Brad Silk

I hate the word blog.

2009-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

These are some of the blogs that keep me coming back, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Book Jones is a blog written by a brilliant woman who goes by Kat. She is fun, witty, and intensely herself--a trait all should be jealous of. (She probably would not like that I ended this sentence in a preposition.)

Joanne Mettera is an artist who works in encaustic and fancies geometric forms in art, life, and surroundings. She has a great mind for business and marketing, something most artists lack, but she also has a great spirit for art and life.

Kelly Murphy is an illustrator and teacher with a Woody Allen type of humor. Sometimes inane, sometimes brought on by anxiety, but always endearing and fun.

Thom Wong is fashion. His blog is a tremendous source of inspiration when your wardrobe gets drab. He got me into bow-ties, and even taught me how to tie them--not in person, via his blog.

Anthony Sandoval is a bendy boy made for fashion and cameras. His expertise in the matter makes his posts fun and informative. He just started a marketing company in fashion which I am sure will explode any day.

Cole Escola has a show on Logo Channel now, but I've been watching him and Jeffrey on Youtube for over a year now. He does a great Bernadette Peters impression, he also has a wonderful sense of humor that makes every post all too short.

East Village Boys appeals to me because I am a giant faggot who likes looking at scantily clad boys. Who doesn't? This blogsite also has writing on music, fashion, and art--but I don't read the articles in Playboy, and I don't read the interviews near naked boy pictures.

Fail Blog, because who doesn't love a good fail?

24/7

2009-08-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

So as I said before, I am working 7 days a week and barely have time to make art... I forget who said it, but it goes something like, "An artist is always making art, even when he is just looking." I feel this more than ever now that I never get to put brush to canvas. My mind is always creating. Escpecially after visiting galleries and museums. I'd like to share two of great interest.

First, my friends and I went to see the Francis Bacon show. Though I have never seen his work in person, it has always inspired me. Unfortunately, a good half of the show was a bit of a let down. His work was always about rawness--pure self--but I found his later work, his SoHo portraits particularly, to be very contrived. But they were still beautiful and bonds his work to me even more. One very egotistical reason I love his work is because it reminds me of my own. There is a certain point when creating that if you don't let well-enough alone, it gets mudded by doubts. I believe his later work is riddled with doubt. It seems like he felt a lot of pressure to finish his work; his early works were "sketches" and duplicates, they all served as explorations rather than final pieces. At this stage of his career it became less about art and more about the art world.
This exploration can be best seen in his Man in Blue Series. I hope you can visit The Met to see it, but i not, pick up a book to get quality reproducitons.

The second place of inspiration I'd like to share is the NY Studio Gallery. This is a small but strong gallery that works as a studio for a select group of artists. Its great to visit or even just walk by and see the artists at work. They all have different process' and scheduals but are all dedicated to their art. At the end of the summer they will have a show, here is the information for it:

Studio Show featuring Kate Burnet & Dan Woerner, Laura Clemente Castillejo, Sung Min Lee, Patsy McArthur, Elise Roedenbeck, Angela Voulgarelis Illgen & Holly Ann Brooks
July 2, 2009 through August 29, 2009
Reception: August 29 7-9p
154 Stanton st NY NY 10002
http://www.nystudiogallery.com/

Hope you can visit these places, and please let me know your eplaces of inspiration!

Nothing but Dolly

2009-07-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

So its been forever since my post, but its only because I've been working a lot. Unfortunately, its not in the pursuit of art or curation, but the proverbial they say thats how it goes during an economic down turn. All I can bring myself to do, when not working, is watch Dolly interview after Dolly interview. She is so amazing; Everything just turns out right after listening to her talk about life. Hopefully I will learn from her and keep traveling through.

Soon I'll have some new illustrations to show, I'm working on some burlesque and cabaret posters for friends. These drawings are very traditional but proving to be a lot of fun. Inspired by my boyfriends "Over There" poster, they will be roughly 17 x 14 drawings with three characters, put on by each burlesque performer, framed by decorative designs.

Its nice to be working and keeping the drawing muscles alive. Last time I took a break for a couple of months it took days to regain the dexterity to create illusions of space and form. Its been long enough that the first drawing is taking a lot of concentration... but I can feel everything falling into place.

And until then, I'm just travelin' travelin' travelin' through

2008-11-19T05:32:00.001-08:00

PS122 Gallery
122 For $122
December 13 6-8pm, with a preview of 4 to 5 pm.

As PS122 Gallery has always expanded upon convention, 122 For $122 2008 will defy the norm by granting its walls to a select group of artists and curators. This extraordinary group has gathered to create an exciting collection which will be sold to benefit the gallery. Numbering in 122 artists and pieces, this exhibition will transform the progressive space into a salon which will give great opportunity to artists and collectors alike. The gallery hopes 122 For $122 will provide exposure for artists as well as provide collectors an affordable outlet for new and experimental work. As a special thanks, for a donation of at least $25, the space will be open during the hours of 4 and 5 pm as a preview.

Thank you to the Benefit Art Committee:
Katie Archer, Anthony Archibald, Nathan Bennett, Chris Bors, Linda Byrne, Karlos Carcamos, Diane Carr, Eun Young Choi, Ian L. Cofre, Nancy Cohen, Karen Eubel, Chris Fennell, Allen Frame, Andrew Glass, Benjamin Godsill, Ethan Ham, Patty Harris, Ketta Ioannidou, Salma Khalil, Lynn Koble, Omar Lopez-Chahoud, Meryl Meisler, Laura Napier, Ann Oren, Julie Peppito, Brad Silk, Larry Silver, Amy Talluto, Robin Tewes, Denyse Thomasos, Joe Tully, D. Yee
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For more information on PS122 Gallery and the benefit show, please visit: PS122Gallery.org

Swan is my Co-Pilot

2008-08-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a super quick update:

One of my designs for Neighbor Hoodies is on the FourFour blog.

Bends Back On curated by Brad Silk

2008-08-13T07:57:00.001-07:00

Bends Back On

September 6 through October 12, 2008
Opening Reception, Saturday September 6, 6 to 8p.

Number 35 is pleased to present Bends Back On, a two-person video and photography exhibition curated by Brad Silk. Bends Back On discusses the relations between self and society from the position of artist in reflection and artist as commenter. These artists develop a circular relationship, like the sociological condition known as reflexivity, where observer or actions implicate findings. In their visual analysis we discover the artists' fingerprint on society as well as the inverse.

Robert Dupree uses his body as a tool in his Torture You/Torture Me series, where we join him in discovering the limits of body and mind. Documenting acts of sadism and struggle, he grasps at social oddity within normality. Next to his still images, Dupree stacks five discarded television sets, playing videos that invite the viewer into his journey. Dupree travels through pain and whimsy in photography and video with a humorous yet concerning eye on modern society.

Claudia Saimbert studies the connections found in diverse backgrounds. Her raw portraits of young women on top of mounds of earth, call upon the idea of first female. Accompanying her portraits, Saimbert installs a mound which emits an haunting sound collage, woven together from subject interviews. Seemingly sterile, Saimbert's images depict the deep wounds within a diverse sisterhood, which she explores, finding similarities in varied experiences.

Number 35 Is Located at 39 Essex Street between Grand and Hester in New York City. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday, 12 to 6 and by appointment. For more information, please contact Brad Silk at 212 388 9311, bradsilk@gmail.com or Cindy Rucker at cindy@numberthirtyfive.com

Recent Work

2008-06-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is my latest work, a commission, titled Reach Around. This is a departure from my previous portfolio discussed in the blog. However, Reach Around is a lot closer to what my sketches have long looked like. For about five years I have been battling with a way to combine abstraction and figures in a pleasing yet thoughtful manner. My recent digital collages have inspired me to peruse this style. Where I've always seen the need of struggle, in order to bring my initial drawings to a "higher" form.

These collages are created using impulses that deny me the fear of failure, which I hope keep them fresh and interesting. The friend whom this collage, This Is Only A Censorship, was created for helped me peruse regain motivation. I trust his opinion, as he knows most everything about art, and with some kind words he suggested I continue on this path.
The inspiration for me came from a very unexpected place. Growing up in Massachusetts, the artifacts have always been available to me. The Museum of Fine Art in Boston is filled almost entirely with ancient artifacts and documents. Unfortunately this created a disregard for its value. That is until I saw the many Rubin Museum posters lining the New York transit. I think it was seeing the works out of their given place. Out from their archetypal residence, the images took on a new meaning. On visiting the Rubin, I could really see the way these many artists depicted the stories within an abstracted space provided a lot of answers to the doubt I felt in my own art. Suddenly it became obvious that I could use my narrative nature to compose a painting that had no boundaries--That is to say, I could provide as much or as little information in each piece, disregarding modern story telling.
Now I will be working on few pieces that touch upon collage, narration, and my history.

Chinnamasta, the Severed Head Goddess

The Move

2007-11-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

There will be a serious laps in my posts-I have moved to Brooklyn and am working as a Gallery Director in the Lower East Side. I'll get work up as soon as possible.

2007-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is an odd post, the first painting was worked on most of the summer. Since then, I've stopped working on it. I was working toward a new style of combined imagry; inspired by double exposures and photominipulation, below are examples my process.

(referance material: Claudia Saimbert photography of me in my mens line)

Around September I stopped working on this. I just grew bored with it--a horrible habit of mine. A worse habit, I painted right over it a few days later. However, this time it worked in my favor. I really enjoy the new series. Right before I had to move, I began concentration on blurred, shallow, and singular imagry. I've done a few drawings and here is a painting done from a drawing:

I plan on continuing this series and have a few drawings going that I will post soon.

Senior Thesis Show

2007-10-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

So it has been almost six months since my Senior Thesis Show, but I finally got around to making a blog for my work. This is a collection of my work exhibited at Montserrat 301 Gallery to finalize my BFA program at the school.
This first one has also been exhibited at the Copley Society in their 18th Annual Student competition

Adria L Sutter, Oils and pastels 2006

Balance, Oils and pastels 2007

The Devil Wears Prada, Oils and pastels 2007

Overly Dramatic, Oils and pastels 2007

Pigeon, Oils and pastels 2007

Its a Fucking Self Portrait you asshole, Oils and pastels 2007

How do you know?, Acrylic and pastels 2007