15 minutes gallery

I would like to send a big thank you out to everyone at The Pittsburgh Technology Council for all of their hard work (especially Kim Harvey!), and their successful opening of the 15 Minutes Gallery, where I was honored to receive "Best of Show" (scroll down for article) for my piece entitled "Flight of the Imagination."

Founded on the notion that art and technology share the elemental characteristic of innovation, the 15 Minutes Gallery seeks to unite both veins of creative prowess in celebration of the regional dynamic. The Gallery, located in the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s atrium and conference areas, provides a unique opportunity for local artists to reach key figures of Pittsburgh’s business community.

Joining the opening night as a special speaking guest was Mitch Swain, CE0 of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Jane Haskell, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts 2006 Artist of the Year, and Barbara Krause, owner of the Sirani Gallery, served on the 15 Minutes Gallery jurors panel.

The exhibition featured 47 local artists and nearly 100 pieces of artwork in a variety of media. All artwork will be displayed from June 1 through August 31, 2008.

Sirani Gallery is currently planning a gallery show this fall for the four award winners of the 15 Minutes Gallery opening night ceremony. I'll post more updates on this event as they arrive, so stay tuned!

the creative process

in my last blog i talked a bit about coincidence and how important of a role i feel it plays in the creative process. well, i recently started http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifworking on my next project, and the coincidences have already been hitting me over the head...so much that it's a bit scary for as early in the process that i'm in. but i take that all as a good sign...and today, i found this speech that Amy Tan gave at the TED conference, and it amazed me. Amy Tan is the author of such beloved books as "The Joy Luck Club", "The Kitchen God's Wife" and "The Hundred Secret Senses", and her words have stuck a chord...it's how i feel while working in the process, and when i don't feel it, i know that the piece i'm working on will not become what it's supposed to be. that's when i know that i have to put it down and let it breathe. anyway, enough said...i'll let her speak for me...just click on the link...

Amy Tan on creativity

Passages Opening Night

hi, here's quick update with the link to the photos that Dean took during the opening night of the show at moxie DaDa. the picture that you see here is of lust. enjoy!

(until i get a chance to upload images to the blog, there are a few photos up on my myspace page. happy looking!)

7 deadly glasses

i've always found it interesting that after you've been enlightened with something new, whether it's an idea or an object, you then start to see it everywhere. why is that? some people say great minds think alike, some say that it's just coincidence, and others say that it was always there and you just didn't notice...

but the most interesting idea that i heard the other day was from a friend of mine. he said that are cosmic threads in the universe, invisible to the naked eye, but there none-the-less... and just maybe when you are enlightened, or become passionate about something, it's because you've opened yourself up enough to allow access to these threads... and maybe once that thread has been accessed, it's now easier for others to see as well... maybe that one thread represents a singular idea, and for every person that touches it, they are in turn enlightened with that idea. but since everyone is unique, that idea is just represented a bit differently, or interpreted within their own given language.

that being said, and just having spent an entire year working on the seven deadly sins (and virtues), i have been seeing references to them everywhere. the most recent one was actually sent to me twice today, by different people (and now a third)...about 7 deadly glasses. These red wine glasses are based on the 7 deadly sins. Each glass encapsulates a sin, which is revealed through the ritual of drinking...my favorite one is Lust! Created by Kacper Hamilton, the ‘7 Deadly Glasses’ are about celebrating passion and encouraging the user to be sinful in a theatrical fashion.

i also found a link for 7 Deadly Sins shotglasses, and Seven Deadly Sin drink tags!

it's a beautiful thing!
p.s. oh, did i mention how much i love these glasses!?! ;)

the last weekend

well, this is the last weekend for the show...i'm heading down to moxie late saturday afternoon and then again on sunday to start taking it down. i'm a little sad that it's almost over, but i feel ready to start working on some new projects. i'm also going to start posting images of the artwork in pairs, starting with Pride and Humility, and i welcome everyone to stop back and blog their thoughts or experiences with each sin + virtue...kind of a confessional if you'd like... in the meantime, here are some photos from the show...enjoy! :)

art + wine + technology

hello everyone,

sorry for the lag in posting! i took a much needed break to sit back and relax a little! but i'll have to tell you, that it's been very strange not having something to do everyday...not to mention that i seem to be experiencing separation anxiety! it got so bad, that i had to go down to the gallery last weekend just to hang out and visit... i'll probably end up down there for part of this weekend too! :)

if you're looking for some fun this weekend...please come to bellevue this saturday from 5-9pm for bellevue's art + wine crawl. we met sam, who's sponsoring the event, for the first time a few weeks ago when we went to affogato (or "a") for their amazing pumpkin pancakes...he has such a great vision for the community, and has been a great inspiration to everyone, we really want get as many people involved to help spread the word! there are many artists and musicians lined up for this event...so please come on out and have some fun! :)

and now for some good news on the art front...
john and i have both been accepted into the Pittsburgh Technology Council's 15 minutes gallery exhibit. i have 3 pieces entered into the show (no new pieces...sorry!), john has 2 pieces (including the bench!), plus there is a great lineup of other local artists, along with live music (sponsored by wyep) and a silent auction.

the artist reception will be:
thursday, june 12, from 5:30–8pm
Pittsburgh Technology Council
2000 Technology Drive (off of 2nd avenue)

you'll need to rsvp for the opening, so please either email me if you'd like to attend, or go directly to their website: http://www.15minutesgallery.org/

hope you all have a great memorial day weekend!

My Thanks!

Well, the opening night celebration was a success! The show will be up through the end of the month, so for anyone interested, please contact moxie DaDa for gallery hours.

many, many thanks go out to everyone who came out for the opening...but there are a few special thank yous that need to be made:

erica for help in the research department; rachel for help with research, moral support and that fabulous cross!; katie for her moral support + last minute trips to the hardware store; mike for his moral support, research, and many spikes!; keri for her patience and meticulous detail help on zeal; mel for her beautiful words; dave for his talented chalk-art on the floor; dean for his amazing photography; grant + christine + matt and their great gallery that is moxie DaDa, and for their belief that i could finish everything in time for the opening; mike + katie for not complaining that they heard tori... over, and over, and over; and john for his love, support and inspiration, his many hours at the scroll saw, and his patience with only seeing me from across the room in the attic for many months.

thank you everyone!

missing all the fun!

well, this weekend would've been a busy one for the social calendar...that is, if i actually had the time to venture outside of the attic! ;)

not only was the comicon in town (did you go bryan?), which brings with it a few out-of-town friends that i only get to see once a year, but "art all night" was this weekend as well. i've been participating in art all night for the past 5 years, and i was sad to have to pass it up this year. but i guess there's always next year!

you'll be happy to hear that instead of having all of that fun, i was diligent and accomplished a lot of work. gluttony (which has decided to take the name literally and take up all of my time) was finally finished this weekend, along with envy. (yeah!) and then i started on sloth...but hey, it's sloth...need i say more?

"Passages" Gallery Show

welcome to passages!

it's been a long journey, but i've entered the final countdown...only 3 weeks till the opening night of the gallery show!

i'd like to invite everyone to the opening night gallery celebration at moxie dada, on saturday, may 10th, from 6–9pm. the show will run from may 10 thru may 31st, 2008.

in the next few weeks, i'll try to keep everyone updated on the final progression. but, my main goal is to post the final images and have an open forum for discussion on the seven sins and seven virtues, and how they have played a role in your life.

i can't wait to see what happens!