Well its been a couple of months since my last post.
I’ve moved back to Kentucky since then, haven’t really
made a space to work in – so art has come to an almost
stand still. I haven’t been able to work on paintings, but
I have taken advantage of my sketchbooks.
Here you go.
I’ve been twiddling with guitar since i was about 14. I taught myself basic stuff, and learned a bit from tabs. I never really got serious about learning or even took lessons – it was always just a hobby/therapeutic thing for me to do… just twiddle away for a bit, not really caring to write anything down or try to remember what i played. But for some reason, I decided I really wanted to learn about this thing, the guitar. I started writing some songs last year, I started remembering what I had played and tried to “work on it”, but for some reason my acoustic wasn’t doing it for me. I went around looking for electric guitars – craigslist, mom and pop music shops, even the dreaded guitar center… nothing – either it was a busted piece of wood wrapped in strings (which I could afford), or it was some shimmering golden axe, carved from the femur of Thor himself (even if i sold all my paintings for ridiculous prices – never could i afford one of these). I was really getting into it – I was learning about the different woods, different finishes, different brands, different setups (physical and electronic)… and then i realized with all of this knowledge – why don’t I just make a guitar, i’ve got a great woodshop at my job – why the not try?
Well that was in February… or around then – and this is what came of that.
The guitar isn’t complete just yet. I’ve only put it together, and strung it up so that I can check the string action and make sure I know how to assemble everything. I still need to put on a few layers of sealant and protective finish and I also need to do the electronics. As you can see if you click on the image to the right, there is a bit of inlay – I was able to do that with the laser printer at my job. We etched out the shape of the falcon – and then cut the exact shape out of a piece of thin pine – I then shoved those into the freshly cut cavity with some glue and some clamps and blam – I had made a beautiful guitar body.
The body is made out of plywood – one layer of 3/4, one layer of 3/16 luan, and one more layer of 3/4 pine plywood – the neck is made by the company warmoth, its maple with Brazilian rosewood – the pickup is a seymour duncan APH-1 (or something like that) – most of the hardware is gotoh, I know its cheap, but hey, atleast i’ve got an electric guitar now – and the strings are DR.
I really do love this guitar – and not just because… I made it. But, because of the materials its made out of – good ole plywood (a working man’s wood), maple (a wood that makes pancakes awesome), wood glue (’nuff said). I’m interested to hear what the tone is like – I’m curious what the “working man’s” tone is – what is the tone of the cheap and sincere – what is the tone of the middle and lower classes? We’ll see and hear, eh?
I update this post once I’ve completed the guitar – I’ll even try to record some music so you can hear this sweet axe.
oh yeah – i forgot. there is something special on the back. the electronics cover is made of black plexiglas, and it has bubinga inlay of the falcon.
Here are a few drawings that I’ve been working on since the show. I suspect that they are some kind of autobiographical/quasi-spiritual expressions. Enjoy
Hermonie, Adam, and Erica have now joined us.
Also we have a name for our space – and also a myspace – as for the title of the show, its still undecided.
our myspace is – www.myspace.com/therangegallery – we are The Range.
UPDATE.
Sadly, Los CarLos will not be joining us for the evening.
So once again I’m on the look out for a musical act.
If you know anyone who might be interested in playing
at an art showing in a small hampden row house, packed
full of weirdos… then send em my way.
over and out
UPDATE AGAIN!
two things
1.we have a gained a sound artist – julie benoit
2. i’m done for the night.
ANOTHER UPDATE!
One thing – I saw Ari Schenck at Common Ground today, and before I knew it I was asking him to play at the show – he said sure. So now we’ve got a little Human Conduct Presents: Ari Schenck Style to look forward too.
ANOTHER NOTHER UPDATE!
Collin Hatton will be showing a few paintings with the rest of the crowd – exciting, jubilant, contrasting – wow! And also Sine (Violin) will be joining Colin Campbell (Cello) to make for classical explorations and some new things.
The first self portrait of my life.
I was either 14 or 15 – A sophomore in high school.
Pencil on Paper – Dimensions, Probably 8.5 x 11
The Show will be happening on Saturday, February 16th.
We will open the front door at 6 pm and will be partying well on into what will mostly likely become a dark and blurry night.
The artists that will be showing are:
Nathalie Wilson – Food/Design/Packaging
Cory Cone – Paint = Possibility
Ramsey Beyers – Illustrious Fantastic
Daniel Shea – Pomography SlomoSocioPhotags
Adam Schechter – Paint/Drawing/Sculpture Classics
Adam Golfer – ShoMoBroPhoto
Collin Hatton – Catton Hollin Cuts and Heaps Paint
Erica Madden – ‘Till Death Do Us Photart
Hermione Williams – Romantic Symantic
Benjamin Walton – Web/Text/Design THRASH
Jessica Pegorsch – Painting/Drawing
Giuliana Pinto – Painting/Drawing/MIXED M – Everything/Anything w/Wolves
and Chris Owen (I couldn’t help it) – Paint on the Brain, Paper w/ an Ink Stain
Other artists that haven’t confirmed are:
TJ – PhotoPharmucopia
Joe Leavenworth – Photography of Still Lives
Hopefully they’ll all make it here.
There will also be live music, and so far we have two performances:
Colin Campbell + Friend – Classical and NewNeoNeonClassical Cello + Viola
Los Carlos – Experiments in Ambiance and Weirdness
The show is open to the public – its for the public.
There will be food provided – I don’t know how much though? But I do know there will be meat-eating, vegetarian, and vegan options.
Also there will be some drinks to be drank – once again, they will be in limited quantities, and only available to those who are of age. (sorry, but the police will be joining us at some point in the evening). But BYOB is cool, and there is no corkage fee.
To find out the address of the party, please call me.
Alright – so heres the ticket.
Sometime after February 1, there will be a showing of my friends and my works. It will happen at my house, in the evening, probably on a weekend. I officially invite the entire world to come over and look at this. I don’t know who will curate the show, maybe all of us, maybe my neighbor… who knows. But so far I’ve gotten word back from Ramsey B., Giuli P., Cory C., Nat W.(soon to be C no?), Ben W., and Adam S. – I’ve got to invite a few more friends as well. The plan is the fill my house from ceiling to floor with all my friends and my stuff. I’m also trying to get some live music to occur on the same evening as the artness, with that I’ve got Collin Campbell on cello (i think hes down with classical stuff and maybe some experimental).
As for a conceptual connection, or some kind of linking theme or motif”’ – “Friends” + “Work” + “Home” – I want to explore each of my friends’ personal relationship to making art in their life, making their life out of art. I want the show also to have some sort of communal feeling – we’re all friends, we’ve known each other for quite a while, we all went to school together and lived in baltimore together – so maybe the art on the wall (in its confused and chaotic hanging state) won’t have any kind of labels or signs – that way people will have to communicate with each other and the artists if they’re curious about something, and that way their minds can be left to wonder with only themselves and the wonderful art work that’ll be up. But really I think the show will be less conceptual – and more about the building of an artistic community, creative relationships, human connection.
Friends + Art + Music + Food = 
(notice the priorities there, thats why i’m skinny.)
As I get this thing together and more concrete, I will post dates and times, artists, maybe some art samples? food menu? music line up?
Tha Best,
Chris
Heres new shots of my senior thesis paintings. Thanks again to Dan for the nice photographs of the work
A few comments that these paintings have received go something like…
These abstract painting “moves” (the individual elements) remind me of old atari video games – ie. your are a little square, or a few pixels that resemble the outline of a human form. You move through a world of mundane pixelated images, yet your imagination turns those 2 dimensional green blobs into ferocious alligators. I think the person was trying to say that each element seemed like a wonderful facilitator for imagination and movement. Good. Another comment was that there were so many different elements all individual elements became meaningless in this giant mess. Sweet.
Here they are – They used to have fun titles, but I have misplaced the old cards and forgotten them… so for now, the only title I can remember is…
“Empathy is Most Comfortable Pair of Underwear.” (All paintings are 4′x2′, acrylic on mdf board) each individual painting is a link to itself, its not only one big image.
Heres a painting I’ve been working on, on the side of my “squares” project. This one is a quasi-tribute to Marla Olmstead, the famous (or infamous?) painter born in 2000. Its two canvases stretched and then connected, the white space at the bottom-right is actually nothing.
“The Northern Lights Will Never Reach Kentucky”
I find the Marla Olmstead case quite extraordinary. A child’s innocent creation, made into a real something by the coaching and adjustments of her father – both father and daughter, together, the perfect portrait of an artist. Innocence and Experience, working together, butting heads, and in the end, creating something… whether or not that thing is good or bad, interesting or passe… I think such a genuine example of artistic creativity is beautiful, and seeing the output of such a process… whew. yes.
sorry my posts are few and far between. I do have to paint these things – that takes a while. And then I don’t own a digital camera so… that makes things harder. But thanks to Daniel Shea, he took all the squared painting shots, the image above, and hes also working on my senior thesis paintings as we speak, thanks buddy, I owe you a beer or four… no headbutts this time, f’real.
oh that reminds me, I’m about to update the square painting post, so look for a newish painting in there.
Chris
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