Art Auction for Cancer

AUCTION DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

This past January I was invited by the incomparable Dyan Reaveley to participate in the 2018 Ranger Challenge. Every year, one of the signature designers with Ranger Ink sends a selection of their products to a handful of artists to create a project that will be displayed in the Ranger booth at Creativation, the annual trade show for AFCI. How could I say no to DY?

Opening the box was exciting and daunting, as was seeing the contents. The main component for the project was a cardboard, kraft-colored top hat. And lots of Dyan's signature bright paints, washi tapes, embellishments, and the like.

My mission: use her products in my style. My technique: layers and more layers.

So why am I sharing this now? The project was recently returned to me and I had the idea that maybe some of you would consider bidding on it in an auction for charity. Together we can benefit an important cause and you will have a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-made-again, original piece of art.

AUCTION DETAILS

So how will this work? Simply contact me via email at shap97@gmail.com with your bid and I will update the bidding total on this post as bids come in (as quickly as I can). The bidding will start at $25.00 but I am hoping to raise substantially more money for a good cause. Bids will be counted in the order in which they are received. Bidding ends on 11:59pm EST Sunday March 25th. The winning bidder can either make their donation directly to the charity via credit card or through me via check or Paypal. You are more than welcome to leave a comment to this post but bids will only be accepted via email.

100% of the proceeds will benefit Cancer Research Institute and their efforts to develop a breakthrough cure to all forms of cancer with immunotherapy. The cause was selected in honor of a friend currently battling the illness.

CURRENT BID

$25.00
$30.00
$50.00
$150.00
$225.00
$250.00
$275.00
$325.00
$350.00
$375.00
$425.00
$450.00

Auction now closed. Thank you to Patti Euler for her winning bid!

Art Auction for Puerto Rico

On Wednesday, September 20, Hurricane Maria made direct landfall on Puerto Rico. Weeks later, there's still limited power and access to clean water and/or food for the 3.4 million people there. It is truly a humanitarian disaster. Artists are coming together to help by raising funds for the Hispanic Federation, which has been at the forefront of responding to this crisis.

Help save lives by bidding on artwork from October 30 to November 3 at this site.  You will find work from a group of amazing artists including Tracy Verdugo, Riikka Kovasin, Pam Carriker, Marjie Kemper, Mary Beth Shaw and many more. I have contributed Shine, in the hopes that this auction shines a little light on the importance of continuing the efforts to provide aid to Puerto Rico.

A big thank you to Jessica Sporn for putting this auction together.

Art Auction for Texas

Often when tragic events occur, we are driven to do something that can make a difference. Even a small one. Recently, the state of Texas was struck by Hurricane Harvey. I am happy to be able to be part of an art auction aimed at benefiting the many people in need as a result.

Ten artists are participating and have contributed artwork to be auctioned on Saturday 9/9 from 7:00 to 11:00pm EST via Facebook. There is also one special donation that will be included too. Here is an image of the work that will be auctioned. You can see it all in more detail in this video as well.

I am donating Admission, with an opening bid of $70.

The other contributing artists include Linda M. Cain, Dina Speed Wakley, Jeanne Griffin Oliver, Cat Kerr, Jodi Ohl, Leslie Marsh, Mary Beth Shaw, Nellie Wortman, and Sandra Everton.

Here is how it will work:

-The auction runs from 7-11pm EST at this link

-Highest bidder wins

-Bidding ends at 11pm when winners will be announced

-The winner makes a donation in the amount of the winning bid to either:

      Team Rubicon or Red Cross

-Additional details are available at the auction site

The Faces of New York

One of my favorite places to visit in NYC to see art is Sotheby's the auction house. Prior to every sale, there is an exhibition of the work open to the public. It is an exciting opportunity to see art that may not ever again be exhibited as it often goes from private hands to private hands.

The exhibition currently running now shows work from the upcoming Contemporary Art Evening and Day sales in NYC but also includes phenomenal work that will be auctioned in London and Paris.

While I am typically most attracted to abstract art, I was thoroughly taken by the figurative work on display. Take a tour with me of the exhibition, as I share detail shots, artist, title, as well as auction estimates of some of my favorite pieces.

-------------------------

Francis Bacon

Self-Portrait

15,000,000-22,500,000

George Condo

Monolithic Head

300,000-400,000

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Untitled

3,000,000-6,000,000

Willem De Kooning

Yellow Women

6,000,000-8,000,000

 Henry Moore

Two Women and Child

460,000-610,000

 Jean Dubuffet

L'Homme au Plastron Bleu

700,000-1,000,000

Andy Warhol

Sigmund Freud

600,000-900,000

Artists Give Back

There is a column in every issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine called Artists Give Back. it is written by Elena Lai Etcheverry, who herself knows a lot about giving back. Elena is the Founder and Executive Director of Charity Wings, an art & craft center in San Marcos, California that is dedicated to the charitable and healing aspects of art.

In the new, November/December issue of CPS, Elena has chosen to write about The Pulse Charity Auction that I spearheaded in response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Nearly 50 art-related items were donated by artists and more than $2,300 was raised and donated to the victims of Sandy. You can read more about the event in this blog post and on the pages (well, page 24 to be exact) of CPS.

The art community in NYC was hit quite hard and, nearly two years later to the day, are still struggling with the aftermath. Hmmmm. Perhaps it is time for The Pulse Charity Auction V2...

NY, NY: IV

Week three of my travels in Australia and I thought that while I am away from my home base in NYC...I would bring some of NYC back into my world. All this week I will be reposting images of art exhibitions that I have seen in New York over the years. There have been many, so this represents just a few of my favorites...

New York Couples

One of my "secret" haunts in NYC is Sotheby's, the auction house. They hold open exhibitions in advance of every auction and, unlike many galleries and museums, they almost always allow photography. Much of the artwork on display is coming from private collections and will end up in private hands. As such, the exhibitions are a rare opportunity to view art created by master artists that may never again be on public view.

In 2011, Sotheby's was exhibiting the highlights of an upcoming London auction of Impressionist and Modern Art as well as a series of pieces from Looking Closely: A Private Collection. The viewing was like being in my own private museum. I have included auction estimates and what struck me when I went back to the original posting was just how far prices have risen since 2011.

So join me and a few very special "New York Couples" in a visit to Sotheby's...

First, I would like to introduce you to a couple of Picassos. Who at first glance could imagine that the following two paintings were made by the same artist?

Portrait D'Olga - 1923 - Estimate $2,020,000-$2,790,000

La Lecture - 1932 - Estimate $18,570,000-$27,860,000

Meet Annette and Diego, a pair of paintings from Alberto Giacometti.

Annette - 1961 - Estimate $3,170,00-$4,750,00

Diego - 1958 - Estimate $4,650,000-$7,740,000

We have a very New York couple in Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud.

Francis Bacon - Three Studies for Portrait of Lucien Freud - 1964 - Estimate $11,090,000-$14,250,000

Lucien Freud - Self Portrait - 1952 - 5" x 3 1/4" - Estimate $950,000-$1,270,000

This Dubuffett was flying solo but, with a face like this, will no doubt be part of a couple soon.

Jean Dubuffett - Le Barbouille - 1954 - Estimate $950,000-$1,270,000

My favorite couple by far was a pair of rombos or diamonds.

Antoni Tapies - Negro con Dos Rombos - 1963 - Estimate $475,000-$635,000

One of my favorite artists, Antoni Tapies created abstract work that speaks to me in terms of his choice of color palette, his use of symbols and found objects, and the textural quality of his surfaces. The spectacular textures he achieves are usually lost in photos but there are some detail shots below that will give you a better idea. Texture junkies like me can click each image to enlarge.

The Power of Art

I create art for so many reasons, as I am sure all the other artists out there do as well. Sometimes those reasons simply relate to creative expression and fun. But at other times, art can be a powerful tool to shine a light on a social issue, challenge the way we see the world, and contribute to change. Today's blog post highlights two art events that accomplish the latter and, ironically, they both take us to Africa.

The Journey is the Inspiration

Dan Eldon was an artist, and activist and an adventurer. He filled his 22 years of life with passion, dedication, and a quest to both record and change the atrocities that he was witness to in Africa. If you do not know the story of his life -- and the ongoing impact that he continues to have on the world nearly 21 years following his death -- take a moment to read more about him here. 

Some of the very many people who have been impacted by Dan are sharing their stories and the artwork he inspired on daneldon.org. This online collaborative journal begins today and continues weekly every Thursday with a new entry. Please head to the blog to be inspired and to see how much change a single person can bring about. And if you have been touched by Dan's story, please click here to see how you can join this collaboration.

------------------------------

Artists Bring Back

In April, hundreds of Nigerian girls were abducted from their school by a terrorist group who believe that women should not be allowed access to education and who have threatened to sell them into slavery and used them to barter for the release of prisoners. The world has reacted to this atrocity with horror and many people have taken to the Internet (#BringBackOurGirls on Facebook and Twitter) to express their feelings and to do what they feel they can to make their voices heard. 

The art world has also begun to rally to the cause. Jessica Sporn has organized an auction to raise money to benefit girlrising.com, a global campaign for girl's education. I have donated the following work of art which, along with many other pieces, is available to bid on from May 15 to May 17.

Have a look and consider making a bid. Prove that a single person can make a difference.

The Daily News

The Pulse Charity Auction for Hurricane Sandy aid ended last night at midnight. I want to thank everybody who visited the site, donated an item, spread the word, and bid. Once again, I am in awe at the amazingness of our community. In total, $2,375 was raised. 100% of that will be sent to The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and they will use 100% of the donation for dispersement to relief organizations and their efforts. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

----------------------------------------

I have been setting up my teaching schedule for 2013 and hopefully will be at a venue near you. The entire schedule will be posted soon. I will be teaching in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington State, New Jersey, and Arizona. And who knows where else. The full schedule will go online soon but I wanted to tell you about several opportunities now...

I will be teaching Mixed Media Memoire at Ink About It in Westford, Massachusetts. This 2-day workshop will be held on April 6th-April 7th. Registration opens tomorrow, Tuesday 11/13/12 at 9:30am. In this workshop, you will be making a one-of-a-kind artist book. In the process, you will learn a new binding technique. We will be making pockets, folds, flaps, and mini-books, altering personal photos, creating mail art, trying out various approaches to collage, using found objects, making commercial products your own, and more!

----------------------------------------

My 52 Card Pickup workshop at the Little Bird Creations Studio in NYC on December 2nd is now full. A second day has been added on January 6th and registration is now open. In this workshop, we will be using a deck of cards to create a unique journal that you can use weekly for one year. This is a project-based workshop but you will learn many techniques using gesso, acrylic paint, acrylic glazes and collage.

----------------------------------------

I am very excited to be teaching a collaborative workshop at Little Bird in NYC called The Need to Tell Stories. I will be working alongside Roxanne Evans Stout and Elizabeth Wix in this 2-day workshop on March 9th-March 10th. We will be making a handmade artist book and filling it will both art and stories. I think this will be a magical weekend. There are 5 spots left and I hope that you can join us. 

----------------------------------------

I would love to meet those of you who are close to NYC this coming weekend when I will be exhibiting at the Parallax Art Fair. Parallax opens on Friday 11/16 with a private view showing from 7-9pm. It is open to the public on Saturday 11/17 and Sunday 11/18 from 11am-5pm. It is being held at the Prince George Ballroom on 15 East 27th Street in Manhattan. Entrance is free but you can order tickets in advance here.