Sunday, December 6, 2009

Multi-plane Group Show


Picturemaker, 2009, oil and thread on wood and glass planes, 12 x 12 in., 30.5 x 30.5 cm.
One of a kind new works from 50 of CHG's favorite artists, painted on 3 individual surface planes, housed in a custom-made frame, emulating the Multi-plane three-dimensional animation process made famous by Iwerks, Fleischer, Garrity and Disney.
Opening December 12th, 2009, 7–10pm
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Tel 310 287 2340
Email jch@coreyhelfordgallery.com

Friday, November 20, 2009

Art Fairs/Miami/Ghent


Blue & Orange, 2008, oil on linen, 24 x 20 in., 60.96 x 50.8 cm.
I will be exhibiting five paintings at ARTery Miami Art Fair during Art Basel Miami Beach. ARTery Miami is located in the Wynwood Arts District, 71 NW 36th Street, Miami, FL 33127
ARTery Miami 2009 runs from December 2 - 6
www.artery-miami.com

Also select works will be exhibited at Lineart Art Fair, with Galerie Van Campen & Rochtus, Ghent, Belgium, 4 to 8 December 2009
www.lineart.be

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

New Limited Edition Print


Available now, a new limited edition print of Mother and Daughter. Details are listed below. To order, go to kentwilliamsstudio.com.
This limited edition print measures 22 x 17 inches and is printed on museum 365 gsm 100% cotton rag acid free paper, combined with Ultrachrome K3 pigment ink, assuring complete archival quality. Each print is individually proofed by the artist and comes signed and numbered. Limited to an edition of 20. $250 plus shipping and handling.

Monday, November 2, 2009

End of Group Show Get-together


Sena-Chobi, 2009, oil on wood panel, 12 x 12 in.
Yes, time does indeed fly by, and here we are in the last week of The Human Eclectic group exhibition at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. As a way to finish up a great show, and since the opening was such a madhouse, some of the artists and I are going to have a small get-together at the gallery on Saturday the 7th, from 3 - 6 pm. So come on by, if you're so inclined!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Opening Night Video


This is shot and cut together by Seaton Lin and crew at AB5TRAX from the opening night reception for The Human Eclectic group exhibition and will be posted on the Merry Karnowsky Gallery site, but just in case you don't get there, I thought I would post here as well.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Opening Night Pictures


With Merry Karnowsky


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Opening Night


The opening night reception for The Human Eclectic group exhibition went off just great last night at Merry Karnowsky Gallery here in Los Angeles, with a huge turnout! Here's a shot of Sena Inukai, who posed for my painting, and her friend Fumi Omori. I'll be putting more pictures up shortly of the full event, but I wanted to get this link posted of the artists and their works that are included in the exhibition for those of you who could not attend. And for those of you who could and did turn out, thank you so much for making for a wonderful night – What an "eclectic" crowd it was!" To view the work go to The Human Eclectic site. Also, for a few more pictures, check out Eric Nakamura's blog.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Installation Night at MK




A few shots from last night starting installation for the HUMAN ECLECTIC group exhibition at Merry Karnowsky Gallery, which opens this Saturday night. We'll be back at it today with the installer to finish hanging and lighting. Will post shots of the complete exhibition later and opening night pictures as well. Stayed tuned!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

THE HUMAN ECLECTIC Exhibition


Image: Kent Williams, Mother and Daughter, 2009, Oil on linen, 42 x 50 in.

Finished the painting for the exhibition, already shot it, and the announcement poster is designed and at printers. The show is coming up fast!

This is a group exhibition that I'm proud to be curating at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Twelve artists total, providing two to three works each, this is promising to be a powerful, diverse, and broad ranging exhibition. At present, all but one of the artists, Jon Muth, are planning to be in attendance at the opening night reception. Here's the press release copy:

THE HUMAN ECLECTIC | An Exhibition Curated by Kent Williams
Peter Liashkov, Barron Storey, Jon J Muth, Kent Williams, Aaron Smith, Dean Karr, Mari Inukai, Chris Anthony, Jennifer Poon, Jason Shawn Alexander, Kevin Llewellyn, Sara Escamilla
October 17 – November 7, 2009 Opening Reception: October 17, 8 – 11 pm
MERRY KARNOWSKY GALLERY, 170 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 933-4408
Inquiries contact: or
Gallery: mkgallery.com

What is becoming of the ‘us’ – the ‘each of us’? Where will all of our technology leave us?

Maybe it’s our detachment from the reality of mass human destruction, or the invited dehumanization of our existence through computers and online interactions. It could be our growing desensitization to cruelty, to violence and to suffering through the television invasion. Whatever it is, it appears we have stopped celebrating, or even acknowledging, the very thing that defines our entire race – our humanity. We are offering it up, as though sacrificially, to the machines we create and worship.

Because of this almost inevitable crisis of self, we find it important again, maybe now more than ever in the history of art making, to cling to our most basic possession – the human form. Call it a quiet revolution – the lone artist embracing the representation of man again – slowly and deliberately turning himself back around to look at himself again. Through the idiosyncratic self, the artists in this show collectively identify the masses: the every man, the other men, the always woman and the sometimes child – their existences, their truths, their triumphs and their failures. These artists remind us that we, the family of man, must not allow ourselves to disappear.

This selected small, though strong group of artists is just a sampling of those who reflect the value that is being put back on the human form. These are artists who reach again to cling to the arms, to the legs and to the hearts of humankind for inspiration, and in doing so, remind us of what we are – the good and the bad – the beautiful restfulness and the harrowing despair.

Not a school or a group or a movement in the –ism sense, these artists are as different at times as they are similar, investigating mankind through courageous and honest contemplation. Bringing to the show painting, sculpture and photography, the aforementioned artists welcome us back to our basic needs and realities.

Friday, October 2, 2009

RASHOMON in Los Angeles


The new restoration of Kurosawa's Rashomon (that I did the movie poster for) is now playing at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles for one week only! I'll be there tonight to see (and to check my poster out and take a few pictures). The theater does have posters for sale! See playdates for other cities.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

THE HUMAN ECLECTIC | An Exhibition Curated by Kent Williams


Mother and Daughter (work in progress), 2009, Oil on linen, 42 x 50 in.

This is a new large painting in progress (will post final when finished) that will be included in an upcoming group exhibition that I'm proud to be curating at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Twelve artists total, providing two to three works each, this is promising to be a powerful, diverse, and broad ranging exhibition. At present, all but one of the artists, Jon Muth, are planning to be in attendance at the opening night reception. Here's the press release copy:

THE HUMAN ECLECTIC | An Exhibition Curated by Kent Williams
Peter Liashkov, Barron Storey, Jon J Muth, Kent Williams, Aaron Smith, Dean Karr, Mari Inukai, Chris Anthony, Jennifer Poon, Jason Shawn Alexander, Kevin Llewellyn, Sara Escamilla
October 17 – November 7, 2009 Opening Reception: October 17, 8 – 11 pm
MERRY KARNOWSKY GALLERY, 170 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 933-4408
Inquiries contact: or
Gallery: mkgallery.com

What is becoming of the ‘us’ – the ‘each of us’? Where will all of our technology leave us?

Maybe it’s our detachment from the reality of mass human destruction, or the invited dehumanization of our existence through computers and online interactions. It could be our growing desensitization to cruelty, to violence and to suffering through the television invasion. Whatever it is, it appears we have stopped celebrating, or even acknowledging, the very thing that defines our entire race – our humanity. We are offering it up, as though sacrificially, to the machines we create and worship.

Because of this almost inevitable crisis of self, we find it important again, maybe now more than ever in the history of art making, to cling to our most basic possession – the human form. Call it a quiet revolution – the lone artist embracing the representation of man again – slowly and deliberately turning himself back around to look at himself again. Through the idiosyncratic self, the artists in this show collectively identify the masses: the every man, the other men, the always woman and the sometimes child – their existences, their truths, their triumphs and their failures. These artists remind us that we, the family of man, must not allow ourselves to disappear.

This selected small, though strong group of artists is just a sampling of those who reflect the value that is being put back on the human form. These are artists who reach again to cling to the arms, to the legs and to the hearts of humankind for inspiration, and in doing so, remind us of what we are – the good and the bad – the beautiful restfulness and the harrowing despair.

Not a school or a group or a movement in the –ism sense, these artists are as different at times as they are similar, investigating mankind through courageous and honest contemplation. Bringing to the show painting, sculpture and photography, the aforementioned artists welcome us back to our basic needs and realities.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

MODEL: Group Exhibition


Jose at Window, 2009, oil on linen, 14 x 11 in., 36 x 28 cm.

Sent this small painting that I just finished, along with Hana (see earlier post) to Antwerp for this group show:
MODEL: Group Theme Exhibition, September 17 - October 11, 2009
Kent Williams, Joshua Hagler, Carmen Gonzalez, Herman Van Hoogdalem, Gerard Engels, Jan Bosschaert, Gerard Van de Weerd, Inge De Belder

GALERIE VAN CAMPEN & ROCHTUS
Verschansingstaat 52
2000 Antwerp, Belgium
tel + 32 (0)3 294 06 62
fax + 32 (0)3 303 56 89
Inquiries contact:
Gallery: galerievcr.be

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Netherlands Art Fair


Fragmented Figure in Studio Interior with Picasso's Harlequins, 2008, oil on linen, 48 x 60 in., 121.9 x 152.4 cm

I will have a few works in the OPEN ART FAIR in Utrecht, September 8 - 13, 2009.

Location: Jaarbeurs Utrecht: Jaarbeursplein, 3521 AL Utrecht, Netherlands
Art fair: openartfair.nl/indexengels.html
Exhibitor: GALERIE VAN CAMPEN & ROCHTUS
Inquiries contact:
Gallery: galerievcr.be

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Santa Fe Exhibition


KENT WILLIAMS + JAVIER MARIN
KENT WILLIAMS and JAVIER MARIN
August 7, 2009 to August 31, 2009
Opening reception August 7, 2009, 5 - 8 pm

EVOKE CONTEMPORARY
130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite F
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505.995.9902
Inquiries contact:
Gallery: evokecontemporary.com

I will not be in attendance at the opening reception!

Monday, July 13, 2009

New Drawing Catalog


A new catalogue of drawings and sketches will be available for sale at my online store starting August 10th.

At Random Too, 24 b&w pgs + cover, large 13 x 10 format, Publisher: Allen Spiegel Fine Arts – ISBN 978-1-934298-08-4 $20

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Group Exhibition in San Diego


Anime Eyes, 2009, oil on linen mounted on cradled wood panel, 18 x 18 in., 46 x 46 cm.

Scribble08 Film Premier and Art Exhibition
Thursday : JULY 23, 6:30PM – 11:30 PM
Featuring 25 Artists Curated by Mark Murphy and 48 minute art documentary film
Location : Wonderhaus : 1600 National Avenue : San Diego : CA : 92113

Description
Please join us for a premier event featuring a new documentary art film “Scribble08,” art exhibition, live music, cash bar, food and great friends : RSVP for this great event held at a Andy Warhol styled warehouse space minutes away from the San Diego Comic-Con convention hall : RSVP today and jump in : Live music features MANUOK

Featured Artists
Jesse M Balmer + Glenn Barr + Tim Biskup + Cathie Bleck + Matthew Bone + Marc Burckhardt + Collin Christian + Sas Christian + Kevin Christy + Christian and Rob Clayton + Robert Connett + Tony Fitzpatrick + AJ Fosik + Femke Hiemstra + Hiru Kurata + James Jean + Chris Mars + Jeff Soto + Gary Taxali + Thesis + Mark Todd + Damon Soule + Esther Pearl Watson + Kent Williams + Martin Wittfooth

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sketchbook Drawings


If you haven't noticed already, I've put up a link to a sketchbook page that I started this month. The plan is to post at least one drawing a week (each week adding the drawing(s) to the same monthly post.)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

RASHOMON Poster Update

Just received the movie posters and they're ready for order at kentwilliamsstudio.com!
Details: Large 40" x 27" movie poster for the newly restored theatrical re-release of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon. Glossy finish. Comes rolled and must be ordered separately from other items. Very limited!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

RASHOMON Poster Available


Rashomon movie poster is now on sale at criterion.com, only $25!
According to the good folks at Film Forum, they've been getting deluged with praise for the poster, and people looking to purchase it. Criterion has responded by offering the poster for sale online. As soon as our copies arrive, we'll have them for sale at kentwilliamsstudio.com as well, and for those who will be attending San Diego Con this year, we'll have them available at the Allen Spiegel Fine Arts booth.
One other note: For those attending MOCCA in New York this coming weekend, Allen Spiegel Fine Arts, with any luck, may have a handful of the posters there as well!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

RASHOMON at the Film Forum



Now playing at New York's Film Forum through June 11th. Pictures sent to me courtesy of my friend, Mark Chiarello – Thanks Mark!
The basis for this stunning new restoration was a 35mm print created in 1962 from the original camera negative; while the print itself was in good physical condition, the source material from which it was made was extremely battered. Due to the extensive printing and handling it had received over its lifetime, many shots were already starting to shrink and warp, and there were numerous scratches, dust, and dirt in the damaged negative. Scanned at 4k resolution, that 47-year-old print has been meticulously cleaned both digitally and by hand, complete with a new, seamless soundtrack.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Kokeshi



Just finished my kokeshi that will be included in the exhibition Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy at the Japanese American National Museum, July 11 – October 4, 2009.

Friday, May 8, 2009

RASHOMON


Rashomon, 2009, oil and encaustic on linen mounted on wood panel with distressed wooden beam, 52 x 44 in., 132 x 112 cm.

Okay, I'm excited here – I just finished this painting for Criterion and Janus Films that's being used as the movie poster for the theatrical re-release of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon! The screening info should be posted by next week at janusfims.com. When I moved to NYC in 1980 for college, Kurosawa's Kagemusha had just been released in the US and was the first foreign subtitled film I had ever gone to a theater to see. After that, I started going to the Japan Society Film House to watch his previous films. All this tied in with so many of my other interests at the time and still does now. I'm told that we'll have copies of the poster available at San Diego Con this summer at the Allen Spiegel Fine Arts booth.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

HANA


Hana, 2009, oil on linen, 22 x 20 in., 55.9 x 50.8 cm.

I did, in fact, finish this new smaller painting entitled Hana to accompany Devon's Back in the May 1st Grand Opening of Evoke Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's a portrait of Sena Inukai, Mari Inukai's daughter, at age 16 now. Growing up too fast!

EVOKE Contemporary
130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite F
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505.995.9902
EvokeContemporary.com
info@evokecontemporary.com

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Santa Fe Grand Opening


Devon’s Back, 2008, oil on linen, 50 x 60 in., 127 x 152.4 cm.

Devon's Back will be on exhibit in the May 1st Grand Opening of Evoke Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I may also have a second, smaller painting there as well, if I can finish in time. The exhibition will also include work by the Mexican sculptor, Javier Marin, whom I particularly admire. Then in August, I will participate in a five-person group show at the same gallery in which I will provide five to six paintings, and again will include the work of Javier Marin. I will provide more details as August approaches.

EVOKE Contemporary
130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite F
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505.995.9902
EvokeContemporary.com

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Belgium Expo

Some pictures and video footage from A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTIES. Exhibition runs till April 12th and includes works from James Jean, Joshua Hagler and others. The address is AA Docks, Internationalelaan 7, 1070 Brussels. The paintings of mine being exhibited are the first six works posted under the PAINTINGS section at kentwilliams.com. For details go to takeawayartgallery.wordpress.com.

As Icarus

Joshua's paintings.

James' painting.





Video

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Natalia


Natalia, 2009, oil on linen, 40 x 35 in.

Okay, finally finished it – I'm not saying I won't, over the next few days, go back in with a few tweaks or changes, but essentially it's done. It took a while, I know, but with getting sick for what ended up being two weeks, working on other things as well, and getting the paintings crated and shipped for the Belgium exhibition, time flew by.

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Couple of Art Events


For any of you who are going to be in Brussels during the first part of April: Myself, James Jean, and Joshua Hagler will be exhibiting paintings in A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTIES from April 4 - April 12, 2009. The opening will be on April 3 at 20:00. I believe James and Joshua will be in attendance. As of now, my schedule is not going to allow me to be there. If this changes, I'll post it. The address is AA Docks, Internationalelaan 7, 1070 Brussels. The paintings of mine being exhibited are the first six works posted under the PAINTINGS section at kentwilliams.com.

For details go to takeawayartgallery.wordpress.com


This is a small painting for another event also happening in early april: GIVE & TAKE: An Artspace After Dark Event to benefit the ARTSPACE Summer Arts Program and Scholarship Fund for kids. This is happening Thursday evening, April 2, 7-10 pm.

50 artists, 50 works of art, $50 each to support arts education!

ARTSPACE
201 E. Davie St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.821.2787

For details go to artspacenc.org/Give&Take.html

Friday, March 6, 2009

In Progress 3 (kind of)



Sorry for the delay, but just not much progress. Have been down and out with the flu all week. I did manage to get out of bed and into the studio today and put in just about an hour or so. Not much, but thought I would go ahead and post these so you didn't think I flaked on you. I did respond to a question from Brian from the last post and thought I would restate the answer here, thinking that it would be of interest to some of you. Brian's question was "...do you mix anything into your oils to give it that texture?"

No, generally on my first pass I'm using no or very little medium. The texture is coming about by the fact that I'm loading my brush up pretty heavy with paint and simply laying it down that way. As I work towards the finish, I start using more and more medium, thus resulting in less textured paint (but of course, that initial brushwork telescopes through the proceeding layers.) So, no, I'm using no artificial 'texture' medium. So much of this would be much more understandable and obvious if you could see the original, not just in print or on the screen here.

Monday, March 2, 2009

In Progress 2


Another pass, but a ways to go yet.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

New Painting Started



Okay–started a new figure painting today and it feels good! This is the first one of Natalia from the drawing session last week. Some of you have asked for a few notes on my process and thinking. Here's a little: Laid in some underpainting with Prussian blue (I know–runs counter to the traditional earth color approach. I've begun the majority of the paintings from the last few years with blue) and then, after giving this a couple of hours to tack-up, I went in with my first pass of the "fairest" flesh color, valued up and down with a compressed range of about five values, pushing in some exaggerated warms and cools. Very little, if any medium with this round–just a touch of Cobalt dryer so all will be dry and ready when i get back to it for an initial glaze (pushing the values back, sort of "keying" my colors together, starting to establish the tone or atmosphere of the environment, and making ready for a second pass.)

Friday, February 13, 2009

Life Drawing





Had a great five hour drawing session today with my friend Natalia. It was overcast and rainy so decided to work out of my home instead of the studio – Was one of those days in which it was just nice to be inside all day. I did a number of drawings, some straight with pen – Posted are my favorites of the batch. These are done on Canson Classic Cream at 14 x 17 inches. Also managed to work out a couple of concrete ideas for paintings.