Writing a Press Release for my Home Town Paper

 I thought it would be nice to let the folks at home know what was going on as well.  I wrote to the The Daily Journal, the local paper where I grew up, and asked if they might be interested.  I got a response and was told to send more information and a picture.  I can't wait for my father to come across this as he is reading the morning paper!  I have not told him about it yet so please don't ruin the surprise!

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PRESS RELEASE

24 Hour Show:  Optimal Cut

Organized by: GallerieRieRiemann,

Exhibition at : 88 Hermann-Liebmann St.,

  Leipzig, Germany

April 12, 2014

Opening Times:  24 hours, Midnight to Midnight

This coming Friday is set-up day for a 24 hour group art exhibition in Leipzig, Germany.  The title of the show is Optimaler Schnitt (or Optimal Cut).  Steve Lewis, who was born and raised in Dividing Creek, New Jersey and now resides in Leipzig, is one of the artists who has been invited to participate.  Lewis first moved to Leipzig in 1994 after graduating from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.  He was under the tutorage of Judy Scull at Bridgeton High until he graduated in 1990 and studied oil painting with Elsie Donaghay in Cedarville as a child.  The show opens on Saturday, April 12^th, 2014.  The exhibition officially runs for 24 hours from midnight to midnight.

Lewis has been allocated a space to display his new paintings, which he began to paint in early February.  The paintings are the first of a series of what he is calling meta-triptychs. Each of these paintings include 3 narratives within one scene. The compositions are arranged in a manner whereby the viewer feels as though they are part of the environment or could easily imaging stepping into the scene – where they become part of the narrative for that moment and begin to contemplate what to do next.

The exhibition will be held in a 5 story apartment building which was last inhabited probably 5 to 10 years ago.  The rooms still look as they did when they were occupied.  The room Lewis selected seems to have been last used as a baby's room (the wallpaper design and growth marks on the door frame are evidence).  The three paintings that he has completed for this show have images of children that are central to one of the narratives depicted in each scene.

More information can be found at:  Artist-Teacher-HERE.blogspot.com

In Between Time, oil on canvas, 75x160 cm, 2014.

Getting Ready for the "Optimaler Schnitt" Exhibition

Since February I have been working on 4 paintings for the "Optimaler Schnitt" exhibition.  This coming Friday is set-up day and then the show opens on Saturday, April 12th.  The exhibition officially runs for 24 hours from midnight to midnight.  I am happy to have finished 3 of the 4 works so far.  I knew that the space I had been allocated would hold 3 paintings nicely and this was the target I wanted to reach.

The exhibition will be held in a 5 story apartment building which was last inhabited probably 5 to 10 years ago.  The rooms still look as they did when they were occupied.  The room I selected seems to have been last used as a baby's room (the wallpaper design and growth marks on the door frame tipped me off).  It is interesting to think that the child who slept there is now maybe 10 years old.  The three paintings that I have completed for this show have images of children that are central to one of the narratives depicted in each scene.

These paintings are to be the first of a series of what I am calling meta-triptychs.  I came up with this idea after reading about metamodernism and the Notes on Metamodernism by Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker.  Each of these paintings presents a single scene in which 3 narratives are playing out, all of which are in a state of flux.  The composition may also be arranged in a manner whereby the viewer feels as though they are part of the environment or could easily imaging stepping into the scene – where they become part of the narrative for that moment and begin to contemplate what to do next.

I am really looking forward to this 24 hour show.  It will be the first time exhibiting since I attended the Artist Teacher Workshop and the first time showing my new work with the meta-triptychs.  I hope the show is successful.  That being said, no matter how it goes on Saturday, completing at least 3 new works means that for me it has already been a success!

In Between Time, oil on canvas, 75x160 cm, 2014.

Liberty, oil on canvas, 160x145 cm, 2014.

His GTO, the Raccoon, and You, oil on canvas, 105x160 cm, 2014.

Exhibition space, room 409, awaiting installation.

Exhibition Poster.