http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 03:32:27 EDT FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://drawger.com/_images/drawger_leo_logo.gif http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=14074 FUTUROLOGY :: Opening Reception :: Saturday March 23, 2013 - 8:00 – 11:30 p.m. I will be joining fellow Drawger Marc Burckhardt and other artists :  Luke Chueh, Nathan Spoor, Mu Pan, Ana Bagayan, Tin, Alexandra Manukyan, Annie Owens, Nouar, Chrystal Chan, Timothy Smith, Genevive Zacconi, Erik Alos, Adam Miller, Xue Wang, Jason Hite, Matthew Grabelsky, Chloe Trujillo, Leslie Ditto, David Richardson, Khrys Sapp, Tracey Roberts, Ellen, Robert S. Connett, Chet Zar, Mat Hurtado, Larkin, Vincent Cacciotti, Steven Daily & more for a group exhibition "Futurology" at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. WHERE: Copro Gallery - Bergamot Station Arts Complex 2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5, Santa Monica , CA 90404 Ph: 310/829-2156 E-Mail: CoproGallery@Live.com Web: www.CoproGallery.com WHAT: Futurology group art exhibition WHEN:   Exhibit runs; March 23 – April 13, 2013 Contact:  Gary Pressman, Gallery Director Copro Gallery 



















]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:49:14 EDT http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13982




While it speaks to resiliance, it lacked in energy and strength of the human spirit which is what this story speaks to.  Intellectually it works, but John really wanted me to capture this dynamic story of strength.  Sometimes we just get attached to wanting to use inspiration too much so I submitted 4 more sketches. John redirected me back to reference to a passage where Ping made an analogy about bamboo: “Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of adapting to any circumstance. It suggests resilience, meaning that we have the ability to bounce back even from the most difficult times. . . . Your ability to thrive depends, in the end, on your attitude to your life circumstances. Take everything in stride with grace, putting forth energy when it is needed, yet always staying calm inwardly.” —Ping Fu’s “Shanghai Papa”  Because the piece ran fairly small I decided to do only one color and keep it iconic.  



On another note, I did this bamboo forest years ago as a gift for a Japanese professor who is a collegue of my husbands and had invited George to come speak in Japan.  We arrived and were shocked, realizing we had forgotten to pack any customary personal gifts to give our host.  So I did this little painting in our hotel room to give him.  It was good to look back at how I carved the lines in the bamboo...it had been a while since I had drawn bamboo, which is more difficult to draw than it seems.  I wanted to make sure it did not look like it was breaking so kept the lines long through the trunk. 

]]> Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:04:11 EDT http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13971 With the new postal increase comes a batch of fresh art stamps, of which I am very honored to be part of.  This "deer" stamped card is the first in a series of 4 nature based stamps to be released.  I loved working again with Art Director Ethel Kessler!  She is an artists advocate and diligently works on behalf of the artist when the designs go through many multiple meetings over the course of at least a year. The process is a long one, but worth the wait. 

This "pinapple" stamp was the first stamp that I did for the U S Postal Service.

]]> Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:06:12 EDT http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13605   I will have 2 new pieces in this upcoming show in CA. This Saturday, September 8th, Copro Gallery presents the BLAB WORLD 2012 group art exhibition. Curated by the legendary Monte Beachamp, this will be the 7th annual BLAB exhibition with Copro Gallery. This exhibition will feature art from the upcoming BLAB WORLD 3 book, which will be released next year. Artists included: Nicoletta Ceccoli, Ana Bagayan, Ryan Heshka, Yoko d'Holbachie, Travis Louie, Eric White, Cathie Bleck, Leslie Ditto, Chris Mars, Andy Kehoe, Travis Lampe, Gary Taxali, Erik Mark Sandberg, Lou Beach, Jana Brike, Eric Fortune, Martin Wittfooth, Mark Garro, Chris Buzelli, Robert Steven Connett, Craig LaRotunda, Andrew Arconti, Dan May, Fred Stonehouse, Jessica Joslin, Jarod Joslin, Chet Zar and more. The opening reception is Saturday, September 8th from 8-11:30 pm, and the exhibit runs September 8 - 29, 2012. To see a preview of all the pieces, click here. Copro Gallery - Bergamot Station 
2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5, Santa Monica , CA 90404 
Ph: 310/829-2156













]]> Wed, 05 Sep 2012 22:26:25 EDT http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13530 One never knows where a piece in a group show will lead one but I was very fortunate to introduce my work to the publisher and president of Juxtapoz, Gwynth Vitello a few years ago when she purchased the piece "The Unquiet Voice" at the "Manifest Equality" show in LA.    



Gwyneth said that she would be interviewing me this year sometime, which became a reality quickly in May. She came out to visit me in Cleveland for 2.5 days and rather than put her up in a hotel nearby (most are either on the Cleveland Clinic campus or too far away) I invited her to stay with me-a bit daunting but she was an easy guest.  An avid walker, Gwynn and I must have walked 3 miles a day and I loved showing her around some of my favorite stomping grounds in Cleveland with visits to Convivium 33 Gallery one of the most fascintating gallery spaces here - a Catholic Church restored and run by Alenka Banco, Zygote Press-managed by Liz Maugens, a meal in Asian town and a tour by Jill Snyder, executive director of the nearly completed and much aniticipated Museum of Contemporary Art MOCA Cleveland.  Also, a backyard dinner with two important American Art historians, Henry Adams and Marianne Berardi, who reside in Cleveland.  Only regret was not having enough time to bring her to our incredible Cleveland Museum of Art-next visit-I hope! Though I am from Chicago and will always feel a bit of loyalty to my hometown, I have fallen in love with Cleveland as a place that nurtures a vibrant cultural scene, which has escalated in the past few years with affordable housing and studio space as well as world class cultural and educational institutions, it is a hidden gem to show off. Here is a link to the full artiicle or pick up a copy while the August issues are still available.  I thought this issue was particularly interesting-love the work by Misaki Kawai, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell - fascinating interview on Kenji Nakayama.

]]> Sun, 19 Aug 2012 04:24:49 EDT http://www.drawger.com/cathiebleck/index.php?section=articles&article_id=13408 Just in the knick of time - 100 posters arrived today from the U.S. State Dept. They are not distributed in the United States because of some old law that does not allow the US to advertise itself, so only embassies around the world receive them, which makes these a rare item to own.( so if you want one, send me an email...They are artist signed, 100 in the edition, 40. plus shipping.)

Having been a scuba diver for over twenty five years I was thrilled to get this commission back in February.  I had 3 weeks to complete the work which included a lot of research and some new experiments with the clay, including an elaborate underpainting, more loose washes and letting go of some of the detail by scraping out areas of elaborate work sometimes. 











I have alot of reference collected in my sketchbooks which I always carry with me onto the boat when diving along with a set of watercolors.  During the dive I try to paint a picture in my head to preserve the memory and then do the painting immediately after the dive.  Here are a collection of some sketches including one from my very first dive in 1987 watching my dive buddy and husband George descending. I'll never forget that suspension into sinking below, discovering an entire new world into the ocean frontier.  The reef alive, vibrant and filled with swarming creatures and plants is not so disimilar from witnessing a rainforest dripping with moss, clouds, mushrooms and wild animals.  So many things are difficult to realize until we actually observe them up close.  I was so saddened on a recent trip to the Caribean to find the results of carbon monoxide bleaching the coral life in waters that were way too warm.  We have an interconnectedness with the ocean that is profound. 























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