Monday, July 12, 2010
Thanks for playing
Until further notice, posting is suspended on this site. Feel free to browse old entries, though, you may or may not find them interesting. Toodles!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Art Director's Club
We'll be whooping it up NYC style this evening at the Art Director's Club (ADC). They, along with the Social Media Society, are hosting "The Art of Social Media" as part of Internet Week. The ADC is at 106 West 29th Street and you can buy tickets here although there are only a few left...
About 15-20 pieces from the Portrait Painted series will be up along with a video montage of the series. Also, the hilarious Justin Gignac will be showing some of his "Nudes" from Chat Roulette Did I mention music and free booze?
Ping me if you'd like to go as I do have a few comp passes remaining.
Hope to see you there!
About 15-20 pieces from the Portrait Painted series will be up along with a video montage of the series. Also, the hilarious Justin Gignac will be showing some of his "Nudes" from Chat Roulette Did I mention music and free booze?
Ping me if you'd like to go as I do have a few comp passes remaining.
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Back from a brief respite
When I was a kid, my mother told me if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I am not very good at adhering to that virtue, but when I do, I feel much better about myself. It's not the exact reason I haven't posted anything for a while (although it is part) sadly, I just forget.
I wish I had a better reason for neglecting this site because to be honest, this blog was started to chart as much of the portrait painted project as we could. However, not everything we've experienced along the way should be shared, because some of it has been painful and a small part has just been downright ugly.
But 18 months in, let's reflect on some of the good things, because perspective is always important to keep in the center. So here are a few things that have added to the success of this project or speaks to the success of this project somehow, in no particular order:
1. Speaking to 1st Fans at the Brooklyn Art Museum
2. Group show and panelist at Yale U
3. Many new great friends and growing relationships with artists and art lovers alike
4. Speaking to grad students at SCAD
5. Solo show at Denise Bibro, NY
6. Solo show at Edelman, NY
7. Solo show and residency with Galerie Myra in France
8. Upcoming show at Art Director's Club
9. Lots of press
10. Brooklyn Arts Council/ DCA Grant
11. Successful fund raising for studio space via Kickstarter
12. GREAT Studio in Sunset Park thanks to 11. and 12.
13. Radar/Workbook Projects mini-documentary on project
I am sure I am forgetting a few things...but that's a pretty decent list I think.
I will tell you that going from near obscurity to a relatively modicum level of recognition is really quite bizarre--granted it's not me, it's Matt going through the process, but as his spouse and constant sounding board... Let me just say for the people who are better known for much more important things, I don't know how you do it. The amount of work that goes into managing an image and all the different types of relationships that need catering to, it's incredibly challenging. I've always thought I was good at being discernible and level headed about most things, to be flexible where needed and firm where needed. Not perfect, but at least aware that different people require different approaches, but to say those characteristics have been utilized and tested over the past 18 months is an understatement by 10 degrees.
Over the next six months, we will be wrapping up many aspects of this project and moving on to other things. I imagine this blog will also be put to rest, but who knows things change quickly around here...
I wish I had a better reason for neglecting this site because to be honest, this blog was started to chart as much of the portrait painted project as we could. However, not everything we've experienced along the way should be shared, because some of it has been painful and a small part has just been downright ugly.
But 18 months in, let's reflect on some of the good things, because perspective is always important to keep in the center. So here are a few things that have added to the success of this project or speaks to the success of this project somehow, in no particular order:
1. Speaking to 1st Fans at the Brooklyn Art Museum
2. Group show and panelist at Yale U
3. Many new great friends and growing relationships with artists and art lovers alike
4. Speaking to grad students at SCAD
5. Solo show at Denise Bibro, NY
6. Solo show at Edelman, NY
7. Solo show and residency with Galerie Myra in France
8. Upcoming show at Art Director's Club
9. Lots of press
10. Brooklyn Arts Council/ DCA Grant
11. Successful fund raising for studio space via Kickstarter
12. GREAT Studio in Sunset Park thanks to 11. and 12.
13. Radar/Workbook Projects mini-documentary on project
I am sure I am forgetting a few things...but that's a pretty decent list I think.
I will tell you that going from near obscurity to a relatively modicum level of recognition is really quite bizarre--granted it's not me, it's Matt going through the process, but as his spouse and constant sounding board... Let me just say for the people who are better known for much more important things, I don't know how you do it. The amount of work that goes into managing an image and all the different types of relationships that need catering to, it's incredibly challenging. I've always thought I was good at being discernible and level headed about most things, to be flexible where needed and firm where needed. Not perfect, but at least aware that different people require different approaches, but to say those characteristics have been utilized and tested over the past 18 months is an understatement by 10 degrees.
Over the next six months, we will be wrapping up many aspects of this project and moving on to other things. I imagine this blog will also be put to rest, but who knows things change quickly around here...
Friday, April 2, 2010
Vence
We arrived in Vence on Sunday, March 28, 2010 to blue skies and a very warm welcome by our host and gallery owner/residency sponsor, Jacques Putzeys. To say that he has been kind and gracious is not enough, but we will thank him personally every chance we get. The south of France, spoiled in light and beauty, is where we have spent the past six days and where Matt will continue to live for the remainder of April after we leave on the 13th. The gallery is located in the historic area of the city of Vence--filled with galleries and fresh food markets and even an old Roman cobblestone street. A tight fitted spiral staircase leads you to four floors above the street level gallery (which opened with Matt's work yesterday). Each floor contains one living space and the third, fourth, and fifth floor make up the apartment by which we eat, sleep, and well, paint.
My french is getting us by, barely. After six days, I am feeling a bit exhausted at trying to translate small conversations and trying to think in french. There are a few English speakers that give us a bit of reprieve but I wonder what Matt will do when I a gone. Lock himself in the studio I suppose. Otto is curious about the language and I've been trying to teach him a few things to say to the children so he can play along with them but he is intimidated and needs a bit more time. Astrid is not sleeping well, which means I am not sleeping well, which means I am kind of cranky. Though, I was able to walk around a little bit yesterday and enjoy the quiet of the afternoon. That was nice.
We have visited Grasse (dirty) to see the perfumery museum. I think that and the chapel with three giant Rubens paintings are the only reasons for visiting Grasse. We also stopped in Pont du Loup to visit the candy factory. There isn't much else to see there. Soon I will take the kids to Nice and we will also go to Monaco and Tourettes Sur Loup
This weekend we will visit with gallery friends and Matt's sister from Germany and family. We are very much looking forward to meeting her children and letting the kids play together. It is a long awaited reunion with she and Matt and the first time we will meet as well. I will write more soon...Au revoir!
My french is getting us by, barely. After six days, I am feeling a bit exhausted at trying to translate small conversations and trying to think in french. There are a few English speakers that give us a bit of reprieve but I wonder what Matt will do when I a gone. Lock himself in the studio I suppose. Otto is curious about the language and I've been trying to teach him a few things to say to the children so he can play along with them but he is intimidated and needs a bit more time. Astrid is not sleeping well, which means I am not sleeping well, which means I am kind of cranky. Though, I was able to walk around a little bit yesterday and enjoy the quiet of the afternoon. That was nice.
We have visited Grasse (dirty) to see the perfumery museum. I think that and the chapel with three giant Rubens paintings are the only reasons for visiting Grasse. We also stopped in Pont du Loup to visit the candy factory. There isn't much else to see there. Soon I will take the kids to Nice and we will also go to Monaco and Tourettes Sur Loup
This weekend we will visit with gallery friends and Matt's sister from Germany and family. We are very much looking forward to meeting her children and letting the kids play together. It is a long awaited reunion with she and Matt and the first time we will meet as well. I will write more soon...Au revoir!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Portrait Project Changes
In the coming weeks, the portrait painted project will implement some significant changes. First and foremost, the focus will shift from individual portraits (Phase I) to recreating historical paintings with individuals sourced from social networking sites (Phase II).
When I first started this project, I had no idea it would grow to the size and scale it has. But we went with it, setting a soft goal of 200 portraits seemed reasonable at the pace I was going, and since I was funding it on my own I could scale it down if time/money became an issue. As 2009 went on, I started thinking about the idea of recreating historical paintings with a modern twist – still sourced from the same participants of the portrait group - and started fundraising through Kickstarter, as well as seeking out grants to help support this new phase of the project financially. The paintings needed to be bigger and my closet home studio just wasn’t big enough and all the money raised would go towards a larger space.
The fundraising through Kickstarter was successful (thanks to supporters big and small) and I was awarded a small grant through the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) to continue Phase II of the project through 2010. Winsor & Newton came aboard as a materials sponsor and in November 2009, I was able to move into a studio space in Sunset Park. And, and obtained a residency in Vence, France for the month of April at Galerie Myra.
As most of you know, when I started this project, I was also a stay-at-home dad with a gorgeous baby girl (I am of course biased). I must admit, as much as I loved being at home with her and working out of the house, she needed more interaction with kids her own age and we were able to find her a spot in a wonderful little bi-lingual school not far from my studio. She’s learning Chinese and making wonderful friends and trust me when I say that when she runs to greet her teachers at drop off in the morning, I know we’ve made the right choice.
Enough about me, what does this mean for the group, etc? Essentially, I am scaling way back. It’s too much to manage two pages of friends a fan page and a group page. All were created to manage a quick influx of people excited about the opportunity of being painted, and that’s great, but it’s also exhausting. So I’ve had to make a choice. All the individual self-portraits in the project, with the exception of a few buyers, were done for free. Phase II of the project is financially supported (as in 80% of basic costs are covered through Kickstarter, BAC, and Winsor & Newton). As such, I owe it to the supporters to put forth my best artistic efforts to focus on that part of the project and see it to its end.
I have a few portraits that I am working on now, as well as the second painting of Phase II. Once those portraits are complete and posted, I will focus more on Phase II. Of course, if you are dying to have your portrait painted, I would not hesitate to be commissioned for one. AND, the completed portraits are definitely available to buy.
If you’d like to stick around and see how the second phase of the project unfolds, I encourage you to do so. I will still send calls for participation in Phase II through the group and profile page.
This past year has been a great adventure, and I appreciate all the kind words thrown my direction—even the bad words. That’s all for now—back to painting.
-Matt
When I first started this project, I had no idea it would grow to the size and scale it has. But we went with it, setting a soft goal of 200 portraits seemed reasonable at the pace I was going, and since I was funding it on my own I could scale it down if time/money became an issue. As 2009 went on, I started thinking about the idea of recreating historical paintings with a modern twist – still sourced from the same participants of the portrait group - and started fundraising through Kickstarter, as well as seeking out grants to help support this new phase of the project financially. The paintings needed to be bigger and my closet home studio just wasn’t big enough and all the money raised would go towards a larger space.
The fundraising through Kickstarter was successful (thanks to supporters big and small) and I was awarded a small grant through the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) to continue Phase II of the project through 2010. Winsor & Newton came aboard as a materials sponsor and in November 2009, I was able to move into a studio space in Sunset Park. And, and obtained a residency in Vence, France for the month of April at Galerie Myra.
As most of you know, when I started this project, I was also a stay-at-home dad with a gorgeous baby girl (I am of course biased). I must admit, as much as I loved being at home with her and working out of the house, she needed more interaction with kids her own age and we were able to find her a spot in a wonderful little bi-lingual school not far from my studio. She’s learning Chinese and making wonderful friends and trust me when I say that when she runs to greet her teachers at drop off in the morning, I know we’ve made the right choice.
Enough about me, what does this mean for the group, etc? Essentially, I am scaling way back. It’s too much to manage two pages of friends a fan page and a group page. All were created to manage a quick influx of people excited about the opportunity of being painted, and that’s great, but it’s also exhausting. So I’ve had to make a choice. All the individual self-portraits in the project, with the exception of a few buyers, were done for free. Phase II of the project is financially supported (as in 80% of basic costs are covered through Kickstarter, BAC, and Winsor & Newton). As such, I owe it to the supporters to put forth my best artistic efforts to focus on that part of the project and see it to its end.
I have a few portraits that I am working on now, as well as the second painting of Phase II. Once those portraits are complete and posted, I will focus more on Phase II. Of course, if you are dying to have your portrait painted, I would not hesitate to be commissioned for one. AND, the completed portraits are definitely available to buy.
If you’d like to stick around and see how the second phase of the project unfolds, I encourage you to do so. I will still send calls for participation in Phase II through the group and profile page.
This past year has been a great adventure, and I appreciate all the kind words thrown my direction—even the bad words. That’s all for now—back to painting.
-Matt
Monday, January 25, 2010
First painting of Phase II complete
I feel like I’ve been living like a hermit for the past few months. Better to save you from my misery and post less than post at all. After nearly three month of languishing over The Feast of Bacchus, it is complete. Nine portraits in one 5’ X 6’ piece, this particular feast is filled with volunteers from the portrait painted project and I’d like to thank each of them for participating. Rather than call them out individually, I’ll just say “you know who you are and thanks for being the first— of what I hope to be many—guinea pigs.”
For those of you who know me personally, you know I really hate waxing intellectual about art. I don’t feel you need a master’s degree to paint (obvious since I don’t have one) nor do I feel you need to know anything about art to appreciate and talk about it. Viewers should be able to look at something and say “I like this” or “this is fucking garbage” and that should be sufficient. However, what I would like for people to take away from any experience of seeing a painting they enjoy is a desire to see more, to learn more, to be inspired more. More. More. More.
History has left behind some fantastic artists and thus fantastic paintings. The original painting, found here, by Velazquez is by far one of my favorites from the Baroque painters. This painting is generally referred to as “The Drunkards” and the reason I chose this as the first painting in this part of the series is that Bacchus, in the world of mythology, is known as the god of wine, propagator of the grapevine and a provider of joy. Alcohol was then (as now) a much beloved rescue for the common man in the street, and as such Bacchus was considered to brighten the lives of ordinary people. It seemed fitting as a first choice for a project focused on painting the “every person” (I know I too grow tired of the quotations, but bare with me) enjoying a bit of rescue.
Of course, the other relevance I see is that as the individuals in the original are depicted congregating to eat, drink and be merry, so do we congregate daily on such social networking sites as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Yeah, yeah ok, so we don’t exactly eat or drink online, but in a figurative sense, we do. Coming together on a daily basis with people we may or may not know in life and soak up the excesses via an online social networking so to do we feast.
For those of you who know me personally, you know I really hate waxing intellectual about art. I don’t feel you need a master’s degree to paint (obvious since I don’t have one) nor do I feel you need to know anything about art to appreciate and talk about it. Viewers should be able to look at something and say “I like this” or “this is fucking garbage” and that should be sufficient. However, what I would like for people to take away from any experience of seeing a painting they enjoy is a desire to see more, to learn more, to be inspired more. More. More. More.
History has left behind some fantastic artists and thus fantastic paintings. The original painting, found here, by Velazquez is by far one of my favorites from the Baroque painters. This painting is generally referred to as “The Drunkards” and the reason I chose this as the first painting in this part of the series is that Bacchus, in the world of mythology, is known as the god of wine, propagator of the grapevine and a provider of joy. Alcohol was then (as now) a much beloved rescue for the common man in the street, and as such Bacchus was considered to brighten the lives of ordinary people. It seemed fitting as a first choice for a project focused on painting the “every person” (I know I too grow tired of the quotations, but bare with me) enjoying a bit of rescue.
Of course, the other relevance I see is that as the individuals in the original are depicted congregating to eat, drink and be merry, so do we congregate daily on such social networking sites as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Yeah, yeah ok, so we don’t exactly eat or drink online, but in a figurative sense, we do. Coming together on a daily basis with people we may or may not know in life and soak up the excesses via an online social networking so to do we feast.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
An honest, top 10 list of lessons learned in 2009
2009 really was an amazing year for us at Held Studios, but it's always important for me to reflect on the things learned along the way in order to keep perspective on where we are today.
Let me set the stage for this post with a nod to a girl who's name I can't remember. She emailed us about half way through the year to ask Matt for advice on how to become a successful artist.
Right. Ok.
I am sure the response went something like this: "Paint everyday, and everyday you can't paint draw. Network. Do something that is relevant and will get people interested in your work. Seek out criticism from others, it's the only way you'll get better. And then, tell me what you think being successful means."
She wrote back, said thank you and that she would do just that. I don't think we heard from her again, but that's not why I make the reference. All the things mentioned above are true for most artistic endeavors - just substitute "paint" for write, dance, act...But defining success is really the most important piece of it all.
If you define success by consistently selling work, or being represented, or getting published, landing a part you really wanted, receiving a grant, or a performing in a solo show, then strive for that "success".
Some people may think this list is too honest, or maybe unproductive, but it is what it is. The reason I put it out there is because of one little virtue my parents tried to instill in me: humility. So take it for what it's worth, but here is our honest top 10 list of lessons learned from our success in 2009.
1: All the press in the world does not put food on the table. People have to buy your work in order to make money.
2: The art world is a fickle, fickle planet.
3: Even famous artists still have laundry to do on Saturday mornings, most of them do it themselves.
4: Trying to make money making art is not for the faint of heart.
5: Asking your fans for money can be incredibly rewarding and really frustrating.
6: The goal you set forth a month ago that seemed so easy to achieve might fail - not because it was easy, but because you can't control the universe and it's important to know that's ok!
7: Creativity is only half the operation. Remember you are a business, even when people treat you like you are twelve, you are still a business.
8: Everybody wants something for free. (see lesson #1 for emphasis)
9: Sometimes it's better to go to bed, wake up and start over.
10: Success is not defined in the same way for everyone, you have to define it for yourself.
I am sure there is much more I could add to this list. It would never be fully comprehensive or exhaustive because as we go along, we learn more and more.
2010 could be better than ever, but not if we don't set forth a new set of goals, keep lessons learned at an arm's reach and remember that success is measured by ones own ideals, not those of others.
Best of luck and good fortune to all of you this year!
Let me set the stage for this post with a nod to a girl who's name I can't remember. She emailed us about half way through the year to ask Matt for advice on how to become a successful artist.
Right. Ok.
I am sure the response went something like this: "Paint everyday, and everyday you can't paint draw. Network. Do something that is relevant and will get people interested in your work. Seek out criticism from others, it's the only way you'll get better. And then, tell me what you think being successful means."
She wrote back, said thank you and that she would do just that. I don't think we heard from her again, but that's not why I make the reference. All the things mentioned above are true for most artistic endeavors - just substitute "paint" for write, dance, act...But defining success is really the most important piece of it all.
If you define success by consistently selling work, or being represented, or getting published, landing a part you really wanted, receiving a grant, or a performing in a solo show, then strive for that "success".
Some people may think this list is too honest, or maybe unproductive, but it is what it is. The reason I put it out there is because of one little virtue my parents tried to instill in me: humility. So take it for what it's worth, but here is our honest top 10 list of lessons learned from our success in 2009.
1: All the press in the world does not put food on the table. People have to buy your work in order to make money.
2: The art world is a fickle, fickle planet.
3: Even famous artists still have laundry to do on Saturday mornings, most of them do it themselves.
4: Trying to make money making art is not for the faint of heart.
5: Asking your fans for money can be incredibly rewarding and really frustrating.
6: The goal you set forth a month ago that seemed so easy to achieve might fail - not because it was easy, but because you can't control the universe and it's important to know that's ok!
7: Creativity is only half the operation. Remember you are a business, even when people treat you like you are twelve, you are still a business.
8: Everybody wants something for free. (see lesson #1 for emphasis)
9: Sometimes it's better to go to bed, wake up and start over.
10: Success is not defined in the same way for everyone, you have to define it for yourself.
I am sure there is much more I could add to this list. It would never be fully comprehensive or exhaustive because as we go along, we learn more and more.
2010 could be better than ever, but not if we don't set forth a new set of goals, keep lessons learned at an arm's reach and remember that success is measured by ones own ideals, not those of others.
Best of luck and good fortune to all of you this year!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Happy New Year! and goodbye to a great decade!
As we wrap up Christmas and look into the new year, there are a few things I wanted to say. First of all, 2009 was filled with firsts, all of them great and too many to mention, but I will say that the most important first is that right now, I am more pleased to be in New York than I could have imagined.
Four years ago, my wife said: "Let's just do it. Let's sell the house and move to Brooklyn." I admittedly thought she was kidding, but if I know my wife at all, her most solid quality is that of conviction. Once she sets her mind to something there is no stopping her.
We met in 2000 at a bar (she was dating an acquaintance who later set us up after their breakup). We married after a quick courtship and my life has been all the better since (I hope she says the same).
She is the driving force behind the success of this project and so aside from thanking all of you for the support and kind words over the past year, I need to thank her for her undying support, unwavering faith in my ability to be a successful artist and most of all, loving me. I look forward to another decade of firsts for each of our careers and our children.
Happy New Year!
Four years ago, my wife said: "Let's just do it. Let's sell the house and move to Brooklyn." I admittedly thought she was kidding, but if I know my wife at all, her most solid quality is that of conviction. Once she sets her mind to something there is no stopping her.
We met in 2000 at a bar (she was dating an acquaintance who later set us up after their breakup). We married after a quick courtship and my life has been all the better since (I hope she says the same).
She is the driving force behind the success of this project and so aside from thanking all of you for the support and kind words over the past year, I need to thank her for her undying support, unwavering faith in my ability to be a successful artist and most of all, loving me. I look forward to another decade of firsts for each of our careers and our children.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Squirrels
I am sitting in the rocking chair that I have so poorly taken care of over the years since Otto was born and staring out the window. Why is this significant you ask? Well, it's important because the chair is in the exact position as Matt's easel was just a week ago. This room was his studio, but now, it's my reading room. I LOVE my reading room. You will not find me out of this room for weeks, maybe months even. In the years since Matt and I have been together, he has controlled any extra space with his paintings, painting tools, easels, paints, you name it. I know you feel bad for me right? You should. It's hard to be a dedicated wife, supporting every act of creative reach your husband desires.
Oh, you want to know about the new studio space? It's pretty awesome! And it's not in the house. It's conveniently located over the hill and on the other side of Greenwood Cemetery in Sunset Park. We got an amazing deal on rent and the size is just perfect. Phase II has started and if you haven't been following along it works pretty simply. Matt posts an idea for a painting on a status update, you email him at mattheldproject@gmail.com if you'd like to participate and either he "casts" you for the project, or doesn't. If he does, you do as he asks with your camera and creativity and submit a photo by the deadline. Then he gets to put the pieces of the random people posing together and make it a masterpiece. Sounds simple right? Cool.
Well, while all you folks are chomping at the bit to be a part of it, I will be staring out my reading room window at the squirrels climbing up the tree across the street!
Oh, you want to know about the new studio space? It's pretty awesome! And it's not in the house. It's conveniently located over the hill and on the other side of Greenwood Cemetery in Sunset Park. We got an amazing deal on rent and the size is just perfect. Phase II has started and if you haven't been following along it works pretty simply. Matt posts an idea for a painting on a status update, you email him at mattheldproject@gmail.com if you'd like to participate and either he "casts" you for the project, or doesn't. If he does, you do as he asks with your camera and creativity and submit a photo by the deadline. Then he gets to put the pieces of the random people posing together and make it a masterpiece. Sounds simple right? Cool.
Well, while all you folks are chomping at the bit to be a part of it, I will be staring out my reading room window at the squirrels climbing up the tree across the street!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Posting Light
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Matt and I have been busy with getting so many different things organized - lecture in Savannah, finding a new studio space, making daycare arrangements for the youngest, getting organized for a spring show, finishing up the details from Kickstarter, finding a printer for the rewards. Phew! We have lots to tell you and I promise to post something interesting, witty, and shocking soon! Stay tuned Internet!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Kickstart my heart
So internet - I have not been neglecting you but various new things in my life have taken precedent over updating this blog such as planning for Phase II, submitting two grants for Phase II, fund raising on Kickstarter.com for Phase II, applying for a NYFA fellowship for Matt, planning a school fund raiser, planning for a trip to France in the Spring (Matt got invited to do a residency in Vence for the month of April), working full time, trying to find studio space that is "affordable", sleeping, and loving on two kids. The last mentioned being the most important because for every little thing we do - the driving force is those two little faces.
"Matt Held: facebook portraits" at Denise Bibro Fine Art, comes down this Saturday at 6:00PM. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you should do so, like now. You could ask us if the show was successful. I would say yes, and no. We've received some wonderful feedback, but the economy still sucks and nothing has sold. That's part of the reason for launching the Kickstarter project, but also because the budget for this piece of the project is much larger. It will require a larger space for Matt to work in and more volunteers from the group.
Kickstarter is a web platform for creative types looking to fund projects - kind of like a micro-patronage networking site. Artists are quite limited to either sales of work, grants or both and let's face it - when sales are down, more people are competing for the same grants. Kickstarter gives us a chance to connect directly to people who can spare $10, but not a $1,000 in support of an artist working on a project they believe in. Sounds good right?
So yeah, Phase II needs space, much more space, but if you pledge your support, you also get some cool stuff in return, like an exclusive print, or a drawing from the portrait project. Check it out - pledge period ends October 14th.
"Matt Held: facebook portraits" at Denise Bibro Fine Art, comes down this Saturday at 6:00PM. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you should do so, like now. You could ask us if the show was successful. I would say yes, and no. We've received some wonderful feedback, but the economy still sucks and nothing has sold. That's part of the reason for launching the Kickstarter project, but also because the budget for this piece of the project is much larger. It will require a larger space for Matt to work in and more volunteers from the group.
Kickstarter is a web platform for creative types looking to fund projects - kind of like a micro-patronage networking site. Artists are quite limited to either sales of work, grants or both and let's face it - when sales are down, more people are competing for the same grants. Kickstarter gives us a chance to connect directly to people who can spare $10, but not a $1,000 in support of an artist working on a project they believe in. Sounds good right?
So yeah, Phase II needs space, much more space, but if you pledge your support, you also get some cool stuff in return, like an exclusive print, or a drawing from the portrait project. Check it out - pledge period ends October 14th.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Many Thanks!
I wanted to thank the lot of you who were able to make it to Thursday's opening! It was a great turnout and the installation looked fantastic! The show is up through October 3rd, and if you didn't make it to the opening, I hope you get a chance to see the show between now and then.
I am working diligently from now through the end of the year to finish up the first phase of this project and will be announcing the exact details for what will happen in phase II as I get closer to the transition. Stay tuned!
I am working diligently from now through the end of the year to finish up the first phase of this project and will be announcing the exact details for what will happen in phase II as I get closer to the transition. Stay tuned!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Words on a Portrait - Sharon A
I am kind of cheating on this one. Sharon Arnold is the subject in "Sharon A". She is also an artist, curator, and all-around good kind of gal (or so we've gleaned after some back and forth emails and mutual "friends"). She threatened to write a post on her Dimensions Variable blog a while back and around the same time my google alert came through today telling me it was up, she sent Matt an email as well (yes - I am a total google nerd and have all sorts of google alerts set up for various things. I am like a google alert collector but we can talk about that another time).
Anyway, back to cheating. I love what she wrote and so instead of asking her to write something specific for this blog, I will link her page and quote her.
My favorite? ..." the New Portraiture. We're invited into the scene, the stories are curious, and the pictures are snapshots of real lives; often drafted by the subject themselves. We want to know more about them, most likely because we are like them. Rather than some lofty idealised representation of culturally enforced perfection, potraiture has become not only an exaggeration of the idea but also a Cinéma vérité, a hipster editorial, a perversion, a study in heightened banality, an idea of excess, a reflection of ourselves; or at it's best, a really fun study of people finding each other in a living web of connectivity."
You can read the rest of her post here.
Anyway, back to cheating. I love what she wrote and so instead of asking her to write something specific for this blog, I will link her page and quote her.
My favorite? ..." the New Portraiture. We're invited into the scene, the stories are curious, and the pictures are snapshots of real lives; often drafted by the subject themselves. We want to know more about them, most likely because we are like them. Rather than some lofty idealised representation of culturally enforced perfection, potraiture has become not only an exaggeration of the idea but also a Cinéma vérité, a hipster editorial, a perversion, a study in heightened banality, an idea of excess, a reflection of ourselves; or at it's best, a really fun study of people finding each other in a living web of connectivity."
You can read the rest of her post here.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Words on a Portrait - Konstantin
I think sometimes the simplest photograph has more power than the complex. The original photo - later to become the portrait "Kontantin" was so simple - a glance caught in such a beautiful environment with such vibrant colors captured Matt right away.
Konstantin sent us a note with a little story behind the photo. Here are his words:
The photo [was] taken on the 1st of January this year in Chamonix, France. To be excact, on top of the Aiguille du Midi, at about 3800 meters. We had had a long night before, starting to celebrate New Year's eve early in the evening. At ten, we had "Happy New Year" for the first time with the Russian group from the apartment next to ours, who were celebrating in Moscow time.
The next day, no one really wanted to go skiing, so we went up every sightseeing point we could reach by cable car or train around Chamonix. It was really cold up there, around -20° C and a lot of wind, so I was happy to have this old down jacket with me.
A last word to the goggles: The goggles have been up the Aiguille du Midi once before, about 30 years ago, when my father was ski mountaineering in Chamonix.
Konstantin sent us a note with a little story behind the photo. Here are his words:
The photo [was] taken on the 1st of January this year in Chamonix, France. To be excact, on top of the Aiguille du Midi, at about 3800 meters. We had had a long night before, starting to celebrate New Year's eve early in the evening. At ten, we had "Happy New Year" for the first time with the Russian group from the apartment next to ours, who were celebrating in Moscow time.
The next day, no one really wanted to go skiing, so we went up every sightseeing point we could reach by cable car or train around Chamonix. It was really cold up there, around -20° C and a lot of wind, so I was happy to have this old down jacket with me.
A last word to the goggles: The goggles have been up the Aiguille du Midi once before, about 30 years ago, when my father was ski mountaineering in Chamonix.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Artist on the radar
I often think of topics for random posts on my way into work in the morning. If I can’t think of something clear and concise I will think of two or three words to drop into google, do news runs on those two or three words and see what comes up. Today, I did just that. I dropped in “portrait painting” to the search bar and clicked the “news” tab and up came a few articles on the Mona Lisa Incident, some other random portrait painting articles and this one.
It somehow seemed familiar, maybe something I should already know about, so I click in and discover it’s about a recent graduate from VCU – Stanley Rayfield. The thing is, I do know of Stanley Rayfield. He sent us an email last week asking if Matt had any advice for a recent fine art graduate. We took a look at his website and all we could say was WOW! The guy can paint! I mean he can really, really paint! What advice could he give him? MOVE TO NEW YORK!
There are very few people in this world that walk out of their undergraduate university – a degree in fine art at hand – that see their future as bright as I hope Stanley realizes his is. I wish him all the best and I hope HOPE to see his work in person very, very soon. Congratulations on the Smithsonian exhibition, Stanley.
It somehow seemed familiar, maybe something I should already know about, so I click in and discover it’s about a recent graduate from VCU – Stanley Rayfield. The thing is, I do know of Stanley Rayfield. He sent us an email last week asking if Matt had any advice for a recent fine art graduate. We took a look at his website and all we could say was WOW! The guy can paint! I mean he can really, really paint! What advice could he give him? MOVE TO NEW YORK!
There are very few people in this world that walk out of their undergraduate university – a degree in fine art at hand – that see their future as bright as I hope Stanley realizes his is. I wish him all the best and I hope HOPE to see his work in person very, very soon. Congratulations on the Smithsonian exhibition, Stanley.
Monday, July 27, 2009
35 Pieces
We had a wonderful studio visit with the gallerists from Denise Bibro Fine Art last week. They went through each piece in the collection so far and chose 35 pieces for the upcoming show at their Platform Project Space. I love the idea for how they are going to hang the show and I think it will be very arresting for viewers.
As such, we have a lot of work to do to get all of them ready for exhibit which means a bit less time for working on new pieces. However, we are diligently pulling fresh photos from member profiles for new paintings and hope to have at least 3-5 posted before the end of August.
"Matt Held: facebook portraits", opening on Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:00PM - 9:00PM, will run through October 3, 2009. In the main gallery, "Johnny Madsen: Red, Yellow and the Blues" will be on exhibit.
As such, we have a lot of work to do to get all of them ready for exhibit which means a bit less time for working on new pieces. However, we are diligently pulling fresh photos from member profiles for new paintings and hope to have at least 3-5 posted before the end of August.
"Matt Held: facebook portraits", opening on Thursday, September 10, 2009 from 6:00PM - 9:00PM, will run through October 3, 2009. In the main gallery, "Johnny Madsen: Red, Yellow and the Blues" will be on exhibit.
Monday, July 20, 2009
WIRED!
We are all a-twitter over here at Held Studios for August's WIRED magazine. Not because of Brad Pitt, but because Matt and his fancy pants got a nice little mention in print and online.
I am not sure what else to say but - WOW! If my body could sprout wings and fly around, I would totally let it. Instead, I'll just bounce of the walls for a little bit and say thank you to Sonia Zjawinski for contacting us way back in March, pushing her editors to let her write the story and having a cool photo for Matt to paint (who doesn't love a woman chugging a bottle of wine? Who is ask you? Who?).
Monday went from zero to hero!
I am not sure what else to say but - WOW! If my body could sprout wings and fly around, I would totally let it. Instead, I'll just bounce of the walls for a little bit and say thank you to Sonia Zjawinski for contacting us way back in March, pushing her editors to let her write the story and having a cool photo for Matt to paint (who doesn't love a woman chugging a bottle of wine? Who is ask you? Who?).
Monday went from zero to hero!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Words on a Portrait - Oliver
Oliver Perera is a British UOTC. Here are his words:
"The picture was taken during my recruit training phase with Oxford University Officer Training Corps, one of 19 UOTCs covering the UK (similar to America’s ROTCs). UOTCs have two aims, firstly to develop and train potential Army officers (regular and territorial) alongside their University studies with the aim of them going to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for their officer training. Secondly, UOTCs are unique in that they are comprised of students many of whom have no intention of joining the Army, so they also intend to provide the potential business leaders of tomorrow with valuable insight into what the Army is like. With the hope that in the future they have better understanding of issues facing the Army, and an understanding of what ex-soldiers moving to a civilian life have done were they to one day to employ one or work alongside one in their company.
The photo was taken at the end of a particularly wet and cold Christmas camp on Salisbury Plains. It was actually taken around 10am but a mixture of cloud cover, forest blocks and the photographer using the camera's flash made the photo appear to be taken during the night.
The photo was taken by one of the Sergeant Majors who had brought his camera along to take some photos of us “in action” to put up on the unit's website. After we had finished doing some posed photos I was still aware he was taking photos but I didn’t noticing him taking this one hence I wasn’t posing which I think has led to a good photo, and now and even better painting by Matt."
"The picture was taken during my recruit training phase with Oxford University Officer Training Corps, one of 19 UOTCs covering the UK (similar to America’s ROTCs). UOTCs have two aims, firstly to develop and train potential Army officers (regular and territorial) alongside their University studies with the aim of them going to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for their officer training. Secondly, UOTCs are unique in that they are comprised of students many of whom have no intention of joining the Army, so they also intend to provide the potential business leaders of tomorrow with valuable insight into what the Army is like. With the hope that in the future they have better understanding of issues facing the Army, and an understanding of what ex-soldiers moving to a civilian life have done were they to one day to employ one or work alongside one in their company.
The photo was taken at the end of a particularly wet and cold Christmas camp on Salisbury Plains. It was actually taken around 10am but a mixture of cloud cover, forest blocks and the photographer using the camera's flash made the photo appear to be taken during the night.
The photo was taken by one of the Sergeant Majors who had brought his camera along to take some photos of us “in action” to put up on the unit's website. After we had finished doing some posed photos I was still aware he was taking photos but I didn’t noticing him taking this one hence I wasn’t posing which I think has led to a good photo, and now and even better painting by Matt."
Solution identified
After we posted yesterday's note about Facebooks "friend" limit we received some good feedback from group members about which direction to go. As such, we've decided that taking a more critical approach to the process of accepting requests - as opposed to starting a new profile page - would be the best way to go forward. Unfortunately it means laying down a rule that excludes anyone under the age of 18. I know it's kind of a sucky thing to do, but operating a project that is self-funded, and includes the use of a free social networking platform, has limitations. While we find the limitation to be silly (why is this a problem for Facebook engineers, but not MySpace?) it is what it is and we have to deal with it the best we can.
Going forward you can join the group and then request Matt's friendship. Whether or not you are accepted will be based on the content of your default photo and whatever information we can see on your page that intrigues us to look further into your profile photo album. From there, the usual parameters apply to the process of choosing a photo for the project. See Q & A post. If you are not accepted, please don't take it personally! We will continue to post new images of the portraits, however, all will be made from the "Matt Held page" so that everyone can see and no one will be excluded. We will also moderate that page less so you are able to post notes, ask questions, etc.
This project has really turned into so much more than either of us could have expected. We make a great team and we both believe very strongly in the message of the project and love that it's been so well received by the digital community. We thank you for your patience, kind words, and support! Remember that this project will likely take two years to complete and while Matt has completed 56 portraits, he still has another 146 to go!
Going forward you can join the group and then request Matt's friendship. Whether or not you are accepted will be based on the content of your default photo and whatever information we can see on your page that intrigues us to look further into your profile photo album. From there, the usual parameters apply to the process of choosing a photo for the project. See Q & A post. If you are not accepted, please don't take it personally! We will continue to post new images of the portraits, however, all will be made from the "Matt Held page" so that everyone can see and no one will be excluded. We will also moderate that page less so you are able to post notes, ask questions, etc.
This project has really turned into so much more than either of us could have expected. We make a great team and we both believe very strongly in the message of the project and love that it's been so well received by the digital community. We thank you for your patience, kind words, and support! Remember that this project will likely take two years to complete and while Matt has completed 56 portraits, he still has another 146 to go!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The 5,000 friend limit and what that means for this project
Not long ago, I was made aware that Facebook has a limit (the engineers call it a scaling limitation) on the amount of “friends” a Facebook user can have. The limit is 5,000. We at Matt Held Studios have been racking our brains on how best to work around this as my friend list is nearing 5,000 and have yet to come up with a clear, concise way to deal with the issue. I wanted to let you know that while we want to be as inclusive as possible to people interested in participating in this project, I need as much free time in the studio as I can get. Being bogged down with administrative work will only slow the progress of the project and I’d like to avoid that as much as possible.
The way this project is set up is a) you join the group b) you add me as a friend. Once you’ve done those two things, I go through profiles of those “friends” whose default photo intrigues me to look further into your profile photo album. Then, a few more things happen a) I add the chosen photo to the queue and b) contact you when I am ready to start the piece c) post an image of the completed photo to the group page and d) email the subject their respective jpeg. Being my “friend” is key to access your images and allows me to choose the image. I do not want to give this part of the process up.
I have two possible solutions to the issue:
1. People continue to join the group page as desired but start being more selective as to who I add as my friends based on their default image. This would also mean going through existing “friends” and deleting those who do not have photos fitting within the parameters of this particular project - i.e. no kids, no dogs, no significant others, clear, color photo, quirky poses, props acceptable. This would allow me to manage one profile and allow active participants in the project to remain as part of the project. It would also mean “rejecting” people and I don’t really like that idea.
2. Start up a second Facebook page – call it Matt Held Studios – and direct all new friend requests, after 5,000 has been achieved, to that page. This would create a bit more work for me and my administrators – maintaining two pages and making sure people are directed to the right area, both pages get updated, etc., but this way I don’t have to eliminate people from the project.
I am not sure what the best option is, but hope to reach a decision within the next few days.
That said I do want to make you all aware that I have also been working on what my follow up to this project will be. I am not ready to disclose full details; however, regardless of whether or not one of your profile photos is chosen to be painted, I hope you stick around as group members to find out. It will be something you can all participate in if you have a camera.
Until then, hope life is treating you well.
The way this project is set up is a) you join the group b) you add me as a friend. Once you’ve done those two things, I go through profiles of those “friends” whose default photo intrigues me to look further into your profile photo album. Then, a few more things happen a) I add the chosen photo to the queue and b) contact you when I am ready to start the piece c) post an image of the completed photo to the group page and d) email the subject their respective jpeg. Being my “friend” is key to access your images and allows me to choose the image. I do not want to give this part of the process up.
I have two possible solutions to the issue:
1. People continue to join the group page as desired but start being more selective as to who I add as my friends based on their default image. This would also mean going through existing “friends” and deleting those who do not have photos fitting within the parameters of this particular project - i.e. no kids, no dogs, no significant others, clear, color photo, quirky poses, props acceptable. This would allow me to manage one profile and allow active participants in the project to remain as part of the project. It would also mean “rejecting” people and I don’t really like that idea.
2. Start up a second Facebook page – call it Matt Held Studios – and direct all new friend requests, after 5,000 has been achieved, to that page. This would create a bit more work for me and my administrators – maintaining two pages and making sure people are directed to the right area, both pages get updated, etc., but this way I don’t have to eliminate people from the project.
I am not sure what the best option is, but hope to reach a decision within the next few days.
That said I do want to make you all aware that I have also been working on what my follow up to this project will be. I am not ready to disclose full details; however, regardless of whether or not one of your profile photos is chosen to be painted, I hope you stick around as group members to find out. It will be something you can all participate in if you have a camera.
Until then, hope life is treating you well.
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