SML Pro Blog: 2009-10

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Choichun Leung / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 10 of 10 / Art + Artists

Choichun Leung (Facebook / LinkedIn / SML Flickr) is a Chinese American artist living in New York. I met her towards the end of my gallery visits during the 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival in New York this year.

Choichun Leung / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 20090926.10D.54951.P1.L1.SQ.BW / SML (by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML)

When I first saw her paintings I had originally thought that she had a graphic design background because of their calligraphic and typographic nature, but it turns out that she was educated in the UK at Loughborough College in 3D Design with a concentration in Jewelry and Silversmithing. Here's a short video interview where she talks about herself and her work:

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

And some photographs of her paintings (detail) shot that same day:

Mixed Media Painting (Detail) by Choichun Leung / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 20090926.10D.54927.P1.L1.C23 / SML (by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML)

Mixed Media Painting (Detail) by Choichun Leung / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 20090926.10D.54932.P1.L1.C23 / SML (by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML)

Mixed Media Painting (Detail) by Choichun Leung / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 20090926.10D.54929.P1.L1 / SML (by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML)

Mixed Media Painting (Detail) by Choichun Leung / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 20090926.10D.54933.P1.L1 / SML (by See-ming Lee 李思明 SML)

You can check out her portfolio at http://choichun.com.

Biography

http://www.choichun.com/artist.html
Choichun Leung left Wales when she was seventeen to pursue a degree in metal-smithing at Loughborough college of Art and Design in the UK, afterwhich she studied Buddhist iconography in both Beijing and the Yangkung caves in China's Shanxi province. In 1988 she moved to London where she studied under the Ray Man Chinese Orchestra as a percussionist and a student of the Gu-qin - a traditional Chinese bass zither. Leung worked in Hong Kong as a background artist for animation film before returning to London in 1992 where she received a grant and Gold Award from the Prince of Wales' Youth Business Trust for the most innovative new business of the year: a line of symbolic art products using the traditional technique of Chinese paper cutting. With music and the arts always hand in hand, Leung came to New York in 1994 where she began painting seriously, worked as an assistant to artist Peter Max, and studied music composition. From that point forward, Choichun's artwork has been inextricably entwined with her interest in music and have continued to influence each other. As the single mother of a young daughter, Choichun moved to Germany in 2002 to write music, perform and collaborate on an audio/visual project based in Koln. Upon the invitation of a gallery in 2006 she returned to New York. Most recently Choichun has been featured in two solo exhibitions at JLA Baxter House in Manhattan and will take part in a group showing in Hamburg in November 2008. Choichun currently lives in Brooklyn, NYC.

Artist Statement

http://www.choichun.com/artiststatement.html
Our lives are as long as we remember. Our memories are imbedded in us like DNA. But what of lives that through trauma or age have lost memory? What of the interplay of conscious thought and the sub-conscious? Which one really drives the show? My paintings are like rorschach tests in reverse, a psychological diary of that moment in time, an investigation of the relationship between past and present, reality and illusion and in effect a blue print to the past self. Through the symbolisms revealed, and the stories or objects we project into the abstract, we expose another layer of ourselves and in turn provide clues to what may not be fully aware. My paintings are simple traces of that activity, void of any meaning, but imbedded with the years of experience that shapes us, yet also holds us hostage.

Choichun never paints from sketches but instead allows the process and medium dictate. Each application is an expressive gesture evoking the emotion and inner psychology of that moment, a conflicted excavation of what may be hidden or imagined. The script like lines emerge as a non-cognitive language or what she has come to identify as 'glyphs' - a pictographic personal alphabet; where 'glyphs' document the days, weeks and months spent on a piece. The one actual reference that Choichun can identify in her work after the fact springs from her background in music and her fascination with its chaotic notes and interpretive patterns. These can be seen in the work's fine, rhythmic and frenetic lines as well as in the heavier, poured-on, black & white 'mono-glyphs' which overtake the paintings like visual representations of a sound. Choichun paints on both wood panels and canvas, using liquid acrylic, aerosol, oil bars and thread . With sticks, brushes, trowels and vessels: applying the paint and then scratching through the layers to reveal what is underneath, scripting with ‘glyphs’ throughout, painting over, sanding down and repeating this process until an image is revealed or another is hidden.

13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009
+ 01: Overview
+ 02: Ruza Bagaric
+ 03: Brooklyn Art Project
+ 04: James Cospito
+ 05: J. F. Bautista
+ 06: Ellen Driscoll
+ 07: Fernando Souto
+ 08: Agata Olek
+ 09: Dean Russo
+ 10: Choichun Leung
Related SML Universe
+ SML Fine Art (Flickr / FriendFeed / Twitter)
+ SML Flickr Collections: Art + Artists
+ SML Flickr Sets: Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009
+ SML Pro Blog: Art
+ SML Vimeo Album: Dumbo Art Festival 2009
+ SML YouTube Playlist: Dumbo Art Festival 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Dean Russo / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 9 of 10 / Art + Artists

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Dean Russo (Etsy / Facebook / SML Flickr / Twitter) is an American pop-artist based in Brooklyn. I paid his studio a visit during the 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival in NYC in 2009. Here are some photographs and interview videos shot that day.

1. Process + Methodology. Dean Russo chats with See-ming Lee (SML) and Mac Farr (MMF) about the process and methodology in creating his mixed media paintings. The artist also mentioned interesting aspects of how the economy fundamentally changes the way he works.

SML 720 HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

2. Subject Matters. Dean Russo talks about how he picks his subject matters for his mixed media paintings.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

3. Source of Inspiration. Dean Russo chats with Mac Farr about where he gets his inspiration — graffiti in Brooklyn apparently!

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

4. Artist Toolbox. Touring Dean Russo's artist studio was an interesting experience, as I haven't really met any pop artists in person before. Here we find many interesting tools not commonly found in an artist toolbox: stencils, spray paints, etc. It's quite a wonder to see, but there are also the familiar tools like color pencils and pastels.

5. Process. Most people like to see the end result, but I prefer seeing the process. I believe that process is an important part, without it you cannot have the result. During our interview, Dean told me about his entire process in creating his mixed media paintings, as long as I don't record it nor write it down. As such, I cannot really write about it either but all I can say is that I find it very interesting — that an artist workflow is not far from that from designers (my primary profession).

6. Dean Russo's mixed media paintings include many iconic public figures, but interestingly also many cats and dogs — many of which are commissioned work. You can purchase his paintings at his Etsy site. Most items are priced around $69 depending on their sizes, which is quite a bargain for original artwork — it's not uncommon to find fine art prints asking for more than that these days so 1/1 editions at that price is a great deal!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Agata Olek / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 8 of 10 / Art + Artists

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The highlight of my DUMBO Art Festival tour was meeting Agata Olek (Facebook / Flickr / SML Flickr Set) and her 100% Acrylic Art Guards.

Olek was born Agata Oleksiak in Poland and graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland with a degree in cultural studies. In New York, she rediscovered her ability to crochet and since then she has started her crocheted journey/madness.

Here's my video interview with her the day we first met:

Artists on Art: 100% Acrylic Art Guards by Agata Olek / Dumbo Art Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube

"I think crochet, the way I create it, is a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of our body and its systems and psychology. The connections are stronger as one fabric as opposed to separate strands, but, if you cut one, the whole thing will fall apart.

Relationships are complex and greatly vary situation to situation. They are developmental journeys of growth, and transformation. Time passes, great distances are surpassed and the fabric which individuals are composed of compiles and unravels simultaneously."

Olek's work has been presented in galleries from Brooklyn to Istanbul to Venice and Brazil, featured in "The New York Times", "Fiberarts Magazine", "The Village Voice", and "Washington Post" and drags a tail of dance performance sets and costumes too numerous to mention.

Olek received the Ruth Mellon Award for Sculpture, was selected for 2005 residency program at Sculpture Space, 2009 residency in Instituto Sacatar in Brazil, and is a winner of apex art gallery commercial competition. Olek was an artist in an independent collective exhibition, "Waterways," during the 49th Venice Biennale. She was also a featured artist in "Two Continents Beyond," at the 9th International Istanbul Biennale.

Olek herself however can be found in her Greenpoint studio with a bottle of spiced Polish vodka and a hand rolled cigarette aggressively re-weaving the world as she sees.

Check out her portfolio at agataolek.com.

Friday, October 16, 2009

The End of the Trail by Fernando Souto at Smack Mellon / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 7 of 10 / Art + Artists

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Also showing at Smack Mellon right now is the series titled The End of the Trail by Fernando Souto. I thought taht it would be odd to photograph someone else's photographs so I decided to do a video of the opening reception instead — you can call this the art + art lovers remix!

Opening Reception, The End of the Trail by Fernando Souto at Smack Mellon / Dumbo Art Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

Exhibition description fetched by SML Bio Bot:

“My parents emigrated from Uruguay to Australia when I was eighteen months old. With my extended family still in Uruguay, I never had the opportunity to really know my relatives, particularly my grandmother, who always seemed to be really old to me. The brief, scrambled, international phone calls throughout my childhood did little for me to understand who I was and where I had come from.

In 2002, my grandmother turned one hundred years old and I got a brief opportunity to spend some time with her. Looking at family photographs and listening to the stories of her childhood inspired me to start this photographic project titled, The End of the Trail. During my stay in Uruguay, I set out to photograph the essence of her stories and to gain a greater understanding of my heritage. My thoughts of ranch life were mostly filled with romantic ideals of freedom and independence. I had no concept of the harsh environment that the ranchers lived and worked in, and how the intense solitude defines them. At that moment, I decided to immerse myself in their day-to-day lives, pulling from these experiences to create a unique perspective of their fading culture.

From my initial trip to Uruguay in 2002, my interest in this project evolved, and I decided to expand into other countries where ranching had a significant presence in the culture and traditional working techniques still existed. Through extensive research I decided upon seven countries that had adapted the original working techniques of the Spanish Conquistadors and established a ranching heritage that spanned centuries. Those countries include Spain, Mexico, the United States, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Australia.

To date, I have covered cattle ranches in central Australia, Uruguay, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. My plan is to complete this photographic series, which would include south Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Mexico and two additional regions in the United States. I had never intended for this documentary to be a weightless visual record, but an enduring photographic series that is told on the faces of the people that live and work in this unique global culture.”

Fernando Souto currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in1972, Souto immigrated with his family to Sydney, Australia in 1974. Before studying photography at The Fashion Institute of Technology in 1994, he apprenticed with a Sydney-based photographer specializing in black & white printing. Originally planning on becoming a commercial photographer, he pursued assisting work with location-based portrait photographers throughout the late nineties. In 2002 Souto began his long-term project titled The End of the Trail, a humanistic story of the contemporary cowboy that spans seven countries. This series is shot on film and printed using traditional black and white gelatin papers. In 2008 Souto was chosen to attend the Review Santa Fe and exhibited his work at the Michael Mazzeo Gallery (NYC). Recently Souto was granted an emerging artists award from Photo District News for his work on The End of the Trail.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2 by Ellen Driscoll at Smack Mellon / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 6 of 10 / Art + Artists

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Next we went to Smack Mellon for the artists' reception for two solo exhibitions. The first is Ellen Driscoll's installation FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2.

1. Installation

Composed of thousands of discarded plastic bottles collected by Ellen Driscoll, FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2 takes a critical look at the environmental and human damage inflicted by the oil and water industries in the last two centuries on regions as diverse as Nigeria and the United States.

Artist Statement. “This installation is a continuation of a multi-year series which explores the dynamics of resource harvesting and consumption. This part of the series focuses on oil and water. Rising at 5:30 AM, I harvest #2 plastic bottles from the recycling bags put out for collection on the streets of Brooklyn. For one hour, one day at a time, I immerse myself in the tidal wave of plastic that engulfs us by collecting as many bottles as I can carry. The sculptural installation for Smack Mellon comprises 2600 bottles transformed into a 28 foot landscape. Constructed solely of harvested #2 plastic, the sculpture collapses three centuries into a ghostly translucent visual fugue in which a nineteenth century trestle bridge plays host to an eighteenth century water-powered mill which spills a twenty-first century flood from its structure. The flow contains North American, Middle Eastern, and African landmasses (sites of oil harvesting and their consumer destination) buoyed by a sea of plastic water molecules. The piece looks back to eighteenth century American industry powered by water, and forward to the oil refineries of the Niger Delta, site of prolonged guerilla warfare against oil corporations and the source of over fifty percent of crude oil for the United States—the oil that produces the plastic within which our privatized water is currently bought and sold.”

This installation is so gigantic that it was hard to photograph and examine the detail at the same time, so I created a video fly-through so you can experience the piece to approximate my own experience with the piece:

FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2 by Ellen Driscoll at Smack Mellon / Dumbo Art Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

2. Drawings

Artist Statement. “The wall drawings in the exhibition are based on a close study of the inner workings of an oil refinery. By using huge shifts of scale between the macro and the micro, they depict a dystopic future based on rampant oil consumption. An oil rig shares the horizon with ocean fires and garbage scows, mega shopping malls are abandoned to spontaneous communities of slums, and a refugee camp is inundated by the waters of a melting glacier. The worlds in the drawings are drained of color, but filled with the flux and spillage of a potentially chaotic future.”

Ellen Driscoll is a sculptor whose work includes FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 1 at Frederieke Taylor Gallery, Revenant and Phantom Limb for Nippon Ginko, Hiroshima, Japan, The Loophole of Retreat at the Whitney Museum, Phillip Morris, As Above, So Below for Grand Central Terminal (a suite of 20 mosaic and glass images for the tunnels at 45th, 47th, and 48th Streets), Catching the Drift, a restroom for the Smith College Museum of Art, and Wingspun for the International Arrivals Terminal at Raleigh-Durham airport. Ms. Driscoll has been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bunting Institute at Harvard University, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, the LEF Foundation, and Anonymous Was a Woman. Her work is included in major public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of Art. She is a Professor of Sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design.

You can check out her portfolio at ellendriscoll.net.

J. F. Bautista / 13th Annual Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 5 of 10 / Art + Artists

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I met J. F. Bautista (BAP) towards the end of my tour of the Brooklyn Art Project headquarter.

Three of his paintings from the series Mutant Organic Architecture were seen at the office (the three black and white paintings on the left):

So what are they?

Artist description: this project is about the absolute mutation of our metropolis, reversing the process of evolution and turning things inside out. The end result is the unfolding of fantastic new architecture, and it draws whomever into the depths of a gigantic, dark, strange and absurd morphed grimy variegated skeletal, organic living reptilian defined as Organic Mutant Architecture or New York Modern in reverse.

Or if you prefer plain English like I do, here's a video of the artist talking about his own work:

Artists on Art: J. F. Bautista on Organic Mutant Architecture / Dumbo Art Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

J. F. Baustista is an architect by profession and he works with his paintings in his free time. His art and architecture portfolio can be seen at his web site at jfbart.com.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

James Cospito / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 4 of 10 / Art + Artists

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The Brooklyn Art Project HQ doubles as James Cospito's studio, so naturally I get to do some interviews with him at the same location.

James Cospito (BAP / Facebook / Flickr / LinkedIn / SML Flickr / Twitter) is an artist, painter, photographer, illustrator, designer in New York City. He is also the Co-Founder / Creative Director at StrutNYC and BrooklynArtProject.

In this short video interview, James Cospito talks about his process in creating his NYC Subway series:

Artists on Art: James Cospito talks about his NYC Subway series / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

And photography shot during that day:

1. James carries a Moleskine with him and does quick ink drawings on the notebooks as he rides the subway. He applies watercolors to them afterwards. This mixed media painting titled si ves algo II, was created based on his Moleskine sketches.

2. Subway Moleskine Sketches

3. More Moleskine sketches

4. Tools matter. James' weapon of choice for his Moleskine sketches: the Rotring rapidograph, for its ability to draw very fine lines as well as its archival quality.

5. Moleskine lovers rejoice!

6. Mixed Media Painting: ContinentalDivide lr by James Cospito. 3,500 USD. Available for purchase at artist's website.

7. Artist Toolbox: lots and lots of clamps!

8. Artist Toolbox: wild array of paintbrushes.

9. Still Life Drawing (Detail).

10. Still Life Drawing (Detail). I thought that the blue marks are interesting bit. I didn't know that it was James' work when I photographed these originally so I did not inquire as to their function, but they add an interesting accent to the piece:

Brooklyn Art Project / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 3 of 10 / Art + Artists

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Our second stop: Brooklyn Art Project HQ (SML Pro Blog / SML Wiki).

Brooklyn Art Project is a free social network for artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Since its launch in 2007, it has had 5500+ members from over 44 countries featuring over 44,000 artworks and 800+ short films and videos. James Cospito, founder of BAP, talks about the site and the art seen at their office in this mini video interview:

Brooklyn Art Project / Dumbo Arts Center: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebok / Flickr / YouTube

And here are some photographs seen that day:

1. River City Ransom Street Fight 18" x 24" (457mm x 610mm) by Adam Shub (Facebook / SML Flickr). Adam is an artist in New York. He is currently working on a series of paintings on arcade video games. This painting is available for sale at $350 USD. To purchase it, visit the artist's portfolio site at artbreak.com/squarepainter.

2. More paintings by Adam Shub

From left to right: Adam Shub Mike Tyson Gets Pwned 18" x 24" 350 USD; Mega Man 2 Intro 18" x 24" 350 USD; Contra Opening 36" x 28" 600 USD. Bottom painting origin unknown. Leave a comment so I can give them proper credits!

3. Digital Painting by (unknown artist: if you know who the painter is, let me know so I can give them proper credits)

4. Still Life Drawing (Detail) by James Cospito (Brooklyn Art Project / Facebook / Flickr / LinkedIn / SML Flickr / Twitter). James is an artist, painter, photographer, illustrator, designer in New York City. He is also the co-founder of Brooklyn Art Project.

5. Paintings by Mey Veral, Soule and Collaborative Drawings from BAP Member Meetups.

6. From top left, clock-wise: Organic Mutant Architecture paintings by J. F. Bautista (jfbart.com); drawings + paintings (data unavailable. Leave a comment below if you have additional info. Thanks!)

7. LiAnne Cospito (Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter). So what do the administrative staff at Brooklyn Art Project HQ do all day? Facebook, it appears.

8. The WTF moment.

Ruza Bagaric / 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 2 of 10 / Art + Artists

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Ruza Bagaric (Flickr / Vimeo / YouTube) is the first artist that Mac Farr (Blogger / Facebook / Flickr / FriendFeed) and I visited during the 13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival in New York City 2009.

Ruza was born in Croatia. Ruza Bagaric obtained her MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art in 1996, and currently works and lives as a painter in New York City. As you can see from her portfolio site at www.ruzabagaric.com, she is interested in painting cityscapes, landscapes and still life. But her passion of late is human figures. She thinks that human beings are "spooky entities" and she aspires to explore the "strangeness of human beings."

During our conversations with, she mentioned a fascinating opinion regarding the relationship between art + music, artists vs musicians:

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

Artists on Art: Ruza talking about her paintings:

Artists on Art: Ruza Bagaric / DAC: Art Under the Bridge Festival 2009 / 2009-09-26 / SML from See-ming Lee 李思明 SML on Vimeo.

SML 720p HD Simulcast: Facebook / Flickr / YouTube

Saturday, October 10, 2009

13th Annual DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival NYC 2009: Part 1 of 10

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D.U.M.B.O. Art Under the Bridge Festival® is an annual art festival organized by the Dumbo Arts Center in New York City.

I have lived in Dumbo for the past 6 years, and it is only until very recently that I don't get a confused look from New Yorkers when I told them where I live. DUMBO (Wikipedia), an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City, New York borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections; one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another which continues east from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area.

Until the 1890s, it was primarily a manufacturing district, housing warehouses and factories that made machinery, paper boxes and Brillo soap pads. With deindustrialization it began becoming primarily residential, when artists and other young homesteaders seeking relatively large and inexpensive loft apartment spaces for studios and homes began moving there in the late 1970s.

When the luxury condos started to go up due to the outrageous rent in Manhattan, the neighborhood in Dumbo became a really fun place to live in. When I go out for dinner, usually sitting at the bar at Superfine, next to me are people who belong to either one of these categories: artists, construction workers or the filthy rich. The clash of profession and social status makes for *really* interesting conversations, and this is also perhaps why the art coming from this neighborhood has a unique personality of its own.

Every year, Dumbo Arts Center organizes a three-day multi-site neighborhood-wide event called the Art Under the Bridge Festival. This is an event where artists open their studios so you can look at their work and chat with the them in a fun and casual setting. This year I went with Mac Farr (MMF) and found many inspirational work.

I took so many photos and videos during the festival that it took me 2 full weeks to process them. They are finally all done. All 109 photos and 12 videos in their own Flickr set.

Because of the amount of content, I will break the artist interviews into their own posts, but here are some highlights as well as non-artist specific shots during the day:

1. Mixed media painting ContinentalDivide lr by James Cospito (BAP / Facebook / Flickr / LinkedIn / SML Flickr / Twitter), founder of the Brooklyn Art Project (SML Pro Blog). 3,500. Available for purchase at artist's website. Photographed at the BAP HQ in Dumbo. Check out his portfolio at http://www.brooklynartproject.com/profile/jcospito

2. 100% Acrylic Art Guards (crochet / textile / wearable sculpture / public installation) by Agata Olek (Facebook / Flickr / SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://agataolek.com

3. Mixed media painting by Dean Russo (Facebook / SML Flickr / Twitter). Check out his portfolio at http://deanrusso.com

4. Mixed media painting (detail) by Choichun Leung (LinkedIn / SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://choichun.com

5. Ink drawings, FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2 by Ellen Driscoll (SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://ellendriscoll.net

6. Installation (Detail), FASTFORWARDFOSSIL: Part 2 by Ellen Driscoll (SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://ellendriscoll.net

7. Painting by Ruza Bagaric (SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://ruzabagaric.com

8. Painting: River City Random Street Fight by Adam Shub (Facebook / SML Flickr). Adam is currently working on a series of paintings on arcade video games. You can check out his portfolio at http://www.artbreak.com/Squarepainter

9. Digital Painting (artist name / title unknown) at the Brooklyn Art Project (Facebook / Flickr / FriendFeed / SML Flickr / Twitter) head-quarter.

10. Drawings by R. Wayne Reynolds (SML Flickr). Seen at the Fall 2009 Emerging Artists Show at the Rabbit Hole Studio.

11. Mixed media painting by Jenny Eisenpresser (SML Flickr). Check out her portfolio at http://jennyeisterpress.com

12. Collaborative Installation: I left this here for you to read by Tim Devin (SML Flickr).

13. Full-block long graffiti in Dumbo. Since it's graffiti, the artist is unknown. But if you know who did this, let me know so I can give them proper credits!!! Panoramic photography stitched together using three RAW files.

14. Untitled Forms. Not entirely sure if this is a deliberate installation of sorts, but it's interesting to me. Filed under my Abstracts and Forms series.

15. Unitled Forms. Yet another 'mystery' find at the Rabbit Hole Studio where I cannot tell if it is part of the show or not. But it's interesting to me. Filed under my Forms series.

16. The always cheery Mac Farr (Facebook / Flickr / SML Flickr) aka MMF in the SML Universe is the best guy to go art-hunting with. MMF also participated in many artist interviews, which was great because the ADHD-afflicted SML speech is barely comprehensible in many instances!

17. Interestingly there were many weddings taken place on the same day during the festival.

18. The bride and groom was so excited when they saw me snapping them. But I know that with the reflection on the window it is simply impossible to get a good shot. That said, the reflection of the bridge and pedestrians on the road create a really interesting shot so I photographed it anyway. I call this a one-frame collage!

19. Walking around we found a sculpture made with cardboards and other paper waste materials. Particularly interesting is their forms which resemble tree logs, the same materials which create them to begin of. It's an interesting before/after dialog within itself about paper, trees and the effect of modern industry with regard to the environment.

20. How fitting it is to find the perfect frame of lines under the Brooklyn Bridge at a festival called Art Under the Bridge!

And that sums up my experience with the festival. I had a great time! As stated above, interviews with the artists will be posted in their own blog posts as otherwise this blog post, which is already *very* long would be unbearably long to read!

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Biography

Artist Statement

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Friday, October 16, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

1. Installation

2. Drawings

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Saturday, October 10, 2009