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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, NY – February 8, 2012 — StumbleUpon Art Program selects New York City creative Ari Lankin for the latest exhibition at StumbleUpon. For the first time under one roof, Lankin will show examples from different bodies of work. The inspiration for a survey show comes from StumbleUpon’s strength of discovering and sharing quality content on the Internet. A main reason Lankin chose a life of art, is it allows him to explore any of his interests. A current interest is how the human experience is rapidly changing with the digital age. The paths in which we navigate the Internet are influenced by collective content curation on sites like StumbleUpon. Coming off the heels of a hugely successful solo exhibition in Chelsea of his dynamic abstract paintings, this exhibition which opens Thursday, February 23rd, 2012, from 6-10pm, will feature an exciting painterly range.
The art program at StumbleUpon was created to support local artists by utilizing StumbleUpon technology, help grow local arts communities both on and offline, and enhance the StumbleUpon workplace. The opening reception on February 23rd, a featured event during Social Media Week, is free and open to the public. Contact info@arilankin.com to schedule a private viewing or a tour with the artist for the duration of the show.
Show: “Particles and Waves”
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 23rd, 6-10 PM
Where: StumbleUpon, SoHo, NYC - 73 Spring Street (bet Crosby and Lafayette) Suite 206
A small preview here…
While walking home from a summer BBQ at a friends house in the middle of the night I stopped with a friend in Madison Square Park to see this years public sculpture. I was taken aback when Jaume Plensa’s Echo appeared perfectly lit in the thick night sky. We walked around Echo while enjoying the quiet NYC summer night. The sculpture appeared to follow us as we walked around the park. It feels alive in this location. I am particularly drawn to the scale of the sculpture. It is equal to the height of the trees and stretches towards the sky. It is definitely worth seeing in person. It’s up until August 14th.
A few days later I returned to the park to paint a literal landscape with a realistic surreal twist. People who have seen the painting without knowing about the sculpture think it is one of my surreal paintings.
Here we go…
I got there early and was the first to enter the newly opened gated area. After some pacing back and forth I decided on this vantage point.
A rough acrylic sketch in some primary shades to feel out the composition.
Jumping into the painting with oils now. Some dark greens to fracture the space. It’s only oil from this point on.
Now that I am certain I’m sticking with this composition I start adding the trees.
Testing how putting blue in the sky activates the green. Although I’m painting from observation, it’s all about what is on the canvas.
Removing the pink from the sky by adding blue. Every mark of creation is a mark of destruction.
The light is starting to set in the west, so I remove some shadow from the left side of the face. At this point I took a quick bathroom break. On my way to the bathroom I had a strange feeling I recognized every other person on the street. On my way back I thought I recognized a high school classmate while crossing the street. I turned around and said her name. Sure enough it was her. I’ll say it a million times, New York is the smallest-biggest city you’ve ever seen.
Starting to lock in on how I want to place the shadows. While painting outdoors the light is continually changing.
After spending a lot of time on the trees I turn my focus to the buildings in the background. I love studying buildings when I paint. There are so many things to notice, especially as you stand in the same place and watch the light change.
An action shot by the talented Larry Closs. It was nice chatting with you Larry, and thanks for the great photo. Notice I have one headphone in. I listened to Outkast’s Aquemini most of the day on repeat.
Time to change the pace as I add lots of details. Literally carving out the building on the right side by scraping the paint off the canvas with my knife. I also gave the sculpture a facelift.
Adding the lines denoting the sectional construction of Echo. It was very sunny, so notice the reflection of the grass on the chin of the matte stone surface. Keep in mind that color is traveling all around us.
Madison Square Park and Plensa's Echo | 14 x 11 inches | oil and acrylic on canvas | 2011.
Fine details and some whispy clouds finish the painting off. Go see this sculpture for yourself and grab a bite to eat at Shake Shack. It was tough smelling those burgers all day.
This is the perfect time of the year for painting on location. I am currently available for commissions, so if you would like to commission a location painting or anything else contact me directly.
What an amazing public work of art, great work Jaume! Plensa exhibits internationally, and is represented by Galerie Lelong in New York and Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago.
Remember the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year? It’s a distant thought, like most news gone by. Yet, it’s something we will never forget. With no decisive image how will we remember it?
First an account of the events according to Wikipedia: At 9:45 P.M. CDT on 20 April 2010, during the final phases of drilling the exploratory well at Macondo, a geyser of seawater erupted from the marine riser onto the rig, shooting 240 ft (73 m) into the air. This was soon followed by the eruption of a slushy combination of mud, methane gas, and water. The gas component of the slushy material quickly transitioned into a fully gaseous state and then ignited into a series of explosions and then a firestorm. An attempt was made to activate the blowout preventer, but it failed. The resultant oil spill continued until July 15 when it was temporarily closed by a cap. Relief wells were used to permanently seal the well, which was declared “effectively dead” on September 19, 2010.
I was watching the live feed of the oil cap while I was listening to music and painting. I became mesmerized how the cap hovered around the screen much like footage of the first moon landing. In the corner of my eye it looked like a combination of a fish tank and a fireplace. Eventually I started a new painting of what I was watching on the screen, the capping of Deepwater Horizon.
This is by far the coolest still life I have ever done. I would compare it to a reverse cubist experience. I studied the subject from thousands of angles created from a hovering point of view on a flat computer screen instead of representing observed reality from multiple points of view while flattening the image on the picture plane. That’s a lot of ideas for one sentence.
I’ll keep it short the rest of the way.
I was watching this live feed off of my computer screen taken by the Skandi Neptune support vessel. If you didn’t know what it was it may be very strange at first glance. After extended viewing it continues to look strange to me… space alien machine cartoon monster.
I was ready to rock right out of the gate because I had been painting all day. I liked how the subject was literally built by joining smaller pieces. I took a similar approach to building the imagery.
Most of the subject was constructed, but I hadn’t decided how to resolve the edges.
At times it felt like I was painting a still life on a table. In a way I was, a computer screen sitting on my desk. I eventuallty painted the edges black like the physical computer screen.
The red in the upper right was sea debris drifting around the frame. In the painter as director position I decided to paint it on the edge of the frame. Since it’s a static image we don’t know if it is entering or exiting the view.
The Capping of Deepwater Horizon | oil on canvas | 22 x 28 inches | 2010
History is a funny thing. Who decides what to remember, and how we remind? How does technology change the way we are delivered information and remember the past?
Click image for a larger photo.
Notice the texture of the paint and how the image was made by laying impasto strokes and scraping down to the gessoed canvas.
When you get a new brush it’s all crispy and perfectly shaped. A new brush is a wonderful thing. It dawned on me one day that I should try emulating that new brush feeling after I wash my brush.
Before my current method it took me a lot of trial and error: cleaning with soap, cleaning with turps, soaking in oil, wrapping in cloth after any of the prior or the latter, or never washing at all.
This is how to extend the life of your brushes:
Dirty Brush
Washed brush, notice the loose shape.
First I thoroughly clean my brush. Usually I do this with a bar of soap and hot water. A light milking motion (base to tip) will get rid of deep saturated pigment.
After I wash the brushes I apply the miracle product…
Best damn glue like hair gel ever. Or at least thats what my brushes tell me.
A three dollar bottle of hair gel. My brand of choice is L.A. Looks.
Um 10+
Strength? Mega X-Treme Hold 10+ of course.
The loose brush from before after a light hair gel application.
Apply enough gel to lightly coat and shape the brush
When the brush dries it will maintain that new on-the-shelf brush shape.
This will extend the life of the brush and help it retain its optimal shape for controlled paint application.
Three dollars worth of gel lasts me about a year, and saves me hundred’s of dollars in brushes.
This has been a Painter’s Public Service Announcement.
I’ve always had a strong interest in mathematics. Early in my career I made paintings that were derived from mathematical equations and were framed within the grid. Most notably Deja Vu I, and Deja Vu II.
When I started this painting I had those paintings in mind, but there was no mathematical theory behind the layout. This time I decided to go on gut intuition. I had no idea where this would lead me.
This is how it went….
I laid down a grid of five inch squares. I added the colors one at a time at first.
As the painting progressed I added more than one color at a time. This is how the painting looked after finishing filling the squares with color. Keeping it loose, it’s ok to paint outside the lines.
I wasn’t feeling how the colors were interacting so I decided to cover some of the squares with white. The layers of white are intentionally translucent so the color shows through.
Something was missing… black.
Back to my roots of black and white. At the same time notice how the colors radiate under the white squares. Look again, the pattern is not symmetrical.
Now that the color is muted, nine circles activate the linear grid.
Exploring the new spaces created by the circle outlines.
Now the circles are completely integrated with the grid. At this point I’m starting to read the painting as a meditative symbol.
Time to add color, it stirs the soul in ways black and white can not.
The importance of the integrity of the grid fades as I explore the meditative feeling.
At this point I’m literally painting myself into a state of unconsciousness.
Almost all recognition of the outer circles are gone.
The image felt like it was missing something. I started to get stuck in parts, so I brought back the circles.
The structure was complete. I felt there was a deep unity and at the same time paths of expansion. To finish the painting I refined the circles, clarified the points that kiss the edges, and further developed the lines.
Mandala | acrylic and oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | 2011
Click image for larger size.
The final image will hopefully enable the viewer a visual path to a meditative experience.
On July 14th the reception for Clipped, a group show featuring the work of Andrew Matsumoto, Michael Serafino, Jeremy Penn, Flip Skip, Ari Lankin and Borbay was held at Le Salon d’ Art. Orignally scheduled from 7-10pm this party didn’t end until about 1am. This is what happens when you get a great group of people together and a very large quantity of refreshments that kept being replenished by the many happy guests. We would like to thank all of our loyal fans and the many new ones that came out for great art, conversation, and NYC style revelry. We’ll see if the streak continues and anyone gets married from meeting each other at this show. Sparks were flying, art was consumed, and drinks were flowing.
All of the photos (except the first two and the last) are by the very talented Tessa Beligue Photography. When you are finished with these take a minute to check out more of Tessa’s photos. I particularly like her portraits, night shots, unique perspectives, and intense use of color.
Relive the glory, or experience if for the first time…
Ari Lankin, Jason Borbay, and Jeremy Penn pose for a picture a few minutes before the show starts with the always early art/entertainment guru G (in green). Photo courtesy of according2G.com, check out the link for his really cool blog. He is everywhere and sees everything.
Penn and Borbay lounging in the plush salon chairs before the doors open. Photo courtesy of according2G.com
Michael Serafino hanging out by Borbay’s home base.
Matsumoto, Victoria, Lankin, and Serafino pause for a moment. A camera in a photo, so real, surreal.
The ever alert Serafino, nothing gets by him. The lovely Ms. Wells and Penn chat it up in the background.
Sanpaku eyes gaze through the crowd as the party starts to pop. People getting locked and loaded.
Now thats how you carry a cell phone.
Matsumoto!
Lankin and Shiva Krishna in the middle of a formal discussion.
The vibe.
The view from behind the bar. Borbay’s Marilyn holding strong. Read more about his painting here.
Reflections, people reflecting, don’t blink, or rather blink twice and move along.
The Deception of William Murphy by Jeremy Penn.
Paparazzi started to get out of hand. Two photographer’s passing in the night.
Borbay’s work including his newly finished Old Bay painting hang above the mirrors.
James Serafino, a handsome fella, a good bartender, but a much better illustrator.
Full house.
Who could resist that smile? RED
Where’s Courtney?
More vibin’
Lankin and the always interesting Ms. Dubash discuss the art of staying young at heart forever.
Penn, Lankin, and Serafino. One for the ages.
Ed. Nuff said.
Just having fun.
A Penn, Victoria, Lankin sandwich. Hold the cheese.
Gallery/Salon owner Hans Kerremans and his spectacular wife Grace.
V is for Vogue.
Borbay, Jon-O, Ms. Grignon, and Lankin take a moment even Mr. Kodak would be proud of.
Shiva supports Borbay as he gives a rousing impromptu speech to the masses. Artist Paul Zepeda in the background.
How many speeches end with people high fiving?
Newly hitched husband and wife. Congratulations!
Chessa and Matsumoto. She is clearly overwhelmed, but rises to the challenge, with how to pose alongside the artist.
Stunning portrait of Christina. I love Tessa’s portraits. That’s why we hired her to cover our show.
Fedora, Shades, and Sanpaku.
Vibin’ continued….
A couple of rad fashionistas, Christina and Nigella.
Has anyone seen Edvard Munch? I demand answers! L, Z, and C hold a tribunal in the background.
Closing down the shop almost 3 hours after scheduled ending time. You know how we roll.
The End.
Thank you to everyone for coming out.
Immortal Captain | oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | 2011 | Ari Lankin
As many of you know I have nurtured my love of art for a long time, but I have been nurturing my passion for Flyers hockey since the day I was born. My parents have blessed our family with season tickets since 1973, well before I was born.
Today the supposed keystone of the Philadelphia Flyers team was traded. Captain Mike Richards was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings 30 minutes after fellow Flyers star and good friend Jeff Carter was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The first deal was no real shocker. The team had salary cap pressure while trying to sign a new goalie, which apparently they did after the Richards trade.
The Richards trade was a little more to stomach.
Will next year be the year the Flyers recoup the Stanley Cup?
During the last week of the regular season I started a Mike Richards painting. Richards was The Flyers Captain and stud player who was destined to be the next great figure in Philadelphia sports. That was until the 2011 hockey season happened. Destiny waits for no man.
On June 23, 2011, The Flyers made big changes in the organization, and I made a big change in my Richards painting.
Here it is..
A spacious grid to give a framework to the structure of the painting. Screaming orange to set the mood for this painting.
Most of the body has solidified. And I start adding orange marks in the background.
Looks like this guy is Flyered Up. Here comes color number three. I love laying a dark color into a very light painting. The sensation is tangible.
Building the form up with different shades of orange and white. Some Flyers symbols start popping up in the flames.
There was too much separation with the black background so I decided to lighten it with some dry brush marks. I was inspired by the look of ice.
More specifically the ice at a hockey rink. Art related hockey fact: White pigment is added to the water that is frozen to make the rink.
Starting to really catch that Mike Richards fierceness. He can really be a beast on the ice when he is on top of his game.
Immortal Captain | oil on canvas | 30 x 30 inches | 2011 | Ari Lankin
The painting now stands as tribute to all Flyers Captains. Especially the greatest Captain, the immortal number 16, Bobby Clarke.
I have faith in 2012 for this organization. I must admit this is an exciting move by Paul Holmgren. We welcome new Flyers Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Ilya Bryzgalov.
I would also like to give a big thank you to Richie and Carts for taking this team to high levels. You will always be a great part of Flyers history. I wish you both the very best in your careers. It’s unfortunate we won’t get to walk together forever.
You know what they say in hockey, its not the name on the back, its the crest on the front.
Let’s Go Flyers!
Jaromir Jagr | acrylic, oil, pen, collage, and cloth on canvas | 11 x 14 inches | 2011 | Ari Lankin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY - June 23, 2011 – The group exhibition: CLIPPED — “Appropriated Material From The Streets of New York,” will take place during July at Le Salon d’ Art Gallery. Running the entire month of July, this group exhibition will showcase six New York artists, including: Andrew Matsumoto, Michael Serafino, Jeremy Penn, Flip Skip, Ari Lankin and Borbay.
“CLIPPED” refers to the link these artists share using printed paper as their most common found material. These works embody and perpetuate our fractured reality by literally fracturing it even further. Materials, words, and images are clipped from their original context and reborn in new situations. The end result enables the viewer to slip into an infinite realm of the past, the present, and the future.
Artist Reception: July 14th, 2011, 7 – 10 PM
Show Duration: July 1 – July 31, 2011
Location: Le Salon d’ Art | 90 Stanton Street | Manhattan
More About the Show and Preview Images:
JEREMY PENN
The Sunday over Memorial Day Weekend I woke up with a desire to paint outdoors. I made a coffee, packed up my supplies, sent out a few messages to friends, and headed out to the park. I decided on my favorite spot in Central Park, Sheep Meadow.
This was my third Sheep Meadow painting. Each time I have painted a different corner.
The northeast corner is the latest in the series.
So let’s get to the painting…
Started off with some yellow spots of sun and magenta in the sky. Very loose brush marks as I feel out the space and how the paint is going to behave in this weather.
Some dark marks form the structure of the tree in the foreground and the pull of the trees in the distant background.
Defining the layers of depth in the painting. The ground starts to solidify, establishing some gravity.
The top of the painting opens up like a breath of fresh air with the addition of blue. The rock, a key moment in the painting takes shape. Notice one of my happy friends in the lower left having a beer and hanging out.
A little resolution in every part of the painting. It’s at a moment like this that I realize where the painting is really going.
Time to define the depth of the tree on the left. Filling out the grass in the foreground stretches the space.
It’s all about the leaves in the trees at this stage. The individual leaf is as important as the role it plays in relation to the other leaves around it. Finishing touches to the purple lilacs are followed by the final touches on the left tree.
Sheep Meadow, Memorial Day Weekend, NE | 24 x 18 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011
Fin.
Previous Sheep Meadow paintings:
Sheep Meadow, Labor Day Weekend, SE | 18 x 24 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2010
Sheep Meadow, SW | 24 x 18 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2010
A steel and glass pyramid stands tall in Nevada. A beam of light shoots out from its apex. For our last painting we decided on the most recognizable hotel on the strip. Our home base for 9 nights, the Luxor Hotel and Casino. Old is new, and new is old, the space time continuum quivers.
Per my modus operandi, I zoned out listening to the same album on repeat. I listened to Mac Miller’s K.I.D.S. on repeat for the first 7 hours of this painting. You can download K.I.D.S. here for free. Mac Miller is a very talented 19-year-old rapper from Pittsburgh.
Let me take you through the development…
After deciding on a head-on composition I dove in with yellow.
Feeling out where to place the pyramid… a little more up and to the left, a little more, perfect. Framing the main subject with the obelisk on the right edge of the canvas. Now there are essentially two edges on the right side.
I decided to lay down gold for the sky and silver for the pyramid. Here comes magenta to create some depth in the image.
More color and more depth. It’s time to add the details now that the general composition is solidified. I put down a dark color for the pyramid, but decided to revert back to the silver.
An action shot with my subject in the background. Headphone in the right ear.
Starting to carve out the form of the sphinx by adding shadows and blue on the headdress.
Jerry Shawback painting hard in the trenches of a vacant hotel lot across the street from the Luxor.
Another action shot now turned directly towards The Luxor.
It was hot out there and apparently my pockets got a little steamy. I decided to put in the trees and was instantly happy with this executive decision. Time to darken the pyramid for real this time.
A quick visit to the other end of the block to say what’s up to Borbay. Check out his Luxor painting.
Dramatic silhoutte photo opportunity on the way back to my easel.
Is that beam of light from the top of the pyramid visible from space? Apparently. Let me note for the record, even with this scientific miracle we had no wi-fi access in our room.
Everything is solidifying quite nicely. A big jump at this time with: highlights and shadows on the trees, reflections on the pyramid, the monorail track, and details on the sphinx.
The blue sky brings out the sphinx’s eyes, and here comes the monorail in the lower left.
Old Is New and New Is Old, The Luxor | 20 x 20 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011
Fin.
View my other Las Vegas paintings:
Welcome To Las Vegas Sign
Welcome to Las Vegas | 24 x 24 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011.
The Sahara Hotel & Casino
End Of An Era, The Sahara | 20 x 20 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011.
El Cortez Hotel & Casino
El Cortez Hotel, 600 Fremont St | 24 x 24 inches | acrylic on canvas | 2011.
Broadway Bare: 2 Hot, Live Painting
Bares Cares, acrylic and ribbon on canvas, 20 x 20 inches, 2011.
Check out this great time lapse video of Las Vegas that includes us painting, by Allan Gange.
