RIP, Loki the Cat

Loki passed away suddenly yesterday from what I gather was a stroke and subsequent cardiac arrest.  I just want to take a moment to remember him while it's peaceful in the house.

I adopted him in April 1997 with his brother Apollo, an orange tabby, when I was living in Tokyo.  He was born to an English mother and a Japanese father.  The mother was owned by an English family who let her roam about the streets of Tokyo unspayed and later returned with her to England right after she had her litter, which they left behind with a friend.

Loki was all white with light green eyes and a semi-bobbed, crooked tail, which I attribute to his having a Japanese father, since there are many bobbed tailed cats in Japan.   He was the most gentle cat I have ever known.  All thirteen years of his life, I never heard him hiss.  The only times he bit were when he was playful.

Loki lived up to his name.  He was mischievous and stole food from us often.  No meal we prepared was safe from him if left unguarded for one minute.

He had a series of illnesses over the past few years, but he's finally pain-free now.

Apollo is sad today.  He walks around meowing loudly and comes to me often for solace.  We miss Loki.

Duxbury Art Association's Winter Juried Show 2009

I'm honored to be juried into the Duxbury Art Association 2009 Winter Juried Show with my photograph Rodeo III. The juror for photography was Lou Jones. The show will run from February 8 to April 26th at 186 Alden Street in Duxbury, MA.

Here's the complete list of participants.

Phyllis Adams
Franny Andahazy
Marian C.Atkinson
Sylvana Baracchini
Robin Beckwith
Christina Beecher
Evelyn Bernal
Patricia Berube
James Bird
Janet C. Blagdon
Stephen Boczanowski
Robert Bolster
Kristine Brennen
Dennis Broadbent
Kelly Carmody
Judith Chaves
Lilly Cleveland
Nancy Colella
Jane Flavell Collins
Meredith Wildes Cornell
Michael Coyne
Patricia L. Cullen
Donald Dacier
Deborah Ellen Davies
Susan G. Denniston
Esme YC Disch
Kathy Dixon
Sandra L. Donnellan
Dennis Doyle
Russell du Pont
James F. Earl
Dominic J. Farrell
Georgia Fletcher
Jack Foley
D. Randolph Foulds
Kate Garrity
Linda L.Garrity
Anne Garton
JoAnn Gouzoules
Ellen Gower
Karyn Frances Gray
Michael S.Guertin
Susan Hagstrom
Wendy Hale
Becky Haletky
Stephen Haley
Anne Henning
Stephen H. Holland
June Hollisian
Vin Horrigan
Wilson Hunt, Jr.
Shirley M. Jenkins
Ruth Jensen
Roger Carl Johanson
Susan Kelley
Brooks Kelly
Danguole Rita Kuolas
Andrew Kusmin
Susan LaFevre
Robert Lavery
Eleanor B. Lawson
Priscilla Levesque
David P. Locarno
Jim Lo Piccolo
Jeanne MacFarland
Lisa Mackin
Heidi Mayo
Jan McElhinny
Jeanne McKenna
Margaret McWethy
Michele Meister
Felice Mendell
Dianne Miller
David Monteiro
Mary Moquin
Amy B. Moran
Paul Munroe
Yale S. Nicolls
Ann Marie Oliver-Nickerson
Carol O'Malia
Judy Pollock
Glenn Pollock
Deborah Putnam
Page Railsback
MJ Rest
James J. Richard
Stephanie Roberts-Camello
Rain Rodolph
Betty Rogers
Donna Rossetti-Bailey
Nan Rumpf
Elizabeth M. Ryan
Leigh Ryan
Mary Schiess
Luis Seoane
Marcia Sewall
Katherine Smit
Susan R. Smith
Maureen D. Spinale
Chuck Sullivan
Chuck Tamulynas
Lisa Tang Liu
Anne Tcherepnin
Albert L. Tousignant
Lanci Valentine
Collen Vandeventer
Linda Vopat
Nancy Motley Walton
Tina Watson
Paul Weiner
Susan White
Virginia Wilson
Denise Zompa

ABSTRACTION NOW at the Firehouse Plaza Gallery at Nassau Community College

I was truly honored to be with 36 other chosen entries to participate in the show ABSTRACTION NOW, juried by Franklin Hill Perrell, Chief Curator at the Nassau County Museum of Art. The show was hosted by the Nassau Community College art department. What a beautiful gallery space it is!

http://firehouse.ncc.edu/current.html

As mentioned before, my painting AMERICAN ICONS 1: 492 DAYS was chosen among over 300 entries from across the US as well as Europe.

My mother took one hour off from her tax-season Saturday to attend the reception this past Saturday. My sister Vivian and brother-in-law Jonathan were also there. I didn't win any prizes, but I was just grateful and honored to have gotten in.

The show was very strong, and here is the list of works presented there:

Donald A. Budd -- Desert Stripes, acrylic.
Marc Deppe -- Spartan, mixed media on paper.
Matt Dibble -- Chased from the Market, oil on canvas.
Cathy Eckdahl -- Medea, gouache/ink.
Sam Faix -- Ten Foot Wall, oil on panel.
Matthew Farina -- Thatch, oil/canvas.
Richard Gachot -- Action-Reaction, animated sculpture. BEST IN SHOW.
Richard Gachot -- Drip, acrylic.
Eric Galandak -- Most, oil.
Richard Garrigus -- August Field, oil on panel.
David Gerlach -- Zephr, steel.
Lawrence Glickman -- Neruda Song 1, acrylic.
William Grabowski -- Celestia, digital photo.
Ruth Hamill -- Ocean Breeze, oil on raw canvas.
Eleanor Himel -- Jones Beach Sunday, acrylic. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE.
Wei-An Huang -- Within and Without #3, acrylic on canvas.
Greg Ike -- Orchid, acrylic on canvas. HONORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Kenneth Kaplowitz -- Adam Names The Fish, pigment print
Peggy Klineman -- The Tree Outside My Building, oil on canvas.
Jon Leach -- Local Commerce, mixed media.
Adrienne Leban -- 5.31.07, mixed media.
Gili Levy -- Piano, oil and paper on canvas.
Jonathan Levy -- Peacock, acrylic on canvas. HONORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Richard Margolies -- Dream Catcher, acrylic.
Milt Masur -- Flowerbed in Anchorage, enamel bas-relief. HONORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Kevin Mertens -- Spider-Rabbit, mixed media on panel. HONORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Puneeta Mittal -- Pluripotent XXXII, oil on panel. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE.
Marcie Paper-- Untitled #103, acrylic on panel.
Rebecca Perez -- Untitled, oil and mixed media.
Susan Reedy -- Graffito, mixed media. HONORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Cheryl Safren -- Rund 'n Rerund, mixed media.
Denise Segreti DiGiovanna -- Sea Life Series: Bat Star, oil.
George V. Sordoni -- Moments G, oil on canvas.
Kenneth Susynski -- Wedding Song, oil on canvas.
Lisa Tang Liu -- American Icons I: 492 Days, oil on canvas.
Grant Vetter -- Fair-Skinned, oil on canvas.
Rachael Wren -- Portent, oil on canvas.

Upcoming Shows in Early 2009

I'm happy to announce that my work will appear in four shows in the first quarter of 2009.

Opening first is THE VIEW FROM HERE at Springstep Art Gallery January 15 - April 13, 2009. Medford, MA. As mentioned, this is the first time that photos from my AMERICAN FAMILIES project is being exhibited. The opening reception will be on Thursday, January 15th from 6-8pm.

PHOTO 2009 Black And White Classic at the Brush Art Gallery in Lowell, MA. January 18 - March 15, 2009. This is a show juried by Howard Yezerski, the owner of the prestigious, eponymous gallery that recently moved to Boston's South End. This the first time that my Holga image SHARED FENCE is selected for a juried show. CHAIR IN GHOST TOWN, UTAH was also selected into this show. The opening reception is scheduled for January 31, 2009.

My painting AMERICAN ICONS I: 492 DAYS was selected by Franklin Hill Perrell, the Chief Curator of the Nassau County Museum of Art in Long Island. The show is ABSTRACT NOW: 2009 OPEN COMPETITION at the Nassau Community College's Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery in Garden City, NY. There were over 300 entries from all over the US and Europe, and I got lucky. The show is on from January 20 - March 26, 2009. The opening reception is on Saturday, January 31, from 1-3pm.

Finally, I have a solo exhibit at the Watertown Free Library. I will be showing images from my COWBOYS & RODEOS and PURPLE MOUNTAIN MAJESTIES series. The opening reception and the duration of the show is to be determined.

Springstep to Exhibit AMERICAN FAMILIES

In a group show opening on January 15th (reception from 6-8pm) at Springstep's art gallery, I will be exhibiting photographs from my AMERICAN FAMILIES series for the first time in public.

BLUE at the Cambridge Art Association

I'm happy to announce that my Paniolo 1 was selected by Jen Mergel from the ICA Boston to be included in the show BLUE, hosted at the Cambridge Art Association's Kathryn Schultz Gallery at 25 Lowell Street in Cambridge. The show will be up until January 13th.

Here's the full list of participants selected for the show:

Kathryn Schultz Gallery

Jonathan Bechard
Patricia Berube • First Prize
Katharina Chapuis
Andrew Child
Rob Diebboll
Joerg Dressler
Catherine Evans
David Fallon
Helga Felleisen
Suzanne Gainer
Wendy Gedanken
Dena Haden
Ann Forbush Kathy Lobo
Kelly Kerrigan
Julie L'Heureux
David Lang
Rebecca Litt
Madeleine Lord
Nella Lush
Susan Metzger
Steve Miller
Gwen Murphy
Linda Niemann
Suzanne Papin
Gina Picariello
Hugo Porcaro
Sarah Putnam
Beverly Rippel
Andrea Rosenthal
Sarah Rossi
Brenda Steinberg
Lorraine Sullivan
Zsuzsanna Szegedi
Frank Tadley
Lisa Tang Liu
Constantia Thibaut
Dianna Vosburg
William Wexler
Marcia Widenor • Director's Prize
Yefim Zhelezov

University Place Gallery

Rick Berry
Richard Bertman
Scott Bradner
Susan Bregman
Janet Campbell
Alvin Case
Karen Davis
Susan Denniston
May DeViney • Juror's Choice
Kristina Bell Ditullo
John Doyle
Steven Duede
Thomas Durand • Juror's Choice
David Elmes
Merritt Kraft Fletcher
Christian Flynn
Ed Friedman
Jeff Grassie
Don Gurewitz
Ross Harris
Bob Hesse
Becky Holt
Will Holub • Best of Show
Cheryl Jaffe
J.B. Jones
Jurgen Kedesdy
Mary Kostman
Judy Laliberte
Yuri Lipnesh
Sydell Masterman
Anne McNevin
Stephanie Mitchell
Carolyn Newberger
Richard Perkins
Hope Ricciardi
Judith Robinson-Cox
Gloria Ross
David Rossiter
Lia Rothstein
Joan Ryan • Second Prize
Margaret Soltysik-Espanola
Valerie Spain
Amelia Stafford Todd
Ernest Stonebraker
Ted Todd
Catalina Viejo Lopez de Roda
Christine Vielmetti Daniloff
Lisa Winant
Pamela Winters
Carol Wontkowski
John Wood
Gregory Wright
Michael Wright
Philip Young
James Zall

Current and Upcoming

Just a few updates about a couple of shows I'm in or will be in...

The Pen and Brush juried black and white photography show in NYC

, juried by Roy DeCarava.
The Chair, Utah was chosen by DeCarava for the show. Roy DeCarava is a master black and white photographer and a good friend of poet Langston Hughes, with whom he jointly published a book The Sweet Flypaper of Life, chronicling the lives of Harlem residents. This show is located at the Pen and Brush Gallery, 16 East 10th Street in New York City. It'll be up from May 1-25, and the reception is tomorrow May 10th, at 4-6pm. Too bad I'll miss it. My first show in NYC!!!

The Northeast Prize Show, Cambridge, MA.

I just heard the news that my oil painting American Icons I: 492 Days was selected by Nicholas Baume, Chief Curator of the ICA Boston, to be included into the Cambridge Art Association's Northeast Prize show. I was so happy I cried. This show will be up from May 14-June 25, and the reception is on Friday, May 30, from 6-8pm.

Moved into our new place

Ken and I moved two weekends ago, and I haven't had the time to blog. But I'm back!

New Show -- Cambridge Art Association: "Interiors/Exteriors"

The Cambridge Art Association is hosting a new juried show at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery from April 4 through April 29: "Interiors/Exteriors." The juror is James Hull.

And I got in!

Below is a list of exhibiting artists:

Chuck Beisch
Brother Eugene De Lauro
Tom Diaz • Juror's Choice
Catherine Evans
Wally Gilbert
Becky Haletky • Juror's Choice
Fay Hannon
Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer
Bob Hesse • Juror's Choice
Janet Hobbs
Mary Kostman
Simon Lejeune
Bonnie Lerner
Chippa Martin
Trish O'Day
Dana Pearson
Lina LeNeve Pomeroy Tans
Judith Prager
Sheila Rice
Judy Robinson-Cox
Ruth Rosner
Janet Smith
Ernest Stonebraker
Lorraine Sullivan
Zsuzsanna Szegedi • Juror's Choice
Lisa Tang Liu
Adrian Tans
Brenda Van der Beek
Catalina Viejo Lopez de Roda
Karen Weinhaus
Susan Wheelock
Pam Winters
Etta Wolpert
John Wood
James Zall