www.NotSoSpartan.com

Thanks for your patience!

2009-05-26T20:59:00.002-04:00

I have been absent from the blogosphere recently finishing my MFA thesis.
I am winding that down now.

Stay tuned to www.kristoferneely.com for more updates soon.

Don't worry. Several new community projects are coming soon!
Thanks for your patience!
Kris

life breaks open...

2008-12-01T20:16:00.002-05:00

Drawing on visual traditions as varied as American street & folk art, German expressionism, Christian icons, Zen ensos, and minimalism, brothers Kris & Scott Neely create images of grief & birth. Featured works on wood & paper include Scott Neely's "tears" and "gratia plena" and Kris Neely's "Guardians" and "Synapse Series".

Please join us for the gallery opening.
Time: 6-8 PM
Date: December 4, 2008

Spartanburg Guild Gallery,
Chapman Cultural Center

The show runs from Dec. 1-29th.

The opening is free and open to the public.

For more details visit:
http://lifebreaksopen.blogspot.com/

Who Do You Want Teaching Your Interim?

2008-10-29T14:38:00.006-04:00

If you want to learn about the intersection between art and business with any of the above, you might want to look again at PASO.BUS: The Performance Art and Science of Business.

Get your registration on!

The FYI -S.I. Oscars

2008-08-28T19:25:00.006-04:00

Corporate Sponsor:

SPARK! Parade

2008-06-26T07:22:00.001-04:00

SPARK! Parade Links

2008-06-22T19:30:00.002-04:00

SPARK! Parade Photos

SPARK! Parade Construction Photos

Beth Nixon Arrives

SPARK! Parade Construction

SPARK! Parade in Construction Phase

2008-06-22T19:22:00.001-04:00

Tools made for the Bike Paintings

2008-05-18T16:09:00.006-04:00

These images capture the mark-making tools used in the Bike Month Paintings. A little bit of duct tape and a bucket of bike parts created an interesting challenge.

These studies allow me to experiment with ways to bring interesting lines into my work.

Stop by the Transparent Studio to see the display of paintings and the bike part tools.

Bike Month Paintings!

2008-05-18T15:53:00.004-04:00

These four paintings were completed in the Transparent Studio to help Spartanburg celebrate Bike Month. No brushes were used. Each piece was painted using tools that were made from discarded bike parts that were left over from the Hub Cycle project with Partners for Active Living.

These paintings are currently on display in the Transparent Studio along with the bike parts used to create them. Each piece is mixed media on board and is hung from discarded bicycle brake wiring.

"Discipline"
(Completed during the Steadman Hawkins Classic on Friday night of Spring Fling.)

"Classic Endurance"
(Completed on Saturday afternoon of Spring Fling.)

"Speed"
(Completed on Sunday afternoon of Spring Fling.)

"Community"
(Completed on Sunday afternoon of Spring Fling.)

70 Faces of Work

2008-04-27T20:46:00.006-04:00

"There is a fine line between the pathological and the creative, between addiction and practice…Addiction consumes energy and leads to slavery. Practice generates energy and leads to freedom…Habits are addictive if that mysterious acceleration factor is present, when enough is never enough, and what was enough yesterday is not enough today." Stephen Nachmanovitch, Free Play

Early this Spring a Wofford student caught me working very late in the evening in my office. He suggested I go home. He said, "It is sad that you are setting such a terrible example for me, even though you think you are actually helping me by working too much."

I took the student's comments to heart and examined the topic further.

For the past 70 days, I have examined my personal tendency to devote too much time to work, creating a daily self-study. Each piece is roughly 9''x 12''. I have used a variety of media as I created them on paper, glass, canvas, and board. In these studies, I have logged all of the hours I have worked each day as well as any conflicts that arose between my work, my life, and my art. Click here to view thumbnails of the 70 Faces of Work.

Starting on May 6th, these pieces will each be entrusted to friends and family who I have neglected by my work habits. This durational performance piece is intended to begin to restore a more proper balance between my work, my art, and my life.

Bike Month!

2008-04-26T07:52:00.004-04:00

What is happening in the windows?

Artists:

Alix Refshauge
Artist-In-Residence and Development Director for Hub-Bub

Hoondirt
Sculptor

Davies Reich
Middle School and Upper School Art at the Spartanburg Day School

Kris Neely
Director of the Success Initiative at Wofford College

To celebrate bike month, four artists have been invited to activate the windows of the building once held the Regional Museum of History. Alix Refshauge, Hoondirt, and Davies Reich are creating the centerpiece of the storefront triptych, creating an amusingly elegant Peter Max style spring scene drawing the imagination into the past and emerging future.

Kris Neely will continue his "Not so Spartan" experiments as the bookends to the Refshauge/Reich piece, anchoring their collaboration in the present day. One window will feature works created during Neely's Artist-In-Transit project, while the other will feature Neely creating new art works using only discarded bike parts in his transparent studio. Visitors are encouraged to stop by during the month of May to see these works, but the artists will be present on May 2 during the Steadman-Hawkins Classic. Friday, May 2, 2008 at Spring Fling from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Make Day Paintings

2008-04-13T22:48:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the Transparent Studio

2008-04-13T22:44:00.004-04:00

The Transparent Studio Launch

2008-04-12T23:19:00.001-04:00

The Transparent Studio

The Palmetto Building at 100 E. Main Street

At the Make Day events today, I began the transparent studio project.
Stop by the windows to see what I painted today.

Thanks to Alix and the folks at Hub-Bub for a great event that drew so many people downtown.
Many thanks to Arielle and Rachel for their project that helped local artists to envision empty windows as art opportunities.

Most importantly, thanks to Tim Satterfield and Longleaf Development for continuing to provide spaces and opportunities for the artists in Spartanburg.

Why Not So Spartan?

2008-04-11T10:16:00.001-04:00

“With all the economic gains of the twentieth century…the paradox is that we have less rather than more time for reflection and depth, friendship and intimacy, beauty and sensitivity, even common decency. These values seem incidental in the quest for more productivity, more material things, more wealth, more notoriety, more titles and prestige.” Anthony Ipsaro

Project Goals:
Spend more time making art
Foster meaningful community interactions
Make time to enjoy Downtown Spartanburg
Encourage others to do the same