Open Studios STL 2014 - John Joseph Hunn

As mentioned yesterday, Anna Chekhovskaya, the young artist posing in a picture frame, was visiting the studio of painter John Joseph Hunn. He describes himself as a figurative artist. That's true, but an inadequate description. Some of his work has a Gothic Christian setting of contemporary subjects. Others are on a large scale with a juxtaposition of elements that make you stop and use your brain. A view of the whole painting seen in the top photo is the first on this list.

There is a collection of odd objects around his studio. Below are copies of the ventriloquist's dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead, made famous by Paul Winchell when I was a kid. My art history isn't good enough to know whether the relief mask behind them is Greco-Roman or much later neoclassical (the expression and horror-show hair make me think it's the latter) but the combination is wonderful.   

Open Studios STL 2014 - Portrait Of The Artist As A Portrait

I was visiting the studio of painter John Joseph Hunn and had taken some pix of him with a very large painting. His loft had plenty of wall space. Other areas had pictures in frames that would be appropriate for a Gothic church altar, a very clever idea.

As we were finishing a young painter came in, a woman not long out of school trying to make a name for herself. This is Anna Chekhovskaya. Hunn, who we will see tomorrow, suggested putting her in this frame, a brilliant idea. I'll steal any good ones that come my way.                                     

Open Studios STL 2014 - Aunia Kahn

Painter Aunia Kahn in her business, Alexi Era Gallery on Washington Avenue. I struggle for words to describe her style of art, sort of gothic-comic book-horror-romance. It's hard to make a go of it as a small art dealer in a medium size city but she has a lot of determination.

You can find out more at her personal and business Facebook pages.

The Pridefest parade was yesterday. I got there late and had only a few minutes in the staging area. Lots of shots from the sidelines, of course, but it wasn't quite as outrageous as in some past years. I'll have some posts about it soon.                                      

Open Studios STL 2014 - Jennifer Hayes

This is the weekend when a large number of local artists open their workspaces to the public, half on Saturday, half on Sunday. Some years I wander around, see the art and ask the artists if I can photograph them with their work. My first visit was an old friend, Jennifer Hayes. She has had great success selling her work to restaurants and hotels. We see her here in Prime 1000 steakhouse downtown, which has a collection of her energetic paintings.