Since it is so cold in here, that paint won’t even properly cure, I’ve decided this week to revisit a number of those things I put on hold over the summer, things which needed some digital treatment to be complete.
This illustration is a scene from Dexter Palmer’s novel “The Dream of Perpetual Motion”, originally done for web resolution, I have had this piece slated for repainting for some time now, and finally I’ve finished it, and on a big scale- since it was my very favorite from the set.
This print is finally available as a *huge* 16×20 inch giclee on fine art rag paper (here), and as an 11×14 metallic print (here).
This piece was done earlier this year in pencil on bristol board; It was my intention to color all of these after the World Steam Expo, but one thing led to another and – well, I finally have this once all colored up.
The 11×14 black and white giclees of the original pencil drawing are still available (here), and there are only a handful of those left, but now available are 30 of these colored ones (here) – same size, printed in pigment inks on same high quality fine art rag paper. An open edition 8×10 metallic is also available (here)
MACH Turtle by Myke AmendMACH Turtle DetailMACH Turtle detail 2
The Destination 1111 show gave me the opportunity to show a number of works that I hadn’t previously been able to show at any official showing or convention.
Speaking of which, I now have several current and ongoing art displays running, which I recommend if you are in the Massachusetts, Northern California, or Illinois area; They are at: Gallery Nucleus (Alhambra California), The Charles RiverMuseum of Industry and Innovation (Waltham, Massachusetts), and Gallery Provocateur (Chicago Illinois *beginning October 30th*).
Some of the works I showed at Destination 1111 dated back as far as ten years ago, one or two have been available here as prints for a while, but there were a handful of them which I had never been able to offer here, and was unsure whether to offer here. Not that life for me has ever been all that easy, but several of these pieces were from an exceptionally rough time, which made me hesitant to show them … But, given their reception at the 1111 show, and because they were widely requested, I finally decided to have them imaged.
This week, Jim Gebben, an extraordinary photographer from Grand Rapids, who I met during our Artprize run, spent some time taking some fantastic high res photos of my non-imaged works – so, I am not only finally able to offer prints of these, but finally able to offer some more originals as well.
An experiment in color, recently completed as a commission for Mike Skoog, wherein he asked if I could do something small enough for his music room, and more colorful than my standard muted palettes.
I went the more impressionistic route with this one, and instead of starting with the colors as I wanted them, I started with the nearest primary colors in their place, and worked downward in saturation and sideways in hue, until I reached this point.
Details are painted so incredibly thin, that I practically painted them with the very corner of a single hair, dropping molecules of paint in a line for stitches and ropes and other details. In this, I am reminded that working smaller is actually harder, not easier, because I still feel compelled to add my standard amount of detail…but in a smaller space (which means eye-strain and neck cramps in spades, and a more time-consuming work).
All the same, sometimes I like working small just for the opportunity to test my patience and practice my hand.
That was the second to last of all the commissions that remained on my plate before Artprize… one more to go, then I am my own man until I sell another…
Signed and dated giclees of this are available for only $25 here for a limited time, or $30 through Etsy
Work in Progress - 30 foot wall mural by Bethalynne Bajema and Myke Amend Work in Progress - 30 foot wall mural by Bethalynne Bajema and Myke Amend
Bethalynne and I set out to complete this mural by the end of Destination 1111. We painted till 1AM during the days leading up to the event; We also painted during the event all the way up to the event’s closing, but each of us got taken away from the project for carious things over the weekend more than expected – most of these distractions being pretty awesome ones. It was nearly complete when we left 1111, but tomorrow we’ll have to have it hauled home and finish it in the garage… it should be done this week.
So… anyone in need of over 30 feet of artwork for their home? … It *is* sectional (3 ten foot panels)…
Oh… I do a lot of gum chewing and mumbling in this film, as I had no idea there was a camera on me…
Why?? Well… I was going through and testing my cart, and found that the price for giclees on canvas did not auto-update inline when selecting canvas stretching mounting options.
I also realized that about the time I started offering these options, I started selling the things a lot less often.
Maybe it was too confusing, maybe too many options makes it harder to choose, maybe it was the price difference from page to shopping cart, or all of the above – but since I was editing all of these, I decided it would be a good time to make a sale of some sort, and to make it big.
So, here it is – All giclees are priced drastically below normal, and the shipping fees that *should* be there $30 in shipping for most, are not there at all… yep.. $5 flat rate shipping on all orders.
All giclees are printed in Archival pigment inks on archival canvas, and protected by a UV-resistant coating for an estimated archival rating of $200+ years.
These beautiful and super-accurate reproductions are pretty much indistinguishable from the original paintings, and most are limited to 50 or less… that means that out of 60-some billion people, only 50 will own a print – ever.
These come with certificates of authenticity, printed on Hahnemuhle fine art paper, signed and numbered by me, with matching serialized holograms affixed to the certificate and the back of the canvas, to protect the value of your investment, and because they are shiny.
This year for the Artprize competition (Grand Rapids Michigan), well, there is a whole lot of craziness in there- long story short, because of pencil pushers we are starting our painting at the start of ArtPrize (rather than having it done before artprize), and our other artwork is at One Girls Treasure on Lyon street, and our musical acts and sideshow acts are at the Bob… right next to the Steampig – our best co-contestant friends and favorite competitors.
This is the last part of our work, painting on the actual lot that is our venue -and it is HUGE!I have never painted this big before and it is a hell of a lot of fun were it not for the sunburn and the sore knees and back.
Here is the fun part though… forget I said anything about sunburn or sore backs- if you have the will to do so, YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS!… yes… even if you do not trust yourself within five feet of a brush, you can fill a large area with a roller – and for those feeling their arty ability – there is plenty of room for that as well.
If you would like to help out, drop in at 530 Monroe avenue between the hours of 10:30 AM and 11PM, pick up a brush, let us know how confident you are, and we’ll make up some sort of shit for you do do… FREE OF CHARGE!
… or just drop in and say “hi”, by some t-shirts if you must (or buy them ONLINE)… but if you can, come down and see us and our painting – no matter the reason.
I was hoping to have this piece done by the early hours of the morning – a wood carving and painting. About 52 inches by 48 inches – mahogany, walnut, and pecan stain on carved birch panel.
I still need to build a box out of it, fill the box with foil and LEDs and wire, drill holes where I want lights, varnish it, line the holes with gold leaf, and put several coats of wax on it… probably about another 8 hours or so…
But I thought you might appreciate a progress pic (bottom)
Artprize has been several months of crazy for us – everything falling through one thing after another, and being given the run around from so many different directions. Artprize opened today, and we only got access to our venue yesterday, where we are working on a huge painting, the slimmed down version of our big circus, architecture, and art extravaganza.
If you are coming out for that – don’t worry, we found new homes for all of our acts (most are at the BOB at their scheduled times), found a place to host our artwork (One Girls Treasure on Lyon Street), and put together many picnics throughout the Artprize grounds and throughout the 19 days of Artprize.
Our art installation at One Girls Treasure is amazing BTW – much thanks to Bethany Grenier, Kate Jauw, and of course Bethalynne Bajema.
We are still recovering financially from all the AAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH! – and still have a bit of fundraising we can stand to do… especially Bethalynne and I who have pretty much gone sleepless and foodless and put aside all other work through this whole endeavor. I don’t want to get any more behind on shipping, so I introduced theSUPER SPOOKY STEAMPUNK GRAB BAG of AWESOME – which will ship just in time for Halloween. What is it??? I have no idea!!! But they are $15 and I will load them with more than $15 worth of incredible things from this project and something unique to these grab bags.
Proceeds of course go to building supplies and some spaghetti maybe. These are available for a very limited time, and until they run out.
A quick snapshot of the work in progress - Gadreel over Machinac Bridge
Our last gathering (an artist’s and performers fundraiser for CirqueACirca & The 121st Retronauticon) was a great time for all, and we are doing it again. Come out and meet the crew, have some amazing curry and a spot of tea (vegetarian options available), and meet and mix with many other artists and arts supporters. Details below:
1537 Fulton St. E. Grand Rapids – Saturday, September 11th, 2010 – 7PM to 11PM
*Indonesian RijsTaffel (Rice Table)
*Meet the Crewe (Strong & Able)
*Post Fashion Night Out! (Stytche And Bytche!)
*See the Model (Hear our Pitch)
*Steampunk Chocolate Fountain (you’ll never leave)
*Get a “Love” Tattoo (Roll up you sleeve)
*Join the Circus (Sign the list)
*Buy the T-Shirt (Don’t be missed…)
Cirque A Circa (A Circus Out of Time) is coming up fast, and with it our 121st Annual RetroNauticon – which is much like a convention, but without registration fees and admission fees.
In a work of art nearly the size of two football fields, we will have many performers throughout the ArtPrize competition. Performers include airial, fire-spinning, fire-eating, and other sideshow performances by Cassie Truskowski, Author Bethany Grenier, Local Artist Ted Jauw, and many others – as well as fashion shows, and of course music: Such as acts by Zoe Boekbinder of Vermillion Lies, and also by The Gypsy Nomads – a great band last seen (by us) at the World Steam Expo.
You may, or may not be able to make it – but this promotional art featuring the Art of Bethalynne Bajema, and Ted Jauw’s Cirque A Circa logo and the Love ambigram is well worth-grabbing while it is still available. Not only do you have the chance to snag some wonderful and rare art for a low price, but you get to take a part of this event by supporting the artists behind it… thereby supporting the event (not having to find and earn money to eat on allows us more time to put towards this monumental effort).
Special Prints for Cirque A Circa by Bethalynne Bajema
Why?? Well… I was going through and testing my cart, and found that the price for giclees on canvas did not auto-update inline when selecting canvas stretching mounting options.
Our last gathering (an artist’s and performers fundraiser for 