Peek-a-boo Pisces!

HI all,

It has been a very busy few weeks for me. A few updates for you:

- Cosi: As you may know, I had 11 paintings up at their 44th and 3rd avenue location from July 15-October 15. They were interested in showing more of my work so I swapped out 8 paintings and put in 9 brand, spanking new ones. The new ones are from my Zodiac series.

This blog post is dedicated to PISCES.

- 3 more paintings to go to finished the Zodiac series! I'll unveil the rest of the 9 that are complete one-by-one on my blog. The rest of the series should be done by the end of the year since schoolwork is starting to kick into gear :(

- Also I have to start and finish five 3''x3'' canvas' soon for a big group show in Atlanta. The theme of the show is Memories and Moments. For my submission, my theme will be Birthdays. I'll post pics of the set when they are complete.

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Now ladies and gents, for one of the newest Hunter creations...here's Pisces...from beginning to end. Enjoy and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts! Take care!

See below how it evolved from a blank canvas:

(If you can't view the graphic below, you can click here:
http://apps.rockyou.com/rockyou.swf?instanceid=124996179&ver=102906)

Hello Gemini!

Hi there,

I'm pleased to announce the completion of the fourth painting in my Zodiac series:

May 22 - June 21
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
20'' x 20''

In choosing what kind of object I would place the constellation in, I had to think of something interesting that had two points of interest. Fortuntely, a watch came to mind where I could use the hour and minute hand as support for each part of the Gemini constellation.

As the painting progressed I wasn't sure where I was going to place the hands of the clock to make sure the constellation was placed properly. Using the dates for Gemini helped a lot. You'll notice that one hand of the clock is between 5 and 6 while the other hand is between 6 and 7. The dates for Gemini is May 22 to June 21.

Here I want to stress that the objects I'm choosing for this series has next to nothing to do with the characteristics of the sign. If it seems to fix, great, if not, I want to at least create something interesting. There are two components to the painting that I am incorporating from my research on each of the signs: 1) is the constellation 2) is the colors associated with the sign. For Gemini for example, its colors are yellow and light blue. The my Virgo painting it was blue, Cancer-silver, Aries-deep red.


With all of my paintings, it always interesting to see it evolve before my eyes. Going forward, I'll try to share that experience with you. At least for the rest of the Zodiac series, I'll post 'in progress' shots so you can also see each work evolve from a sketch to a finished painting.

Thanks for reading and keep checking here (or wait for my email) when the next painting is done.

Regards,
Michelle

Great response so far!

Hi everyone!

Just want to say thanks to those that have expressed interest so far in receiving one of my original paintings. Over 100 people from across the country have entered which is very exciting! Thanks to each of you :)

If you want to learn more, here is the link with more info: http://app.formassembly.com/forms/view/38392

I'm giving away a painting!!!

Hey you!

Interested in winning one of my original paintings?? The 5 second entry form is available through this link: I Want a Michelle Hunter Original!! (http://app.formassembly.com/forms/view/38392)

Of the 11 paintings on display at Cosi's (44th and 3rd avenue), I'm raffling one for FREE. Now who doesn't love that!

In case for some reason you haven't had a chance to visit the store, visit the two "On view at Cosi" galleries at http://artid.com/hunterart to view the 11 paintings available for this raffle. Note, these 11 paintings are also available for sale. In case you are the winning entrant and the painting you selected is no longer available, I will collaborate with you to create a custom version.

Deadline for entry is Sunday October 12th 2008. Entries will be drawn Monday October 13th 2008.

Each entry will receive a unique referral code. Free shipping is offered (will ship only to US addresses). One entry per email address please.

Want to increase your chances of winning?? Forward this link to your friends and family. When they enter your unique referral code in the form, your name will be added into the drawing AGAIN. [Example: If you enter and 4 of your friends enter your referral code, your name will be in the drawing FIVE (5) times!]

Good luck!!

Best Regards,
Michelle

ENTER TO WIN AN ORIGINAL MICHELLE HUNTER PAINTING OF YOUR CHOICE

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Which painting are you interested in winning? Select One
*Please select...Apologize (15'' x 39'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Camera Shy (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Round Stretched Canvas) In One Ear and... (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Life on Mars (11'' x 48'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Minty Fresh (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Missing (15'' x 39'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)One Cold Night (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Self Portrait (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)Stuck Between Hypotheses (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Round Stretched Canvas)Tunnel (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Stretched Canvas)When I'm Bored at Work I... (20'' x 20'' Acrylic on Round Stretched Canvas)

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Artists Review Artists Blog I Came Across

Greetings,

Through my ongoing search of getting critiques of some of my work, I came across this cool website run by J.T. Kirkland called "Thinking About Art". Here is the link to the blog: http://thinkingaboutart.blogs.com/art/

What's neat about the concept J.T. has is that practicing artists are reviewing the work of other practicing artists. What better way to get a peek into another artists' mind.

I submitted my "In One Ear and..." painting for review. In turn I received an image of a painting I was to review. I haven't formally reviewed art since I took an art history class in college. It took some time to get my thoughts together because I knew nothing about the meaning behind the piece or the artist.

Once my painting has been reviewed by this same artist, both reviews will be posted on J.T's blog. I'll let you know when it's up.

Zodiac Series: Aries, Cancer, Virgo

Hi Readers,

I want to share with you a few completed pieces from a Zodiac series I'm working on. Since it is based on the Zodiac there will be 12 paintings in all in this series. Below are 3 that are completed so far.

I'll write more about these and the other individual paintings in another post. For now, I'll share why I'm working with the constellations instead of the usual symbols we usually see. It stems back to a piece I saw at PS1 a year or 2 ago. It was huge (I didn't take down the name of the artist or title of the piece). It looked like outerspace but not of a specific planet of galaxy but a whole lot of stars. I was inspired to do something similar and I wanted to do a series of them so Zodiac constellations came to mind. Viewers may be less familiar with that the constellation of their sign is so here is an opportunity for us to see how the symbols we are familiar with came about. As for the setting I've placed these constellations, I wanted to combine their place in the sky with our everyday lives-coffee or tea, looking in the mirror, soda cans, etc.

What are the next signs to be done? There is really no order to what sign will be finished next but do I have an idea for Gemini and a composition for a sign I've yet to decide on. Stay tuned and please tell me what you think. Look forward to hearing from you!

Remember, I'm currently showing work at Cosi's on 44th street and 3rd Avenue in New York. Swing on by, bring/tell a friend and check it out!

March 21 to April 20
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
20'' x 20''

June 22 to July 22
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
20'' x 20''

August 23, 24 to September 22, 23
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
20'' x 20''

Ok, by a show of hands, who else feels overwhelmed?

Whew, it has been a busy summer but gratefully it has been productive. This summer I wanted to make strides when it came to my artwork and I certainly did. Doing 11 paintings in a month is no easy feat but I knocked that out of the park. A plus to that is I like each one I did. Sure I could have spent some more time on a couple of them, but I'm proud of each one of them!

Also I've participated in 3 exhibits (so far :-)) and I want to do more. I've been checking craigslist regularly since that's where I've found these 3 cool opportunities. However, these legitimate "Call for Artist" entries are becoming few and far between. Do you have any suggestions of other websites I should browse around for exhibit opportunities?

At the end of August, I'm going to swap out a painting that has been in Brooklyn for 2 months now. I'm working on a new piece similar to one that is currently displayed at Cosi's. I'm concurrently working on the Zodiac series. All 12 paintings for this probably won't be done by the time school starts at the end of August. During the semester I plan to go back to oils and my Four Questions series which has gained some interest so I want to at least finish the 2 that are half way done.

As always, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading and I'm available if you have questions or feedback.

Thanks to those who made it to the Cosi reception

Hi there,

Below you will find some of the pics taken at the Cosi exhibit reception. Thanks to ALL of you that attended. It was a great experience and I'm grateful that I was able to share it with you!

In case you haven't had a chance to check it out, I encourage you to do so (Cosi's on 44th Street and 3rd Avenue, NYC).

Another series of work is in progress and I'll keep you posted as each painting is completed. Thanks for your support!

Michelle

Art Show at Cosi's Monday July 21st

Hi there,

After a fair amount of frustration, back and forth with persons at the store I was working with, several changed dates, and a lot of apologies to me from Cosi's, I'm finally pleased to say that the Cosi art showing is ON! I didn't want to send another email about it until the work actually went up...and on 7/14, it did.

Since Monday's doesn't seem too crazy at the store after 5, I would like you to join me there (44th and 3rd ave) next Monday from 5:30-8 (the store closes at 8). To read more about the showing and to RSVP click here:

http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/HNPLOJCFHUFNIYPVAQFW/artatcosi

Thanks to each of you for your concern and continued support. Hope to see you then!

Regards,
Michelle

The painting "Going or Coming" has been SOLD

No more needs to be said other than if you see a piece of mine that is of interest, name your piece now before my rates go up!

Cosi show has stalled

To my absolute surprise, I find out, the day the work is to go up, that the general manager of the Cosi's I was making arrangements with did not tell any of the other key players of the store what was about to go down. This incredible oversight on his part may lead to there being no show. It's still up in the air so I'll find out some time on Tuesday whether it's a go/no go. The final say will come from the district manager who had no idea what was going on. Paperwork has to be signed and he has to approve the work that would be hung (not the manager I was dealing with). That's all fine and dandy with me but I thought that those details were being taken cared of-obviously not. So we'll see. I hope it happens cause I've got some kick-booty work for the world (around Grand Central) to see. Wish me the best!!

Seen on Craigslist: Call For Artists: The Canvas Project

This seems like an interesting opportunity. Everyone is welcome to participate. Fee is $16. They will send you 5, 3x3 canvas' for you to paint memories and moments.

Below is the text from their craigslist ad and here is the link to their website if you are interested in participating. I've already signed up.

important dates

07/15/08 :sign up by
09/15/08 :postmark deadline
10/05/08 :show date

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Call For Artists: The Canvas Project

(http://www.arthousecoop.com/canvasproject)

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Reply to: comm-727669392@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-21, 1:53PM EDT


We’re sending five 3x3 inch canvases to up to 500 participants from around the country. Artists cover the canvases using any medium they want based on the theme of “Memories and moments.” Anyone can participate–from the seasoned artist to the person who has never even drawn a stick figure. Show will be held at Art House Gallery in Atlanta, Ga.

I'm taking over Cosi's

Hi all,

Hey New Yorkers, are you familiar with the restaurant chain Cosi's? If not, they make unique sandwiches on oh so delicious bread-yum yum!! Well they have several locations in Manhattan and the manager of several of these stores put a post on craigslist looking for artists to liven up the space for 2 months at a time. Several emails and a meeting later, I'm booked! This Cosi's store is located on 44th and 3rd avenue. But what a challenge it is-let me tell ya. Yet, that's all the more reason why I want to go for it. Filling up a high traffic store with only my work is certainly not an opportunity to be missed. Now that I've been given the go ahead, now I need to create 11 (that's right ELEVEN) masterpieces in 4 weeks. I can probably do fewer larger paintings, but I have to worry about how to transport them from my place to the store and lugging around a couple of 4 feet x 4 feet pieces on the subway doesn't seem that safe so I would rather break that down to several smaller pieces. Luckily I have ideas for most of them.

To make this happen, I have to put aside my lovely oils (sigh, I miss using them already) and switch to acrylics for this task. So far so good with the water based paints. I'll of course keep you posted.

You are invited to...

Two showings in Brooklyn! A nice start to the summer as the semester ends!

Here are thumbnails of what will be on display.

Sunday, May 25th at 9pm ~open bar~
Southside Speakeasy
245 South 1st ST and Roebling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The "Four Question" painting will be on display here starting Sunday May 25. This is a new type of exhibit setting for me so it will be an interesting experience and I hope you can join me. There are various artists participating and each artist will be showing 1 piece. So if you are in town for Memorial Day Weekend (and remember, there's no work Monday), join me here for a drink and a chance to see this piece in person! The show lasts for 4 weeks.


Wednesday, June 4th (8-10pm mingling, live music from 10pm-12am)
Cornichon Wine Bar & Cafe [http://www.cafecornichon.com]
251 Grand St. Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Here the painting I have had on my wall for a while will be on the wall of Cornichon Wine Bar for 4 weeks. Title is "Coming or Going" and I would like you to come and join me and the other participating artists in this opening. Show your support afterwork with a nice glass of wine and chance to talk to me and the other artists for the first half of the evening. In their outdoor patio, the evening continues with live music. Hope you can be there with me for this experience!

If you are interested in option 2, an evite is being prepared so I can forward that to you.


Again, hope to see you there! Feel free to forward this to others you think will be interested in coming. If you have any questions, you know how to reach me.

Thanks all!!
Michelle

Brief update

Hi all,

I know it has been a while since I posted a new painting. Two are in the works and I have an idea for a new series (which I will do concurrently with Four Questions) that I want to try out. Over the last month I've been dealing with finals and papers for the end of this semester at school so I had to finally pick up the books and put down the brush. I look forward to painting more frequently after the 21st so stay tuned.

An additional update is that I will be showing a painting in a bar in Brooklyn and another painting in a wine bar in Brooklyn in the coming weeks. I'll post details soon. Both group exhibits will be up for a month so even if you can't make it to the opening, you can swing by when you get the chance.

Well that's the update. More to come.

Michelle

Ailey Dancer Painting

Hi everyone,

I'm pleased to present my latest creation: Ailey Dancer Sims. This is based on the promotional photo Alvin Ailey Dance Company used for their 2007 performances at New York's City Center. The featured dancer is Linda Celeste Sims and the painting is based on the photograph done by Andrew Eccles.

Ailey Dancer Sims
11'' x 14''
Oil on Gessobord

For those that didn't know, I took dance when I was younger (ballet) which sparked my appreciation for nearly all forms of dance performance (notice I didn't just say "all"). For the past 7 years I've seen Ailey at City Center and I certainly plan to continue to go every year that I can.

As for the painting, in case you haven't picked up on it already, faces aren't my thing. I can draw them but I can't paint them (sorry Linda). I tried to capture her expression but couldn't quiet do it (tips welcome). It's something I hope to improve on in the coming paintings. That's right, more dancer paintings to come but there are more ? paintings in the works to; they just take much longer to do.

Everything for Ailey Dancer Sims was done by hand, absolutely no tracing involved. I admit I am very pleased with it. I did my last Ailey painting about 3 years ago so I've got some catching up to do.

Thoughts, feedback are always welcome...don't be shy.

This new piece will be on my website shortly. In the meantime, here are some "before" pics of the painting taking shape.

Regards,
Michelle

Before shot #1

Before shot #2

Website updates complete

Hi there,

After a few weeks of cropping pictures and adding links, I'm glad to say that the updates to my website are complete. Check it out at http://www.hunterart.com

There is a guestbook on the site if you would like to leave your mark. If you would prefer to browse around anonymously-well I can respect that too. Of course as always, if you have any questions about any of the pieces up there simply send me an email either through this blog or at mhunterart@gmail.com.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,
Michelle

Four Questions: No2 Completed

Hey all,

I am pleased to announce the completion of the second painting in the series titled "Four Questions."

16'' x 20''
Oil on Canvas Board

Life is a series of continuous questions which must be answered and can rarely be ignored. Somehow I want to paint those experiences.

The four questions used for this painting were provided by someone I went to high school with. Her questions were:

- Career or marriage?
- Eating ice cream or working out?
- Save up money or splurge on a vacation?
- Saving money or buying shoes?

What do you think about the piece? Let me know by either commenting on the blog or sending me an email at mhunterart@gmail.com.

I'm now looking for ideas for the next piece in the series. If you would like to help me with that, I ask that you reply back with 4 questions you would like me to illustrate. In addition, I want you to recommend 4 colors you would like me to use.

As I await responses, I'm going to continue with my Dancer series. This series is meant to pay tribute to dance companies I have seen perform and have become an admirer of.

Thanks for your continued support and look forward to your feedback.

Below you can also see a few "in progress" pictures I took of this painting so you can have a sense of how it took shape.