DamianJim.com

I will be in Santa Fe this weekend for the Santa Fe Indian Market. August 17th – 18th, 7am – 4pm. (Booth PAL S 224) Expect new oil/digital/acrylic paintings and a new photography series as well, in a limited 1/1 prints on glossy stock paper. The new photo series was taken during a trip to Yellowstone National Monument and I think the textures are amazing! In conjunction I will also have 2 limited edition series of scarves available in 2 different designs, one 10″ x 45″ and the other 16″ x 16″. Come see the new works and I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend!

I would like to invite everyone to the 61st Annual Indian Fair and Market in Phoenix AZ! The event will be on Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3rd, 2019 at the Heard Museum.

There will also be a best of a show reception on Friday, March 1st. I will be located in the same booth that I was in last year, and will be offering new oil and digital paintings in my unique style. I’m excited about my current progress in painting on the iPad and iPhone and I think my new work will surprise everyone.

At the moment I’m working on 2 book projects and planning a future exhibit, along with creating new work for the Fall market season. Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s indian market.

I’m excited to announce a few new shows I’ll be doing in March:

60th Annual Heard Guild Indian Fair & Market:
Saturday, March 3, 2018, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 4, 2018,  9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

{9} The Gallery : Obscure Visage
First Friday, March 2, 2018, 6pm – 10pm
Third Friday, March 15, 2018, 6pm – 10pm

Art Detour – Group Show at The Lodge Art Studio
Friday March 16th, 2018, 6pm to 10pm
Saturday 17th, 2018, 11am to 6pm
Sunday March 18th, 2018, 11am to 5pm

I will post more information if anything changes, and I will be sending an email blast with more details as well. Expect to see new oil, acrylic, and digital giclee prints for the Heard Museum show and I look forward to seeing everyone there!!!  Thank you for your support and love!

Hello to all, and thank you for your continued support for my art. I have some major news in the announcement that I will have a booth at Heard Indian Market (in Phoenix, AZ) this year! Gerry Quotskuyva was kind enough to offer his booth to share for this event on March 4th, and 5th, 9:30am – 5pm. I will be in booth E-05, and will have my latest work featuring new oil paintings, new digital prints, and the remaining first year series of my homage to flat style paintings, and to my mother’s clan, Biih Bitoodnii (deer springs).

I will be debuting two new digital prints on aluminum during this time as well, “Minotaurus Fixem”, and “Swan Song” (pictured above), as well as displaying “The Time of Messages in a Bottle”.

As an aside, I’m experimenting with Vida, a clothing manufacturing/printing company, and have a limited availability suite of items to choose, make sure to order your favorites, since these designs will be replaced by new designs.

Damian Jim

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you at the Heard Indian Market this weekend, make sure you stop by early for the best selections!

Damian

The end of the year is finally here and it flew by quite fast! First off I want to mention that I have a new interview which came out in First American Art Magazine (Issue No. 13, Winter 2016/17). Check it out and thank you to America Meredith and Matthew Ryan Smith for the brief interview and chance to be included in First American Art Magazine.

Next I have some news about 1Spot Gallery, I closed the shop up at the end of September after a successful 3 years of promotion. I will keep the online portion of 1Spot available to sell my works. Besides moving from a brick and mortar to an online store, I will still be available to display and show my work. The address will be the same; 1Spot Gallery
One of my latest projects right now is the painting of a large mural in Phoenix, my “love bomb” piece showcases a large dragon moving across the stone fences, bringing with it color into a pristine wall. I’m working on the final details, but you can see the mural on 16th Street and Roosevelt, behind the Church’s chicken. Take a look while your in the area and let me know what you think.

I’ve updated this site with the links to my Instagram and 1Spot Gallery online gallery on the side. My Instagram account shows content I’m not showing on Facebook, you can see many new pieces, or sketches via the link (https://www.instagram.com/damianjim/).

This year has been going by really fast, and I have some new work to share, some current and past news to share, and a few of the sights I’ve seen.

First off I want to introduce my new series of paintings I’m launching this month. “Bii Bitoodnii”, which means in Navajo, Deer Springs, is my maternal clan and I wanted to honor the matriarchs of our family, and my mother, by creating a line of paintings that will be released yearly involving deer images. I’m utilizing digital images I created using my iPhone, as background imagery. I’m also using influences from old school flat style paintings, to give a nod to a classic time in Navajo imagery.

I also have another update to share about another series I’m working on at the moment. My Re-imagined gods series has a new companion piece, but first a little introduction about the series. I started a series of 7-8 paintings all with a size of 4′ x 5′, and the first painting in the series was titled “Where Spiders Sleep”, which was based off of Spider Woman. My interpretation shows the vanishing borders of Navajo rug, with the spider character floating in midair. The 2nd in the series and newly completed is “The Time of Messages in a Bottle”, which shows how messages from the gods and men are sorted through and delivered by Big Fly, who was the original message bearer.

The 2nd item I wanted to expand on will be current news and events, followed by past news and events. Currently I will be a part of a juried exhibit at the Heard Museum, as part of an Phoenix Artlink event. The judging and viewing will take place at the Heard Museum on Thursday, September 15th, from 6pm-10pm. I have one piece I will be showing at this event.

I had the chance to make it back to Santa Fe again this year for the Edge exhibit curated by SWAIA, and this time around I took all my political inspired paintings. The work was met with enthusiasm and excitement, and I was rewarded with the spectacular weekend. We met many friends and did quite a bit of walking around.

In past news I was included in a show in Edinburgh, Scotland at Dundas Street Gallery in May of 2016. My girlfriend and I decided to throw in a vacation and also toured more parts of Scotland, including mountain biking, and spending several days in London as well. The event was well received and was an extremely satisfying experience. I’ve included some of the street art we came across during that trip.

That’s about it, but I do have one last thing to mention. I will be closing up 1Spot Gallery at the end of September, while we loved being a part of Roosevelt Row and downtown Phoenix, I felt the gallery had accomplished the original mission we planned when we started the gallery. To promote and create awareness about native art and to promote the great artists that we knew, and I felt we accomplished that mission in the sense more native artists are setting up their own shops and galleries to showcase more native art. And so, I wanted to thank Michelle Ivette Ponce, Katja Lehmann, and Isreal Shortman, for being involved in the gallery processes during the short four years we were open, Thank you.

Getting enough sleep is essential, and over the last few weeks, it seems as though I’ve been getting less and less. That or I’m starting to wake at weekend hours on weekdays thereby throwing my weekday evening work schedule off kilter. It’s been a busy few months already. I managed a small vacation to Spain and Venice, Italy, in between posts and I have a few great photos from the trip to share with you.

We went to Spain to experience the country as well as the art and the cuisine, and we were satisfied with all the great food we had.  We also made the art as important as architecture and design.  Along the way we visited the Dali Museum and his house in Portlligat.  The coastal roads were amazing, as well as our trip into France to visit Carcassonne.  Ever since our first visit to Germany, I found castles to be interesting in terms of construction methods and materials, as well as seeing Antoni Gaudí’s earliest creations the Palau Güell, or Frank Gehry’s work embodied in the Guggenheim Museum, Spain in Bilbao.

We also visited cuisine hot spots like Els 4Gats in Barcelona, frequented by great artists like Picasso and Gaudi.  Great Tapas places were in abundance and we frequently stopped for espresso shots or cured meats and cheeses with baguettes.  Some surprising finds include a late breakfast in a gas station that was serving fresh baguettes, cured meat and potted cheese.

Among a few choice gem items like this we witnessed the different European climates, both political and geographical.  We ran into a pro basque demonstration while walking around in Barcelona, and we came to find out it was the day of independence for Catalonia.  We also managed to find the square where Columbus was welcomed back after the trip to the new world, and I proudly stood there and proclaimed the square for the Navajo Nation.

The other place we visited was Venice, Italy, and that was to see the exhibit for Imago Mundi that features the painting I created for the project.  Venice in itself was trip, I kept thinking, so how about moving away from the coast, and that would fix all the seasonal flooding, tide changes, and essentially fix any infrastructure problems.  Water taxis, buses, and floating garbage trucks never got old, and I quickly became used to the water taxis and their run schedules.

The exhibit space for Imago Mundi was on an island, and we had to take a water taxi to get to it.  The pieces were well presented in individual cubes holding the pieces, while each region had its own grouping of boxy panels to display this huge collection of art.  It was an interesting experience to see the various culture’s contributions as well as the different styles and subjects.  It was a huge project to see and appreciate, and after digesting the exhibit, we moved on to the Biennale to check out the different exhibits from countries around the world.  Suffice to say, we were worn out after a whole day of art.  The next day we managed to fit in the other section of the Biennale.  Overall we saw quite a few interesting installations using every material imaginable, and every media available, with my overall observation that a lot of the art projects involved climate change, and the impacts of man’s devastation on the environment.  I left with the feeling that despite all the exhibits focusing on the environment, very few people visiting these exhibits would be affected by the art or the message.

Back in Spain, we also visited The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, where there was a Jeff Koons retrospective.  Alongside the flashy art, there was also a Basquit exhibit as well, and after coming back to the states and viewing more of his art online, I don’t think the exhibit was successful at showing his best work.

The flight back was uneventful, but after such a long trip I was glad to be able to have hot sauce on the menu again.  Since every restaurant in Spain and Italy seasoned their food well, I got used to good tasting food all the time, but I was always missing chili to spice my dish up a little.

To round off this blog post, let me mention a few items of importance, first off Dec 18th is the last day for viewing “Not Yet Rated 3.0”, our annual movie poster show.  I have 4 entries to display this year, and if you go to 1Spotgallery.com, you can see our current show.  We also have notable entries from Loren Aragon, Craig Cleveland, Marlena Robbins, and Michelle Ponce.  I will also be releasing an adult coloring book published by Kryptic Leaf, LLC, featuring my artwork.  The book titled “Conversation Lines, Inspirations for Conversations” will be available in a limited first edition of 50 copies with colored pencils included.  I will be personalizing copies on Dec 18th, from 7pm – 10pm at 1Spot Gallery.  Get em’ while their hot off the press.

I have a ton more info to post, along with the my next show details coming in January, but I’ll do a separate post for that announcement.  Thank you all my supporters and fans and give me feedback on what you want to hear about my art from me.

Welcome readers and friends, we’re finally in September and there’s plenty of news and events to update you on.  First off I would like to announce the start of the new gallery season at 1Spot Gallery.

“Repurposed Lines” will “showcase objects and drawings originally created for a specific audience, which have been enhanced through line work to appeal to a different clientele.
These objects will beautify your home or adorn yourself – authentic wearable indigenous art.”

The repurposing I’m doing involves handbags, and mens/womens shoes, embellished with hand drawn line work done in my unique style.  The lines in this case refer to the product line and the lines being used in the repurposing process. This event will go from 6-10pm on First Friday, and 6-10pm, First and Third Friday in October.  As part of this show, I will be debuting a series of 6 ink drawings that are hand colored on bristol board, along with new digital prints that have been expanded upon by utilizing line work and color, and modified photo-mechanical offset litho prints (I tried to find a suitable art term, but came across no standard definition of this process).

With this new show, we are looking forward to the Movie Poster show in November/December, “Not Yet Rated 3.0”, which is still open for submissions.

The deadline for final submissions will be Sunday, October 4th, 2015, despite the typo on the Call to Artists form.  We’re looking forward to this show and to the amazing art that is generated from this annual show.

Last month was also Santa Fe Indian Market, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  This year I was invited by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) to participate in a new exhibit titled, “Indian Market Edge, Contemporary Art Exhibition” held at the Santa Fe Convention Center during the market weekend.  I was asked to display 3 digital pieces, “Mechanica II“, “Happy“, and “New Paradigm.”  The opening night was hectic, however Mechanica II sold to a collector in Santa Fe.  The opening festivities consisted of live art and live music by several DJ’s, including Randy “Boogie” Barton, fresh off his whirlwind market experience.  Overall the event was a great insight into professional gallery presentations on “edgey” native art.  Thank you to SWAIA for the props, and the opportunity.  With all the openings events going on, the artist booth at SWAIA and IFAM, mountain biking in high altitude, gnarly food, and plenty of visiting friends, Katja and I were both tired by the end of the weekend.

And now for the last bit of news, starting September 1, 2015 to November 1, 2015, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice will feature: Imago Mundi – Map of the New Art, Featuring artwork of the Indigenous Native Americans. I mentioned in a previous post about participating in this world wide project with a small mixed media painting titled “Read Between The Lines“.  I will have the opportunity to pop on over to Venice for a few days during my vacation, and we plan to check out all the great exhibits during the annual Venice Biennale.  An addition that emerged from this project is the accompanying coffee table book that showcases all the artists involved in the North American Natives collection, as well as the pieces submitted for the project.  The book looks primo and can be purchased at Fabrica.

There will also be a new t-shirt print coming out, “The Visionary” will have limited availability, along with a limited giclee’ print run of 3, make sure to snag these before they disappear!!  Welcome back to the gallery and I hope to see everyone on Friday!!!

This month will mark the end of the Byting Willows Exhibit at 1Spot Gallery.  After a successful 2 month showing, the pieces will only be available in a book format when the book is published, either at the end of this year, or next year.  This exhibit will also be an important milestone in the gallery’s history, for it will be my last curated group show featuring high caliber, talented, phenomenal artists.  I want to thank Katja Lehmann for her hard work, and vision in bringing the Byting Willows exhibit to fruition, and her endless drive and dedication in writing the Byting Willows book.

As most of you might know already, my gallery director resigned her position last year in November, and chose to focus on her artistic endeavors as well as welcoming a baby into her family.  We want to wish Michelle, all the best with the new changes, and She will also be relocating out of state during this time.  I want to thank Michelle for our years of hard work together and all the great collaborative events, shows, projects that have come out of this partnership.  Without her help it would have been a lot harder to balance work, the gallery, and my art.  She also introduced me to the great and vibrant art community downtown, and helped to cultivate working relationships with some awesome artists and people.

What does this mean for the future of the gallery?  I will be showcasing more of my works exclusively in the shop, and spend less time curating shows with multiple artists.  This will allow me to focus on my art work and to pursue other creative projects and opportunities while maintaining a presence in Downtown Phoenix.  I am open to the possibility of continuing to produce the yearly Movie Poster show, as well as another specialty show every year.  This also allows me to work with guest curators who want to produce a show with an indigenous artist, or group of artists.  I prefer to continue showcasing indigenous artists who do not have a voice or platform here in the city.  The availability of the gallery to host special events will also be open, provided that the event organizers take care of all the details.

The extra work that I will be unloading from myself will also address my recent health issues.  On February 5th I had several heart attack episodes, and thanks to the AZ Heart Hospital, I’m almost back to 100% a couple months later.  Currently I’m taking more time for myself, and spending more time doing my art, and the change in pace in my life is welcome.

Which brings us to the last show of this season before the Gallery’s Summer Break.  I will be featuring “Brave New World”, an all digital art show with many never before seen or printed works, as well as new work, presented in an all encompassing show at 1Spot Gallery.  This show will run from May – June.  Among the debut of the new paintings, will be several prints from the STOIC line.  This batch will portray a few endangered animals incorporated into every day characters, this will be but a small sample of the unique creatures that are on the border line of extinction.

Thank you to everyone for your support and I’ll be having a birthday shindig next month on the 10th, if your interested in attending, shoot me an email, or hit me up on Facebook.  Until the next time I see you, Excelsior!! (Not the wood shavings)

This Third Friday, February 20th, 6pm – 10pm, I will be opening up a new exhibit at 1Spot Gallery, Byting Willows: The Revolution of the Dine’ Basket. The entire project began when I met my girlfriend, Katja Lehmann, and I told her about my idea of publishing a catalogue of the 1,500+ designs I had created for Dine’ basket, rug, and jewelry makers in Southeastern Utah more than a decade ago. During our brainstorming sessions, she suggested that she would curate an exhibition of the best designs being interpreted by other master artists and include those pieces in the book as well. This little spark led to the Byting Willows show that will be presented during the months of March and April, and the pieces that these gifted artists have worked on will finally be revealed to all of Phoenix.

There’s something for everyone here, paintings, wood carvings, giclee prints, micaceous pots, black ash basketry, glass works, and a rug. There’s also a limited series of silk scarves, limited edition t-shirts for men and women, and earrings.  The entire plethora of work is breathtaking and I’m truly humbled that these artists agreed to work with us to produce this exhibit.

The official opening of the project is Thursday March 5th, from 6pm – 10pm, during which we will have our awesome friend Byron Fenix keeping the crowd moving.  As an added bonus, Warbird Press will have a vending machine set up offering printed goodies (bring your quarters).

That same weekend Art Detour will be in full swing, and due to scheduling conflicts 1Spot Gallery was not able to make the printed map, but we will be open on the 7th and 8th from 11am – 5pm for Art Detour devotees.  That same weekend will also mark Paint Phx’s 2nd annual celebration of all things aerosol.  1Spot Gallery will be participating by having world-famous artist, Randy Boogie Barton re-paint the front of the gallery.  And although we officially turned 2 years old in December, our awesome neighbor Andrew Pielage’s gallery the Drive-thru Gallery will be joining us in a public BBQ to mark both our gallery birthdays.  With so much awesomeness in 1 weekend, you “need” to come to Phoenix that weekend and partake in the festivities.