The Year in Review…2014

“Painting is really hard, It’s about accepting your limitations but reaching for the moon.”
                                                                                          -Damian Hirst

Click on photos to make bigger.

I see facebook posts each of our year’s in review. They don’t seem to go back very far though, or show what was important to us. So here is my 2014 in ART.

The year started with the last of Messin’ with the Masters at the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum. I have to say that was pretty cool. To top it off was when their acquisition comity took one of my paintings into their permanent collection. Thanks go to Colette Pecenka and Tiffany Fairall for their help.

The Birth of Marilyn...left at MCA Museum

As for other group shows I was one of the ones selected for the Arizona Artist’s Collective’ s first juried exhibit “Freedom & Justice for Art” at  {9} The Gallery and my piece was used for the invitation.

The Invitation

New City Studio included me in there Perceived Reality: The Art of the Self Portrait show and used my painting for their promotions including a poster.

My Painting as Poster...right

Last but not least I was once again honored by Randy Slack to be included in Chaos Theory 15, at Legend City. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the opening because I had plans to be in New York at that time. I did get to see a Toulouse-Lautrec show at MoMA and the Jeff Koons show at the old Whitney. I still have mixed feelings about Koons.

The Fashionistas...left at Legend City

Speaking of Randy Slack it was nice to get to see his early work at his one man show at the Lures City Center.

Another honor was when my wife and I received an invitation to Colin Chillag & Jenna Dunkin’s wedding reception.

May they always have those smiles.

 Best of all was Kristin Shears inviting me to have a one person exhibit at her Willo North Gallery.

Willo North Gallery

This turned out good in that Amy Young reviewed it in Java Magazine and the ubiquitous Nicoll Royce wrote it up in LocalRevibe Magazine. Nicole also covered me in East Valley Magazine and Yab Yum. Like I said she seems to be everywhere, beside all her wrighting she curates at monOrchid, Willo North and makes art. (See links below.) I was also invited to show at Colorida Gallery in Lisban, Portigal, but the expense was all on me. Being cost prohibitive I declined.

The bad part of the year was having a TIA that left the function of my right side off kilter. So I’ve been learning to paint anew.  Hence the quote at the top. I think I need to get back to more drawing. Then there was getting my review rejected by ArtNews…J

So fare it looks like I'll be in at least 2 group shows coming in 2015

http://javamagaz.com/June2014Page16and17.html

http://localrevibe.com/lets-get-cinematic-larry-willis-willo-north/

https://www.yabyumwest.com/2014/10/larry-willis-answers-yabyum-seven.html

http://issuu.com/eastvalleymagazine/docs/ev1014/c/slhhlxi?fb_action_ids=10201769104109735&fb_action_types=og.shares

 Talking Heads Rouchenberg cover

Why The Music Touched Me.

There have been several bands or artists that have affected and influenced me in certain ways through the years. Most of all it was that they seemed to be having fun doing what they were doing. They each in one way or another made me want to be in that band or be them. They left me wanting more. All had some connection to art, whether it was attending art school, using artist for their covers or having an artistic bent.

The First was the BEATLES. Like so many others at the time when I saw them on Ed Sullivan I wanted to be in a band like so many others. What I liked about them was the harmonies & the melodies tied to a rock beat. They were a good cover band too, as seen on their first few albums. Before them Radio was fodder for the masses. They and the British bands in their wake changed everything. So I started a band with my neighbors Jim Carson who already played lead guitar and next door Gary who took up guitar. I was left to the drums. We knew little about bass, but we had fun. It didn’t hurt that they had art school connections and pop artist did two of there covers.

Later my friend Steve Smith got me hooked on ROD STEWART when he was with Jeff Beck. When Stewart went on to do his own stuff it was his use of unconventional instruments like the mandolin, acoustic slide and banjo that hooked me. It was especially that extraordinary voice. I wanted to sing like that so I tried gargling with brandy to get it. In the end it was really the feeling he had that did it. This was of course before Clive Davis led him astray. I was in a band at this time that was more bluesy rock & roll with a Stones, Faces influence named Samurai. Jim was Lead guitar again in that band, my brother was the bass player. Of all the bands I was in this one was a lot of fun.

DAVID BOWEY came along at right time for me. At the time of Ziggy Stardust I wanted more so I searched out his earlier stuff. His main influence at that time was lyrics since the band I was in which was an extension of Samurai was more progressive and going for a jazz influence.We were called Spooo. We were too smart for our own good. My brother was the bass player in that band. Ralf, one f the guitarists is still a close friend.

It was when the TALKING HEADS came along that I started getting into rhythm and new wave. Their was something fresh about them. Again there was an art school connection they met at the Long Island School of Design and Robert Rauschenberg did a cover for them.

I had quit music by this time but they were an influence on the paintings I was doing at the time.

This brings me to LUCIUS. I discovered this band while researching Belgian pop painter Evelyn Axell. I found them because Axell did their first album cover. They have everything I saw in the other bands, five singers for the harmonies/voices, rhythm tied to melodies and a joy that comes across in their live shows. I like their choice of cover tunes also. Their instrumentation is unconventional and uses slide guitar. Like the others they look like a band I would like to be in, but I don’t know what I would do, all they seem to lack is a bass. I guess they know little about bass, but it looks like they are having fun. Again a band one wants to be a part of, I don't know what I would do though, I play drums and they are a drummers dream.  They too seem to know little about bass. I like there retro look and stance also.

One side of me wants to keep an artist as my secret, but then I think everyone should hear them…the dilemma. I do hope they get as big as the others.

Link... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKH0-dV4n9k

Paris TV Concert

Peter Blake Beatles Cover

ART NEWS REVIEWS

This is a note I got from ArtNews for the Review I Sent them of the David Dauncy show, photos included. (I'm not sure who sined it,) I actually expected a at least a form letter. ArtNews is still my favorite art magazine. Phoenix deserves and should get more coverage. I since sent by email another (down below), we’ll see what happens...

DAVID DAUNCEY:  

Resent People

{9} The Gallery & Chaose Theory 15

Phoenix, Arizona

Painting has long been hailed as dead by many. If so, portraiture is its long gone, bastard cousin. This despite the existence and popularity of artists like Jenny Saville and Chuck Close. One Arizona based artist that pushes forward with the portrait is David Dauncey Born in Britton Dauncey has lived in the U.S. since 1994.  He has for a number of years displayed his paintings at Chaos Theory, a group exhibit looked forward to each year by the Phoenix art crowd. p Chaos Theory is mounted by fellow artist Randy Slack. In conjunction with this year’s group exhibit Dauncy has a solo show at 9 the Gallery. Dauncey concentrates on the face or a portion of the image painting out sections of the work with a solid neutral color. The offerings in size range from small to large, though none are as big as the offerings of Saville or Close. As a matter of fact some of the best in the show are Max, Vincent and Jasper, all small paintings of children. Two years ago Dauncey’s offering for the Chaos Theory show was a large portrait of his daughter Ruby. His work shown at this year’s Chaos Theory 15 is another large portrait titled simply Steven. Of his recent work this is his best.  Dauncey has stated, “the realm of portraiture intimidates and excites me.” The people of Phoenix can be happy that Dauncey shares his love of the portrait with them. We can only hope he continues to excite us despite his hope to locate to the south of France

 The second emailed review, still waiting for a response…

RANDY SLACK: Retrospective

From The Luhrs Basement and Beyond

Luhrs City Center – December 5, 2014

The Luhrs Building, is where Randy Slack, along with two other artists, collectively known as Three Car Pileup, took on studios in the basement almost 20 years ago. For one night only the Luhrs Building invited Slack back for a retrospective exhibition. In his work Slack incorporates, family, pop culture, lettering, along with icons from art history. One of the larger works in the show, a takeoff on Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Super, titled 7 Deadly Sins, incorporates most of these. One of the strongest works in the show is titled Mother Nature which is done in acrylic and gold leaf. It pictures several cherubic children surrounding, climbing on and feeding at a Central woman. This mirrors the mother and child paintings from the renaissance. Other paintings incorporate Slack’s method of overlapping imagery until what is going on gets obscured or even cryptic, though Slack knows the meaning behind it all. One large piece that is central to the exhibit is an installation incorporating a life-size painting of his grandparents’ living room on gold leaf along with their furniture titled Light without Light that was last displayed at ASU’s Art Museum. The newer paintings exhibit like the others, a take on Slacks interest of the moment. These display classic  Volkswagens and surfing. It was a well-attended show, for those unaqointed with Slack’s paintings, it afforded an opportunity to see his progress and the maturity of his early work.                                                                          Larry Willis