Would you like to be a Renegade?

Do you live in Albuquerque, New Mexico? Or nearby, in places like Rio Rancho, Tijeras, Los Lunas, Santa Fe?

If you’re a free-wheeling artist, craftsperson, or other creative type who enjoys creating artwork for a living, a side-living (or a future living), you might want to join the Duke City Renegades Art Guild! We’re a diverse, local arts & crafts association devoted of innovative New Mexico artists. We love art, live art and promote art through our own work and guild events. We are devoted to bringing sales, excitement, new skills, contacts and artistic growth to our members!

Though we are centered in Albuquerque “Duke City”, N.M., we welcome members from all over the state. Our membership is limited to denizens of the Land of Enchantment at this time. If you are a desert dweller who has art in your soul, we welcome you to apply. We do have monthly meetings (in Albuquerque), and group art shows planned for 2008.

Contact me for more info–or you can visit our website.

Duke City Renegades Art Show Review

Ok, so I’m a little biased. Our show rocked. We were featured in the paper, had lots of great advertising, crappy weather–and we still had a great time!

The Duke City Renegades are a local Art & Craft Guild (centered in the Duke City, of course. For the uninitiated, Albuquerque, NM is Duke City). We have a diverse membership base, talented members and serious drive. Our goal is to help each other grow our art, our arts & crafts businesses, and our range of abilities–all while we have fun.

Our participants included:
Paula Manning-Lewis, Sandra Williams, Ken Murakami, Cari Pier, Robyn Vines-Smith (as Burst of Happiness AND Babycakes Aprons), Kris Hunt, Susan See, Alex Williams, PD Rearick, Crochet and Crafts, Raine Klover, Jolie Designs, Joyce Shafer, Barbrie Chavez, Barbara Clark, Me (Ren Adams), and Robert Redus.

Aaron Lewis provided elegant classial guitar for the event as well.

Customers admiring Raine Klover of Iconolatrie’s outstanding photography and gifts.

 

Cute goodies by Tara of Crochet and Crafts.

 

Flirty aprons by Babycakes

Mixed media work by Sandra Williams (Electric Nomad)

 

Paula Manning-Lewis and some of her nice note cards!

Featured in the Journal!

 

The Duke City Renegades Art Guild show (and a few of our members) were featured in the West Side Journal (Albuquerque, NM).The reporter was nice enough to include a great deal of information about my artwork and techniques. How cool is that?

I guess the Yahoo! briefcase link I had posted here wasn’t working, so I’ve uploaded a full PDF file of the newspaper article to Box.net. You can click here for a page that will allow you to download the file, so that you can read it at your leisure!

You will need Adobe Acrobat (a free document reader) to read the file.

Immediacy

While talking with another artist who rents studio space here at the Factory, an interesting topic came up: the question of immediacy, thumbnail sketching, and blueprinting.

It was a refreshingly cool early October afternoon. The sky was an even alabaster gray and we’d both stopped painting for a bit to stand outside.

Jerry was looking across the dirt lot, towards the 30-year old elm trees at the edge of the Factory property when he asked me, “do you blueprint your paintings?”

Blueprint? As architectural paper, proper scale, blue lines, and T-squares? Of course not. Did he?

“I mean thumbnail sketching. Do you plan out each painting, step by step, before you start? Or do you just dive right in?” Jerry explained that before he can start a piece, he will sometimes do dozens of loose ideas that gradually form into a tighter image. He’ll draft out location, purpose, intent, elements, and figures.

He can’t begin a painting without having a defined blueprint. A plan of attack. I found that fascinating. His work always has such a nice, layered, completeness to it. His blueprinting echoed that totality of form.

He asked me if I did the same thing. I actually don’t. Sometimes I will see a landscape in my mind, or I’ll grab the chi of a landscape I’m currently looking at. Or, I’ll see something that needs to get out on paper. Chinese brush painting is more the opposite of blueprinting. I start with a blank sheet and something evolves from it, usually without a set plan.

He found that equally interesting.

That’s the beauty of art. We can each approach a subject, even if it’s the same subject, and develop it in totally different ways. That’s why no two paintings of fruit-in-a-bowl, of rage, of purple, of an airplane… no two paintings are ever carbon copies of each other. We approach things differently and with our own spin.

This is why I wish I could collect art by every artist in the world.

Here is some of Jerry’s work (I should probably spell it “Gerry,” actually):

To all the freestylers, blueprinters, and everyone in between–let your artwork shine!

Third Friday “Art on the Edge” Downtown Artscrawl Art Show

Friday Late Night at the Factory on 5th Art Space
1715 5th St. NW (1/2 mi north of Mountain Rd.)
Albuquerque, NM

October 19th, 6:00-11:00 PM

Featuring the work of:

Robert Redus
Lana Laudick
Mandy Cedeno
Veronica Rodriguez
Paula Manning Lewis
Barbara Besser
Cari Pier
Renee Adams
Ken Murakami
Leau Phillips
Johanna Nelson
Ryan Jameson
Karla Leaphart
Gerard Hebert
Rhonda Bodewalt
Richard Cutshall

Music and Refreshments!!

Hope to see you there!

Third Friday Downtown Artscrawl Show - Oct. 19th

Another upcoming show, gang!

This coming Friday you can catch my work in person (along with work by a whole host of awesome artists) down at the Factory on 5th Artspace in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

When:
Friday, Oct. 19th, 2007. 6 - 11 p.m. (drop in any time during these hours).

Where:
Factory on 5th Artspace
1715 5th St. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(between Aspen and Haines in downtown).

The show is in the main building (the large red factory building).

What:
Third Friday Albuquerque Artscrawl Event
“Art on the Edge” Show

Featuring work by Ren Adams, Ken Murakami, Robert Redus, Paula-Manning Lewis, Cari Lee Pier, Veronica Rodriguez, Barbara Besser, PD Rearick, Dominic Lente, and other talented artisans.

We also have refreshments (wine n’ snacks) and free parking!

For additional info, you can always check the Factory on 5th Artspace Blog, too!

Featured Artist: Elements by Dawn

My featured artist (or should I say jeweler?) of the day is “Elements by Dawn,” a talented metalsmith with a penchant for all things geometric. I was planning a lengthy write-up, but was blown away by her own Etsy profile. She also appears to be quite the writer! I’ll share what she had to say about herself:

Sea of Serenity

*<<Behind the name: Elements by Dawn>>*

Element - refers to the shape, form, mass, line, texture, pattern, light, and color of a design.

*<<About the artist, Dawn Brandt>>*

Dawn is particularly drawn to creating pattern and texture in her pieces. Through pattern and texture, her designs take on movement, visual and tactile interest. Through the use of color and form, she communicates emotion and energy. Dawn’s pieces range from simplistic shapes and lines, evoking a sense of calm; to heavily textured with bold colors and lines, suggesting passion.

Her obsession with circles, spheres, disks, and symmetry is expressed throughout her designs.

Dawn is constantly learning new techniques, as well as perfecting traditional methods of metalworking and design.

Additionally, she is a full-time student, wife, and mother of two boys. She enjoys listening to music of all types, especially industrial, techno, a little ska, and classical. Dawn is a self-diagnosed coffee and cheese addict.

Flower Motif Earrings

 

I like the fact that Dawn works with Argentium silver (a nice silver alloy which resists tarnishing). She’s cutting edge!

 

To view more of her fine silver work, visit her Etsy shop:
Elements by Dawn

StudioMarcy - Lampwork Creations

Today’s featured artist is StudioMarcy (that’s Marcy Lamberson), a talented glass worker with a penchant for all things whimsical.

She uses Italian Murano glass in her colorful lampwork focal beads.

 Capt. Jack Stinger Bee is a fine example of Marcy’s playful, original design and color. His bright yellow body is eye-catchingly cute and his little glass eye patch adds the right touch of “arrrgh!” Each of her handmade beads are just brimming with personality–and each is a mini masterpiece of glass working, color, and character. I’m sure the Captain will make a fine centerpiece!

Along with quirky bees, funky fish, savvy owls, and elegant ghosts,  you’ll also find what just might be the most original of all lampworked beads in the universe: the Parasite.

He’s funky. He’s orange. And he’s guaranteed to turn heads. If you’re a jewelry designer, imagine adding this oddball critter to your next necklace design. I’ve never seen anything like him!

 

If you like Marcy’s glass work, be sure to stop by her Etsy shop. She has plenty of animal beads, holiday treasures, focal points, and glass sculptures that are sure to tempt.

 

StudioMarcy on Etsy

Tiffany Teske, Photographer

Tiffany Teske is a talented photographer who works in a fascinating medium. Her unique compositions are rendered in Polaroid, lending a sense of immediacy to each piece that just can’t be duplicated with traditional methods.

Tiffany captures the core image using slide film, then it is projected onto Polaroid pack film. She peels the emulsion sheet back prematurely and then hand-processes the photographic print with additional techniques. The result of her hard work is a gritty, complex, and utterly fascinating one-of-a-kind image.

 Hands with Birch Bark Cuff

As you can see, her images take on a weathered, altered effect. This particular photo has a dark, dreamlike quality–like a Victorian photo caught at the edge of a daydream, steeped in antique hues. Imagine adding this intense, artistic image to that special corner in your home. Think instant intensity.

Spanish Door 02

Here’s another example of her lush, textured touch. An intriguing Spanish door leads somewhere unknown, captured and altered by her philosophical eye. One can only image stepping through this into the dark chamber beyond–perhaps equally tranquil and antiquated.

Tiffany Teske is a fellow Etsy seller. Her work is available for sale through her Etsy shop: Tiffany Teske
Her pieces cover a wide range of subjects–from daring, off-kilter portraits to surprising snaps of the everyday, the surreal, and the unreal.

Reminder: First Friday Art Show Tonight at the Factory on 5th

If you live in Albuquerque, New Mexico (or nearby), or if you’re visiting town for the Balloon Fiesta, stop by our evening show tonight (Oct. 5th, 2007):

Friday Oct. 5    6-11 pm Friday late night Arts Crawl at the Factory on Fifth Art Space Yes!  It’s the First Friday gallery openings around the City, so make the rounds, then stop by the Factory for our show!!   Friday Oct. 5 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM 1715 5th St. NW     Our Featured Artists:   Paula Manning Lewis - Painter Karla Leaphart - Oil and Collage on canvas Veronica Rodriguez - Contemporary Mixed Media Ren Adams - Chinese Brush Painting/ Mixed Media William Lanmon - Visionary Watercolor Mandy Cedeno - Photography (nature) Barbara Besser - Visionary Mixed Media/Spiritual Protraits Kendall Murakami - Silversmith Dominic Lente - Mixed Media Cari Pier - Mixed Media Robert Redus - Contemporary Mixed Media Misty Brown - Painting Jerome Jim - Photography Lana Laudick - Semi Precious Jewelry Richard Cutshall - Painting Caitlin Padilla - Painting   Aaron Lewis on Guitar     Entertainment, Refreshments, Art, and Good Friends!