Kiss My Art: JR Falkinburg at the Chris White Gallery

A lifelong, self-taught artist, JR Falkinburg got his start like many kids -- by drawing his favorite comic book characters. Art was a hobby that helped him relax after a day's work as an architect. Two years ago, he started painting, and opened up a whole new world of art and experimentation.

Rarely does he work with the same medium twice. His Shipley Lofts studio is filled with pieces that reflect his adventurous nature, from found object art to pieces made with wax, or plastic wrap, or paint chips. There are multi-media collaborations, photographs, and even paintings that, with the help of a smart phone, create sound. His eclectic style is meant to appeal as many senses as possible, to evoke a feeling.

For his first solo show, "Kiss My Art," opening at the Chris White Gallery on Friday, February 1, Falkinburg will show 30 pieces, plus collaborations with other Shipley artists such as Brad Turner, John Camacho, Lorraine Foster and Kevin Bielicki.

"The idea," he says, "is to be an event instead of an art show; instead of coming in and moving from picture to picture, the whole show will be a feeling. You want to hang out."

Contributing to the event feel will be a variety of guests, including DJ Biz, tattoo artist Larry Dineen with a live tattoo session, and hip-hop dancers.

"Kiss My Art" is a collection, an experiment not hemmed in by a theme or style. Experience it on Friday from 6 to 9, or visit the gallery throughout the month a January.

Chris White Gallery
701 N. Shipley St.
Wilmington, DE 19801

Why You Shouldn't Miss the Shady Grove Music Fest (Next Year)

The Shady Grove Music Fest in Arden has come and gone rather quietly, as it tends to do, despite being one of the top music festivals in Delaware. (Of course, with Firefly this year, it's hard to compete -- but what is Firefly doing for the local music scene?) The event is surprisingly low-key -- though it does kick up a bit as the day progresses into evening -- and, even more surprisingly, not very crowded. It seems a lot of folks are missing out. So, looking forward to next year's festival, here's why you shouldn't miss Shady Grove:
 

• It's easily one of the best ways to sample the Wilmington/Newark and Tri-State music scene.  

• When else can you see most of these bands during the day with your family? If you rarely get out to bars and clubs for shows, you'd be crazy to miss it. Even if you do see live music frequently, it's a nice change of pace to see band like The Bullets, The Keefs, and Deadbeatz, Inc. outdoors in the afternoon or early evening. And if you have kids (who get in free if they're under 12), they rarely have the chance to see some of these bands play live.

• The variety: the 2012 Shady Grove festival featured rock, indie pop, punk, rockabilly, jazz and funk. There's even live visual art, as a festival billboard is painted on site during the event -- in recent years, it has been done by Wilmington graffiti artist 3EYES.

• It really is shady! The canopy of trees in the grove behind Arden Gild Hall cools off a sunny June day, and even make light rain tolerable.

• It benefits the Arden Gild Hall, ensuring that the arts in Delaware continues to flourish.

Missed 2012's Shady Grove Fest? You can still check out the bands:


Deadbeatz Inc. www.reverbnation.com/deadbeatzinc
Still Moon Servants www.reverbnation.com/stillmoonservants
Spontaneous Underground www.reverbnation.com/spontaneousunderground
The Bullets www.reverbnation.com/theoriginalbullets
The Paper Janes www.reverbnation.com/thepaperjanes
The Keefs www.reverbnation.com/thekeefs
AlyCat www.reverbnation.com/alycat
Bullbuckers: www.bullbuckers.com/


Be sure to get all of the news about next year's Shady Grove Festival by liking their Faebook Page: www.facebook.com/WSTWArdenShadyGroveMusicFest

Pick of the August Art Loop

Two DE Arts Info bloggers, Margaret Darby and Holly Quinn, hit the Loop this month:

Holly says: If you follow local music in Delaware (or if you follow this blog regularly), no doubt you've seen David Norbut's work. This month, Poppcock Tattoo at 115 W 8th Street in Wilmington hosts a selection of his photography, with a focus on his Western series of landscapes, nature and portraiture -- with a couple of his stunning live band photos in the mix, as well as a video incorporating a larger selection of photos. Norbut has a great eye in any location, not least of all the sweeping, sometimes weathered beauty of the American West, leaving me wanting more.

While Poppycock was hopping, people wall-to-wall, The Chris White Gallery at Shipley Lofts was considerably more quiet. The work in Anti-Subliminal, a group show featuring multimedia work by artists including Jesse Jynch, John Durandetta, Herman V. Brandt, Bresnow, and Brandon Cash, brought together illustration, photoshop and graffiti art, with an installation piece by 3EYES highlighting the show. 

Yakime Brown

Margaret Says: Holly’s venture into Poppycock Tattoo to see David Norbut’s photography and wanting more made me conscious of Michelle’s admonition that we should find some new venues….which I tried to do.  I started on Lower Market to see what the LOMA Coffee House was doing – a few works by Catherine Mulrooney were all I could see from the street and earsplitting music coming out of an electric guitar and enhanced by the guitarist’s plananx of bass pedals.  Didn’t dare enter as I didn’t have my earplugs on me, but it was obviously happening.  Went to Dimensions and Co. by Ace to see a few Underground Comixxx by Jabar Brown, who was by himself eating pizza out of a box and chatting on his cell phone….Venture Creative Marketing Group was firmly closed – unlike the framer next door who tried to call to find out if Venture was going to open later.  But it was all happening at 919 Market, so it was worth hiking up the hill – hearing more earsplitting music from the Queen (holding my ears even a full block away where we encountered a hip guy asking us where the music was coming from)….and walking into 919 to find a great party going on!  A big cake, lots of snacks and lively art by Yakime Brown – a friendly guy in a porkpie hat who strode right up to say hello.  It was fun telling him which pieces I liked best and hearing how he felt about those same pieces.  His textures are shiny, acrylic paint for the most part – either done in an explosive circle, seemingly shot from a cannon or made into flowerlike petals with his palette knife.  Yakime Brown also has a considerable variety – with some pieces of staid stripes in a flat mode.  Originally from Brooklyn, Brown has been living in Bear for the past few years and has quite a following.  AND it seems that the new curator of 919 is ready for things to hop.

And, there was new life in the DCCA with the completion of the Movable Feast project by interns  Jung-A Woo and Hoyun Sun.  When I arrived, teenagers from the Latin American Community Center and their teachers were buzzing around outdoor tables cooking on hotplates to show what they had learned about food and culture .  Woo and Sun had a film loop explaining the project and the kids photographs and art were displayed in the DCCA lobby.  But the real fun was watching the poise and pride of the kids as they prepared and served foods they had learned about during the six-week project. 

My conclusion is that you can always find new surprises in the Art Loop.  Can’t wait for the next one because, like Holly, it left me wanting more.

Good Times at Shady Grove Music Fest

Brad Turner of 3EYES. Photo: Joe del Tufo

A bit of rain couldn't slow things down at the Shady Grove Music Fest on Saturday -- rather than head for the hills (and their dry cars), partiers barely blinked an eye. After all, bailing out would mean missing out on some of the day's most anticipated bands, New Sweden and Bullbuckers, who rounded out the festival's roster of ten main stage bands, acoustic performances on the Moonlight stage and live graffiti art by Brad Turner of 3EYES.

The early part of the day featured The Joe Trainor Trio, Sharon Sable and E. Shawn Qaissuanee, Smoke Signals and Frequency Bender. As the afternoon warmed up under cloudy skies (nice, actually -- the grove is shady, but without the full summer sun in the sky, the day was a refreshing change from the recent heat waves), local youth Local Chaos took the stage to a supportive crowd as they honed their skills with songs by Motley Crue and the White Stripes, among others.

I especially enjoyed Newark's Little Invisibles, fronted by the lovely Dina Degnars on piano and vocals. Shades of Within Temptation, but singularly original. And, with an audience-participation hula hoop interlude, a lot of fun, too.

Little Invisibles. Photo: Joe del Tufo

A little drizzle started to fall during Deadbeatz, Inc's politically charged set, and by the time Villains Like You took the stage, the rain was really coming down -- and the crowd was starting to dance. Nothing like an outdoor music festival to get your body moving it the rain, right?

And through it all, 3EYES created a piece of his distinctive, hand-and-stencil graffiti art, while DJ Zip kept the beat going between bands.

You'll have to wait until next year to hang at another Shady Grove Music Fest, but the Arden Concert Gild offers live original music throughout the year -- like them of Facebook to keep up with the schedule.