artdc.org Patron Member Show

I'm excited to announce that Lori and I will both have pieces in the artdc.org patron member show at the artdc.org gallery in Hyattsville, MD which opens this Saturday.

Here is a link to the full information:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=355099515163

Hope to see you there.

Old Haunts

On our trip back home, Lori and I got to visit a few old haunts. Actually, our first meal away from family was a Chinese buffet. They have these all over the Norfolk area and we have become fond of one near my mother's place in Va Beach. Like so many of them, it is called something like "Lucky NO 1 Buffet." We like it because it has some unusual things- my favorite being something they call Thailand Chicken. Quite a medley of spices providing plenty of heat but still terrific flavor. We then went to see An Education at the Naro, an old art house theater- one screen, balcony, affordable snacks, may made by local places. The movie was good since it was a cautionary tale for parents of a "clever" cello playing girl. I got to see some old friends at the Ghent Total Wine where I was the wine manager when it opened. Finally, Lori and I ate at the site of our first "date," Orapax. I'm a sucker for their wings. The pizza was excellent with a perfect crust. I think they may have changed the sauce a little because it seemed a little darker lending it a little more robust flavor than I remember. Lori got the spanakopita which was much larger than we remembered. All and all, a nice day. We finished by driving down Granby street, where we opened the Praha gallery many years ago. What was a pretty edgy place after dark is now populated by nice restaurants, a campus of the area community college and boutique shops. I guess we could say we are pioneers. We didn't get a chance to check them out, but I understand there are some good galleries in Norfolk now.

Back to the Studio

Well, its good to be back from our thanksgiving trip and now I'm ready to get back in the studio. When I left, I had a couple of pieces nearing completion and another canvas ready to go. I have finished the small version of Nemesis and it will be in a show art the artdc.org gallery in Hyattsville opening on December 12th. I will post more info soon but here is an image of the piece.

Blogging

I'm slowly working on updating this blog. Lori and I are moving towards having our own sites so we are using this as an intermediate step. I've posted my resume. I need to get a gallery of work up and running. Its getting there. I've also been working. I typically do not like to make work specifically for shows. I'm a slow painter and I try to place all my energies on creating the work I want to do. But recently, I have started working on some smaller pieces for the upcoming patron member show at artdc.org's Hyattsville gallery. This worked out well since I wanted to explore the same themes I have been working on in smaller format. I have finished one and will post as soon as I can get a good image. I have a number of paintings going in studio but I am also working hard on drawing again. I also plan to blog about my other interests such as wine (my day job) and music.

New York

So I used to love going up to New York but it has been a long, long time. Last time I was there, nothing much was happening in Chelsea, Soho was were all the established galleries were (well except the uptown ones) and Williamsburg was just become the hip place for artists. Yep, I couldn't believe how long its been. The other thing that was different- mode of transportation. Back in the day I usually took the train up but here in the DC, the trendy folks take one of a slew of buses offering express routes with wifi and outlets. After much debate, I decided on the Bolt Bus, mainly since it offered a departure after the wine tasting event I was attending.

The Post did a big article a while back which made this sound like a good alternative to the train. I heard from friends that they were sometime unreliable in terms of being on schedule. Well, Bolt left the parking lot at 6:59, 1 minute ahead of schedule and dropped us of at 11:20, 5 minutes "late." If only airlines could be that on time. Being the early bus out, we were not full, so i had no one beside me. I'm a big guy, and though the bus had plenty of leg room, the seats are pretty narrow. I can't say it was the most comfortable trip but no worse than flying.

Returning the same night, I was exhausted from walking around Chelsea for a few hours and then attending a 3 hour tasting event, only to walk back down to the bus stop in the rain. Everyone was tired and a little confused when a Bolt bus pulled up dropped some people and left, but sure enough, our bus arrived and we left on time, getting back into DC at about 4:10, 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

I guess I'm getting old but I was so surprised to see cop cars and people all over the streets at 4am coming in DC on rt50. Every fast food joint was packed, it seemed crazy- could some event have just ended/ it didn't seem unlike a club closing but that amount of people would have been more like a Redskins game.

All in all, I'd take the bus again.

New Camera

We just picked up a new camera, hopefully we will figure out how to work it. I think this is an improvement over the old picture of this work.

12 Angry Women

Just received word that my piece Hangers (Entanglements) was accepted to the 12 Angry Women show at the Soundry in Northern Va. Its a fun concept- a juried show using a jury of 12 women- the catch is the artist had to be male. Yep, I'm a dude. Its a bummer that I'll be out of town for work the weekend of the opening but I look forward to seeing what they came up with.

I personally think Entanglements is the weakest of the Things I Really Don't Like series, but looking at the images together in my past couple of posts- it probably does show better. In person, I don't believe it is in the same league. I think I noted earlier that we need a new camera and I would say this is proof. The richness of the surface simply does not show in these images

http://blog.soundry.net/

Speed Painting

I am notoriously slow to complete paintings, adding layer after layer of paint until it feels "done." Well I set out to make a painting in two days and well, it took 5 to get to this point. I'm really happy with it but had planned to keep working the background. Instead, I'm taking Lori's advice and calling it quits. It is part of the Things I Really Don't Like series titled Hanger (Nemesis/Lurking). It is 36" square, acrylic on canvas.

Note: We are getting a new camera soon because our digital images do not do the paintings justice. Our camera was nice 5 or 6 years ago when I bought it to use mainly for snapshots but its time for an upgrade.

New Work

Its been a while but I have finished some new work. These came about while I was messing around and I think I've stumbled onto a path that may lead to many ideas. I've been working with still lifes but to represent people- in other words these still life works were meant as portraits. For instance, the shoes that I completed earlier are actually a portrait of Lori. So thinking about still life, I came on the idea of painting things I like as self portrait but then I thought about flipping that around- how about things I don't like? I have a real problem with my hands and arms, especially when I have to fight with things. Anything that gets tangled can be a real problem. I was mad at some hangers one day and threw them on the floor and, whoa- the pattern was interesting. I started painting a picture of them and this whole idea started to grow. I believe I have a large bank of compositions with the line and it is interesting to think of these things as a nemesis, evil twin type of doppelganger thing. The first (Entanglements) is a little shaky in terms of technique but with the second (Nemesis) I feel like I'm getting my chops back.

Kingsteen Rocks!

Well, I've been meaning to post a bunch of stuff about all my interests- music, art, food and wine. It took my ol' buddy Gary to bring his new band (him and his young nephew) to Norfolk the same weekend I happened to be heading down. It was cool to see some folks I haven't seen in a while but best of all- Gary's new songs were terrific. Very promising stuff. I was dead tired after 8 1/2 hours of travel so I skipped out after his set. Luckily the ride back the next day only took 3 1/2 hours. Check out their songs on my space under Kingsteenrocks.

Random notes:

Really taken with the music of St Vincent. Amazing textures and instrumentation. The songs are good to great and her singing is right on.

Went to First Fridays in Dupot to check out some galleries and had a wonderful dinner at Sette. Not cheap by any stretch but certainly worth it.

Went to a old favorite restaurant in Va Beach, Athens Pizza. This great place used to have excellent, reliable pizza. I guess I should have figured something was up when they were only about 1/4 full at 6:30 on a Saturday. Bland pizza, inattentive service- Should have went to the better Greek place, Chesapeake Pizza, just down the road.

Really excited with my work- so much that I'm going to exit out of here and get down to the studio.

Little Catching Up

I've been working a lot on some new pieces and I'm pretty happy so far. But I thought I'd catch up with some beer and wine thoughts.

First beer- thanks to Artomatic for turning me on the Flying Dog's Amber Lager. I really haven't been a huge fan of Flying Dog in the past. First, I'm not a fan of Ralph Steadman and the beers seemed a little uninspired to me. Well, they seem fresher now and this may be due to the fact that they are brewed just up the road in Fredrick, MD. This is said to be in a California Common style (think Anchor Steam) but to me it is simply a well made amber brew with nice malty aromas and flavors and a super smooth finish. It is like an amped-up Yuengling. It is my session beer for now. I still keep some Yuengling cans around in case I decide to make some beer can chicken.

The other night, I opened a Central Coast Syrah called Domain Alfred Califa. It was rich with layered dark fruits and subtle baking spices and a touch of earthiness. I rated it 92 points (Wine Enthusiast had rated it 93) but Lori thought it was too minerally. Thought the price has been dropped considerably, I will pass on purchasing any more for the cellar. There are plenty of wines we both like, such as the Sonoma Loeb Cabernet 2005 which seemed to be gone as soon as it was opened.

Studio Setup

I'm pretty excited. I've been wanting to clean up the studio, making it more workable. I was waiting to get the lights we purchased for Artomatic back to get enough light in there to really see what is going on since I work mostly at night. Well, after a few snags with finding solid wood to drill into I finally got the lights up. I moved some shelves around and moved some crap to some other locations and now I think we have a good working environment. The drawing table is to left now providing an entire wall for working. The room is about 11' x 14' but I haven't measured it so I could be wrong. Being a basement the ceilings are a little lower causing the lights to make the room look (as Lori likes to say) "like an alien surgery theater."

I typically paint against the wall and Lori likes to work on the ground, so division of space is fairly easy right now. She's so prolific, I'll probably be relegated to a small corner. Seriously, we'll probably need to expand the operation to the garage- this will require a little weather proofing but it seems pretty nice out there most of the time.

Still Drawing

Really haven't had a lot of time to accomplish much. I've decide that I must force myself to draw a little each day. When I say that, some think I mean sketch/doodle/what-have-you. I do sketch when planning compositions but I think of drawing as a serious form in itself. So I'm really talking about creating finished, accomplished pieces. So far the results are mixed. I'm doing some good things but I'm having issues too. For one, I'm getting a little old. I can't see detail very well up close, with or without my glasses on, though it is better without. I was working on a still life last night and it was looking pretty good and I was starting to feel rather proud of myself. I propped it up on my makeshift easel- sitting back a few feet with my glasses on only to find some of the elements weren't lining up very well. I think I'm going to look into a pair of reading glasses from the drugstore since I know I'm not ready for bifocals yet. I just need to remember to step back every once in a while.

Drawing

So I think I need to work on my drawing. Getting back into this art stuff is going well but there are things I used to be able to do easily which are more difficult now. In the past I cold rough out what I want to paint and simply work it to a good point. I now believe this was due to the fact that I drew alot too, so painting became an extension of drawing in a way. Since I've done neither in so long I can't simply rely on my skills as a draftsman anymore- I need to get those chops back. Though I will still paint, my plan is to concentrate on drawing for a while.

My style always relied on large areas of rich, dark colors. Now that I am working with a single object or a few, I need to be sure I don't copy Jim Dine (or even Donald Sultan) too much. Again, I'm little less worried about content at this point but still...

I'm pretty happy with this shoe- it is a study for a painting I will complete soon. I'm messing around with stuff in the studio like the corkscrew and the cork drawing. With the cork drawing, I am going back to the old style. Still not sure where I'm going to land

On Vacation

I had a pretty intense week at work trying to get everything in order to take next week off. I will have to take a couple of hours to run some reports on Tuesday, but other than that my attention is all on my family and making art. So Friday we tasted through about 20 Zinfandels in less than two hours- this is work so we do spit the wine- it is tasting and all of us drive home so drinking is not a good option. There were plenty of good ones- nothing really sucked (excepted a corked Mendo ZIn but that doesn't count). There were quite a few nice finds at the 8-12 dollar range. We also tasted a sample of a new Dogfish Head project- a really nicely balanced IPA at about 9% ABV.

Anyway- getting the reason for the post, Lori and I had a nice dinner (I grilled Rock Fish for her and a Ribeye for me). We drank two Titus wines with them- The Reserve Chardonnay and the Amphora Red Blend. Both were very, very good and with recent price drops due to the economy, relatively good values. I am a big fan of the Titus wines. I've hung out a couple times with Eric Titus who runs most of the family operation and his brother Phillip is simply one of the best winemakers working in California right now. I'm kinda bummed that another wine he makes, the Chappellet Signature Cabernet just got 94 points from Wine Spectator (last year's Pritchard Hill scored 96). I say bummed because I usually buy a few bottles of this wine each year and I'm afraid it is going to sell out quickly now. With the Disney trip this week, I didn't want to plop down the money for the wines right now. Let's hope I'm worrying too much about this and the wine will hang around a while. That said- you should get some.

Meet the Artist Night at Artomatic

So the truffles went over well, probably better than the art. Their chocolaty deliciousness got people to hang around a bit. I had some really good comments but, as usual, Heather stole the show. She was working her shift on the fourth floor but telling everyone to come down and try the truffles- it worked! We met Conner, the 12 year old artist- seems like a good kid.

I also reconnected with someone I knew from the 80's when I was at the Corcoran, painter Matthew Langley. I was a little embarrassed since my work being shown is simply ok, but it seems he went through the same sort of trajectory as I did- Stopped painting shortly after art school, found a way to makes some money (day job) and then began to work painting back into his life. It was encouraging. I'm already much happier with my latest work. I'm giving myself a year to see, if I can get back to a high level of work I was at before.

Right now there are two struggles- getting my chops back and what I should paint. I'm working on the first issue and simply painting whatever for the time being. I'm researching and planning out some future work- going back to TS Eliot- this time I'm working with the Four Quartets. I'm hoping that by the time I'm firing on all cylinders I will also have arrived at some subject matter that will make for compelling work.

Truffles Anyone?

Dang- I just don't know how people keep up with this blogging stuff. Anyway- I'm making truffles tonight for tomorrow's Meet the Artists night at Artomatic. I stopped by Whole Foods to get the finest ingredients. I'll post later with chocolate on my fingers.

Savor

Last night was the big Savor beer event at the National Building Museum. A group from work were planning to meet at RFD around 3:30 to make sure we got some food in us. We knew there would be food at Savor but we wanted to makes sure we had some solid stuff already in our bellies. Well, of course, the organizer of this meeting never did show but he did arrive at the event just in time for our first "Salon."

Sam Calagione led us on a tour of Ancient Beers in the Modern World. As could be expected from Sam, there were no notes or PowerPoint slides. What we did get was a sampling of 4 beers and some information on the history of brewing. This was a great session since I had never had two of the beers. It start with the 90 minute but moved quickly to the Midas Touch which was excellent with the aged cheddar pairing. Then why tried an even older recipe recipe, from China of all places, called Chateau Jiahu. I was enjoying these beers but really thinking that it is a shame Lori was not there, I think she would have loved them- all this was before the Theobroma which is based on a 500-1200 year old Honduran recipe. Now this baby was made with some very fine cocoa powder- paired with some Askinosie Chocolate (You must try this chocolate!). With the Theobroma, I knew that I needed to stop by the store and pick some up.

I'm guessing that crowds are simply following me around because the Building Museum was packed like Artomatic was on Friday. Some stand outs for me were Brooklyn's Local 2, Rock Bottom Highland Courage Scottish Ale, Saint Louis Brewery/Schlafly Oak Age Barleywine, Arcadia Cocoa-Loco Triple Chocolate Milk Stout (yes, I was in a chocolaty mood after the Salon).

There were a number of breweries that I simply love to drink though they don't excite the way those listed above do. I love high-gravity beers but I usually like to drink more than one so last night reaffirmed how good St George, Clipper City (Marzhon), Great Lakes (Burning River), Legend and Oskar's Blues are at crafting delicious "session" brews. Another brewer I enjoy, Smuttynose was only pouring Belgian-styled brews- It would have been nice to show one of their more straightforawd beers.

Opening Night

Last night, The team all went down to opening night at artomatic and were blown away. The place was so jammed- using the elevator was simply a joke and even the stairways were filled with people. We did trek up to the ninth floor and back down so at least a little exercise was had. We spent the last hour or so that on the 3rd floor near our work. Lori and I kind of hung back and let people look. We didn't have too many people stopping to look at our stuff- we're guessing that we are not flashy enough. Plus we have a very subdued floor. I did see a lot of people take my postcards but no comments (not even a "U SUCK") were left in the comment book. Heather on the other hand was working the crowd and really charming them. We keep our eyes out, looking to see if people were trying to get away but they really seemed to be enjoying talking to her about the work. We ended up staying to nearly 11pm. I forgot how infrequent the trains are later at night. We didn't get home until after midnight.

On the beverage front- good beer selection (Yuengling and three Flying Dog brews) and not a bad call on the wine (Barefoot) in terms of a drinkable inexpensive wine. Yep, I got beer. I may suggest that they offer a premium wine choice at a higher price to give wine lovers an option but then they may want me to volunteer as bar manager and I see that is a tough job.

Artomatic Opens Today

Well, I'm not so sure why I'm excited about Artomatic opening today but I am. It was satisfying getting the work together and installing. I learned quite a bit in this foray back into painting and I can't wait to get back to work. I believe my work will continue to get stronger. I'll make sure to chronicle my progress.

So what I'm really concerned about is whether they will have decent wine or not. Tomorrow I'm going to the big Savor beer tasting at the Building Museum where I will taste at least 50 high gravity craft beers so I'd rather have wine tonight.

Celebrate

As mentioned previously, Lori was anxious about us completing the AOM install. To celebrate, we met some friends at Night of the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian. The kids loved it as did the adults- pretty fun stuff- though not quite as good as the first. The movie didn't allow me time to cook anything special so we ate the pulled pork from yesterday- Since it takes about 6 hours to cook the Barbeque, I was able to cook it in between layers of paint. I look forward to making some good meals now that i won't be painting every waking hour. Anyway, this post is about wine isn't- well, I didn't have enough time to run by our store in McLean so I picked up a bottle of Beringer Cabernet Knights Valley. As usual this is a good, reliable Cab though I do miss those mid-90's vintages that were excellent- Well its still about the same price as it was then so I guess we can expect a little slip in quality. All in all, not a bad substitution for the Chateau Chevalier Cabernet (made by Spring Mountain Vineyards) I was planning on. Must remember to pick up a couple bottles next time in the store.

Artomatic Install Complete

I was glad to finish up installing our spaces today. I expected there to be tons of people waiting but I was one of the first to arrive at about 11:30. I guess hoping to avoid some kind of rush, they had the loading dock open. I finished hanging my paintings and title cards for Lori and Heather by 12:45. This gave me a little time to preview the show.

There has been plenty of discussion regarding the adult subject matter being shown but as I walked around there was little that I could not easily steer clear of. From what I can see the quality of work looks better than last year. Since that was the first AOM I visited, I can't comment on previous shows. I'm still surprised at how many people have done so little to their spaces. I guess I fit into that category but I knew it would take less than an hour to hang all of my work.

Lori was really worried about me finishing my work. I was ready to cut one painting (Shoes) since it wasn't coming together. After explaining to Lori that it may be best to leave it out, I went back down to the studio and nailed the part that kept tripping me up. Of course, this had me back in the studio at 6:30 this morning trying to finish it up. It turned out pretty good. I've learned a lot with these paintings but the biggest thing is making sure to take more time to draw instead of simply roughing in the basic composition thing winging the details.

Artomatic

Well, somehow things are coming together. The main goal for doing AOM this year was to force me to complete some work. Its been more than 10 years since I have completed a painting so getting four ready to show is an accomplishment. Well only one is complete right now but, hey- I've still got two days.

Overcoming a long inactive period would be hard enough but I also switched from oils to acrylics. Since my style relies on numerous layers of thin paint, getting used to the transparency of acrylics is difficult. I'm arriving at some techniques that are getting the job done though I hope to be able to refine them soon to get the results I want. As it stands, I'm about 80% there. I believe the future paintings will be stronger as I incorporate what I've learned from these works.

Portfolio

Artist Statement

On Depicting Objects
I am making non-objective paintings again after years of using objects as compositional devices in sparse paintings. In those earlier pieces, I placed a single object against an ambiguous space, defined loosely by a basic line for a horizon. These compositions reminded me of musical compositions and how placing a single note in the right spot can make or break a piece. So I decided to trade concrete things like chairs and shoes for fields of color and explore how these fields interact with shapes to keep the focus on composition, mark making, rhythms, and the marking of time.  

On Music
My new work is largely indebted to composers who have been categorized as minimalists. Like minimalists in the visual arts, these composers have created deep, complex works through what may seem to be very simplistic means. Like these musicians, I am just as interested in what is left out of a work as what is included. Composers like Morton Feldman, David Lang, György Ligeti, Steve Reich, and Brian Eno influence my work equally if not more than visual artists.

On Titles 
I often use song lyrics that I find interesting when naming a piece, and I keep a list of phrases and songlines for future use. While the naming usually comes when the piece is almost done or completely finished, I always reflect on the composer in mind right from the beginning. This helps me structure the work, and I often include the composer’s name in the title for a frame of reference. None of these works are invocative of a single piece of music. They reflect a more general understanding of a composer’s work, though they may be reflective of a certain period.

On Scale 
I feel most comfortable painting human sized, generally between 5 to 8 feet. This size is not meant to overwhelm, but as Rothko said, to create an intimacy with the viewer. My intention is that the work be big enough to capture attention while inviting the viewer to get closer and start a personal dialogue with the piece. I equate the size I use to a contemporary musical composition of about 10 minutes—long enough to develop thoroughly but short enough to fit on a program of more established concert pieces. I do make some very small pieces, etudes, that act as trials for larger ideas.

Contact

Stephen Boocks

(240) 753-2724

stephenboocks@hotmail.com

Resume

Solo Shows

1992-Con:text; University Gallery, Norfolk, VA (With Lori Anne Foster now Boocks)
1990- Images From the New World Order; University Gallery, Norfolk, VA
1989- Freedom, Longing and Existence (Drawings); Pungo Gallery, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach , VA
1988- Mench: Feind der Umwelt; There Gallery, Norfolk, VA

Selected Group Shows

2012- Something and Nothing (Activating the Void), McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA- Curated by J. W. Mahoney
2012- Artomatic, Crystal City, VA
2011- artomatic@Frederick, Frederick, MD
2010- 12 X 12, artdc.org gallery, Hyattsville, MD
2010-41st Annual Laurel Arts Guild Juried Show, Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel, MD- Curated by Michael Janis
2010- Lust, Cheryl Edwards Gallery, Hyattsville, MD- Curated by Cheryl Edwards, Jesse Cohen
2009- Patron Member Show, artdc.org gallery, Hyattsville, MD
2009- Twelve Angry Women; The Soundry, Vienna, VA- Curated by: Lauren Kotkin, Amanda Jiron-Murphy, Melissa Branin, LisaMarie Adams, Jennifer Crawford, Veronica Szalus, Shauna Lee Lange, Teresa Ahmad, Sara Minarik Applegate, Janet Rems, Lee Lovelace, Darlene Howell
2009- Artomatic, Washington, DC
1993- Fresh Paint; Praha Gallery, Norfolk, VA- Curated by Stephen Boocks
1992- Irene Leach Memorial Exhibition; Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA- Curated by Thomas Sokolowski
1991- Juried Exhibition; Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA- Curated by Tom Armstrong
1990- Juried Exhibition; Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA- Curated by Donald Kuspit
1988- Juried Exhibition; Peninsula FIne Arts Center, Newport News, VA- Curated by Barry Walker
1987- Juried Exhibition; Virginia Beach Arts Center, Virginia Beach, VA
1985- Juried Exhibition; Virginia Beach Arts Center, Virginia Beach, VA
1984- Irene Leach Memorial Exhibition; Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA- Curated by Willam Olander
1983- Juried Exhibition; Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA- Curated by Ted Potter

Shows Curated
2011- Material World: artdc gallery, Hyattsville, MD
1992- Fresh; Praha Gallery, Norfolk, Va
1993- Solid: Praha Gallery, Norfolk, VA

Education:
1989-1992 Old Dominion Universty, Norfolk, VA (B.F.A.)
1984-1985 Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC

Related:
1992-1993 Founder, Co-director, Chief Curator, Praha Gallery, Norfolk, VA
2009- Artdc.org, Patron Member

Publications:
Art Matters, Teresa Annas (Irene Leach Memorial Exhibition review), Virginian-Pilot, August 1992
Art Matters, Teresa Annas (Sam Sebren at Praha Gallery) Virginian-Pilot, March 1993