April 20th Marked the Opening Night of a
Show That Will Run Three Months in Mercy Hill.Another wonderful evening for Milwaukee and it’s local artists. My only regrets about this past April Gallery Night, is that it went too fast and I did not get to see much of any other artist’s work. People were out and about and willing to participate in the arts. I was showing around fifteen pieces both new and old at Mercy Hill Church. It is located inside the Bay View Hide House where I have shown my work before. I have always admired the beautiful and large space and I was honored to be working with them. For the show, I had a large four by five foot canvas for group painting and I set up my own canvas to also live paint for the night of the event. We also were lucky to have a local singer songwriter from Madison perform. Hannah Luree rocked all night, find out more about her Here.

The goal of this show was to create an environment free of judgment about art and just create a space that emits positive energy for people to participate in creativity. All my recent works are about making you feel calm and uplifted when viewing. I work when I feel inspired by the things around me and turn it into something beautiful and approachable. Working as a graphic designer all day, I constantly see images, colors and textures that move me. Then, when I am back in my studio, I recall it all as inspiration. This is not an ordinary way to paint and I did not want it to be an ordinary show. I wanted the night to be about involving the public, showing them art is not intimidating and that my shows are not going to be like a regular gallery show – I think we succeeded.

There were many firsts at this show. One of which was called Duo. My boyfriend Jason and I created an interactive art piece called Duo that actually rotates right on the wall. It is a geometric diptych that uses magnets and a mechanism on the back frame of the work to lock in place either vertical or horizontal. The piece didn’t stop moving all night and people were creating different combinations with the two canvases that I never even thought of. Every time I looked, the canvases we aligned a different way–fourty-five degrees, one vertical and one horizontal, at one point both canvases making a triangle–it was awesome. I want to pursue this since most of my paintings can be hung in any direction. I really like this idea of flipping a regular gallery show on it’s head. Getting people to really change their minds about galleries and art starts with inviting them to interact and be part of the discussion.

Another first was the documentation of the event. I was able to have my friend Bruce Anttila van Hoover photographing the event, Thanks Bruce! You can find out more about him at thisisbruce.com. All photos are courtesy of him. I was also lucky enough to have a friend video record the live painting sessions in time-lapse video. Through the Milwaukee Makerspace, I was connected to David R. Overbeck. He volunteered his services as a videographer and recorded both my individual painting and a larger group painting that was open to the public. You can see more about David at his site korporate-media.com. Check out the time-lapse below that David created after the event below.

I was so happy this video captured not only my canvas, but also the group canvas. I lost count at how many people were on the group canvas! Live painting, group painting and interactive art is a way to get people talking about art without secluding people who are new to the art scene. I am always telling viewers to just tell me how they feel in front of my art or to just jump on the group canvas without thinking. There are no judgments, I believe everyone is creative in their own way but it just takes some coercing to reveal it sometimes.

Below are some more pictures that Bruce took during the night. They can also be found on my facebook page facebook.com/DenaNordArtist. Always remember to “like” my artist page if you want me to keep posting! There will also be an additional video to come from David. We did an preliminary interview in my studio and some interviews at the event and will be in a video to come. David is working on putting it all together as a promotional material for me to use to show people what my style and idea of an event is. – Thank you thank you David!

Stay tuned for another upcoming video and enjoy the gallery below!

APRIL 20th | 6-10 PM
Gallery Night
at Mercy Hill

located inside the
Bay View Hide House
2625 S Greeley St
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Click Here for Directions

SEE MAP

• Live Music
• Live Painting
• Complimentary Refreshments
• New Work from Dena Nord
• Special Interactive Piece – TBA

Spring might be my favorite gallery night. This April gallery night, I will be showing a large body of work at Mercy Hill church located inside the art factory known as the Hide House in Bay View. On display will around fifteen pieces including a mix of new and old work. This will be the largest show I have ever created and I can’t wait to share it with Milwaukee. I will be showing range of work including framed and unframed prints, framed medium size paintings and a brand new, four by five foot creation named James.

New Painting James 4' x 5' (Detail)

James was first created while my good friend James Zarate was hanging out at our house. I showed him the brand new white canvas and asked him if we wanted to paint with me. James was timid at first but soon really showed off his creative skills. He helped make the basic composition that was the structure I then filled in. This painting morphs shapes with bright colors and moves your eye effortlessly around and around the canvas. You won’t want to miss it!

Click to see more about Mercy Hill Church

I am honored to be in the beautiful and contemporary space of Mercy Hill. It’s located on the first floor of the Bay View Hide House. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to show my work there. I have shown my work twice in the main entry way of the Hide House and have always had my eye on the large space of Mercy Hill. They have always been such a great and welcoming group of people. They love to push the arts on gallery night and they have been a pleasure to work with. Mercy Hill is committed to a philosophy of church that values community and focuses on the development of people rather than the expansion of the organization. The Hide House itself has over thirty studio spaces on the second and third floors that will also be open for viewing. Mercy Hill has booked a singer/songwriter from Madison to give us some LIVE TUNES. There will also be delicious COMPLIMENTARY REFRESHMENTS, thanks to Mercy Hill.

View of cafe in Mercy Hill

Adding to the festivities, I will also be LIVE PAINTING. I want to be able to show people how I work and talk to viewers as I’m painting. I will be creating a painting from start to finish over the course of the four hour show. To document the painting, a friend of Milwaukee Makerspace, David R. Overbeck ,will be video recording the whole painting in time-lapse video.

Live Painting for Pabst earlier this year

You can find out more about David at his site of korporate-media.com or you can see more of his video work at vimeo.com/user803725/albums. This will be the first time I will ever be recorded in time-lapse video and I hope it is not my last. I want to give a huge thank you to David for recording the event. Can’t wait to be working with him!  Thank you so much in advance to him and my boyfriend Jason for getting that all set-up. There will be a video and interview to come after the event. IF THAT was not enough – I also have another great friend, Bruce Anttila van Hoover, that is coming to photograph the event as well. Bruce and I have meet while he was photographing events for AIGA-WI. He has always been a delight to talk to and very helpful in photography knowledge. You can find out more about Bruce at his website, thisisbruce.com. The event is sure to be well documented with all the cameras around. I am so lucky to have the support from these other artists and I hope to return the favor to them someday any way I can.

SIGN UP to be on my mailing list to make sure you get the latest info about this upcoming show or other upcoming happenings. Hope to see you all there!

Event postcard and Eblast to come soon

This past month, I have been pursuing some new ventures and they have all come to fruition. Looking into the future of 2012 I could not be happier about what lies ahead. I see my worlds two of art and design finally intertwining. I am on the right path in life and it won’t be that much longer till work is not work anymore, it is simply life.

What are these changes you ask? A new spot coming to Milwaukee that is going to change how people view entertainment and the arts – Splash Studio. Splash, opening March 21, will be Milwaukee’s first ever painting bar. Exactly how it sounds, Splash will offer a bar type atmosphere accompanied by the joy of being creative.

Splash Studio | 184 N. Broadway | Milwaukee, WI

I met the owners of Splash at an Art Milwaukee articipatuon talk. They said they were hiring artists and that they were working on their website. I applied to be an instructor and also mentioned I would love to help in their website. Within a couple weeks we were finalizing their logo, developing their site and I was hired as an instructor.

I will be instructing a few nights a week at their location in the thirdward on 184 Broadway. From start to finish the class will usually be three hours. You learn how to paint the scheduled painting step by step while you are also sipping on great beer and wine selections. The fee includes instruction, all supplies and the 16″x20″ canvas. Instead of a going out to a regular bar, come down to splash with your friends for a unique experience.

I also was lucky enough to help them out on the design side. I worked with the owners to create the logo. We compared many options to get create something simple but creative and classy, to encompasses the atmosphere at Splash Studio. I got see it grow from a sketch to become their identity on their outside signs, aprons, and business cards. It was such a great experience as a freelancer, to achieve something great for a client – while being on my own. I am also very happy to still be working with them on the website, that launched last week.

SPLASH STUDIO FINAL LOGO

Check out the site to book your next night out or find out more about them. They are also on Facebook.

Wait — there is more you ask?!

Yes there is also something else excited. Around the same time that Splash was going on, I put the word out to my mentors that my commute to my current job at Kohler was killing me. Tim and Amy Decker have been my long-time mentors and are both in the creative community. A couple weeks ago. Tim forwarded me a job opportunity at The Milwaukee Art Museum.

THIS IS WHERE I WORK NOW

Just as fast as Splash happened, so did the museum. I applied and got an interview in a few days. After the first interview, I was asked to come in for a second. The second interview consisted of me re-branding the MAM after dark series. I came up with two options and presented them. They were looking for marketing materials to help bring more attendance into the museum. At the end of the week I was given a formal offer to become part of the team. What an unexpected amazing opportunity. Once in a while life all seems to just align. Even though I was getting great experience at Kohler, you can’t put a price on 2+ hours I loose in a car everyday.  So I quit my job, accepted both Splash and the Art Museum and I am about start a new chapter.

I’m taking a week off before I start this transformation March 26th. I can’t wait to take a little break and be happy that all the hard work pays off sometimes. With two more hours in each day, I hope to have new work and more posts on this blog. Stay tuned for updates and wish me luck!

I am happy to announce after  two weeks of annoying facebook posts, text messages and emails – the votes are in on Art House Reveal -  I won!

Thank you so much to all who took the time to vote! Much love.

The brand new online competition was getting close in the end, but Reef was able to pull ahead with 97 votes. With so many good artists in the competition I was not sure who was going to take the win. Thanks to my friends and family supporting me by voting, I was able to snag first. I appreciate it so much!

 

I submitted two pieces for the competition, one old work and one more recent work. The older painting was Tuscany, done in 2007. The more recent painting was a triptych entitled Reef. Reef quickly jumped out ahead of poor Tuscany and went on to win. My friend Daniel Fleming was also in the competition. His piece, Now that I am older, took a close second. He is am up and coming artist and regularly shows his work around Milwaukee. I first met Daniel when we were both picked for a gallery night show for the Milwaukee Athletic Club last year. You can find out more about him and his work at his site: dflemingartdesign.com.

Art House Reveal is just starting out, but I encourage lots of other artists to enter. It was a great experience and it is worth getting you work out there. For anyone else who is thinking of applying, go arthousereveal.com to start and click on the call for submissions button.

In addition to helping you get your work out in the world, Art House Reveal also donates to to a local charities. For this competition, they were also donating to True Skool, a youth organization which uses dance to bring positive change to their lives. I loved this part of the competition and plan on continuing to promote the website and featured artist for such a great cause.

 I will be meeting with the head of Art House Reveal, Mike Pintar, at this Friday’s upcoming Art Milwaukee Jamboree.  I can’t wait to thank him and tell him how much I appreciate someone spending time to promote local artists! I will be doing an interview for the website soon and will definitely post when it is finalized. Thanks again to all who voted, I owe you one!

]]> http://denanord.com/art-house-reveal-winner/feed/ 1 http://denanord.com/upcoming-events/ http://denanord.com/upcoming-events/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:27:14 +0000 dena nord http://denanord.com/?p=1279 This blog post is not only for you viewers, but also for myself to remember what the H is coming up in the spring. It is only day 16 of 2012 and I feel it is zooming past. I have added two shows to my spring schedule, made a new stop motion video and sold some original paintings for the first time in a while. I want to keep this speed for the rest of the year and really make the most of it. I am starting to really feel comfortable in my style of art and design and it feels great.

Here are some upcoming events to look out for:

March 15th – May 15th

The Waxing Shop in Shorewood

The Waxing is  new shop opening in shorewood.will feature local art & handmade gifts at affordable prices & whenever possible, made out of refurbished or recycled materials. I will be showing my work there for sixty days starting in March.

There will be a grand opening reception Friday March 16th from 6-9pm.
There will be art from many local artists including my friend Jenny Janecke. Jenny and I did a show back in November at the Buddha Lounge downtown and I love her art, check her website out Here.  Treats will be served and drinks will be flowing from local Brenner Brewing. It should be a great night and I am looking forward to showing my art for the first time in the Shorewood area.

April – June

Solo Show at Mercy Hill Church

located inside the Hide House Bayview
I have shown my work many times at the Hide House in. I love the space and it always makes for a grand gallery night. For the first time this April I will be the chance to be the solo artist in the larger space on the first floor, Mercy Hill Church. They are a great organization that supports the arts and always puts out a fantastic spread for gallery night. The night will include lots and lots of food, live music and the entire Hide House will be filled with art. I am patiently waiting for the chance to show most of my latest pieces and have the opportunity to curate a solo show. Click to find out more about MercyHill and the Hide House.

June 3rd

Bayview Gallery Night

Bayview is creating its own Gallery Night with the Help of Made in Milwaukee for the second time. I have done two shows with MIM so far and loved them both. I am looking forward to showing my work for a third time with them in my homebase of Bayview. I have not received a confirmation of where my work will be, but stay tuned for updates. You can go to the event’s website Here for up to date information.

That is all on my list for now for Spring 2012.
Can’t wait to see how all these events unfold and I hope to see you are a few.

I created this step by step video to show how it was done. I tried to pair it with a song that was just right, and as Billie Holiday just seemed the right kind of mood.

Here are some posters I created using the symbol library.

I felt such a rush of excitement. We had a four by seven foot board, our own little stage and spot lights. To make it seem that much unreal, we were right in the window looking over Water St. downtown Milwaukee. Basically – the best spot in the house. We set up right away and started getting some paint on the surface. We quickly came up with this idea that we were going to be merging colors and shapes from one side of the board to the other. It represents the old into the new year and mine and Bree’s energies colliding.

We were just getting started

The piece at the end of the night

We didn’t stop painting till past ten when we took out first break. From then on it was a balance between us painting, dancing and painting and just dancing. Art Milwaukee really knows how to put on a party and I was so happy to be attending. The night included free drinks all night, fashion show, live dancers, champagne, photo booth and if that wasn’t enough – a balloon drop at midnight. I had such a great time and met so many new interesting creatives in Milwaukee. Thank you Jason for pushing me to do it and thank you Art Milwaukee or letting me have the chance!

Thanks to Jonathan Canny and Jon Kline for taking such great photographs.
See more about the event at this link Here.

I want to start doing stop motion paintings more regularly to gain content on this blog. This painting was done in only one night and one morning with 230 photos. Most of my paintings are about the process, taking photos and creating these stop motion films are a great way to show the steps taken in the work. They show just how much the paintings have changed and some have even been rotated. This one seems a little unfinished, but I plan to keep trying and keep postings. I think good things will be coming, so stay tuned.

Look back for more progress and more videos soon!

I did this one before if you want to see one created almost three years ago!

{Verb} Add new material to or regularly update a blog
{Noun} A Web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis.

That is it. I have had enough. I need to start with more regular posts.

I hear again and again how someone my age is out in the design or fine art world and making national recognition due to the content and idea for their blog. Meaning, illustrious people like Andrew Gibbs with his daily package design blog called The DieLine, Jessica Hische with her Daily DropCap or the oh-so popular Daily Monster illustration blog by Stefan G. Bucher. All of these young designers picked an idea they were drawn to and made it into a blog empire. They have grown throughout the course of making their blogs. You can see if literally over time, and I want so badly to learn from them and follow in their footsteps.

Stefan used his passion for illustration as a way to generate content for his blog and have fun. He starts by spilling liquid ink on to his drawing surface. Then he manipulates the ink by blowing on it through a straw. He forms these awesome abstract shapes that he then uses to build his drawing of a monster.
You can see more of his process in videos on his YouTube page at YouTube.com/user/StefanGBucher

So I am going to do the same and start blogging more often and pick a focus for a daily or weekly post. (For better or for worse). Picking the idea is going to be the hard part but physically posting should not be that hard with a camera, spell check and the wordpress app on my phone right? (Hopefully). I plan to pick a subject I like and run with it.

Here are the ideas I have had so far :

• Expanding my feet photography series: that you can see here, to a daily photograph
• Doing a weekly redesign project: Showing a before and after of a design refresh
• Daily Student highlight – Highlight student’s work each day I find online or in person
• Daily art history / modern comparison – Try to compare a classic with a modern piece
• Weekly Painting Vector Make Over – I live on InDesign and Photoshop most days. I do not get to play in Illustrator as much as I would like. I would love to use this opportunity to convert my paintings into vectored illustrative prints. It would not give you a live-traced look, but a new spin on my older paintings.

I like all of these concepts and I wonder if there is even a need to narrow it down.
Either way look forward for more content and more fun to be happening at denanord.com/blog.

Take a look at how it turned out:

I also showed my work at Turner Hall the night before Thanksgiving for their Made In Milwaukee Rain Date show. I was there with a handful or artist who also showed their work at the Made in Milwaukee festival. I really appreciated the thought from Made in Milwaukee and give them much thanks for the extra show. It was held at Turner Hall Ballroom and included live music, live painting and vendor and artist booths. It was fun to listen to some good tunes while hanging out with some regulars. Traffic was not too steady, which makes me get into the giving mood. DJ for Radio Milwaukee, Jordan Lee, really took a liking to my replica of Starry Night. I knew earlier in the day they were nice enough to give me a shout out for that show so I thought I could not let him walk away empty handed. I ended up just giving him the painting.