Exhibit: “City Scenes" by Kevin Swallow at Eye See Ravenswood

I’m pleased to announce that I’m now showing some paintings at Eye See Ravenswood, just a few blocks from my studio. They’re a mix of city scenes with a focus on Chicago architecture. It’s nice to be displaying work again publicly, especially in the neighborhood at a local business. Stop in to Eye See Ravenswood, check out the art, and have a look at their great selection of eyewear. Please contact me directly if interested in purchasing any of my work. Special thanks to Tiffany Stronsky for making the introduction.

Featured paintings:
Golden Lights, oil on canvas, 24x30, 2013
Red Canyon Skyscraper, oil on canvas, 24x36, 2013
City Twilight Blues, oil on canvas, 40x30, 2014
Chicago Blues, oil on canvas, 42x42, 2015
A Peek at Sears Tower from North Avenue, oil on canvas, 30x30", 2019
Fire Escape Vertigo, oil on canvas, 40x30", 2020
Aqua Tower Blues, oil on canvas, 40x30", 2020
Marina Towers Moments, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2021
Empty on the Inside, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2021


What my art looks like in interior spaces

Art always looks better surrounded by furniture and other objects. And sometimes it’s hard to visualize art in your space. So, check out my paintings in different interior settings to see what my art could look like in your home. Don’t live with blank walls! Click the images to view larger.

IMAGES:

1. South Loop Skyscraper, oil on canvas, 48x36, 2017

2. Chicago Blues, oil on canvas, 42x42, 2015

3. Fire Escape Vertigo, oil on canvas, 40x30", 2020

4. Empty on the Inside, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2021

5. City Twilight Blues, oil on canvas, 40x30, 2014

6. When I Looked Up, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2020

7. 420 on LSD (Lake Shore Drive), oil on panel, 48x96", 2019

8. Marina Towers Moments, oil on canvas, 30x40", 2021

9. Shades of Blue, 39x57, oil on canvas, 2018

10. West Village Skyline - New York City, oil on canvas, 48X60, 2017

2022 Art Highlights

Looking back on this past year, here are my 2022 art highlights:

  • The Eat Paint exhibition, "Where Art Works: Artist Communities and Creative Placemaking", I participated in and co-curated, continued through January and ended with a virtual artist talk on Zoom.

  • Moved to a new studio in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor in March.

  • Sold 5 paintings, including my biggest cityscape painting, "420 on LSD (Lake Shore Drive)", and installed it in a South Loop condo.

  • Clark Street Cab wine (with my “Andersonville Water Tank" image) featured in the Andersonville Wine Walk for a second year in a row.

  • My cityscape and L train painting, “Empty on the Inside”, featured in the Cityscape Chicago group show at Palette & Chisel Gallery.

  • Created 9 new paintings.

  • Developed a new series of abstract paintings based on the architectural elements of the stairwell in my new studio building.

  • Took a multi-level figure drawing class at Lillstreet Art Center.

Click the images to view larger.

Multi-level Figurative Drawing Class - Gesture Sketches

For the past few weeks, I’ve been taking a multi-level drawing class at Lillstreet Art Center on Thursday nights. Last night was supposed to be our final class but it got cancelled due to the snowstorm. It’s been fun and pushed me out of my comfort zone since I usually don’t make figurative work. There were many short poses combined with long poses - anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour long. I liked how the short 30-60 second gesture sketches turned out when I would layer them on top of each other as I drew in charcoal. Not meant to be representational, just capturing the movements of the models in an expressive way. Click the images to view larger.

New Abstract Series - The Stairwell

I recently finished this series of paintings based on the abstract architectural elements of the stairwell in my studio building. I started by photographing the stairwell at various angles and digitally changing the colors. Then, I did some charcoal sketches using the photos as reference. From there, I painted each piece using both the photos and sketch compositions as reference for the paintings. I didn't strictly follow the photos — used them as a starting point and let the paintings take their own direction. But, I used a similar palette on these five pieces to create continuity to link them together. I was also going through some very difficult personal things and family deaths during the time these were created, and working abstractly was the best way to express some of those feelings of loss.

These paintings were also the first full series of paintings done from start to finish since moving in to my new studio space in March of 2022. I'm including them in a larger series of Abstract Cityscapes. The below poem connects the paintings, their titles, and some ideas I was working through during the process.

Deconstruction of the Stairwell

Up the down escalator —
Now stuck in the stairwell,
Looking for soul connection frequencies.
Signals crossed.
Attached and intertwined, fractured.
Grasping the broken ladders —
Climbing out of limbo over and over,
Getting the stairwell vertigo blues.

IMAGES:

  1. Stairwell photo

  2. Stairwell photo

  3. Deconstruction of the Stairwell, oil on canvas, 36x48”, 2022

  4. Up the Down Escalator, oil on canvas, 40x30", 2022

  5. Soul Connection Frequencies, oil on canvas, 40x30", 2022

  6. Fractured Limbo Ladders, oil on canvas, 40x30”, 2022

  7. Stairwell Vertigo Blues, oil on panel, 24x18”, 2022

Palette and Chisel - Chicago Cityscapes Show

I’m proud to have shown my painting, “Empty on the Inside” in the Chicago Cityscape show at the historic Palette and Chisel Gallery along with so many great painters. Many thanks to curator, Chris Miller, for inviting me to participate and be part of this show. Check out the show catalog.

Cityscape Chicago
September 2-26, 2022
Palette and Chisel Gallery
1012 N. Dearborn, Chicago

Catalog excerpt:

“The painters in this show embrace Chicago -- all of it --- from urban canyons to bungalows, infrastructure to industrial parks. They confront the metropolis - whether as a dreamlike vision (Kevin Swallow’s covid empty ‘L cars) or as a daily challenge (Dmitry Samarov’s distant view of the Loop from Bridgeport). The pieces are more like psychological self portraits than picturesque retreats. They grab the viewer by the collar as if to assert ‘see..this is how I feel!” - whether it’s the cool masculinity of Marion Kryczka’s functional but outdated parked cars or the overwhelming presence of Brian Wells’ graffiti covered dumpster. They and the city are inseparable. And you might note that only one piece depicts any people. It’s just you, the viewer, and the great Midwestern center. “

New Art Studio - Ravenswood Industrial Cooridoor

In March of 2022, I moved into a new studio space in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. It’s a mixed-used four-story warehouse building that includes other artists, animators, web designers, small tech companies, musicians, and other creative businesses. The studio is located on Ravenswood Avenue adjacent to the Metra and Brown Line L train tracks as well as other mixed-use manufacturing buildings along the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor and the nearby breweries and distilleries in Malt Row.

I’ve been busy setting up the studio with my studio mate, Eric Weinstein for the past couple of months. I’ve been finishing up some pieces that I started in my previous studio space at the Cornelia Arts Building. Recently, I picked up some more art supplies and canvas and look forward to starting on a brand new series of paintings birthed in this new space.

New Cityscape Painting: Studio View - Where Art Worked (2006 - 2022)

New Painting: Studio View - Where Art Worked (2006 - 2022), oil on canvas, 30x40”, 2022. This was my view out of my studio window for many years from my studio in the Cornelia Arts Building. The view changed over the years and so did I. But it remained a good mix of industrial spaces, warehouse buildings, and homes. Plus, the view of the L trains as they chugged past the building. I started this painting in the old studio but recently finished it in my new Ravenswood studio which has been interesting and weird at the same time.

Studio View - Where Art Worked (2006 - 2022), oil on canvas, 30x40”, 2022

Farewell, Cornelia Arts Building (2006 - 2022)

Yesterday, my studio mate, Eric Weinstein, and I moved out of the Cornelia Arts Building (CAB). I’ve been there for 16 years and he, 20 years, and we’ve become close friends during that time.

It’s been a great run at Cornelia - from developing my art practice, to sharing my art with the public during the open studios nights, to sharing feedback about work with other artists in the building, to studio visits with friends, or just hanging out in that sacred creative space.

I improved my art, shifted styles, and created hundreds of paintings, drawings, and screen prints during my time at CAB. I’ll think of these years at CAB fondly and where I grew as an artist and as a person. It was a special time period (2006 - 2022) to be an artist at CAB and it was always a welcoming community of artists. It’s a perfect mix of incubator and professional studio building for artists and the place “Where Art Works”.

I hope for the same kind of creative and personal growth in my new studio space. Eric and I will still be sharing a studio - it’s a little further north in Chicago’s Ravenswood Industrial Corridor. Please email me if you’d like to schedule a studio visit to view my work in person or a virtual studio visit Stay tuned for more details about the new studio space…

Where Art Works: Artist Communities and Creative Placemaking

I'm excited to be the co-curator/co-organizer and participant in this upcoming show at Eat Paint Studio Gallery featuring 16 artists from the Cornelia Arts Building! “Where Art Works,” alludes to the fact that although an artist’s studio practice is unseen, creative work is an integral part of Chicago’s vibrant neighborhoods and our local economy.

The show opens Friday, December 17 6-9pm. There is also a preview on Thursday, December 16 as part of the Shop Late Lincoln event.

Where Art Works: Artist Communities and Creative Placemaking

Eat Paint Studio Gallery
Opening Reception: December 17, 6-9pm
Preview: Thursday, December 16, from 5-8PM in conjunction with “Shop Late Lincoln”
Artist Talk (Zoom): Saturday, January 15, 2022 6pm-7pm
Closing Reception: Saturday, January 22, 2022 1pm-5pm
Show runs: December 17, 2021 – January 22, 2022