A new painting and a video to introduce it.
New facebook art page
I finally decided to take the plunge and dive right into 2016 by creating a facebook page just for my artwork. Not only that, but the Instagram page feeds directly to the facebook page and both of those are connected to this blog, so either something wonderful is going to happen or there will be an endless loop of re-posts on everything everywhere.
If you happen to swing that way, please take a look at Darryl Vance Artwork
"Adjusting" wrap-up
The “Adjusting” International Mail Art exhibition had a terrific, albeit short run at The Courthouse in Kinvara. Over 200 works by more than 140 artists from 30 countries made for a diverse show in every sense of the word. Paintings, drawings, prints, collages and mixed media works were aplenty, but the real surprises came in the forms of sculpture in stone, metal, fiber, and wood. Audio works that were submitted allowed us to create a playlist that ran throughout the show. And one entry included a photograph and a QR code that when scanned took you to a virtual reality site that showed the photograph as part of a larger exhibition.
That was the kind of show it was. Exciting, immersive, tactile and apparently unlike anything ever seen around here.
And it isn’t over yet. We have had interest from schools in exhibiting the show, as offers from the community to build the container for the archive.
So my thanks to everyone who participated, supported, and viewed this show. And to all who joined and continue to participate in the facebook group. And if you missed it, I invite you to take a look at the exhibition catalogue.
"Weir In The Bardo" at Fringe Festival Galway September 4-13
I’ll be showing some new paintings (as well as a few that are new to Galway) in a solo exhibition as part of the 2020 Galway Fringe Festival, opening Friday, September 4 and running for ten days. The show takes place at Galway City Gallery, 15 New Dock Street in Galway.
Here’s a link to a brief interview with Keith Finnegan on GalwayBay FM. I’m on at 11 and a half minutes from the end of the programme. And here’s a notice in the Galway Advertiser.
You can’t miss it.
The Extra Room
Current and upcoming...
Earlier this year I moved into a new studio located in Kilcolgan. This space is a bit bigger than the tiny one I had been using in Oranmore, and a bit more comfortable with room to spread out in. I’m finishing up some larger works that had to be halted last year and I’ve started another dozen in the “Weir In The Bardo” series I showed in August.
Visitors to The Extra Room are welcome by appointment.
Showing at Space Gallery in August
I’ll be showing some old and new work in an online show at Space Gallery in Corrandula, County Galway in August. Details to follow as they become available.
Not Over Yet
I am taking part in the Not Over Yet project. Not Over Yet is a group of artists exploring the role of creativity in response to environmental emergency. Based in the village of Kinvara on Irelands west coast, the group is producing a year-long project of events, exhibitions, performance and media focused on engagement with communities and individuals.
The provenance of the group can be traced to The Witches Knickers Project, an exhibition which focused on the problems of single-use plastic as well as plastic pollution in our oceans. One of the results of this project was the founding of Plastic Free Kinvara, a community action and advocacy group which has become a leader in the plastic-free campaign in Ireland.
The following year, many of these same artists took part in The Dark Edge of Europe project, which was inspired by the tragic legacy of the nearby Cliffs of Moher as a site of suicide, and of the issues of depression and mental health.
Not Over Yet is another project of art-based action and ideas that hopes to provoke, inspire and illuminate.
Adjusting: an International Postal Art Exhibition
September 25 - October 4, 2020
One part of Not Over Yet is an international mail art exhibition, Adjusting. Artists, writers, and everyone else is invited to enter a work, as there is no jury, no entry fee, no prizes and no returns. All entries will be shown at The Courthouse, Kinvara, and when the exhibition concludes will be archived and made available at no charge to educational, cultural, and community organizations as a historical artifact and source for continued inspiration and creativity.
Details and more information can be found on the shows facebook group page or on Instagram #adjustingmailartexhibition .
Deadline for entries is September 20, 2020.
KAVA Postcard Show - December 14-21
It’s that time of year again! KAVA is presenting our annual members postcard show December 14 through the 21st.
You remember the drill, right? All the work is A5 postcard sized, priced at €30 and presented anonymously. So, after you buy it, you find out who the artist is.
I’ll have four or five pieces in there, so come on by the opening reception, Friday, December 13th at 6:30 p.m. and say howdy!
Also, you can pick up KAVA’s new 2020 calendar, featuring work by twelve fantastic artists, and me.
Full color, spiral-bound, 12” x 16” and only €12. Ask about additional shipping charges, or pick them up at The Courthouse.
A few paintings in the Westport Music + Arts Festival
I’ve had three paintings accepted into this year’s Westport Music + Arts Festival’s Brittle Fragile show. This exhibit opens Wednesday, October 28th at 7 p.m. and runs through October 28 in Westport, Ireland.
My works include “Helper” (2013), a fairly representational painting I made back in California, “Dollar Bins” (2019), one of my geometric cardboard pieces, and “Round Thing” (2019) a painting made for the KAVA “Earth Matters” show. The first two have never been shown in Ireland and the whole trio kind of runs the style gamut, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
A bit of poetry on the radio
I recently recited my award-winning* poem on “Kinvara Miscellany” in a re-creation of my spoken word performance at Baffle Poetry Society’s 2019 Bloomsday event.
Take a listen if you are so inclined. I appear at 25:00 in.
*3rd place. Hey, I made the podium.
Summer Exhibition at The Courthouse, Ennistymon
I’ve had a painting selected for a group show at The Courthouse in Ennistymon. Summer Exhibition is featuring the work of 60 artists (yikes), and runs July 20 through September 15. There is an opening reception on Saturday, July 20th from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
The painting they included is Partial Collection 3 (2018), oil on cardboard on wood, 93cm x 65cm.
Notes on cardboard art
Notes on cardboard art
People have asked me about how long they can expect these paintings on cardboard to last. It is a complex issue, as cardboard is not, by nature, made to be a long-lasting material. However, museums are full of paintings on cardboard, some dating back to the late 16th century. I have the first oil painting I ever made over 50 years ago, and it is still in pretty much the same condition as when I made it. And I stored it in a box in the garage.
There are also many variables that will affect the longevity of these works. First is how they’re made. I use double-walled cardboard, and there are, with rare exceptions, multiple coats of paint on each piece. The final construction is adhered to a larger, single sheet of cardboard with an acrylic gel medium which creates a permanent, waterproof binding. That construction is then adhered, using the same gel medium, to a wooden support structure, either a single piece of ½” wood, MDF (a wood composite similar to masonite), or for larger pieces, a support similar to a canvas stretcher-a wooden frame, topped with thin wood or MDF.
The piece is then given at least two coats of varnish, which enhances the color and protects the painting from light and moisture.
In this way, the paint is secure on the cardboard and the cardboard is secure on its wooden support. As you might imagine, there are no guarantees to a lifespan of hundreds of years, but with proper care (don’t hang it in the bathroom, kitchen or sauna) it should give you many years of pleasure.
If you want to seriously preserve it, talk to a framer. Frame it in what they call a “float” or “shadow box” to protect the edges. Maybe put it behind glass.
Handling the painting
One of the intentional qualities of these works is their imprecision and that extends to their outer edges. They are not perfect rectangles and the various wrinkles, tears, bends and punctures add to the sculptural quality of the work. In order for the support structure to not be visible, the cardboard has about 1/4” of overhang, which also emphasizes the irregular edges.
When handling the work try to avoid picking it up by or standing it directly on its edge. Grab it by the wood support to hold it and lean it at an angle when resting it against the floor and wall. If you do bend it, simply bend it back. Any crease or fold that results will more than likely blend in with the others. In general, though, be careful with it.
If you require your purchase to be shipped, please note that I use a company in Galway that packages and ships artwork for artists, galleries and museums here in the west of Ireland. Each piece is securely insulated and packed in extremely durable shipping materials.
Examples of older paintings and works on cardboard:
El Greco (c. 1586)
Rubens (c. 1619)
Claes Oldenburg (c 1960)
Two Places at Once, July 4-15, The Courthouse, Kinvara
Happy to announce a show of new work opening Thursday, July 4th at The Courthouse Gallery in Kinvara. Two Places at Once features myself and my good friend Fabiano Mulas presenting our recent paintings. The opening reception is Thursday July 4th at 8 pm. Hope you can visit.
A painting for Earth Matters...
ROUND THING (2019), oil on cardboard on wood, 28” x 28”. €500
I’ve wanted to make paintings based on circles for a while now, and this show seemed like a great opportunity to do one. For some time, my friends Bill and Aaron have had a painting in their house that intrigued me. It’s simple, just a black square with what looks to be a white chalk circle in the middle. It’s not a perfect circle because it wasn’t traced, but it’s pretty close, and it’s simplicity and imperfection raised a lot of thoughts for me over the years.
And to return to making a painting on one uninterrupted surface was interesting, as well, meaning I once again considered the “picture” aspects of where the colors went. I’ve been pondering what is next, after the current series runs its course, and this work may be some indication.