Start to Finish

Start: March 25, 2008

Finish: April 4, 2008

Nathan Abels, "A Boundary, Not a Thing", Acrylic/Oil on Panel, 24x36" 2008

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination. A tragic loss for our nation and for the world. I was reflecting on some of his speeches this morning and came across "Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence" (you can download the mp3 to listen to the speech) delivered on this very day, exactly one year before his death. The speech makes many points that parallel our current war in Iraq. Writer Juan Cole outlined his analysis of King's stance against the war in Vietnam with what he assesses as "10 Things Martin Luther King would have done about Iraq" here. Below are some very wise, forthright, and challenging excerpts from King's speech:

"But they ask -- and rightly so -- what about Vietnam? They ask if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."

"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."

"If we continue, there will be no doubt in my mind and in the mind of the world that we have no honorable intentions in Vietnam. If we do not stop our war against the people of Vietnam immediately, the world will be left with no other alternative than to see this as some horrible, clumsy, and deadly game we have decided to play. The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve. It demands that we admit that we have been wrong from the beginning of our adventure in Vietnam, that we have been detrimental to the life of the Vietnamese people. The situation is one in which we must be ready to turn sharply from our present ways. In order to atone for our sins and errors in Vietnam, we should take the initiative in bringing a halt to this tragic war."

King closes with a statement of hope, eloquently saying:

"If we will make the right choice, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

Strange Clouds

I took these photos Monday or Tuesday.

Draw Rings II

Travis Egedy and Rhinoceropolis present

DRAW RINGS II
"THE RETURN"


a showcase of Denver's emerging artistic talent.


Friday, April 4th
6pm- infinity
3553 brighton blvd

featuring
but not limited to:

HELEN LOGAN
JUSTIN BEARD
ALICIA ORDAL
JUSTIN SIMONI
STERLING CRISPIN
XI ZHANG
MARTIN GARDEA
TRAVIS EGEDY
HARRY C.
WALTERS
MARIO ZOOTS
BRITTANY GOULD
MILTON MELVIN CROISSANT III
LEAFE ZALES
BRUCE PRICE
ELIZABETH ECKLAND
DREW ENGLANDER
SEAN HUDSON
DOUGLAS HAWKINSON
THOMAS KINCADE
MARK COLEMAN
ETHAN GARTON

A group show of 22 of denver's most talented young artists showing in one space, on one night? Are we crazy? Why, yes, we are!

This is the second installment of the Draw Rings group exhibition, after the unprecedented success of last year's Draw Rings, there was no other option but for, "the return." At the core of Draw Ring's aesthetic and conceptual goal, is the idea to allow an avenue for experimental talent and pure creative expression to have complete freedom, without concern for commercial viability. Draw rings is a social event and situational performance that attempts to operate completely outside of the established, more conservative Denver art market.

Amy Stein

There's a very worthwhile and recommended interview with Amy Stein here. She provides the reader with interesting insights into her image-making process including her discussion of the research and collaboration involved in making her most recent series, "Domesticated". When asked about her working process, she simply states, " Interest is piqued, research is done, locations are scouted, pictures are taken." Well put Amy.

Amy Stein, "Inbetween"- 24 x 30 inches, Edition of 12 - 30 x 40 inches, Edition of 3Nathan Abels, "Street Lights, Fog and Trees" - notice how similar my photo is to Amy Stein's photo below - but how much better her photo is...one small element changes the entire image - making it much more conceptual, provocative and in my opinion - much more interesting.

Amy Stein, "Untitled"(?)
(I love this photo)

Amy Stein, "Hillside" - 24 x 30 inches, Edition of 12 - 30 x 40 inches, Edition of 3

"Stay Down, Champion' the Mixtape"

"A Blur Defines It" - Advance Warning

(the image I will use for the actual press release/promotion will be "A Boundary, Not A Thing" - below - when it is finished)

“A Blur Defines It”, New Works by Nathan Abels

What: Public viewing and reception for exhibition of artwork by Nathan Abels

Who: Nathan Abels (artist)

When: Opening June 6, 2008 from 6-10 pm - Show runs June 6-29^th, 2008

Regular weekly hours.

First Friday, 6 to 10 PM
Collector’s Friday (Third Friday), 5 to 8
Closed other Fridays
Saturdays, 1 to 5
Closed Sundays

Where: Sliding Door Gallery, 554 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204

About:

“A Blur Defines It” consists of new works by artist Nathan Abels. The images Abels presents in this exhibition are more brooding and atmospheric than his previous works and describe a sense of uncertainty primarily through landscape-based imagery. The places depicted in these paintings on panel and works on paper show evidence of an inevitable change through foreboding heavy clouds on the horizon or a dense settling fog. “A Blur Defines It” is a visual reflection of apprehension, mystery and anticipation.

Stay Down, Champion

I woke up this morning with light snow on the ground the song "Tall Saint" by The National in my head. I listened to it a few times on my way to work. Here's an excerpt from the lyrics that I find particularly significant,

"In my city, I didn't make a sound,
When I fell over and cracked my crown,
Heard a woman say "stay down,
Champion, stay down."

But I got up, got in a car,
Said "I don't think I'm gonna go very far,"
Just take me one time around the ballroom slow,
And take me home."

It made me think of the boxing paintings and drawings of George Bellows and in turn, re-examine his amazing landscape-based images:

George Bellows, "A Morning Snow: Hudson River", 1910 (Source: Wiki Commons)
George Bellows, "Pennsylvania Station Excavation", 1907

George Bellows, "An Island in the Sea", 1911 (Source: Wiki Commons)

Painting Progress Continued

Since Thursday, I've been trying to recover this painting. After it took such a nose-dive I was beginning to regret showing my progress on this blog - but some of you may still be interested in the ups and downs that many of my paintings go through before I'm satisfied. And sometimes my paintings get a lot worse before they get better. I overdid this painting so much Thursday that gave up and sanded it down a lot on that night, destroying much of what I worked on all day Thursday (sorry for such bad photos):

Then began the process of building it back up:
Then the smoke started to appear too solid

Then too bubbly
closer - but background was getting way too dark
Until finally I'm back to some smoke that appears wispy and subtle again:

Now I have to go back into the structure on the right side of the image, put in the barricades and sand-bags and then glaze some transparent white oil paint over the smoke to soften everything up. That's the plan anyway...

Inspiration and Painting Progress

I'm in the middle of a new painting right now, tentatively titled, "A Boundary, Not A Thing". Here's some of the art I've been browsing in books and online for inspiration and to reference for the new painting:

James Whistler, "Nocturne: Trafalgar Square: Chelsea Snow", 1876
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Caspar David Friedrich, Monk by the Sea, 1809
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Some Landscapes Blog
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Harmony in blue and silver: Trouville (1865)
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Some Landscapes Blog
"Moonlight on Mount Lafayette, New Hampshire," by William Trost Richards, 1873
Source: Resonant Enigma Blog

J. Alden Weir, "The Bridge: Nocturne" aka ""Queensboro Bridge", 1910
Washington Allston, "Moonlight Landscape", 1819Michael Schall, Smoke Factory Malfunction, graphite on paper, 40" x 60", 2007.
Claude-Joseph Vernet, "Night, A Port in Moonlight", 1772

(last night)(still in progress)

Wild Kingdom of Photographers

In the age of digital photography it seems like everyone is a photographer (myself included) - just look at flickr - nearly 4,000 photos uploaded every minute. Even animals are getting in on the action - check out these great snaps by German cat photographer Fritz (one name - like Cher). Yes - it is a real cat and he takes some pretty nice photos too (above). Here he is in action:

This relates to my recent show of carrier pigeon photographers. There seems to be a wealth of unknown one-named photographers just waiting to be discovered. Think of the possibilities! Fish photographers? Nocturnal marsupial photographers? Tree photographers...oh, wait...

But can they post-process?