![\"Chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Chris_Biddy___1.jpg\")
\nCHRIS BIDDY at the opening of his first ever showing in NYC.<\/p>\n
BILL BRADY invites you come and see a young new artist he recently came across when he was speaking at the KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE last fall.
\nBill says:
\n“They asked me to do a few studio visits while I was there and by chance Chris happened to be one of those artists. He showed me this little painting, it must have been 6 x 8 in. and the attention to detail was over the top. Some might call it pointillism, I call it attention to realism but either way the painting was rich in color and detail. Upon further inspection I realized the painting had the most amazing abstract moments. I was blown away completely !! . . .
\nLong story short he contacted me after graduating and told me he was working on a group of watercolors, his first ever, and he would like to show them to me. Here is a young artist who has such a clear vision that it is inspiring.”<\/p>\n
CHRIS BIDDY – ‘NEW MESSAGE’ – OPENS FEB 11, 2010 – BILL BRADY – ATM
\n542 WEST 24th St – THE BACK ANNEX GALLERY SPACE<\/p>\n
p.s. CHIS BIDDY wrote a pretty amusing, and insightful, Artist statement to accompany his small but exquisite show !!<\/p>\n
“In my work, I chase the psychological dramas and conceited behaviors of adolescents. The girls I portray are often in bloom, teetering between innocence and self-awareness.<\/p>\n
The first step in my work involves logging onto Myspace or Facebook to obtain my imagery, which is often derived from a cell phone. Rather than photographing my models myself I leave the responsibility of how they will represent themselves to them. This allows the models’ own personalities to come through and gives the viewer a chance to either see a silly child-like moment or one of vanity.<\/p>\n
The focus of the subject is one of self-rejection and identity development. I find myself jealous of girlhood and the paintings are a way of projecting myself into the situation. I am interested in gender roles and what it means to be a girl or become a woman. Culturally I wonder about where I exist as the other, or how I got about constructing my own identity, there are struggles both formal and conceptual in my work .?” <\/p>\n
p.s. he told me the opening – that girls just send him pix – sometimes – it’s their first ever time crossing paths with him personally – and ask him to point their portraits. you can see why !!
\nit’s funny – I saw the moments he caught in a very different light – as a new viewer – than as what one might infer from his artist statement above. I found the portraits to be both kind and intelligent. and, girl fierce – in good way. the immediacy of the self-portraits, all in this show originate as cell phone pix !! – and the moments from their own lives – that the girls choose to offer up to him – were super compelling, as well. all played out on this super small scale, that relates so well to new message mediums !! <\/p>\n
\nCHRIS BIDDY at the opening of his first ever showing in NYC.<\/p>\n
![\"Chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Chris_Biddy_and_Bill_.jpg\")
\nATM’S BILL BRADY presents CHRIS BIDDY – ‘NEW MESSAGES’, in his new space on WEST 24th St.
\nFeb 11, 2010.<\/p>\n
![\"Chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Chris_Biddy___2.jpg\")
\n‘COURTNEY’, 2009. oil on canvas, 8 x 10 in. ($6,000)
\na small oil painting by CHRIS BIDDY. Mr. Biddy previously worked in oil – but now he is really into watercolors, and the rest of the show is all new work – done since this past summer. it’s fun to see the journey from oil to watercolor in the works !!<\/p>\n
![\"chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/new_wall.jpg\")
\n‘Sydney and Haleigh’, 2009. watercolor, 10 x 8 in. ($3,600).
\nit’s a nice range of expression – and, the portraits have a definite cell phone – edge !!
\nits also amazing to see – what this young artist could do with watercolor – such a tempermental medium – in his first time delving into – its infinite possibilities and sensitive terrains.<\/p>\n
![\"Chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Chris_Biddy___4.jpg\")
\nCHRIS BIDDY, ‘Ciara’, 2009. watercolor. on archival paper.
\nthe paintings are all 8 x 6 in.<\/p>\n
![\"Chris](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/Chris_Biddy___5.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH<\/p>\n
![\"bill](\"http:\/\/www.artloversnewyork.com\/zine\/wp-content\/photos\/atm_bill_brady_log___use____01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"