Word!

No Paintings?

2008-02-17T13:55:14Z

Those of you still checking for me from time to time, I should tell you why I’ve not been posting or painting anything. Back in April 2007, I decided I needed to do something to have more time to paint. So, I started my own business. It’s called metalabel.com, and we sell music online for independent artists. As you might can imagine, this takes an incredible amount of time. I haven’t even picked up a brush since April! I hope to get back to it soon, though. Thanks for reading.

Art Show at Camaje

2007-06-09T12:30:38Z

Wow! Will you look at the last time I posted? Almost three months ago. Well, among many things I have been up to, some of which are classified top secret, I am showing my work on the walls of a great Village restaurant, Camaje. I am about to go hang my work right now, and it’ll be up for a month or so. So if you’re around the Village, check it out. They’re a couple yards away from the intersection of Bleecker and MacDougal.

Back to the lab…

Got technique?

2007-03-19T12:05:07Z

I’m getting all experimental and stuff in the lab again. I’m working on a new untitled series of paintings (with these 2, Great and Lifted, there will be 5 total) that share in common only an approach, a method of construction. But, to my eye, it’s pretty amazing what such a thing can bring about—a sort of natural formal unity.

To those of you who made it out to my show and reception: thanks a lot! It means a lot to me.

Anyway, drop me a line or something.

My First Sale!

2007-02-25T23:20:54Z

So, at the closing reception for my show, I sold one of the Small Fall series: Small Fall 2. I was quite pleased as you can imagine.

I break down the show this week, so if you’re in the NYC area, get down there before March 1!

Where Did I Go!?!?

2007-02-04T00:48:32Z

So, I was hanging the paintings and drawings for my first ever public show, and I had two left over. One was an oil painting, Small Fall 5 (Whole Foods), and one was my favorite self-portrait, done in charcoal, called Self-Portrait, 2003. I also took Sunday Morning over there, but I hung that one and didn’t have to carry it back home.

In preparing for the hanging, I had to mat the charcoal drawings and the watercolors, and just for extra precaution, I sprayed the charcoal drawings with fixative yet again. I get paranoid about that stuff. I figure I’ve fixed Self-Portrait, 2003 about three times over the years.

So, in carrying this stuff back home, I wrapped the drawing and the painting in some old sheets I had, threw them in a trash bag and humped it back to Brooklyn.

And whaddya know? When I got home, my self-portrait was gone! As you can see here.

I laughed until I cried. And then I cried some more. But at least I could laugh about it. I always did have a self-effacing sense of humor.

First Public Showing

2007-02-01T16:05:53Z

Yet another milestone! I am hanging my first ever public showing of artwork tomorrow: Friday, February 2, 2007, at the

7th and 2nd Gallery
50 E. 7th Street
Middle Collegiate Church
New York, NY 10003

Of course, it’s at 7th Street and 2nd Avenue! It’ll be up for the entire month of February! I would like to invite anyone in the NYC area to swing through and take a look. Believe it or not, I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to put up (!), but a selection of new and older stuff, I’m sure. Some drawings, too.

A Milestone

2007-01-14T16:08:59Z

I am officially a professional illustrator! (Actually, my first job in this business was in 1989, doing caricatures at Astroworld, an amusement park in Houston, Texas, but I don’t count that cause it was so long ago.) I got a commission before the Christmas holidays, was waiting around for approval of the basic idea, got it the other week, delivered the product this past week, and immediately got two more commissions! One is of the despicable George Bush looking for the middle class like he looked for the weapons of mass destruction; another is of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln; and the last is a little cartoon mole. Oh, by the way, there’s another painting in the Small Fall series. Real loose, which is what I’ve been going for. Yes, yes, I know it’s not fall anymore. It’s hardly winter, either, at least here in the Northeast…

More Small Fall

2006-12-11T18:32:23Z

A couple more paintings in this series: 4 and 5. Fall is almost over, unfortunately, and so is this series! I’m going to be redesigning the site for the winter soon. Meanwhile, post a comment if you please.

The Start of Something Tiny

2006-11-29T22:53:02Z

I was getting tired of trying to force myself to work on big ol’ complicated paintings that I decided to get a little more intimate. I’m finding that I like it. These new paintings, all 8”×10”, the Small Fall series, 1, 2, and 3, feel right just about now. Tell me what you think. I finally enabled comments on this blog once I was confident that I could avoid spam, so feel free to holler back.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

2006-10-15T13:21:44Z

Just something fun to pass the time. I haven't posted in a while cause I have a lot going on. I got too many ideas all at once, you see, one of those whirlwind-type deals. They're always welcome, but they're sort of disappointing, cause it's always too much! Shout me out.

Email Troubles

2006-09-06T16:02:23Z

My e-mail has been broken for a month, and I didn't notice it until this morning. If you have tried to e-mail me at amiri@amiribarksdale.com since August 4, please re-send your message and I will reply promptly.

Redesign

2006-09-03T18:56:45Z

I'm doing a fall redesign on September 3. Forgive our appearance!

Some Whole Other Shh..

2006-08-27T18:31:12Z

The title says it all. Not the title of the painting, but the title of this entry. The newest painting I have finished, Great, is some whole other shh... That's all I'll say for now, 'cause I have some very strong ideas about it. I'd like to know what you think, though, so send me a shout-out.

Taking Off

2006-08-10T18:35:36Z

Yeah, boyeee! It's been a while since I last posted, but you can see why. I have been working on this new series, Flight. It's a bit mysterious to me how I came up with the idea, or why I ran with it, but I think it's cool, for what that's worth. Notice how like architecture... Interesting, no? No? Really? OK.

Meanwhile, I am in the midst of a redesign, so bear with me for the next couple of days. I am splitting things up and moving things around to make it easier to navigate the images without too much clicking.

Say what up.

Keeping Busy?

2006-07-31T15:36:35Z

I am. My mitts are burned, my apron is stained, my chef's hat is floppy, but the flavor is delicious. Like ice cream and juju bees. Like gingerbread and homemade caramel toffee. You can see that this new painting, LA, 1980, belongs with Houston, 1986, stylistically and thematically. I have a couple of other quick works to finish before getting back to the big complex work in progress, Gold-Plated Dollar Dreams. Holler.