Beaver Creek

Foam, originally uploaded by JuliaVHendrickson.

New work!

This is a photopolymer print, in dark brown ink on cream Japanese paper. The image is 5x7 and the sheet is 9x12.

Junot Díaz Interview at the Chicago Humanities Festival

The Chicago Humanities Festival recently posted the audio from a talk/ interview that writer Junot Díaz gave, part of their Writers On The Record series. You can listen to it streaming here.

Díaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a really excellent
work of contemporary fiction, and in the interview Díaz discusses his
writing process, his hang-ups, and reads a bit from the novel.

He is witty and dry, yet unassuming. It's worth a listen.

Musician Spotlight: A.A. Bondy

I recently came across A.A. Bondy's new album, When the Devil's Loose. It's full of folksy twang and Bondy's low, gravelly voice is both enchanting and full of pain.

Listen to the title track here:

Watch Bondy perform "The Mightiest of Guns" live here, (he's a cutie!):

Whitney Biennial 2010 List

Watch this very silly announcement, from curators Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari of the artists selected for the 2010 Whitney Biennial:

Matt Stolle at Andrew Rafacz; Austin Eddy at GOLDEN; Spudnik Press Hashbrown event

Totes excited about this show next weekend. Matt Stolle at Andrew Rafacz. Opening Dec. 12th. Matt's hilariously minimalist website is here.

You can read an interesting interview with Matt about his 2008 work at Andrew Rafacz here.

I also need to check out this Austin Eddy show at GOLDEN (A hip apartment gallery in Boystown?! who knew this was here? Awesome!) before it closes on the 12th. Can't wait to see these paintings in person, because I'm already loving them way too much. Eddy is a 2009 SAIC grad-- check out his website here.

On Friday (the 4th) I went to the Hashbrown one-year anniversary at Spudnik Press in West Town (1621 W. Hubbard) this weekend-- a cool little event with tasty treats, a randomized free print, and a fun performance by the very silly but completely earnest Tiny Cover Band (with tiny instruments! joy!). Everybody did the twist, with great abandon. Spudnik is a great space for printmaking, with affordable classes and convenient open studio time. I just wish I lived a little closer to be able to take advantage of it more.

The Book As Its Own Addendum

The Book As Its Own Addendum, originally uploaded by JuliaVHendrickson.

I have 4 comic art pieces (two paintings, one drawing, and an interactive sculpture) that will be on display in this awesome upcoming show called The Book As Its Own Addendum at Marwen Gallery in River North (833 N. Orleans). It's just off the Brown Line Chicago stop.

The opening is Friday, December 11th from 5-7pm. You're invited.

Also... Bring a book and trade it in for another book of your choice. Sweet!

RSVP // invitation info here.

Organized by Alfredo Garcia, Zoe McCloskey, and Zach Huelsing.

Participating artists include:

Mitsuko Brooks
Morgan Cahn
Jen Cooney
Alfredo Garcia
Julia Hendrickson
Zach Huelsing
Regin Igloria
Edith Kollath
Matt Kuhlman
Zoe McCloskey
Shawn Sheehy
Jeremy Tinder

Afterparty (8-11pm byob) at Loft 3a.

The Op Shop!

The Op Shop!, originally uploaded by JuliaVHendrickson. Photograph by David Schalliol.

I have a handful of prints this month in this quirky/ fun/ experimental/ transitory space called the Op-Shop in Hyde Park.

It is the brainchild of the lovely Laura Shaeffer, owner of HOME Gallery.

Right now the space is located at 1613 East 55th Street. It's open at this location through December 31st, 2009, and the the hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11am-7pm. There is a closing reception on the 31st.

Learn more here: The Op-Shop website.

[Photo by the talented sociologist and photographer David Schalliol, who also has photographs in the Op-Shop]

[Window painting by the awesome cartoon/comic artist, Anders Nilsen. Nilsen also has work for sale in the Op-Shop.]

Heaven Can Wait (Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg)

Deliciously creepy and beautiful and absurd.

The Frugal Traveler (on printmaking)

My sister, living in China (and probably thinking a lot about the pros and cons of souvenirs herself these days), recently sent me this essay by Matt Gross from the Frugal Traveler, discussing the merits (and pitfalls) of bringing home travel souvenirs.

Prints have, for hundreds of years, had a close relationship with travel. The 18th century Italian printmaker and draftsman Giovanni Battista Piranesi popularized the modern-day postcard by creating a series of etchings showing views of Rome (Vedute) for middle-class and wealthy travelers to take home and show to their friends and family.

There is a wonderful little ode-to-the-print in the essay, towards the end. I've copied it here, below.

Art, however, is a tricky keepsake. Too often, paintings are unwieldy to carry, expensive to ship home and of questionable value overall. That’s why I usually go to flea markets and seek out prints: etchings, lithographs and woodcuts (preferably signed and numbered). First of all, they tend to be cheap. But making prints requires a degree of effort and focus — they’re never tossed off like drawings, or as sloppy (sometimes) as paintings. Printmakers have to commit, or risk wasting time and money. So even though the tiny print of baby chickens that I bought in Campo Santa Margherita in Venice for 10 euros is extremely simple, it also represents the tradition of craftsmanship I associate with Italy. Plus, I like the idea that somewhere out there, 19 other people have the same odd little thing hanging on their walls. It connects us, whoever and wherever we are.

Piranesi, Giambattista, Illustrationi di antichità romane (The Arch of Titus), 1748.

Ruth the Acrobat

Poster for a side show at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

Sometimes life is just like this. Your name is Ruth, you're an Acrobat, nobody makes shoes that fit you right, and no one's willing to really look you in the eye when they're talking to you.

Thanks, Library of Congress. You really show me some neat stuff sometimes.

Fables by The Dodos

A clear, bright voice, and lilting harmonies. I'm big fan of The Dodos.

...and I want to be a curator?

Lindsay Pollick of Bad at Sports noticed an article on CNNMoney: Stressful Jobs That Pay Badly, and wrote about it here.

Guess what's right up there in the top fifteen worst ones? Curators.

Super.

Gilbert & George

Photos from Designboom.

Gilbert & George: OH GOD they are the cutest.

Those matching ties turn me into a puddle of I-want-to-be-your-best-friend-oh-please-oh-please.

Designboom ran a story about a show -- Jack Freak -- of G&G's in Brussels that just closed. The Jack Freak photos and article can be found here.

I am simultaneously intrigued and bored by their recent work. Conceptually, I really like the images, but I'm really not into that plastic, digital, just-discovered-Photoshop aesthetic. The Gilbert & George show at the Milwaukee Art Museum last year was really quite good, despite my reservations, but I liked it more because I could see their earlier work in comparison with the new stuff.

Sweet: someone blogged about my work at the Chicago Diner!

Now if only John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats will remember that he wants to buy one of the paintings...(!) Fingers crossed.

Alright Sans

Check out this new font, Alright Sans, posted on Myfonts.com. Diggin' it! (Those SMALL CAPS, especially!)

The "t" is a wee bit distracting, however.

The font was created by Brooklyn designer Jackson Cavanaugh (such a name! Oy!) and his digi-foundry, Okay Type. I'm drooling over his personal website design, too, by the way:

Click to view larger, or just go to his website.

It's perfect! I've been trying to find good examples of artist websites that adequately merge all of these multi-varied sources of information outlets that we use all of the time (blogs, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, etc) and Cavanuagh's website just what I'm looking for (except I would need more portfolio-type images).

Broken Embraces: Almodóvar and Cruz

The New York Times recently ran a story (titled Cinematic Soulmates) about the working relationship between writer-director Pedro Almodóvar and actress Penélope Cruz, and the article has a little bit of info about Almodóvar's new film, Broken Embraces, which I'm excited to see in a couple of weeks (opens Nov. 20th).

There is also a 2.5 minute video (an interview between the two) accompanying the article.

This is a charming tidbit:

The chemistry Mr. Almodóvar, 60, and Ms. Cruz, 35, share would almost seem romantic if he were not one of the world’s best-known openly gay directors and she were not linked in the tabloids to the actor Javier Bardem. (Asked if a wedding is in the works, she said, with a pleasant smile and eyes of cold steel: “You are a writer for The New York Times, yes? I think maybe you are not supposed to ask that kind of question.”) Their easy, affectionate rapport has developed over half of Ms. Cruz’s life — she was 17 the first time she met the director, who rejected her for the role of a 35-year-old woman in his 1993 comedy “Kika” but told her he’d call her in a few years.

"Jiggle it a little"

This Saturday Night Live sketch, Fran & Freeba, can crack me up, without fail, every single time I watch it. There are so many good one-liners!

Good for the morning giggles.

apple

apple from Colin Nusbaum on Vimeo.

Watch full size if at all possible.

This is a stunning short film made by Colin Nusbaum, his submission for the TRUNK SHOW. The photograph shows how the film was displayed during the opening night. His artist statement appears below.
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Nusbaum, Colin 08, originally uploaded by JuliaVHendrickson.

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Colin Nusbaum
apple

Video, found suitcase, clothing, magazines, toiletries
2009

This video installation fixes the camera’s eye on scenes of Brooklyn and New York City. By climbing on bridges and sneaking on rooftops, I was able to see the city through a lens from high above. The actual aerial images were captured in sunlit high definition and focused in a tilt-shift technique to shrink space and virtually magnify the spectator.

Like much of my work, this project was designed as a sincere documentation and playful invitation to turn the camera on oneself. apple inspires reflection from a new perspective as it gazes at movement through city space. Specifically, the montage celebrates transit and motion itself, without regard for destination—showing people in mid-gallop. The video makes the big city small before us, so we can might scrutinize and innocently indulge.

I was initially drawn to the scenes because, when eyed from above, locomotion appears both mechanically trivial and yet utterly graceful. Ironically, it was not until I finished shooting the project and descended back to ground level that I began to feel disoriented and dizzy with vertigo.

Chris Ware's self-portrait

So I dropped the ball on getting to so many good Chicago Humanities Festival events this year, but I'm happy to say that this afternoon I'm headed to Lincoln Park to see The Not-So-Funny Situation of Alternative Comix, a discussion with Chris Ware, Lynda Barry, Matt Groening, and Jules Feiffer. So many of my favorites in one room! My head might explode.

Also, I just saw on The Chicago Reader's Free Stuff listings that Mount Eerie is playing for free at the Reckless Records on Broadway on Sunday!

Sixteen Chicago Veggie/ Organic Restaurants

chicago diner,, originally uploaded by no sex, bone dragon.

The Chicago Reader just posted this compilation of sixteen Chicago-based veggie stops to check out. I need to work on this list!

Nancy Spero

Provocative article, titled Political Nostalgia, by Catherine Spaeth, spurred by the Oct. 18th, 2009 death of Chicago feminist artist Nancy Spero.

Trunk Show: Press Release

TRUNK SHOW: Luggage, Travel, & Place
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 24th, 7-10pm
For Immediate Release
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// Storage // Shelter // Transport // Convenience // Place //

What is unique about travel today? How do we choose those few, valuable objects to take with us when we travel? Do these basic necessities define us?

Is 21st century travel primarily a physical experience (getting from one place to another), or a digital one (the movement of thoughts and ideas)?

Is a suitcase a microcosm of a home or a self? Is it a matter of habit and tradition—a purely functional object—or does it imply a new, creative experience each time it is used?
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The opening reception for the TRUNK SHOW will be on Saturday, October 24th, from 7-10pm. Barbara & Barbara Gallery is located at 1021 North Western Avenue (3 blocks south of Division), near the Empty Bottle.

The show will run from October 23rd – November 17th, 2009.

Asked to find a suitcase as inspiration for artwork around the theme of luggage, travel, and place, nineteen young and emerging North American artists have packed their bags and filled the walls of Barbara & Barbara Gallery in Ukrainian Village with thought-provoking work in print, painting, drawing, video, performance, sculpture, and photography.

Participating Artists: Sierra Berquist, Ben Bontempo, Peter McLean-Browne, Evan Burrows, Pete Cuba, Fred Frederick, Julia V. Hendrickson, Landon Manucci, Colin Nusbaum, Emma Powell, Scott Reinhard, David Schalliol, Elizabeth Stoutamire, Christopher Sykora, Sean Sykora, Jessie Vogel, Kelly Wallis, Rustél Weiss, Hannah Zurko

Opening Night Musical Performances By: Anna Vogelzang, Vintage Gramma, Julia V. Hendrickson & Marie Barker (accompanied by Chris Gingrich)

For the duration of the exhibit, Barbara & Barbara will be open weekends, weekdays by appointment, and when the gallery owners are present.

Need a trim? Fancy, fabulous, and fun haircuts will be given throughout the evening on the 24th.

Curated by Julia V. Hendrickson & Christopher Sykora, poster design by Scott Reinhard.

My Baby Artist Brain

(From Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag)

(Cover of The Funny Thing)

(Edouard Vuillard, Intérieur à la teinture rose II, 1899)

(Edouard Vuillard, La Patisserie, 1899)

I've been thinking a lot over the past few months about images that I was exposed to as a child that surely had an effect on me as an adult and as an artist. The drawings of Edward Gorey, and this book cover of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, specifically, were hugely influential. Wanda Gag's illustrations for children's books like The Funny Thing and Millions of Cats have also resided inexorably in my visual database since I first saw them. Louis Slobodkin's painterly illustrations for the Eleanor Estes book The Hundred Dresses are lovely. For some reason I've been reminded of that book after looking at a beautiful series of Edouard Vuillard's 1899 Paysages et Intérieurs suite of lithographs at the Art Institute a handful of times.

The Story of Ferdinand with whimsical illustrations by Robert Lawson, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McKloskey, and any book by Maurice Sendak and Eric Carle-- all of these have drawing styles and really stunning imagery that has stuck with me as an adult. I could go on and on, and probably should just do a separate post about my favorite children's books in general.

Modern Day Handwriting Tips

Check out this chock-full-of-useful-and-interesting-tidbits Op-Art piece from the New York Times on modern handwriting and penmanship.

Artist Spotlight: Hollis Brown Thornton

I've mentioned Hollis Brown Thornton before, but I wanted to post a little bit more about him, because I keep returning to look at his work, to see what he's up to. The first image, of the lights, is one of the most recent. Those ghostly acrylic photo-based transfer images keep floating to the surface of my brain, and have done so continually ever since I first saw his work (possibly first seen in a DesignSponge post in April 2009?)

Tangent! There is a visual link to some of Suzanne Caporael's paintings (she is one of my absolute favorite, favorite contemporary artists--- more on her later). Take a look at this 2005 painting 482 (the hours) at Richard Gray Gallery here in Chicago.

I sense that my interest in her is connected to my interest in Thornton...

Thornton gives a detailed, incredibly useful explanation of the acrylic transfer process on his website, which I would love to get around to trying one day soon, seeing how I've really been immersing myself in photo-based image-making of late.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out earlier this year that Thornton and I both had pieces in the A5 Art & Design Magazine Heroes Issue (No. 8). Below is the piece of mine, a painting in gouache over an old Wonder Woman comic, that was published.

(Click to view full size)

Vitalic

Vitalic - Poison Lips from Seiji Ito on Vimeo.

This music video by Vitalic is really strange and I love it.

(Found here at Con's Picks).

Word Banquet Hand-made Chocolates

(Photo by Catherine S. Vodrey)

(Photo by Catherine S. Vodrey)

Pure heaven. And made by my incredibly talented Aunt in the beautiful woods of Eastern Ohio! If you're in need of a tasty treat, or looking for a sweet hand-made gift for a loved one, these chocolates from Word Banquet (via Etsy) are out-of-this-world good!

Chicago Heirloom Tomatoes

A friend, Alana Cuellar, recently wrote this article for The Local Beet, called Eating Heirloom Tomatoes. I did the photos!

Sycamore Street Press (new work)

I am consistently impressed with Sycamore Street Press (based in Columbus, Ohio!) and each and every letterpressed item they release. This recently created poster of whiskers is no exception-- how adorable!


This card cracks me up, too!

Solar Roof Tiles!

This is neat! Per an article in DesignBoom here: three-dimensional solar roof tiles that capture a broader spectrum of light, and are more functional in terms of co-existing with a traditional tiled roof (rather than sitting flat/ at an angle on top of the roof).

David Byrne Interviews Himself

Now... this? This is just all kinds of silly.

Rune Guneriussen

These staged photographs by Norwegian artist Rune Guneriussen, filled with illuminated and repetitive objects, are really quite eerie and beautiful.

Click through the "Kaffe" ("Coffee") series for a treat at the end.

Well this is too, too perfect and lovely. Goodness. If you can, be sure to watch it large format/ in high quality.

Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian has created a new musical group/ album based around a narrative of songs he wrote over the past five years. From the looks of it the album God Help the Girl is meant to be a soundtrack for a film that Murdoch is still currently writing. More about God Help the Girl on their website here. They really are quite lovely ladies.

A Pitchfork.com review of the album, written by Marc Hogan, is here.


Murdoch (of Belle & Sebastian), with Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, and Alex Klobouk (L to R)

Betty Boop cartoon feat. Cab Calloway singing "Minnie the Moocher"

Classic, bizarre, and great. They snuck in the song "Mean to Me," which I will always love because of Annette Hanshaw. Listen to her singing it in 1929 here:



In the Betty Boop cartoon, I love that the call and answer and the jazz vocal improvisations were visualized as terrifying, soul-sucking groups of monster-ghost triplets. The walrus dancing like Cab Calloway is a nice touch.

Here's a cool compilation of Cab Calloway dance moves:

Artist Spotlight: Amy Rice

leaves are falling all around , originally uploaded by Amy Rice.

be proud of what you nurture and grow, originally uploaded by Amy Rice.

I came across this Minneapolis-based artist, Amy Rice, through a printmaking group on Flickr. Her work is an interesting combination of printmaking, stencils, and illustration, and I like that she works on old wood and other non-traditional materials to create beautiful objects.

Check out her Flickr photostream here, and her blog, Egg Basket Full of Hollyhock Dolls.