show
NYC
I have a few goals for 2011, sell a t-shirt, do a shoot with my favorite model, make a book of all of last year’s paintings, some projects code-named “colorforms,” “bubbles,” and “the big myth,” paint and donate two celebrity paintings for charity, have a show in New York, and dig deeper, be bolder, and have more fun than last year.
Well, this Thursday 1/13 I’ve got that show in New York. It’s at Niagra Bar 112 Avenue A, at 7th St, in the East Village, right on Tompkins Square park, courtesy of the Antagonist Movement. Read about them, they’re doing good things.
Loyal readers (Trish, Mario, Susan, and Gary) will recall that I planned to take it easy this year. I’m trying. Really.
That’s what I’ve done so far this year. I like painting. I can’t really stop.
Here are the paintings in the show:
It’s easier to paint than write these posts, so I’ll guess at your questions and makes some notes for myself about the show:
- It’s a group show. No idea if there’s a theme.
- I’m showing three pieces, one existing (the tall one), two new (the ovals)
- I chose to make images that pick up where I left off from my April ’10 show
- I wanted to reconnect with my mission: For the women who view my paintings to recognize their own inner beauty
- Picking colors: I pick songs first and they tell me what colors to paint (i have synesthesia)
- I planned to do two paintings. One with colors I’m comfortable with and another with colors I haven’t used before. For the colors I haven’t used before, I chose orange and purple, thinking of the Invisibles). When I was done though, it didn’t seem “Cleff” enough for my debut (first? last? who knows?) show in NYC, so I decided to do a red and purple one. I also realized I wanted to make all three work as a set, so I made the image face to the right to compliment the left-facing blue one. I’ll put them on either side of the large painting
- They’re on canvas. I buy the canvases pre-stretched
- They’re done with watercolor. I have magic primer that lets me paint watercolor on anything
- I don’t remember exactly how large they are, they’re around 12″ x 16″. The large one is 2 feet by 4 feet
- First I drew the under-pictures on standard rectangular canvases then realized I wanted to use the oval canvases because it creates more powerful images
- I’ll probably go and paint the same images on those rectangular canvases too because I love these images and I want to try some looser painting
- While the images are based on pictures of models I worked with, these images aren’t meant to be portraits of specific people, they’re meant to represent aspects of feminine confidence
- I met the models through a site for models and photographers to network. For both models I spent about a year working to fit into their schedules
- The show is only up for one night
- I got the show through networking, responding to requests to show (submitting to one show and attending led to networking which led to submitting for another show. Thanks, Stacy Lynn!)
Feel free to ask me more questions, I usually only get them at shows, not online, but I’m happy to answer them.
Here’s a bonus, a closeup of the image I decided not to use for the show.
Fluid Beauty: Streams of Consciousness a solo exhibition 8/6 – 9/30 by Steve Cleff at Topstitch Boutique
My next solo exhibition will be at the Topstitch Boutique, 54 N 3rd St (near Market) Philadelphia PA, 19106.
Opening reception on 8/6. Show will be up all through August and all through September. Stop by Tues – Sat: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Sun: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
About Fluid Beauty: Streams of Consciousness
There’s a freedom that comes with being underwater
that is unlike anything else we experience.
Being unburdened from the limitations of our typical physical
experience allows thought to become action.
It allows our bodies to mimic our minds when we’re alone in our
heads, where our thoughts can go in any direction,
where one moment naturally flows into the next until
we find ourselves
somewhere we didn’t plan to be.
A stream of consciousness.
it’s these times when we are connected
to a reality that is limited only by
our imagination.
I thought it would be interesting to try to
capture these types of thoughts in images.
The poses and colors and jewelry* have specific meaning and inspiration,
but these images aren’t meant to be representations of those ideas.
This series of paintings is highly dependent on your interpretation.
I hope the longer you look at these images the more you learn about your thoughts
and stream of consciousness and connect to your own limitless imagination.
Or, at the very least, you find them pleasing to look at.
*The jewelry in the images comes from the artists who contribute to the Topstitch Boutique, a special place in Philly PA that’s very feminine and exists only because of the imagination of its owners and the other artists who contribute their skill and vision.
Reflections Series: Rhythm (almost complete)
Over the past couple of days when I could sneak in time, I worked on the sixth painting of the Reflections series, Rhythm. I struggled with this one as detailed in an earlier post, but I’m really liking it now.
I’m going to touch up the fingers a little and I think it’s done.
Then I’ll post a higher quality photo here.
In the meantime, let me know what you think of it, the colors, the pose, what pops in your head when you see it. I’d love to hear from you.