Otis Street Arts Project

Otis Street Arts Project

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Artist Profile: Scott G. Brooks

Otis Street Arts Project Artist

Scott G Brooks
Website: www.scottgbrooks.com
Contact Info: scott@scottgbrooks.com
Social Media Things:

 Scott G Brooks lives and works in Washington, DC. His paintings are primarily figurative, and range from simple portraiture to intricate narratives. Often using humor, he depicts scenes using social, psychological, and political issues. Anatomical distortions separate the figures from the photographic ideal, which gives him the freedom to create his own distorted reality. His work is described as twisted and offbeat, sentimental, and disturbing.

How do you work in the narrative aspect of your work. 
It all depends on the painting. As I create the context for the figures I am constantly re-evaluating what it is saying, or what it needs to get some sense of place or motivation. I grew up reading comic books and watching lots of cartoons, so I think I developed a way to communicate using imagery. The symbolism works both ways and I can sometimes use it to cloud my intentions, since I don’t want to give everything away. People see symbols very differently, and the range of interpretations fascinate me.

What do you think is the most important influence on your art?
There’s so many, but I’ve always loved Norman Rockwell, and glad he’s finally getting the respect he deserves. Further back was Caravaggio. Lately I’ve really loved the Pre-Raphaelites. I’m lucky to be friends with some amazing artists, Troy Brooks, Dave Cooper, and Erik Thor Sandberg just to name a few. Music is also an inspiration, singers and songwriters can pack so much in a song, and I try and do that in my work as well. Lastly, I love watching anything by Pixar or Dreamworks, and think it’s really pushing the way I work today.

How has your work evolved in the past few years. Yea, there has always been this “thing” in the arts community between illustration and fine arts, and I had a real hangup about that.  My illustration work has always been “tighter” and my paintings a little looser, I think people are calling that “deskilling” these days.  I’ve always been inspired by great illustration, both what’s been done in the past and what I’m seeing now. My illustration work is 100% digital now so the brush handling and detail I love is now incorporated into my fine arts.      

How do you incorporate your life into your work?
My work is personal, and sharing it with the public isn’t necessarily my primary concern. I know it will most likely happen and I take that into consideration, but in the end it’s MY work. Some pieces are are  more therapeutic than others, and I can end up working out issues in my own life on the canvas. I want to create work that’s honest as well. Some elements get obscured in the process, and I also use lots of symbols and metaphors.
I  think of myself as a very private person, though in this day of social media that’s all relative. It’s a delicate balance trying to create work that’s honest to who I am, and then putting it out there, without making myself vulnerable. I have a partner and a family so I need to respect their privacy as well. Most  aspects of my life are public if people want to look, and I’m ok with that. Most of my life was also pre-internet, so while I use it when I can, I do remember what life was like before Facebook.

Where did the offbeat and "twisted" nature of your work come from?
Growing up in a small town influenced that. Most of the art I saw was either religious, wildlife art, or comics, all of which I admire greatly, so when I started creating my own work I knew it had to be a little “different” to stand out.  My family was mostly normal, other than an odd assortment of pets. It wasn’t very strict though, and I’ve always been drawn to the weirdness for some reason, monster movies, Mad magazine, The Addams Family. I’m mostly normal and lead a very boring life, it just comes out in my art.

Monday, June 22, 2015

OSAP Newsletter #1

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Welcome to Otis Street!

We want to thank everyone for their support of Otis Street Arts Project. Thanks for visiting us, sharing our news and telling everyone about us.
(If this is the first you're hearing of us, you are receiving this because of your previous interaction with either Sean Hennessey or David Mordini, the Co-Founders of Otis Street Arts Project)

Our next event, and the subject of our first newsletter is the Artist Talk and Closing Reception for our very first exhibit. We were honored to host, live, and work with the fantastic art of Cory Oberndorfer and Jeff Huntington. As our inaugural exhibit coincided with our Grand Opening, we didn't host a proper reception for these artists. Please join us for a reception for the closing of this show. The artists will share with us their thoughts on their work and be available for questions.
Artist's Talk and Closing Reception for
Cory Oberndorfer and Jeff Huntington

Saturday June 27th
Reception 4:00-5:00
Artist's Talk at 5:00
3706 Otis Street
Mount Rainier, MD 20712

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Cory Oberndorfer
A lover of popular culture and Americana, Cory Oberndorfer’s work fixates on the simple pleasures in life. Oberndorfer received his MFA from American University in Washington, D.C. and BFA from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. His work has been exhibited at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana, CA, Redux Contemporary Art Center and Jericho Arts in Charleston, SC, Flashpoint Gallery, G Fine Art, and the Katzen Arts Center in Washington, D.C.
JEFF HUNTINGTONJeff Huntington received an MFA in 1997 from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in 1995 from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. His work has been included in more than eighty exhibitions nationally and internationally over the past 25 years. His paintings are in private and public collections throughout the world, including The Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, Illinois and in U.S. embassies in the Philippines and Panama. Reviews of his work have been featured in numerous publications, including The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The New York Times, Juxtapos, The New Art Examiner, as well as a features on CNBC and NPR. Some awards received include The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellowship (Canada), The Jacob Kainen Award for Excellence in Figurative Painting, a Maryland State Arts Council grant and The Ethel Lorraine Bernstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Painting. Huntington is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Corcoran in Washington, DC. His paintings are represented by Porter Contemporary in New York City, Reyes+Davis in Washington, DC, Gallery 1301 in Baltimore, MD, and The Annapolis Collection Gallery in Annapolis, MD. 
Otis Street Arts Project Artists
Sean Hennessey

Sean is one of the co-founders of Otis Street Arts Project. Sean is a mixed media artist primarily working in Glass.  His work 


You can find Sean in these places
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website
Blog
David Mordini
Mordini is an installation artist working primary with human anatomy carved out of medium density fiberboard. His first solo show was at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Catch his work here
Website
Alma Selimovic
Alma is a recent MFA graduate and a mixed media sculptor.
Read our recent interview with Alma HERE
W
ebsite
Hebron Chism
Hebron is a mixed media artist working in more materials than we can list. 
Regardless of the subject or whether the works are executed in stone, wood, canvass or in digital photo montages - the texture, intense colors, powerful emotion and unusual, nonlinear perspectives are what define Hebron’s work.

Facebook
Website
Gloria Chapa
Gloria Chapa is a mixed media artist in Washington, DC.
Read our recent interview with Gloria HERE

Website
Matthew Duffy

m.l.duffy was born on Long Island, New York, a few hours after the winter solstice, on December 22nd, 1978. m.l.duffy died on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico at the sunrise of the winter solstice on December 21st, 2012. (With the rest of the world.) If not, -duh!- then he will probably live with his wife and children in a large, cultured city until he is shot in the chest by someone modern civilization had ignored up until that point.
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T
witter
Instagram
Website
Scott G Brooks

Scott G Brooks lives and works in Washington, DC. His paintings are primarily figurative, and range from simple portraiture to intricate narratives. Often using humor, he depicts scenes using social, psychological, and political issues. Anatomical distortions separate the figures from the photographic ideal, which gives him the freedom to create his own distorted reality. His work is described as twisted and offbeat, sentimental, and disturbing.

Twitter
Website
Anne C Smith
Anne is a visual artist in greater Washington, DC. She grew up in Syracuse, NY, and received a BA in Studio Art from Williams College in 2007 and an MFA from George Mason University.
Website
Art Drauglis
Wood. Furniture. Build. Hike. Bird. Rabbit

Website
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Website
Blog
Blog
Copyright © 2015 Otis Street Arts Project, LLC, All rights reserved.
Otis Street Arts Project serves as artist studios, exhibition space, and a creative incubator for those interested in a dynamic, supportive, and community oriented work environment of professional artists. We aim to create great art and provide great art experiences.
Our mailing address is:
Otis Street Arts Project
3706 Otis Street

Mount Rainier, MD 20712


202.550.4634
Info@OtisStreetArts.org

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Otis Street Arts Project · 3706 Otis St · MOUNT RAINIER, Maryland (MD) 20712 · USA

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Friday, June 5, 2015

Artist Profile: Alma Selimovic

Otis Street Arts Project Artist

Name: Alma Selimovic
Contact Info: selimovic81@gmail.com


A Short Bio


What question about your work do you hate getting asked?

ugh :) “How long has it taken you to make this piece.” I just don't react well on questions like that. I don't think time is relevant, being an artist is a skill that you learn trough years of practicing and trying to find yourself and your way of expressing. The most accurate answer would be 30 years, from the moment I grabbed my first play-doh and made a wobbly dog :).

Why do you use the materials and techniques that you use?

I love experimenting and finding new materials and discovering different ways of using it. I use metal a lot because it gives me strong structure(base), then I can be more free in building and glueing other materials on top of it. Recently i started incorporating color in my work and now i am trying to find materials that are easily painted and/or have different surface. Foam, fiberglass and plaster are also easily transformed and dried pretty fast so you can keep working on the piece.

What do you like the most about the Washington DC area art scene?

I read recently online that DC is currently #4 place to live for emerging artist, NYC is 3rd on the list, I think thats pretty good reason for loving it from the start. As a new maker in the area i am still getting to know the scene and the art world and I am hoping it will be the good base for me and my work to grow.


What drew you to working in Mount Rainier, MD and the Otis Street Arts Project ?

I was lucky that i had great timing in finishing my school and OSAP getting new space available. I live very close to it and i really like that artist group there is very enthusiastic and new. I was trying to find space where I can get feedback on my work and also where i can give something back. OSAP sounded perfect for that :).

When did you start calling yourself an artist? or how did you come to be an artist?

I never called myself and artist, but my family started doing that long ago when i started opening all the radios and Walkmans in the house and trying to “fix’ them and make them “better”. They never worked after. (They said, be an artist, you better not be a surgeon.) 

If you weren’t an artist, what would you currently be doing?
Operate? lol, just kidding, i would work with animals, or build houses.

What do you think is the most important influence on your art?
World around me, all that I experience daily. My art is my whole life.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Artist Profile: Gloria Chapa

Otis Street Arts Project Artist



Name: Gloria Chapa
Websitehttp://gloriachapa.com/
Contact Info: gloriachapa@msn.com

A Short Bio:
     Gloria Chapa has realized many of her life goals by utilizing resources at her disposal in unexpected ways.  Texan, Catholic, Mexican, matriarchal and mathematical are a few of the influences that define her character.
      Originally Ms. Chapa was destined to be an engineer due to her mathematical abilities and a strong parental affinity for the sciences. Early on, she had a fascination with making and drawing, but she was dissuaded from taking any sort of fine arts classes as a child. Her engineering career allowed her to exercise some of her creative abilities, but after 10 years the difficult decision was made to pursue degrees in art.  Not surprisingly, one of her first art professors commented that she was like an insatiable sponge.
      After graduate school, there were several university positions that Ms. Chapa held (Virginia Commonwealth University,University of RichmondUniversity of Mary Washington). One of the most rewarding of these teaching positions was in Bogota,Colombia at a District University in the city center. Third world art student views/ideas were beyond anything encountered in US schools. There was also a short period of graduate studies in Moscow that reinforced this aspect of art outside the US.
      Gloria Chapa has a wanderlust that she has been able to indulge. Her creative center has benefited from the many varied environments that she has allowed herself to experience. Recently, she has made an effort to remain inWashington, in order to reflect, examine, organize and utilize the events of her life in her work. The last couple of years have been extremely productive. Her amalgam of mathematics, domesticity and cultural variety  results in art work that is contemplative, revelatory, unexpected and yet very accessible.

Questions and Answers

What question about your work do you hate getting asked?
What is this about?

Why do you use the materials and techniques that you use?
Exploring materials and inventing new techniques is what feeds the engineering side of me. This  helps me open up the creative flow of ideas.  

What do you like the most about the Washington DC area art scene?
Diversity of cultures, professional disciplines, and influences.

What drew you to working in Mount Rainier, MD and the Otis Street Arts Project ?
I live in the area. Love the homeyness of the neighborhood so close to the DC center. The very visible presence of a working art community.

When did you start calling yourself an artist? or how did you come to be an artist?
I was always an artist. I still remember relishing the smell of my first box of Crayolas.  I always have a bin full in my studio.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you currently be doing?
Engineer.

What do you think is the most important influence on your art?
Analytical skill and femininity.