Museum Exhibition-Caniglia Windmill

I wanted to mention that I am part of an exhibition that opened this weekend at the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, Iowa. My oil painting of “Dybbøl Molle” is part of the main exhibit called “Schleswig-Holstein: Turmoil on the Danish-German Border”.

The Exhibition opened February 22 and will run through September 1, 2014. It will then travel to the German American Heritage Museum Center from September 27 through December 31, 2014.

My painting of the Dybbøl windmill was created to honor all those who died at the Battle of Dybbøl in 1864 as well as my wife’s great, great grandfather who died defending Denmark. The windmill is a symbol of Danish pride. If you are in Iowa over the next few months please stop by to view this historical exhibition.

Here is a link to the Museum...

http://www.danishmuseum.org/current-exhibitions.cfm

Thanks for all your support.

Jeremy Caniglia 

OMAHA MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

The new issue of Omaha Magazine came out today and features a full-length article and interview that I recently did with them.

The March/April issue also features my self-portrait painting on the cover and new artwork inside.You can pick up copies at Barnes and Noble, Books –A-Million or subscribe on-line to see the latest issue.

http://omahamagazine.com/

Thanks

Caniglia

"TANKS FOR NOTHING"

My art is part of a group show that opens this Friday, February 7 at the Sweatshop Gallery in Benson, Nebraska. The show is titled  “Brass Tax –A Screen Print Show” and is curated by the amazing Pat Oakes.

The show features screenprinted works on alternative media from 15 different artists. Doors open at 7:00pm and will feature –DJ Thomas Flaherty from 9-12pm in the back of the gallery. If you are in Benson for this first Friday of February, please come by and see the new work of Adam Findley, Eric Nyffeler, Michael Neelsun, Ben Pavlicek, Matt Carlson, Ben McQuillan, and many more great local artists.

Here is a picture of my silkscreen piece on brushed metal called “Tanks For Nothing”. The piece was inspired from the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989. I was senior in high school at the time of the incident and I still remember how powerful the image of the one student against a row of tanks looked. It was haunting and inspiring to me. 

Thanks

Caniglia 

Chess the Game of Life

As 2013 came to a close I’d like to reflect on some highlights of this past year as well as low points. I was traveling a lot this year with gallery and museum shows. It was great to meet so many different people in cities around the United States. This year also offered more opportunities for me in the realm of teaching. I started a new teaching job at Creighton Prep, which has been incredible. I have been bringing in some traditional Atelier techniques with my students as well as some modern technical approaches. The results have been impressive to see. I also created a lot of new personal art as well as book and movie concept artwork.

I have attached a new drawing I did with charcoal and white chalk on paper. The piece is called “The knight has come”. I have attached the work in process and the final piece. I created it for my son who is an avid chess player. I have always found that chess is a mirror of life, rich in metaphors for the human experience. As the famous chess player Garry Kasparov said “When we regularly challenge ourselves with something new - even something not obviously related to our immediate goals - we build cognitive and emotional "muscles" that makes us more effective in every way.” In chess you predict what your opponent is going to do and each and every move has a consequence and meaning in the overall game. The same can be said in life.

The low point of the year was losing my teaching colleague, artist, and friend Wanda Ewing. Wanda was an incredible artist and teacher. She was filled to the brim with life and love for all things artistic. I gave a few art history lectures to her classes at UNO over the years and exhibited work with her in group shows at different galleries. When Wanda smiled the whole room lit up. She was and still is an inspiration and will be missed.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and I thank all of you who have supported my artwork. 2014 is going to be another huge year for exhibitions, teaching, and lectures. So look for more updates soon.

Thanks

Caniglia  

'God Bless Us Every One' - Artwork

I hope you have enjoyed these posts and the behind the scenes process of how I create and imagine ideas for books and my personal work.  

Charles Dickens, ‘A Christmas Carol’ will always hold a special place in my heart since I first read the story as a little boy. The book did scare me but it always made me appreciate the simple things that life gives us. 

I will have more updates and news on upcoming shows and books. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, Great Holiday, and a Happy New Year!

In the words of Tiny Tim…    ‘God bless us every one!’ 

Caniglia

A Christmas Carol-Artwork

A Christmas Carol has gripped the public imagination since it was first published in 1843, and it is now as much a part of Christmas as plum pudding or as mistletoe. Here are some more of my sketches of the Cratchit family preparing for their Christmas dinner and family gathering.

I hope you enjoy these simple sketches and that they serve as a timely reminder of the simple pleasures that seem to have been lost sight of in the seasonal scrum of shoppers now days. This time of year I have always felt is an annual invitation to the pleasures of nostalgia and families coming together.

Caniglia 

Scrooge-Artwork

Here are some of my concept sketches and paintings for Scrooge. Dickens has created a character that is both hated and loved in Scrooge. Scrooge was abandoned and left alone by his father as a boy. A father who did not want him. He was spiteful and mean. His sister Fan was his best friend who cared and looked out for him. Fan who was the best thing in his life died giving birth and once again he was left isolated. His wealth grew and his heart sank and turned black and polluted as the London sky.

Scrooge, who was unaware that Bob Cratchit had a crippled son, asked the spirit if Tiny Tim would live, and becomes upset when he hears that the boy will die. The spirit angrily throws his earlier words back at him...

“If man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked can’t until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?”

By emphasizing “What” and “Where” here, Dickens reinforces that idea that Tim represents all of the poor and needy. Scrooge does regret saying this, and one of the first things he does when he recovers is send Bob Cratchit a turkey—probably thinking about how Tim will be eating it.

In the end, Scrooge becomes a “second father” to the boy, loving him like the son he never had and basically becoming a beloved member of the Cratchit family. Thus Scrooge goes through transformation, reformation, reclamation and finds Christmas and redemption in his heart.