Good is Evil

Radix Malorum (The Campsite on the Mound)
Acrylic on Canvas
10" x 10"

Through some cosmic legerdemain, Summer has disappeared, and Fall is upon us. With it comes the gloom and the rain and all the other wonderful things that Autumn has to offer.

In honor of the onset of darkness, Portland's Good Gallery is hosting a group show entitled Good is Evil. I painted the picture above specifically for this exhibition. The title is an oblique reference to the Pardoner's Tale, but the setting is pure backwoods Virginia... not the real backwoods Virginia, of course, but the dark, swampy Virginia of my dreams.

Happy Fall!

The Date

Though I've been neglecting this blog, I have been keeping myself quite busy. I've been active on a new series with the working title of Glorious Fictions. It is the product of nearly a year of introspection, research, and sketching. I intend for it to be the flagship of my fleet and look forward to going a good distance with it.

The first of these paintings (The Date, shown below) is included in The Cutting Edge, a group show at Portland's Good Gallery. The show opens this evening and hangs through the month.

The Date
Acrylic on Canvas
16"x 8"

These days I'm doing a lot more preparatory work than I used to. (Thanks Kang-O'Higgins Atelier!). Counter-intuitively, I find that the more studies I do, the faster I get to the finish line. If you'd like to check out what I'm working on and see my process, go to my Facebook page The Art of Michael McDevitt. On it I regularly post studies and sketches like the one below. Additionally, I sometimes offer special deals for folks who 'Like' my page.

So, thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for new work.

Study for The Date
Charcoal on Paper
16" x 8"

Recent Commissions

Although haven't been posting much, I've been keeping myself quite busy. I've been plotting the course of my next body of work and doing some commission pieces for folks across the country.
Below are two of the latest. Stay tuned for more about what's to come.

Austen at the Window
20" x 16"
Acrylic on Panel
Private Commission



Evening Crow
11" x 14"
Acrylic on Panel
Private Commission

'And If Only' CD Release

Check out the new CD by Seattle-area gypsy-jazz band, Hot Club Sandwich!

This new album is the fourth by HCS and features the legendary Dan Hicks on vocals and accordion by Pearl Django's David Lange. It's hot off the presses of Stumptown Printers and CDForge with original artwork by yours truly.

If you're in the Pacific Northwest, swing by one of the upcoming CD release shows or catch them at Seattle's Folklife Festival.

For more info visit
www.hotclubsandwich.com

RIP Mark Linkous

Dim Interior
Ink, Gouache, & Watercolor on Paper
2003

In 2002 I moved into a dim, weathered apartment in Richmond, VA. Much of the square footage was devoted to one long, dark hallway connecting to the inner stairwell shared by all the apartments. The only windows overlooked an odd, U-shaped alley, full of garbage and cobblestones. In the summer it stunk of rotten meat and backed up sewage. In the spring it crawled with ants, and, though I never saw them in my apartment, the telltale signs of rats were all around the exterior. The beaten hardwood floors held decades of accumulated dust, which no sweeping could banish. The bedroom door had dozens claw marks scratched into it, which, when coupled with the iron bars covering the bedroom window, gave the impression that something terrible had been trapped inside it... and perhaps still was.

In short it was the perfect place for a melancholy art student, living in a new city without friends. I spent six lonely months in that apartment, consumed by the pursuit of beauty and the ubiquity of sadness. Throughout it all, the music of Mark Linkous was my Virgil. In the bright light of morning it was a rousing call to joy. In the darkest times it became a one of the most sincere prayers that I have ever offered.

Please send me more yellow birds for the dim interior

Thank you, Mark Linkous. Thank you so very much.

Splendorporium Opening (2/5/10)

It was a mild night, and people were out and about.

Bike parking was limited.

The folks from Voodoo Donuts pulled their truck into the gallery to sell sugary treats.

Some people had a lot of sugar.

Everybody had a good time...

Except this guy.

The end.

'The Pink Show' Opening Tonight at Splendorporium

The Pink Show at Splendorporium
2/5-2/26
Opening Reception Tonight 2/5 from 7-9
3421 SE 21st Ave, Portland, OR

Back in my day, art class was a venue for rampant hooliganism. We destroyed random objects on grinders, glued magazine cutouts into school closets, incinerated flies in mini-kilns, made lewd things out of clay... In fact, art was the only class in which I was ever set on fire. Had I paid more attention, I might be a big name artist right now, because those are the kind of shenanigans that can get you lots of press and peanuts.

Yet, with our schools in such disrepair, many children don't get a chance to learn even the basics of nihilistic, avant garde performance art. That's why the folks at Art4Life bring arts and culture to six Portland Public Schools through their after school programs. They also operate Splendorporium and the adjoined Children's Art Gallery. All told, it's a pretty sweet deal for Portland, kids, and the art community.

More and Then Some
36"x24"
Oil on Canvas
Available

In addition to the painting above, the Pink Show features an eclectic mix of local talent. So swing by tonight, grab a donut or two, and listen to some Flamenco. Then be sure to buy some art, because 25% of the proceeds go to Art4Life.*


*The other 75% of the proceeds go towards keeping grown up artists off of welfare. They can't be puppies forever!

Spaghetti Western

Spaghetti Western
14"x11"
Watercolor on Paper

I'm off to watch A Fist Full of Dollars, so I thought I'd post this beesty from a while ago. I used to do a lot more of these guys. Maybe I'll get back to it sometime.

Cat on Donkey!

Cat on Donkey!
10"x10"
Acrylic on Panel

A commission from the same folks that brought you Goat on Cow!