This years event was almost ruened partially by the rain that kept haunting the area but the true diehard folks of Trenton triumphed once again with this awesome 24 hour extravaganza held once a year.The outdoor sound stage dried out in time for the music lineup and the fire pits were burning brightly when I arrived so I knew this would be no different than the previous year which was a mindblowing experience being inside one of the massive Roebling complex buildings that still exsist and this particular one was responceable in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge cables.

I ran into most of the artist friends I know hovering around the beer stands with huge smiles on their faces and I almost didn’t get a chance to view the art on display inside because of the socializing with all the people who know me.Once I did do a walk through I was really impressed with the amount and quality of art that is submitted for this showcase and I know that there is no doubt that Trenton has some awesome undiscovered talent that is waiting to be recognized by the rest of the country just like the major manufacturers that use to exsist and were household names around the world.

This is Princeton’s new accessory to the usual campus style that dominates the streets but, thats all changing due to a infusion of hip and artsy business owners. One store in particular is Niko Niko that seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to street style and global culture that is becoming more noticeable thanks to the internet where information is exchanged in hyper real time.

The same owners of this play imaginative clothing boutique have a mother store called “Morning Glory” where they sell the greatest toys and accessories for the child in everyone and y

He hits below the belt.

ou can now purchase my custom designed toy/sculptures at “Niko Niko”.

Ref. Pictures of Nothing abstract art since Pollock. by Kirk Varnedoe

One of his statements about the origins of modern contemporary art in the twentieth century reads like this: “This kind of art is conceivable only within a system that is in crucial sense unfixed,inefficeint,and unpredictable-a cultural system whose work is done by the play within it,in all sense of the word,in a game where the rules themselves are what is constantly up for grabs.-Kirk Varnedoe

“Even the most trained painters cannot escape the confines of order, structure,and free themselves from the grips of geometry. What has been deemed abstract I find has a basis in mathmatics to a large degree.

Anthony Fearron’s work is devoid of these basic rules and code, his foundation is sprituality with cosmic vibrations of universal music flowing over the surface of the canvas, it cannot be equated by numbers,formulae, or abstract conceptual theory in general. Each painting has its own personallity and color palate separate from one another even though they could have been painted in the same studio session.

Destinct graffics,bold color and text is how Thom Reaves chooses to express his passion for the art nouveau period of nineteeth century France.His love of order and beauty translate a very romantic essence of communication that he has totally made his own by starting with references to Degas and Lautrec pretending to paint subjects like Sophia Lorren or Josephine Baker if you could imagine, he modernizes the illustrative style these artist used to make advertisements, and, to add more fun to the paintings meaning he makes fake products with which the artist himself cleverly concocks in his own mind and he uses equally creative typography to complete the compositions.

My work serves as the anchor with its references to modern art dating back to post WWI era starting with the Datast to Surrealism to Pop art, and ending with the new trend of Pop Surrealism or “Low Brow” art that include my vinyl toy sculptures which relate to my new found interest in Japanses Anime and Manga which is represented today by this ”Do it Yourself” movement that has surfaced in the last decade here in the United States.

The game has been totally changed when trying to identify a certain type of artifact connected to a specific race or ethnic group of people.This show truly reflects the current trends in painting & sculpture and updates the Trenton arts community into the twenty first century and beyond… tradition has been reassesed,reexamined and manipulated in the hands of these III Guys who share contemporary thoughts about society and choose to ignor the barriers of exclusion by being identified as solely African American artist, they are artist who have the same access to information and materials as anyone else which has leveled the playing field in contemporary art.

Opening night at this show was fantastic there must have been two hundred people or more who attended last Saturday night. It was great to see some folks that I haven’t seen in quite some time. The new sculptures worked well with some of my older stuff although they looked fresh as the frist day of spring that just happened to fall on the same day.

The cameras were rolling to capture the entire event and I can’t wait to see what the show looked like from someone else’s perspective. I was Interviewed during the exhibition about one of my more social political paintings that raises some questions about September 11,2001 and may suggest more than I could possibley comment on while being totally conscious of the fact that I’m beening filmed for postarity.

If you missed the opening of the show you still have time to visit the exhibition and we are doing a gallery talk on April 11, at 2:00pm and possibly a closing party on April 25th so say tuned

Karey Maurice, James Cary,Andrew Wilkinson,Thom Reaves

 and check out the artwork that is sure to get your mind off thinking about current events like our economy and how much fun we all are not really having because we don’t see real people do real things without it being filtered to us through the television.

I attended this years event on Sunday and the first thing I noticed was the size of the exhibition was a bit smaller that I can remember in recent years. I guess the the planning of it reflected the present state of the economy but that didn’t stop the most serious art patrons to take a look anyway.

I didn’t have anything jump out at me nor did I see any fresh new Ideas about painting in general. It was just the usual paint brush to canvas or palate knife with oil paint carefully applied with fantastic frames surrounding the artwork. I did enjoy some of the sculpture that I encountered and checking out the Epson printers they had set up in the back printing out some huge reproductions.

I was invited this year by an artist I met last year named James Ceravolo and when I ran into him he seemed to be pleased with the turn out as we looked out into the isles to people watch. I then went to visit another artist who has a both directly across from where I’m standing and he has some cool live musician playing some tunes and it gives the scene a little more life. After visiting with the two artist that I know I continue to walk around until I can’t take it anymore and decide to head for the train station and end my day in New York City.

ARTWORKS presents 3 Guys

GALLERY Opening :
Saturday, March 21st, 5PM - 9PMMusic by: MADD TRONIX
from March 21st, 2009
until April 25th, 2009

ARTWORKS
19 Everett Alley
Trenton, NJ 08611

images (left to right):
Anthony Fearron
‘After Hours’, 2007
medium:
acrylic on canvas

Karey Maurice
‘Singleton’, 2008
medium:
acrylic on vinyl

Thom Reaves
‘Feet’, 2006
medium:
acrylic on canvas

This store has been long gone and replaced by Bloomingdales unfortunatly. Back in the day we use to get all of our clothes there and some accessories to complete the personal look that you wanted. There was a large veriety of different styles that you could mix and match anything from millitary gear to second had clothes. I use to buy blank Items to paint on and sell when hand painting clothes was hot.

This past November 14th I got invited to the 25th Anniversary party by Charlie Ahearn and I had a blast hanging out out with my boy graffitti artist Leon Rainbow. We didn’t stay long but while we were there we had the pleasure to see grand wizard Theodore do his thing on the ones and twos. If you haven’t seen this guy work you don’t know what your missing because he is the cut creator.-RedSaid

Last month I went to New York to attend an opening at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, a place in which I know the mastermind himself personally and I enjoy the artist in his stable of “Low Brow” highly collectable “Pop-Surrealist” painters.
This time it was Doze Green in gallery one, and Blek Le Rat in gallery two,but, I was there to speak with Doze and to get a photograph with him for the experience. Later on that evening I got a chance to speak with the man himself (Jonathan) and its always a pleasure to chat with him because I know he will normally give me an invite to the after party which I haven’t the energy to go to but I think he kinda knows that I’m not the party animal I use to be by any means.-RedSaid aka KaM©