Ta Dah!

This painting is done! I am so thankful- I was running out of steam there at the end.

Plans for the holidays.... I want to do some monotypes in the print shop. I also have some smaller panels (tiny 16"x 24") that are ready to go. I am about to stretch and gesso a 4' x 4'. It is time to make some art!

Gettin' there

I am almost there with this painting. I have been slowly working on this since August. It is fitting that I will finish (fingers crossed) during exam week.

All I have left to do is the colored coconut. I am scared and excited at the same time. It is a lot of detail, however it brings back fond memories. We used to make cupcakes at Easter with colored coconut on top to simulate grass. Then we would add jellybeans on top to be the easter eggs.

I was pleasantly surprised how fun the shredded wheat (on the roof) was to paint. However, I never want to paint pretzels again. The salt was too much, even for me. I think the next one needs some glass and some color... I am craving it!

what I am doing this week.....

Grading!

A trip to the farmer's market

cranberry beans!

Another invitation to Loutopia

The Raft of the Lotus Roots, French painter Théodore Géricault's famous painting (Raft of the Medusa) recreated using vegetables by Chinese artist Ju Duoqi.

An invitation to Loutopia

Grant Barnhart is a painter who is exploring the idea of "too much." His painting is about spectacle, excess, and America (clearly that is a train I can get on board)

I like his use of cliche I am also a fan of his paint handling... he is combining many different ways of applying paint in a fresh way- stenciling, dripping, airbrush, old fashioned "painterly" quality, etc. There is an exuberance in his paintings that I don't find in the installations as much. I think I am clearly biased towards the paint. However, the self-contained "world" of a painting might be better suited to his over the top thesis than a self-contained corner of the gallery in his installation. Go big or go home message translates better in painting (as least over the internet.)

Fun with food!

Thanks Brooke and Chris at Proud Larry's for the pizza and Katherine for the cake!

Preaching to the choir

Pricing your work is one of the hardest part of being an
artist.

One of the best ways- I have found is to pay yourself for
time and materials. You could figure out how many hours you
have spent on the piece. Some will triple the price of
materials. I would never price something original (painting-
not a print) for less than $100. The more you sell, the
easier to price...

I would err on the side of too much... art is the only true
"free market." It is only worth what someone is willing to
pay for it.

On a more cynical note, the skull image is a work by Damien Hirst proving that a greedy artist is a rich one. He used $20 million dollars in materials and the reported asking price was $100 million.

introducing... The Nut House

I have been working on this painting all semester. I am so ready to see it done-- maybe Thanksgiving break.

It has been slow... partly because of the wild and crazy semester, but also it has a ton of browns. I miss real color.

you are invited!

Boston aka Sweet Tea Party

Tara Donovan, styrofoam cups and hot glue


I am just finishing up my whirlwind trip to Boston. I have a show at Framingham State College. Today, I met with the senior seminar class, gave a lecture, and had a reception. Whew.....

I also had a great Japanese dinner with a friend from Vermont, Amanda Fiedler.

The best part... the ICA Boston. Tim (the gallery director at Framingham) and I headed into Boston to check out the Tara Donovan show. It was incredible (she just won the MacArthur Genius Grant). She uses really mundane materials to create these really sublime, beautiful and in some cases psychedelic installations. Tara's work doesn't photograph well, but it truly amazing in person. I needed to see a good show..... back to MS and back to the studio in the morning.

I am famous (kind of)

Check out this review by Katherine Fields about the show at Meek. You have to scroll down and download the OxfordTown. I am on page 13. She made some interesting points about "Pop goes the weasel."

My favorite part is the following---

"Haney's concepts, compositions, and material choices evoke th spirit of artists who were enraptured with the Pop Art movement, a movement in art that garnered contemporary culture as a vehicle for art making. Haney's paintings are reminiscent of Gerhard Richter's photo paintings, Wayne Thiebaud's desserts, and Bridget Riley's optical illusionistic treatment of line and shape."

Thanks Katherine!

Gallery 130, Meek Hall, Oxford, MS

I am having a 2 person show with Jimmy Tollison in Meek Hall until Oct. 31. Here is a sneak peek. The gallery is open from 8-5 Monday through Friday. The reception/ artist's talk is Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-6. We are in talks about "themed" food for the reception...
Thanks to the grad students/ gallery crew who did all the heavy lifting!

Beer Sweater!

Here's the pattern

Picture time

It is the professional photographer's turn. Worth every penny!

Talla-sassy

Two of my paintings, Flamin' Painting and Best Prom Ever, are included in the Tallahassee International Show the Florida State University Museum of Art.

Crazy Light

Wow- look at the light in my neighbor's yard this morning. Brooke would be proud. I really glad I live next door to college students. I doubt they are awake before noon. Normal neighbors would have thought I was crazy.

The painting in progress is "SweeTee" Since leaving Vermont, I have worked on the background and some of the details in the glass. My production has slowed since coming home, but I can't wait to see this painting finished.

I'm home!!!!

I made it back to Mississippi in one piece. Before I become engrossed in other things, I want to show some work from the open studios at VSC. This is a small sampling of some incredible work by all of the residents.

Genevieve Chevalier, mixed media, 4' tall

Elke Pessl, photography/ silkscreen
Lisa Tubach, detail of a very large painting

Kathleen Kucka, enamels on paper
Amanda Fieldler, mixed media sculpture

ps the heat index today is 106

Last post from the frozen north

I am heading back home... Here are some open studio shots from my studio. I am amazed how much I got done. Stay tuned for an overview of the other residents' open studios.

It's raining...

Crosswalk from the studios to the dining hall- It took me 2 weeks before I noticed the paintbrush in his hand....
Painting in progress- This is painted on Tyvek. It needs a title and I have already used "Sausage Fest"...


The sun is finally out this morning after a solid week of rain. The rain is good for concentrating in the studio, but it is draining after awhile. Last night, Tom Butter
gave a talk about his work. Of the two sculptors (Jean Blackburn and Tom) both have joined the dark side and started painting. hmmmmm....

About last night....

After 2 weeks in Johnson, several of us decided to "get off the reservation." Bread and Puppets was the answer to break the daily grind of blissfully working away in the studio. We arrived right at 8 ( after a harrowing drive through the rainy, foggy mountains, chock full of moose crossing signs). We went straight into the theater/ barn for the performance. It was a political performance with lots of props, music, and jumping- but very little dialogue. The performance space was decorated (almost like a medieval cathedral) with paper mache and woodburning. It was a cross between Italian frescoes and outsider art.

After the performance concluded and we had our bread and vegan aioli spread, we checked out the museum. The museum houses all of the puppets and props from past shows. It was a truly amazing sight- nonsensical and absurd at times..... Here are some of my favorite exhibits...

Open Studio Night at VSC

I finished "Peachy Keen" (thanks mamma for the title). It is 16"x 20"

Here are some random pictures from Johnson. We had an open studio on Thursday night. I took a couple of pictures of some interesting work.
Michael Velliquette- drawing
Cecile Chong- encaustic painting
Aaron Richmond- mixed media (charcoal and fabric on craft paper)
Kate Budd- wax sculpture
John Schiro- enamel painting
More shots coming soom... stay tuned....

VSC studio update

Studio view
I have a couple of new things to share. First of all, I finished "Mint Loulep." I really pushed to finish it because I had a studio visit with Sarah Walker. She is a painter who is based in Brooklyn who makes these big, trippy abstract paintings. She is a self-described "maximalist." Needless to say, we share a similar aesthetic. The studio visit went well and I am excited to make more work! Tomorrow night, I will give a short slide lecture to the other residents.

small painting- 9"x 12". I really just wanted to paint the floral.
newest painting- Peaches and Ice Cream... I need a new title for this one as well because I have already used Peaches 'N Cream. This one is small 16" x 20"
"Mint Loulep" acrylic on canvas 24" x 36"