Caramel Apple Day as part of the Countdown to Halloween

I'm taking part in the Countdown to Halloween with my October side blog Caramel Apple Day.


(This nice Vincent Price badge is courtesy Countdown to Halloween.)

I'm posting some work there with more specific Halloweenish imagery, mostly stuff like my B movie work, but from monster and horror and sci fi movies exclusively.  Kind of like my own personal Sir Graves Ghastly gallery. Also, for the first time I'm being a little less coy about my sources, so for the most part you'll know what movies I'm using.  London After Midnight, and Carnival of Souls, so far, plus another film I won't name because it predates Caramel Apple Day.

The name is a play on Triple Apple Day, because caramel apples make me think of fall and Halloween.

Speaking of Carnival of Souls, it's a beautiful film, full of really strong images.  Although it's in the public domain, I've never used it as a source before, because its cult status makes it more recognizable than I'd like.  I like my subjects to be more obscure. But as I looked at this film to find an image to use, I also realized that it's almost too damn pretty for me to use. I like my sources sloppier, grottier. Working from Carnival is like working from an Ingres drawing, so delicate, precise and gorgeous.  It gives me a hard time, but I think I may keep at it because it's so damn good looking--trying to pick an image to use is like suffering from your proverbial embarrassment of riches....

oh yeah, happy new year

2011: it's one louder than 2010.

Also just discovered the blog of an old college friend.  My Birch Grove.  Virginia's a talented writer, and I especially love her Dictionary of Sensible Living.

Bergen Street Comics

Bergen Street Comics is one of the sparkling new and charming little shops on Bergen between Flatbush and Fifth, and I finally stopped in on the way to the studio yesterday. Something for my wife had caught my eye, and of course I also found something for my son and myself. In the interest of the season, I'm going to keep those titles to myself for now, and just say that it's a great little shop, warm and welcoming, even to a big waterlogged slob like me stepping in out of the rain.

I will say that what I found for myself is 'The Hunter,' a graphic novelization of one of Donald Westlake's Parker novels, by Darwyn Cooke. I've had a scrap from the NY Times on my wall for months, from a review, and it had caught my eye because of the cool, three color palette, punchy black inking, and pulpy, noirish subject matter. A link to my B movie paintings that I thought I should pay attention to, especially since I think one of my projects in the new year will be some two-color linocuts.

Nice folks at the comics place, and I plan to go back. I just wish my son liked the fancy schmancy hot dogs next door. It's also down the block from Melt, where we ate for our anniversary, and which is not, despite my brother's fervent wishes, affiliated in any way with a gourmet mac n cheese place in Cleveland.

Coincidence or premonition or something

Once before I made mention here of a novel I started to write about twelve years ago but never finished. There are a few lines from that novel that describe an artist's work--small, black and white paintings--and seem to presage the b movie paintings. Here's the full paragraph:

Harry starts back toward the Medieval Hall. He walks quickly. It feels good to be moving somewhere, leaving burglary behind, but Archie keeps up with him. Archie is a painter, too, who took nights because he doesn't like tourists, and he likes morning light best for his painting. Harry saw his work once and didn't think the light would be all that crucial for his small, sooty, black and white cityscapes. It was in a group show in a Brooklyn storefront, and Harry didn't think much of it, but he told Archie they were like Truffaut movies, which made Arch happy, even if neither of them knew exactly what it meant. A painting can't really be like a movie, for god's sake. 'How's the party going?' Archie says, fumbling to hook his flashlight to his belt, while trying to keep up with Flynn. 'You got the restaurant tonight?'

So I just think it's a little curious how things go, how a throwaway line from something I wrote years ago comes back to kind of describe paintings I've been making recently, especially since one of the reasons I started to work from imagery like the movies is because I was in a studio with no natural light in the early aughts. Funny old world.

Conversation

2009, oil on panel, 12x12in.

The spirit of Ed Wood Blogathon

I'm a little late to this, but when I thought about how some of my b movie paintings are based on images from an Ed Wood film, I realized I could take part. I'm not going to break my policy of not naming the public domain films I use, but I will say that this, this, and this all come from a single Ed Wood movie. Bevare, bevare, bevare....

Pics from the Open Studio Weekend

Some shots of the studio, which cleans up pretty well, as works were installed for the Atlantic Avenue ArtWalk opens studios. It's a cozy space, with nice light, and private. You can see more photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/packyjewell/Openstudio#

The weekend went as well as these things can. Nothing too annoying or humiliating happened [you tell with what high hopes I approach these things]; on the contrary, plenty of positive feedback, visitors were mostly strangers, and a pretty decent amount of traffic. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, friend or stranger.

Another nice thing was catching up a little with some of my neighbors, whom I'm really bad about chatting with when I'm over there working. They are all very talented, hardworking people, and it's a real pleasure to share the floor with them. There's a jewelry designer, a couple fashion designers who make hats and swimsuits, among other things, and another painter who also does some illustration and teaches at SVA. More on them soon, and I'll give some links to their work. Met some new neighbors too, who seem really nice.

There was only one visitor I would've liked to throw out on his ass. Near the end of the day Sunday, a cute little young couple came in, didn't say much at all to me, but I heard him say something about feeling like he was in a swimming pool [the blue], and she laughed. Now, I'm the first to admit being a little overly sensitive, but my goodness it's rude to be welcomed into a strangers studio and make a crappy joke about the work. So I stewed a little over how I wished I'd asked him what he said and then kicked him out. Okay, I'm over it. Overwhelmingly, people were nice, and I really don't mind how many people made some harmless remark about my 'Blue Period.' I don't mind, but I notice. Sensitive, sure. Not proud of it.

So, a good weekend. Now, I have to put everything back and get back to work. Which will be a relief. Thanks again, to all who came by. Maybe I'll make it a regular thing.

Houses

House with sidewalk, oil on panel, 12x9in.

House, oil on panel, 12x12in.

These little panels reach back to some work I was doing in the early nineties, very painterly work based on images of the neighborhoods where I grew up: small frame houses packed closely together, with little yards and driveways. When I found some images in a film of a woman walking along little streets like that, I felt like it would be a nice echo, to go back into some of that imagery through the b movie series.

Some new stuff and works in progress

Man with mirror, oil on panel, 20x24in.

Woman, man, woman, oil on panel, 20x24in.

Burlesque, oil on panel, 20x24in.

Sidewalk, oil on canvas, 22x28in.

Frightened woman, oil on panel, 20x24in.

Magic act, oil on canvas, 36x60in.

Woman talking to a man in a car, oil on panel, 24x20in.

Sad woman, oil on canvas, 18x18in.

Walking woman, oil on panel, 20x24in.

It was a good week in the studio. This is a sample of the works I started, most of which I will continue to work on in the coming months. And I'll post some other, smaller, recent work soon, too. Otherwise, you can see more here.

Fade to black

I am taking down my paintings today. It was a good long six week run, and a nice shot in the arm. Have a bunch of new work going in the studio and may spend a couple days running off some monotypes some time this spring.

My Name in Lights

And only fifty yards from Flatbush....

More about the show

You can see more photos of the exhbition here: http://picasaweb.google.com/packyjewell/Resnickshow#

As you tell, it's in a kind of strange exhibition space, a set of glass cases running along the wall of a hallway. The glass can be a little annoying, but not as bad as I'd feared. And it is a kind of crossroads between three or four campus buildings, so it gets a lot of traffic, and the six-week run helps a lot, too. The show has generated a nice amount of buzz on campus, making me feel like a small celebrity around here. I've been a little touched by the kind words and good wishes from all corners of campus, and from both friends and strangers.

Shots of the Installation

B Movie Paintings, Resnick Gallery, Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus. 1/20-2/27, 2009.

About last night

The reception for my show was last night, and it was fun. I have a love-hate relationship with these kinds of things, but this one went very well. And I'm relieved it's now officially yesterday. The show runs for another month, and it seems to have already generated a nice little buzz around campus. People have been very kind from all quarters: friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and strangers. I suppose I really should try to do these sorts of things more often. You know, get the work out of the studio. He said, tongue in cheek. Soon will post pics of the installation and maybe even video. Stay tuned, sportsrockers, as my brother would say.

Show

Patrick Jewell B Movie Paintings
Jan. 20 - Feb. 28, 2009

Resnick GalleryThird floor, Library Learning Center
Artist’s Reception:Thursday, January 295 - 7 pm

Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat/Sun 10-5

Travel: B, M, Q, R to DeKalb Ave.

or 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St.

Information: (718) 488-1198

Resnick Gallery, Brooklyn Campus, Long Island University 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Teen Couple, 2007, oil on canvas, 20x14in.