THE MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE SLEEVE EVER

Well my art show went well and while I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on the mediums I used or talk through everything I did (for that go follow my instagram @jordanfretzart), but I did want to show some pics and a few stories.

Art has always been a way to relax for me. I have a huge passion for logo/identity design, branding and advertising, but at the end of the day sometimes it’s just nice to get off the computer and create. I draw with charcoal pencils on salvaged cardboard, I use watercolor paper for ink wash paintings and even did some metallic washes on antique piano scrolls. Sure I did some oil paintings, but I love doing art you may not typically see and I have fun doing quick creative drawings for Instagram when I can too.

I never planned on doing shows or selling off prints. That being said, I hope to teach Sawyer to take some risks, chances and just try stuff. This for me has been me trying stuff, taking a stab at doing something different and it’s been really rewarding.

My goal was to relax and find rest in creating with something other than pixels, but that changed a bit after talking with Dan Lyles. Daniel and I have known each other for years before we got a chance to work together in the agency world. I like his entrepreneurial spirit and his appreciation for all things creative or inspired. One thing about the agency I am at, Jackson Marketing, is they are encouraging with our side passion projects as well. I had done a couple pieces for charity auctions in the past and Daniel ran his first local art auction with myself included as an artist. It was a fun event and I sold some canvas prints. My next step up into the art world was in our agencies gallery. Jackson has a small gallery space for 14 pieces or so when you walk into the agency and I’d always thought it would be cool to show my work there. Well, after some drawings, paintings and a lot of scavenged cardboard, I had my work up in January of 2018. Coworkers and even some visiting clients all gave positive remarks and I was excited just to have some people appreciate the work.

Fast forward to September and Dan got the opportunity to have a space in downtown Greenville off Main Street. The space is down stairs right off the street and has space for 50 or so pieces. I helped by designing the logo for the Gallery. The “L” in the negative space was simple and the inspiration was a frame going on a piece of art.

When Dan talked to me about being a featured artist, I have to admit I was pumped, but nervous to get everything done. Thanks to an amazing wife and a son who sat with me many times I was painting/drawing, it all came together. I didn't want it to be like most of the other artists shows Daniel may have there or that are showing at other galleries, so we did a few fun things. We used pieces of cardboard for pricing, the titles of the works were funny/different and the most expensive piece in the show was a coffee cup sleeve. Where most artists will have their signature on the wall, mine was on a piece of cardboard and my artist statement was shredded as a nod to Banksy. Who reads the full statement anyway? See some of the pieces in the show and a few pictures from the event below. I included some captions throughout.

Currently Dan is getting spot lights and various artists/mediums hanging in this front, window space.

After working on Ink Wash paintings, the metallic ink in the glasses themselves looked cool, but was a pain to get off after :)

Some of the signage for the show posted around our offices and locally.

Special thanks to Palmetto Graphics for printing the prints everyone got at the door when attending the show

Antique player piano scroll Metallic Ink Wash Painting with a gold matte behind it

This painting started off with an orange sky and a swordfish. I didn’t like it and ended up painting over it all. I like to tell people there is a fish under the water. It’s true a fish really is under there, a stupid swordfish!

Talking inspiration for pieces in the show and some info on the gallery. Sawyer even picked out a name out of the box for someone to win a small original!

The inspiration of this piece was while hunting. Many times I almost wish a deer into existence walking in the trees. This one has a hazy tan figure moving in the bottom. Is it a deer or just imagination.

Lion and the Lamb

Little guy made it through the whole show.

The last cardboard piece finished before the show.

Sawyer’s painting lessons started pretty early

Special thanks to Jackson for letting me use their transit van to move everything

Getting ready for the show was fun, but I had so many guerrilla ideas I didn’t get done. Oh well there’s always tomorrow and one thing I love is no matter how stressful any situation is or tough day, this guy has a smile on. Most of the time :)

We had it listed for 5k. It didn't sell :)

Artist Statement, Banksy style.

Fish scales done in metallic ink wash.

Probably my favorite piece in the show

Maybe my favorite thing about the show ended up seeing people reading the Anatomical posters and smiling at the callouts.

I will have pieces up at the Dan Lyles Gallery throughout the year and hope to cycle more pieces in and out as time permits. Go check out the gallery: 123 S Main St Unit B, Greenville, SC 29601 opened from 10am-4pm weekdays and Saturdays. Check out the site that is ever evolving at danlylesgallery.com.

CARDBOARD CHARCOAL PORTRAITS & DRAWINGS

I love nothing more than a new identity, branding or advertising challenge. However, creating art is a close second. It's great to be able to break up all the computer work with art in the evenings here and there or over a weekend. I remembered having really enjoyed drawing on brown paper once before in the past ,with then pencil (H's to B's) and using a white piece of chalk. I've always been amazed by charcoal artists using just a stick of charcoal and achieving such incredible levels of contrast in their art. After watching a few videos and getting some charcoal pencils, I grabbed a piece of cardboard from the garage and started testing my skills. Brown paper is great, but cardboard adds a texture and it's stiff enough that I can just hold it in my lap without any backing board (super convenient). Using a black pencil, white pencil, kneaded eraser and q-tips for blending, I was able to create some detailed artwork with little expense. I started an Instagram page showing some of my work (@jordanfretzart) and plan to create some advertising with future drawings. I have shown a .gif below showing one of my portraits come to life and I am still experimenting with the best ways to preserve/show off the work. Getting off the computer in the evenings has sparked added creativity and inspiration for current projects. I encourage any designer to do it whenever they can and experiment with new mediums. A few last bits of advice: don't over-erase on the cardboard, don't use too much force with your pencils as it will create impressions/dents and keep your wife's cat away from smacking the pencil you're using.

A CHANGE OF PACE

I love artwork. As a kid, if I wasn't playing basketball or soccer, I was in our basement drawing, painting or looking through books for something to draw or paint. Ink wash artwork that has always been a favorite medium. Maybe because it has a similar consistency to watercolors or because it doesn't require the setup of oils, it's just a brush, a small bottle of ink (your carpet's worst nightmare) and water. Anyway, most of my design work is done on the computer and I love it, but being able to set the computer aside and create some artwork for some up-coming art auctions in town is a nice change of pace.

Last year, I donated a painting to a charity auction in Greenville and really had a great time attending the event and seeing all the artwork. There is still a lot of mediums I want to work with, but without much time in the evenings to set aside, going back to some ink wash work has been a good transition. I plan on doing some still life compositions and some nautical themed landscapes besides the animals, but there is something about the emotion in developing the eyes and expression of an animal that is really fun.

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The texture of an elephant's skin really makes it a fun animal to work on. I really liked working with a splatter technique that gives a gravel type of look for the ground. I loaded up the brush with ink and water and smacked the brush sending splatters on the bottom of the artwork, our kitchen floor and a couple probably on my wife's cat :). The cat has been a problem whenever sketching out the layouts for sure, always smacking at the pencil and walking on the paper. Anyway, there is some things I would have changed for sure, but still am excited the way this turned out. It's a larger piece that many I have done in the past and really will stand out when paired with a black matte and frame.

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The octopus with all the suction cups was really fun to work on. I wanted the background to be very dark but also have some personality in the black with some areas lighter than others and I really like how there is slight splatters here and there,and brush strokes throughout. All in all, it was fun to do these first two and hope to start work on a few others soon. Planning on doing some canvas prints (Giclée as the pros say) and matte/frame up the originals as well.

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