tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16032539221288701622008-07-10T18:11:26.050-05:00PracticeRenee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-141442414872781752008-07-10T17:44:00.003-05:002008-07-10T18:11:26.089-05:00Summer Work
This summer I am working on this incredible community based public art project in Woodlawn.
I was hired through a not-for-profit group that facilitates community art projects, gardens, and other community space, archi-treasures as the artist for this project. I am working with 15 very bright teens. They challenge me in every way, everyday. I am learning so much about myself, and my teaching Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-87947859323586113182008-06-09T09:19:00.001-05:002008-06-09T09:50:44.076-05:00White Moment Opens FridayDear Friends,
My installation White Moment opens today, but the opening reception is on Friday from 6-9pm. On Wednesday I will be giving a gallery talk at 11am.
I am really excited about this exhibit, and I hope you can make it to the opening reception but if you can't, I hope you will go and see it while its up from June 9th-August 1, hours: 11-6 M-Th, 12-4 F.
The exhibit seems to express a Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-71401140598421063242008-06-02T18:10:00.000-05:002008-06-02T18:11:22.092-05:00Our Vacation PlansView Larger MapRenee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-80514823664611387792008-05-02T20:38:00.005-05:002008-05-02T21:02:00.017-05:00WalkingToday turned out great. I walked to my studio in what was unexpectedly a hot and humid afternoon for a studio visit with the director of minidutch. Lucia Fabio is really awesome, and I am looking forward to working with her for this future show there. I will be pursuing a new method of working and using up all the old supplies in my studio. Old meets new, its gonna be great, and great fun.
Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-57418125009473568762008-04-29T21:47:00.003-05:002008-04-29T22:01:40.809-05:00Try Try AgainI am working on the last piece for my show this summer, White Moment.
My first idea for this was to have two casts of my head, made to look like the buddha heads, looking at each other. I want this piece to have a real self contemplation quality. Well after I asked two people to help me out by casting my head, and after I sat twice to have my face and head covered in plaster gauze, and I Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-46493209951190240272008-03-24T19:15:00.006-05:002008-03-24T19:39:41.890-05:00Hyphenated-Time-WasterMichael and I finally replaced our "dorm room" TV. You know the kind with the VCR in it. Well we bought this fancy pants flat screen TV in part because I could no longer read the subtitles on our old TV. Or at least that's why we finally made the move. I figured this new TV would be great for watching movies, but it is totally destroying my hiatus from TV.
First of all high definition is Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-59027205483399017722008-03-19T16:29:00.003-05:002008-03-19T16:39:13.438-05:00Sentient, Studio, Press
Today was a fun day in the studio. Above is the new configuration of Sentient for the exhibit at Northeastern. Anna Poplawska will be writing about the work in Yoga Chicago. She writes about spirituality and art and has a monthly column in Yoga Chicago. She came to my studio today and I am pretty excited.Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-54570564617432223182008-03-17T17:50:00.006-05:002008-03-17T18:19:53.211-05:00My New Circular Saw
I bought a new circular saw today at Home Depot on Addison.
As I approached the mini van with my big orange cart of MDF, PVC male adaptors, other miscellaneous stuff and my new Milwaukee circular saw, I noticed a small man come out from behind the red big construction van parked next to my car. Since the housing market has crashed, men are looking for work in the Home Depot parking lots. Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-66836623972942771692008-03-17T16:10:00.001-05:002008-03-17T16:12:31.961-05:00Reality CheckArt Advice is a helpful website I just started looking at.Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-46682706798906151392008-03-13T10:52:00.004-05:002008-03-13T10:57:41.709-05:00Priced to SellI've been experimenting some with marketable work to accompany my installations. I attribute this to coming to my senses as well as honestly trying to meet some of the enthusiasm my work generates in viewers, with a take it home option. The few items I've made and priced, I've priced reasonably in an effort to facilitate collecting from some people who might not think they can. This article Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-40390239049647137562008-03-07T10:21:00.003-06:002008-03-07T10:34:16.379-06:00Tucson ExhibitsHere are some pictures from my opening in Tucson.
I was in a juried encaustic show at Conrad Wilde Gallery, which is a really nice contemporary gallery, which mainly features encaustic work.
The opening was really well attended, there was about 200 people.
My mom, had an opening the same night. She makes encaustic work too!
Her triptych sold!Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-14439989200500331862008-02-29T11:10:00.002-06:002008-02-29T11:13:29.649-06:00When the "Ah Ha" moment is an "Oh Duh"Last night I had the clearest moment of realization, that in fact all of my current hardship can truly be attributed to my own actions (kharma).
Like- Duh!Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-44519280959936962172008-02-29T09:42:00.004-06:002008-02-29T10:01:46.705-06:00TransformationSince the New Year, I have been making many positive changes to my life. But I think the source of all this change actually came not from my free will, but because I had to stop drinking to take Accutane. Its not as though drinking were some kind of issue, but when it was absent I noticed how much a filler it can be, much like the other things I've phased out
Reductions:
Not Drinking
Quiting Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-7884309110694638762008-02-27T12:48:00.003-06:002008-02-27T12:52:17.338-06:00Discursive EmailsSo quiting my gmail addiction will prove to be more challenging then TV, because I do actually have to use it. Its amazing how even just cutting back just this one day has really exposed the discursive quality of my mind's attachment to it. It comes up all the time. Like *Ping* "I wonder if there's new mail?" *Ping*. Its identical to the way thoughts come up during meditation. *Ping* *Ping*Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-87977251359957907882008-02-27T09:53:00.002-06:002008-02-27T12:46:12.062-06:00Students Drawing in the Atrium at WrightI had them combine three perspective views of this space into one abstracted composition! It pretty much rocked.Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-87609141557127593482008-02-26T11:04:00.005-06:002008-02-26T11:24:34.349-06:00Paramita of DisciplineI've successfully stopped watching TV. I've watched TV twice in the past 3months! This is a big feat for me. I used to love to veg out, unwind and watch TV, especially after work. But really it didn't help me unwind. So basically since the new year, I've been without it.
Quiting TV has freed up time for reading, which is not only great because of the knowledge gained, but actually seems toRenee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-71825524719598568412008-02-25T08:45:00.002-06:002008-02-25T15:09:58.294-06:00Students Drawing Today at WrightRenee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-83447787280472058122008-02-24T12:30:00.004-06:002008-02-24T13:05:34.183-06:00Redundantly American in Free FebruraryWe went to see the Hopper exhibit Saturday at The Art Institute, during free February.
The Hopper exhibit was predictably lovely. His work reproduces very well, so there is not much more revealed in viewing the paintings in person. The canvas are not unexpectedly big, but the colors can be quite vibrant. I really prefer his work focusing on urban and prairie scenes which include much visible Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-26417661342207251862008-02-22T09:30:00.004-06:002008-02-22T09:39:52.125-06:00Gordon Matta-Clark
This past weekend, Michael and I went to see the Gordon Matta-Clark exhibit at the MCA. I was so happy to finally see the MCA hosting (almost) contemporary art, and an artist that I've admired for a long time. The exhibit is great, but since Matta-Clark's career was so short, there wasn't much there that I hadn't already seen or read about. I was really inspired by the table of books that Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-20887549418363555932008-02-20T22:03:00.003-06:002008-02-20T22:11:09.800-06:00Effortlessness
It seems that many things like my art and teaching come together with what seems to be such relative ease, that I struggle to impose more effort. I feel that if I could or would "work harder" at it, it would be some how be better, recognized, and the big show that solves all the problems would be the next show.
But in fact it is from a place of ease created by confidence in my experience Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-16892974884043596382008-02-20T12:40:00.001-06:002008-02-20T12:44:49.276-06:00Tucson Exhibit- Conrad Wilde GalleryDear Friends,
I am excited to announce that three pieces of my encaustic work are being exhibited in the Third Annual Encaustic Invitational at Conrad Wilde Gallery, in Tucson, AZ.
The exhibit runs March 1-29, with an opening reception on March 1, from 6-9pm.
If you or anyone you know is in the Tucson area, I hope you can make it. I am looking forward to the opening and the Tucson weather.
Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-79594650875269486662008-02-17T20:33:00.004-06:002008-02-17T20:50:27.227-06:00A quick thought on a new idea I am forming: The Mythology of Contemporary ArtI think the separation of contemporary art from everyday life has been as detrimental to art. The idea that contemporary art is now different, and making a difference, in a way that traditional and historical arts have not, or in a way that other creative acts have failed, is indeed sad. There is an increasingly exclusive religion growing around the obscure and specific actions of people deemedRenee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-2119966689029193192008-02-12T08:49:00.000-06:002008-02-12T08:51:04.885-06:00the fightback against “bad” public sculpture in the UK has begunThis is awesome and hilarious!Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-63176649335608654452008-02-07T09:24:00.000-06:002008-02-07T13:37:03.202-06:00Collective ChicagoWhats going on with "underground art" in Chicago?
I wanted to be in a collective. I felt that a collective was a great opportunity to learn about other artists' practices, collaborate, try new things, be part of change. But the few art collective exhibits I've been to (both underground collectives and mainstream) look just like gallery exhibits. It seems like the collectives are just Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1603253922128870162.post-63899853240073371122008-02-05T13:49:00.000-06:002008-02-05T16:34:43.705-06:00The Art of CreativityI've been working diligently towards my next show, happening in June at Northeastern Illinois University Gallery. I named the show "White Moment". It will feature new and "old" work integrated to create a new installation and new understanding of the "old" work. I am really excited about it. It’s almost as if I'm beginning to use my own previous works as found objects, and combine them together Renee Unahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00789908660062931813noreply@blogger.com