Sunday, May 25, 2008

In the studio: Art on the Move

On April 15-16, 2008, we had a group of visitors from Art on the Move that toured the Cornelia Arts Building where my studio is located. I had to give a couple of talks and answer questions about my work. I was able to speak about my newly finished commission painting which I'll write about later.

Talking to the tour groups was a good experience and proved valuable - these were members of the Art Institute of Chicago and people who collected art. Over the two days I sold four paintings and someone asked me to call them when I finished one of my works in progress. 

I sold three paintings from my latest series of watertanks along with a view of the "El" from my studio windows.

west loop watertank #1, acrylic on canvas paper, 2008

west loop watertank #2, acrylic on canvas paper, 2008

west loop watertank #3, acrylic on record album cover, 2008


moving windows (studio view), acrylic on canvas, 2007

Saturday, May 24, 2008

StoryStudio and Wishbone Exhibits

I recently hung a photo exhibit at StoryStudio - the center for writing and related arts. I'm showing my series of cityscapes in their classrooms and hallway gallery.

May-July 2008
Solo Exhibition
4043 N. Ravenswood, Chicago, IL

I also have a couple paintings on display at Wishbone restaurant through the end of May. This a group exhibit for the annual Friends of the Arts Members show.

May 1-31, 2008
3300 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL

La Raza article - A building for art

My studio building and some of its artists, including myself, were featured in a Spanish language newspaper, La Raza. The reporter attended our spring open house back in March of 2008.

Click here to go to the article.  If you can't read Spanish, the translated text is below.

PHOTO: The painter Guillermo Carrillo accompanied by artists Barbara Krol, Nancy Charak and Kevin Swallow.


A building for art 

First was a metal smelting factory, then served as an ice factory, and now the building of the northwest corner of Cornelia and Ravenswood avenues is enabled as a curious formula for exercising the art. 

As explained David Munnard, whom can be defined as a volunteer administrative, Cornelia Arts Building "is a colony of independent artists who share costs for having set up workshops where different areas and styles of art: sculpture, visual arts, painting, design and Textile fashion, working in metal, glass, and so on. " 

Munnard clarifies that serves as anywhere in rent, does not have any special requirements and it does not exist as such an administration. 

"It's more a community that lives by sharing costs, and its cultural contribution to Chicago is that it is one of the few places that houses and providing opportunities for those painters or sculptors who still do not have a gallery, and also encourages new ones artists , "Explains the volunteer. 

Another peculiarity of this art center located at 1800 West Cornelia Avenue, which also has an exhibition space, which is the group that creates and develops his art there is multinational: South American, Italian, Japanese, Polish and, especially, U.S. . 

Opening of Spring 

The weekend of 29 and was conducted March 30 opening of the exhibition season of spring, which is an unparalleled opportunity to get up close and purchase the work of this community more than 60 artistic talents, who opened their studios and workshops to the public. 

Among them are the painter Guillermo Carrillo, a native of Santa Marta, one of the oldest cities in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, the birthplace of singer Carlos Vives, the soccer player Carlos "Pibe" Valderrama and famous in history because there died on Liberator Simón Bolívar. 

Carrillo mind that takes three years in Cornelia and that feels very happy to belong to this group of artists. He shared the studio with a photographer and expenditures with everyone else. He said that among all pay maintenance to be eligible for electricity, heating, water, community bath, security and access to studies for 24 hours. 

"That opened our studies and workshops is quite interesting because we show our work and a little move our material. So here is better because your art is exposed without having to bring your artwork to various galleries, which are costly at times," added painter . 

In his work Carrillo emphasized in the spring, "in these colors that everyone wants to see after such a long winter" and figures representing purity, angels, horses, landscapes and fruit. "Now I am also working on indigenous issues," he said. 

They speak Visitors 

Maria Teresa Gonzalez and Gustavo Osorio, two Colombians who attended the exhibition thanks to an electronic message of the General Consulate of Colombia, showed its appreciation for the variety and styles concentrated in one place. 

"I have never known a place where artists took the study and his workshop and open to the public," said Gonzalez. 

From painting them drew their attention Carillo Cockfighting, the horses, sunrises flowers and fruits, "with colors so alive, so tropical, one is transported to land, Latin americas," Osorio said. 

Alvaro Levy and Ken Gilbert also visited the building of the artists of Cornelia and expressed their satisfaction. Levy spoke of "the versatility of the artists that there are in Chicago for all tastes and proposals that one look." 

"This place is held by other performers, has founded 20 years before was an iron factory, after ice, and now a visionary man thought of by studies to divide us and turned it into a factory of artists," he concluded Carrillo with humor. © La Raza

Monday, May 19, 2008

Welcome to the new swallowstudios.com blog

I'm in the process of re-designing my website and online galleries. With that comes the new addition of a blog. 

This is where I'll post recent news, events, and information featuring my art. It's also where you can get a glimpse inside my studio, see works in progress, and get more insight into my work and my creative process.

Enjoy!