Happy New Year!

Before we completely say good bye to 2011 we have a few mentions to brag about. We made Nuvo’s Year in Review for the Visual Arts and Nuvo honored us with a great review for our Annual Holiday Show Toys.

Here’s to 2012, we promise to make it even more memorable than 2011.

Join us on December 2 (First Friday) from 6 -10 pm as we showcase amazing works of wonder created by local artists.

This year, we will be accepting donations of new and gently used art supplies on behalf of VSA Indiana. This wonderful organization provides lifelong learning and creative expression through the arts for people with disabilities in Indiana. VSA Indiana (formerly Very Special Arts) has served Hoosiers for nearly 30 years.
To learn more about VSA, please visit VSAI.org.

We’ve invited Indiana’s finest artists to create a piece based on the theme of toys for our ninth annual show. Check out the talented artists participating in this year’s event:

Joseph Crone
Lauren Ditchley
Erin K. Drew
Elyse Elder
Jeff Geesa
Mike Graves
Susanna Hoone
Andre Jefferson
Penny Knight
Carol Myers
MaryAnne Nguyen
Jay Parnell
Brian James Priest
Casey Roberts
Aaron Scamihorn
Eric Stine
Barb Zech

Support local art and give back to a very unique and wonderful cause for the arts.

Check out today’s featured artists. Their works remain on sale at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council until Dec. 22! If you haven’t yet checked out the TOYS show, don’t miss your chance.

Jamie Pawlus and Frankie (Australian Shepherd), Chicken With Its Head Chewed Off, 2010, found object–plastic farm animal, NFS

Pam Wishbow, Odds and Ends, 2010, acrylic on panel, $300

Holly Streekstra, Sawing a Man in Half Effect, 2010, mixed-media, $1,067

Ryan Alvis, Beluga Bath, 2010, acrylic on canvas, $200

MAMUS, Toys were so much fucking cooler when they where radioactive and covered in lead paint., 2010, polymer clay, found objects, acrylic paint, $300

Blythe Noble Hager, American Strings, 2010, mixed-media, $200

Aaron Scamihorn, The Totalitarian of Toys, 2010, digital illustration, $200

Jeffrey S. Martin, “Oh, and remember: next Friday……is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.” 2010, mild steel, $50 per piece; 10 pieces

Eric Smith, Cobra Grenadier, 2010, serigraph, $40

Bruce Dean, “Uncle Luey” AKA – SS Rotterdam, 2010, ink and pastel on archival paper, $400

Justin Cooper, Steam Train (detail), 2009, mixed-media on wood

Carl B. Leck, Sockem (detail, 2010, mixed-media, $2,500

Nathan Shinkle, The Depths (detail), 2010, house paint and wheat paste on board, $750

Judie L. Sloan, Glass Ball Gown, 2010, blown glass, $300

Phil Velikan, Model Kit, 2010, Resin, $1,000 (original); $150 (kit; edition of 20)

Mike Altman, ALTered #53 (detail), 2010, mixed-media, $100

Emma Overman, Snow Globe (detail), 2010, acrylic on birch, $1,250

Kyle A. Herrington, Telephone Etiquette, 2010, mixed-media on paper, $500

Justin Akiem Trapp, Heaven Only Knows!, 2010, ceramic, $100 per piece; 11 pieces

Nate Greuel, Imagination, 2010, photography, tracing paper, wood, metal, $150

For those who missed it, never fear. The show remains up Gallery 924 at the Arts Council , gloriously featuring amazing work from 20 local artists, until December 22. You can still buy some great pieces, featured in the following video:

Gallery 924 is located at 924 N. Pennsylvania St. (map). Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They accept cash, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

OPENING: The opening for this year’s art showcase takes place at Gallery 924 at the Arts Council (924 N. Pennsylvania St. – map) on Friday, December 3, 2010 from 6 to 9 p.m. We’ll have wine from New Day Meadery and craft beer from Brugge Brasserie and free apps from the Bar at the Ambassador.

AFTER PARTY: Join us down the block at the The Bar at the Ambassador (39 E. 9th St.) to continue the celebration, meet the artists, and hang with the Primary Colours gang.

The biggest change in this, our eighth installment, is that for the first time, the exhibit will remain on display beyond our opening night in the gallery for viewing and purchase, remaining up through December 22.

We’ve chosen the following artists to each produce a piece of artwork for this year’s exhibition:

* Mike Altman
* Ryan Alvis
* Justin Cooper
* Bruce Dean
* Nate Greuel
* Blythe Noble Hager
* Kyle A. Herrington
* MAMUS
* Carl B. Leck
* Jeffrey S. Martin
* Emma Overman
* Jamie Pawlus
* Aaron Scamihorn
* Nathan Shinkle
* Judie L Sloan
* Eric Smith
* Holly Streekstra
* Justin Akiem Trapp
* Phil Velikan
* Pam Wishbow

Exhibiting artists keep 75% of the proceeds they receive from the sale of their art. The remaining 25% goes to the Gallery, and, per tradition, Primary Colours will not a take cut. It’s all about supporting the artists and the Arts Council’s new gallery.

The opening for this free event coincides with the IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association) First Friday Art Tour.

This year, we’re teaming up with VSA arts of Indiana and asks attendees to bring new or very gently used basic art supplies, such as acrylic, watercolor or tempera paints; colored pencils; erasers; paper; canvases; and brushes that volunteers will collect at the door. VSA will use donated supplies to provide arts activities to young patients and their families at Riley Hospital for Children and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in addition to community arts classes around the state.

VSA arts of Indiana provides lifelong learning and creative expression through the arts for people with disabilities in Indiana.

Installation Nation The buzz was tremendous last year from our inaugural event featuring installation art pieces assembled within the confines of large, metal shipping containers, all on a vacant, donated lot in Lockerbie. Installation Nation returns in June exhibiting innovative art accompanied by music, food, drink, and frivolity.
Professional Development Series We’re teaming up once again with the Arts Council of Indianapolis to conduct a series of free workshops designed specifically for the emerging career artist. We have a preliminary slate set up to start the middle of June and run through the end of July. This year’s workshops will include time for networking after each session.
Art vs. ArtTM Infamous from coast to coast, the winner-take-all painting competition with a twist returns with a vengeance in September. For those of you unfamiliar with this unique event, here’s the gist: Artists have four hours to paint with provided materials. Paintings making the finals square off side-by-side with audience vote determining the winner. Losing paintings face the “Wheel of Death” unless someone’s purchase saves the painting from a ruinous fate. Artists receive 70% from the sale of their art. Last year’s Main Event was a barn burner at the Vogue. Don’t miss it this year!
TOYS Last year saw the return of our holiday invitational art exhibition with chutzpah! Our artists proved that you never know just what to expect when they fashion their pieces around the theme of toys. TOYS will arrive just in time for the holidays in December.

Stay Tuned…

Interspersed with these events, look for Primary Colours out and about in the community. Watch this space for updates and happenings.

Dan Thompson and Ryan Alvis will definitely be showcasing their pieces. William Denton Ray, who also painted up a cool skateboard for TOYS, will have more than 200 pieces for sale, which he calls “Whimsical Funk.”

Be sure to check it out. Local art for holiday presents…what a great idea!

Dan Thompson, pen & ink, “Must Have(s)”

Ryan Alvis, “After the Unwrapping,” Watercolor