As part of Skin Graft Records UNFIT Apparel, pre-orders are now being taken for the new Dazzling Killmen T-Shirt, Crow Head, shipping January 15th. I designed and illustrated the shirt back in 2013, and am excited to finally see it go to print. The mighty Skin Graft Records logo is on the back. The shirt may be ordered through Skin Graft Records or through the Dark Slide. Thanks to Mark Fischer and Skin Graft Records.
Exhibiting Nineteen Sculptures at the Freeport Art Museum
I am excited to announce that I will be exhibiting nineteen sculptures at the Freeport Art Museum as part of a large three person show. Entitled Fabrication, it will also feature photographer Les Allen and assemblagist Rosalie Koldan. The show will run from May 12 to July, 2017, with an opening reception May, 12th from 5-7pm.
This will be the largest exhibition of my sculptural work to date, ranging from the early paper doll shadowbox pieces of the late 1990's to my most recent bronze, Beneath the Remnant Veil. I am truly grateful to the Freeport Art Museum for this opportunity and all the support they have given me.
From FAM's website: "The artists in Fabrication assemble an array of objects fabricating imagined and unexpected scenes. Initially, the works’ combination of elements might appear contradictory or even illogical which challenges the viewer to make sense of the unfamiliar by placing themselves within the scenes. The results are surreal-like compositions that pull at the viewers unconscious."
Very special thanks to Collections and Exhibitions Manager Carrie Baxter, Executive Director Jessica Modica, and Director of Education Barry Treu.
Article on Ossis Fateor Memoria in Whizual
My sculpture from 2015, Ossis Fateor Momoria, is featured in an online article from Whizual Aesthetics Blog. The author of the article, Igor Stankovic, was great to work with and I appreciate his interest. Please read the article HERE.
Beneath the Remnant Veil
Figure Nineteen.- Beneath the Remnant Veil.
2009-2016. 4'h x 32”w x 5.5”d.
Bronze, Wood, Resin, Acrylic, Gold leaf, Silk, Hardware.
Now that it's finished, it's hard to believe this sculpture was started nine years ago. From the onset, this work was to be a blend of reliquary and anatomical display, but it went through many changes over the years. Design elements of the frame were referenced from Gothic sources, with everything sculpted and fabricated in my studio. The central figure is bronze, and is to evoke the wax anatomical models of the past. Where those displays were dissected and clean, the human object here is bulbous and nearly unrecognizable, yet it was my intention to make it elegant still. This figure, and the objects tucked within it, are remnants of something once alive and vital: earth, land, and sea.
Little Sister Death Now Out in Paperback
Little Sister Death, the first William Gay book to be published posthumously, is now out in paperback from Dzanc Books. This is one of the William Gay manuscripts that I helped edit, and I'm pleased to see it continue to be published and find new readers.
From Amazon:
David Binder is a young, successful writer living in Chicago and suffering from writer’s block. He stares at the blank page, and the blank page stares back — until inspiration strikes in the form of a ghost story that captivated him as a child. With his pregnant wife and young daughter in tow, he sets out to explore the myth of Virginia Beale, Faery Queen of the Haunted Dell. But as his investigation takes him deeper and deeper into the legacy of blood and violence that casts its shadow over the old Beale farm, Binder finds himself obsessed with a force that’s as wicked as it is seductive.
A stirring literary rendition of Tennessee’s famed Curse of the Bell Witch, Little Sister Death skillfully toes the line between Southern Gothic and horror, and further cements William Gay’s legacy as not only one of the South’s finest writers, but among the best that American literature has to offer.
Hi-Fructose Emerging Artists and Art Grant
I am excited to announce that I will be featured with 15 other artists in a special insert section in the January 2017 print issue Hi-Fructose, a contemporary art magazine with international distribution. Along with being published, they were also kind enough to give me a $1000 artist grant.
The artists were selected from submissions through Ello, the Creators Network, and were curated by Hi-Fructose Founders & Editors in Chief Daniel “Attaboy” Seifert & Annie Owens-Seifert.
Please view all of the selected artists HERE.
Thank you so much to Hi-Fructose, Ello, Attaboy and Annie, and all the artists who reached out to me during the selection process.
Small Works Show, New Automata
I will have a new paper doll automata called The Four Humors in the Small Works show, opening this Friday, November 4th, at Artisan Gallery. The reception is from 5-9 and the show runs until December 31, 2013.
From the gallery website:
The front gallery will feature a show of wide ranging art created by gallery artists working in all media. This annual show has become one of our most popular as an opportunity to acquire work on a smaller scale by some of the gallery's most popular artists.
I made this piece intensely, and was neglectful in taking many process photos, but below is a photo of the testing of the hand-fabricated Geneva mechanism that works the piece. More photos on the making of the mechanism can be found HERE.
The 13th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum
My latest sculpture, "The Ephemeral Knot", will be showing at the 13th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum from November 11, 2016 to February 18, 2017. Thank you to Chicago's Sergio Gomez for accepting my work. Opening reception is Friday, November 11th, 5-8 PM.
The 13th annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum features work by artists living in the tri-state region of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Created to encourage contemporary art, this show provides an opportunity for established and emerging artists to debut their latest work. The Regional Juried Exhibition continues to build momentum each year and now attracts over 200 submissions. A wide variety of media is accepted from traditional materials such as painting and sculpture to conceptual and new techniques including video, interactive media, performance and installation art. FAM has gained the distinguished reputation of displaying a wide range of contemporary art, allowing this exhibition to become a favorite amongst visitors. The invited juror selects works for inclusion and chooses recipients for cash awards for first, second and third place. Winners will be announced at the opening reception.
Exhibiting Artists: Pamela Andros, Jean Apgar, Nick Baxter, Sara Slee Brown, Jim Davis, Doug DeWitt, Mark Dierker, Simone Doing and Max Puchalsky, Joan Geary, Sarvin Haghighi, Carol Hamilton, David Hauptschein, Eric Hazeltine, Eric Hazeltine, Kathleen Isacson, Stephen Jensen, Katsy Johnson, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Deanna Krueger, Cindy Lesperance, Bert Leveille, Judy Lipman Shechter, Bob Logsdon, Jeanne Ludeke, Benjamin Madeska, Carol Mantey, Janice Meister, Taylor Mezo, Leah Mitchell, Paul Nitsche, Paul Pinzarrone, Gina Robbins, Kathleen Roman, Kathryn Scott, Elizabeth Shriver, Dan Spahn, Frank Spidale, Rebecca Stahr, Randal Stringer, Daniel Tajlili, Linda Vietmeyer, Candace Wark and Shirley Nannini, Zachary Williams, Sandra Wilson
Juror: Sergio Gomez
Sergio Gomez is a Chicago based visual artist and creative entrepreneur. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University. Sergio’s work has been subject of solo exhibitions in the United States, Italy and Vienna. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Spain, Sweden, London, Mexico and the US. His work can be found in private and public collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Brauer Art Museum, and the MIIT Museo Internazionale Italia Arte among other public and private collections. Currently, Sergio Gomez is the owner & director of 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curator/Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center, contributor for Italia Arte Magazine, Art/Design faculty at South Suburban College, Creative Consultant for Idea Seat Marketing and Advertising, co-founder of 3c Wear and co-funder of the Art NXT Level Program. His weekly Artist Next Level podcast inspires and educates contemporary artists. Sergio has curated special projects for the Chicago Park District, ArtSpot Miami International Art Fair during Art Basel Week (2013, 2014), National Museum of Mexican Art, and ExpoChicago (2014) among others.
Special Edition of Dazzling Killmen's "Face of Collapse"
I am excited to announce a special edition of Dazzling Killmen's "Face of Collapse". As some of you may know, I did the illustration and design for this release in 1994. The special edition features a new illustration by myself that is silk screened on side four of the double record set. This special edition has been in the works for some time, and I want to thank Skin Graft, Mark Fischer, and the Dazzling Killmen for making it happen.
The Skin Graft Records 25th Anniversary Release announcement:
DAZZLING KILLMEN "Face of Collapse" Special Edition
Gatefold Double LP and Book / CD / Ultimate Edition
- out November 11th, 2016
Order: http://www.skingraftrecords.com/shop.html
Read about: http://www.skingraftrecords.com/news_desk.html
Bandcamp: http://skingraftrecords.bandcamp.com
Gatefold Double Vinyl Special Edition Contents:
* Brand new restoration from the original analog tapes
by Blake Fleming and Jason McEntire of Sawhorse Studios (Recording & Mixing Facility). Recorded and engineered by Steve Albini.
* Second LP includes bonus tracks on Side Three:
“Medicine Me”, “Poptones” (Public Image Ltd. cover) and “My Lacerations” (alternate version). Collects every studio track recorded by the quartet version of the band.
* Side Four features new artwork from cover artist Paul Nitsche silk-screened directly onto the vinyl.
* Large 16-page book, measuring 12” x 12”, with liner notes from Aaron Burgess (former editorial director of Alternative Press), a new oral history of the album from Hank Shteamer (senior editor, music, RollingStone.com) and artwork and comics from Mark Buckheit, Mark Fischer, Paul Nitsche, Miles Rutlin and Rob Syers.
* Full color Gatefold Sleeve includes removable obi with color mini-poster printed on the reverse side. Entire contents come packaged in a crystal-clear resealable overbag.
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"Ultimate Edition" includes all of the above, PLUS:
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* DAZZLING KILLMEN "Face Of Collapse Compact Disc
(catalog # GR12CD)
* Full Color DAZZLING KILLMEN / SKiN GRAFT Records
25th Anniversary Poster (11" x 17")
TRACK LISTING:
Staring Contest / Bone Fragments / My Lacerations Blown (Face Down) / Windshear / Painless One / In The Face Of Collapse / Agitator
VINYL ONLY BONUS TRACKS:
Medicine Me / Poptones / My Lacerations (alternate)
DAZZLING KILLMEN were:
Nick Sakes, Darin Gray, Blake Fleming, Tim Garrigan
The Ephemeral Knot
Figure Seventeen.- The Ephemeral Knot
2015-2016. 7”h x 19.5”w x 10.5”d.
Bronze, Wood, Resin, Acrylic, Gold leaf, Silk, Hardware.
Something akin to a Memento Mori, The Ephemeral Knot is a sculpture depicting the bridge between youth and death. The child's hand grasps a clavicle bone, the first bone to begin the process of ossification. The clavicle can be regarded as ancient in terms of the body, and here represents time's passing as well as the end of life. The red silk bow is tied around three extensor muscles: Extensor Digitorum, Extensor Digiti Minimi, and Extensor Carpi Ulnaris. These muscles, in general, function to extend the fingers and wrist. Their role here is to illustrate release, a letting go of life. The knot, or bow within this piece, represents life. The loosening of a knot could be seen as the unraveling of existence. Interestingly, the silk bow will be the first component of this piece to decay, as the rest of the materials are far more time stable. Lastly, the snail, with its coiled shell, is another reference to journey and purity.
I wanted to give a special word of thanks to Nova Hansen, who was so willing to participate in the original life casting. Thank you as well to her parents, Leif and Rebekah Hansen. All photographs are by William Lemke.
"Humankind" Exhibition at Foundry Art Centre
I will have two sculptural works in the upcoming Humankind juried exhibition at the Foundry Art Centre, in St. Charles, Missouri. The show will run from June 24 to August 5, 2016 with an opening on June 24, 2016 from 5:30 t 8:00. Having shown at the Centre before, I can say it is a great space with a very supportive staff. Special thanks to juror Eric Wieringa for selecting my submissions.
From the Foundry Website:
From the grace and beauty of the human figure to the personal detail of a portrait, Humankind aims to capture the human experience through the physical form. Humankind will explore not only depictions of the human body through traditional portrayals but also art that represents the human condition and the essentials of existence: emotions, mortality, struggles and triumphs among the myriad of experiences all of humankind encounters.
The sculptures I will have on display:
Paul Nitsche Now On PortalWisconsin.org
PortalWisconsin.org is a nonprofit website created by Wisconsin's Cultural Coalition to support the state's culture, arts, humanities, and history. I'm pleased to announce that my work has been accepted into their juried, online gallery. Thank you to Wisconsin's Arts Board for including me. The gallery is enlightening to the exceptional artists of the state working in all media. For now, my page displays newer sculptural works. It may be viewed HERE.
J.M. White's "Naropa Journals" Released.
I am happy to announce that a book I helped edit and proofread, J. M. White's Naropa Journals: William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Revolution, is finally out on Wild Dog/Anomolaic Press. White and I had also talked about me doing cover work as well, but in the end a photograph of Harry Smith's Early Abstractions was used. This is an engrossing book about White's personal experiences with many figures from the Beat generation movement. His involvement with these icons are at timeshumorous and combative, intimate and insightful. There are stories here you won't find anywhere else. It was a pleasure to work on. Thanks, J.M.
Available HERE
The description from Amazon:
This book chronicles three years at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa College in Boulder, Colorado. In 1974 Trungpa Rinpoche founded the Naropa Institute as the first Buddhist contemplative university in the West. He asked Allen Ginsberg to be the head of the English Department and Allen enlisted Anne Waldman and they co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics to be the English Department at Naropa. Each summer Naropa would hold special writers workshops and Allen would come for a month and William Burroughs would attend for at least a week. Allen would invite other writers and poets and over the years nearly everyone associated with the Beat generation was in attendance. The journals include appearances by William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Herbert Huncke, Harry Smith, Ken Kesey, Anne Waldman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Philip Whalen, Gary Snyder, Peter Orlovsky, Trungpa Rinpoche, Timothy Leary, Carolyn Cassady, Diane Di Prima, Michael McClure, John Giorno, Antler, and Andy Clausen. The book includes brief biographies and literary criticism of the lives and works of Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Herbert Huncke and Harry Smith.
New Version of Website is Finished.
I'm happy to announce that the new version of my www.paulnitsche.com website is complete. In it you will find updated galleries of my sculpture, paper dolls, automata, and drawings and prints. There are two new major sections: Illustration and Design, and Comics. The majority of these works are from the 1990s to 2005 and much had to be scanned and digitized.
In the Design section you will find all the music packaging work I did for the Dazzling Killmen, Oneiroid Psychosis, Andrew Bird, and others. In some cases I re-created digital versions of the designs from the original layout sheets and photographs. Here you will also find a Patterns section containing the majority of the pattern work I have done over the years.
The Comics section contains galleries of nearly all of the comics I did during 1991 to 1995. There is everything from the early self published works to the comics I did for Fantagraphics Books, Caliber Press, and Dark Horse Comics. These were exciting, creative, and busy years for me, and much of what I was drawing during that time developed into the sculptures I do now.
Looking back on the older work has put me in a nostalgic mood. I'm very thankful to all the bands, publishers, and individuals that I have worked with, many of whom I am still in touch. A major thank you goes to Mark Fischer and Rob Syers who let me into their Skin Graft collective, which lead to the Skin Graft comic, Dazzling Killmen, and many other projects.
Ossis Fateor Memoria
Figure 15.- Ossis Fateor Memoria. (Bone Confesses Memory)
2013-2015. 24”h x 15”w x 15”d.
Human bone, Bronze, Wood, Resin, Acrylic, Cast glass, Bell jar, Gold leaf, Silk, Hardware.
This is the second bell jar, Memory, in the series having to do with Dream, Memory, and Experience.
Memory is so individualistic, and it was difficult to rest on images to depict this idea. I eventually became intrigued with the concept of fetal memory- something we have all shared but is now lost to us. It is at once mutual and absent. How does auditory and vibratory stimulus feed a growing mind? In some murky state of being, we once knew.
Special thanks to some individuals who assisted me with this piece: Richard Jones and Studio Paran for work on the bell jar, Steve Feren for his help with the cast glass placenta, Ed Wohl for spray finishing the base, and always to Bill Lemke for his photography work.
An Osteal Craft- Gallery Talk at the Freeport Art Museum
On January 14, 2016 I will be speaking at the Freeport Art Museum regarding my scupltures involving human bone. It is a members only event but anyone is welcome to join the museum before the night of the talk. Thank you to everyone at the museum for giving me the opportunity.
An Osteal Craft
Gallery Talk with Paul Nitsche
January 14th at the Freeport Art Museum
http://www.freeportartmuseum.com
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. Refreshments
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Paul Nitsche presentation
Join FAM as we welcome featured Regional Juried Exhibition Artist, Paul Nitsche for a talk on his use of human bone in his work. Paul will discuss what led him to this development, the issues that arise in using human remains and how he acquires bones.