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Artist’s Reception And Poetry Reading in Arlington Heights IL

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool digital art
Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool

The Northwest Cultural Council will host an Artist’s Reception and Poetry Reading on Saturday July 17, 2010 from 1:00 to 3:00pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

The artist’s reception and poetry reading will be held at the Arlington Green Executive Centre located at 2101 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL.

I will be attending the artist’s reception and am looking forward to the opportunity to meet both those interested in my art as well as the other artists.

Unlike my last art exhibit at the Arlington Green Executive Centre Gallery, which consisted solely of abstract computer art, this time my works are space art and astronomical art.

The art exhibit is a part of the Northwest Cultural Council Corporate Gallery Exhibition Program. The Northwest Cultural Council’s Corporate Gallery Exhibits reflect a wide variety of media, artistic expression and vision of the artists. Artists with work on display in the art exhibit are:

Betty Morley	Arlington Heights
Mirella Scully	Mount Prospect
Min Ja Lah	Schaumburg
Carl Jalowiec	Palatine
Beverly Miotke	Roselle
Claire Vogt Wally	Barrington
Gail Baar	Buffalo Grove
Joan Brinkworth	Arlington Heights
Jim Plaxco	Schaumburg
Irene Oleksiuk	North Barrington
William Dunn	Arlington Heights
Robert Cobb	Rolling Meadows
Deanna Goldberg	Buffalo Grove

The art currently on exhibit at the Arlington Green Executive Centre will remain on display through August 2, 2010. The art can be viewed Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

All art in the exhibit is for sale with a percentage of the sale price being a tax-deductible donation to support the activities of the Northwest Cultural Council, a not-for-profit community agency bringing visual art, music, dance, theater, poetry, and their unique “Kids Meet Art”™ program to the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

In addition to the art exhibit and the artist’s reception, there will be a poetry reading. Poets reading their work at the reception are:

Angela Narciso Torres	Glenview
Kathleen Kirk	Normal
Patricia McMillen	Oak Park
Virginia Bell	Evanston
Steven Schroeder	Chicago
Maureen Flannery	Evanston
Susanna Lang	Chicago
Helen Degen Cohen	Deerfield
Deborah Nodler Rosen	Glencoe

So if you’re in the northwest suburbs and are looking for something to do, I suggest checking out the Northwest Cultural Council’s Artist’s Reception And Poetry Reading.

The Art - Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool

Titled Photoshop Abstract Whirlpool, I created this piece this morning to serve as the illustration for this post. Strange to believe that I used as a starting point a photograph I took of baggage transport carriages at O’Hare Airport. The final piece seen here was created by using a combination of Photoshop filters, layer blends, layer styles, and adjustment layers. Isn’t digital wonderful!

Tags: artist, poetry, reading, reception
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Art Show and Showing Art

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Lift-Off digital painting

Over the weekend I visited the Block Museum of Art to take in The Brilliant Line and Engraving the Ephemeral exhibitions of engravings. A great show and one I recommend folks visit before it closes on June 20. For my review of the exhibition and details, check out The Art of Engraving at the Block Art Museum.

On Monday I visited the Arlington Green Executive Center to install some of my art. As the bulk of my abstract art is currently on display at the Rolling Meadows Public Library (which I haven’t even listed yet on my web site) and since I previously displayed only abstract art at Arlington Green Executive Center, this time I decided to go with some of my space art. I was only provided with space to hang three pieces. The works I choose to exhibit are:

Astronaut Glory II created in 2009
Lift Off created in 2009 and shown above
Glacial Mars - a piece I created in 2008 but have not yet added to my web site

My art will remain on display there until August 2, 2010.

Tags: art, block museum, engraving
Posted in Art Shows, Art and Artists, Space Art | No Comments »

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Chicago Art Open Preview and Benefit Party

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Digital Painting To Be Anonymous

I attended the Chicago Artist’s Coalition Chicago Art Open Preview and Benefit Tuesday night. The event was held at the River East Art Center. My reason for attending was that I responded to a Call for Entries for the Chicago Art Open so one of my pieces is in the show.

You can read more about the event and check out a few photographs that I took at Chicago Art Open Reception at River East Art Center.

You can view my art - To Be Anonymous - in the 2010 Chicago Art Open Photography Section. Unfortunately they miscategorized my art as photography and despite requests that it be moved to the "Works on Paper" category (and to correct their misspelling of the title) that has not happened yet.

The Illustration

The digital painting To Be Anonymous which is on view in the Chicago Art Open at the River East Art Center in Chicago.

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Art Show + New Art + Art Open

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Cropped Microscopic Metropolis

Art Show

Monday I took down my art exhibit at the Advocate Good Shepard Hospital (more info here) and set up a new art exhibit at the Rolling Meadows Public Library. The new show features 11 digital paintings. The art is displayed on the library’s second floor. More information to follow.

New Art

I just added new art to my web site. Microscopic Metropolis, cropped version shown above, was inspired by the visual similarities between cities as seen from Earth orbit and the veins of a leaf as seen under a microscope and is yet another illustration of the fractal nature of the universe.

Art Open

My art submission to the juried Chicago Art Open Exhibition made it into the show. The show will be held at the River East Art Center in Chicago. The public opening of the show is Saturday, April 24th at 12 noon. To kick off the exhibition there will be a Preview, Benefit and 35th Anniversary Party on Tuesday, April 20th from 6:00 to 9:00pm. There will be hors d’oeuvres, wine, music, a silent auction, and over 300 works of art for sale. For more info and to purchase tickets for admission to the preview and benefit, see PREVIEW BENEFIT PARTY - Chicago Artists Coalition

So until next time I leave you with the words of George Bernard Shaw:

Imagination is the beginning of creation.
You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

Tags: art show, chicago art open
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Artist Reception and New Art

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Modern Life

I’ll be leaving in a couple of hours to attend an artists’ reception at Advocate Good Shepard Hospital in Barrington. The reception is for myself and fellow artist Eric Hill. It is being sponsored by the Northwest Cultural Council. Eric and I are both artists in the Northwest Cultural Council’s Corporate Art Gallery program and currently have art on display at the hospital.

So here is a chance for you to have some free wine and cheese, talk with Eric and myself about whatever strikes your fancy, look at some art, and have a good time. The reception begins at 5:30pm and runs until 7:30pm. For complete details on the reception, see
Artist Reception at Advocate Good Shepard Hospital, Barrington

The Illustration

To illustrate this post I used a piece of art that I just added to my Technology Gallery. Titled Modern Life it is based on a digital photograph I took a year ago. For more about the piece and to view a wallpaper sized version of the same, see
Modern Life.

Tags: art, reception
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Astronomical Art, Algorithmic Art, and Science Fiction

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Sands of Mars

The Capricon Science Fiction Convention opens today and runs through Sunday. I have a fairly busy schedule at the con this year. First I will be participating in the convention’s art show. I will have seven works of art in the show:

Sands of Mars
Titan Landscape astronomical art
Astronaut Glory II space art
Lift Off space art
Quantum Moon moon art
Moon From A Dream astronomical art not on my web site
Glacial Mars astronomical art not on my web site

In addition to the art show, I will also be providing two presentations for the convention: Algorithmic Art: Where Art Meets Math and The Art of Astronomy.

Algorithmic Art: Where Art Meets Math gives a history of algorithmic art, discusses some of the concepts and takes a look at some of the software tools available today to those interested in algorithmic art.

The Art of Astronomy is a straight forward history of astronomical art which also includes a discussion of how I have created some of my astronomical art as well as providing an overview of how anyone can use freely available graphics software to work with the raw image data available online from the various NASA robotic missions.

In addition to my two presentations, I will also be participating on the following panels.

Panel: Do You Still Believe in the Future?
Description: They say the “Golden Age of Science Fiction” is thirteen and when you’re thirteen all sorts of things are possible in the future. Now that you’ve grown up, chronologically, if nothing else, do you still view the possibilities of the future the way you did when you hit that golden age? Is it possible to retain that hope and optimism or are humans naturally cynical? With co-panelists Michael D’Ambrosio, Butch Honeck and Dermot Dobson as moderator.

Panel: Nuclear Fission or Fusion or ???: What Will Power our Future?
Description: Wind…Water…Coal…Steam…Oil. Over the centuries our fuel choices have changed as we’ve found more effective alternatives. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the most effective alternative, nuclear fission, carries a strong negative, and fusion isn’t ready for prime time. What advances will fuel sources see in the next 50 years? 100 years? Will we ever run out of fuel? With co-panelists Jim Landis, Pat Nuccio, Isabel Schechter, and myself as moderator.

Panel: ISDC: The International Space Development Conference
Description: The International Space Development Conferences is coming to Chicago on Memorial Day weekend this year. Come learn what this professional conference has to offer and learn how you can attend at a discount. With co-panelists Raymond Cyrus and Tom Veal and myself as moderator.

Panel: Manned visit to Mars: Round Table Discussion
Description: Is it worth sending a man to Mars as opposed to unmanned probes? With co-panelists Brother Guy Consolmagno and Bill Thomasson as moderator.

See you at the con.

Tags: algorithmic art, art show, Astronomical Art, Capricon, convention, science fiction
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A Visit to the Harper College Art Gallery

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Lift Off space art painting
Lift Off digital space art painting

Yesterday I visited the Harper College Art Gallery. The impetus was my decision to enter the 33rd Harper College National Art Exhibition, featuring Small Works juried exhibition. It was my first visit to Harper’s art gallery. Currently on display is an exhibit titled House Painting.

The artist behind House Painting is Matt Irie. The exhibit featured 8 latex paint on wood panel paintings. The common element of all the paintings was the use of only straight lines of paint, each a little more than 1/8 inch wide. The paintings were of two compositional styles. One type featured straight overlapping lines of paint laid out in a horizontal and vertical grid. The second type featured the same straight lines but oriented so that there were no horizontal or vertical lines in the composition.

The House Painting exhibit runs January 19 through February 11 2010. There will be an artist’s reception on February 3. For more information, phone 847.925.6568.

Probably planned to coincide with the main exhibit, on the wall adjacent to the gallery exhibit was a collection of 16 lithographs by conceptual artist Sol LeWitt. The 16 lithographs are from the Suite 1 series dated 1970. Suite 1 consists of tightly packed squares of short vertical pencil strokes.

The Illustration

To illustrate this post I’ve used the digital painting Lift Off which I completed last spring but am only now adding to my web site. My choice of colors and brush style for this piece are meant to impart to the viewer something of the exuberance of witnessing the launch of a space ship. The model for Lift Off was a NASA photograph of a Space Shuttle launch. To view larger versions of this picture, and for additional information, see Lift Off

Ad Astra, Jim

Tags: digital painting, lift off, rocket launch, Space Art
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Art Exhibit at Advocate Good Shepard Hospital in Barrington IL

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Life Pulse digital abstract art
Life Pulse digital abstract art by Jim Plaxco

Monday 01/11/2010 saw me setting up an exhibit of my digital art at the Advocate Good Shepard Hospital in Barrington IL. The art exhibit will run through April 4, 2010 and is sponsored by the Northwest Cultural Council’s Corporate Gallery Art Program.

For the sake of consistency I had to decide on what style of art to include in the show. My choices were either astronomical art, space art, or abstract art. I chose abstract art as that was most likely to have the broadest appeal. Note that some of the abstract art I create is done using a technique that I term algorithmic gesturalism. To elaborate, in algorithmic gesturalism I make use of an algorithmic based art program of my own creation which takes as input the "brush strokes" of my hand. Two examples of this technique are Geometer’s Dreamscape and Finding My Center of Gravity - neither of which appear on my web site.

Included in the art exhibit are four new works of art that I have not previously exhibited:

Life Pulse
Impression of Water Lily
Bionic Cnidaria
Microscopic Metropolis

The five other works of art in the exhibit are:

Geometer’s Dreamscape
Shades of Escher
Harmony of Spheres
Contemplating Infinity
Finding My Center of Gravity

Of the nine works of art, the only one listed on my web site is Contemplating Infinity. Unfortunately I just haven’t been able to find the time to post more of my art to my web site. I should make that a belated New Year’s resolution.

The Illustration: Life Pulse

I created Life Pulse, a 20 by 15 inch abstract, earlier this month. The idea for this painting came to me while sitting in a doctor’s office in Arizona last month and watching the ever changing pattern of lines on an EEG display. Wave like yet irregular, long periods of tranquility with brief bursts of storm like activity. That was the inspiration for the painting Life Pulse.

Tags: abstract art, art exhibit
Posted in Abstract Art, Art Shows, Art and Artists | 4 Comments »

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Windycon - Dystopia, Space, and Art

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Windycon Art Show web page

I’ll be spending this weekend at the Windycon 36 Science Fiction Convention. If you haven’t heard of Windycon it is one of the Midwest’s largest regional science-fiction conventions with an average attendance of over 1300.

I will of course be participating in the art show. Kerry Kuhn (aka Trouble) will be running the art show again this year which means that everything will go smoothly. I always enjoy touring the art show and seeing what the other artists are up to. I especially enjoy the Friday night wine and cheese reception which allows the artists and potential buyers to mix, mingle, and make merry. Another feature of the art show is the art auction held Saturday night and run by Bob Passovoy. It’s probably one of the most entertaining art auctions you’ll ever attend.

I think that I’ve attended most of the Windycons over the last 20 years and this one certainly has the lightest personal workload. I typically give one, maybe two, presentations and participate in a few panel discussions. This year I offered no talks and was assigned to a single panel. But that panel is a good one. Titled Dystopia Begone, the panel’s description is:

Does the future have to be so grim? Is our future really overcrowded, polluted and unequal? What books are interesting, good to read, and have a positive view of the near future? Or is there a positive view? Our panelists discuss the world of the next 100 years.

The panelists will be myself, E.E. Knight, Michael Williamson, and Gene Wolfe.

When it comes to science fiction and dystopian views of the future, I must say that I find the subject appealing. Looking over this Wikipedia list of dystopian literature, I find that I have read and enjoyed quite a few of the novels listed.

Based on memory I would have to say that of the ones I have read, my five top favorites are:

For my money, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress and 1984 are far out in front of the other three on my list.

And in getting back to the future, I will also be participating in a planning meeting for the 2010 International Space Development Conference (ISDC) - being held Saturday morning at the hotel. The International Space Development Conference is an annual conference sponsored by the National Space Society for which I am a director. I tried to avoid becoming deeply involved in the ISDC for fear of being stretched to thin. However I failed miserably. In addition to now being the official photographer for the 2010 ISDC, I am also managing the Call for Papers and find myself to be the Web Site Coordinator. You’ll be reading more about this in the future.

But for now, for more information about the Windycon Science Fiction Convention, go to http://www.windycon.org/windy36/. For the Windycon art show, visit Windycon Art Show page.

If you’re attending Windycon, keep an eye out for me and don’t forget to visit the art show.

Ad Astra, Jim

Tags: art show, dystopian, space, windycon
Posted in Art Shows, National Space Society, SF Cons | No Comments »

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Corporate Gallery Artist’s Reception

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Geometers Dreamscape digital abstract art

In July I was accepted into the Northwest Cultural Council’s Corporate Gallery Program. The Corporate Gallery Program is supported by funding from corporations in northwest suburban Chicago land and involves approximately 30 area artists whose art is on display in 9 corporate art galleries. The public may view the art during each gallery’s normal business hours. Artists display their works - oils, watercolors, sculpture, photography, mixed media (and now digital) - at the gallery sites on a rotating basis.

Upon being accepted into the program, four of my digital art works were put on exhibit at the Arlington Green Executive Centre at 2101 S. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights IL. The art went on display July 21 and will remain on display until October 5. The four art works that I have in the exhibit are:

Finding My Center of Gravity - an abstract panoramic gallery wrap canvas giclee.
Geometer’s Dreamscape - the abstract shown above.
Butterfly Effect - another abstract panoramic gallery wrap canvas giclee.
Harmony of the Spheres - an abstract similar in style to Geometer’s Dreamscape

Unfortunately I have made none of this art available for sale on either my web site or at Fine Art America. However, I did use a small scale study of Butterfly Effect as the illustration for my blog post Mensa, Algorithmic Art, and Monty Python

2010 Corporate Gallery Artists Reception - Saturday September 12

Following is the text of the reception announcement.

The public is invited to view works by seven new NWCC Corporate Gallery artists at a reception on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 1pm to 3 pm at Arlington Green Executive Centre, 2101 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL. There is no admission fee, and refreshments will be served. Works will remain on exhibit through October 5, 2009; the gallery is open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-Noon.

Exhibiting artists are:

Gail Baar of Buffalo Grove - Art Quilts

Liz Buckley of Mundelein - Photographs

Dianne Martia of Darien - Mixed Media

James Plaxco of Schaumburg - Digital Art

Donald Stillman of Buffalo Grove - Cellulose Polymer Resin Sculpture

Len Upin of Buffalo Grove - Ball Pen Drawings

Kevin Wisor of Schaumburg- Photo Collages

The Corporate Gallery Program is supported by corporations in the Northwest Corridor. The program showcases regional artists in attractive, modern corporate settings. Artists in a wide variety of media are accepted after a rigorous 2-step jurying process. The Council’s goal is to enrich the life of the community through exposure to the arts where people work and visit.

All art is for sale. A percentage of the sale price is a tax-deductible donation to support the Council, a not-for-profit community agency bringing visual art, music, dance, theater, poetry, and our unique Kids Meet Art program to the northwest suburbs.

For additional information about the reception please call the Council at 847-991-7966, or e-mail nwcc at northwestculturalcouncil.org.

About the Northwest Cultural Council

The Northwest Cultural Council was established in 1988 to respond to the need for cultural enrichment and development in the northwest suburbs and covers an area with a population of 800,000. The organization’s quarterly publication Spotlights is read by over 7,000 people and includes information about cultural events held in the northwest suburban area, focus articles on artists, and the value of art in education.

In addition to their work in support of the visual arts, NWCC also has literary programs and sponsors poetry workshops. It also sponsors a classical chamber music series featuring members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with concerts presented at NWCC Corporate Gallery sites.

The NWCC Kids Meet Art program is a three day arts education program that brings professional artists into elementary, junior and high schools, to introduce students to the various art forms. It offers hands-on, one-on-one training in art, music, theater, writing, dance, and special units on the Mayan and Japanese cultures.

See you at the Artists Reception

If you would like to attend the September 12 artists reception (1:00-3:00pm), you can use the following Google map for directions to the Arlington Green Executive Centre. I hope to see you there.

Ad Astra, Jim

Tags: artists, corporate gallery program, reception
Posted in Abstract Art, Art Shows, Art and Artists | 2 Comments »

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