The next artist we’d like you to get familiar with is Robert Slawinski. He has studied electrical engineering in his native Poland and  computer graphics and 3D animation at Pratt Institute in New York. He has always been fascinated by classic cartoons, especially Tex Avery’s classics and Tom & Jerry series. Some of those classic animated tales inspired a story of a spider who tries to quit smoking, which materialized as Robert‘s thesis project, 4-minute 3D short “The Last Cigarette”. The film (which he he wrote, directed and animated himself) was subsequently shown at few international animation festivals, including Ars Electronica in Linz; it also won 1st prize in animation as well as the Audience Award at the New York Independent Film & Animation Festival.
In case you asked, he has never smoked in his life.

Cary Conover is a freelance photographer, working and living in New York City. His work appears regularly in the Village Voice and The New York Times, but his true passion is black and white street photography in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bressson. Lately, Cary has been experimenting with digital technology, especially with time lapse technique. Combined with his utter fascination with cosmos, moon and its motion, he’d been going up to New York City’s rooftops, trying to catch the path of the moon and creating a beautiful, out-of-this world journey. It’s called “Lunar Motion Studies” and you can see it projected at Tom&Jerry’s bar on Sunday, June 7th.

Meet Aristide Economopoulos, who is a photojournalist and is kind enough to share with us his photographic journey to Cuba in 2001 on Sunday. He’s been a staff photographer at The Newark Star-Ledger since 2000 and covered local to international assignments, ranging from the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Athens Olympics, to hog wrestling in Indiana.

He’s an accomplished and well regarded artist – through his work, he has won numerous awards including World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International and the NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism. Aris is also a three-time winner of NYC & NJ Press Photographer of the Year. In 2005 he was part of the staff that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.
Aris resides in Jersey City, NJ, with his wife and fellow photojournalist Julia Xanthos.

We’re excited to introduce Lucia Jeesun Lee, the first artist that’s going to be presented at “Real Art For real people, vol.3″ (remember: June 7th, at 6pm, at Tom&Jerry’s bar!)

Her name is Lucia Jeesun Lee and she’s a recent graduate of Interactive Telecommunicaton Program at NYU. But, more importantly, she also happens to be an incurable dreamer, and you can see it in her work. As a child, Lucia wanted to be: a painter, poet, pirate, inventor, writer, architect, and astronaut (not necessarily all at once). Now, through her video installations, interactive screens and objects, motion graphic, animation, peformance and photography, Lucia wants to make another dream come true. She wants to bring life to urban landscapes, connect strangers in the city and Remind citizens of their forgotten dream.

Do you remember what your dream is? Maybe, looking at two of her video animations – “Dream” and “One”, you’ll remember?

Finally, last but not least, we have a pleasure to present Vincent Bolognini, born in Los Angeles, the second of four children. His family moved quite a bit, finally ending up in Phoenix, AZ. He went to the Art Institute of Chicago and also studied in Rome, Italy, acquiring a BFA in painting and printmaking. Now Vincent resides in Harlem where he lives and works in a small studio. He says:
I deal with vulnerability. It is how I see myself and the world. Through my subject matter, the human form, I am constantly trying to understand the meaning behind my emotions and the environment we live in.
Most of Vincent’s work is done on paper with mixed media that includes charcoal, conte, ink, acrylic, oil stick and gouache. „The immediacy of my material allows me to capture the emotions that are prevalent at the time. As I pace in front of my wall with a predetermined size of paper, struggling with the next decision and watching it evolve, I realize my reasons for constantly creating. How else can I conjure up such emotions as sorrow, strength, brutality and weakness?“ – he explains. Indeed, his figures, drawn in broad, harsh strokes are emotional in their own quiet, intense way. Asked for a purpose of his work Vincent answered: I cannot know the whole world. I can only try to document what I see as truth.

The second artist we’d like you to meet is Everette Clay Harley. He moved to New York in 1994 with ambitions of breaking into show biz. During that time he was enrolled at Pace University, but skipped most classes, opting to attend any audition that he knew about. After 2 and a half years of business courses, and several failed classes, though his acting resume was fattening up, he begrudgingly returned to Washington, DC in 1997. After a line of odd jobs he was able to return to the stage by doing a small East Coast tour of 2 original plays. It was when he first found interest in visual arts. As described in his own words: One evening, as we relaxed at a bed and breakfast, I stepped outside to get a hit of fresh air. As I stood out, I beheld a breathtaking view of nature; one that is not common to a city boy. I stood without words for 30 minutes, not wanting to leave… because I wanted this breathtaking sight forever. Forever to share with all I know. It wa that moment that I new I needed to get a camera. How many other moments could I share, and relive time and again? Everette bought his first camera within a month of that experience. A year later he took a course in film development at the Washington School of Photography, then returned to NYC and settled in Brooklyn. His work – street scenes, portraits and landscapes, photographed around the globe – is still driven by the same impulse he felt when he decided he wanted to be an artists: a pursuit of preserving forever the passing beauty of things, people and places. With one important twist: Everette enjoys digital alterations and enhancements as much as he likes finding beautiful frames. He says: The bathroom in my apartment is equipped with an enlarger, and a bottle of stop bath sat comfortably next to the cotton swabs. The freedom to experiment in the darkroom was important, and a process I came to enjoy more than capturing the photo. I bought my first digital SLR in 2008, and enjoy working in the controversial digital darkroom even more. As an actor intrigued by story telling, and filmmaking, I try the same thing with my photography. The darkroom is where I tweak the “script” before the final draft is released.

Let us introduce you to the very talented artist,  one of the three we’re showcasing this moth (don’t forget, May 3rd, 5-11pm).

We present: Jessie Brugger. Born in Washington State and currently living in Brooklyn, she is working on her graduate studies at New York Academy of Art. Her lushly colored, intimate portraits show subjects submerged in their own, dream-like worlds, filled with circus outfits, fancy toys, cakes and balloons. But it would be a mistake to describe her as a “girly” painter of nice and peaceful things: she is equally effective and focused as portrait painter and as creator of politically charged scenes. Jessie describes her work: My art is carnivalesque – I use the vehicle of the carnival to tell my own story. I paint to tell a story. I paint to communicate. I paint because I have to.

We’re excited to announce: “Real Art For Real People, Vol. 2″ is on its way.

When? May 3rd, 2009, 5-11 pm

Where? At Tom&Jerry’s Bar, 288 Elizabeth Street

Why? Because we present not one, not two, but THREE very talented individuals (You can see their work here) and it’s going to be a lot of fun again!

Seriously – put it in in your iCalendars, Blackberrys and iPhones a.s.a.p. And check us out often, we’ll post more info about young artists and their work.

Where do we start? Maybe from: Sunday was a blast? Or: it was a real art celebration? Or: it was a great success?

Big Thanks to each and everyone of you that came to celebrate art and creative individuals with us last Sunday. Thank you, everybody that bought pieces straight from artists (you know who you are – enjoy!). We hope to see you next month.

We have a gallery of photos from our Sunday event and one of our featured artists, Cary Conover, had this special Video to share with all of you that were there (or those who weren’t but really, really wanted to be – come by May 3rd)