Other pieces I have done

"Memory"
Broken coffee mugs reassembled, coffee, table.

"Untitled"
22''x30''
Subtractive charcoal

"Skulls"
22''x30''
Chalk pastel

"Metallic Woman"
18''x24''
Graphite

"Romanticized Drapery"
Oil on panel

"Still Life"
8''x8''
Oil on canvas

"Hard Edge"
2'x2'
Acrylic on panel

Just some more art that I have done throughout my time in DAAP.  All are done in undergraduate classes at DAAP.

Ed Tillrock: Another Inspiration

Ed Tillrock is a graphite artists, specializing in realism.  He calls himself a pencil specialist, which he very much is.  His work is beyond realistic, looking like photos at a glance.  I found his art after he drew an acquaintance of mine, a pin up girl named Chez.  After I saw his piece, I looked further into his art.  His perspective is perfect and the way he handles the graphite is awe-worthy.  He draws his pieces on a thick board, rather than flimsy paper.

"Chez"
24x30
Ed Tillrock
Graphite on board
Courtesy of his website

 This is the image that started it all.  I was in awe of his portraiture and incredible talent.

"Drag'n 40"
Ed Tillrock
Graphite on Board
Courtesy of his website

I am super interested in the way he makes the car actually look shiney.  It looks like a photograph, which drives me nuts.  I can't wrap my head around how to actually make it look so realistic that it can be mistaken for a photograph.

"Inkit"
22"x28"
Ed Tillrock
Graphite on board

I have never seen any artist render an image so realistically until I discovered Ed Tillrock.  He inspires me to draw more with graphite.  Maybe, someday, with enough practice, my drawings can be as beautiful as his.
Visit his website!  Ed Tillrock, Pencil Specialist.

Prairie vs Meyers Gallery

As stated in the previous entry, the Prairie Gallery is a little gallery located about the Take The Cake Café in Northside.  The Philip M Meyers Gallery is located on the University of Cincinnati campus.
The Prairie Gallery is like a remodeled apartment, white walls, hardwood floors, while the Meyers gallery has two rooms, one bigger than the other.  It's more like an inhabited space, not really meant to be a gallery, but it works.
The Prairie Gallery is extremely homely, with the warmth of the hardwood floors.  The Meyers Gallery is cold, most of the walls being huge windows that you can look out at the busy passing students scrambling to get to class on time.  The Meyer gallery get's mostly students and faculty of the University, so it can be pretty busy.  Usually they exhibit student work, participating in DAAPWorks and several other student shows.  The Prairie Gallery exhibits well known and established artists, but has a commitment to Cincinnati artists, looking for many Northside artists.
The Prairie Gallery is also a more community based gallery, unlike the University born Meyer Gallery, in the way that it also has a darkroom onsite and has photography classes.
Anybody can submit art to the Prairie Gallery, but you have to be associated with the University to show at the Meyer.  However, the Prairie does seem to choose local artists over nationally known artists.
The submission process of the Prairie Gallery is posted on the website, but I will post here as well:
"Prairie seeks work from emerging and established artists in a variety of media consisting of projects, practices or performances which reinterpret traditional media-specific art. Prairie also has a commitment to community-based art involving collaborations between artists and the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati in which the gallery is located. Submissions are open to artists in all geographic locations. Proposals may be submitted for either solo or group exhibitions. Curated exhibitions may also be proposed. Submit a CD of no more than 10 images of your work. Label the files with your name and title of the work. Label the front of the CD with your name. Provide a separate sheet listing the images, media, dimensions, title, date and suggested sale price. Also provide a short artist's bio with your work. Enclose SASE for return of submissions. Submissions with no SASE will not be returned. Please allow 4-6 weeks for consideration of your work. E-mail submissions will be reviewed only if they contain all of the above information as attached and separate documents."
I'm still unsure as to how one submits work into the Meyer Gallery, because my experience with it was that my Installation art professor scheduled our class to have it for a week.

Prairie Gallery: Forms of Authority.

The Prairie Gallery is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, about 10 minutes away from University of Cincinnati.  This little gallery is unknown to most people., mainly because it doesn't sit direction on the main road.  It's above it!  This gallery is located above Take the Cake Cafe.  You go through the door to the right of the cafe and climb up the stairs (this gallery is not wheelchair accessible, unfortunately).  The set up is stark white walls and hardwood floors, and reminds me of an apartment that had been re-done.  This gallery, owned by David Rosenthal, currently houses this group show, Forms of Authority.

Prairie Gallery: Forms of Authority
Photo from the Prairie website (my camera died).

The exhibition going on right now is Forms of Authority.  This is an architectural, structural show, consisting of works by three artists,  Stewart Goldman, Joseph Winterhalter, and Henry Navarro.  To quote the description of the show, it is "exploring the tension between natural forms and processes and the increasing complexity and power of contemporary social institutions."
The art is concept and process based.  The pieces are architectural, many being layered brick patterns.
Two of the artists are Cincinnati artists, Stewart Goldman and and Joseph Winterhalter, and the other, Henry Navarro, who is a Toronto artist.
The pieces seem to me, to be confining, stuck by the powerful hold of authority, or architecture.  Goldman's landscape pieces, with Navarro's cement and watercolor paintings, and Winterhalter's layered oil and wax paintings all create a confined and architectural space. All the pieces work together to create a successful show.
Check it out! Forms of Authority will be shown from January 14- March 3rd.   The gallery is open Tues-Friday 10am- 6pm, Sat 10am-4pm.  Located in Northside at
 4035 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223

Research? In art school?

Believe it or not, doing art requires a lot of research.  This can include book research, to find artists archived in the DAAP library, or other library.  It can include internet research, which I often do, surfing blogs, Facebook pages, finding artists through other artists.  What I like to do, is network.  My main networking source for my art?  My good ol' buddy, Bill Winger, the owner of Daddy Katz.

Bill Winger at his store, Daddy Katz.

Bill owns Daddy Katz, a Kustom Kulture sensory overload.  This store is not only a vintage store, but a local art dealer/gallery, tattoo shop, car garage, and cruise-in central!  Daddy Katz is home of the Thursday Night Cruise-In, starting in March and going into October.  This guy has helped me get in touch with other retro-automotive artists, as well as given me opportunities to  show my work at some of his art events.  He is a huge supporter of local art.  If you have something cool, bring it over to him!  Let him know!  The cool thing about Bill is how open he is to new artists and cool..well, cool anything.  He likes the unique, he likes the retro style.  Visit the Daddy Katz Website.

How exactly has this store and it's bizarre owner helped me with my research?  He helped me solidify my interest in cars and vintage pieces.  He opened a door into this new world, with connections to everyone, from Daniel Brown's art, to the Cavalcade of Customs car show, to local pinstriping artists at his Panel Jam art events.  He has a connection to everything.  I even buy my furniture and decorative pieces from him!  Because he knows all these awesome people, he helps get me started with my research of these artists, as well as other opportunities in this subculture.

The cruise-in's at Daddy Katz taught me cars, pin-ups, even got me in contact with a vintage hair stylist.  If you are ever in Dayton, have Cherry Lee herself do your hair at her salon for "Classy Broads and Fancy Fellas!" Check her out on Facebook, at Cherry Lee's.

It's always nice having a buddy in the biz to help you with research and finding opportunities otherwise unknown.  Let me tell you, I have been going to the Daddy Katz cruise-ins and the store for over 3 years now.  This is a place you can't miss.  Meet Bill, buy some art, buy some vintage decor, or just go to have a good time.

Daddy Katz store.
Borrowed from the Daddy Katz website.

How do I do my art?

My art is a huge process.  It takes me a while to brainstorm and find an idea I like.  I really like to paint and draw from photos, to often that means I have to search until I find one that I like.  Yeah, there are a lot of nice photos of Buicks and beaches, but which suit my needs?  I use a lot of reference material.  When I find the photo I want to paint from, I then go to sketching.  Which composition do I like best?  After I fool around with that, I do some practice paintings.  Why? Because it helps me get my colors right, technique right, and form right.  Then I move onto the canvas.  I will sketch the subjects out using a thinned out paint, usually raw umber, and put everything where I want it.   I like working from these skeletons.  Then I block everything in, using major colors, using the thickest brush first.  Then I blend the colors, layer, and get it to where I like it.  This is about the stage I start going back over everything, because usually, I don't like it.  I start over a lot when I work, so don't be afraid to mess up.
Eventually I get into my favorite part, which is adding details.  Highlights on apples, or the colors reflecting in chrome.  It's a lot more fun and you actually get to see your piece take shape.

Practice painting.

Blocking and blending the car.

More blending, fixing the sand.

Don't be afraid of process.  Sometimes it works to just grab a brush and attack the canvas, but other times you have to plan it out and do everything step by step.  It's a personal choice.

Daniel Brown: Auto Expressionist

I first came to know Daniel Brown's art at my not-so-local hang out, Daddy Katz.  I was up in Dayton for one of Daddy Katz' famous Thursday Night cruise-in, where local car fanatics can drive their classic cars and show them off to other car enthusiasts.  Now, to get an understanding of what Daddy Katz is, picture a vintage shop, with an attached tattoo studio, with an attached garage, tons of parking lot space, and off the wall tiki items.  You got it.  Run by the awesome Bill Winger, Daddy Katz has proven itself to be a multifaceted store/hangout unlike any other.  You have to check it out.  Bill sells items in his store that he finds all over the place, from flea markets, vintage finds, anywhere.  What he also does is sell local artist's work.  On the wall, I saw this beautiful, HUGE painting of a car.  It was expressionistic, with patchwork brush strokes.  You can SEE the artists hand in them.  The paint was thick, the car was sweet, the talent was there.  I inquired to Bill about the piece, and he told me who the artist was.  After that, in 2010, Bill asked me if I wanted to be a part of the Christmas, or Katzmas, art show party.  Of course i said yes.  When I got there, Daniel Browns art was there, too.  I was so fascinated by his pieces, i wanted to try it in my own work.  From then on, I painted cars.  Brown's paintings are thicker, more expressionist than mine, mostly because I love blending a little too much when it comes to cars.

 

"Lateday Highway"
40x50''
Daniel Brown

"Lonely Boy Merc"
30x66''
Daniel Brown

When you get close to these images, you can really see how many colors he actually uses in the paintings.  I couldn't believe the color palate he used!  It's incredible.
I really don't want to compare my art to his, because his work is out of this world.  For the sake of this blog, I'll repost an image of mine.

"49 Buick"
3'x2'
Adrienne McDonough

This is mine.  Clearly, not expressionistic. Clearly, not as colorful.  The main difference between Brown's work and mine is the process.  Brown uses more color, and has a loose style, while I have a tight painting style which I am trying to break free of.  Another difference is the sheer size of his paintings.  They are huge, monumental pieces.  No matter how much you stare at a piece, every time you look you will see something different.
If you want to check out more of his work, which I encourage you to do, visit his personal website Automotive Expressionist.

Work in Progress

"'49 Buick"
3''x2''
Oil on canvas

This is my trickiest painting.  Not only did I have to do endless amounts of research, but I had to start over so many different times.  I wanted to apint something that I love.  When I think of cars that I love, I think of the 1949 Buick.  Why?  Because to me, this car is class at it's finist.  It's long, stream-lined body, waxed in an incomprehensible mirror like way, just defines the beauty of cars.

  I wanted it to be cliché, so I painted it on a beach with blue sky and blue waves.  The sand was really hard for me.  I layered, layered and layered.  It still looks like the shadow is an "oil spill," as told to me by my professor.  The body of the car for now is pretty solid, but the front end isn't as long as it should be.  I like being able to manipulate the paint to mimic the metallic body of this beast.  I have since abandoned this piece, hoping that my desire to see it finished and beautiful will over throw my frustration with the whole piece.

Recent Works and Works in Progress!

Last quarter I had a lot more freedom with my subject matter.  I chose to paint a piece that contrasts old school and new school, what culture used to be and what the main focus is now.  I wanted a vintage spin on it, so what I did what use the retro drive in diner and change it to a modern "restaurant."

 

"Dining"
2'x1.5'
This is an oil painting on black gesso.

I personally love this painting.  It had a lot of thought and research put into it.  For the car, I actually went through my photos that I had taken at the Good Guys Car Show in Columbus last summer, and used it for the Bel Air in this.  I used a photo found online of the McDonalds.  I started this painting by thinning out a yellow paint and drawing out where I wanted everything.  I then blocked in colors.  After i had my major colors blocked in, I began layering and packing in color.  I started out with a larger brush and ended with my details using a small brush.  My professor told me to always start with a big brush, then move to the smaller brushes.  Too many people want to start details right away and then end up taking more time.  Block it in first, I promise, it will help.  It's hard to get used to, but eventually it works out.

 

"Jeremy"
1.5'x1.5'
Charcoal, graphite, Stonehenge paper

This was a drawing I did of my friend Jeremy.  I had an assignment to draw a face with a hand.  I wanted to have fun with this assignment, so I had my friends take goofy pictures of themselves.  I got tons of pictures, but I found this one to be the best suited for my assignment.  I actually worked on this a whole night.  I only wanted to spend two hours starting it out, but I got into the piece and spent about 8 straight hours drawing it.  While drawing it, I would take a photo of it and see how it looked that way.  I find that seeing it through a picture on a phone or computer helps you see it a different way.  I also would hang it up and take a step back.  ALWAYS take a step back and view your art while creating it, from a distance.  This way, you can see things that you couldn't see close up.  It's easier to spot proportion issues from a distance.  You can also see if your shading gives the subject depth and volume.

How to do vintage hairstyling, like me

While at first you may not immediately think that vintage hairstyles are exactly "art."  Well, after you have a good look at them, you'll understand.  They take lots of prep work, time, and skill.  You have to have an understanding of how to sculpt and work with hair, mainly rolling pieces of hair into cute little rolls.
A little background information on these styles.  The styles I deal with mainly are from the 1940s and the 1950s.  Sometimes I do a little 1960s teasing beehive attempts, but not usually.  I try to stick with the rolls and  sophistication of the 40s and 50s.  Women never left their house with a bandana on or with their hair in a mess.  Besides for being a good housewife, women spent much of their time looking their best.  If they didn't look their best, they were not showing that they are great women.  Weird right?  Today, girls go out in sweatpants, no make up and unbrushed hair.  It's a trend.  Back then, they would have been scoffed at.  Women always dolled themselves up and kept themselves looking nice for their men.  Hair styled? check.  Dress, skirt, nice capris? check.  Lipstick? check.  Full makeup? check.  Heels? double check.

Here are a few examples of the styles that I have done with my hair.  I try to just be creative and do a bunch of rolls.

These are various rolls, including a victory roll.

Victory rolls and top roll

Random

Victory rolls and a pincurl

Side faux bang

Victory rolls, pincurl

Faux bang

Center roll

Pompadour

Pompadour with a teased mini-hive.

Want to try these things yourself?  They are hard, but I learned through experimentation and internet tutorials.  I promise, internet tutorials will be your best friend when learning vintage hair styling, or really any art.  They are super helpful.  Things you will need to do vintage hairstyling:  Hot rollers ( I tend to use my straightening iron to curl my hair, but trust me, hot rollers are the best), a teasing comb, flexible hold hairspray and a strong hold (I like to use AquaNet), bobby pins in your hair color, patience, pomade or gel, and of course, a flower.
These are some that I really liked to learn from:

 This is a Marilyn Monroe type of style.

 Faux bang

"Swirl"

Easy Victory Rolls!

Modern Pin Up Victory Rolls

Canvas stretching

If you are a painter, like me, you have encountered stretching your own canvas.   It is inevitable.  If you want to be a professional and want people to take you and your work seriously, you should build and stretch your own canvas.
For me, it was always difficult.  I was always asking for help and reading step by step instructions.  It didn't help that I am terrified of wood shop tools necessary for mitering the wood.  I always struggled, until my professor had me watch this video.  This is good if you are a visual learner, like myself.  This is a video on how to build, stretch, and prime a canvas.  You can replace the nails to hold the canvas with staples using a staple gun.  I think it's faster and more convenient.  However, if you choose to  stretch like the old masters, follow these instructions!
Watch it HERE!
This is artist Sarah Stolar, an artist talented in installation, video, and painting!  Check her out on her website.

Artist Statement

As an artist, I try to explore form in objects that people are very familiar with; cars.  My eyes are attracted to the pure art and steel automobiles from the 1940s and 1950s.  I am attracted to reflections in the paint and the chrome bumpers.  In oil paintings, I like to create a contrast between old and new age to make the audience think back.  I attempt to help make sure people don’t forget the beauty in the classic times.

            My work is a means to remember, a memory of something lost.  I have done  a piece, using broken and reassembled coffee mugs covered in ground coffee, symbolic of a trip to El Salvador and the broken lives left after the Salvadoran Civil War.  I like to paint cars whose beauty has been forgotten.  The car and creativity to make a car has long since been forgotten.  Instead of making cars out of steel, they are being produced with thin metals and fiberglass.  I like to keep these cars alive in my work.  I paint them with bright colored oil paint, lathering it on thick

            In my graphite figure drawings, there is an almost metallic quality to their skin.  It is smooth, but shiny and metallic.  I also go about my drawings in a mechanical way, plotting everything out before I actually go about doing the work.

            I also believe that I am constantly growing.  My art will change as life goes on.  I expect and will embrace new opportunities as they come.  I will not limit myself to one way of doing my art, nor will I limit myself to one subject matter.

My Actual Art

I felt like I should upload some photos of the art that I have done.  These pieces were created in undergraduate art classes.  With many of them, I had found a way to create what i wanted to create, outside of the subject matter that is usually encouraged that we do (i.e. still life, figures, still life, still life, still life).  My artistic interests are cars, kulture lifestyle, 1950s, stuff like that.  I have had a lot of car show experience, had a try at pin-up modeling and didn't do well with that, so I have experience with the kulture associated with the 1950s lifestyle in current times.  I try my best to keep my interests in my art as often as I can, however it can be difficult, because I am an undergraduate so I am still forced to complete still life paintings and drawings in order to meet the syllabus needs.

"Mixed"
Unfortunately this is the only photo of this piece that I have.  This was actually thrown out into the garbage from my studio while I was away.
Materials: oil paint, charcoal, gesso, acrylic paint.

"BlueSuedeShoes"
Ceramic piece made in my school's ceramic studio.  This was my first time doing ceramics and working with glaze, so it was a little rough.

"Colossal"
This is a mixed media piece that started my love for mixed media.
Materials: Pine, wood scraps courtesy of the woodshop, stonehenge paper, head pins dipped in glitter, Yes! Paste, acrylic paint, sharpie (black and silver), sead beads.

"Apple"
This is one of my favorites.  It is a colored pencil drawing of a time lapse of an apple's life during consumption.
Materials: Stonehenge paper, colored pencils.

My mixed media pieces actually are directly influenced by my favorite Fine Arts professor, Merlene Schain.  Merlene has taught me for 3 years.  She is an incredible professor, if you ever have a change at DAAP to take a class with her, do it.  She does assign ridiculous amounts of work, but she will make you try new techniques, styles, and actually give you a wide range of work to look at and work from.  She helped me get to where I am today.  Thanks, Merlene!