2011 MFA

Some shots from this years MFA's plus PhD, Visiting artists and undergrads!

http://www.showerofkunst.com/2011/04/images-from-tete-tete-tete-and-more.html

Denver...

Hello to all...

I am back in my native mile high city where I’ve recently finished applying (finally!) for MFA programs, and am playing at the art-world game...

I’ve had some wonderful opportunities since returning from Ireland, including a teaching internship in Telluride, CO and a few artist residencies. I had one at the Science Museum of Minnesota where I was given a cabin in the forest for three weeks, and another on a tiny, private island off the coast of Maine with one other artist and eight writers. I stayed in a wonderful studio/room in a giant barn out in the woods where I had all the time and quiet one could want.

Since then I've been working at a few mind-numbing jobs in Denver to pay the bills while I continue to spend time in the studio and work towards the next phase of my life. I have had two solo shows and a couple of group shows. They were both well-attended and well-received, and very instrumental in helping me get my foot in the door in Denver.

I have signed with a gallery here called Walker Fine Art, a large, contemporary space in the museum district. I'm very excited about that relationship; it's owned by a wonderful, fiery woman who knows her business very well. Also, she's looking for it to be a long-term relationship, and is willing to follow me and continue to show my work through and after graduate school. Just since signing on about six weeks ago, they’ve sold eight of my pieces and are anxious for more! (kind of a lot of pressure though...) I’ve had quite a number of other sales recently as well, through prior or additional outlets, much to my surprise and excitement, and just in time to give me a little boost while trying to compose daunting application essays about artistic worth.

My work continues to focus primarily on the natural world, and I still consider drawing to be my main medium, though I have branched out a bit with painting and printmaking over the past year. I have continued to work on both large and small scales, usually simultaneously, which I find to be beneficial. My time in nature and the devotion to my subject matter have both continued to grow, and benefit immensely from opportunities such as residencies that allow for the “time, space, and inspiration” we all know and love from BCA.

Lastly...I’ve finally gotten a website up and running, which for someone as web-handicapped as I am (hence the long delay in my blogging) is a pretty major accomplishment. :)

www.noctua-creative.com

I Need Yo Votes

Just a little shameless self-promotion…

I have two submissions in the running this week on Threadless.com. 

Not going to explain what Threadless is for those of you that live under rocks.  It should be pretty self-explanatory anyway.

When Pigs Fly

Apples and Bananas Make Oranges



It's been a long time since I've played Threadless, and I could really use your votes.  And the cash.  So I'd appreciate it if you would take a look and score them…but not if you're going to be a jerk and give them 0's.  Can do without that.

Thanks!

Miami + Art =

Hey all so I think I've contacted everyone about this, but I thought I would go ahead and post the details here in case I missed anyone.

I am taking part in an exhibition with the Winkleman Gallery in Miami during the art fair chaos this December. I'm recreating a piece that I think most of you have seen. For those that haven't its the Free Art Stand and it is exactly what it sounds like, a stand... with free art. Below I've included the text that I typed up for the official call-

I've been invited to present a new and improved version of a work titled Free Art Stand for #rank, an exhibition organized by the Winkleman Gallery (NYC), to take place during fair week in Miami. As many of you know Miami, during the first week of December, becomes the center of the art world; hosting numerous fairs, events and exhibitions, Miami is a flutter with contemporary art. The following is only a small list of some of the events taking place this year: Art Basel, Scope, NADA, Pulse, Art Miami, and the one hosting the “Free Art Stand”, SEVEN. I would like to invite you to join me in the Free Art Stand, as one of my collaborators during the exhibition. I am asking artists to submit up to 4 high quality pieces of work, to be included in the exhibition. During the exhibition I will be manning the stand answering questions about the donated works. Each piece will have a corresponding details page with artist contact info and bio, that will be given upon request. The Free Art Stand questions the idea of payment & capital for works. Is there a value in having your work distributed in the atmosphere that surrounds major art fairs like SCOPE or Frieze or Basel or any of the numerous, large commercially profitable international art fairs? Is there a long term value in that situation? in future connections? in the dissemination of ideas? is it cultural capital? The Free Art Stand is a venue for a dialog surrounding how art is valued in the contemporary market place and how its assessed culturally."

So anyone that is interested that I haven't been able to contact please give me a shout and I can forward all the details for you. seannaftel[at]mac.com

Also anyone in the Baltimore area the weekend of 12 November stop by Jordan Faye Contemporary and check out the mess Chris and I will be making.

Resident in B.V.

Well, this is just a quick post from me- I seem to be the only one still at BCA, here in the pouring rains of November. I'm working on my PhD in studio art, hoping to graduate in October 2011. The working title for my thesis is 'Being in the Land: A Sculptural Investigation of Ecology,' and the main research question is 'How may sculpture communicate the experience of a reciprocal relationship with a natural environment?' I'm collaborating with Nature, building specially designed nest boxes for birds and beehives for honey bees.The sculpture created as a result of both my labor and the birds' and bees' labour.
Outside of school, recently... I have work in a show in Italy called Ecosynthesis and I've been invited to show at Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery School down in Co. Cork. I'll be installing a 6 foot nest made from culled hazel shrub next week and am hoping for a lovely meal...
Other than that, I thought I would pass along this link from VAI in case any of you hadn't seen it...
http://visualartists.ie/publications/visual-artists-ireland-student-pack/
It's info on making a transition from student life to professional practice. Although, all here are alum, there still might be some helpful information.

For now, I will leave you with this...

Bananas

I have not danced since leaving Ballyvaughan. I have not used my camera to make art. I call myself an Image-Based Artist now, to avoid telling people I am a photographer that does not take photos. The experience at OSU is much different in both good and bad ways. I get to teach Intro to Photo, I am loving it, my students keep getting more creative. I am hoping to teach after I graduate, they try to offer all Grads at least one class to teach per Quarter. The Photo grads are pretty sweet. It's hard to beat the coolness of BCA grads, even I am less cool since becoming a Buckeye.

I am happy to report that I have lost all 40 pounds that Ireland put on my body. I am back into my skinny jeans and victim to no more fat jokes... except by Tim who lives about 2 blocks from me. I have been dating my boyfriend Alex for over a year now. Last christmas I took him to Ballyvaughan and we stayed at Logues and at Jess and Stef's places. It was sad to see the village so quiet, no music bumping from Number 2.

I have been in a couple shows, some at the Hopkins Gallery, and others around Columbus. The ViEW Project just came down, it was at the Urban Art Space. This July I have a show at the ROY G BIV Gallery and my MFA show will also be at the Urban Art Space in June. If you are ever in Columbus, stop by and have a PBR with me!

UP . TO

Working at the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore

Studio in Hampden but I have decided to move out this winter. My studio practice seems to have shifted more toward having the TV/Music blaring- on my couch with a cup of coffee. I am going back to my roots as a child where art production happened on the living room floor with friends.

My own work has become much more focused on 1 image at time rather than than the typical photo series, I usually work with. The difficulty has been in making the work still cohesive enough to have a focus but not become a series or body of work in a whole. I am hoping to create a "database" of works that can interchange with one another over time. New pieces entering the work, old pieces reappearing and others being rotated- like how a curator would work with a collection. The work is still based around place, but has opened up more in order to bring in new ideas- then really working with editing down in the end rather than building up a body of work. Create loads of pieces then reduce that down, but not discarding the pieces I don't show (letting those pieces float around to re-contextualize other works) . I have been hiding the pieces for now, and will start to invite in critique when the organization process begins.

Collaborating with Sean still- in front of the TV, over beers, and on the phone. The image up top is a sketch for a piece that Peacock is doing at the Jordan Faye Contemporary next month. We are assembling places at the opening based on a spoken word, google earth, imagination, expectation, and what ever else comes into play. The actual construction of the work table will be much more modular, and easily fit in the back of a 2004 Toyota Tacoma.

Still love beer and fear wood stoves.