Artist Tips 2024

Did you know that you can get a discounted artist membership to most NYC museums? MoMA, Guggenheim, the Whitney, even Brooklyn Museum have artist memberships, you just need to go in person and prove that you are an artist, via a website or business card. Nice savings!

Another tip: Before entering shows, create a folder of consistant artwork, all with a resolution of 72, and as jpgs to best be prepared. Not all shows have fees, try the MTA Arts & Design open calls, or look at the list of open calls on CODAworx. On avaerage they are looking for 10 - 20 images. Have your resume updated and in a pdf format. Be good to go!

Below are photos from my recent public art install at Makerpark, Staten Island. Titled: below the storm, (4) 3.5' x 1.5' acrylic on metal paintings, with cut out windows to photographs on metal. During my five month residency at Maker Space NYC, I learned to Mig weld, use the plasma torch and angle grinder. Visit Maker Space NYC for future residency information.

Thank you for the visit!
Callie callieart.com

Maker Park, Staten Island, - Public Art Installation

My five month residency at Maker Space NYC, housed at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, has come to a close. My four paintings on metal are completed and all wrapped and ready to move to Maker Park, Staten Island. The reception is on June 29th, 2024, all are invited! The paintings will remain as public art until March 2025, for all to come visit. Maker Park is located at 450 Front Street & Thompson, a hop skip and train ride from the ferry. I went out there only once before to partake in the Mig Welding class. They have a large warehouse of space filled to the brim with metal working equipment, they also have a radio station on site. The outdoor park has a lovely stage and will be surrounded by artwork for good summer fun. Below are my four final pieces to be hung on a shipping container. Thank you for stopping by. Callie

Maker Space NYC Artist Residency

Upon proposing my project for this residency, DB said, why not in metal? The last time I worked with metals was in graduate school, so a bit familiar, but also a tad bit scary. Life is about elvolving, facing one's fears and challenges,so I put on my leather gloves, pulled down my visor and let the sparks fly! Below are my models for the painting on metal concept. The octopus photographs will be printed on metal and welded into the open portals I will cut with the plasma torch. I also cut and folded the corners and finished the piece using a angle grinder. Classes were given on using the tools, and then you were left to your own devices. I used the Mig Welder to attach the metal photographs and to secure hanging clamps on back, as well as to seal the corners. This has been an amazing experience in working with the unfamiliar. I look at it as a great success, and loved the smoothness of painting on metal. It was then treated with UV protection and then double coated with polyurethane to survive 10 months living outdoors in the park. A great big thank you to Maker Space NYC for chosing me to partake in this residency!

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers, Callie

Luminous Behavior

Electric pulses as illustration. A magical happening captured in photographs. Loving the effect.

Enjoy!
Callie

Submergence, Solo Show at Kate Oh Gallery

Kate Oh Gallery, NYC presents:

Submergence
New artwork by Callie Danae Hirsch

Submergence

To displace one thing for another. 

And so begins the exploration…momentous swirls of jetting squids, mesmerizing movements of paint on canvas, or an array of imaginary creatures; we are unsure but are tempted to follow these seemingly aimless shapes and gestures as they pivot and breathe.

“I imagine my paintings being in a constant state of flux, I never feel that the image I end up with is this static thing. It just happened to be that in this suspended moment, it all coagulated just like this when I leave the room I like to imagine that the painting continues to undulate dissolve and that the actual process that I went through just carries on.”       – Darren Waterston

The ocean wraps around our earth connecting one being to another. Lines drawn by us to segregate are invisible, yet our generous oceans continue to hold a wealth of answers for all.

What is beneath is often unknown; cities wash away, flights disappear, ancient galleons emerge from super storms, bones drift ashore, subway cars are dropped to build barrier reefs, the great gyres swirl, drifting, sinking, reemerging. These submerged “creatures” break down, fuse together, dissipate, only to resurface thousands of miles away. 

"Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion. And love." – Jane Goodall

When inspiration comes from others

On an especially warm summer day I happened upon the artist Matthew Courtney selling his art on Prince Street, NYC. I am a big fan of Matthew's work, so was seaking him out. I was happy to see that he is still around. He has been selling his art at this location for quite a few years. He is known as the Newspaper man of SoHo. Selling his art there since 2001, says his instagram account. I think it has been more years then that. I believe he used to run ABC No Rio, in a squat on Rivington Street, LES. Founded in 1980 by an artists collective.

I purchased his "The Urban Tribal Man" piece. Inspired by this piece, I went home and created my version, "The Urban Tribal Woman".
His piece is not in this blog. I hope to include it soon.

I posted it on instagram and someone was interested in purchasing it, so I had to create a second one. I would like to frame up Urban man and woman together, as a conversation between artists.
Enjoy!
Callie

What Art Means to Me

Callie Danae Hirsch

CallieArt.com

When did you know you were an artist?

The first time I created something and got back positive feedback about my creation I knew this was for me. I became addicted at that point to creating, it felt wonderful to be noticed for something I did on my own. I was around five or six at the time, and found some wood laying around, and a nail and began hammering dots in the wood, I then washed it over paint, filling in the dots. My mother asked me who taught me to do that, I said no one. It empowered me to push further into my unknown.

Why do you make this type of art?

I create in many different ways, directions. Why dot paintings? For me, each dot represents energy, a life force on black paper, representing an atmosphere. Together they create a dynamic environment that could be anywhere. It could be in space, or the dark depths of the ocean.

What does your artwork represent?

For me, art represents freedom, it enables me to explore, to experiment, allowing for discoveries. It is a space without rules, things to memorize or lessons to learn, all things I am horrible at.

What inspires you?

Simply put, the world inspires me. My surroundings, the things I see, colors that speak to me. I find many things inspirational, you can not name them, they are what touches you.

How do you make it?

Sometimes I paint large works on the floor, rubbing in a background with rags and oil paints. Sometimes I stand at an easel, and other times I sit at a table and draw. There is no one set way of being.

What does your artwork mean to you?

Artwork is a way of speaking to others, sharing your visions, and expressing oneself. I love being surrounded by my artwork in my home/studio. I love watching others look at my work and embrace it. It is a way of connecting, an intimate way of exchanging ideas.