news + new painting

the news:
i will be included in a group show this coming january and february. the exhibition is called "m i d d l e s t a t e s" and it is curated by Benjamin Gardner. the venue is Drake University's Anderson Gallery in des moines - should be a grand time at the opening. i'm guessing that there will be a web site for the exhibit soon, so sometime soon when i have more time, i'll do a quick post on the other 3 artists in the show.

the new pieces:
i finished a painting and a drawing a couple weeks back, and after promptly updating my main web site, I somehow neglected to put an update here. my bad. here you go:


















Bailey and Benji
2010
acrylic on canvas
46 x 34 inches
© matt pulford























spent (one)
2010
pencil, colored pencil on paper
32 x 20 inches






.

2010 Quad City Vintage Rods car show

an occasional sidebar from the usual art & music posts here...
this past sunday, my dad and i hit up Black Hawk College for our annual man-date - the Quad City Vintage Rods car show. the turnout seemed smaller than years prior, but i overheard that there were still over 300 cars. i took twice as many photos as i did last time; sorry if it's overkill. first off, my dream suite - some of the 55, 56, and 57 chevy cars that were on hand. click on any thumbnail for a larger view...


when i was 15 i worked at an auto body shop as an errand kid who swept up and stuff. that shop painted this car. it's my dream to own a '55 like this in yellow & white:






















in my opinion, the goddamn classiest thing in the show. '56 bel air hardtop, all restored original:





































a '57 nomad. we have a friend who is almost finished with a '55 nomad. love 'em.





































a duo of street rods owned by a married couple whom my dad has known for at least my entire lifetime. husband's:





















wife's:






















the elusive Willy's Coupe (a '34?...). this was to be my pops' last project, but his 4 back surgeries throughout the last 15 years have halted that. sucks. i had never seen one in person before, and i was really intrigued by the sheetmetal work on the rear of the car - see the spot for the spare tire?






















































enough of my ramblings; here's the rest of the roll:

JESUS CHRIST!...

...it's andrew bird doing his thing and impressing the hell out of me.

two lists

my wife and i always have an ongoing list of projects we'd like to do around the house. the list has been around for a few years now, and it moves around the house - sometimes on top of the computer desk, other times downstairs, and usually within a bedroom night stand drawer.

its current state, with an "XX" indicating the item being crossed off:

XX fix washer and dryer
build bookshelf by computer
move side yard fence 12 feet
XX paint outside brick by porch
XX buy computer desk
fix bedroom outlet
buy living room chair
XX buy computer chair
big project - sun room window installation
XX buy flat screen tv
new shower hardware
recycled rain water kit?
XX paint guest room
sand/refinish master bedroom dresser

as you can see, it's typical stuff you would guess you'd see with a family like ours - people who just bought their home 3 years ago. all of these items are enjoyable "projects," and now we have the money to take care of these things, but i haven't had any free time in the world to do anything lately, because i'm now working a job that demands 6 days a week, at a total of about 54 hours each week. it's absolutely awful.



so now, if i had to write a to-do list, it would be pitiful and look like this:

play guitar
art studio time
video games with the guys
art museum / zoo / children's museum visits
time by myself, doing nothing at effing all
trips to the farms to go fishing and see the family


working is for chumps. my life is flying by too quickly.

installation shots of solo show

Matt Pulford
Pour Out The Sky
March 5 - April 28, 2010

"Pour Out the Sky"

the new show is all hung and lit, ready to go. first off, here are two links to a recent sunday Times article on things:

interview/feature with David Burke:
http://www.qctimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/article_1cc9e964-216a-11df-8d0c-001cc4c002e0.html

video piece, where they had me try to give a very condensed description of my background and my work:
http://www.qctimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/article_1cc9e964-216a-11df-8d0c-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=video


and finally, here are the details on location, time, reception, etcetera:

- - - - -
"Pour Out the Sky"
Recent paintings, drawings, and installations by Matt Pulford

March 3 - April 28, 2010
Midcoast Fine Arts @
Bucktown Center for the Arts
225 E. 2nd St., Davenport (2nd Floor)
Hours: Wed. - Sat. 11 am - 6 pm

*****Please join us for a reception for the artist on Friday, March 26, from 6:00-9:00pm. This event is open to the public, so bring your friends and enjoy some free food and drinks.

to view more works by the artist, please visit:
http://www.mattpulford.com

- - - - -

William Elliott Whitmore speaks my language.

"I live on a farm... in Lee County, Iowa... and this song is about dirt."

new painting, new drawing, ready for the show

i finally finished up the latest painting. finally? yes; it completely kicked my ass. i took an opportunity to try and re-shoot the new drawing too, and the new pics came out a little better. those drawings are terribly difficult to shoot. here you go:



















josephine (four)
2010
pencil, colored pencil on paper
32 x 20 inches
© matt pulford



















Amelia and Dandelion
2010
acrylic on canvas
46 x 34 inches
© matt pulford