Next Friday, July 5th from 6-9pm, there will be an art opening at Bliss Home in Market Square featuring work I've made this year. If you can't make it that night, my work will be up all month so please stop in another time.

For this show, I'm mixing some work I made at the beginning of this year with work I'm in the midst of making right now. The inspiration is women's fashion and current trends in design.

Here is my artist statement for the show:

My work lately has been inspired by a subscription to Vogue my sister gave me a few summers ago. Most pieces began by tearing out pages from these magazines- photographs of scenes, models, and clothing.

I enjoy looking at fashion photography for aesthetic reasons- colors and patterns, for example- but also like being aware of new trends. I admire designers' innovation and craft, and on a business level, like to see how they market their specific look.

From a consumer's standpoint, I am intrigued by how much people are willing to invest in good design. I also wonder how important an item's timelessness is to them.

My work is about good design and the market that is out there for it. It explores trends and asks what it takes for something to be considered a classic.

Bliss Home

29 Market Square

Knoxville, TN 37902

Opening July 5, 6-9pm

Show runs all month

Each Monday, the Birdhouse, located on the corner of 4th and Gill, features a free movie with popcorn and it's open to the public. They have been borrowing an unreliable sound system for quite some time and would like to buy a new one of their own, amongst some other things that will benefit the movie-watching experience. As a result, they are holding a Block Party this Friday night to raise money. 

I was asked to donate some artwork to the cause. It will be available for purchase (I think silent auction-style) as well as several other artists' work. All artwork will be cinema-based.

I enjoy donating artwork to support all kinds of missions, this one being to help out Your Friendly Neighborhood Movie House, which brings people together in the community who share the common interest of film.

One of the pieces I'm donating. Can you name that movie?

Please stop by the Block Party this Friday evening if you're able and bid on some artwork. There will be bands and a fish fry as well.

 Check out the details below or go to the Facebook event.

WHAT?! A fundraising event for patrons of The Birdhouse Walk-In Theater. 
WHY!? To raise funds for a sound system, curtains, projection screen, and sign tracking.
WHEN!?! Friday, June 21, 2013, 6:00PM - 12:00AM

WHERE? The Birdhouse, 800 N. 4th Ave.

HOW MUCH? $5

WHO?!

Fish fry by WILL ISOM

Film Score by BEN OYLER, JASON BOARDMAN, ALAN BAJANDAS, DANIEL STEPHENSON, JOANNA BAJANDAS, & ERIC LEE

VDJ (Video Disc Jockey) GIN & TRONIC

TWO promo film screenings by local filmmakers ZAK YOUNG and CLINT KELLER

Artwork for sale by: ADAM BRYANT, JODY COLLINS, KATRINA DENOVICH, JAMIE L. EARLS, NEAL KEEBLE, TOM LITTLE, BETH MEADOWS, ALYSSA MERKA, MOLLY MULLIN, OLGA NOES, ASHLEY OVERTON, JENNY PICKELL, MARK GUNNAR QUIST, ANNA LAURA REEVE, CARLA REEVE, ERIC SHERWOOD, ALLIE STOEHR, IANA VARDANYAN, MARGAUX VERDERA

I am currently working on putting together a display at Nostalgia on McCalla that will feature furniture by four talented designers and my own artwork, all made from salvaged materials.

Table made by Eric Griffin

The opening for the display will be during Nostalgia's First Friday Earth Day-themed celebration which is today, April 5, from 6-9pm. The display will be up all month thanks to Nostalgia's generous support of Knox Heritage and the fine designers in this show.

Table made by Eric Griffin

Storage Table made by Eric Griffin

Furniture will be by Dakota Montgomery, Dean Yasko, Eric Griffin, and Austin Ferber. Several of their pieces have been made using salvage from The Knox Heritage Salvage Room.

Tile Table by Austin Ferber

Hanging Shelves made by Dean Yasko

I will also be displaying artwork made using windows as well as other raw building materials such as hardware, windows, screens, and doors.

Storage Table by Eric Griffin

Hope to see you tonight, but if not, please stop in at Nostalgia on McCalla during the month of April.

Potting Table by Dakota Montgomery

Mini Salvage Show
at Nostalgia on McCalla
1401 McCalla Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37915
865-622-3252
Facebook Invitation

Hanging Shelves by Dean Yasko

I am proud to announce that beginning today, I will have artwork up on a wall at the new Nostalgia on McCalla.

After showing all over Knoxville for several years now, shoveling artwork from place to place, setting up booths at markets, etc., I've decided I need a permanent place to showcase some of my work.

I chose Nostalgia for several reasons.

One: I could paint my wall white. Accessible white walls are hard to come by for an artist in Knoxville, at least one that is open to the public on a daily basis. That leads me to

Two: Nostalgia on McCalla is open Monday through Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12-5pm. It will be great to have a space dedicated to my work, where I can send people each day of the week.

Three: While there is some overhead, a lot of Nostalgia is booth-owner run, so costs are kept to a minimum.

Time will tell if this white wall in particular will be good for my artwork. Also, to be clear, I still intend to have regular shows throughout the year in other locations, featuring my most recent work. My booth at Nostalgia will feature mason jar paintings, salvage artwork, fine art prints, and older original works.

If you are an artist interested in a space at Nostalgia, there are several spaces left near mine. I'd love to have other artists show near me, so act now. They're going fast.

On that note, I'd like to invite you to Nostalgia on McCalla's Grand Opening. It's from 11am to 10pm this Saturday, Jan 19. I will be there from about 7pm to 9pm. Hope to see you there!

Nostalgia on McCalla
1401 McCalla Ave
Knoxville, TN 37915
(right down the street from Barley's in the Old City)

Happy belated New Year! 

Many unforeseen events (aka life) happened at the end of 2012, and so writing here was put on the backburner more times than I liked. With the new year and some new opportunities on the horizon, I hope to stroll through the blogosphere more often. I know you're glad. I am.

I've made a few pieces so far this year, and I'm sharing some of them today.

Aubrey paint pen and sharpie on window sash $235

I'm continuing to work on the window drawings which has been really enjoyable.

Aubrey (detail)

For me, first finding each image is the most fun aspect of these pieces.

I find most of the images in magazines, but Google Search takes this process to a completely different level of wonder and delight. For example, for Aubrey I searched "Aubrey Plaza fashion ads" (because over Christmas "break" I watched what feels like 100 episodes of Parks and Rec) which led me to Miu Miu's short film It's Getting Late, which led me to Spotify to listen to Zola Jesus, which pointed me to Polica, which just so happens to be a sound I've been in search of for some time.

Oh, the magic World of the Wide Web.

 

***



Elle paint pen and sharpie on window sash $235

Last year, I watched The September Issue, a documentary about Vogue, where Anna Wintour discusses the phenomenal impact photographing celebrities instead of models has had on the fashion industry.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I had never intended to draw celebrities, such as Aubrey Plaza or Elle Fanning (above), but when you're looking at fashion as an inspiration, I suppose it's inevitable. While I'm more interested in the image than the fact that they're famous, I did choose photographs based on if I like the celebrity or not. Something about this feels... I don't know... too easy?

 

I struggle when things come too naturally, wondering if it's worth making if it's too enjoyable. Should work cause some amount of tension if it's challenging in the right way or is making art about finding the least resistance?

 

***

 



Elle (detail)



 

I'm ready to expound on and expand these drawings. Green Room (below) is the start of using the whole window and more "scenic" subject matter. The image is from an Anthropologie catalog. 

Green Room paint pen, sharpie, and acrylic on window sash

I'm not satisfied with the outcome of this one, but I'll keep toying around with the idea to see if I can improve. I have high hopes.

 

***

Below are images from my show at the Tomato Head in West Knoxville. Some work from the end of last year, the drawings on windows above, and some new fabric pieces are there until Feb 3.

Please go take a look because (my) photographs don't do many of these pieces justice.

Spray paint on bedspread in window sash 30 x 27.75"

My work is finally completely hung at The Tomato Head on Market Square in Knoxville. Please plan to eat there this month so you will see it. It will also be at the Bearden location in January.

fabric on window sash 30.25 x 27.75"

I really enjoyed making the work for this show. You will get more of a grasp on why I made it if you read my artist statement below, but I wanted to mention that this work is very new and different for me. I had painted the pool paintings a while ago, but the most recent work in the show is drawings on window sashes and fabric collages.

I'm moving away from the narrative paintings I've been making for so long. I started some this year, but they have became difficult to finish. I'd like to work on them over time, adding to them every week or so, but now, I'm focusing in on using other materials (fabric, etc.) and drawing on glass.

Drawing is so much more immediate for me. A pen feels closer to my hand than a paintbrush does. I've loved painting, but there has always been an element of difficulty with it for me, an unease. Drawing is more like breathing.

fabric and flagging tape 38 x 30"

Below is my artist statement for the show. I typically labor over writing these things, but I wrote this one quickly because that is how I've been making my work lately- avoiding lulls, trusting instinct. It's a little cheesy, which is good because it means I'm writing about something I love.

A couple of summers ago, my sister bought me a subscription to Vogue. On most days, my mailbox is typically pretty boring, so when I open it up once a month to find that magazine in its plastic packaging, it’s like a mini Christmas.

My first run through the pages is quick, as I ooo and ahh over what I love and furrow my brow at what I don’t. The second time through, I dog ear pages- things I wish I owned, images that are alluring, figures I want to draw, color schemes I want to use. The third time through, if there is a third time, I read articles.

These pieces are influenced by what I am looking at in this and other magazines- gold and black combinations, envy-inducing models in perfectly tailored garments, fluorescent colors, patterns. They are also inspired by my growing network on Etsy, the online marketplace I sell my artwork. Etsy is a place where one can not only see trends in the creative, fashion, and design world but also learn what people are actually liking and buying.

I am intrigued by why people like what they do, why certain things become trendy, and what makes something classic. I’m in awe of impeccable and good design and what people are willing to pay for it. As I observe these things, I want to participate as well. Right now, I am making these pieces to be a tiny part of this large creative industry, to filter all that I am seeing through my brain and hands to make something new and inspired.

Next week officially begins my art show at the Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville. I say officially because they asked me to hang two weeks early due to the opening of their new location out west, so some of my work is there right now along with work by Dean Yasko who graciously agreed to fill a wall since some of my paintings were still in Nashville. Next week, his work will leave, and more of my work will go up.

Dean is currently studying sculpture but dabbles in two-dimensional work as well. He is the type of artist that I admire but am not naturally, revolving his work around found-objects, allowing the process of making art to be visible, and finding that process to be as valuable as the final product.

If you have the chance, please go there over the next few days to see these pieces. Then, when he becomes famous, you can say you saw his early work in real-life.

The pieces I'm showing are from three different series that all fall under an intrigue with modern female fashion, not only the garments but the industry as well.

One of these series is the paintings of swimming pools I made a couple of months ago that you may read more about here.

The second series features pieces made using stretched fabric. I've painted on some and others I've cut patterns into and layered up. 

The third are drawings of magazine photographs on old windows. I used paint pens and sharpies to draw on both sides of the window, creating layers. These were a lot of fun to make. 

As I mentioned before, some of this work is there now, and more will be added within the next week. It will be at the downtown Tomato Head December 5 - January 5 and at the new location out west January 6 - February 3. Hope you can stop in.

 I will post some more photos of this work once they're available.

I've been looking for a location to sell my mason jar paintings permanently in Knoxville and just found out last week it will be the Knoxville Visitor Center!

I dropped some off last week and they're all ready on display. I'm happy that these paintings finally have a physical home and that this home happens to be visited by thousands of tourists monthly. It's also the location of WDVX and the Blue Plate Special, so there's a lot to be excited about. 

Below are the most recent ones I've painted which I dropped off last week. They're a steal at $35 a piece.

Also, the Visitor Center asked me to be their First Friday artist this Friday. I'll be there from 5-8pm so please come see me.

The Mason Jar Series

by Beth Meadows

Friday, November 2, 2012

5-8pm

at the Knoxville Visitor Center

301 South Gay Street

Downtown Knoxville, TN 37902

As always, you can purchase paintings from this series on my Etsy Shop, too, and in case you want to know more about them...

The Mason Jar Series features acrylic paintings on salvaged slate roof tile by Knoxville artist Beth Meadows. The tiles are from the Architectural Salvage Program Beth manages for Knox Heritage, a non-profit that advocates for historic preservation in East Tennessee. The Salvage Program accepts donated historic building materials and, in turn, raises money by selling these items to people renovating historic properties or those with a vision to create something new.
The Mason Jar Series functions on two main levels: to recycle salvaged building materials and to promote historic preservation through its subject matter. The slate roof tiles used are from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in South Knoxville, designed in 1961 by architects Barber and McMurray. A portion of proceeds goes to Knox Heritage as well as Gloria Dei.