Category: <span>Artist</span>

Photo by Brian McDonald Artist

Happy Fall 2023

I hope this message finds you well.
A lot has been happening around my studio this summer and fall. Here are some of the highlights.

This fall I have a show of Crinkle Paintings on display at Paco Bar and Lounge in Seattle.
1408 E. Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122

A closing reception will be held on Friday October 27th from 6-10pm

Photo by Brian McDonald

This is the first time that I have presented my crinkle paintings all in one place. These works were my response to the inscrutable lock-down era of the pandemic, an exploration of the complexities of globally prevalent enigmatic emotions, and the individuated passage of time incapsulated in the process. The result creates a pareidolia effect in the eye of the viewer. 
This exhibition is part of the Center on Contemporary Art : ShowWalls project. 
More information here:
https://www.cocaseattle.org/2023/poco/mihalyo

Unique, Like Everyone by Nicole Renée La Follette

Unique, Like Everyone by Nicole Renée La Follette
Unique, Like Everyone by Nicole Renée La Follette

In August a poetry book by Nicole Renée La Follette was released with my artwork adorning the cover and interior pages.  The source image for the cover is my 2015 painting “Flower Temple”. (The original painting resides with a collector in Tel Aviv). 

The image was flipped horizontally in order to accommodate the cover text and graphics while interior pages are full page enlargements of cover art selections. I also designed the log and constructed the website/e-commerce platform for the project.

It was a joy to work with Nicole in order to help manifest her dream of publishing her first book.  

Unique, Like Everyone is available at Queen Jester Press: https://queenjesterpress.com

2023 Websites:

In 2023 I created and launched two additional art related websites that I am proud of. 

Thelabseattle.com is a large collection of art housed in a former industrial laser laboratory in Bellevue Washington. The goal of the site is to showcase the collection and to facilitate engagement, education and research of post-war and contemporary art. There are so many artworks in the collection that I am still adding to the site. It is an honor to be working on this ongoing project. 

Shop.ninaladen.com is an custom e-commerce site for the artwork of award winning children’s book author and illustrator Nina Laden. Nina is a fire-hose of content and she utilizes this site sell her artwork directly to her buyers and collectors.  As the publishing industry has not provided as much returns for her as in the past, this site has augmented those losses consistently. Currently she sells framed originals and prints. Soon we will add jewelry and other objects of art. We work well together and am happy to help her reach her goals. 

Seaside Mural restoration and re-installation

The 600 square-foot Clatsop/Nehalem mural was originally paintings by Roger Cooke in 2006 and was damaged in a car accident last year. The driver jumped the sidewalk and struck the building on which the painting was mounted. The artwork was removed and sent to Seattle for restoration. I spent the majority of my time this past winter and spring repairing the sub-straight and painting.

In early July the mural was reinstalled in Seaside Oregon in its original location. A ceremony was held in downtown Seaside on July 6th 2023 that included tribal members, local officials, patrons and the public. During the ceremony the tribes gifted me with a blanket. It was a powerfully emotional moment that I will never forget. 

The Seaside Signal published an article about the project and reinstallation that can be read at the link here:
https://www.seasidesignal.com/news/seaside-mural-honoring-clatsop-nehalem-repaired/article_fc40cdce-1f71-11ee-bd7d-07d47a4a61ab.html

Photo by Kim Rose Adams
Photo by Kim Rose Adams

Shop.mihalyo.com

Meanwhile I continue to add available art to my e-commerce site at https://shop.mihalyo.com/
Recent updates include original art, printmaking and Giclée editions of recent paintings. 
Thank you to those who have purchased my artwork in recent months. I really appreciate it. 

Stay safe out there everyone. 

Artist

Happy New Year 2023

Hello from Mihalyo Studios. I hope this message finds you well.
Below are some activities that have kept me occupied recently. 

The Clatsop-Nehalem Mural Restoration
 For the last four months I have been working on a large scale mural restoration project for the Clatsop-Nehalem tribes of Northwest Oregon.  This 600sf public-art mural was originally created in 2008 by Roger Cooke (1942-2012) who painted more than 60 murals across the country. Many in Oregon State.  In 2021 the mural was damaged in a car accident and removed from the wall on which it resides in downtown Seaside and shipped to Seattle for repairs. 

An article about the project written in June 2022 can be read at The Seaside Signal HERE

Interior view of mural restoration job site.
Interior view of mural restoration job site.

Nearly every inch of this mural needed repairs. 
The substrate is Aluminum Composite Material (or Dibond). It is a relatively new product on the market and requires specialty products to repair damaged material. In this case each panel had metal corrosion on both sides, as well as dents, scratches, graffiti and holes. I developed experiments and solutions for each step of the restoration process with the goal of extending the life of the mural another 15-20 years.

Detail section of portrait restoration process (before and after).
Detail section of portrait restoration process (before and after).

Roger Cooke worked with color differently to my studio practice. His use of black mixed into every color was masterful. While restoring his mural I was surprised how effective and efficient his color work was. It has been ten years since his passing and he has a new student in me.  

This mural returns to its original location on the Ace Hardware building in Seaside Oregon at Broadway and Holliday Dr. in the spring of 2023. Donations towards the project can be made at their GoFundMe page HERE and will help with installation and ongoing maintenance.

Our last public viewing in Seattle before delivery to Seaside will be held on Saturday Feb 18th, 2023. 2-6pm.
Location:
119 Prefontaine Pl. S,
Seattle WA 98104

The Mannequin Returns

Painted mannequin in 1971 VW Bus
Painted mannequin in 1971 VW Bus

In 2014 I was commissioned to paint a mannequin for a collector. Later it was placed in storage and eventually acquired by someone with another storage unit. 
One day a received a call and was asked if I wanted it back. I did. Although scratched and dirty, I spent some time repairing it and added a few new details. It is difficult to find full body mannequins in good shape these days. I’ve had a lot of fun placing this mannequin in various locations and scenes. 

Painted mannequin in the wild
Painted mannequin in the wild

Oh, the places we will go. Maybe even the carpool lane. 

SeArtNow

In July of 2022 a web based project I’ve been working on titled SeArtNow went live. 

SeArtNow logo
SeArtNow logo

SeArtNow.com includes current listings, exhibitions and maps of the regional arts community in Puget Sound. This is a one stop place to find your way around the visual art scene there.

The Seattle Art Dealers Association facilitates the project and hired me to build and maintain it monthly. My focus is on backend and publishing operations as all design-work was established when I came onboard. Plans for expansion are underway. Its a challenging project with many participants and lots of potential.  For me this project is a culmination of decades building and maintaining web sites for art galleries and artists in the Puget Sound area. 

Happy Lunar New Year of the (Water) Rabbit. 
Stay safe out there.

Jeff

Artist

Happy Fall 2021

On Saturday October 9th 2021 I will be holding a (masked) in-person closing event at a new micro-gallery pop-up located at 6309 24th Ave. NW in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

The small and temporary gallery is the facade space of Primal Screens and was created to bring a variety of exhibitions in the coming months. The door will be open for the closing event between 5-9pm, however the entire show is visible through the bay windows until October 12th and is illuminated during off hours. All the available artworks are listed online at shop.mihalyo.com

Opening October 7th 2021 is a group exhibition titled “Artists of the Pub Reunion” that showcase artists that have displayed work at Collins Pub in Seattle over the years. 
Thirteen artists kick-off the re-opening of the venue after 18 months of pandemic closure. My contribution are three Covid Crinkle paintings created during this time. 

I am currently in a group exhibition in Solingen Germany celebrating 120 years of Sulamith Wülfing produced by Nautilus Studio.
Wülfing (1901-1989) was an artist from Wuppertal Germany that has influenced artists and musicians during the 1970s and beyond. Twenty six international artist celebrate her life with a sprawling exhibit that includes work by Sulamith Wülfing herself. A German and English version of the exhibition catalog has been produced and is available at: 
https://www.yumpu.com/s/tISUMRT0AyCqa2WJ

New Giclee Editions are added to my shop monthly. These prints are made with archival inks and paper and can be shipped anywhere in the US.
“A Brief History of Architecture” is a recent commission and ”Onward” from 2015 are now available as 100% scale reproductions.

During the summer months I use the heat of the sun to speed-dry various painting projects in the back yard in order to prepare for winter work indoors.
This year I have also begun to document and create videos of my art making processes. Among these projects are painting commissions, cast paint eggs, spray-paint stencils and more.

Please join my youtube channel to watch these recent uploads and expect to see more videos as they become available. 

Thank you for your support in these crazy times. 
It is not easy to make, show and sell artwork in a time where so much uncertainty surrounds nearly every aspect of life. I appreciate your engagement with my creative projects and miss seeing your faces in real life.
Stay safe out there. 
Jeff

Artist

Painting sold and Blog started

grainery_wranglers

Sometimes it takes longer than expected to get things done. Today I was able to achieve two such year-end goals in one day. They took all week to orchestrate. Gratefully, I closed a sale on a painting that was placed back in May,  and I finally created this blog using secure techniques in order to expand art-business functionality.  Both experiences have had similar start/stop creation stories. I’ve created and deactivated numerous blogs over the years, and the painting had been under development since 2008.   Its provenance began at the Spanish Steps show at Gallery 6311. It was reworked in 2015, and now the oil on pine titled Agrow (aka; Grainery Wranglers)  has a new home in Seattle. …And I have new place to post content about such things. Onward.