I have a great new studio at the Banana Factory Art Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I’ve been in the space about a month now.
Studio image from March 2015
I’ve met lots of great artists there including my buddy Michelle Neifert, Melissa Perhamus and Darrel George, all great artists and several others. Since moving into the Banana Factory had been such a radical change to my practice I thought I’d periodically post blogs on what work I’m doing in the studio.
Lately I’ve returned to a go-to drawing series for me called “Puppet Pal Friends”. This current incarnation is called “Puppet Pal Friends French Kiss and Go Down“. It’s meant to be an exploration of some shapes and patterns I used in my “Winter in New Haven” drawing series from 2007, and a conversation with myself about amorous affections and age.
Here are some sketches I used originally in the “Winter in New Haven” series. I’m also referring these drawings in my “Puppet Pal Friends French Kiss and Go Down” series of drawings.
I’m at the beginning of the series now. I faced sometime constraints in producing the first work so I feel like the this piece looks rushed. That’s typical for the first pieces in most my series. It does rotate nicely though. I say works “rotate” if the materials, text, and colors move in and out of space and moves off the picture-plane nicely. I’m looking forward to getting a good chunk of time to really delve into to work however. If only I can get my part-time job to relax my schedule a bit so I can focus more on my art!
Here is a studio shot of me working on Puppet Pal Friends French Kiss and Go Down”
After this series is finished I’ll blog some finishing shots of the work.
Anthony Smith Jr. 