Dr. Sketchy's tonight and Weekend Wrap Up

Dr. Sketchy's
If you are looking for a great place to draw, Dr. Sketchy's has a session tonight. We are drawing the Kansas City Larkspurs dance group. The drawing of multiple figures will be fun.

Here are some pics from the last Dr. Sketchy earlier this month:

Dr. Sketchy is an event started in NYC and is now held in almost every major city around the world.  The premise is burlesque models pose for artists to sketch them.  What makes KC’s Dr. Sketchy’s unique is that it is the only one held in a residence.  The drawing sessions are held every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.

Tonight's Dr. Sketchy:
Sunday, February 19
Place: 1331 Union Avenue
Time: 6 pm-10 pm
Cost $6.00

Weekend Wrap Up: 
This weekend, I participated in the Dannon Art Project at the Arts Center.  The Arts Center is providing a community space for artists to work in.  There will be a group show at a closing reception on Friday. I will post more information on the closing reception on my blog for Lawrence Final Friday picks later this week.

Here is a pic of this space.

Be sure to like our Larryville Artists page on FaceBook, or follow us on Google

Carnival! We Love Vintage Mardi Gras

We are now officially in Carnival season. At Nerd Nite, we learned about the history of New Orleans Carnival costume design.  The costumes and parades of the past are surreal. Krewes spent time and money to create original works in the spirit of competition. Some magnificent parades were from the krewes of Zulu, Rex, and the Mardi Gras Indians.  These parades were inventive, with royalty and anamorphic imagery. Unfortunately, the spectacular Mardi Gras clothing and floats no longer exist, but there are photos and some drawings that help us get a glimpse of these artistic creations.

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The hierarchy of New Orleans society is on full display during Mardi Gras. In the past, Krewes were often private organizations that held formal, ritzy balls closed to the public. When the city council passed a 1992 ordinance that required krewes to be more inclusive, three of the oldest groups disbanded rather than give up their exclusivity. One of the more inclusive — if ostentatious — traditions is the presentation of the Mardi Gras King and Queen.

We Love the Tap Room for Poetry

We are already thinking about the weekend.  This Sunday, February 19, the Tap Room will present this month's poetry reading starting at 5:00. The Tap Room has been a nice spot for a series of visiting and local poets. The space is dark, like a 1950's beatnik poetry club. This month, the Tap Room will host Paul Foster Johnson and Justin Runge.

Here is the information on  the visiting poets.
Paul Foster Johnson is the author of Study on Pavillions and Safe Rooms  and Refrains/Unworkings (Apostrophe Books, 2008). With E. Tracy Grinnell, he is the author of the g-o-n-g press chapbook Quadriga. His poems have appeared in Jacket, The Awl, Cannot Exist, GAM, EOAGH, Fence, and Octopus. He has served as a curator of the Experiments and Disorders reading series at Dixon Place and as an editor at Litmus Press/Aufgabe. Currently he lives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and is the editor of The Poetry Project Newsletter.  

Justin Runge is a writer and designer currently living in Lawrence, Kansas, where he edits Blue Hour Press and servers as designer for Parcel. Poems of his can be found in DIAGRAM, Linebreak, Harpur Palate, and elsewhere.

 Here is the link to the Tap Room Poetry Series Blog: http://taproompoetry.blogspot.com/

Nerd Nite at Pachamamas and a Poetry Social at the Library

The next Nerd Nite is at Pachamamas on Wednesday, February 15.  This month's theme is "Cabaret!" If we can get a seat ( space is limited) we will sure be there. Here is the poster with information on the three presentations.

If Nerd Nite is over capacity, then head over to the public library. The public library is hosting a poetry social starting at 7:00 on Wednesday.  The library promises to provide "snacks and a carnival spirit."

Here is the description on the Lawrence Public Library website:
"We invite you to join us for our monthly Poetry Social, held in the LPL Gallery, the third Wednesday of each month.  This laid back affair provokes the wordsmyth in each of us to read, slam or improvise a poem on a particular theme. In February, our theme is "Passion" interpreted loosely. These themes aim to challenge the daredevils and inspire the demure.

Hearts: Special Valentine's Day Edition

"Heart" by Andy Warhol, 1979


These are some of my favorite works of art that have hearts in them. 

"The Heart" Jazz Plate Number VII, by Henri Matisse, 1947

"Fortress of the Heart" Jim Dine, Lithograph 1981

 by local artist Kendra Marable, mixed media.  "Hail Mary' and "El Corazon"

Visiting Artist Lecture: Karen McCoy

Performance artist and sculptor Karen McCoy will speak at the Spencer tonight starting at 6:00. 

Here is the description of the event given by the Spencer: 

Karen McCoy's primary work for the last two decades has been large-scale, sited environmental sculpture. McCoy, an associate professor of sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute, focuses on the relationship between nature and culture, creating work based on extensive research into the geological, cultural, and social histories of each site. She also works in video, photography and makes drawings and prints.

6:00 – 7:30 PM / Spencer Museum of Art, 309 Auditorium

Random Pics of the Day: Environmental Space

I am working in my studio today. It is raining outside.   I took a break from painting to post some random pics of environmental spaces.