New New, and Old New

Hi all:

Well, I hope everyone had a good holiday.  I figured I'd try and catch everyone in that sweet spot between Christmas and New Years.  You know, that week where everyone is still happy, full of food, and excited for the new year, but before the long countdown starts until the next major holiday?

To aid in your festivities, I present two new prints...freshly made within the last two days:


#1.  Radio Tower

This one was done on gold metallic paper...the same paper as "Water Tower," which some of you may recall from a couple of posts ago.  The feedback on this one has been very positive.  I even received a couple of comments asking me about the process...which is interesting because it is exactly the same process I've been doing for almost 6 years...with the exception of the paper.  It's almost like people are seeing my work again for the first time, which is kinda cool.


#2.  Big Top



Now this one I had some issues with.  The first couple of prints simply didn't translate...too much texture in the main part of the image and it was almost impossible to tell what it was.  Two prints from the whole session came out to my liking, and while it is still a little abstract, I like the look and feel of it and think it has merit (though I debated quite a bit and had to walk away from it for a day or two before making a decision).  This one was done on the masa rice paper I normally use.  I did try both gold and silver tone metallic, but the image was just too subtle on that kind of surface.

This body of work has now reached 15 images.  For many of you, it probably seems odd that it would take almost 6 years to create 15 images.  But, the photo editor side of me doesn't believe in filling out a portfolio for quantity's sake alone.  I can now look all the way back to 2007 and be happy with each and every image in the group. And that, for me, is a first...being the critic that I am.

I'm hoping to have some other news for you shortly.  In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your holiday season, stay warm and let's all hope for a creative and inspirational 2013!

-Marc

Images, and nothing but the images...

Hi all:

It's been a while - so I thought I'd keep it simple today.  Here's some new work from my recent trip to Iceland.  Hope you enjoy it!

More to come soon - happy belated Turkey Day to all!

-Marc

I come in peace...with new art!

Hi all:

It has been so long since I've posted here, I feel like an alien entering some distant planet.  But fear not earthlings - I come in peace, and with a new print I just finished today.

I've had a few health issues of late, which, combined with a hectic office and home/family schedule, has made it a challenge to put out some new work.  So, I was determined that, when the time came, I'd try something a little different.

Since I last posted, I've been doing a lot of reading about art - particularly about the Bauhaus and other "Modern" movements from the 1920's-1950's.  I studied them extensively in art school of course, and have seen countless exhibitions with artists from these schools over the years.  But, it had been a while since I'd looked at them as a whole - and never really thought of them as inspiration for my work.  And, though drawing a direct line (pardon the pun) from that work to mine is quite a stretch, there are some things that we have in common. The way these artists separated and created definitive fields of color through shapes, line and form has always been interesting to me.  Also, the idea or stripping down an idea to its essence is something I am always looking to do in my work.  

Being inspired, I decided to try something a little different for this image I shot a few months back.  I wanted a new paper/surface to try.  I purchased samples of several choices - cardboard (which I used many years ago), cork and metallic paper.  This paper has a shimmery-looking metallic coating on it - and is about the weight of a light card stock.  This varies a lot from the masa rice paper I've been using for years - both in terms of finish and weight.  In fact, I had my doubts on whether it would work at all. The surface didn't appear absorbent enough upon first glance and I figured the ink would just sit on top, smudge and not take.  Turns out I was wrong:

The metallic feel isn't as obvious in the photo as it is in person - but you get the idea.  The sky and the foreground have almost two distinct color fields - one looking more subtle (one of my friends said like graphite) and the foreground looking almost like rust.  I'm loving this new paper - not sure it will work for everything, but it's nice to have another tool in the arsenal.  And, while not a huge departure from my previous work, it's enough to keep things interesting.

Hopefully there will be more work coming soon - I've got some new film at the lab that I have high hopes for.  In the meantime, consider this a step in the right direction.  I'm inspired, and I hope you are too - if not by me, than by something else.  It is fall soon after all - the season where I always find the most inspiration.

Until soon-

-Marc 

In Da Works...

Hi everyone:

Well, it appears summer has officially started.  Kinda wish we had a longer spring, but beggars can't be choosers!

The big piece of news to report is that I'm coming out with a VERY exclusive, limited edition portfolio of prints.  The envelope/case is being custom made (by hand) as we speak, and each portfolio will contain 6 of my signed, masa rice paper prints from 2008 - 2012.  I'm only making 4 of them, so it's very limited - and should look AWESOME when it's done.  I'm really excited about it, and promise to post pictures of the completed portfolio once it's finished (probably early/mid July).

In other news, I'm ramping up the marketing efforts with Ugallery, so hopefully that will gain some traction soon.  The folks over there are great, and I know both parties really want this to be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Otherwise, I've got a new print that's been waiting to be made for a month or two - but I've been distracted with my other initiatives.  I've also got a new roll of film at the lab right now...so hopefully I'll have some great things to share in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

-Marc

PS:  Blogging music today is the album Iron Flowers by Repeater.  If you don't have it, run, don't walk and get it!

Cool interview...

Hi everyone:

Just wanted to let everyone know about an interview I recently had with UGALLERY.  In it, I share some insight into how my images are created and the evolution of my work.  It's a great interview and I wanted to share it with you all.  You can get the scoop here:

http://blog.ugallery.com/post/23747859063/artist-in-focus-marc-sirinsky

UGALLERY is also having a Memorial Day sale (20% off site-wide).  So, make this Memorial Day weekend one to remember and pick up some art!

I've also got some other major things in the works right now - but it's a little early to share details.  But, I promise to post info as soon as I can.

Have a great holiday everyone!

-Marc

Bizarro World

Hi all:

As the title of this post indicates, I've had quite a weird weekend.  And, they've changed the complete look and interface of Blogger - so I'm all confused.  In other words, bear with me as I navigate the Twilight Zone episode I'm apparently in.

Blogging music today is a bit of a mix of some newly downloaded tracks.  Included are some b-sides by Bloc Party, Oliver the Penguin and Jack Penate.

So, I've been a little lax in getting some new work up for y'all.  Sorry about that - I've had some trouble getting motivated lately...and whatever energy I do have I've been channelling towards my new UGALLERY representation, and working with their marketing folks to better leverage that relationship.  We've got some great things coming up:  features on the homepage, more daily deals and even a video of me in the studio.  I can promise you that that last item was not my idea - I actually hate being on camera.  Pictures of me rarely turn out well - and more often than not, if I'm in a group shot, I end up ruining it.  But, the folks at UGALLERY seem to think some people out there might care about seeing the process on how I create my work...so I agreed.  I'll probably try and get a rough cut of something later today or maybe next weekend, and we'll see how it goes.  My guess is there will be a short intro showing my studio and then a "before and after" thing of sorts - showing how my images are created.  But, I can assure you I have no plans to give away all of my secrets.

Once that's over, my work will be soon to follow.  In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your weekend...and stay tuned.

-Marc

Quick update...get it while it's hot!

For those of you who have been waiting to purchase one of my prints, now is the time! UGALLERY is featuring one of my prints on their "Daily Deal" at 20% off, and there's only 10 prints available in the whole edition! Sale ends at 6am tomorrow (4/17), so don't miss out. Just click on the link below and happy shopping!

http://www.ugallery.com/dailydeal/

More soon!

-Marc

iPhoneography - On Purpose and by Accident!

Hi everyone:

Hope everyone's weekend is going swimmingly! I'm settling in with a Pumpkin Chai Latte (made with real pumpkin BTW), and some live U2 from the latest tour. I'm a particular fan of the re-worked "Even Better Than The Real Thing" - could listen to that over and over again.

So, the big news today is iPhoneography. Firstly, I'm in a show right now at The Lunch Box Gallery in Miami where all of the images were shot with an iPhone. Pretty cool group of work - all laid out in a grid pattern in the gallery:

Mine is bottom row, 4th from the left. I shot this image a while ago - before I had Instagram and new how to add effects to the images I shoot with my iPhone. Still a good image - but most of the others had some serious effects on them. I dunno - maybe it's a little refreshing to do create images with this device that aren't all "hopped-up."

The other piece of iPhone news is that the other day, as I was going through my "camera roll" on my iPhone, I came across a really cool "happy accident." I have no idea how I did this, or even when I did it. But, I kinda like it:

I have no idea if I'm going to do anything with this, but definitely the best mistake I've made in quite some time.

Other than that, I've got a new print I'm going to be working on in the next couple of days, and have been doing some shooting as well. I'll keep y'all posted...but in the meantime, drop me a comment, say hello and let me know you're all still out there!

-Marc

Latest Endeavor

Hi everyone:

Well, I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you already know about my latest art news. But, for the sake of consistency, I wanted to announce it here as well.

So, some of my work is now being represented by a great online gallery called UGALLERY. I'm really excited about it and think this will be a good home for me. Check out my work up there at:

www.ugallery.com/marc-sirinsky

The work is priced well and as always, everything is offered in an edition of 10 prints or less.

There is also a blogging space up on the site, so for now, I'll be updating my blogspot account, as well as the blog up on UGALLERY. However, I eventually plan to just update one and have it flow through. I'll keep you posted for my plans on that. In the meantime, here's my latest piece for those who haven't seen it on Facebook (it's hot off the presses):

Beyond that, I've submitted some "iPhoneography" to a show at The Lunchbox Gallery in Miami, FL. Many of you undoubtedly remember that I showed in this space last summer. Great gallery with an awesome staff - and I hope to continue working with them well into the future.

Otherwise, I hope everyone is doing well. The weather in D.C. has been awesome, so I'm gonna get out and enjoy it!

Until next time!

-Marc

Just for the die-hards

First new image of 2012 is now posted to the home page at www.sirinsky.com. I'm pretty stoked about it - and hope this will be indicative of the rest of the year. Just announcing it here for you ultra-blog fans...full announcement with this and other things to come in the next several days.

Enjoy!

-Marc

2012- Pedal to the Metal

Hi everyone:

A healthy and happy new year to all! I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday and some much needed time off. My next day off at this point isn't until April - which is a LONG time from now. Gonna need some art to get me through!

I've deemed 2012 as the "year of the art" - and plan to put the pedal to the medal in a lot of areas. New work, exhibitions, promotions and a variety of other tidbits will all be coming your way. If you like what you see and read on the blog (or have any suggestions), please do comment - I read them and take them all seriously. Well, almost all of them...

Please also refer your colleagues, friends - even your enemies - to the blog and to my website to check out my work. Again, they can link to the blog directly from the site - so you guys really have no excuse. This is my annual plea for everyone to spread the word. Thanks in advance.

Enough of the pledge drive - I do have some concrete art news to deliver. One of my pieces was recently selected for the "Winter" exhibition at A Smith Gallery in Johnston City, Texas. Google Maps tells me it's not terribly far from Austin - so if any of you are heading that way in January to escape the cold - drop on by! The info is:

A Smith Gallery

105 N. Nugent Ave.

Johnson City, TX

Hours: 11-6 pm Fri and Sat, 11-3pm on Sunday

Exhibition Dates: 1/6/2012-2/12/2012

Reception: 1/28/2012, 4-7pm

I feel pretty good about being included in this - about 500 pieces were submitted internationally, and they only accepted about 50. Great looking group of work overall - you can see all of the work here: https://asmithgallery.com/Winter_Accepted_Images.php

Funny thing is - the piece they're showing is the same image I exhibited at The Lunch Box Gallery in Miami a few months back. So, the piece has gone from Chicago, to Miami, back to Chicago, and then to TX. This little guy has logged a lot of miles over the past few months! For a refresher, the image is here - give him some love:

The juror for the show only selected 1 image per artist, which is kinda nice. Should be a good one folks.

In other art news, I just got back a really good looking roll of film - which is surprising since when I was rewinding it, my kids turned on the lights in an adjacent room....and I was sure the film had been exposed. Seems as though I lucked out. If only those old Bakelite cameras had a rewind mechanism!

I tried doing some printing last night, but my printer has not been cooperating. Looks like I'll need to bring the old one out of retirement (thankfully I still have it) but I need to install some new print drivers before I can move forward. Hopefully this week I'll have some new work to show.

That's all for now. Remember, tell your friends, and have their friends tell their friends! Everyone's support is going to mean a lot in the coming year.

Stay warm and stay tuned!

Marc Sirinsky

www.sirinsky.com

www.sirinskyphoto.blogspot.com