TODAY

I will be giving a lecture about my work for "Action Figures" hosted by Katie Taft on August 9th - 7 pm at WWA: 445 South Saulsbury Street, Lakewood, CO 80226 - come on out!

Mark Your Calendars

I will be giving a lecture about my work for "Action Figures" hosted by Katie Taft on August 9th - 7 pm at WWA: 445 South Saulsbury Street, Lakewood, CO 80226

Also - mark your calendar for this not-to-miss show:

New Work; Clifford Griffin

Nathan Abels, "Clifford Griffin", Acrylic and Ink on Rag Board, 14x18", 2009

Nathan Abels, "Clifford Griffin" (detail view), Acrylic and Ink on Rag Board, 14x18", 2009

I just finished this painting - in fact, I still have some residual white paint on my finger tips. You're looking at what is probably my first painting with a figure in it since grad school. It's not that I'm against figurative work, but I haven't been inspired to paint figures in some time.

Recently I was asked by local artist Katie Taft to participate in the tentatively titled "Biographic" show at Abecedarian gallery (running from September 18th to October 24th). As the title indicates, the show is related to stories about people. It will be accompanied by a written component (in the works). Some artists are going to approach it as an interview, others as more of a tribute (like mine). I'm actually way ahead of the due date - a rare thing for me.

I've been really interested in Clifford Griffin's story lately so I thought I'd roll with that momentum and do this painting of him. I made a couple of trips up to his memorial a couple of weeks ago - which is located above Silver Plume - the hike was written about on this blog here. I've also done a lot of research about Clifford Griffin at the Denver Public Library Western History department. There aren't many images of Clifford but I did find a couple of really artistic compositions of him sitting on some outcroppings above Silver Plume and for this painting I combined those with my own photos of the site he is buried at:

Photo of the Griffin Memorial by Nathan Abels

I'll have more info closer to the time of the exhibition.

First Friday

Two of my good friends are having a show tonight at my alum - Sliding Door Gallery on Santa Fe. Here's the info:

Kay Tuttle: Cover Stories

A show of paintings on vintage encyclopedias and a series of ink drawings on paper with the subject of animals

• Dates: May 1 –May 30, 2009
• Place: Sliding Door Art Gallery, 766 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Co 80204
• Hours: Fridays 12-5, Saturdays 12-5, First Friday 6-10, Third Friday 5-9
• Artists Reception Saturday May 8th, 5 – 9 p.m.

The title of this series of paintings, Cover Stories, is a playful reference to the use of a set of vintage encyclopedias as the structure of the paintings. After carefully sanding the cover, Tuttle paints directly on the book. The subject matter of animals stacked upon each other references things like totem poles, folk tales, (especially the German tale The Bremen Town Musicians), and environmental concerns.

Kay Tuttle was born and raised in Colorado. She received a BFA in painting and drawing from CSU in Fort Collins and an MFA in painting from ASU in Tempe, Arizona. After graduating she taught painting and drawing at ASU. She lived abroad for several years, in both Germany, and France. She has had solo shows in France, Germany, Colorado and Arizona. She now lives in Denver and shows with Sliding Door Gallery. She was published in Issue 72 of New American Paintings and was included in the 10th Anniversary exhibition at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle. She will be exhibiting in the Beyond the Border Art Fair Sept 2, 3, 4, 2009, in San Diego, CA.



True Love: New work by Katie Taft

Consisting of three-dimensional objects made of porcelain and a variety of textiles: leg warmers covered in barnacles, a shawl encrusted with 300 octopus suckers and a variety of other accessories and items of clothing.

• Dates: May 1 –May 30, 2009
• Place: Sliding Door Art Gallery, 766 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Co 80204
• Hours: Fridays 12-5, Saturdays 12-5, First Friday 6-10, Third Friday 5-9
• Artists Reception Saturday May 8th, 5 – 9 p.m.

These works are love stories, both happy and sad. Making them has helped to exorcize my past and manifest the future that I want to exist. They are spells cast and objects of catharsis, they make magic happen and contain it. Some of these objects are made up of numerous almost identical pieces: the repeated action enforces a lesson learned, a tall building leapt a roadblock turning into a milestone.

Katie Taft is an artist living in Denver, Colorado and working predominantly in photography and sculpture . Her work deals with universal stories drawn from myth, folklore, philosophy and religion, and addresses how these kinds of stories manifest themselves in our modern lives. Taking inspiration from individuals around her as well as from the symbolism of animals she creates objects and images that tell the stories of her life.

Katie has shown her work in Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon and Santa Fe, New Mexico in the past couple of years and spends her days making art with students in the Denver Metro Area at Downtown Aurora Visual Arts and other local arts organizations. She completed a residency at PlatteForum in 2007 and was awarded Westword’s Mastermind Award in 2005.

Action Figures Cancelled Tonight

I was previously scheduled as the guest artist at this month's "Action Figures" hosted by Katie Taft. Unfortunately it has been canceled. It will likely be postponed until a later date - I'll keep you posted.

Coming up

I will be the guest artist at this month's "Action Figures" hosted by Katie Taft. It's a monthly Q&A with area artists that will be at the Shoppe this month. Come on by, eat a cupcake and drill me with difficult questions.

Rebecca Dolan @ Rule Gallery

Rebecca Dolan, 04-10-07, 1243, inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 30 x 40 inches
Rebecca Dolan, 04-10-07, 1242, inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 30 x 40 inches
Rebecca Dolan, 04-10-07, 1255, inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 30 x 40 inches

There's a great show up at Rule Gallery right now called "The Simple Truth" featuring five regional photographers; Rebecca Dolan, Anna Newell, Katie Taft, Rachel Hawthorn, and Ellen Yeiser. It is a exceptional show overall. I especially enjoyed Rebecca Dolan's work which I was not previously familiar with before visiting Rule. I would highly recommend stopping by Rule Gallery sometime Tues-Sat from 11-5, the show runs through April 5th. Next time you stop by the Mayan for a movie, go a little early and see the show at Rule - it's just a block down from the theater.

Denver "Building Creative Businesses Expo"

The Denver "Building Creative Businesses Expo" takes place today (Saturday) and is loaded with interesting workshops and discussions. I will be on the panel for the discussion called "Self Made: Local Artists Make Good" at 2:30 pm. Joining Me will be Katie Taft, Kay Tuttle and Patti Hallock. Self Made: Denver's site is here. Come check it out.