One of my big goals at the gallery is letting people know that collecting contemporary art is an achievable goal. I regularly speak with too many people that lament the fact that they would love to fill their homes with original artwork but don’t think they can on their budgets. Over the years working with the Toledo Museum of Art and here at Mahan Gallery, I have met many individuals and young couples who started off small- $25, $50, $100 a month budgeted to buy a new piece of artwork. Their collections have grown over the years, and as their budgets get larger they can also increase the amount they can put towards artwork. I have been lucky in having the opportunity to see some of these collector’s homes filled with interesting pieces of work- from paintings and drawings, to glass and small sculptures- all which are an extension of their personalities. I love discussing with collectors the personal reasons behind why they purchased a piece of work, as each piece has a reason as unique as the individual who purchased it.Sometimes a piece of art can make you nostalgic of a certain place, remind you of your uncle, or feature a dog that looks like the dog you grew up with as a child. Sometimes it’s as simple as the colors matched your couch and tied your living room together perfectly. Sometimes you see a piece of art and you have an overwhelming need to have it and you can’t pinpoint why.

Mahan gallery has always focused on educating individuals on buying art and building a collection, and we have made it our mission and continuously succeeded at offering contemporary work that is engaging, exciting, and in an achievable price range. With Penny Pinch we really wanted to celebrate the great local talent we have, while offering an exciting, affordable way to kick-start an art collection. We will be offering a convenient payment plan to make your dream of owning work a reality by purchasing a piece and paying two payments of $106.75.

I’m looking forward to seeing everybody at our July Gallery Hop and Opening Reception on July 3rd! This is a show that is not to be missed!

Laura Alexander

William Markley

Kat Marie Moya

John Malta

Emi Inoue

Eight looks for the following ‘eight’ generally accepted criteria that deem apparel to be socially responsible-
1 ) Ethically Produced
2 ) Craft or Artisan
3 ) Custom or Tailor-made
4 ) Fair Trade Certified
5 ) Organic
6 ) Recycled or Upcycled
7 ) Vintage or Second Hand
8 ) Vegetarian/Vegan or Animal Free

Eight plans on bringing a brick & mortar retail concept with a flagship store opening soon to Columbus, Ohio.
Eight is always seeking socially responsible fashion collaborators. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more, they’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact Eight at info@loveeight.com!

Date: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Time:1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:Mahan  Gallery, Short North
Street:717 N. High Street
City/Town: Columbus, OH
Hosted by: Eight
Light refreshments will be served

Order free tickets via Eventbrite:
http://loveeight-efbevent.eventbrite.com

RSVP via the Facebook Event Page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118735221492082&ref=ts

What is this event?
Laura, Malika, and Melissa of Eight are hosting a shopping event for you! Midwest apparel designer Kelly Lane will visit Mahan Gallery in the Short North Arts District and share her design story and ethos. Kelly will sell her spring collection and take pre-orders of her fall line

Who is Kelly Lane?

Artful sophistication with an eye toward sustainability is at the heart of Kelly Lane.

Drawing from her formal training as a graphic designer, Kelly creates bold compositions of color, print, and line to form flattering silhouettes that are as comfortable as they are stylish.

Creatively conceived by Kelly and local artisans, each collection is carefully crafted from eco-friendly fabrics and ethically produced by a family-run business in New York’s garment district. The result is limited run, high-quality clothing with a conscience.

http://www.kellylanedesign.com/

Growing is a drone/ambient/noise band formed in Olympia, Washington, and currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Member Sadie Laska is also in the band I.U.D with Lizzie Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance, and makes some pretty great artwork that we totally get behind.

Send your full name, phone number, and use the date of the show as the subject to wassup@vicerecords.com for a chance to win!

Payphones, Davis, CA 16 x 12 inches, archival inkjet print

Where do you live / work?
I live and work in Manhattan, NY though I spend a lot of time in Branford, CT, a little town on the coast where I grew up.

Can you tell us a little about your studio space/techniques/what gets you in the mood to create work/a little about your process/ times you like to work/etc?
My studio is my laptop in my bedroom and a beer with some good tunes playing. I get excited about photography in fits when I view other art. It’s not necessarily important the actual content, though I do get inspired by certain things, but I’m more sparked by the idea of great art and creating something. My process is mainly based around driving. I have a great, beat-to-shit 1995 Volvo station wagon which has taken me so many miles that I want to get it tattooed on me somewhere. I live for road trips and the open road. The idea of the road, especially the American road, is something that gets me incredibly excited. My favorite time to work has to be the magic hour, the time right before sunrise or sunset. Light is very important to me in my work.

Tell us a little about the art scene in your city? Do you feel like you fit in or are an outsider? Is it very active? Does the artistic community in your city help you create work?
Well, I was introduced to the NY art scene by way of meeting and interning for downtown art star (I mean that in the nicest way possible, sometimes he gets shit for it), Ryan McGinley. I went on a roadtrip with him from NYC to San Francisco and back. It was a whirlwind experience and by far the greatest thing I have ever done. But, I will admit to anyone, my work is nothing like his. The differences are countless. I love his work and he influenced me in so many ways, but visually, we’re pretty different. When I got to NYC, and met back up with Ryan and other friends who were interns with me, people my age, I realized how out of place I was. There is a major movement here for young contemporary photography towards a very McGinley-esque feel. Everyone shoots with this camera called a T-4 or a Contax, which produce these grainy, dreamy images. They are taking images of the figure, many times nude. Sometimes the images are stunningly beautiful and sometimes they come off contrived. But the simple fact is, everyone is doing it. And I’m just not interested in it. So I do not feel like I fit in and I tend to feel restless in New York, wanting to get back out on the road. But you gotta make money to do that, so I stay here.

Other Influences on your work:
It’s pretty obvious from my work, but my two major influences would be William Eggleston and Stephen Shore. I am also in love with William Christenberry, Robert Frank, Martin Parr, Lee Friedlander, and Joel Meyerowitz. Also, I am very interested in the New Topographics movement. As for newer stuff, I love Alec Soth, Tim Davis, Ed Panar, and Todd Hido. For things other than art, I am influenced by Edward Hopper a great deal. I also have a special place in my heart for the Color Field painters because their theories really speak to me.

Liberty Lanes, Liberty, NY 18 x 12 inches, archival inkjet print

Where did you attend college and how did it affect your creative process?
I went to Washington University in St. Louis, which is this medium sized school full are big nerds. It is a school that has different schools within the university, like Arts and Sciences, Business, Architecture, and Art. I was accepted to the Arts and Sciences school but when I found out it was very easy to transfer between schools, I decided to go to art school, something I had dreamed of but never thought of as a viable option. It’s really the pivotal move that put everything else into motion. I was never very friendly with the quintessentially “artsy” “weird” kids, so all my friends were premed or prelaw, and they loved to give me shit for being in the art school. Art school itself was good and bad. They were very heavy on conceptual art and photography, which I just wasn’t too hot about. To me, art can stand alone and be important just by being beautiful or interesting, and it doesn’t have to make a statement about droughts in Malaysia or something. So, I would bring an image in that I was super psyched on and they would say, in a completely clichéd manner, “Yes, but does it mean?” and I would say, “I don’t know, it’s just cool to me, isn’t that enough?”. But it never was, until about a year in, when I realized that most of art school was bullshitting. But your work doesn’t really flourish when it has to fit into some parameters within which you can bullshit, so in my Senior year, I just made my work the way I wanted to and basically told my professors to deal with it, and it worked out pretty well. They gave me a prize and everything. I often wonder if I even needed to go to art school, if the small amount of marketable skills I have could have been accrued simply by shooting on my own. But I think there are actually a lot of good things I learned whose affects I use subconsciously. I can get pretty pessimistic.

Describe what you’d like your work to do- any ideas in particular you are looking to get across?
As you can see from above, I do not try to attach too much meaning to my work. It really is a documentation of the way I see, what I think is interesting, beautiful, important enough to be elevated by having its picture taken. I do wish to express apon my viewer the importance of the frame in photography. It is photography’s second biggest asset, after being able to stop time. It gives us the ability to take that visual time and order in the way we see fit. I think people neglect it, but I think its so important. The things I see and document in my pictures are things I think are beautiful, funny, sad, or all of the above. I want my viewers to see the importance of elevating these things and hopefully, if I had my way, they would go on to be more diligent with their own looking.

Is there a particular reason you work in your chosen medium? Have you experimented with other techniques/mediums or is this what you’ve always felt comfortable with? Do you see yourself crossing over into other formats?
Ever since high school, when I had that first photo 1 class, that’s been it. I’ve never tried painting; I don’t think I’d be good at it. I have had interest in graphic design, which I think I have talent in, but not as a vehicle for art. I think I’m just going to stick with photography for now, as nothing gets me more excited about life.

Are you able to live completely off of your art, or do you work other jobs to support yourself? If so, what do you do?
Oh god, no. I live off working as a freelance photography assistant on commercial shoots. I like the work, but its nerve-wracking both on set and in-between jobs. When not enough jobs come in, I’m late on rent and have to eat only ramen. And that’s happening more often. Thus, I am currently in the hunt for a more full time job. But my hope and dream is to be able to support myself as some sort of photographer, or at least some sort of creative.

Rock with Graffiti, Torrington, CT 18 x 12 inches, archival inkjet print

Do you see yourself going in the same way with your work, or doing this for the rest of your life? Is there anything else you would have or would like to pursue beyond making art?
If I could do this all my life, I can and I will. I know I will always always be making art, but if it’s only displayed on my fridge, so be it. I think that in terms of the art itself, I will probably be doing this for a while. I can’t really imagine circumstances in which my focus would change. I would love to pursue music, as I have been playing guitar and writing music for like 13 years, but it’s just so hard to find a drummer. I would love to keep traveling and having adventures, more so outside of the US. I would love to be the Director of Photography on some films. I want to learn more about beer and make my own. Stuff like that.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Thanks so much to Kelly and Jacquie and everybody else at the gallery! I’m so happy and proud to be a part of the show!

]]> http://mahangallery.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=184 http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=180 http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=180#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:57:53 +0000 K. Cousins http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=180 This month’s gallery hop was packed. It was a beautiful evening out and we had a really good opening. The show is still up until the 24th, so come check it out!

The opening for “Teahead Scraps” was packed and went really well, despite the freezing cold temps! Thanks to Ric for the great work, everyone who came out, and Cinders Gallery for putting on a great show and opening.

]]> http://mahangallery.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=156 http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=154 http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=154#comments Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:40:34 +0000 K. Cousins http://mahangallery.com/blog/?p=154 We will be in NYC this weekend for the opening of Ric Ocasek’s show “Teahead Scraps” at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn.

Untitled #0043, mixed media on paper, 16" x 20", Archival Double Matted and framed

Teahead Scraps

Ric Ocasek

March 26th - April 25th 2010

Opening Reception Friday March 26th 7-10pm

Untitled #0006, mixed media on paper, 20" x 22", Archival double matted and framed

Teahead Scraps marks Ric Ocasek’s first art exhibition in New York and features never before seen drawings selected from a body of work that spans the last 30 years. Like the music of his beloved rock band The Cars, his drawings are unabashedly pop- and yet unlike his music’s super sleek veneer, these works are a bit more raw and unedited, revealing meditative moments of a Zen-like drawing practice. Never intended for public view, these works on paper are fluid and unselfconscious abstractions made with colored pencils, pens, and markers. Ric’s spontaneous, rhythmic mark-making is completely musical and explores repetition and patterns with psychedelic colors and sinuous lines.

While The Cars as a band were perhaps the perfect embodiment of pop art and pop music (Andy Warhol even directed an amazing Cars video), the art of Ric Ocasek can easily be seen as another extension of this union by one of its pioneers and constant practitioners.

Ric Ocasek is an artist, musician, writer, and former vocalist and guitarist for The Cars. He has produced countless records during his career including seminal releases by such pioneering bands as Suicide and the Bad Brains as well as pop sensations such as Weezer and No Doubt. He currently lives and works in New York.

Lacey Hedtke, Ice Rendering, 10 x 10 inches, dryplate tintype, 2010

Hi Lacey, Where do you live / work?
I live and work in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Can you tell us a little about your studio space/techniques/what gets you in the mood to create work/a little about your process/ times you like to work/etc?
Well, I moved in to a house full of people, which means I can’t convert my kitchen and bathroom into a darkroom anymore. I’ve commandeered the shower in the basement as my darkroom. I’m hoping to buy a house to build a glorious darkroom and studio soon. I work on something creative in almost all my spare time. It’s not really about getting into the mood for me–it’s just part of my momentum.

Tell us a little about the art scene in your city if you could. Do you feel like you fit in or are an outsider? Is it very active? Does the artistic community in your city help you create work?
It’s so great! We’ve got a lot of eclectic stuff going on. I love Minneapolis because the rent is relatively cheap, so a collective that wants a space, or an alternative art gallery can afford a space and can afford to survive. I feel there is a lot of eccentrics in the Twin Cites, and there is a lot of funding for art. We’ve got great curators, and I feel like it’s really supportive.  I do think we have a complex where people don’t feel like you’ve made it until you’ve made it somewhere else. The winter really influences us–we’re holed up for months, sitting inside getting cabin fever and crazy ideas. I think that adds to the spectacular music and art scene here. I think the art scene’s impact on me and everyone is a great sense of “hey, I can do that too.” We have a great history of collectives, skillshares, and people getting together to make and be productive for the greater community.

Who are your favorite Artists or Artistic Influences? Julia Margaret Cameron, Miss Pussycat, Sally Mann, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Mark and France Scully Osterman, E.J. Belloq, Diane di Prima, Bonnell Robinson

Is there anything else you consider an influence on your art? Boston, New Orleans, haunted houses, weird stories, losing things and never finding them, northern Minnesota, my cabins and ancestors, librarians, archivists, good whiskey, the 19th century, and ghosts.

Lacey Hedtke, Necromancy, 10 x 10 inches, dryplate tintype, 2010

Where did you attend college and how did it effect your creative process?
I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the Art Institute of Boston in Boston, MA in 2003 and a Master of Library and Information Science from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN in 2008. I also went to an arts high school for the last two years of school at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, MN. Since I was 16 I’ve been making art everyday, and I think going to art school in Boston made that even more a part of my everyday life. I’ve always wanted to be a librarian, so I went to library school, thinking it would give me a more “practical” skill, but there were some twists and turns there.

Describe what you’d like your work to do- any ideas in particular you are looking to get across?
I hope people will get a sense of place and a feel for the things in the images. I’ve always been really into psychometry and energy–the idea that objects hold energy, so I’d like that to translate. If nothing else, I’d like to make something really beautiful to give people that rushing feeling that I get when I make and look at them. It’s a good split-second break from reality.

Is there a particular reason you work in your chosen medium? Have you experimented with other techniques/mediums or is this what you’ve always felt comfortable with? Do you see yourself crossing over into other formats?
All of my work is about process. If it’s easy I feel like I’m cheating myself. I’m really hard on myself, and being both a perfectionist and willing to take whatever comes out of my camera, I have a strange relationship with photography. I’ve always done some sort of photography, and my love for mechanically reproducing has led me into zine making, letterpressing, and Gocco screenprinting. After I finished art school, I didn’t have a darkroom, so my dad built me a UV lightbox and I made cyanotypes and Van Dykes in my kitchen. I met a Civil War reenactor who was making tintypes out of a trunk who had taught himself the process, and I thought if he could do it, I could too. So I started experimenting with the dryplate tintype process, and loved how it looked.  I just got a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to digitize and archive my great-grandfather’s negatives, scrapbooks, and papers, and do research and make tintypes on the Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. I’m going to build a traveling darkroom and learn the wet plate collodion process. I’d really love to learn to make cheese and have bees and chickens, that’s helping create in a different way.

What is a typical creative day like for you?
My dog pounces on me, my boyfriend makes me an elaborate breakfast, and either I do some research, or I shoot some tintypes. I might have a zine order or show coming up, so depending on what show or deadline is coming up I’ll be assembling zines or making photos. Maybe my band will practice, or maybe I’ll get sucked into reading about some esoterica. I’m also on a few editorial boards, so I do a lot of editing, emailing, and planning, too. It feels weird to sit and do nothing. I have to practice that.

Are you able to live completely off of your art, or do you work other jobs to support yourself? If so, what do you do? I wish. I’m the Alternative Photo Processes Instructor at the Mpls Photo Center, and the Grants Assistant at Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and am a Sex Educator at the Smitten Kitten, a feminist sex shop. I also write for l’etoile Magazine, and sell zines.

Do you see yourself going in the same way with your work, or doing this for the rest of your life? Is there anything else you would have or would like to pursue beyond making art?
All I can really predict is that I’ll try a million different things. I’d like to maybe get a PhD in the history of photography. I’d like to buy a house. Maybe I’d like to try having my own business, or start a collective to build a resource center. I’d really love to learn to make daguerreotypes, but that is serious business. I’d like to get my dog a little more under control. I’d like to publish a book. I’d like to get a little platen press and do more letterpressing and learn how to make hair jewelry–like jewelry and wreaths made from hair. There’s always something to do.

Lacey Hedtke, Cromniomancy, 10 x 10 inches, dryplate tintype, 2010

Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I really loved Columbus, OH when I visited! What an awesome city! I want to live in German Village and walk out to cobblestones everyday. I was really impressed at how many people came out for the Gallery Hop.

Jen Mann, My Deer, oil on canvas, 2009

Hi Jen, First of all, where do you live / work?

I live and work at home in Mississauga just outside of Toronto. My studio space is basically just the spare room in my parents house where I still live. I’ve converted it into a great studio space, with great storage and I try to keep it as clean as possible. I find the cleaner your space, the easier it is to work.

Can you tell us a little about your studio space/techniques/what gets you in the mood to create work/a little about your process/ times you like to work/etc?

I like using my surroundings as inspiration as well as art magazines, books etc. We live on an acre of land that backs onto a marsh reservation where deer, fox, and other animals live and sometimes wander into our back yard. I think for this reason I have always been inspired by nature, and the positive influence it has had on my life. I think getting in the mood for art making I need to have a triangle of conditions: Positive attitude, Clean Environment, and a lot of time to think before I start.

How is the art scene in Mississauga/Toronto? Is it very active? Does the artistic community in your city help you create work?

The art scene in Toronto is pretty strong. Toronto is like the New York of Canada. I don’t know what more to say. Mississauga is just a burb. There is not exactly a scene. There are lots of artists I love and who inspire me, most of them are a little bit further or at the same point in their career as I am. I love to browse through galleries, websites, art magazines, and find inspiration from other artists and learn from them. I think your peers are your best asset in the art world.

Jen Mann, Fox, oil on canvas, 2009

Where did you attend college and how did it effect your creative process?

I went to OCAD (it used to stand for Ontario College of art and Design but since it recently became a university about 5-6 years ago I think it goes by OCAD University) where I majored in Printmaking. I really learned a lot about process, and layers doing printmaking. Right now I cant even think about making prints, and I’m really glad that I’m not. I started making paintings as an escape from the rigidity of printmaking as soon as i finished school and I found this freedom and immediacy. I love being in control of my process and my image entirely.

Describe what you’d like your work to do- any ideas in particular you are looking to get across?

I would like for people to get a sense of freedom from the work that I am making. because it really is a liberation: from the body, from the structured guidelines of society, art, and the escape into this wilder, less tamed canvas, this animal self.

Is there a particular reason you work in your chosen medium? Have you experimented with other techniques/mediums or is this what you’ve always felt comfortable with? Do you see yourself crossing over into other formats?

I had never worked with oil paint, but I knew that in printmaking oil just looks so much richer, and its more forgiving so I decided to try some paintings out when I finished school and I just fell in love with it. I played around with mediums creating washy layers and different techniques. I love the jewel-like quality of oil paint and the flexibility it has.

What is a typical creative day like for you?

My typical day includes sleeping, sitting around thinking, and I dabble at writing a novel that I’ve been working on that I doubt I’ll ever finish. Often though if I’m feeling creative but not in a painting mood I’ll write something and eventually it will spawn on a full fledged paint spree. I love to write poetry and often my poetry is what eventually inspires most of my paintings.