Monday, September 28, 2009

THIS WEEKEND!!! POST: East of Broad Street!!!

I'm super excited for POST this weekend! Aside from it being a fabulous excuse to clean my space, I love having people come visit the studio! So if you're in Philly this weekend come on by!
I'll also be a stop on the Friends of CFEVA Tour, so if you've signed up, I'll see you on Sunday!!!
Here's the info:


Philadelphia Open Studio Tours 2009: East of Broad Street
October 3rd-4th, 2009, 12-6pm

DARLA JACKSON
3237 Amber Street
Studio 3-3-A (3rd Floor, North Side)
Philadelphia, PA 19134

Click HERE for a map!



Philadelphia, PA – This October, The Center for Emerging Visual Artists™ is pleased to bring you the 10th Annual Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. Join over 300 professional visual artists, local businesses, arts organizations and galleries to celebrate 10 years of studio art! Artists and event partners in every neighborhood from Chestnut Hill to South Philly will open their doors free to public in the largest event of its kind in Philadelphia.

This year, the Open Studio Tours is happy to feature artists in Port Richmond:
Charles Burwell
Laura Cameron
Daniel De Jesus
Darla Jackson
Michelle Lipson
Shobha Menon
MONARC-Masters of None Art Co.
Alice Oh
Adam Rung Woodworks
Sire Press
Staack Moore Woodworking
The Sweatshop
Steven Earl Weber

In addition, we are working with Pterodactyl Philadelphia as a Community Partner to provide support and information about the event. Visit philaopenstudios.org for detailed information about participating artists and community partners.

The 10th Anniversary Festivities are just around the corner! For details on the comprehensive schedule of POST-related activities, including artist workshops, receptions, exhibitions, neighborhood parties, and more, visit philaopenstudios.com/Events.aspx. Following is a schedule of this year’s official events:

ARTIST STUDIOS EAST OF BROAD STREET
The weekend of October 3-4, 2009, noon-6pm
All tours are self-guided and free
Visit artists working in South Philly, Bella Vista, Queen Village, South Street, Center City, Old City, Northern Liberties, Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond

ARTIST STUDIOS WEST OF BROAD STREET
The weekend of October 10-11, 2009, noon-6pm
All tours are self-guided and free
Visit artists working in Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Manayunk, Roxborough, West Philly, North Philly, Fairmount, Center City, and Graduate Hospital

POST GUIDED TOUR
Sunday October 4, 1 – 4 pm
Meet at 1521 Locust Street
Want to visit artist studios, but not sure where to start? Join us for the Friends of CFEVA Guided Tour, and enjoy select artist studios with transportation and refreshments provided. Tickets are $75 each; reservations required. To reserve a space or for more information, contact the Center for Emerging Visual Artists at 215-546-7775 x16 or holly@cfeva.org.

SELECTIONS FROM THE STUDIO
Opening Reception, Thursday October 8, 5 – 7 pm
Exhibition runs from Monday September 28 to Friday October 16, 2009
Group exhibition featuring POST artists selected by Julien Robson, PAFA Curator of Contemporary Art. The Gallery at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists is located at 1521 Locust Street, Lower Level, and the Gallery Hours are noon to 4pm M-F.



For a full list of artists; high resolution images; profiles of specific artists; or more details on events, promotions or sponsorship, please contact Ann Koivunen at 215-546-7775 x13 or ann@cfeva.org

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

With Love, North Philadelphia XOXO



Oh, I got one...an idea that is...a new body of work is making itself known in my brain as I type this...and I'm already excited. For now, all I'll say is it was inspired by a cat wrapped in duct tape, stories of dead dogs being thrown over fences, and those darn "With Love, Philadelphia XOXO" billboards I see everywhere...

Monday, September 21, 2009

Weekly Update

I've just come off a fabulously relaxing weekend of much needed lady time...I had full intentions of getting in the studio but am glad I had the 2 days off (I am pregnant for goodness sake...!). I'll be in there this week prepping for the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours and starting some new sketches and whatnot. More on that below:

Current Exhibitions



Step Right Up...
New sculpture by Darla Jackson
September-October 2009
Vagabond Boutique
37 N. 3rd Street

Philadelphia, PA

This show is still up until October 31st, so if you're in Old City stop in and check it out!




My Face in Your Space
September 10 - October 2, 2009

Nexus Foundation For Today's Art

1400 N. American Street

Philadelphia, PA


This show is like the Facebook of art, where participating artists had to create a portrait of the artist that invited them to be in the show. It runs until October 2nd.

Upcoming Exhibitions

In October...

My studio will be open to the public for 2 days as part of the 2009 Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. Come see the space I share with the fabulous Ms. Aubrie Costello.

POST Open Studio
October 3-4, 2009, 12-6pm
3237 N. Amber Street, Studio 3-3-A
Philadelphia, PA

My studio will be included on the Friends of CFEVA Guided Tour on October 4th, which is great for those of you who are not sure which studios to visit! More info can be found on the POST website


Fall 2009 Classes

My Sculptural Forms class at the Fleisher Art Memorial is up and running. Last week was our first week and everyone is doing fabulously. Unfortunately the The Introduction to Animal Sculpture Class through Pterodactyl Philadelphia didn't run this time, but I'll be offering another session in the spring so anyone who's interested, please let me know!

That's all for now...I'm off to deinstall the Fringe Fest installation!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Best Husband Ever

So I get a phone call today...
Me: "hello?"
Justin: "Do you want a horse skull for $25? It has a jaw and everything."
Me: "YES!!!!!!!!"
Justin: "Ok, I have to go get money out and I'll be home in a bit"

Sure enough, in a short while my hub comes home and walks in with the lower jaw of what looks to be a T-rex (it terms of hugeness...horses are so damn big!)...he runs back out and comes back in with the rest of it and I swear, it was like Christmas! It's so huge! And awesome! And perfect for sculpting, reference, using as a teaching prop, etc! I am so so so excited...!!!


Me and George (the skull)

Surely not every woman has a guy who sees a horse skull being sold on the side of the road and thinks of her...I consider myself lucky ;)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Darla in Real Life: Part 2 - Crazy Cats and Fancy Packages

Some days are needed to just stay home and catch up on the business end of art, ie updating resume, sending out applications, emails, emails, emails, planning future projects, etc. Quite honestly I love this part of it...getting my affairs in order always frees up my brain for being able to make stuff without panicking in the middle of sculpting (OH MY GOD! DID I REMEMBER TO PAY THAT BILL?! DID I EMAIL THAT GUY ABOUT THE SHOW AT THAT PLACE? DID I REMEMBER TO TELL THAT PERSON I'LL BE THERE NEXT WEEK TO PICK UP [INSERT RANDOM ART RELATED THING HERE]?, etc, etc, etc)...

The other reason I love these days is because while I'm at home taking care of businezz, I get to see what it is that my cats actually do all day AND I get the mail as soon as it comes! (Note to readers: I absolutely love, adore, obsess over getting mail...not getting mail will turn a good day grumpy in an instant and vice versa.)


Turns out that, the cats, they don't do much...







And mail has been good! Yesterday I got a bag I ordered from BunniesBunnies on Etsy (it's called the 6 Bunnies bag! How perfect!)


And she included 2 freebie items!!!! This pin:


And this little wrislet! I was overwhelmingly exciting...not only did I get mail...I got extra presents in the mail!
Ok, now for the actual getting down to business part...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Biz Ladies


In case anyone hasn't ever seen this blog, Design Sponge is a beautiful blog that offers, among many things, a weekly section called Biz Ladies. Many topics are covered here that can pertain to both artists and crafters and all are super informative. I say check it out...

Monday, September 14, 2009

Darla in Real Life


I worry...it's what I do. I come from a line of worriers...My mom is way better at sneaky worrying than my Grandmother is...She'll atleast ask concerned questions, instead of launching a full on attack of scary "facts" and questions and statements, like my grandmother would do...so in a way I think my mom has helped me be a much more normal worrier than I might have ended up otherwise...
Still, I feel like my own personal worrying has changed in the last year (most likely due to being pregnant for most of the year)...I used to worry without doing much about it, would forget and get over it until I was reminded again of said cause of worry days, months or years later, ie, killer bees, monsoons, food poisoning, stove on, etc, etc, etc.
Now I try to be a responsible worrier...When I worry about something, I try to research it a) so I can learn more about it (which sometimes makes me more scared) and b) so I can try and do something about it.
Something that came up recently is cell phones...Justin and I were talking with our friend Laura about how we don't really know how bad they are for us...we suspect the badness but aren't sure and have never really bothered to look into it. Funny enough I got an email today from the environmental working group (You want to feed paranoia...go to this site. It's awesome and scary scary scary.) about cell phones and whether they are safe. You can search for your phone and see what models are better. There's also an article about 8 steps you can take to reduce your radiation exposure, which I thought was good to include. Turns out that our cell phones are two of the bad guys (shit.) but we've been needing new ones anyway so...maybe we'll switch it up and get ones with lower radiation exposure... Anyway, in case anyone else out there is paranoid like I am, here's the article: IS YOUR CELL PHONE SAFE?
I know this has nothing to do with art. Sorry for that. I've just been in "life business mode" today...meaning paying bills, tracking a package to Belgium that has gone missing, cleaning up my filing cabinet, and overall being responsible and organizing my life...so I felt like this was more on my mind at the moment.
Anywho...Happy Monday.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Next up....?

So what now..? All my shows are installed and staying put (for now) and I am trying to think about what I am to do with myself...Philadelphia Open Studio Tours is coming up in the beginning of October so that is the PERFECT excuse to get my disaster of a studio back in order...(Justin always teases me and says I can work in a trash pile and/or hovel and won't be bothered by it...this is only partly true...I CAN work in an absolute mess, but prefer not to...)
And then what? Well, I've got some ideas coming to me as the impending baby gets closer and closer to coming...Strange images of rabbits and having babies and all that, but weird (of course)...I think I'm going to do some drawings and watercolors as prep work...I have plans to get to the Wagner this week or next to sketch as well...I've been trying to get to that place for years...literally YEARS! I can't believe I've never been...the kick in the ass has been that Justin will be cladding (aka framing out and covering in wood) their bronotosaurus leg (art handlers do the strangest things dont they?) and so he's been mentioning it quite a bit...
Anyway, my thoughts are to plan a body of work, or a group of pieces that relate to one another...and also to plan out some large, room sized installations...I've got some crazy ideas and might use my down time to get logistics figured out...so with all this inner brain craziness forgive me if I seem a bit scattered/all over the place in the next few months...heck, it might be more exciting that way? I don't know...
Anyway, off to sleep...cleaning studio and/or Wagner tomorrow, with photos to come either way...woo hoo!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Weekly Update

What a crazy past week! Thank goodness I did nothing for the last two days except lay on the couch and watch every single Harry Potter movie (Justin even found a bootleg of the 6th one online...was so much better when we saw it in the theater but the crappy internet bootleg did complete our weekend marathon!...Now I feel semi back to normal...

Current Exhibitions



Step Right Up...
New sculpture by Darla Jackson
September-October 2009
Vagabond Boutique
37 N. 3rd Street

Philadelphia, PA

111th Fleisher Faculty Exhibition
August 24th-September 19th, 2009

Fleisher Art Memorial

719 Catherine Street

Philadelphia, PA


Closing Reception: Sunday, September 19th 4-6pm

Upcoming Exhibitions



My Face in Your Space
September 10 - October 2, 2009

Nexus Foundation For Today's Art

1400 N. American Street

Philadelphia, PA

Opening Reception: September 10th, 6-9pm


And...

POST Artist's Installations
Philadelphia Fringe Festival - Festival Bar
SW corner of 5th and Fairmount Streets
Philadelphia, PA

More info can be found at the Festival Bar Page of the Fringe Fest's website.

In October...

My studio will be open to the public for 2 days as part of the 2009 Philadelphia Open Studio Tours. Come see the space I share with the fabulous Ms. Aubrie Costello.

POST Open Studio
October 3-4, 2009, 12-6pm
3237 N. Amber Street, Studio 3-3-A
Philadelphia, PA

And December...

Art House Gallery : Atlanta, Ga
309 Peters St
Atlanta, GA 30313
December 11 - 13, 2009

303Grand : Brooklyn, NY
303 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
February 19 - 21, 2010

Art and Shelter Gallery at The Salvation Army Alegria : Los Angeles, CA
2737 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
April 8 - 11, 2010

Soulard Art Market : Saint Louis, MO
2028 S. 12th St
Saint Louis, MO 63104
April 16 - 18, 2010

Home Gallery : Chicago, IL
1407 E. 54th Place
Chicago, IL
May 7th-9th, 2010


Fall 2009 Classes

The upcoming classes that I'll be teaching this fall are an Introduction to Animal Sculpture Class through Pterodactyl Philadelphia (to be held in my studio...come check it out!) and Sculptural Forms through the Fleisher Art Memorial. Can't wait!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

2 days, 2 Installs

Whew, this week was crazy....getting ready for two shows... Here are some images from both:

First is an installation at the Fringe Festival Bar at 5th and Fairmount in Philadelphia...





The creepy guy under the hood is a raccoon I sculpted a while back...they wanted a hooded figure and he was the chosen man of mystery...


Next is my solo show at Vagabond. The space is small so its only 3 pieces but I think they're pretty funny...and a good continuation from the work I made for a miniature ocean.


Try your luck..., Mixed Media, 30"h x 30"w x 5"d, 2009



Take a shot..., Mixed Media, 12"h x 36"w x 10"d, 2009


Test your aim..., Mixed Media, 36"h x 60"w x 6"d, 2009

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

In the Studio...





Whont Whont with a dash of Irony...

So I would've posted yesterday...I planned on coming home for lunch from the studio and uploading in progress photos of the work I'm making...that is, until a rabbit fell on my head...
How did a rabbit fall on my head you ask? Well it wasn't a live rabbit, it was a sculpture. And he was up on top of something that I forgot he was on top of when I tried to move said something...and he fell down and cracked me good....there was crying, blood, ice packs, the whole nine yards.

The irony bit, is that this is the piece that fell on my head:


And this is me after it fell on my head:

...