I'm On City Pages' "Top 100 Creatives" List!

This is unreasonably flattering, especially considering the amazing talent that's already been profiled.

http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2010/11/alex_kuno_100_c.php - more

Be sure to read the other posts, too. Minneapolis has got some pretty incredible shit going on.

-Alex

Chicago Was Windy For Only, Like, One Day

Hi,

So I was in Chicago last weekend for a show at the Morpho Gallery. It looked great and was well-attended (considering the gallery's size and location), and, considering it was my first show ever in Chicago, it went pretty much as well as I could have expected. The night was actually kind of a surreal experience, as I wound up feeling weirdly nostalgic for those first few times I began showing the Miscreants of Tiny Town series. See, here I was in a small group show, showing brand new work no one has ever seen before to an unfamiliar crowd. I found myself in essentially the same position I was in 5 years ago, with no expectations, no assumption of sales, just being interested in people's reactions and stray observations.

It's what happened the day before that was a new experience: my good friend and client (who curated the Morpho show, incidentally) stuck her neck out and set up an appointment to meet with Anita Jerman, the owner and director of Curly Tale Fine Art, in downtown Chicago. I had read their email correspondences leading up to the meeting, and Anita was clearly skeptical that my work would be a fit with her gallery, on the grounds that my stuff might be too "illustrative." Come on. This, coming from the owner of a gallery called Curly Tale Fine Art? I was pretty skeptical too.

Anyway, the gallery wound up being in a great location, Anita is very professional and clearly sales-oriented, her other artists are well recognized, and she's continuing to develop a strong reputation in the area. And within a few minutes of looking at a couple of the pieces we brought along, she changed her mind and offered to represent me. The meeting lasted less than a 1/2 hour. So as we left, I think my friend and I were a both a little stunned. I remember saying something like, "hm, so that's something." And she said something along the lines of, "huh. Yeah."

I don't mean to brag, but my reptile brain remains in mint condition, like a sweet Pontiac Firebird from the '70's. It's got cool flames painted on the side and all that shit. So of course my fight or flight response immediately kicked in, as it always does when I've been offered a new opportunity I didn't see coming. I spent the rest of the weekend assuming she offered to sign me on just get us out of her gallery and I'll never hear from her again, but then I received the contract in the mail yesterday.

So that happened. Thank you, Shayne.

My Fun Morning

Well, I did a terrible job on the radio today. I had a great time while failing, though, and everyone treated me really well. If you can believe it, I've even been asked back for some reason. Anyway, the photo above is the thing you'll get if you win the trivia question posed on the show this week. You're welcome, world.

Good News and Updates

I found out yesterday that I'm one of the artists selected for the 2010 CSA Grant. It's going to be a huge amount of work in a short amount of time, so if anyone has any extra Pepto Bismol laying around, I could sure use it for the inevitable ulcer this next month is going to cause me. Really, though, this is a phenomenal opportunity, and I'm deeply grateful to the committee and all the kind words of encouragement from the fans, board members and friends and family. This next month will fly by.

While simultaneously working on 50 small paintings for the grant, I'll be finishing 10 new pieces for a show in Chicago at the Morpho gallery opening in early November. Lots of details need to be hammered out, but it's still a go and I'm really excited to see what happens. The photo I posted above is a piece I did for the show, and though it's not quite finished, I'm happy with how it's turned out so far. More images and details about the show will be cropping up slowly but surely.

BREAKING NEWS: I also just found out today that I've been invited to participate in Fox Tax's holiday show, "A Few of Our Favorite Things." Honestly, this made my day. I've participated in a couple of their highly publicized, well-received shows over the past couple of years, and the fact that they consider my work to be one of their "favorites" is a huge compliment to me. They also asked me to donate a piece to a charity of my choosing, which of course I'm more than honored to do. Anyway, that happened just now. It's nice. Minneapolis has proven time and again that it's one of the best cultural focal points in the country, and I'm constantly reminded of how lucky I am just to be an infinitesimally small part of it.

Anyway, as a reminder, I'm going to be on the radio as a guest on KFAI's Geek Report on September 25th. Finally, you'll get your chance to know what a lack of charisma actually sounds like. Look for it!

Okay, I need to get back to further exacerbating my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Have a great weekend, and thank you.

TWO NEW PIECES AVAILABLE ON ETSY!

1: "One Reflection Leads the Other"
2010

2: "The Fallen Trees"
2010

Stop by my store for more information!

More soon,

Alex

NEW SALE IN MY ETSY STORE!

A New Hot Mess-in-Progress

Hi again,

Here are some new images of a piece I'm putting together. As you can see there's a lot of work left to be done, but it's slowly starting to come along.

One viewer commented on a detail shot of the "truck" that she didn't see the disturbing element of the story. She made one of those ":(" signs, which seemed to indicate that she was disappointed. She's got a point, though; I am trying to make this one as innocent-looking as possible. however, if anyone else is concerned that the piece won't be creepy enough, don't worry. It'll get there.

Enjoy whatever it is you do on a Tuesday,

Alex