Graffiti Drawing Class

"Urban Penumbra"

"Urban Penumbra" is a series of mixed media works by East Coast artist, Ray Ferrer that is currently on display at Elephant Room through Feb. 22nd. At the opening, guests inquired about the photography or the silk screen process of the work. The work is actually spray paint and acrylic on canvas which Ferrer has worked over his complicated and detailed stencils. The photography reference makes sense since the photorealism of Ferrer's subjects is indisputable. 

We mainly exhibit local Chicago artists here, but with all of the submissions we receive from around the world, I think it's important to exhibit a significant, emerging artist from elsewhere at least once a year in order to keep Chicago inspired and maintain a connection to the larger art world. Ferrer successfully brings that inspiration to us through this new series of work.

Ferrer discovered his talent for his artistic practice much later in life. He studied engineering and has worked as a consultant over the years. He's always had a passion for art and more specifically, photography. It seems that his interest in photography as a child has now come full circle. To his astonishment, a photograph he took of a woman looking into a storefront window is proudly on display in his parents home.

All of his work starts as a photograph, which he then digitally manipulates in order to capture the emotion he wants to portray. While looking at this final digital image, Ferrer cuts a stencil that will result in a painted image on canvas that reveals the emotion he intended to capture. Varying the distance of the spray paint can from the surface allows his work to ebb and flow the depth of vision. Surprisingly, Ferrer revealed to us that once he completes a piece, the stencil is torn up and thrown away so that the final work will never be reproduced. His time and effort with that work is forever held solely within that final canvas.

The use of solely black and white is a very intentional decision on Ferrer's part as he wants the subject alone to be interpreted without the distraction of colors. The raw emotion of the subject is revealed clearly through the expressive quality of the expressions and backgrounds in black, white and grey contrasts. 

Every piece is titled very simply with words like "Turmoil", "Youth", and "Optimism". It is obvious that Ferrer is trying to be as pure as possible in his practice and he is successfully able to communicate his intentions flawlessly. I am not always certain that perfection is the answer in artistic practice, however, if it is important to the artist, then it must be important to us. With Ferrer's work, I am astounded by the quality of work and his ability to convey exactly his intent. “I am vehemently opposed to using art as a means to rely on overly-complex theories or ideas to prop up mediocre images. I believe that the quality of the actual work is what is paramount.” - Ferrer. Ferrer's admission of his need for perfection in his work is endearing as he remains a modest and open individual. In his case, the quality of his work is paramount as each hand-cut stencil seems perfectly cut with a precision that reveals an extremely relatable time and place in all of our lives or the lives of those we love.

"Turmoil" by Ray Ferrer

First Exhibiting Artist of the New Year!

We are very excited about the New Year and the artists we'll be working with and exhibiting! We'd love to introduce you to this upcoming artist...

Ray Ferrer is an East Coast based artist, who, through his work, seeks to utilize various harmonies and ideas to visually engage his audience. He uses his art as an opportunity to experiment with the range of possibilities allowed through his choice of materials, spray paint and hand cut stencils. “I am vehemently opposed to using art as a means to rely on overly-complex theories or ideas to prop up mediocre images. I believe that the quality of the actual work is what is paramount.” - Ferrer. 

Ferrer became interested in Urban art later in life as he began to appreciate the beauty and meaning in the medium. He is interested in the negative spaces in his stencil work, and capturing a sophistication that goes unseen in many day to day images. Ferrer has a MBA and an undergraduate degree in Engineering. 

"No Relation" Connie Noyes

"No Relation" is an exhibition of mixed media paintings by Connie Noyes currently up at the Noyes Cultural Center in Evanston through December 20th, 2012. I attended the opening on November 18th and was happy to see Connie and was intrigued by the new work. I can't say that I was surprised, as I had seen some of the work in-progress weeks ago, but I was absolutely taken with the final pieces and the narrative that went along with each. As a bit of a departure from her larger body of work, Connie digitally manipulated photographs and created layers of narratives rather than layers of materials and resin. Each piece has a title that begins with "He Said" or "She Said”, but all of them feel like the perspective of “She”. Perhaps this is because I already know that the artist is a female, or perhaps it’s because of the resounding feminist feel to the work. Everything that “He” says seems to be directed toward “her” with a tone that is void of love. “Her” words are more intro-spective and poetic. The work is painful, beautiful and relatable. The collage of textures, objects and repetitive elements create a dreamlike state that feels like a memory. The magnificent frame around each piece solidifies that memory and keeps it intact and present. I’m excited to see where this work will take Connie next. “No Relation” not only speaks to Connie’s abilities as an artist, but also her abilities as a writer and storyteller. This combination certainly makes for an impactful exhibition of work.

"Ojero: A Character of Culture"

"Ojero: A Character of Culture" is a unique exhibition by Chicago-based artist Sam Kirk that celebrates Dia de los Muertos in an artistic setting exploring the culture surrounding the event as well as cultural icons and notions. Her "Ojero", a version of a calaca, is an original character that she has been working with over the years. We have seen the character develop from the first exhibition at Elephant Room in November of 2009 to a more culturally represented and emotionally accessible version in this exhibition. Sam Kirk continues to surprise us with her new bodies of work and we are excited to be taken along on the adventure! Sam recently exhibited successfully in New York and we look forward to more cities catching on to her unique ability to connect with the viewer through her strong commentary on culture and society along with her technical ability to paint and design. Not to mention that she is set on remaining humble and demonstrates this in her strong support of her fellow artists and galleries! "Ojero: A Character of Culture" will be on exhibition through January 5th, 2013.

The artist, Sam Kirk & visitor, fellow artist & curator Stuart Hall chat it up at the opening!

Thank you to Zoils Oils, Fixed Ear & Jaime Reda for also being a part of this exhibition with their artistry! Thank you also, Cerveza Indio for providing the libations!

Live Sketch 2012!

Thank you to the sketch artists, Rob Hogan, Jennifer Cronin, Ali Cantarella, Nina Palomba, Emily Dahlquist, Lewis Taylor and HugoStyle! Thank you also to the deejays providing the great sounds, DJ Continental, DJ Taelue & DJ Johnny Fonseca! And thanks to all who showed their support!