Milan

Had a lot of fun drawing in Cecilia Granata's studio today!

Adventuring & Illustrating

For the past two months I have been exploring Europe with my partner and visiting friends and family. Along the way I have worked on a lot of new drawings, some for my next shows, others just to pass the time or to give to friends.
This one was for two of Melanie's little cousins in Rapallo, who are anything but slothlike. They gave me a sloth sticker when they found out I like animals so I figured one good sloth deserves another.

Natural Lands Trust Commission

Just before leaving the states I did one last commission for the Natural Lands Trust for their next print media campaign. It was great to work for an organization that is working for an environmental cause, and I'd be happy to do it again!

The subjects are all indigenous animals making recoveries after being at high risk in New Jersey - a bluebird, bald eagle, and wood turtle. It is a sort of comeback theme for reupping membership that may have reduced, as I understand it. They chose the content and taglines. Support this org if you live in NJ (or not)! There are a lot of important natural spaces in that state that are well worth preserving.

Final Commission Before Takeoff

I'm an hour away from leaving for JFK airport and am just wrapping up some illustrations for the Natural Land Trust's new print media campaign.
Down to the wire!

Planning Stages

These are a few pages of sketches for the next show I'm hatching out of my brain right now.  I've been really overloaded with commission jobs and planning a European art show tour, so I haven't had a minute to get details on this out yet. 
I am currently discussing shows in Milan and Berlin and am still looking for any other galleries or spaces to show in while in Europe from Feb. 29th - June 13th.
I'm making a large body of sketches like these to work from for my next mirrored installation.  2012 is a great year for physicality, evisceration, and finally making it into the University of Penn Veterinary School's anatomy lab!
Know any spaces in Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Belgium, and much of Eastern Europe that would be a good fit?

Contact me at ketchwehr @ gmail dot com.

Re:Occupation Show at Green Line Powelton

Check out the link above to hear about the group show I am curating at the Green Line Cafe - Powelton Village!

It's a collection of work from Philadelphia and New York-based artists considering the meaning of Occupation (politically, socially, economically, and how we make a living). 
Below are images of work I have hanging in the show - the totems hanging above the mirror work are by the amazing Corina Dross.

Mirror Work

 

Here are a few images of the recent mirror work that I have been doing.  

This is my new direction and I plan to be doing larger scale murals from mosaiced mirror paintings for the next shows I put out in the coming year.  

I stumbled upon this variety of work while doing a commission piece with a local business owner who wanted bees painted on these hexagonal mirrors and I became completely obsessed with them.  The paint is Liquitex Acrylic Glossies, a glass acrylic, and it was tricky to handle at first but once I got accustomed to it I really couldn't stop.

Upcoming Group Show : Autumn Spell

 

I'm getting back in the saddle again as I just returned from my wedding and am making this 3 tile piece for the group show, Autumn Spell, that Paul Romano is curating at Gallery 309.

Here is a shot of it in progress - it is completed now, and to simplify my life and any buyers, I am crafting a handy mounting system for the piece so that it is more of a painting, less installation work now.

Check out the Part Time Studios Gallery Store!

 

You can see a full photo roster of our show at the Part Time Studios (and buy some of the pieces if you want) at the link above!

SHOW'S OVER FOLKS, OR: IT BEGINS

Today I started painting the custom tables to go in the Green Line Cafe's coffee kiosk inside the University of Pennsylvania.
Below are a few snapshots of them in progress - I was asked to do a very limited predetermined palette for each and to keep shapes almost stencil-like, so this is what I came up with:

 

NEW NORMAL RECEPTION

Thanks to all who made it out to the New Normal reception last night!  Attendance was amazing and all feedback was really appreciated.  Pictures from the actual event and more of the install are forthcoming.

NEW NORMAL FEATURED ON THE ARTBLOG

The Philly ArtBlog has featured New Normal on their Monthly Picks page!
Check it out!

Today I Saw a Few Amazing Things

One was the blog of Lisa Hanawalt, which my friend Cassie J. Sneider linked on her amazing blog.  If you haven't read Cassie's zines / essays / book, you should, she is brilliant and hilarious and keeps my creative mind buzzing with her brain fruits.
Anyway, this Lisa character also posted a collection of links including this one, "Secrets Shared," by Keri Smith. All of these links, they are worth clicking.

Strange Scan

 

Out of curiosity, I tried scanning one of the smaller mirror pieces for the New Normal show that goes up on Wednesday.  Though the mirror is yellow, it scans black.

Now I am daunted with the task of hanging the mirrors without making them a permanent fixture and without showing too much hardware.  I think I may have just cracked the case, however.

Now all I need is a lot of lathe, epoxy, and a new audiobook. 

Progress Shot

 

Just a view of my desk of a few tiles of the mural piece that will be my half of the New Normal show.  

It's all on mirrors, I don't know if I can explain this often enough, I have gotten a few responses of "What am I looking at??"  - you're seeing opaque paint and reflection. 

It will all piece together to produce a massive mural out of mirrors that will be comprised of individual pieces (some of which will be for sale). 

Check back soon I'll be posting way more sneak previews and I'm getting very excited about the things happening here.

More Sketches for New Normal Rolling Out

 

Bring em out / Bring em out 

I really want to fit this little chick on one 8" tile but it may have to be a set of 4 since I want to fit in a lot of detail.  I'll see which works better!