Silently Obtain - Synthetica-M Gallery - 9/3/11

Last night was a 1 night event at Synthetica-M gallery called Silently Obtain.  The concept was to have a number of pieces on exhibit and rather than being priced with the built in gallery commission, the pieces had a "reserve" price that covered what the artist wanted to make and the rest going to the gallery.  I think the idea was really great and the turnout for the night seemed good too.  Aside from the uncharacteristic (for September) blazing heat, we had a nice crowd.  The opening of the new 3rd Party Gallery next door to Synthetica added to a good vibe to the event.  I met some really cool and talented people too, some who happened to be artists exhibited in the show.  Thanks again to Mason Paul for including me and putting on another good event!  You may also want to check out the work of Alton Falcone, Jared Dreyer and Curtis Goldstein.

This is the piece I had on exhibit last night.  "In a fit of fuchsia".

Dynamic, Transformational and Static - Opening 6/4/11

Last night was the opening of my lastest show, a group show at Synthetica-M Gallery in Cincinnati's Brighton area.  I was one of 4 artists exhibiting and was pleased with the quality of the work, the way it was set up and the turnout.  Much thanks to gallery owner, Mason Paul for a great night!  For those that couldn't make it, the show runs from June 4th through the end of July.  To arrange an appointment please call the gallery at 513-602-2574.  Here are some pics from the show and a few images of the pieces I have up for sale.

 

Dynamic, Transformational & Static at Synthetica-M Gallery

This Saturday, June 4th, I will be exhibiting in a small group show at Synthetica Gallery in Cincinnati's Brighton gallery district.  The opening is from 7-11 PM and promises to be a well curated show with a diverse range of talents and styles.  Thanks to gallery owner and curator, Mason Paul, for including me.  I'm happy to be a part of it and look forward to a great event.  Hope to see you all there.  Pics of the show will be posted within a few days of the opening.

Secret Artworks

I submitted a few pieces to Secret Artworks again for 2010 and the event was even bigger and better than the last!  Cant wait to do it again this year!  Here's what you missed:

This is at the exhibition in the Westin.  Great venue and amazing turnout!

 This is me with friend and contributing artist, the talented Steve Wuesthoff.

This is one of the pieces I submitted.  Can't go wrong with SpaceBee!

Secret Artworks "Exposed"

Over the last couple of years I have participated in Artworks charity art event called Secret Artworks.  The premise of the event is that artists anonymously contribute pieces that are 5"x7" which are exhibited at a large show.  Patrons then pay something like $75 per person to attend the event (which is always an amazing time with a massive turnout) and with their admission fee are entitled to 1 piece to take home.  The cool thing about it is that the person acquiring the art has no idea who did  the piece until it's pulled from the wall revealing the name of the artist.  Very cool idea and makes a nice chunk of revenue for a great charity.  Cant wait to do it again.

One of the cool things about this show for the artists is that the Artworks team who curates the show, selects 100 of their favorite pieces and asks the artists that created them to be a part of a separate show called "Expose", where artists can exhibit one of their normal size pieces of work.  I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of these artists and was a part of the exhibit held at Artworks beautiful gallery space.  This too was a well attended show and was a great opportunity to meet some of the artists who donate their time and artwork to the Secret show.  Kudos to the Artworks team for all their hard work every year with both of these shows!  Here is a pic from the show.

Clifton Cultural Arts Center

I was a part of the CCAC's innaugural show titled, Golden Ticket, which opened in October of 2010 at the CCAC in Cincinnati.  The show had an impressive collection of talents and a great turnout of attendees, and although less than ideal art placement and lighting, I appreciate the efforts of the CCAC staff in curating and putting on the show.  The call to artists is open now for this year's show and it promises to be even better.  You can find more details here.

Secret ArtWorks 2009 - Revealed!

Thanks to all that came out to the Secret ArtWorks event last Friday. It was a smashing success, with a record number of participating artists and attendees. Nice to see in this economy that people will still come out to support the arts. I was happy to run into some friends and fellow artists at the event and it's always cool to try to figure out who did what! Though with over 1000 pieces this year, that took some time. Here are a few pictures from the show and of the 3 pieces I submitted.


Me and artist Tom Lohre



"Back to the Future" - collage and acrylic on canvas board



"EWR" acrylic on wood panel



"SpaceBee 16" acrylic and spraypaint on canvas board

Neolaia/Pathos: New.Youth.Passion - Opening Night

I got back from Chicago the other night and thought I'd post some info and pics from the opening of my exhibit in Chicago.

First off, the Museum itself, though small by museum standards, is a wonderful space with an impressive permanent collection and a large amount of rotating gallery space for their many exhibitions. Over 200 people came to the opening in what turned out to be the biggest turnout for an opening night in museum history. There were also a slew of people from various national and international media outlets interviewing the artists and curators. Thanks to the friends that came and a special thanks to Allison Heller from the museum who coordinated an extremely well organized and beautifully displayed event. Thanks also to Mary Antonakos and Diane Kastiaficas for curating the show and of course for selecting me!

I have posted some pics here as well as on the Atelier | Romanos page on Facebook. The show will be up through the first week of January, so I encourage you to go through if you happen to be in Chicago.






DR

Neolaia / PATHOS: new.youth.passion - Opening Thursday, 09/10/09

I have just returned from a 3 week trip in Greece and Berlin where aside from relaxing with friends and family, I have come back with all sorts of great ideas and ephemera to incorporate into my next round of pieces. That said, my opening at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago is finally upon us, like next week! The show is quite an honor for me to be a part of and I hope as many of you can have a chance to go through the exhibition over the next few months to support the pool of artists. Details about the artists can be found here.

Neolaia/Pathos: new.youth.passion - 9/10/09

Well, I made it in! I had 3 pieces accepted into Chicago's National Hellenic Museum's Neolaia/Pathos: new.youth.passion
show which features the works of emerging Greek-American artists between the ages of 20-40. The opening reception is Thursday, September 10th and the exhibition runs through January 10, 2010.

I am really honored to be included in this exhibit and I hope as many of you as are able to make it to Chicago for the opening can do so! For those wondering, the 3 pieces accepted are:

Red Tree Recap...

This past Friday night I had my opening at the Red Tree Gallery in Oakley (Cincinnati) and it turned out to be a really great venue and a very enjoyable experience. Personally, I had a great turnout of friends, family and supporters of me and my work, so that's always nice, but on top of that, the show was well curated, nicely organized and well promoted.

The space and lighting at the Red Tree showed off the work well in an intimate yet complimentary way while allowing for plenty of space for people to mingle and enjoy the venue. With the exception of the much too loud guitarist, I would have to offer my compliments to Wendy Smith and her team in coordinating and promoting this show of 10+ artists. I hope more people have the time to go take a look at the work as it runs through the first week of March and I look forward to entering work into more of their shows as they move into their new space!

DR

Art Opening - Red Tree Gallery in Oakley

I had 3 paintings accepted into a group show at the Red Tree Gallery in Oakley, the opening of which is this Friday 2/13/09 from 6-9. This is sort of short notice, but the artists were just notified today, so not much I can do about that! I'll be there from 6-8 and will be happy to see whoever is able to make it out.

DR

Art Leasing

With the new year come new endeavors. Besides new pieces and shows, this year I will also be starting an art leasing business. There have been a number of occasions when restaurant owners have inquired about my interest in hanging my artwork in their respective establishments, which has led me to coming up with a business model that makes sense for the restaurateur and the artist. Let me explain.

I'm sort of torn on restaurants as art venues to begin with which is why I have thought of this in the first place. The way I see it, artists do their artwork for 2 reasons - 1. Love and 2. Money. Anytime I've shown work at coffee shops, art fairs and galleries I have sold artwork. I have sold the artwork because of 2 reasons - 1. Desirability and 2. Venue. Galleries and art fairs are expected venues yes, but coffee shops also have become to artists what blogs are to aspiring writers, a convenient and easily accessible way to show your work. Great.

Now, on the restaurant front, here's my philosophy. When I go to restaurants, which is like every day pretty much, I am going there to eat. I may be going to socialize and eat. I may be going to enjoy the ambiance and eat. Bottom line, at restaurants, I'm there for the food, not to look at or buy artwork. In fact, when I even notice artwork at a restaurant, I assume it's part of that restaurant's permanent collection. Which then brings me to my philosophy on art sales there and in general.

Ok, when you sell artwork through a gallery, your work is the product they sell. Their business is built on your work, and your art career is largely dependent on their business. They also advertise and display your work. They earn their sales percentage because they offer a service and venue to the artist and in my opinion, galleries should be the only venues that take a premium from your sales.

Now coffee shops are sort of a grey area because a good shop will curate, advertise and invest in doing openings for the artists they accept. Popular coffee shops that gain a reputation among local artists like Sidewinder or Brutopia here in Cincinnati, can be a pretty desirable alternative to a gallery in many ways.

Anyhoo, back to the leasing idea. Since restaurants are not venues where patrons are looking to buy art, there's not much draw for any artist to show there. Especially if the restaurant takes a cut on top of that. In my opinion, the restaurant should be paying the artist to show their work there. The restaurant needs decor, which is the service that the artists provide them. If a restaurateur wishes to display artwork, they should either purchase pieces specifically to cater to their brand image or they could do as they do with linens and plants and use a service. The benefit is that for a flat monthly fee a restaurant can have a defined number of pieces that can be rotated out on a customized schedule. This is easy for the restaurateur to budget and also gives a recurring revenue stream to the artists.

Right now I am creating my pricing strategy and am filling out the portfolio of available work (both mine and that of other artists that I will represent). As I finalize my plan I will post a link to the website which will have details for anyone interested.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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"