Doctor Grymm makes a house call... To the Addams Family

Yes, the day finally Arrived. October 2nd, the opening of the Addams Family Gathering Show at the MAC 650 Gallery. And although the rush to get all of the pieces done coincided with getting the pieces done and shipped for the Steampunk UK Show, I have to say exhaustion aside, I really had fun working on this show.


The turn out was big. Really big. Even the press was there. And more people than not decided to take our "funeral attire suggested" motto, seriously. It was a really good energy in the room. 9 professional artists, all sharing there unique visions of a unique television family from our childhoods. The mix of mediums was as different as the artists themselves. Illustration, sculpture, abstract paintings, musical instruments, shadow boxes, man eating plants, and more... And the crowd loved it! The night was a trip down memory lane for many, all sharing there favorite moments and characters. It helped matters that a 10 foot projection of many scenes from the original series was projected on a scrim on the window so both the gallery viewers and passer-bys outside could get a glimpse of the inspiration behind it all.


So personally, this show was really different for me. It's the first time in over a decade that I not only was really drawing in my own style (which I thought I lost due to all the medical drama), but I also revealed the progression of my work, from sketch to unfinished sculpture, to completion, out to the Internet world. My work always tends to be rather camera shy when it comes to the process, but I threw all that aside for this show. I put together a slide show of the work I did on Flickr, to help motivate myself and actually study my own evolution of design and progress. Weird I know, but sometimes as an artist, we just don't stop and take a look long enough to see if we are growing as an artist. So I threw out my old box of tricks and tried some new styles and really loosened up. Besides being based on characters from the show, I did them in my own style and really embraced the character by trying to give you a story just by the look on their face.



I know, I'm getting deeper than usual right now. But I had a good time, so I'm sharing it with you. And the fact that you're still reading means you might be interested.


So trying new things, testing your art and your limits. That's what this show was all about for me, especially after a year of dealing exclusively in the Steampunk Style. I've learned allot about my art recently. Not since CalArts have I been surrounded by so many artists that are also friends, that I can talk shop with. See, I believe that as an artist, you are not evolving, unless you are teaching and sharing techniques with other artists who are willing to learn, and vice-versa in learning from others. Usually artists with that same thought process tend to find each other. Unfortunately, every once in a while you come across some one who says they want to learn, but really just want the instant gratification that doesn't really come without practice and failure. Then it becomes less about teaching and more about wasting time. It's hard as a teacher to work with someone like that and as an artist it really takes the wind out of your sails and leaves you emotionally lost. And by "you" I mean me. regardless, you can't let it hinder your work. you just keep evolving with the people you really jive with and create as much as you can!


Wow, I got off track there. Sorry. It's just that I really have been pushing my limits lately, but in a good way. I've learned allot about myself as an artist over the past year, and it makes me content, and honestly, a big weight is off my shoulders because of it.


So meanwhile back at the Addams Show, I was "experimenting" allot with my work. I think this is the most fun I have had working in a long time. When Joe Dinunzio asked me to be a part of this show, I was stoked. He and Joe Galluccio have a themed gallery show every year for the past 7 years, I believe, and it's always a big event. So I was honored to be asked to be a part of it, and super excited when I learned about the theme. The Addams Family was an absolute favorite of mine as a child (I know, shocking, right), and I have always wanted to try my hand at giving them my own flare. and so began my brainstorming, sitting in my local coffee shop with a book about the inspiration of Charles Addams.


I was also asked to create the artwork for the marketing materials, and the decision was to do them in the illustrated style of Charles Addams himself. One of my specialties is learning other artists styles and what makes them tick, so the ideas came quickly. The images were very well received, and then came time to work out what I wanted to do for the show. No limits, which was refreshing. I focused on 3 main characters that were my favorites. Lurch, Uncle Fester, and Ophelia. Yes Ophelia. Don't know who she is? She is the sister of Morticia. Always showing up on the Addam's doorstep when she has "lost" yet another husband. On the show she was also played by Carolyn Jones which gave the interactions a fun spin, and also proved that Mrs Jones was lovely as a blond and as a brunette! Oh and did I mention that Ophelia had flowers GROWING out of her head? Brilliant!


So as the sculpting began, not only did I take progress pictures and posted them, I kept track of the time I was spending on them which made me realize I was a much faster sculptor than I gave myself credit for. Now don't get me wrong, these sculptures weren't at a finished state, there was no sanding or polishing of any of the three at all. How it came out of the cooker was how it was painted. And I did this on purpose. All three were a sculpture sketch, which was a technique I learned from one of my mentors, Jeff Elsbecker, many moons ago. Think of it as a rough sketch, but in clay. Really loose and expressive, except that I took it that extra step and painted them. And speaking of painting, I was so excited to throw away color for some of these images and sculptures and paint them the way I see the world. Yeah, in black and white, baby! Yes, for those of you who didn't know, I am completely colorblind, but the explanation of how I can use color is for another post. Regardless, even the painting was done in a very loose, almost watercolor feel to resemble the old cake make-up they used on the actors for the show. Fester turned out to be a favorite of show-goers, probably due to the ghostly blue light bulb I placed precariously upon the tip of his tongue.



Several of the renders that made it into the show were snapshots of a much larger painting I was going to create. A family snapshot of "The Addams Family Vacation", a group image of the family at the beach. However time restrictions and technical difficulty got in the way of completing it, so I took 2 of the major components for that rendering, and framed them separately. The result worked out nicely, but I would still like to complete it at some point. The final piece that arrived the day of the show and emerged out of a haze of dust, gears, and coffee in the wee hours of the morning the night before, was "Clockwork Thing". My only Steampunk piece in the show was an assemblage of parts. In fact, what I realized after it was built, that every part of this piece was given to me by someone. From the clock frame, down to the gears and even the light inside. Which technically makes it a "hand-me-down" (Ahh, I do love a good pun). The innards of the clock have moving gears and little objects that Thing has lifted off of people, as I always imagined him as a pick pocket. The only object that didn't make it inside the clock was the head of Wednesday's Doll, but whomever the lucky buyer might be will get that as an added surprise.



In conclusion, the best thing about this experience was sharing it with James, and Allison. James sat by my side for several hours and we chatted over sculpting as he asked questions about how and why I was doing what I was doing. He also got very into the show and determined his favorite character was Lurch. So much so that he dressed like him for the show opening. Allison was constantly cheering me on and reminding me that I could finish all of this before my deadline. She also was the one who made me realize just how much I changed through these projects. And all while carrying our soon to be son. They were both so supportive in this whole process and I can't thank them enough for it.





And of course a very special THANK YOU to the amazing group of artist that made this show possible. Their professionalism and inginuety was what fueled such a wonderful show!



Well, that's all the ramblings for me tonight. Thanks for checking in, check out the slideshow, and my next post will focus on the Steampunk Exhibit in the UK!



Be Grymm...

~The Doctor