About this project
This Spring I will be making my debut on the international art scene, but to do this I need your financial support.
I have been a struggling painter for, what seems to me, all of my life, and I feel I have finally reached a point where my body of work reflects my philosophy, as well as the sensations and the passion behind the inexplicable visions of my dreams. I have recently been invited to debut my work internationally at NEXT, in Chicago, from April 30 – May 3, 2010. They summarize this event as “[an] annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, [bringing] together the world’s leading emerging and established galleries [and independent artists],” but for me, this is the rare opportunity to reveal my work to the world, and with this, take the first steps to bringing a larger community of artists together to launch the next great movement in thought and human understanding.
Currently, our arsenal is equipped with painters, photographers, writers, filmmakers, and professional students of life. But, this community is made up of all those that support the continuous struggle for human progress. This includes even those whose influence is quite indirect, in that they have imparted an interaction that has lead to reflection and analysis. I hope I have also had such an effect on my family and friends, and that I have been successful in portraying a life dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. I hope you will continue to show your support by pledging to the project, for you all know me intimately, and understand the importance of this endeavor.
I am also excited to announce NEXT will be the premier of The Dojo :: A DVD Magazine About Art + Music—headed by Ian Tyner, one of my collaborators. My assistant, Mike Reynolds, will be featuring his work at the event as well. Through this, we continue our struggle to reach the masses as a community. For more information on The Dojo, check out Ian’s Kickstarter page: kickstarter.com/projects/myninjaplease/the-dojo-dvd-magazine.
This rare opportunity is the potential for expansive, global exposure, but I need your financial support in order for this event to be a success. The fee for exhibiting at the show is $5000, and I would like to raise this, as a minimum, with your help. Any additional amount that is made will be used toward the cost of materials. And, for your generosity, I would like to extend a gift as a token of my appreciation.
The first group of gifts is Mandala photos inspired by the idea of moving into deeper levels of awareness and reflection. Carl Jung saw mandalas as “a representation of the unconscious self,” but, I assure you, an interpretation is not necessary for you to enjoy these pieces. The latter half of gifts is from my painting. To explore some of my work, please check out my page on paintingsilove.com, and my weekly postings on myninjaplease.com. I have accompanied these pieces with a short reflection, that they may help you get more intimately acquainted with my work and thought process.
I am so grateful for your support. Thank you for lending an eye and ear to the project. If you are interested in learning more about our artist community in Chicago, please leave a comment on myninjaplease.com by clicking on one of my paintings, or feel free to send me an e-mail at allenartist@gmail.com.
FAQ
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17
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$1,060
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on February 20, 2010.
Pledge $5 or more
A personalized thank you card, and a raffle ticket for your chance to win the painting, “Dawn in Hawaii,” 36x48, in acrylic paint.
Pledge $30 or more
An 8x11 Mandala photo, printed by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $60 or more
An 11x14 Mandala photo printed by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $120 or more
A large Mandala photo printed by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $250 or more
An extra large Mandala photo printed by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $500 or more
A print on fine art paper printed by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $850 or more
A Giclée print done by yours truly, a personalized thank you card, and your chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $1,000 or more
Your personal commissioned piece-14x20, done in acrylic paint. I have always enjoyed interpreting the vision of others—it has inspired some pretty amazing creations and a lot of amazing dialogue. You will also receive a personalized thank you card, and a chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Pledge $2,000 or more
Your personal commissioned piece-18x24, done in acrylic paint, and of course you will also receive a personalized thank you card, and a chance to win “Dawn in Hawaii.”
Project By
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Allen Vandever
I feel an artist’s body of work is his unwritten biography, archiving his progress in both craftsmanship and self-discovery, all the while capturing the most personal and essential moments in his life, and revealing his personal reflections.
In my painting, I feel free from the jumble of words all too limited in their ability to fully illustrate an image of my sensations and reflections. Painting is a way to bypass the filter of conscious analysis—bypassing the point where we attempt to name and catalog our responses, which often diminishes the true glory of the moment.
I am free to explore my dreams, very often so intensely alive that they continue to exist in my sight in the material world. I have yet to find the words capable of illustrating such glorious visions, so I paint them that I may relive them, and that I might apply a pinprick into the veil between our worlds allowing a speck of light to illuminate its existence to others. I aspire to reveal such worlds to my son, that the images from my journey inspire him to begin his own exploration, for a mere sliver of light is enough to bring the world gushing forth, demolishing the walls that confine our thoughts.
Although I fail to find the words to convey my passion, I cannot deny their role in my reflection, for words have allowed me to further explore the images I have been moved to create. For when I write, I am transported into the silent realm of the mind, where the voices of human reason and passion can be heard in intimate conversation, contemplating the infinite dimensions of being.
