the support from everyone was overwhelming. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it last night and extra special thanks to: Oliver Werner for giving us the opportunity, Marcus Fletcher for being a great partner in our artistic endeavors and my amazing wife Erin, who has been unbelievably supportive and patient as I've been preparing my work for the last several months.

I'm still in NYC right now, but will upload more photos of the show (as well as finally showing the work) next week, so check back!

DR

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

GALLERYFCB Opening - Saturday 6/28/08 6-10pm


The long awaited paintings show at GalleryFCB is finally upon us. Everyone is invited to the opening reception on Saturday 6/28/08 from 6-10pm. The work we've prepared for this show is all new and personally speaking, worth coming to see.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Opening Night - Grounded 6/7/08 - Collage Pieces


Thanks to everyone that was able to make it out to our opening last night. We hope you enjoyed the work and I know Marcus and I enjoyed having you there!

For the many friends and family that were unable to attend the opening and/or haven't seen the collage pieces I exhibited, here they are. If you will be in the New York area during the month of June, please stop by Grounded and have a look in person. Enjoy!

Rocket to Pluto - acrylic & collage on wood panel - 12.5" x 23"


Bonne Annee 08 - acrylic & collage on canvas - 12" x 12" sold


Ce Matin, Hier Soir - acrylic & collage on canvas - 18" x 36"


Parisienne - acrylic & collage on wood panel - 8" x 24" sold


33 - acrylic & collage on canvas - 5" x 5"


Hellas - acrylic & collage on canvas - 5" x 5" sold


10 Quid - acrylic & collage on canvas - 5" x 5" sold


Detroit - acrylic & collage on wood panel - 14" x 24"


Grande Mere - acrylic & collage on wood panel - 8" x 33.5" sold


9Sigma - acrylic & collage on wood panel - 9.5" x 48"

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Mike Roller - Schematic @ Brutopia - 6/6/08


This month Brutopia will be featuring a series of new works by Industrial Designer and Artist Mike Roller. His collection entitled Schematic, is a series of paintings done with spray paint on masonite. I really like Mike's use of color, texture and negative space, all of which come together in dynamic pieces that work well individually, yet feed off of one another as sets. I would highly encourage you to go to his opening reception this Friday, 6/6/08 from 8-10pm and see his work in person!

PartnerUp Interview

I was interviewed recently by Megan Dorn at PartnerUp and they wanted to know my take on product development. Might not be the most interesting thing for many people, but if you want to read it, you can check it out here.

Monday, May 19, 2008

NYC Show - Opening Reception


Please join us for our opening reception on Saturday June 7th from 8-10pm at Grounded , West Village - NYC. This show features all new collage pieces by Demetrius Romanos and Marcus Fletcher. We hope to see you there!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Bombay Sapphire Competition


One of my coworkers has been named as a finalist in Bombay Sapphire's world famous martini glass competition. Check out all the concepts here and make sure to vote for Mike Roller's Vapour concept! Vote early and often! Drinks are on him if he wins ;)

Sunday, March 30, 2008

NYC Show Dates


Well, the 2 New York shows are official, with opening dates and everything! The collage show at Grounded will run the month of June with the opening on Saturday, June 7th. The paintings show at GalleryFCB will run the month of July, with that opening Thursday July 3rd. Now we just have to get our work done!

See you there!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Newspaper Article

I have been really busy with work and painting this month and have been noticeably negligent in new blog posts. However, our office was just featured in the local paper and I thought this might be of interest to some of you.

Read the article here.

On another note, I will have a bunch of paintings up at Brutopia in Cincinnati starting Monday for the full month of April, so feel free to check it out and have a fantastic cappuccino. This is select work from '07 and older. I need to clear some room in my studio since I'm madly producing for the 2 NYC shows in June!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Swiss Idol


Some who know me well know that I have a not so secret love of American Idol. Now, I didn't like the show right away and in fact even ridiculed all the people I knew who were the early adopters during seasons 1 and 2. I'm not sure how I got turned onto to Idol during season 3, but I did and have been faithfully watching ever since.

Those who know me also know that I am ridiculously picky and tend to like things my way or only like certain things about certain things. Confusing, I know. So for example, most people like the first rounds of Idol with all the crappy singers. I dont. Most people hate Simon Cowell too. I dont. I think Simon is the one misunderstood soul (so is Ryan for that matter) who tells it like it is. When he says you are a crap singer, well, you probably are a crap singer.

One of the things in particular that I noticed when I first started watching Idol was Simon's watch. He wears a Chopard Mille Miglia 16/8407, which just happens to be the same watch I wear. I've always liked watches and figured when the time came to buy an expensive Swiss watch, I'd better be damned sure I'd be happy with it for a long time. I admire that about Simon too. His earnings during one season would probably eclipse what my net worth would be over a lifetime. But with that said, he still wears the same watch, episode after episode and season after season. Just one more example of his impeccable taste and discerning eye for quality.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

What's the Deal With Parliament Cigarettes?

I started blogging about a year ago after getting turned onto it by my friend Matt (who is actually well on his way to making a name for himself in the blogosphere). As I've written before, blogging is kind of like Myspace for grown-ups. The longer I write, it seems more like Myspace for nerds, but I'm comfortable with that.

One thing that Matt got me turned onto was a little blog feature called sitemeter. Sitemeter tracks your daily blog visits and give the blogger a way of seeing how much traffic you get and essentially a numerical way of seeing that your time is well spent.

Ok, let me cut to the chase here. I check my sitemeter a few times a week to get a feel for who's looking me up, where from and what did they use to find my blog. Well, I've notice a trend that I dont get. Parliament cigarettes. Why you ask? Me too! I wrote a blog post about Parliament cigarettes back in October basically talking about how I hate smoking but I like the design of Parliament cigarette pakaging, and that seems to be getting me those hits. But the question remains, why are people searching the internet for Parliament cigarettes to begin with? None of the people ever leave comments, so apparently they're not as enamored with the graphic design as I am, but there must be something. Please educate me oh global Parliament searchers!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Collage


I've been focusing my artistic efforts lately towards 2 upcoming shows each with a different media, painting and collage. I just finished the second collage piece (of 10 that I need to do by June) and I thought I'd write about it.

The setting is the bank of the Seine on New Year's eve. The picture above sets the tone and provided some of the physical inspiration. My collage pices are always mixed media, so some sections are painted with justapozed or intgrated collage elements to help round out the story. This piece sums up the obvious, New Year's night, but what I was trying to capture more than anything was the underlying mood. As amazing as the Paris trip was by: a) just being in Paris and b) seeing our best friends, there was an undertone of tension. Both couples were having some serious issues and yet as close as we all are, we kept those to ourselves. That's the essence of what I tried to communicate and I am excited about showing it. It'll just have to wait until June. No sneak previews!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Inspiration

I talk about travel an awful lot. Whether for work or for pleasure, it still shapes and inspires me. Maybe it's because just weeks old I was road tripping from Florida to NY? Maybe it's because my first passport was issued when I was 11 months old. I have inherited my dad's wanderlust (and am eternally grateful for that), so in reality it's probably just genetics.

What I have continually marveled at over my years of flying all over the place is the amazing contrast of colors, textures, patterns and surfaces. Whether its dark, rainy runways with light getting refracted every which way, the blocks of color created by the water treatment facilities in San Francisco bay, or the way that in Arizona the mountains end and give way to these massive round fields (I still dont know what they are). I've got a mental diary of years worth of these images and I've been waiting for them to manifest themselves in my work. That's exactly what's happening now. I just wrapped up 1 more painting last night and am completing the first series of 3.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Current Projects

I mentioned a couple of posts ago, that Marcus and I have 2 upcoming shows in NYC, one on May and one in June. The May show at GalleryFCB will be all paintings and the June show at Grounded will be all collage. Normally I like to have a mixture of new and old pieces at my shows, but these 2 shows will be of all new stuff. In order to build some level of anticipation as to what it is that we're working on, I wont be posting any new work here until May. If I do some work that is new, but not for the shows specifically, then I wont mind posting those. Although I wont likely be posting images for a while, I will be writing about what it is that I'm working on.

With that said, much of my painting work right now is still fairly dark in palette and also very atmospheric, with geometry to help bring things together. The themes are building on my constant fascination and inspiration of light, dark, space and flight. I have taken so many photographs lately that I am breaking down and drawing inspiration from, that I have more ideas than time to execute them. Good probelm to have I suppose.

On the collage side, when just in Paris I may have spent more time looking down at the ground than looking at the sites, all in search of great ephemera to incorporate into my work. I'm always in search of artifacts to either build stories around or to add context with. Marcus and I have also been spending time at the Poverty Barn looking for interesting things to incorporate into our work.

Overall, I would have to say that we're both on a good pace to generate about 25 total pieces (per person) and we continually push and inspire one another.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Paris...encore

It has been difficult being back in the US after being in Paris. It always is, but for some reason this time it's hitting me a bit harder than usual. Besides the fun and reconnecting with friends, I'm trying to creatively focus on all the great stuff that I found that I'll be incorporating into a series of collages that will be a part of my show in June. Marcus and I also made a trip to the thrift store on Sunday and found tons more great artifacts to work into our pieces.

The last several months I've been into incorporating my organic backgrounds with graphic elements (namely orchids) juxtapozed against them. Before we left for Paris I did a small painting as a gift to our dear friends Guillaume and Celine (this one).



I am getting really into adding more geometric shapes and textures for contrast.

I have 3 new paintings that I'm working on right now that are again inspired by flight and flowers, and I'm working all these elements together. None of them are complete, but I'll post them as they wrap up.