Thursday, March 19, 2009

into the hands of the hardcore collectors...

Braving the chilly afternoon drizzle, I just picked up a copy of the new issue of COINage Magazine from a newsstand in Manhattan. It's a publication that receives wide subscription circulation amongst avid coin collectors worldwide. It's tough to find, but can be ordered easily online.
Inside, an article features myself and two other artists who made images of Obama from actual "change" during the run-up to the election. I flipped through it quickly before paying and showed the surprised cashier a picture of myself on a page with several portraits of Obama. "You know him?" she asked, smiling wide. "Nope." I replied. "I just make art."

Here's the text of the section of the article that mentions my work. It can be read by clicking the image. The article was written by Jon Blackwell, who also writes for the NY Post. He found me online using "Google".In this time of economic chaos, when people are looking to invest their dollars in things that won't lose value, coins are one of the few trusted safehavens.
Now, while contemplating which proof sets to select for the vault, they are inadvertantly given another investment option to consider, one with theoretically unlimited growth potential:

Monday, March 16, 2009

AMERICAN DREAM? (work in progress)

Here's the interview I did today on CNN.


If this player doesn't work, click HERE

Other than an irrelevant Q & A with an expert on jobseeking, the interview went well and I am hoping it will be the first of many future TV appearances. I used the opportunity to unveil my current work in progress. It's a toilet made out of diecast toy cars.
I bought the cars from Craigslist NYC.
The basic framework is made from steel wire.
The work is inspired by a janitorial gig in Manhattan that I've recently fallen into.
And also by the recent difficulty that the automobile industry has been experiencing.
Is our economy crumbling, or simply awakening from a stupor?
What was wrong with the old American Dream of working hard for hard-earned money?
Who decided that fast, easy money, was what we wanted instead, and lots of it? Was it our founding-fathers' intention to set the stage for us all to become selfish and lazy at the expense of the rest of the world?
It seems like we have enough cars. Maybe we need to focus on making something else.
The world can always use more toilets.
to be continued...

Friday, March 6, 2009

Ted takes Manhattan....

Here are some photos of my artwork installed in an apartment located in Manhattan's Upper East Side. The apartment is incredibly slick and the sculpture looks great.
The collector is a lawyer who has only begun investing in artwork. He is doing well helping people file for bankruptcy, which makes the sale ironic as well as iconic. see it on CNN
>>>MAKING OF<<<

Monday, March 2, 2009

images from my solo show: "10 year evolution"

I'm pleased to present images from the Solo Show I currently have on display at the Greenpoint Gallery in Brooklyn.
The opening was fun and featured original music by gallery director, Shawn James.The idea when setting up the exhibition was to trace the growth of reoccurring themes and media in the last decade of my artmaking.
The obvious shift in eras is punctuated by portraits of the former and current presidents, treated with vastly different intent, and made from drastically different materials.
The oldest artwork in the show is from 10 years ago, a spider made from dollparts, and begins the progression of explorations that I've come to pursue.
More sculptures from doll-parts ensue, the second installment being a human being made in 2001.
After making this literal self-portrait, I put aside doll-art until 2005, when I began work on a giant credit card made from arms and legs.
The piece took nearly 2 years, and was followed by a giant brain, the culmination of my dollpart usage.
The second vein traced is that of land.
New York State comes from my MFA thesis project of 2003-04
Mississippi and Alabama nestle snuggly together
ditto for Georgia and South Carolina
Kansas, Flat and rectangular
Arkansas, irregular and hilly
In 2007 I made another portrait of America, condensed and political
Expanding, it is the entire world, created in 2008 from money
Chopped coins also create a descriptive analogy for the Stock Market Crash
Coins have always been a part of my work, going back to the giant ones I made in 2002
The final, and most recent work, comes full circle, making self-portraiture that encompasses us all from the money that drives our actions and thoughts...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

1st NEW ART of 2009

This is the first in what I anticipate to be an ongoing series.
It is a mosaic made from chopped coins and is entitled "Conception".
The dimensions are 3 feet by 2 feet by 3 inches, and the adhesive used was silicone.
>>>MAKING OF<<<