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Process, artwork, and current inspirations from the artists of MAKE STUDIO. We save our faves.

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  • An Inspiring Month for Autism Awareness & Acceptance

    An Inspiring Month for Autism Awareness & Acceptance

    Several of Make Studio’s 20 artists identify as persons with autism, autistic, and/or living “on the spectrum”. Every day, their actions, words, and images help “neurotypical” individuals to better understand and celebrate their points-of-view. (And these artists are often commendably patient while doing so!)

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    Make Studio capped off its celebration of National Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month on April 26 at the 5th annual Honestly Autism Day, hosted by the Autism Society of Baltimore – Chesapeake in partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools and Towson University. The all-day event featured key-note speakers, breakout sessions on a variety of autism-related topics, a panel of teens on the spectrum, and over 30 organizations sharing  information and resources.

    The Autism Society also hosted the Express Yourself Contest – Celebrating Differences 2014, a contest that awarded cash prizes and publication in the ASBC newsletter in six different categories. Make Studio’s very own Zach Manuel won in the Individuals with Autism category. His insightful and honest comic My Name is Zach Manuel, a hand-drawn digital print with colored pencil, describes the personal trials and tribulations Zach encounters in his daily life.

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    Zach accepted his award in person at Honestly Autism Day, giving a speech in front of large crowd for the Express Yourself contest winner presentation. You can see his acceptance speech below!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0McofnFpCoU

    Make Studio artists also made a short video, in which artists spoke about their artwork and what it means to them to be on the spectrum. The video was screened continuously at Honestly Autism Day for all to see. Take a look and let the artists know what you think!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2NMOL8Ym-c

     

     

  • The Circus is Coming to Town!

    The Circus is Coming to Town!

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    Jerry Williams makes paintings, drawings, sculpture, and often uses found materials. The Ringling Brothers’ Barnum & Bailey Circus is a major theme in his artwork. Jerry’s been going to the circus with his family since he was a little kid. He loves watching the animal trainers interact with the animals and the ringmaster leading the show. He goes out of his way to meet his favorite circus stars, and he collects all kinds of merchandise. Two years ago he became friends with two very special elephants, Sammy and Banko. Jerry is looking forward to the new surprises of this year’s show and celebrating his birthday there on March 30th.

    As Jerry likes to say, “finally Partyman is back at the Greatest Show on Earth, and the Greatest Show on Earth is finally back in Baltimore, Maryland!”

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    For Make Studio’s fourth anniversary exhibition, All Fo(u)r One and One Fo(u)r All, Jerry decided to take on a new challenge: a circus-themed coffee table. Jerry has never designed furniture before! On the surface of the table is a bird’s eye view of the arena, filled with visitors laughing and cameras flashing. The table legs are made to look like top hats a ringmaster might wear. Currently the table (and several other pieces) are on view in the exhibition Amazing Marvels, a show featuring work inspired by the circus, sideshow or carnivals acts at Art Enables’ Off-Rhode Gallery in Washington, D.C. The show will be up through April 18th, 2014.

    Here are a few more examples of Jerry’s work that focus on the spectacles and performers that can only be found at the circus!

  • Exploring Pulp Fiction in Three Dimensions…

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    For Make Studio’s 4th Anniversary Show Tony Labate decided to try several new techniques for his special project. For starters he increased the scale of his latest characters, so they stand three feet tall instead of three inches. He also decided to do three dimensional wood cut-outs instead of traditional illustration. Tony chose to return to familiar subject matter by popular demand: the characters of Pulp Fiction. For this piece he depicts Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega, played by Uma Thurman and John Travolta, from the dance scene at Jack Rabbit Slim’s….

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    “Pulp Fiction” is one of my favorite movies. Today, Tuesday February 18th, 2014, John Travolta turns sixty years old. The Jack Rabbit Slim’s diner in “Pulp Fiction” reminds me of the 1950’s style restaurant called Fuddrucker’s. My favorite part of making this piece is finishing it. I enjoyed thinking of John Travolta’s movies and the television show “Welcome Back, Cotter” while working on the sculpture.

    – Tony Labate

  • Taking on a Series: A Real Challenge

    by Gary Schmedes

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    Make Studio has a new show coming up to celebrate our fourth anniversary. I decided to do something I’ve never done before. I started a series of drawings using the same group of original characters and events  that could be part of the same story line. It was pretty challenging. The characters were Bart Katson (the cat), Teddy Hareman, Boom-Boom, and Mindy (the rabbit family). Compared to Bugs Bunny, it’s original for a rabbit like Teddy to not be very clever. I see Bart as a cat version of Fred Flintstone. I did more than one drawing, and it felt kind of hard.

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  • Colonial house. What is luxury to you?

    by Louis Middleton, Jr.

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    Make Studio is about to turn four years old!  We are busy making special new projects to celebrate this event.  I am making a special project.  Right now I am sketching my ideas for a luxury Colonial house.  So far I have the exterior and the interior.  I am feeling super excited about this project.  I think what’s really exciting is the idea of luxury.  Luxury to me is having a kitchen with a family room and a breakfast room attached, three bathrooms and a powder room, and a bedroom with a large walk-in closet. I asked Garrett, Bess, and Chuck what luxury was to them.  Garrett thought the house should have a king’s room with jewels, gold, and a crown.  Bess thought there should be a throne room and a luxury library with a secret door.  I thought, in addition to that, the secret door would lead to the computer room.  I added to the Lumsden idea!  And, Chuck thought there would be wood furniture, like at his uncle’s house.  Cathy thought there should be a large whirlpool tub for taking relaxing bubble baths.  Now, I want to know, WHAT IS LUXURY TO YOU?!  Please comment.Unknown

  • Tony Tells the Tale…

    Tony Tells the Tale…

    Tony LaBate, seasoned make Studio artist, has done it again. Translating his love of movie star fact and trivia into unique artistic projects, Tony often creates portraits and narratives based on the eventful and often ridiculous antics of the rich and famous. One of his favorites is the notorious Randy Quaid. Some fun facts that Tony likes to share about Randy are that he is the brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid and he played the role of Eddie in the 1990 classic Christmas Vacation. Tony originally payed him tribute in this lovely portrait painting:

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    We here at make Studio wanted to dig a little deeper into the story of Randy Quaid, so we asked Tony to tell us some more about his shenanigans with the hope of creating a t-shirt for the Randy Quaid-loving public. After hours of collaboration, we transformed Tony’s portrait into a unmistakeable mugshot! The text reads: “BURGLARY/VANDALISM IN FORMER HOME WITH WIFE. REPLACED BROKEN MIRROR WITH PHOTO OF THEMSELVES” 

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    What a tale! Tony told us that every week, Sunday through Thursday, he checks Wikipedia to see if Mr. Quaid and his wife are still “on the lam” in Canada… You, too, can do your part in helping to bring Mr. Quaid to justice. Click here to go to the make Studio gift shop website, where you can purchase a Randy Quaid mugshot t-shirt!

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    We looked into doing a milk carton ad, but came up with the next best thing… our very own Randy Quaid mugshot coffee mug!

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    He must be out there somewhere….

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  • Alternative Histories: Louis Middleton’s First Solo Show at make Studio

    Alternative Histories: Louis Middleton’s First Solo Show at make Studio

    Louis Middleton has wanted to have a “photography show” ever since joining Make Studio in 2010. Louis has long enjoyed taking photos of family, friends, and places. He also made a business venture of doing restorations of old photographs, having picked up Photoshop skills along the way. However, early on at Make Studio Louis began to cultivate a talent for drawing and painting and his time in the studio has mostly been spent on these endeavors.

    Alternative Histories highlights the dovetailing of Louis’ interests, which has produced a slightly offbeat approach to using the photographic image. Interspersed with samples of Louis’ restorations of historical family photos, the pieces showcased in the studio are evocative digital collages built from family photos, found images of dramatic landscapes, and recurring characters extracted from his paintings. They represent the culmination of a lengthy process of discussion, image review, production, and selection.  He invites everyone to “take a look” at the results!

    Louis took his artistic skills to a new level and learned valuable lessons in patience, dedication, and persistence. Louis says he’s very happy about how the show turned out and is proud to share it with his friends and family. His favorite piece, Taney, features Miss Marilyn Monroe having a blast in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor (one of Louis’s favorite destinations).

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    Alternative Histories  took place in conjunction with  Brown is the New Black, a workshop sponsored by Baltimore Office of Promotions and the Arts’ Free Fall Baltimore. Make Studio invited Dayton, Ohio based photographer Francis Schanberger to share his knowledge about historic and alternative photographic processes. Each participant left with several hand-made photographic prints ready to frame. In Louis’ words, “the workshop was perfect!”

    To learn more more about Francis Schanberger and his work, please check out his website. Louis Middleton’s framed and unframed digital collages are available for purchase. Take a peak at the  Alternative Histories’ photo album on our Facebook page and feel free to contact us at info@make-studio.org!!

  • We Love the Drawing Zoo!

    We Love the Drawing Zoo!

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    Once again The Drawing Zoo returned to Make Studio, and we had a blast! They brought in live animals for our artists to observe and draw. The animals challenged and inspired the members of Make to think about drawing in new ways. What a unique learning experience!

    Garrett had a great time drawing Pierce the Iguana from observation…

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    See the resemblance?

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    Animal handler Brittany Roger shared fun facts about Pierce with Woody and Alex!

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    Pierce loves lettuce and getting his back scratched.

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    Hal explored abstract, gestural painting with the help of Steve the Common Boa.

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    Check out those textures and patterns!

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    And Bess made a friend for life, Lydia the Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula.

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  • Partyman’s Wrestlemania

    Partyman’s Wrestlemania

    Make Studio artist Jerry Williams is a HUGE wrestling fan. And at the in-studio kick-off to 2013’s Inventory Sale, guests had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get ringside with Jerry, aka PARTYMAN!!!

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    Here are a few examples from Partyman’s WRESTLEMANIA:

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    Event guests posed for a photo with the WWE-style Partyman while browsing a huge selection of this wrestling-themed artwork. But, there are still over a dozen wrestlers in the ring, ready to rumble in a new home…

    YOURS!

    All pieces are only $10 or $20 as part of our Inventory Sale through Labor Day. Please email us at info@make-studio.org if you’d like to see more images and make a purchase.

  • 2013 Inventory Sale

    2013 Inventory Sale

    Our 2013 Inventory Sale- with reduced prices on all of our items– is going strong through Labor Day. Please visit our website to view artwork (email info@make-studio.org for sale prices up to 50% off) and like us on Facebook for a special “friends only” offer.  All of our gift items are 25% off and can be easily purchased via our gift shop.

    At the in-studio kick-off of our 3rd Annual Inventory Sale, a Happy Hour on August 16th, we met many new friends, sold a lot of art, and had fun doing it… There were plenty of in-studio surprises with our artists, including “What a Character” caricature commissions and “Get in the Ring with Partyman” You can find more photos from the event on our Flickr page.

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    Not soon to be forgotten!

    Many thanks to those who made our event a success!

    But if you missed out on first dibs on our unusual and economical additions for your art collection, fear not. There is a lot of great art still available!