‘OUT OF THE RUSTBELT’ at the LARKIN AT EXCHANGE

Rising out of Buffalo’s post-industrial Eastside, is the hugely successful Larkin at Exchange Complex. With its 2,200 gleaming windows, well-designed spaces and countless amenities, it is a stunning example of adaptive reuse of a city’s existing building stock. Best of all, it is a model of how a restoration done right can become the cornerstone for rebuilding an entire neighborhood. 

During the past two years, I have done a lot of exploration in the outskirts around the Larkin. On the streets and in the abandoned houses and factories, I have found discarded photos, old wood, trashed toys and more. What some people see as urban decay, I see as the raw materials telling us stories about our past and our future. All that is needed is the desire to seek out these fascinating layers of time. I have recycled and repurposed these treasures into paintings, collages and assemblages. A selection of these works is now on display in the First Floor Gallery at Larkin at Exchange. They will be on view until the end of November. Also, I’ll be there for a “Meet & Greet” from Noon until 2 pm on Friday, November 8.  Stop by, see the show, try a ‘rustbelt’ cookie and enjoy the energy of this amazing building!

Larkin at Exchange is at 726 Exchange Street, just a few minutes from Downtown Buffalo.

ART & ARCHITECTURE AT THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT FONTANA BOATHOUSE

Last night was stormy on the waterfront, with winds so strong they could blow you right off the balcony of the Boathouse. But inside this stunning space, everyone was warm and enjoying the Second Annual Art Show. This juried show is a collaboration of the Boathouse leadership and the Buffalo Society of Artists and it offers a chance to bid on and purchase work for the benefit of  Wright's Fontana Boathouse.  I was honored to receive the second place award for “Best Friends,” (one of my 'Discarded Ancestors' collages).

You can still see the exhibit and bid, up until 4:00 pm Sunday, October 27. It is also your chance to tour the space and appreciate the vision of Frank Lloyd Wright.

HOPE LIKE BLUE SKIES

Can an assemblage and a short story come together in a journal?

Yes, they did in the October issue of the r.kv.r.y quarterly literary journal. My piece, “We Repair Trucks” was used to illustrate a powerful story by Erica Jamieson. Now the assemblage is on its way out to Los Angeles to be part of her collection.  This seems so fitting since the piece is about leaving the rustbelt for bluer skies.

To read some of Jamieson’s work, visit her website http://www.ericawjamieson.com

SHIPWRECKED

I am honored to be the illustrator for the October ‘Shipwrecked’ edition of the r.k.v.r.y quarterly literary journal. r.k.v.r.y defines itself by the dictionary definition of the word recovery. It is filled with intriguing poetry, fiction and essays by a wide range of talented authors. You can visit it online at http://www.rkvryquarterly.com/   and be inspired!

WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND

People ask me how I manage to find toys in abandoned factories. Actually, I am often amazed by all that’s been left behind or thrown away in these most unlikely places. The toys are just the easiest artifacts to carry out. My assemblage, “Shrek” is based on the Sol Lenzer Bottling Works at Jefferson and Genesee Avenues. Since the roof collapsed, nature has started to reclaim the space. Inside, along with little knicknacks, I found a piano and a truck. They are probably still there, too heavy and dangerous to move. On the outside of Lenzer’s is graffiti by the prolific ‘ATAK’. His tag shows up on the side of my assemblage too. Lenzer’s is on the mayor’s top ten list for demolition but manages to hang on.

“Shrek” will be on view at the Buffalo Society of Artists’ 117^th Catalogue Exhibition. The opening is Sunday, September 15^th, from 2 - 5pm at the Kenan Center at 433 Locust Street in Lockport, NY and the show continues through October 13^th. 

THE RUST BELT MARKET IS OPEN

Discarded photos, old wood, trashed toys and abandoned houses are easy to find in Buffalo and throughout the Rust Belt. But what some people see as urban decay, I (and many other artists) see as raw materials telling us stories about our post-industrial environment. All that is needed is the desire to seek out these fascinating layers of time. Deterioration doesn’t always have to lead downward. It can also lead to regeneration, reconstruction, and recycling.

My studio is now displaying paintings, collage, and assemblages all based on this amazing rusty world. You can find it in the TriMain Center, Studio 509, 2495 Main Street, Buffalo, NY.  The doors will be open for “Fourth Friday” events (tonight) and many afternoons too. You’re invited!

‘CITY OF NIGHT’– AUGUST 17th

The second annual “City of Night” will transform the iconic cluster of grain elevators, called “Silo City” into a spectacle of light, art and performance. This free, open event includes new spaces to explore, an interactive map to guide you through the site, a light garden of installations, community art projects, kayak rentals, rock-climbing in a grain elevator and so much more. Lead event coordinator, Dana Saylor, says “Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo is proud to coordinate this massive event that transformed so many people’s perception of art and industrial heritage in 2012. We anticipate double the crowd this time around.”  There will be a beer & wine tent plus local food trucks on hand throughout the night plus a variety of bands performing from 4pm until well past midnight.

In addition to the art installations and performances throughout the Silo City campus, The American Warehouse building will host the 464 Art Fair, where local artisans and businesses will have wares available for sale.  This year, the Buffalo Society of Artists is sponsoring an exhibition of art with a grain elevator theme. Two of my collages were chosen for this special show.

Don’t miss this unique and exciting evening.