Awhile ago I decided that I needed a mini portfolio of sorts. Something that the viewer could hold in their hands, emphasizing the intimacy of my small drawings and containing information about my work that didn’t sound like text I’d been forced to write for a grant application. So I’ve created 8×5 inch folios that have prints and various statements about my art, completely ripping off drawing inspiration from Edward Gorey’s Twelve Terrors of Christmas and my own scrawled ‘artist statements on a coaster’ I’d created last year.

This project, which I thought I’d complete in a weekend, took lots and lots of drafts, statements I abandoned for sounding too whiney or defensive, and two trips to the Paper Source, which is one of those Ikea-esque establishments that you look forward to visiting, but prompt you go just a little insane upon stepping inside. But I’m happy to report that I am now on the homestretch, and pleased with the results.

I’m also working on these two pieces side by side, (one is 3 feet by 4 feet, the other 16×20 inches) which I like, though like much of my work, both are stuck in an infinite loop. They are the sort of drawings that will never, ever feel done, I can tell; the kind that make me feel grateful for deadlines when the work is forced to come to some sort of conclusion. For now though, I’m enjoying the ride:

I spent the ten days after Thanksgiving traveling throughout Barcelona, Avignon, and Paris with my mom. It was my first visit to Barcelona, and I was curious to see the Gaudi buildings, since the dripping architectural stuctures in my drawings have been compared to him (okay, one guy said that, one time, but I took it to heart). We went to the Sagrada Familia on a Monday in November, already swarming with fellow tourists at 10:00 AM, but as the guidebooks tell you, nothing prepares you for the impact of seeing it for the first time. That thing is not only huge, it’s…bizarre, but wonderfully so, because it’s not how a church is supposed to look.

It reminded me of a cartoonist I once heard giving a presentation, talking about how he never was able to finish panels. “I just need to add more stuff,” was how he put it. And I knew exactly what he meant. A lot of artists don’t know when to say when, which I don’t mean as a criticism, but as the highest possible compliment. It’s the kind of obsessiveness that gives you thinks like the Sagrada Familia, or Chris Ware cartoons, or anything else that requires devoting oneself, full-throttle, to some sort of grand artistic cause, regardless of whether or not it’s sensible.

The images below are the four small drawings I did while I was traveling (mostly in cafes, or on the train while looking at the countryside and listening to the new Steve Jobs autobiography, which I highly recommend). I also have high quality prints of works available at the Pleasant Plains, which has a closing party this Tuesday, if you still have last minute Christmas shopping.

I’m very excited to be participating in Part and Parcel (it got some nice write ups about Chandi’s vision for the show in TBD and the Huffington Post). Opens this Saturday night at 8 at the Fridge in Eastern Market! I’ll have one of my rarely seen larger works on display, along with my mystery piece.

Official description:

Work by Frank Adams, Keli Anaya, Deborah Anzinger, Chris Chen, Rachel England, Jessica Ford, Elizabeth Graeber, Becca Kallem, Chandi Kelley, Regan Kireilis-Helms, Stephanie Kwak, Jon Lee, Dana Maier, and Kristoffer Tripplaar.

The expression “part and parcel” is used to reference something that must be done or accepted as a part of something else. Without the venue to sell works on a small scale, many artists wouldn’t have the means to create some of their more substantial works. Part and Parcel is an opportunity to showcase large scale works by Project Dispatch artists while emphasizing the importance of the subscription. We will be displaying one piece next to each large work that will be wrapped in brown paper to represent the subscription. Patrons will be able to purchase the larger work or take a risk on the smaller, wrapped piece by the same artist. These smaller works will be the beginnings of subscriptions, but will remain unopened until after they are purchased. By showing these seen and unseen works alongside each other, we want to emphasize that the project is an integral part of the practice for the artists involved.

Several months ago, I had a very earnest discussion regarding the personalities of various liquor types. For example: vodka I always imagined as a slender, tall blonde. A party girl. Rum is her date, rugged and handsome, but will kick your ass if need be. Gin is the man in the suit in the corner with a flower on his lapel. Beer is the dude in faded jeans watching the game; bourbon is the well dressed philosophy major who is an excellent listener.

I mention this because I was recently reading about DC’s artistic identity to which the same thought experiment can apply. Saying that lots of people make art in Washington DC doesn’t tell you very much, since that’s true of a lot of cities. But if you met the DC Art Scene in a bar, how would it compare to New York Art Scene? Or LA Art Scene or Baltimore Art Scene?

Since these personifications are just the first that pop into my head based upon my own experiences (or lack thereof), I’d be curious to hear others. So please put your own visions in the comments. If DC’s art scene was a guy in a bar, who would it be?

This Friday I’ll be participating in The Home as part of #DCRESIDENCE DC WEEK in the Atlas District, where I will share a space with The Fridge.

Consequently, I’ve been finishing up a giant drawing the last several hours and listening to trick or treaters. Feels good to have a legitimate studio.

I remember attending the Roger Gastman street art lecture at the Corcoran earlier this year and hearing him speak disdainfully of stickering. Too easy, I think, was his criticism. Instead of having to go to the trouble to surreptitiously spray ink on a wall, any schmuck can grab a pack of stickers and take to the streets.

I’m no stickler for process, so I’ve embraced stickering.  Not only are they convenient, but they allow me to be faithful to my original drawings. And it’s fascinating (at least to me) to take the same image and see it interact with various environments.

Anyway, it’s good to be back! My blog-abandonment has been due to not having a permanent address until the middle of last month, but I am pleased to say that I now have spacious studio set up that’ll allow me to do some damage. Also, I will be participating in a pop up gallery for DCWEEK this year, so stay tuned. In the meantime you can see the most recent work I’ve done on my Tumblr, and also subscribe to my drawings via Project Dispatch.

Cory Oberndorfer asked me to participate on his delicious Donut a Day site, so do check out my contribution. He claims that he was inspired by my Flashpoint show (aw!) but I am more impressed by his ability to update a blog every damn day, which I actually think is much taller order than drawing 50 bazillion coasters. Well, we all have our mountains to climb.

And since I haven’t posted in awhile, I’m adding a few images of my recent work, including a piece I drew for the We Are Monsters show at Pleasant Plains, and a new sticker edition, and something that I started as a study for a larger work that’s my drawing equivalent of a summer fling (that is, I’ve been having fun with it, but am not sure where it’s going). And I finally updated the drawing section here too, which has been long overdue.

I’ve never been much for artist statements, but I like the idea of making statements about art, which can be crossed out or refined after further consideration. This is the first one I did. The second draft is currently on display at the Flashpoint show, and was sold on the opening night.

And, this is more of an artist’s plea (which is not on display):

Huzzah, almost here! My joint show with Adam Dwight opens at the Flashpoint Gallery on April Fool’s Day.

For the record, I’ve completed about 450 titled coaster drawings for the final show (to prevent the viewer from facing a wall of 400+ “Untitles,” which would just be cruel). Adam will have five new paintings, a sculpture and a hand-drawn animation, all reflecting the life of MADD founder Candy Lightner.

Details directly from the Flashpoint below; hope to see you there. And if you need me this weekend, I will be buying my weight in artists’ tape and comparing prices of laser levels.

Adam Dwight & Dana Jeri Maier: Off in a Corner
Opening Reception: Friday, April 1, 6 – 8pm
April 1 – May 7, 2011

Adam Dwight’s gouache paintings and rubber puddle collide with Dana Jeri Maier’s ink drawings on drink coasters for Off in a Corner, a two-person show that manipulates the line between fine art and illustration. When juxtaposed, Dwight’s and Maier’s farcical and cartoonish narratives reveal a dark absurdity to the characters and relationships depicted within.

Art + Coffee Program
Sunday, April 10, 1:30pm – Presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Luce Foundation Center Art + Coffee Program

Pink Panel @ Flashpoint: Drink + Draw
Thursday, April 21, 6:30pm

Exhibition
April 1 – May 7, 2011

A picture from the MICA Takes Flight reception, and me weirdly looking at my weird art. (Also thanks, Peter Dueker, for the shot!)

If you want to see the work yourself, it’s up until the end of February in at DCA in the Terminal A Gallery Walk.