Top Award given by Audubon Artists for Mixed Media

AudubonArtists.org has a long and prestigious history in New York since 1942. Their list of notable members includes Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish and many others.

      I am pleased to announce that I have received  The Jeffrey Berman Director Award in Collage & Mixed Media  in the 71st ANNUAL JURIED NATIONAL EXHIBITION ONLINE 
The two jurors were, Meghan Melvin, Sharf, Curator of Design at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA and Patrick Murphy, Poorvu Curatorial Research Fellow, also at the  Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MA . 

To see  the Awards page click  here 

Kevan Lunney Archeology #24 A Time to Rest 56 x 64"
linen, stitch, paint, metal leaf

In 2012, I was awarded the Marquis Who's Who in American Art award  for Archeology #14 Enso in the same competition. See the Awards page   here

New video!

A video promoting KevanArt is now available to view on my website. It came about because of a request to supply promotional materials to the Sculptural Object and Functional Art Fair (SOFA) in Chicago at the Navy Pier, October 31  through November 3, 2013, where I will be exhibiting with MEK Gallery.

My son, Christopher Lunney produced, filmed, edited and composed the music. He recently graduated from Parsons in NYC with a degree in Design Technology. Which means he loves to make and mix music, make and mix visuals for projection and create spectacles using these media for events, either to promote a company or to be the main attraction. It's visual and audible art.

Making the video was a completely new and exciting experience for me. I was in awe seeing a different creative process, of which the filming is only a small part. Surprisingly, the experience has made me more aware while viewing TV and movies even though I have been viewing them, well, forever!
I know that anyone who designs clothes or sews professionally can spot a snagged hem or stay stitched coat vent at 50 paces, so I can only imagine what video professionals may see in our production but I am extremely  proud, and not expecting any acting awards soon! I hope you enjoy it, and learn a little bit about what I do. Please leave a comment! Thanks!

 You can see it here on my  website. 

KevanArt in a nutshell published on Artsy Shark

Click here to see the post to the Artsy Shark email list about my work with lots of pictures!
ArtsyShark.com is a wonderful resource which supports artists to build better businesses. It is managed by Caorlyn  Edlund.

Kevan Lunney, Health and Wholeness, 12 x 12" linen, thread, paint. 2012

The Trip from Solitude to On Exhibit

Hours of creative problem solving in the light flooded studio. The hum of my sewing machine plays steady  backdrop to the crisp melody of birdsong coming in with the breeze through an open window....this is slightly idyllic, but not that far afield from my experience. 

Hours of creating can become days of being alone. I recharge when I'm alone but sometimes it can be too much of a good thing!

 The other side of this coin is attending an opening reception for an art show. Getting out of the studio,  meeting new people, catching up with friends and seeing what other artists are creating is very rewarding.
If you are unfamiliar, this is the artist's reception you read about on postcards advertising shows. Its a bash, usually with music, food, press and public.

You may not realize the efforts expended to make these two planes intersect.
Joining artists organizations and societies is a good way to connect to opportunities. They publish calls to artists in magazines, emails and websites. These lists are where I find shows to enter.

I can read for hours only to find their requirements don't match mine. For example, they only want artists from a state or region other that where I live, or those with a certain experience or they only accept a media different than mine, or the show requires the artists presence or it is for outdoor tent sales. But I persevere, because letting my work stack up in the basement doesn't feel right. I want it to be seen and I love it when it sells!

After I choose shows that are a good fit,  I must make sure that I have work available which meets the criteria set by that show. Shows often restrict entries to work created after a certain date, or a specific size range or media. Some shows do not allow nudes, some only accept two dimensional, framed wall pieces. 
Next I must make sure that the work I plan to submit does not overlap another show planned on the calendar. Whether it is accepted or not, I cannot risk a scheduling conflict.
Now if any of you know an artist, you may know that we are not typically astute at the time, rate, distance problems of life. This involves calendars and excel sheets and cross referencing, but as the saying goes, if it was easy, everyone would do it!

Sometimes my efforts to enter shows are rewarded. Two pieces were accepted to the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, NJ to their show titled Dendrology, they were titled, Archeology Fragment Leadwood Tree and The Pod. You can see Leadwood Tree in the cover shot of this video. The Pod is the large green vegetable form on a pedestal. 







During the reception, the President of the Audubon Society of Artists approached me about their online show and invited me to enter in their new category of mixed media. He was unfamiliar with fiber art, so we had a nice conversation. I entered and was awarded a prize! The Marquise Who's Who of American Art  prize,  which included a copy of the huge book, by the same name, which I have not seen since I was in high school at  the library. The 2014 publication will  list my name and biography!  I also received another huge book cataloging all the art museums and galleries in America, and a certificate and an inscribed brass plaque for the cover of the book.
It is great fun to have a real, in my hand, prize instead of an emailed letter. I must admit, that I can't wait to stick the brass plaque on my Who's Who book. 
It is also wonderful to have a reminder that the work done in solitude has its rewards.

3! Naked in New Hope

Join me for the opening reception  for 

Naked in New Hope 

at the New Hope Sidetracks Art Gallery. 

Three of my works will be on exhibit in this  petite gallery along the railroad tracks which border this fantastic gallery and restaurant  town. I hope to see my friends there. Come for dinner in Lambertville, NJ or New Hope, PA and an evening stroll across the historic bridge over the Delaware river. Joel and I will be celebrating 27 years of marriage, come share a toast! 

September 7, 2013 6-9 PM

2A Stockton Avenue

New Hope, PA 18938

www.sidetracksart.com

215.862.4586

Mini Textile 2013 in Ukraine Accepts Two Works

6TH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION of Mini Textiles 

JUNE 18-30, 2013

KHERSON, UKRAINE

will be the vacation spot for two of my works. Accepted for inclusion are Self Portrait Eye, and Mindfulness and Compassion bowl.
The catalog from exhibit can be seen here.

A review, here states that the best works were from..... Kevan Lunney...

Three fun facts about this city, 

1. I haven't been there but my art work has! 

2. Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus, also known as the Eurasian wild horse) is an extinct subspecies of wild horse. The last individual believed to be of this subspecies died in captivity here in 1909.

3. Solomon Rosenblum, later known as Lieutenant Sidney Reilly, was a secret agent, international adventurer and playboy who was at one time employed by the British Secret Intelligence Service. He is reputed to be the real inspiration for Ian Fleming's spy character, James Bond. Somehow, Bond, James Bond rolls off the tongue easier than Rosenblum, Solomon Rosenblum.

And now you know the rest of the story!  How cool is that?

A New Era for Textiles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGkPQRdDWXc&sns=em

Above is a video taken at an E textile conference about conductive thread technology. 

Basically the manufacturer is spinning stainless steel to create yarn. Stainless steel is conductive to electricity which is measured in OHMS per foot. 

Normally you want 0 resistance so you get lots of energy.

So the higher the Ohms, the more juice gets through the thread or wire as we usually think of it.

Resistance is bad.

for electrical stuff and marital relations and two year olds. 

Almost anything that can be done with common fibers can be made in a conductive form now. Thin thread, thick thread, braid, elastic, fabric , non woven, woven, and knit. 

 It is expensive and a bit hard to get in a form that has the smooth, non fraying qualities and ease of use by hand or sewing machine for the hobbyist but this video shows me that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of what is out there for the big industry players. Maybe they will let us have samples or off runs.

It's exciting to think of ways that science and art will be bringing computer technology and smarts to our clothing, blankets, car and airplane seats, headbands, blood pressure cuffs.......lingerie? 

We have entered a new era for textiles!

Www.KevanArt.com

Http://KevanArt.blogspot.com

Www.FiberRevolution.com

Sent from my iPad

Textile Art on the International Art Scene. The Armory show, NYC

Heaven is two hundred booths of art from contemporary galleries from all over the world. That is what I saw at the 100th Anniversary Armory Show at Piers 92 and 94, in NYC on March 7th.
It was very surprising  to see some artists using thread and fabric as their medium in this venue.

Homage to Duchamp

There were nods to Marcel Duchamp's painting,  "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" aplenty, paying homage to him as he exhibited at the first show. Several of his original pieces were also on view.
Stunned

 A few pieces, though not his,   stunned me just as his work must have stunned his 1913 audience. One of those was the form of a life sized man, seemingly collapsed under a blanket on the bare floor. The blanket caught my eye of course, I love fabric so much!  but the piece made me feel helpless and without hope.
Abstract

For the most part though,  the work was on the wall, and  abstract.
Texture
Some of the wall art was in relief, and some was quite deep. One was concrete mixed with paper and another was made of match sticks, dirt, plaster and paint.  
Missing
There was very little photo realism, and  one kinetic sculpture that I remember

There were sculptures also, mostly on a smaller scale. Perhaps they are just easier to transport.  I expected to see more L.E.D. light art or computer driven images. I think there was only 6 or so pieces that were lit or moving.  I only noticed two  projection pieces. One was actually using a reel to reel projector complete with the click, click sound I remember from childhood. The projector was more prominent than the image being projected onto a white weather balloon. The other was a mash up of eyes and mouths projected onto a stool sized object, the mouths were talking as a recording played. I love to see new media pieces but the equipment is always awkwardly in the center of a space trying to disappear but in a black wood box sized to trip over. This show was disappointing because I thought I would be seeing more of this cutting edge technology, but I was more than pleased by seeing the simple work of the hand in my favorite field of
FIBER!

Below I will offer you photos from the show of the fiber art related pieces, with details of each, and two pieces in wood that I think will inspire fiber artists. Enjoy! And please leave a comment. Thanks!

artist Chiharu Shiota

Artist Chiharu Shiota 
Detail of kimono surrounded by thread.
Steel frame approx 5 ft high, child's silk kimonosurrounded by a web of black thread. It appeared
 that the thread  only pierced the  kimono at the
 ends of the hanging rod. This is on a 
white pedestal, the beige square to the left is the 
cement floor.

Paint on an 1960's era Pakistani quilt.
The blue field is a dye transfer that appears
 original to the piece since it is underneath
 and does not affect the stitching.
The black field is a patch sewn to the corner.
The brown circle and the octopus is painted.
The small brown square appears to be a stain.

This nearly 7 foot tall piece is entirely hand stitched in 1/4 " stitches with white thread on black fabric.  The stitches run horizontally. There are spaces left that form verticals which evoke a feeling of city buildings glistening at night. The red stripes are inserts which although they are lower than the black, they visually pop up to the surface.

This is another version by the same artist.
Chiyu Uemae

The lights make this piece appear as if it is glowing, but  it wasn't.  Its just a bad picture of a beautiful piece. The inner square was thickly stitched with embroidery threads on a black background which peeks through.
The painted canvas borders were a nice frame in a slightly different tone.

You can make out some knots which add texture to Chiyu  Uemae's work.

I am sure you can see the reference to our fiber -art world and to quilts here.
This Delucia piece is 2 sheets of plywood! They are screwed to the wall.  This is my interpretation of the process. I hope it helps you understand what you are looking at. The amazing texture, depth and moire affect is achieved by incising the surface about every 1/4" in a diagonal direction. As the grooves approached the center they became deeper , reaching a new ply ,until the wood splintered and broke away.  The surface was painted black before the cutting. Areas were then enhanced with black paint after cutting. Some grooves were painted and some of the moire wood grain was enhanced with paint. This piece stunned me. I want to speak to the artist about how this process started and progressed. It is so sophisticated but so humble. 

Here you can see the large splinters in the center and the white wall.

If the illusion in the other piece didn't amaze you, perhaps this one will! You are looking at a piece that is about 5 ft square. you can see down the isle as it is close to the end of the wall. Look carefully, do you see the four violet squares on point? Do you see a center lighter square? Does the background seem pale green?

Here is a side view. The yellow spikes are another piece. There are 400 white wood cubes mounted along one edge, the backs of which are painted a bright color, either cobalt. primary green or neon yellow. The rest is reflection and shadow and your perception. AMAZING! 

and this shot is too beautiful for words. 

and there you have it. Inspiration for fabric artists from the International art scene.

My Studio has been Published

The new photo article “Studio Shots” has been published on the Artsy Shark website – and includes a shot of  my studio space.

Artists can be solitary people, especially when working, so a peek into their creative spaces is like seeing a rare animal in their habitat.

Here is the article link http://bit.ly/X202Xp . 

Make yourself a cup of tea, and visit with me and the other artists there. 

and while you are there, leave a comment for Carolyn Edlund of www.ArtsyShark.com, who got All these rare birds to send in photos! thanks Carolyn! Www.artsyshark.com