It has been an exciting summer at my studio, which has taken its toll on my artwork. I got married, did some traveling, enjoyed the small window of warm weather that Boston offers and now, I am refreshed, ready to hit the ground running in the lead up to Fall. With that in mind, its time for a summertime wrap-up post.

First things first, crucial thanks to a few people that helped make the wedding great. Nathan Fried-Lipski took amazing photographs of the event. Not only did he risk life and limb by laying down in the middle of Atlantic Ave (a very busy three lane road for those of you not familiar with Boston) to get the shot he wanted, he also went above and beyond the call of duty by helping keep Margaux sane and happy during the days stressful moments. I can not recommend him enough, everyone should head straight to his blog to take a look at a few photos from the day, and then go ahead and like his page on Facebook. Seriously, he is a great guy and a talented photographer.

Nate shows us the bugs eye view of the Intercontinental from Atlantic Ave.

Next up, Eli at Alabaster and Chess. He does custom tailored suits for a good price and had me looking better than I probably ever will again. Beyond that, he was also just a really great guy and super easy to do business with, which counts for a lot in my book.

If you want to live vicariously, you can check out some photos from my travels by following me on Instagram.

Okay. On to some art related news. I know I have been talking a lot about the Street Diamonds show but, that’s because it is good. Silva Naci pulled together a nice mix of artists and it really is worth seeing. You’ve already missed the closing party but there is still time to see the show. It will be up through September 7th so, head out to Fourth Wall Project and have a look.

Speaking of the Just Platinum Rings and Street Diamonds closing party, I am told ALLDAYEVERYDAY was there shooting video for an upcoming Cheryl Dunn documentary. It should come as no surprise that I happily ride the coattails of those above me so, I am interested to see what they do with the video they took Saturday night. Keep your eyes open for that and, maybe I will be in the background of some shots, lurking awkwardly behind people, trying to gauge their interest in my paintings.

On to some paintings. I have done a little editing on this piece and plan on dropping it off at Sloane Merrill Gallery tomorrow (there is a good change that a couple new pieces will follow closely behind). I really loved the idea of consistent using four panels for this entire series of paintings but, I have just never thought it worked right for this particular piece. So I have dropped one. It is now a triptych and, since Sloane Merrill is interested in selling paintings, they have convinced me to allow them to split up the series. I still hope to keep all three together but, if you have had your heart set on a single panel from this painting (I know there are some of you out there), this is your chance. Head over to the gallery before I change my mind…

And finally, here is a quick update on my latest, large scale, piece. I lost my way a little bit with this one but, the solution has finally come to me. There will be some moderate editing done on this piece—don’t get used to her red hair—but, it is still turning out to be a pretty good looking painting. Stay tuned for the completed image and, enjoy the final days of summer.

A few days ago I dropped by Fourth Wall Project to take a sneak peak of the Street Diamonds show. The gallery was still awaiting the arrival of Faring Purth to install one of her large paintings in front but, the show was already looking great. I don’t want to give too much away but, there is one piece that I just can’t keep under my hat.

The piece is Silas Finch’s fifteen foot tall sculpture of a gown created from a discarded vintage parachute. The piece is so simple that I am having a hard time finding the right words to describe it but the visual effect is amazing. The piece as a sculpture alone is wonderful. Then he fits the dress to an actual living breathing (not 15′ tall) model and Heather McGrath uses it as the basis for a sensational series of photographs. Again, I don’t want to give away too much but, since Liz at Flux-Boston already posted this image, I will share it as well:

In any case, as much as it pains me to be the least famous artist in the room–showing pieces that are not even the biggest, brightest, or shiniest things there–this show is not to be missed.

Street Diamonds II at Fourth Wall Project

Curated by Silvi Naci

132 Brookline Ave, Boston

Aug 10 – Sept 7th

Collector Reception Aug 10 (7-9pm)

Closing Reception Aug 24(7-9pm)

I briefly mentioned in the last post that I am participating in the next show at Fourth Wall Project which is curated by my friend Silvi Naci. Fourth Wall is always putting on good shows and making waves in the calm pool that is the Boston art scene so, I am pretty excited to be a part of this. The show will be up from August 10th through September 7th with a closing reception on August 24th.

Fourth Wall & Silver Oris Present STREET DIAMONDS II

Curated by Silvi Naci, Street Diamonds II reflects on areas of street culture in relationship to personal triumphs and battles according to Diamond and Diamond. Utilizing various techniques from cut-out paper, murals, painting, photography and sculpture, each artists provides a different entry way into their progression to make an impact in the world as a whole.

Featuring Artists:

Fourth Wall Project is located at 132 Brookline Ave in Boston (near Fenway). It is open from 1-6PM on Wednesday through Friday and 1-5PM on Sundays.

There is a point, about two thirds through the completion of a piece, where it starts to become clear what painting I am actually working on. As much as I have ideas that I am trying to articulate with each piece, and despite my best efforts to plan everything out before I get started, there is really no telling what is going to happen once paint starts hitting the canvas. Lately, I start every painting with the intention of bringing more abstraction and diversity of marks into my work.

Then I start painting.

I start painting and each piece begins to be tighter and more controlled realism than the one before it. I just can’t seem to help myself. I get sucked into the world that I have created for myself where each tiny brush stroke gets its little load of paint mixed independently of every other tiny brush stroke and details that nobody will ever notice are of the utmost importance. Then I get to that point. The point where I finally step back and remember what I was trying to do. The point where I see what kind of painting I am actually making. The point where I have been looking at the tightly controlled paintings and fantasizing about ways to ruin them.

This is when things like the bright red line in this painting (that everyone loves to hate) start happening.

This tendency is only amplified now that I am preparing pieces for a show that I will be taking part in at Fourth Wall Project. Suddenly I am not bringing the biggest, brightest, freakiest pieces to a show filled with traditional paintings. Instead I am bringing the most traditional paintings to a show of people pushing boundaries. Here is the painting I am currently working on, that I hope to finish for the show, right at the point where I find myself searching for the most interesting way to finish (or ruin) this otherwise lovely piece.

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