Bookmaking Class with Janet Nolin!

Kate E. Austin News

INFO

First things first - Hopefully this isn't coming across as spam. You may have signed up at an art show or event for the newsletter, or perhaps I know you in person or came across your business card and added you to the list. I'll be mailing a newsletter periodically, whenever there’s news to be shared! If at any time you wish to be removed from the newsletter mailing list, reply to this e-mail or write to kate@aephemera.net with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

NEWS

On October first, I moved into a studio in The Shirt Factory at the corner of Lawrence and Cooper Streets in Glens Falls. I'm sharing the space with Casey The Candy Thief, Zack Zoll and Heidi Price. Come by sometime to check it out! It’s on the third floor, studio #307. We’re having an open studio on November 2nd – details below. Pictures of the studio are on the website, aephemera.net.

Also, I was voted in as Co-President of the North Country Arts Center at their annual members’ meeting. I'm very proud to be elected and hope I can do my best to kickstart the organization! We’re welcoming new faces, so please be in touch if you’re interested in membership.

ONLINE

There have been new images uploaded to the gallery, and there’s a blog that’s updated frequently at aephemera.net. Artwork for sale is being listed at the etsy store almost every day. Check these sites out to see some new stuff!

SHOWS

The show at Rock Hill Bakehouse ended at the beginning of October after a two-month run. I received many compliments and know that a wide audience was reached because of this location - special thanks to Matt Funiciello of Rock Hill for the show, to Cory Avon for the live music at the receptions, and to CE Skidmore for helping to publicize. Upcoming and current shows – all open to the public - are as follows:

Studio-Warming Party / Art Reception!

What: The Escape Artists (Kate E. Austin, The Candy Thief, Zack Zoll and Heidi Price welcome visitors to their brand-new studio in The Shirt Factory with an elegant wine reception. This is your chance to see behind the scenes!
Where: The Shirt Factory, Corner of Lawrence and Cooper Streets, Glens Falls, NY
When: Reception November 2nd 7:30 pm – Click to RSVP on MySpace!

North Country Arts Center presents UpStArt

Where: Glens Falls City Hall Gallery, 2nd floor at 42 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, NY
When: October 21st - November 3rd, 2007

Open House at The Shirt Factory

What: Annual Open House – come see the studios of all the artists in the old Troy Shirt Factory! This event is the perfect opportunity for Christmas shoppers.
Where: The Shirt Factory, Corner of Lawrence and Cooper Streets, Glens Falls, NY
When: Preview on Friday, November 23rd from 5:00 – 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, November 24th and 25th from 10:00 – 5:00 pm

Killington Arts Guild show

Where: Sherburne Memorial Library, 2998 River Road, Killington, Vermont.
When: Autumn 2007

Kate E. Austin featured as part of the Third Thursday Art Walk
Where: Ridge Street Coffee Co., 1 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, NY.
When: Reception May 15th 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

CLASSES

In December, the studio will be hosting a bookmaking class taught by Janet Nolin of ButterflyGrace Creations. Space is extremely limited, so sign up soon. The class will take place December 6th at 6:00 pm in the studio on the third floor of The Shirt Factory, and the fee is $20 - this includes supplies. Reply to this e-mail to reserve your spot today!

I will also be teaching experimental painting classes beginning in January, and have a workshop on T-shirt modification in the works. Dates and details at the moment are vague, but please e-mail me if you are interested in either of these, or in a bookmaking class on a different date.

GOODBYE

I hope to see you at the Open Studio on the second! Please keep aephemera.net bookmarked on your web browser to check up on it from time to time – it’s always being updated.

Happy Halloween!

- Kate E. Austin
www.aephemera.net

Studio-Warming Party!

The Escape Artists (Casey the Candy Thief, Zack Zoll, Heidi Price and Kate E. Austin) cordially invite you to check out their rad new studio at The Shirt Factory! All are invited!

This is a fancy-times art reception as well, so get your little black dress and/or tux out and let's do this up all posh-like. (Or come as you are, if you're not the dressy sort.)

Friday, November 2nd
7:30 pm
The Shirt Factory, Third Floor
CORNER OF COOPER & LAWRENCE STREETS, GLENS FALLS NY




Get in touch if you need directions. RSVP on MySpace or just show up! See you there!

The studio!

Well, I'm all moved in! There could be some minor rearrangings, but I'm mostly settled. Right now the walls are a little bare because I've got some pieces at the Glens Falls City Hall Gallery. Pardon the stray easel in this shot:

Co-President!

I'm now the Co-President of the North Country Arts Center! We had our annual member's meeting on Sunday and I was elected in. On Saturday we hung a show in the City Hall Gallery in Glens Falls for UpStArt Arts Forum, and I've got several pieces in the show, as well. If you're in town, pop in to City Hall to see - if you take the elevator to the second floor, there it is!

Gus Fink Interview!

Consume Till Death, copyright Gus Fink

After seeing my review in the blog, Gus Fink contacted me and informed me that I was mistaken on certain points of my review. He asked if I would interview him and write a more accurate article and I agreed. We wrote back and forth on MySpace and I asked him some tough questions, which he answered gracefully.

Fink related that he was never going for a gimmick, but that he wanted to praise his deceased grandfather for being his childhood role model. He also made art under his own name, Josh Fields, but creating as Gus Fink helped him to deal with his grandfather's death. Besides Gus Fink, he has used other aliases to paint as well, including Alice Koon, his female character. He booked a show as Alice Koon, engaged in a collaborative project under the guise of Irving Berman, worked with a friend as Ed Beans, and his latest work has sold on eBay under the name Enwood Berger. Gus Fink has been living off his work since 2001, and has pushed his friends to do the same, with great success - his friend Jesse Reno brought in over $50,000 last year, Fink says.

I have always been overwhelmed at the fellow's productivity, and being able to live off one's art would account for some of that. When I questioned the time frame involved in each piece, Fink relayed that it could take anywhere from ten minutes to three hours to complete a work. He says that it's draining and often it's difficult to work for more than 4 straight hours, but that he multitasks as he works, and that he goes through phases alternating large pieces and small ones. He uses the cheapest materials he can find, including cardboard and found objects, as can be seen in his eBay store.

I was mistaken before by insinuating that Gus Fink had formal art training. He corrected me and said that his only related training is in computers, PhotoShop and Flash - meanwhile, most of his art is handmade, and he only uses the computer to scan the finished images into the computer. He lists his influences as Todd MacFarlane, Sam Keith, Jim Henson, George Lucas, and all the "cool horror movies of the 80's". He says that he always pictured himself as becoming more of a Walt Disney sort of figure, rather than a painter/artist. Gus is married with two daughters now, and even his wife calls him Gus Fink. He is looking into changing his name in the future and has cashed many a money order or check under the name.

I recalled that in the eBay listings several years ago, the character of Gus Fink lamented his dead wife and claimed her death to be his reason for his artwork. In reality, Gus' grandmother is still living, and when I asked him what she thought of the claim, he replied that she had a good sense of humor and was glad to see his grandfather's memory with so much recognition and success. I also asked Gus about the reaction of his customers when he was outed on the internet as Josh Fields, and he said that most of them were already aware due to his outrageous bio, and many thought it was genius. He said that maybe two out of 600 collectors were upset and he offered their money back. Fink said that most of the people who were offended were jealous artists who weren't selling their art well. He was actually surprised to see my review, since there hasn't been any negative publicity since 2003 or so. I attribute this to Fink's excellent vigilance and desire for good press, and his impressive track record and damage control proves him nothing short of a brilliant businessman. Speaking of which, he's had quite a few accomplishments, including comic books, magazines, and his latest series of toys, which are linked to from his website, GusFink.com.

Fink concluded our interview with some advice to artists just starting out: "Give it your all, don't give up and you'll find your own way. It's better to find your own way on anything in life then to get too much advice from others. I learned that and its good for others to know it too."

My art will be in a movie!

The motion picture that's being made here in the Glens Falls area filmed a scene at Rock Hill Bakehouse Cafe directly in front of one of my pieces! I heard about it and wrote to the director of the film, Colin Bannon, and he said he loves my art and will credit me and aephemera.net in the movie. Keep an eye out for "Love Conquers Paul," touring independent film festivals and showing at the Glens Falls Centennial Celebration next year!

Art News - Studio!

Well, we're moving into the studio! It needs a good sweep and some paint and extra light fixtures, but we should be up and running soon. We've decided to call our group "The Escape Artists" - I'll update once we have a better idea of what our hours will be, but if you feel like walking by to see if we're in, here's where the studio is:


Click for Google Maps.

It's at the corner of Cooper and Lawrence Streets in Glens Falls, on the third floor. The number is 307 - it's closer to Lawrence Street, in that right-hand leg of the "L" seen above. If you go in via the Lawrence Street entrance (by the Tom Myott Gallery) and take the elevator up to the third floor, you'll walk out of the elevator, take a left, and then take a right down a corridor, and ours is the one that says 309 on the wall and 307 on the door. Soon, I'll be putting up signs all around the building so you can find me when you walk in! Stay tuned...

Art News - Studio

Well, we're moving into the studio! It needs a good sweep and some paint and extra light fixtures, but we should be up and running soon. We've decided to call our group "The Escape Artists" - I'll update once we have a better idea of what our hours will be, but if you feel like walking by to see if we're in, here's where the studio is:


Click for Google Maps.

It's at the corner of Cooper and Lawrence Streets in Glens Falls, on the third floor. The number is 307 - it's closer to Lawrence Street, in that right-hand leg of the "L" seen above. If you go in via the Lawrence Street entrance (by the Tom Myott Gallery) and take the elevator up to the third floor, you'll walk out of the elevator, take a left, and then take a right down a corridor, and ours is the one that says 309 on the wall and 307 on the door. Soon, I'll be putting up signs all around the building so you can find me when you walk in! Stay tuned...

Art Review - Gus Fink

Using a "brush name" comprised of his childhood nickname "Gus" and his grandfather's last name, "Finklestein", twentysomething right-handed artist Josh Fields fabricated a biography of mentally ill middle-aged widower Gus Fink. He used this character to sell offbeat artwork drawn with his left hand at low prices on Ebay, his listings accompanied by the faux life story, selling art like hotcakes. Fink is an Ebay phenomena, having sold thousands of his works supported by the guise, and is considered one of the greatest Ebay hoaxers. His true identity was outed on the internet, and has since dropped the bio of Gus Fink, but kept the name and continues to sell. He's now internationally collected and has shown in galleries across the country, been spotted in major motion pictures, and illustrated several books. His self-branded "outsider art" appeals to horror fans, goth kids, and collectors of strange things.

Some of Fink's work covers the standard "cute horror" art themes: creepy children, cute cartoons, guts, pointed teeth, religious undertones, adorable animals like bunnies, kittens and birds, characters with wide-set low eyes and large heads, splatters, scribbles, stitches, and primitive animals and figures that look as if drawn by a child. Despite his goal to create art on his own in the vein of self-taught "folk art", without the influence of teachers or fellow artists, the style and characters of nightmarish comic book artists Jhonen Vasquez and Roman Dirge are an obvious influence over Fink's work.

However, Fink builds on that base and branches off from the usual themes to develop his style. Much of his work is "altered art", using old photographs, board games, dictionaries, even straw wrappers and multivitamins as a base - pretty much anything that strikes him as being worthy of rebirth as art. He draws his frightening figures using a mixed-media grab bag that might include acrylic paint, pencils, oil sticks, Sharpies, inks, tape, china marker, and/or pen over those base materials to create something new. The mixed media and underlying material lend a fresh spin and unique flavour to the tired cute horror fad.

When it comes to Fink's work, it is less complicated to speak on the works as a whole as opposed to choosing one or two on which to comment, because the pieces are so multitudinous. To view the volume of his pieces, one must conclude that his process is impulsive, and that he must work often, completing more than one piece in a sitting. His composition and line is crude, and his palette limited - but of course, that's the gimmick.

Fink currently has several comic books published, and is releasing a series of Boogilyheads dolls. More news and a gallery of his works can be seen at his website, http://www.gusfink.com.

3 Horrids, Gus Fink