dOCUMENTA (13)

Every 5 years dOCUMENTA take over Kassel over the 100 days it showcase the cultural world standing. The dOCUMENTA is a holistic presentation of artists that may not be known in art history books but are important to history. Thinkers, philosophers, anthropologists, scientists were asked to participant in this year dOCUMENTA curated every year by one curator. This year curator is Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. I'm glad the dOCUMENTA took place while we were here. 

dOCUMENTA (13) feature Do Ho Suh's Fallen Star, Paul McCarthy's 30-foot ketchup bottle, William Kentridge's animation "Five Themes", Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller collaboration of Kassel's Train Station video, and much more.

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40 years of TIMES magazine compile into a college installation of images.

Pastor Korbiniam Aigner's (1885-1966) "Apples", apple a day installation while he was working in the Nazi's concentration camp at documenta 13. 372 drawings, gouache and pencil or watercolor and colored pencil on cardboard, each 12 cm x 15.5 cm at Kassel.

Anna give introduction of the Rotunda of Friedericianum where the space exhibit a variety of still life, ceramics, sculpture, paintings of 

Art of the Soul

Elizabeth and Noelle infront of the wall. 

Pierre Huyghe’s beehive-headed (Maillol) sculpture

Julie Meredith paintings at dOCUMENTA 13.

The Orangerie was damaged and later repaired to host the federal garden show in 1955. After the show the building was restored and transformed into the astronomy and physical cabinet with planetarium. During dOCUMENTA 12, the space infront of the Orangerie was used for exhibition.  

Wave pond at the Orangerie

Wooden frame glasses sold at dOCUMENTA (13) gift shop.

Yan Lei has created a large-scale installation of paintings in the documenta-Halle. Produced, one per day, in the year prior to the exhibition, the 360 figurative paintings are displayed in museum racks and hang from the ceilings and walls, filling the entire room- at Kassel.

Michael Rakowitz's What Dust Will Rise, 2012. Bamiyan Buddas, burn books, fragment of meteorite which hit Earth in 1954, photographs of craters, or "bomb ponds" result from the American bombardments of Cambodia during Vietnam war, a vido installation juxtaposing he reconstructed Fridericianum in Kassel. 

The Middle of tag

Carpet Photograph Installation by Mariam Ghana. 

Our hotel room at Kassel sharing a room with Robert.

Our hotel view at Kassel. 

The-Do-Nothing-Garden imported wild garden part of dOCUMENTA (13) by 

Janet Cardiff and  George Bures Miller the Canadian duo collaborated on a video walk at dOCUMENTA (13). I took this video walk at Kassel train station with a Ipod and headphone in hand interfacing between cinem and theater and the actual site-specific space the video was documented. The audio of the video walk runs simultaneously with the acoustic pereption of the space making you believe the sound from the video is from your reality. A central artitic element in Cardiff/Miller work is the intimate relationship between viewers and the sounds in their immediate vicinity: sound simulates the promximity of a person within whispering ditsance make the experience a hyper-realistic aural perception. Cardiff/Miller and Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (curator of dOCUMENTA (13) artist's talk.

On Saturday June 9th we were at a bar in Kassel and heard honking and people waving German's flags which only mean one thing. German past Portuguese in Union of European Football Association Championship game 1 (1-0). Next they will face the Netherlands on June 13th. I'm hoping to get a team jersey of the Germany before I leave.

Master Class Neo Rauch at Kunstverein Wilhelmshohe Ettlingen

Wouldn't be great to study under Neo Rauch for two years? Well that what pretty much these 6 German artist did at the German Fine Art Academy. We all went to the annual tradition at Kunsthalle der Parksasse in Leipzig, Germany to present this year Master class.
Stefan Guggisberg
David O'Kane

Paintings shown at the exhibition:



Dissection
2009
Oil on canvas
210 x 300 cm



Cloud Chamber
2009
Oil on canvas
200 x 150 cm


Blackboard
Oil on canvas
Animation: Edition of 3 + Artist's proof. 3 Available

Sebastian Burger
Carolin Knoth
Robert Seidel 
Kristina Schuldt
Mandy Kunze

Can't believe what an amazing job Anna-Louise-Rose had done putting together this program with her equally wonderful assistant Kristina Semvora for us.
Here is our program for LIA Leipzig International Art Programme:

June

1st Neo Rauch's graphic works at Grafikstiftung, Vernissage at 4pm in Aschersleben.
Departure from Leipzig to Aschrsleben 7pm-9pm; 10pm-12pm After Party
10pm concert at Kanal 30 (Jim Whiting)

5th Spinnerei Tour, Plagwitz and City Tour Leipzig LIA at 11am
5th Welcome Evening at 7pm Dinner together, everyone can cook their favorite or traditional dish to share/Good Bye Brooke Dinner

7th Barbecue with United Residencies (4 residencies at Spinnerei total: One-Side Story, Bloodworst, LIA, etc) and all international arists in Leipzig in the Spinnerei 7pm. Residents from all over Europe-Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Australia, France, New York City, London, Canada.

8th Exhibition Opening Kunsthalle der Parkasse; 7pm Master Class of Neo Rauch/Hall 14 Spinnerei, Exhibition Opening Win Win, at 7pm

9th Documenta 13: Train at 8:30am from main station and at 12am we are in Kassel, where Anna-Louise will give us a tour through the Documenta. Departure back to Leipzig next morning. Cultural event of world standing since it establishment in 1955. It is dedicated to artistic research and forms of imagination that explore commitment, matter, things, embodiment, and active living in connection with.
dOCUMENTA is driven by a holistic and non-logocentric vision that is skeptical of the presisting belief in economic growth. There are four conditions that put into play of dOCUMENTA:

• On stage. I am playing a role, I am a subject in the act of by other re-performing.
• Under seige. I am encircled by the other, besieged by others.
• In a state of hope, or optimism. I dream, I am the dreaming subject of anticipation. 
• On retreat. I am withdrawn, I choose to leave the others, I sleep. 

These 4 conditions take place in four locations which dOCUMENTA is physically and concepturally sited- Kassel, Kabul, Alexandria/Cairo and Banff. Thee places are phenomenal spatialities that embody the four conditions. 

13th Museum of Visual Art: Graphic works of Max Klinger/tour in English and New Leipziger School, 11am from LIA

15th Movie Evening with Steven Black 9pm

19th Judy Lubke, Gallery "Eigen und Art", visits LIA studios at 7pm!

22nd Photography Festival F/Stop at the Spinnerei, the opportunity for Open Studioes

27th Neo Rauch visits LIA Studios!!!

More: 7th Berlin Biennale 27 April- 1 July 2012 curated by Artur Zmijewski (Poland artist work in the media of photography and film and interested in the power of art and its relation to politics. He comes from an anthropological viewpoint investigate social norms, morality and representations of power in today's society and the effects that art have on it.) with Joanna Warsza and Voina art collective.
Interesting fact: Berlin based media activist and writer Pit chultz the Bennale has developed Art Wiki, a digital art library based on the model of Wikipedia. www.artwiki.org

July

1st Arrival of new artists

2nd Welcome Dinner at 7pm

2nd week: David Schnell visits LIA Studios!!!

                  Studio visit Christiane Baumgarten (1967, Leipzig)

                  Visit of Etching Studio of Spinnerei

27th Vernissage, Jazz Concert, Good Bye Dinner 

More: visit of artist residency ACC in Weimar 

German Artists Figuration

Kunstindex.Leipzig
Each month the Kunstindex post monthly opening of German artists....  I will continually post new German artist who work in figuration for those interested.

Arno Rink 

Born in 1940, Schlotheim/Thuringen, Germany. Lives and works in Leipzig. 71 years old retired professor of painting who served as director of the New Leipzig School. Exhibited in Venice Biennale in 1986,

David O'Kane

Irish artist who studied under Neo Rauch at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. Award residency at British School at Rome, Lithography Residency at Obelisk Studio in the Netherlands and Residency at the Royal Hibermian Academy in Dublin Ireland. Exhibited in Ireland at Canvanacor Gallery, the Neltherlands at the Galerie Sign, in Germany at the Filipp Rosbach Galerie and Galerie Schuster. 

"C

"Cut"

210 x 300 cm

oil on canvas 

2009

David Schnell 

Studied under Arno Rink at the Hochschule fur Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig.  He is represented by Galerie EIGN + ART.  Exhibited at Galerie EIGN + ART Leipzig/Berlin,  Museum of Allerhelligen in Netherlands, MAP/Museum of Art of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and  Parasol Unit Foundation London. He was commission to do a stain glass window at the Friens-Frenster church in Leipzig in 2009. 

 "Schilder" (Signs)

47 1/4 x 70 7/8 in.

Oil on canvas 

 2005

         Photo by Brian Dang of David Schnell's

         stain glass window at Friens-Frenster church 

      in Leipzig, Germany.

                         

Matthew Weischer

His work is between abstract and figurative painting depiction of deserted interiors stage by abstract elements. He had exhibited in VEnice Biennale, Miami, London, Cleveland Museum of Art, Chungnam/Korea, Ponce Puerto Rico, Leipzig, . 

Studied at Hochschule fur Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig and student in the master class of SIghard Gille. He is the co-founder of the artist-initiated gallery IGA in Berlin with Christoph Ruckhaberle but closed in 2004. He is reresented by Galerie EIGEN_ ART (Leipzig/Berlin) since 2004. His studio is in Spinnerei!

Interview with Matthew Weischer

Sebastian Schrader

Born in Berlin in 1978 studied under Werner Liebmann at Kunsthochschule Berlin-WeiBensee. Exhibited at Galerie Wendt + Friedmann in Berlin,Maerz Galerie in Leipzig, Galerie Favardin & Verneuil in Paris, Kirche St. Marien in Frankfurt, Kunst in German Pavillion EXPO 2010 in Shanghai China, and Galerie Anne Morchen in Hamburg.

Bauernopfer

180 x 240 cm 

Oil on canvas

2010

Miriam Vlaming

Lives and work in Berlin. Exhibited in Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Israel, Beijing, Netherlands, Milan Italy,  United States, and Kenya.  Studied at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig under Professor Arno Rink. Studed at the Academy of Art Duseldorf under Professor Jan Dibbets. 

                               

          Septemberorgen                                      

   79 x 67 inches. 

Egg tempera on canvas.

 2005

     

  Above: Miriam Vlaming portrait with her work.

                                                                           

Upcoming show:

Leipzig, German

Currently have work at group exhibition

"EROS & Thanatos", SOR Rushe Sammung

Werkschauhali

Halle 12

Baumwollspinnerei

Oskar Rink

1980, Leipzig artist work under the artist name Oskar Rink. As a fashion designer and illustrator and cook she find her way into the art world through her engineering and building of fragile worlds through paper fragments of pictures. Daughter of the famous German painter Arno Rink. She also work in miniature engineering of building cityscape from wood plank. She lived in London but recently within the past 5 months working in Leipzig with her father for an upcoming father/daughter double exhibition.

Quadraturdes Kreises. Jacket made out of paper. 

Upcoming show:

OSCAR & ARNO RINK RINK

CIRCLECULTURE GALLERY 

GYPSUM ROAD 11 

10119 BERLIN 

RUNNING TO 16 June 2012

Zohar Fraiman

Universitat Der Kunste Berlin 2011', School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston 2003, exhibited in Leipzig, Berlin, Italy, Jerusalem. Born in Jerusalem, Israel 1987 and lives and works in Berlin.

Celebration of the Virgin, 145x116cm, oil on canvas, 2010

Upcoming show: 

Zohar Fraiman & Sahar Zukerman

July 20- Sept 8, 2012

Opening: Friday, July 20 at 6pm

Galerie Queen Anne

Spinnereistr. 7

04179 Leipzig

David Schnell: Our Visiting Artist Mid-Critique Beginning of June

David Schnell, Ballen, 2003, oil and tempera on canvas, 74 13/16" x 114 3/16".  Collection of  The Zabludowicz Art Trust. 

     I still can't believe Anna-Louise is trying to not only get Neo Rauch to come to LIA to critique our work but also his counterpart David Schnell (1971 Bergish Gladbach, Germany) from the Academy of Visual Art where most of these artist later teach at New Leipzig School of Fine Art.
Galerie EIGEN+ART: David Schnell
Schnell co-founder of the Berlin Liga Galerie with Arno Rink is an abstraction landscape painter who have viewer reflect on nature being undercut by our direct, urban surroundings. Much like Neo Rauch his  paintings reflect a multiple perspective angle but instead of figures with our surroundings using bright colors. His perspective come straight from Renaissance sacred geometry (Jacobsmeyer would appreciate) but also from today calculated video game first person simulation. His landscape are formed  at the point where disjuncture comes in a video game world at the point where everything seem to fail and fall apart where scene break up into pile of components.

     It be quite interesting to see how Schnell will view my different perspective painting. As well Schnell work has a few words to say about the failure of Germany government falling apart after the fall of Berlin wall. He can speak into my thoughts of German agricultural reform and ecology renewal of energy. The sense of speed of time is important to his work and passage of time. I wonder how he will view my passage of time in how I paint time through narration and figuration.

Schnell exhibited in Europe, Korea, China, and United States.  He had recent work in this year Frieze Art Fair New York 2012,  and the Armory Show 2010,

David Schnell Creates Church Windows in

NYAA Leipzig International Artist Residency (LIA) 2012

Week 1: Willkommen in Berlin

Our Lufthansa airbus (2 store mega-airplane) to Frankfurt-Berlin. 

Above: Brian Dang, Robert Fundis, Elizabeth Glaessner, Noelle Timmons

Technically we didn't get to sit with each other since our assigned seats were in different rows but thought this would make a great family picture. 

Berlin from above. 

Photo by Robert Fundis

Funny story we got to Berlin at 5:30 am and our transfer connecting flight to Berlin leaves at 6:30. We almost miss our flight because we didn't realize how big Frankfurt Airport is from our arrival gate to the other gate. As well we had to go through German International Customs and security checkpoint again which by the time we got there they were preparing to close the gate but luckily we were able to board.

Gr

Anna-Louise Rolland with her baby Camille at Grafikstiftung Neo Rauch. 

Photo by Noelle Timmons

Anna was so wonderful to drive us from Berlin where she lived to Leipzig to drop off our belongings before the grand opening of Neo Rauch's foundation in a small town of Ascherslet (where he was born and raised) for the permanent collection where his graphic artworks will be store. 

While at the Spinnerei look what we found.  Picture of last year NYAA LIA residents (Alex Barton, Nick Holiber, Holly Sailor, Aleah Chapin). Apparently they keep scrapbook pictures of every residents that stayed at LIA. 

On the road to the Neo Rauch's event we saw tons of these wind turbines. 

Apparently there are more than 21,607 wind turbines in Germany ever since Germany decide to be an eco-friendly country decommissioned 17 of its nuclear power plants and wanting to use more renewable energy. The US can learn a thing or two about renewable energy from Germany. 

Grafikstitung Neo Rauch.

Photo by Robert Fundis

We had just arrived and immediately we were on what suppose to be 1-hour trip from Leipzig to 

Ashcherlet. Its my first time in Germany and I had hard that people travel to German just to drive super-fast on the highway. I learn quickly that driving 120 km/75mph or faster is the norm. We arrived and apparently everyone imaginable in Germany art world was there. Anna was pointing left and right art dealers, art collectors, gallery directors all of which I had forgotten their names. We were star struck to be shaking hands and eating side-by-side at the the after party with Neo Rauch himself. (Apparently Neo Rauch's personal studio is just the floor above our studio at the Spinnerei)

Yum Noelle having her first bookswurst (German boiled pork sausage) at the outdoor vendor of Grafikstitung Neo Rauch. 

 

 700 years old renovated building was the after party place of Neo Rauch's opening.

Photo by Robert Fundis

The Grauer Hober was home of Neo Rauch's opening of his foundation and what a treat it was to celebrate on our first day in Germany. Food of plenty and drinks & wine at this three-store restaurant dining with a fire-pit outdoors. We were invited to this private event and even had the opinion if we wanted to sleepover at a nearby prison which they turned into a loft but declined. 

Welcome to the Spinnerei. Spinnerei which means "Spinning".

This once was the biggest cotton spinning mill in the continental Europe will be our home for the next 2-months. The place is now home to 10 galleries, exhibition spaces, artist-in-residency buildings, communal art cultural center Halle 14, art library  for many who come visit. We are staying at the Gwangju Pavilion LIA. 

It feel like home when the building halls welcome you by automatically light up when you pass by.

Photo by Noelle Timmons

Noelle and Elizabeth Studio

Photo by Elizabeth Glaessner

Robert and Brian Studio 

Above: While staying in Leipzig our main transportation will be our niffy bikes which LIA offer to give each one of us to use here.

I still can't imagine the space we were given. 13ft ceiling with two big 24ft walls with big glass windows which two of us share is a dream. If there is even a dream studio, it would look very similar to this. Imagine how much work we can produce here and the possibilities of upscaling our work. That is why I am working right now on this 138"x 63" canvas (biggest painting I had done yet). Hope I'm ready for this.

Graffiti SNOW.

This graffiti SNOW is pretty popular around Spinnerei and Leipzig if you visit here. I have to find who's the tagger responsible for these. 

Noelle and Elizabeth covering up a graffiti BABIE. 

Flughafen Leipzig-Halle. (Aero Park Aviation Museum)

Kaholische Pfarrel Liebfrauen a nearby landmark by the Spinnerei if I ever get lost. 

Photo by Robert Fundis

Center of Leipzig, City Festival on June 2nd.

Photo by Robert Fundis

Garden by the Spinnerei where cotton mill workers used to grow their foods. 

Now locals use it as gardens.

LIA family potluck dinner. (Not only are they talented artist but they can cook too!)

Above: On the left- Sarina Scheidegger, Noelle Timmons

On the far right:Brooke Tomiello

NYAA residents are not the only one staying at LIA. Other international artists are staying at LIA which we have the privilege of befriending. 

Sarina is from Switzerland and her practice is mostly performance art. She been here so far 2 months and will stay another month with us in June. www.sarinascheideger.com

Brooke unfortunately left today but we will be seeing her soon in Brooklyn. She practice mostly performance art and studied her undergraduate at School of Visual Art in New York. 

Marin de Jong not in the picture but another artist who will be staying with us in June is from Holland and his primarily practice is painting in egg tempera. 

Kanal River in Leipzig, Germany. 

Here what I learn about Leipzig so far. Leipzig was once an industrial city home of textile factories like Spinnerei but after World War II Leipzig became a ghost town with not much employment. Leipzig now though is one of the two largest cities in the state of Saxony, Germany. Although there's not much businesses still it is recuperating with artist that want to come and making it their home. It rival Berlin for Germany art and cultural scene with big names  such as Neo Rauch, Jim Whiting, Aris Kalaizis, Matthias Weischer and artists from  New Leipzig School. Since Leipzig is less populated than Berlin more artist prefer living here because of the cheap rent and artists can get free housing if they have a social art project proposed. 

Kanal Cafe.

In the forest by the Kanal River by the Spinnerei. 

Guten Appetit. 

At the Kanal Cafe I had my tastebuds try an Easter German favorite soup: Solyanka (orginally a Russian/Ukrainian dish made with pork, cabbage, tomatoes, parsley and cream.

128 years old cotton. What I learn about the history of the Spinnerei.

Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei  10 acre site in 1884 was once the largest cotton mill company on the continent with housing over 240,000 spindles. This place once employed thousands of women which helped produced sewing thread at the three Spinnerei. It was its own city within Leipzig with housing for their workers, training school, gardens for worker food, fire brigade, powerhouse,  doctors, etc. In 1993  when the company production came to an end a Western German buyer by Regina Lenk purchased the site. The owner allowed empty rooms to be used for alternative projects-architecture firms and few artists to give workshops. After Regina Lenk closed three owners Florian Busse (Heintz & Co.), Tillmann Sauer and Gertaim Schultz bought the place seeing the potential the space had for "tentants". The artist Jim Whiting in 2002 brought his project "Bimbotown" a robotic art environment to the Spinnerei. Soon a not-for-profit contemporary art center took over Hall 14, the largest of the Spinnerei buildings.  Artist-run galleries followed for this artist colony  with Dogenhaus, ASPN, Galerie Kleindienst and maerzgalerie. On May 1st, 2005 galleries opened their new space for the first time. Followed by international galleries once the Spinnerei gain reputation Brooklyn's Pierogi gallery and London's Fred gallery. Welcome to the Spinnerei.

Hal Le 14

Above:  Far left- Kristina Semenova, Robert Fundis, Elizabeth Glaessner, Noelle Timmons

 Thanks to Anna's wonderful LIA assistant Kristina, she's so wonderful in giving us a tour of the Spinnerei today and other helpful things such as organizing LIA events and helping us fix our bikes.

Hal Le 14 is a public space where you can find a public art library, art events partnered by Columbus Art Foundation and Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. Also I discovered that former NYAA alumni Candace A. Goodrich is housing an art project at Hal Le 14 called One-sided Story as the director there from May 2012-April 2013 (she also was an artist-in-residence at the Pilotenkueche in Leipzig, Germany). 

Art installation at the Hal Le 14.

What to look forward to...

• A new artist staying with us in July from Belgium by the name of Samuel (another fellow painter).
• Jon Beer NYAA alumni 2012 will be staying at Spinnerei with another residency. 
• Neo Rauch is expected near the end of June to do a mid-critique with the LIA residents (unless his schedule changes). 
• Art fair June 14th Museums to see in Basel: Schaulager, Tinguly Musuem, Kunst Museum, Foundation Beverie

LIA is not the only international artist residency here at the Spinnerei. Look forward to tomorrow we will be attending a barbacue (if it doesn't rain) with all the other international residencies for lunch. 

Look out for more blogs about my trip here in Leipzig, Germany and Europe....

1st Year of Grad School DONE!

Chicken Attack

60"x40"

O/P

2012

New York Academy of Art 

Deck the Walls

My "McDonald's Breakfast" painting sold for $300. 

I still can't believe it been a year. Sorry for not posting any updates been so busy with my summer vacation oversea in Asia and moving right away to New York City for graduate school at the New York Academy of Art. I have grown a lot over the year and feel like a New Yorker within these past 9-10 months. My favorite memories of New York is when I realize how things a lot smaller, living area, bumping shoulder-to-shoulder with other people on the subway, and when you mistake a rat for a squirrel in NYC parks. I don't miss the rats at all seeing those beady eyes and little things crawling along the wall of my studio outside of school. Oh yeah I have an outside studio on West Broadway near Canal intersection with other freelancer artists (only temporarily though).

                                        At open house with Tanya from Liberty Church.

Sketchbook drawing of me by the talented Nicolas Sanchez.

New York Academy of Art (NYAA)
What do I not like about this school...
I think its a great artist community not just an institution having a lot of recognition over the years with alumni who are getting notice in New York such as Alyssa Monk, Will Kurtz, John O'Reilly, and most recent alumni Aleah Chapin (finalist of the National Portrait Gallery BP Portrait award).

Several of the talent Alumni had gone back to teach at this great institution which I had the privilege of studying with.

Jean-Pierre Roy alumni of NYAA in 2002 and fellow 2003. I had the privilege of being in his Direct and Indirect Painting this past year which he had been a help to my visual grammar development of understanding light, color palettes, underpainting technique. http://www.jean-pierreroy.com/Jean-PierreRoy.com.html

John Jacobmeyer a Yale alumni served as a great resource for my understanding of composition taking his Composition and Design I & II. His sly humor might get some use to but he has a great depth of art history from an artist point-of-view. I learn a great deal about geometry in composition, open & close form composition, reading a composition semoitically, etc. He was also my direct connect to New York Academy visiting my undergraduate at George Mason to give an artist lecture as well critique my body of work.  http://www.johnjacobsmeyer.com/

Edgar Jerin an alumni from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art come dress casually west-coat hawaiian beach shirt each class but don't be fool by his lax demeanor. His work is inspiring showing a lot of dedication to his practice as a painter although he is know primarily for his larger-than-life charcoal drawings of his personal struggle growing up. His intensity in his work show in how he teach with I believe the best attendance of any class I have so far at NYAA I don't believe many people miss his class because how much attention he give toward his students.

Frederick Mershimer one of the best professor I had yet being a beginner at printmaking. I only had a brief introduction with printmaking taking a silkscreen and intaglio beginning introduction class at my undergrad. I want to get into printmaking again and knew this was the class I should take. I had to learn how unforgiving printmaking on copper is. To erase marks I learn quickly you have to sandpaper the mark on the plate till they are gone. Yet despite the learning curve I enjoy learning the intaglio slow process because of Fred being a great mentor demonstrating for us as well watch over our shoulder if we are doing it correctly.
http://www.gallery71.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=3

Along with faculty professors we have senior critics. Jenny Saville, Eric Fischl (thanks for critique my work), Vincent Desiderio, Will Cotton, and Steven Assael (thanks for instructing me in Drawing/Painting) critique student work on a regular basis as well give lectures and lead Master Classes. We have as well visiting critiques some artists or art writers come to give feed back on student works-Ken Johnson art writer of New York Times, Laurie Hogan (whom I have have the privilege of taking a master class with), etc.


2nd year students were pretty cool they weren't so intimidating as I thought. 
Shout out to:
Jacob Hicks (good luck in Giverny, France) your cultural chandler and totem pole are pretty unique (obhicks.yolasite.com)
Holly Ann Sailor I don't know any other 2nd year who work as hard as you do thanks for the help in the printmaking shop. (www.hollyannsailors.com)
Adam LaMothe love your fast-food menu painting your bacon series work don't know anyone else who can produce as much paintings as you do. (http://www.adamlamothe.com)
Nick Borelli your texture paintings are pretty unique glad you were in my intaglio class.
Angela Gram I love your animal paintings I don't think had quite enough time to just look at them more at the texture of fur, feather, animal skin in your work. (http://angelagramart.com)
Jon Beer I read your blog and find it intellectually stimulating for my visual dialogue good luck on being 2012-2013 fellow see you in July at Spinnerei LIA artist residency. (http://www.JonathanBeer.com)
Aleah Chapin congrats on your BP Portrait nomination and being 2012-2013 fellow. (http://www.aleahchapin.com). 
Nicolas Holiber I think you should grow out yoru beard again and have a beard growing contest. Thanks for the tip on your experience in Leipzig. Congrats on being 2012-2013 fellow see you when school start again. (http://www.nicolasholiber.com)
Congrats to all the other 2nd years as well hope your post-grad experience goes well.


As far as community is concern I love it on the second floor surround by talented peers 1st and 2nd years. Notable names:
Robert Plater (good luck in Giverny, France) for being a companion my first year of grad 
Cory Dixion I think you're one of the coolest Canadian I met so far good luck in Shanghai China. Btw this white guy can dunk just ask him. (http://corydixon.com)
Nicolas Sanchez coolest Mexican artist I know good luck in Shanghai, China. (http://www.nicoartonline.com)
Daniel Bilodeau good luck in Giverny, France also a cool Canadian who I got a chance to be studio buddy with across from my studio. (http://www.danielbilodeau.com)
Yunsung Kim coolest Korean artist I know very knowledge and humble about his talent and touch in drawing. Look forward to next year seeing some more of your work. Bigger the better.
Jessica Augier our talented printmaker/printmaking shop tech thanks for your dedication in making the shop run efficiently and effectively and getting supplies which seem to run out all the time.
Kristy Gordon also a cool Canadian and pretty awesome painter. Thanks for inviting me to the Morgan Library to draw from old masters look forward to more visits. Good luck in Shanghai, China. (http://www.kristygordon.com)
Sherry Di Filippo your drawings and animation are pretty awesome also good luck with the Dedalus scholarship.
Dave Wager cool Californian artist look forward to next year with you again on the 2nd floor. (www.davewagnerart.com)
Sam Detch being the coolest Michigan man I know plus your self-portrait bust is pretty awesome. 
Noelle Timmons your body of work on lights are pretty fascinating love your sense of color. Can't wait to see what you produce this summer. 
Megan Ewert Good luck in Shanghai, China can't wait to see what kind of work you produce over there. See you on the 2nd floor next year studio buddy. 
Elizabeth Glaessner thanks for being my studio mate at the beginning of the year. It seem like it work out after all since we're spending this summer on the Leipzig Residency. Can't wait to see what body of work you produce this summer. Good luck. (http://www.elizabethglaessner.com)
Shannon Kennedy enjoy using my studio this summer can't wait to see what you produce this summer and next year and going to miss you on the 2nd floor. (www.shannonkennyart.com)
Daniela Kovacic coolest Chilean gal I know see you next year on the 2nd floor! 
Robert Claude Fundis III you're one of the coolest guy I met at the NYAA and I'm not exaggerating. Thanks for fixing my bed while here at LIA glad we're studiomate/roommates. Can't wait to see your work you make while here in Leipzig. 


Thanks to notable alumni: 
Guno Park for being there whenever there's a tech problem and being the best TA I have so far (http://gunopark.com) 
Ian Healy NYAA 2011-2012 fellow for the critique on my chicken paintings (http://IanHealyArt.com)
Emily Adams for taking several of us plein air painting by the Hudson River 
(http://emilydavisadams.com)
Aliene de Souza Howell for giving that Germany travel book it sure did help plus I think your prints are bad ass. Animal lovers unite. (http://www.alienehowell.com)


What a great year... it only get better can't wait for 2nd year of hard work but fill with excitement. This summer I'm away June 1st-July 31st at Spinnerei LIA (Leipzig International Artist Residency) sponsored in part by NYAA as reward to 1st year students who are noted for their hard work. I was one of the finalist with 3 others: Elizabet Glaessner, Noelle Timmons, and Robert Fundis III. 

What a year. Till next year...

Not End of the World But End of My GMU Chapter

I started at Mason as a freshman in 2005 and its 2011 a good 5-6 years of undergraduate. During those times I learned so much about becoming an artist and becoming a better person. I feel a sense of closure looking at the celebration of laboring so hard to earn this official document that acknowledge my time here at Mason. My BFA thesis was well received by family and friends who all share in my joy of something I labor over for the past 3 months make it all worthwhile. Seeing my friends graduate and walk across that stage to get a fake diploma bring me smiles. Even as I walk across to receive that piece of paper I promise I won't cry. I didn't get emotion but took my time receiving that prized moment of shaking the Dean hand and hugging the Chair of my school. I realize I will miss Mason more than I thought, because the friends and community I had developed over the years will move on. I will finally move on. Both bring bittersweet feelings for me. Here to an end of a chapter and a new chapter awaits for me in NYC. Cheers!