Dr. Sketchy Philadelphia: Speakeasy

(Special thanks to my girlfriend Liz for introducing me to the Dr. Sketchy phenomenon!) And please forgive me for the terrible quality of my cell-phone photos…

I don't think this is just any old living room with a "Mr. Deadguy."

For the uninitiated, Dr. Sketchy’s is an “anti-art school” started in NYC in 2005 by art school drop-outs, its an alternative art school movement where creatively themed models in corsets, cellophane dreadlocks, drag makeup, prosthetics and pasties against corresponding backgrounds make a fun alternative to the Sketch Club’s academic nudes.  You are surrounded by artists of all backgrounds with interesting stories themselves, half naked models, and a copious supply of booze: a perfect combination to make great artwork.

Melissa Bang Bang goes vamp, literally vamp-ire.

I’ve been to two Dr. Sketchy sessions, and I’ve been nothing but impressed with the quality of the experience.  The venues are tasteful, and you can tell that the hosts put a lot of time and thought into atmosphere and props for the space.  Since a lot of the drawing session experience rests on the models, they can make or break the session, but each time they walked up the aisle towards the stage the costuming and acting made my jaw drop.  These are professionals who kick ass at their jobs!  I can’t forget to mention that the gorgeous hostess Candy always has a few fun themed prizes for the drawing contests (chocolate is a real motivator). I have no problem dropping the money for admission fee and a few bucks as tips for models. There’s a lot of thought and effort that goes into these shows.

Now MAKING artwork from these set-ups, that’s another challenge! I appreciate my academic training to be able to draw the model proportionally underneath all that extreme costuming, since I’m so used to academic nudes it can be a little tricky at times to figure out how to draw an octopus tentacle extending from the model’s arm. However, these sessions are a new way to be creative and inspire more diverse artworks.  I can’t wait to go to more of these!

Check out their website at http://www.drsketchy.com/branch/Philly for updates and drawing sessions.

You worry about jellyfish... SHE worried about octo-man. The Jersey shore will never be the same.

The 80s VHS jacket cover, you haven't seen this C-list horror flick?

Here’s a few drawings from the other Dr. Sketchy I attended back in September @ World Cafe Live: Cyber Revolution

Cyber girl

Escaping the technology wasteland

Last Gasps of Summer

I made a series of three green-hued canvases and am experimenting with new types of flowers and plants to draw on these abstract backgrounds.   They have such an organic and calming natural green feeling to them, I couldn’t bear to draw so tightly on these canvases. This is the first of three to be finished, “Lily Pads,” and reminds me of a cool, still pond during the height of a hot summer. Enjoy!

"Lily Pads" 2011, 10"x8" acrylic and reflective ink on canvas

The Mauve Series

Detail of "Dawn". Cute little butterfly-bug.

In between the struggle of assembling a website that is professional yet still fun (harder work than I thought), and now more hours at work than I thought possible, I’ve been working on a mauve colored series of artwork to calm my nerves and keep my creativity flowing.

I’m still toying with the idea of getting my images printed on greeting cards or small posters and trying out my luck on etsy.com or selling at more shows. With school starting in a few weeks and my free time going ca-put, I’d like an easy way to keep selling artwork while not actually making the artwork.  I’d ultimately like IKEA or Target or Urban Outfitters to print and license my paintings for their stores, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

"Dusk," 2011. 10"x8", acrylic and reflective ink on canvas. Depicting a gorgeous bunch of chrysanthemums. Sold to a beautiful friend of mine.

"Trumpets," 2011. 10"x8", acrylic and reflective ink on canvas. Sold to one of my favorite buddies.

"Dawn," 2011. 10"x8", acrylic and reflective ink on canvas.

New Website!

Finally, my website is up and running, at least running well enough. Please check it out! I will still be using my blog to introduce more artwork, and using the website as a formal means to showcase my work. Thanks for everyone’s support and enjoy the site!

www.melissiaelisa.com

Resurrection

"Splash: Blue/Orange" 30"x40" Latex house paint on canvas, destroyed.

This painting was in the my first ever splash series my junior year at Moore and was exhibited at my first gallery opening in Old City. (to see the whole painting at the show, http://theartblog.org/2006/11/novembers-first-friday/) My painting was destroyed in 2010 when I left it at a friend’s house as a gift, and when I recovered it I was absolutely crushed. Not only was it knifed into pieces, there were stab wounds all over the canvas, and impossible to repair. I decided it needed to be totally redone into a new painting.

"Resurrection," 20"x24" Latex house paint canvas glued onto stretched canvas. Sides painted red.

I was able to recreate a smaller version of the old painting by cutting and gluing the old painting together in a star shaped pattern, melding colors and patterns into a new sunburst painting.  I felt like I was stitching together my tattered past to create a more beautiful future.

"Resurrection" detail, showing rip marks

"Resurrection" detail, showing jagged edges

"Resurrection" detail, showing rip marks

It’s a Butterfly thing…

I’ve found some fabulous etchings by MSM (Maria Sibylla Merian, we’re that tight) with all sorts of bugs on plants, flies, butterflies, bees, worms, and other creepy crawlies. Here’s two of her etchings with my own splashy twist.

"Symbiotic," 4'x6" acrylic and gold reflective ink on stretched canvas

"Summertime," 4"x6", acrylic and silver reflective ink on stretched canvas

Wildflowers in Water

Cinquefoil. 8"x12" acrylic and ink on canvas

Here is some more of my latest work.  There’s a few more paintings drying on the rack to be added shortly. They remind me of cut wildflowers floating down a lazy stream on a hot summer day… or that could just be where I’d rather be right now.

Daythistle. 5"x7" acrylic and ink on canvas

Papillion

2011 "Papillion," 12"x18" gold leaf, acrylic, oil paint on wood panel

The poor flower kept saying to the airborne butterfly: 

   “Don’t fly away!
    Our destinies are different: I stay put,
    you travel!

Yet we love one another, we live without human beings,
   remote from them;
   and we resemble one another – some say that both of us
   are flowers.

“But alas! the breeze carries you off, while the earth ties me down
   – what a cruel fate!
   I would like my breath to perfume your flight
   in the sky!

But no, you travel too far! Visiting countless flowers,
   you fly away,
   while I remain alone watching my shadow circle
   at my feet.

“You go, then you come back, then you fly off again
   to shine elsewhere.
   So every morning you find me
   bathed in tears!

Ah please, so that our love may glide along faithfully
   (oh my king!),
   take root like me – or else give me wings
   like you!”

“La pauvre fleur disait au papillon céleste.” Victor Hugo (1802-1885) (Courtesy of my friend Jeremy, who named the painting)

This painting has been a struggle for six months. I have agonized over minute brush painting of each individual butterfly, keeping the gold leaf fresh and clean, and freezing over what I should do next.  It got too precious. While idolizing Damien Hurst’s butterfly series I needed to make the concept my own.  This is the last of my Damien Hurst-like geometric series for now.

"Papillion" center detail

"Papillion" Swallowtail detail

Living in a Dream

2011, Lilac Impressions. 5"x7" acrylic and reflective ink on stretched canvas

I know, there’s no excuse. While there hasn’t been much activity on this blog, there has been a lot of activity around my artwork. Now that I have moved into a studio that was larger than my previous entire apartment, I hope to work larger and bolder (and with armloads of plastic sheeting to keep these gorgeous white walls white-ish) with less constraints. I have room to splash at large canvases, wood panels, holiday cards, my feet… I’m a happy artist.

“I see a handmade napkin or cloth, something sentimental that had a flower on it and someone spills wine on it. It gets thrown away, someone else finds it, and even though it’s “ruined” it’s still special to them.”  I’m starting a series of nature abstracts, and my friend Jeremy had imagined his story when he saw the painting.  I was originally inspired by the etchings of Maria Sibylla Merian, a 17th century Dutch artist and naturalist who inspired most of my studio work and my art history thesis while I was in art school.  For this current series I am moving her carefully detailed etchings of flowers and butterflies through my canvas space, obscuring and revealing the precise lines of the delicate petals and leaves through splashes of color.  I want an ethereal, dream-like ground built up from adding and erasing elements.

I am now showing at two consistent venues with Art in the Dark artist collaborative.  Every second Wednesday (I’ll put up the dates on my Events page) I will be showing work at Raven Lounge in Center City, Philadelphia.  Every last Thursday of the month I will be showing work at Wine-o in Northern Liberties, and much of the work will remain the walls throughout the month.  Stop by if you’re in the area, all the artwork looks much better in person.

First Friday Activities: Raise Up Japan Charity Auction

Donated artwork from cousins Melissia and Lyndsey Grosjean

It’s nice to do something for people all the way on the other side of the world.  I donated two pieces to the Raise Up Japan Art Charity Auction in Old City, Philadelphia this First Friday, and hopefully we’ll have some sales to benefit the Japan disaster relief effort.  My lovely artistic cousin from New York City, Lyndsey Grosjean, also donated a painting for the cause.  I would also like to thank Dr. Sean Duffy of Rutgers Camden campus for his enthusiasm and commitment to putting on this event, and according to Sean, the individual event donated over $6000 for the Red Cross Japan.  I was so honored to be a part of this event and glad to do my part to help with the Japanese disaster relief.

Keep track of the upcoming Raise Up Japan events at their homepage: Raise Up Japan