My future plans, and a look back.

For years now I've been wallowing in my comfort zone as an artist: that is to say mainly Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention Galleries. I have shown work all over the world, from Yokohama Japan to Montreal Canada- but always part of one of these conventions. Having been raised on these events they always had a magical kind of appeal to them. A sort of pinnacle to reach. So once I began doing this after graduating from Pratt in 2007 I found myself with tunnel vision in terms of where to showcase my work.

I often think about why I may have had this kind of mental wall for so long and I have a theory:

As an Illustration Major I was pretty much taught that illustrative work was considered inferior in the Contemporary Art gallery scene. If you were a commercial artist, even if you were creating work that was separate from your freelance clients, it was still not something a contemporary gallery would want to see. So when I found myself moving more towards fine-art with my own personal work I was completely daunted and fearful of that world. It was at this time that I remembered the galleries at these conventions from my childhood. They always seemed like a great place for illustrators to find a fine-art audience for their works, with the added bonus of showing along-side industry veterans and other well-respected artists. So that is where I naturally gravitated to, and my experience was so pleasant I found myself resting on that scene without properly moving beyond it. And that is where I've been shoehorning myself for years- even though my work often-times seems a stretch to fit into the subject matter of those Science Fiction and Fantasy galleries.

SO NO LONGER. While I do wish to continue showing at these events I have decided to place them at a lower priority and make the New York City Gallery Scene the focus of my future endeavors. Instead of running and hiding from the perceived pre-rejection I will be attempting to get my work put up in as many small galleries and local coffee shops until I can work my way up to potentially showing at those very galleries I used to consider completely off limits to my style of art.

It really helps that I feel the Contemporary Art World is once again starting to recognize the value of illustrative, graphic, and animated works as legitimate art again. And thanks to trail-blazers like James Jean, Pixar, and a host of other Illustrators/Animators who are breaking down the barriers and prejudices I can, for the first time in my adult career, see myself succeeding in this world. I just need to work HARD. And it's something I've never been more happy to do.

So that takes me, in a REALLY LONG, roundabout route, to Express Yourself Barista Bar. It is among the first forays into showing my work locally- and hopefully there will be many more, including actual galleries, in the future.

DEC 4 2013

NOW SHOWING: Nudtendo at express yourself bartista bar!

In my continued efforts to be more on top of self-promotion I'll be making posts regarding any shows, galleries, or cafes I will have my art up in from now on

So yes, I'll get the important info out of the way before I go into more detail about my plans (in a separate blog posting).

I just put work up at:

EXPRESS YOURSELF BARISTA BAR

82 Central Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11206

Here are some pictures of the series in the space:

If you are in the area (off the Jefferson or Morgan L train stops, the Central Stop on the M, or the Myrtle/Broadway on the JMZ) stop by and have a look-see. Also a fantastic drink. Really- it is some of the best coffee in an area fast becoming over-saturated with coffee shops. The pieces I put up are all hand-made and painted artist reproductions of the original 18 Nüdtendo series. I will explain why they are reproductions below:

The Nüdtendo series has presented me with a conundrum on how to show in galleries. Since every single one is individually for sale (195$ for an original) I am currently missing quite a few originals. Some of them are vital to this kind of series (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach among some of the sold) and would render a show incomplete without their presence. So when Express Yourself asked to show the Nüdtendo series I decided to come up with a solution. I wanted to maintain the shadow-box motif that all originals possess- that way I could achieve the semi-pixel quality I originally intended. It would also allow me to hang originals next to reproductions and still have the show look cohesive.

So I decided for every original I would create I would make an identical, not-for-sale reproduction. That way if the original does sell I will have the backup to show with the rest. And since this was a coffee shop and not a true gallery, with all the drinks and potential for mess that entails, I decided for this show I would take those reproductions and just hang them, leaving my originals at home safe for those who would like to buy them. I figure in a real Gallery I would put as many originals up as possible with the reproductions to fill in the gaps.

DEC 4 2013

Blast from my Embarrassing past!

While I'm talking about videos about me I felt it would be fun to make a post with a link to something that happened waaaaaay back in 2010. I was just going freelance after leaving This Is Pop and found a job listing for possible full-time work at another videogame company that utilized all the skills I developed in my previous full-time job. However, upon sending my resume and cover letter I was contacted and told that, while I sounded perfect for the job, this particular set of interviews would be funded and recorded by MTV for a reality show they were working on.

It sounded a little crazy but I was so sure of my chances I went right ahead with it. And while I think it's okay to spoil things and mention that I didn't end up getting the job- the process was immortalized in the video I'm linking to here. Enjoy this ridiculousness!

DISCLAIMER: This was before I made the name-change to Aedan Roberts- so just roll with it when they refer to me as "Marc."

MTV's GET HIRED ARKADIUM EPISODE

(Link is currently unavailable; will be mended shortly)

DEC, 2, 2013