Paintings in the Netroots Nation/Texas Kaos Show

"What Have We Become?" 9 Digital Prints with Encaustic on Masonite with Chain Links ~34" x 37" © 2008 Marilyn Fenn
“What Have We Become?” 9 Digital Prints with Encaustic on Masonite with Chain Links ~34″ x 37″ © 2008 Marilyn Fenn

Here are pictures of most of my pieces from the Netroots Nation/Texas Kaos show.

Texas Kaos Show - Plumbob Priscilla
“Plumbob Priscilla” Encaustic on Masonite 8″ x 10″ Framed O.D. 9.75″ x 12″
Texas Kaos Show - Operation Bravo
“Operation Bravo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 12″ x 12″ Framed O.D. 13.25″ x 13.25″
Texas Kaos Show - Castle Romeo
“Castle Romeo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 12″ x 9″ Framed O.D. 13.25″ x 10″
Texas Kaos Show - Romeo
“Romeo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 9″ x 12″ Framed O.D. 10″ x 13.25″

Art Opening of Netroots Nation/Texas Kaos After Party & Art Exhibit

Netroots Nation/Texas Kaos After Party & Art Exhibit

What a great show!  My large piece “What Have We Become?” was prominently featured on the main wall and was a big hit with the Netroots Nation folks.  One guy even gave me a huge hug when he found I was the artist of that piece.

I had my 5 paintings of nuclear bombs in this show, along with the piece mentioned above and an image transfer/encaustic piece of “Chernobyl.”

There were 6 other artists in this show with great and varied work.   I thought I took more pictures than I actually did (that usually seems to be the case!).  As it turned out, we were enjoying the opening so much, the party lasted well past closing time.

Netroots Nation Art Exhibit Saturday, July 19th

texas_kaosBlogging from the Right Side of the Brain Art Exhibit

Texas Kaos Presents Netroots Nation After Party and Art Exhibit

Hosted by Bay6 Gallery and Studios

Reception:
Saturday July 19th
7:00PM to 10:00PM
5305 Bolm Rd Bay6 Austin TX.

As the Netroots Nation conference winds to a close Saturday evening, we invite you to join us and Bloggers from across the nation at Bay6 Studios to ‘Kick Back and Kick it Up before We Kick ‘Em Out!’

Sponsored and hosted by Texas Kaos and Bay6 Gallery and located five minutes from the Austin Convention Center in East Austin, the event will feature music, food, drink and present a group art exhibition “Blogging from the Right Side of the Brain” featuring work by Texas artists Marilyn Fenn, Daphne Holland, Jack Howe, Darvin Jones, Mindy Kober, Sharon Kyle-Kuhn and Brooke Wilton.

For more information and direction see www.texaskaos.com, www.bay6studios.com

New Atomic Bomb Paintings

“Operation Bravo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 12" x 12" © 2007 Marilyn Fenn
“Operation Bravo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 12″ x 12″ © 2007 Marilyn Fenn

I had wanted to complete more of my planned large series of atomic bomb paintings done in time to apply to a local show dealing with war.  I’ve got only 5 done now, and these last two need a little tweaking, but for now, here they are:

Painting of Nuclear Explosion Castle Romeo
“Castle Romeo” Encaustic on Plexiglas 9″ x 12″ © 2007 Marilyn Fenn

First Atomic Bomb Tested on This Day in 1945

"Atomic Bomb Buster Jangle Charlie" encaustic on masonite 10" x 8" © 2007 Marilyn Fenn
“Atomic Bomb Buster Jangle Charlie” encaustic on masonite 10″ x 8″ © 2007 Marilyn Fenn

I suppose that sounds more like a political statement than one on art, but as I’m working on a large series of paintings of nuclear bombs, it really is a statement about my art.

I envision painting about 100 paintings of nuclear bombs, which would be just a drop in the bucket compared to how many nuclear bombs exist on our planet today.

OK, so it’s a little political, too, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

There is both a power and a beauty in the fractal qualities of the cloud-like forms of nuclear bombs — and hurricanes and tornadoes — that fascinates me.  They make a great subject for painting my small encaustic paintings that aim to straddle the space between abstraction and representation.  My goal is to paint really beautiful paintings, even if they are of troubling subjects — maybe especially if they are of troubling subjects — in the hope that the viewer can see past the scariness of the bombs, tornadoes and hurricanes, and see the beauty of the paint.

For me, these paintings are paint first, and images second.   Take a look at my small beginning paintings, and stay tuned for more to come.