may 10th // instinctive turns // jess & keegan

This Friday we are pleased to bring you a brand new series of works by local artists Jessica Beethe and Keegan O’Keefe. This collaborative duo has been world traveling for the past 5 years and we are ecstatic to have nailed them down for a show. Jess and Keegan will have 13 brand new pieces of art on display along with a raffle for 3, $200 limited-edition giclée Prints. Tickets for the raffle will be $5 and winners will be announced at 10pm the night of the event. You can preview 9 of the New works from their online gallery and learn more about the artists below…

http://jessandkeegan.com/gallery.html

Artist Bio

Visual expression has been a part of our lives from a very young age. We both drew, collaged, sculpted and created things throughout our childhood and those habits have continued into our adult lives.

When the two of us first met, we began trading pieces and working over top of what the other was doing. This process began to slowly transform the way we saw and produced our work and began driving us to create more. As Our exchange continued and we found that when working together we produced better results than either of us was doing working alone.

Now, as a collaborative entity, we take turns swapping pieces and working over each other’s additions to develop our style as a single entity. Our work is like a spontaneous dance – a fluid non-thinkingness. We accept and release with little to no planning. Our conclusions are always organic and unforced.

Our travels have taken us to all corners of the USA, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia.

At some point, we both graduated and aquired multi-diciplenary BFA’s in Graphic Design, Illustration and Painting.

Currently, we live and work out of our studio in Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

-Jess M. Beethe & Keegan D. O’Keefe

Artistic Statement

For us, it is undeniable that human life is a collective effort of many parts and a vast sum of time, energy and connections.

Our work, however, is not about us, our ideals or our beliefs but is an assimilation and redistribution of the world and what it has to offer.

Using this idea, we combine our time and energy to craft original works on paper that directly reflect our surrounding environment and its cultural influences.

This art making process helps us fully appreciate where we are and what we are doing; ultimately giving us a tangible dialog with which to see the multifaceted ways our lives are connected to so much more than just ourselves.

How would you describe your work?

Tangible experience, captured action; Our work is a conversation between ourselves and the world we are surrounded by. In fewer words – it’s filling time. (See also ARTISTIC STATEMENT below)

What inspires you?

New experiences, travel, humor, other artists & their art, conversations, clouds, rain on tin roofs, debate, animals, independent films, music, good food, sailing, scuba diving, adrenalin, running, yoga, coffee, flyers, flowers, magazines, thunder storms, old books, etchings and old illustrations, creeping vines, 1920′s, 1800′s, samurai, 1950′s, 1980′s, big hair, sunny window seats, short skirts, the internet, dry wit, social networks, octopi, great stories, skulls – particularly orbital bones and teeth, new drinks & dark beer, theology, philosophy, organization, minimization, bonsai trees, feng shui, karma, tides, chi, sharing, other languages & cultures, outer space, satire, nebulae, black holes, quantum foam jitters, construction, empty buildings, faded colors, abandoned cars, truth, moist dirt, baby grass, cities, public transit, crushed glass, road trips, using chopsticks, dreams, sentinel pine trees, staying up late, hieroglyphs, calligraphy, graffiti, art history, archeology, psychology, finding forgotten money in a pocket, anthropology, bridges, nowhere country, mountains, rivers, kayaking, mythology, rock climbing, friends, family & our ability to act – just to name a few :)

How did you get started?

I ate a crayon when I was 6 months old while Jess started drawing before she could walk. There was no other way to start, really, it’s just what was supposed to happen. (See also BIO below)

What are your goals for the future?

Make make make, Do do do. Explore, travel, love, befriend, show show show.

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may 2nd // dna galleries grand opening

One year ago, we announced our move and began a huge remodel on the former mattress factory at 1709 NW 16th st.

Come celebrate our re-opening! During the day, the gallery will be hosting a catered coffee bar from 11-3 by Cafe Evoke, 10% off all retail merchandise storewide (excludes gallery art) and 50 grab bags of merchandise for the first customers who spend $10 or more.

At 7pm, the group art exhibit will kick off with a catered bar, DJ and live art and screen printing out front. Limited edition shirts will be available only during this event. The group show will feature “drop” shapes that mimic DNA’s “Support Local Art’ logo. Each piece was cut out of wood salvaged from our old location and given to 30 different local artists to customize.

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april 12th // katie rake & eli scott

This month, we are ecstatic to show some brand new collaborative works by our old friends Katie and Eli! We are currently in our new space (1709 NW 16th St. west of the old place) which has an entire wall seperate from the retail to fill with their original watercolors, etchings & drawings. Limited edition copies of “The Holey Kids Revival” will be on hand for purchase as well.

We’ve added some incredible local artists to the shop this month as well, come see what’s new!

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closed until april first // moving next door

As of today we are closing the doors at our current location and moving next door into the former mattress factory! It has been a life altering experience watching our dreams and the district come up from our former home/storefront since 2007. We will be re-opening April 1st at 11am for our regular hours and announcing our grand opening celebration directly after.

In the mean time you can visit our online shop

Bare with us as we make this exciting transition to a larger space with an actual gallery! Support Local Art.

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march 7th – moving sale & works by jack fowler

We are finally ready to close business at our current location and relocate next door! It’s been 4 years of good friends, great memories, and big growth. Please join us this Friday as we have our final 2nd Friday in 1705B, featuring small works by local artist Jack Fowler and a tons of sale merchandise in the back.

Thank you for supporting us throughout the years, we look forward to seeing you at our new location starting April 1st!

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february 8th – jason pawley

Friday February 8th we are so excited to share the works of Jason Pawley (your favorite Mule bartender and owner of Pines Primitive clothing) along with John Young, an emerging local artist.

Jason has been refining his signature style with bright layers of color and bold brush techniques. Pawley creates a brightness and depth which is true eye candy for the viewer. If you look closely, there are small hidden concepts and drawings enmeshed in most of his work that become part of the larger piece.

John Young is more of a new-comer on our radar. His work has a rough sketchbook quality to it. His recent series “Doodling & Noodling: biomorphic abstractions from the right side” requires you to engage up close to see the detail unfold.

We are also gearing up for Valentines Day in the shop with lots of new handmade apparel, gifts and accessories. All of our gifts for this holiday are made locally with love so give with meaning and Support your local artists!

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new works by alesa clymer &
“driving against balance” by jamie pettis
january 11th

We will be featuring 2 incredibly talented ladies next Friday for the Plaza art walk. Alesa Clymer is a recent graduate of UCO whose humerous characterized illustrations reflect her geek pride. Jamie Pettis is an Oklahoma expat living in Arizona. She creates richly colored female figures that blend abstracted forms with the subjects features.

In the shop we have been working to refresh our products for the new year and upcoming move. We have a selection of shirts marked down for a limited time.
Hope you enjoyed your friends and family, we look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Please take a minute to read our artist questionnaires below.

alesa clymer: artist questionnare

How would you describe your work?
My work fits into the category of the Lowbrow art movement, or Pop Surrealism. I describe my work as illustrations that narrate my own satirical sense of humor and geek pride.

What inspires you?
The inspirations that guide my work consist of dialogue with friends and family and the art that is found in comics and cartoons, computer and console games, and movies and tv series. I find humor in everything and I am easily inspired to create from common pleasures.

How did you get started?
In elementary school, I caught on quick that other people enjoyed my stories and drawings and I began writing and illustrating my own short stories on scratch paper. I stuck with my interest in art throughout primary school and continued my education at the University of Central Oklahoma, obtaining a BFA. I still feel as though I am just getting started although I have been creating my entire life.

What are your goals for the future?
The majority of graduates that get an art degree seem to stop creating once they are done getting their degree, or at least most of the ones that I know have done so. My goals are to never stop creating, and to continue sharing my work.

jamie pettis: artist questionnare

How would you describe your work?
My work is very rich in color. Color is like candy for my eyes, and when I’m creating one of my pieces I get to experience the pure pleasure of seeing that colored image in my head for days.  I love drawing/painting women, and in general, people. I love to capture expression, and after much diligence feel as though I’ve near mastered the difficult ability to capture eyes, noses, and mouths (ears, too). When drawing people I do not stop in realism. I add to those pieces with my own free, abstract expressions of color, and flowing lines and edges. I really have no plans when I create. It’s all very retrospect. I find when I think too hard about ‘making’ something, I stand still.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by truth. Whenever asked to state one of those little quotations that describes me, I always respond with ‘Sit in the truth’. However, I can’t take credit for the quote; an old therapist of mine said it to me once. This last year I’ve made a lot of changes in my life towards my goals and wants. One thing that has become very apparent to me is that I must be exactly what it is I want to be in this life. For awhile I became caught up in what looks good for a career, and became driven by the fear of finances. With this came a lot of unhappiness and dissatisfaction because for me my dreams will never just go away. In turn, I had to get real with myself and take a leap of faith towards my own personal truth a big part of which has been a greater pursuance of my art. With this said, all of this has been a major driving force in my most recent work, and it has fueled me to only become even more honest with myself as a person. In turn, I am moved to pass it on to others through my work in hopes to inspire them to do the same in their own lives.

How did you get started?
Growing up my dad use to take us to his art studio every Saturday in downtown Holdenville, Oklahoma, population around 5,700 (last time I checked). My dad was a lawyer, but also an artist. It was interesting because this art studio (which was built originally as an office in the early 1900′s) looked just like a historic New York City loft. My dad would draw in rich oil pastels, and us kids would use whatever medium we could get our hands on and go at it. Interestingly enough, that set in motion the style in art that I would adapt later, and also my love for Manhattan. Coincidentally, Manhattan played a major in my style after spending a summer there doing  an internship for Marc Jacobs. I majored in fashion design in college, and the fashion rendering classes I took, as well as working for Marc Jacobs, had an underlying influence on my hand.

What are your goals for the future?
My goals for the future? In the long term I want to be painting, making music, and acting full time. Someone told me once that I’m a ‘triple threat’ (I think that’s what they called it). I want all 3 of these things very much (and I’ve been involved with all 3 of these things throughout my life), and can never decided to pursue only one. These goals have been the same ever since I can remember….In the short term, I would like to start showing my work in galleries in Los Angeles, as well as make an appearance in Juxtapoz magazine.

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jerrod smith: november 9th

This month we are hosting local artist and Plaza business owner, Jerrod Smith. Jerrod runs the Society down the street and has done artistic illustration for places around town including Elemental, Cuppies & Joe, Groupfly and many more. He’s bringing us prints of some of the originals just for the show!

As an added bonus we (Amanda & Dylan) are collaborating with Sean Vali on a new fresh piece. The “canvas” is the super cool and very modern new furniture creation of Larry Pickering called the Adironagami chair. It will be available for silent auction so be ready to bid! We will have a bid sheet on hand but we will also have a Facebook aspect to the silent auction coming soon!

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sean vali: october 12th

Sean Vali is a hard guy to nail down for a show, but we caught him in between his travels to hang some new works in the shop. Sean likes to collaborate with other artists and is well known in the live art circuit. Just to change things up a bit, we will be collaborating on some live work with Sean out in front of the shop during his opening, more info below. The Plaza District is also teaming up with Fowler VW for a Plaza wide costume contest with Plaza gift cards as prizes! More information about other LIVE events and registration for the contest here: http://www.plazadistrict.org/category/live/

As an added bonus we (Amanda & Dylan) will be collaborating with Sean on a new fresh piece. The “canvas” is the super cool and very modern new furniture creation of Larry Pickering called the Adironagami chair. It will be available for silent auction. Below is the raw steel version.

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m.paul kirby: september 14th

This month we are please to feature busy local artist M. Paul Kirby. You may recognize the infamous “birdie” character he paints or cuts from wood. He has created a very special and exclusive $30 birdie series just for his show at DNA. These are especially targeted to you art collectors on a budget, so come snatch them up, only 30 will available!

Artist Q&A

What inspires you?
Thematically, I’m influenced primarily by my experiences throughout life, by my interactions with other people and by the environment in which we live. The themes within the artwork are delicately intertwined with memories from the past, emotions of the present, and the fears and hopes of the future.I strive to use my work not only as a cathartic tool for myself but as a way to communicate the indefinable feelings of being human. I never felt like it was my job as an artist to always make the viewer feel comfortable, but I do feel obligated to illicit within the viewer something visceral and unexplainable. What is beautiful to one viewer will be grotesque to another, but a very important aspect of being an artist, for me, is to initiate creative and progressive dialogue between different schools of thought. All of my work is an effort to grow and evolve, to rise from the ashes and begin anew, to progress to a higher level of thought, to disconnect and reorganize. Everything inspires me.

What are your goals for the future?
I hope to perfect the art of guacamole making. I’ve found that only the greatest of people make great guacamole. So, when I reach that peak I’ll know I’ve truly become one with the totality of all things.

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