The Drawing Board Blog:
"Hard Hat Habitat"

Artist précis.

STARTED: Oct. 19, 2015.
COMPLETED: Feb. 14, 2016.

I am halfway to catching up up the site from almost two years of ...neglect. What an ugly word. What that REALLY translates to is the fact that the blog is being reconstructed backwards from emails and facebook posts. Apologies. It is the ONLY way to GET ahead right now. Ok?

This work of art is not a very serious piece although, at the same time, it is. This drawing was created in an extreme hurry ...to play a game with a whole lotta other artists. I really enjoyed the challenge (which is why I accepted the invite). It's ALWAYS good to get out of your regular way of doing things. Shake yourself up somehow. This worked. Took me outside o' meself. You can DEFinitely SEE the influence of the recent M.C. Escher exhibition I'd seen at the Dali Museum. AND, the influence of Vincent Van Gogh's paintbrush style. Ha. Ha. I might have to play with some of Escher style ideas MORE... later. Escher's work is amazing AND just the kind of thing I really like (turning ideas upside down & inside out). NEXT

Artist blog: the drawing starts here...

POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | EMAIL SENT: Mon 10/19/2015 10:37 AM

How The Game begins...

SUBJECT: Exhibition opportunity at the Morean

Hi Chris!

I am currently organizing a large drawing group show called "Exquisite Porch" for the Morean, which will open in March 2016. Coordinating the exhibition with me is D. Dominick Lombardi, a NYC-based artist, writer and curator. He is working on a contingent of artists from his area, and I'm working on gathering work from artists who reside in central Florida.

The concept of the show is based on the Surrealist parlour game exquisite corpse.

If you wish to participate, you will be given specific instructions on the size and shape of your drawing, and where on your paper the drawing will begin and end so each drawing will seamlessly connect to the left and/or right.

What you draw is up to you, but there will be a theme that focuses on the ground-dwelling wildlife of Florida so the drawings should have some organic similarities.

There will be eight separate drawings ranging in size from 3 feet to 34 feet long so some will be given assignments to create a head and a tail.

Due to the nature of the show and its installation, all works will be pinned to the wall.

To indicate each artist's work, a map of each drawing will be available that indicates the artist's name, place of birth and year born.

Please let me know within a week of receiving this email if you would like to participate. In total there will be 74 drawings.

If yes, send me your name, place of birth and year born, and if you have a preference as to the size of your drawing: 24 inches wide, 18 inches wide or 12 inches wide. We cannot guarantee your specific request will be met, but we will do our best.

Thanks!
Amanda Cooper
Curator of Exhibitions
Morean Arts Center
719 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-822-7872 x2112
http://www.moreanartscenter.org NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | EMAIL SENT: Sat 12/12/2015 12:37 PM

The rules of The Game...

SUBJECT: Group exhibition at Moran Arts Center

Hello Chris,

This email is a follow up regarding your participation in the exhibition Exquisite Porch at the Morean Arts Center this coming March, an exhibition I am co-curating with Amanda Cooper.

The exhibition is based in theory, on the Surrealist Parlour Game Exquisite Corpse.

Your drawing paper size for the show will be 18 X 18 inches.

You have the sections right near the head so your contact points at the left and right hand side of the paper should be 9 inches apart. There are more detailed instructions and images attached for your reference.

Use any materials you wish: collage, paint, pencil, fabric, etc. as long as it adheres to the dimensions above and it can be pinned to the wall.

Please plan to have your art completed by mid February. All shipping or mailing costs are the responsibility of the artist. The easiest and least expensive is rolled up and placed in a tube.

I would also need you to send me a hi-res image of your piece when completed, your place of birth, and your year of birth which is how each artist will be identified in the show and in the digital catalog.

If you have any questions or concerns please get back to me soon.

Peace,
D. Dominick Lombardi
Artist - Writer - Curator
www.ddlombardi.com
@ddlombardi NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | ART BLOG: Jan. 20, 2015

No peeking in the betweens.

FACEBOOK (January 20, 2016): EXQUISITE PORCH. A game I am playing with 70+ other artists ... at the Morean Art Center. Half of the artists are going to be from New York, half from Central Florida and NONE of us have any idea what the others are doing or how it is going to come out and we won't know until the show OPENS. I ONLY know that I have an 18" x 18" piece of paper that needs to be filled. The theme is: Florida indigenous creatures. I'm not a animal or landscape person, I am a surreal / symbolic artist... AND... I have an idea. I am going to be working on it for the next couple of weekends. I am TRYING to keep it SIMPLE. You KNOW it's not... normal. LOL. Of course not. It will be tacked to the wall - which helps me keep it simple (in theory). I'll announce the exhibit later. It's based on the surrealist game "The Exquisite Corpse" .... except this group of WE only come together at the very end and there's NO PEEKING in the betweens. 9" on the left and 9" on the right to connect. That's my directive. Anyway. NOW you KNOW why I'm not working on my NEW drawing right now. At least THIS TIME.... it's for an ART reason. Eh? I'm not sure if that makes it better. The only part of the drawing that I JUST started.... is that the only thing legible so far... is an eyeball that keeps staring at me. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. ha? HA. NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | ART BLOG: Jan. 28, 2016

NOW. NOW. ARGH. Ha. Ha. Ha.

FACEBOOK (January 28, 2016): THE EXQUISITE PORCH - PART II. Sometimes my wording is so baroque. Especially when stream of consciousness writing is in play. LOL. Soooo, I thought I'd let the director describe the game (see above email). The BIG REVEAL? The Morean Arts Center - opening reception: Saturday, March 12th, 5-9pm. Free and open to the public. Exhibition: March 12 – May 1, 2016 My contribution? Makes me laugh. I'll give you a hint: it's a tad surreal. NOW I HAVE TO SQUEEZE IN TIME TO GET IT DONE. NOW. NOW. ARGH. Ha. Ha. Ha. NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | ART PICT: Feb. 08, 2016

In the studio, hyperventilating. Ha. Ok.

FACEBOOK (February 5, 2016): ART, DEADLINES & A FEW DEEP BREATHS. I just got FIRM notification of the deadline (for turning in your paperwork and hi-rez images for publicity) for the Exquisite Porch Show... and it is FEB. 15. When I SAW the date (only TEN days away)... I freaked. Ran around the studio hyperventilating. Ha. Ok. The drawing is sketched out and STARTED. I have DAYS to finish. I can do this. Right???? ARgh. LOL. ok. I'm breathing again. I'm on it baby. This work of art has been laid out... for...editing down if time gets too short... without (in theory) losing ANY impact. No pictures today. No time. Breathe. Breathe. Soooo. I'm very curious...as to what the Big Reveal...will... you know... "reveal". Are you curious too????? NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | ART PICT: Feb. 14, 2016

No REAL words here. JUST the pict.

ARTIST NOTES (OCT. 17, 2016): Still going backwards and piecing together the blog for the three works of art (created 2015-2016). The ONLY way to catch the website up is to be ruthless....so: no words here. Ok? Curious? Send an email. Ask a question. Maybe I'll post the Q&A here. (Because that will be time spent... another day, NOT today.) Ha. Ha. Ha.NEXT

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POSTED: Oct. 16, 2016 | ART BLOG: Mar. 9, 2016

SEE the Big Reveal at the Morean.

FACEBOOK March 9, 2016): ART ON DISPLAY. The Exquisite Porch show will be up for a month and a half. It's such an interesting concept and I can't wait to see how all of the artwork will hook up (and the creatures that will be created by ALL of these artists). This is AWESOME. ....AND, ...

There is an article in the Huffington Post about the show. Check it out: "Interview With Amanda Cooper. "
Download the Exquisite Porch Exhibition catalog (pdf) here.
NEXT

ART NOTES: PAGE 1 |  BLOG ARCHIVES