Dave Alsobrooks

One-year Painting.

// October 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Art, Design, Life

I’m starting a year-long painting today. Well, maybe not an entire year. But it won’t be completed until August of 2010. As part of my new residency from the Durham Art Guild at Golden Belt, I’m required to donate a painting. Rather than get to the end of the year and randomly pick out a piece from the previous year’s body of work or select a piece which may or may not sell, I thought I’d give them something that had a hand in everything completed during my time in the studio. The real foundation (literally) for my work.

I had previously assembled a rough tabletop as my primary work suffice when I realized it could actually be a painting. So I’m going to use the tabletop as a workspace and as a painting. Along with collaging stuff I’ll allow my normal working process to contribute to the eventual painting. It’ll serve almost like a journal of the year’s work. It should be interesting. And fun. But my idea of fun is throwing paint and carving letterforms into plywood.

You can come see me in the space (tonight) as part of Durham’s Third Friday event. The studios at Golden Belt are located at 807 East Main Street in Durham, NC. I’m in Studio 138 in Building 3. Cheers.

On the hook.

// October 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

I’m happy to report I’ve started a year-long studio residency at Golden Belt in Durham. Many thanks to the Durham Art Guild and Scientific Properties who awarded the Residency. I’ll be developing a community program and will be required to provide quarterly reports on progress to the Guild. I’m happy to oblige on these points.  : )

I’m looking to expand on the art forms I’ve explored so far. This means I’ll be looking at projections, interventions in public spaces, traditional 2-D forms, sound and video. Not necessarily in that order… and not necessarily any or all of these forms will make it out of the studio door. Is that vague enough? Stay tuned… I’m accountable to progress!

Here’s the press release from the Guild.

Highway One prints.

// September 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

I was recently asked by a local advertising agency to hang some Highway One work. If you’ve followed the story here, you’d know these images were created with projection in mind. So I stepped back and punted. What I ended up with are 8 x 10 prints on Arches and Strathmore papers. I fixed these and then applied several coats of varnish. These prints are applied to a larger 22 x 15 vertical sheet and a custom Highway One wax seal is applied along with varied hand-stamped ornamentation. Each $75 print is signed and hand-numbered by the artist. I’m doing sets of 5 for each Highway One image — this Flickr set contains all of the final images. Even the ones not in the installation. Contact me if you’re interested.

MUSA artist profile: Newton/Alsobrooks.

// September 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Picks

I’ll soon be installing the Highway One work at the upcoming Made in the USA (MUSA) exhibition in Raleigh later this year. Here’s a little info about the exhibition:

MUSA is an art exhibition housed in a furniture factory that fell prey to economic pressure and closed its doors in 2002. In a broader sense, MUSA examines the effects of globalization and the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era in the U.S.A. in general and North Carolina in particular. As America has shifted from a society that produces to a society that consumes, numerous factories around the country lie dormant, a testament to what once was a way of life. David Newton is one of the exhibiting artists.

Content is important in David’s work, but there are some formal concerns that also unite. His forms are generally spacious and airy, with color playing an important part. An affinity for the combination of geometric and organic forms, and an ongoing interest in line are two prominent features. In addition to hardware and found objects the most common material is welded steel, with occasional woodwork.

An example of some of David’s work.

And an image I’ll project along with some ambient sound at the MUSA exhibition.

MUSA artist profile: Pecchio/Alsobrooks.

// September 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Life, Picks

I’ll soon be installing the Highway One work at the upcoming Made in the USA (MUSA) exhibition in Raleigh later this year. Here’s a little info about the exhibition:

MUSA is an art exhibition housed in a furniture factory that fell prey to economic pressure and closed its doors in 2002. In a broader sense, MUSA examines the effects of globalization and the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era in the U.S.A. in general and North Carolina in particular. As America has shifted from a society that produces to a society that consumes, numerous factories around the country lie dormant, a testament to what once was a way of life. Pamela Pecchio is one of the exhibiting artists.

Pamela earned an MFA in Photography from Yale University School of Art, New Haven, CT. She completed a BFA in Photography at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. She’s shown her work domestically across the Carolinas and in Georgia, Tennessee and New York City. Pamela has also shown her work abroad in China and Italy.

An example of Pamela’s work.

And an image I’ll project along with some ambient sound at the MUSA exhibition.

MUSA artist profile: Servon/Alsobrooks

// August 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Life, Picks

I’ll soon be installing the Highway One work at the upcoming Made in the USA (MUSA) exhibition in Raleigh later this year. Here’s a little info about the exhibition:

MUSA is an art exhibition housed in a furniture factory that fell prey to economic pressure and closed its doors in 2002. In a broader sense, MUSA examines the effects of globalization and the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era in the U.S.A. in general and North Carolina in particular. As America has shifted from a society that produces to a society that consumes, numerous factories around the country lie dormant, a testament to what once was a way of life. Jody Servon is one of the exhibiting artists.

Jody Servon was born in New Brunswick, NJ and currently lives and works in Blowing Rock and Greensboro, NC. She received a MFA in New Genre from The University of Arizona and a BFA in Visual Art from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is currently an assistant professor and director of the Catherine J. Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Previously Servon was an assistant curator at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in Florida.

An example of Jody’s work.

And an image I’ll project along with some ambient sound at the MUSA exhibition.

Unveiling Highway One.

// August 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life, Picks

Hey, folks.

I’m projecting the Highway One images tonight and have a prelim. soundtrack ready, too.

I’m pulling off this dry-run of the upcoming installation at the always friendly, always inspiring “Come Out & Play” exhibition in Pittsboro, NC. Come Out & Play has been going on for years and is the brainchild of Debbie Meyer and Eric Brantley. Their daughter, Beckett also adds to the ingenuity these days. Anyhow, it has historically been a sculpture venue, so I’m super-happy to sneak in and provide an alternative medium.

I might show up in the barn or in the garage where the drinks reside. Or maybe I’ll tie up a tarp and project out by the pond. We’ll see… it’ll be fun regardless. I’ll probably start the show near twilight (no vamps, please).

Directions: From Carrboro, go out Jones Ferry Road. From the light at Willow Creek Shopping Plaza, go 5 3/4 miles. Turn left onto Wild Horse Run, a gravel drive marked with a street sign. There will be a banner marking the show. Follow the drive to JimGin Farm. Park on the right — you’ll see it! Call 919-942-3252 if needed.

Here’s an image I’ll project. The sound will be ambient noise from Highway One.

Sequencing Highway One

// August 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

Working on sequencing the Highway One slides… the old-fashioned way. Looks like approximately 60-65 slides + ambient sound for the final piece. Think I’m using about 80 images out of the nearly 200 originals to compose the slides. Should weigh in around 5 or 6 minutes with transitions included. Getting audio within the next week or so. Progress!

Made in the USA

// August 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Life

Just got word that I’ll be installing the Highway One work at the upcoming Made in the USA (MUSA) exhibition in Raleigh later this year. Here’s a little info about the exhibition:

MUSA is an art exhibition housed in a furniture factory that fell prey to economic pressure and closed its doors in 2002. In a broader sense, MUSA examines the effects of globalization and the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era in the U.S.A. in general and North Carolina in particular. As America has shifted from a society that produces to a society that consumes, numerous factories around the country lie dormant, a testament to what once was a way of life.

MUSA directors, Carter Hubbard and Sara Botwick, have partnered with Otto Cozart to produce an interpretive, visual perspective that will allow patrons to relfect on what it means to be “made” in the USA. The exhibit will feature 20-40 accomplished artists. Some artists will prepare site-specific installations. others will recycle existing materials within the William Cozart building, while others will submit works of art which are related to MUSA themes. More info at http://www.musanc.com

Here’s a rendering of the Highway One installation:

Highway One/22

// July 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

I’ve been working through the retouching of these Highway One photos. Here are the final 23 images all taken in one day along this route. There are approximately 135 images remaining from the original 200 or so. It’d be nice to have around 50 in the final set — if there end up being that many worth showing. In the end, final images will be displayed via projection as part of an installation. The installation will include ambient sound and an antique church pew. And that’s about it.