RAW Ventura 2012 Visual Artist of the Year Award!

VC BUZZ ARTICLE LINK:

Meet Jonathan Blackburn, Ventura’s Visual Artist of the Year. As a commercial digital artist for over 10 years, Blackburn has focused his body of work in Multimedia/Web/Graphic/Print and Brand Design. His designs combine photography, custom Photoshop brush design blending and implement traditional painting, pop-art, mixed media and street art mediums that are transformed to create colorful, wild and vivid collage-style expressions. “I was exceptionally interested in music and the arts and spent most of my teenage years drawing, writing and drumming for bands to express ideas that were trapped up waiting to find a voice. Maybe that’s why you see me incorporating so many ideas, collages and wild color explorations in my art,” says Blackburn.

Aside from winning the Ventura RAW Visual Artist of the Year, Blackburn was the top runner up in the 2011 Chicago Fringe Festival Logo Design Contest, as well as a 2nd place in the 2011 Ventura County Fair’s Professional Arts Dept Design Competition (Digital Arts Division).

“It’s humbling and it really means the world to me to have the exposure and placement that I have had through RAW Showcasing,” says Blackburn. “The Networking, branching out to new cities and the pleasure of being a part of something that you can share your story with others makes me grateful.”
Moving forward, Blackburn has some new ideas in the works, “I have been entertaining the notion to create new and interesting 3 dimensional pieces based off of my original artwork and incorporate free-floating metal frames or wall hangings that connect 4″x4″ squares of the entire piece into an “exploded view” sculpture.” He is also participating in a few professional gallery showcases in the coming year.

Blackburn’s professional portfolio can be found at: jonblackburn.sqsp.com
As well as his company profile and online digital community: www.Darklineink.com

RAW Ventura County Rawards

RAW Artists Presents - The Blend - Ventura, CA

Tickets available at www.RAWartists.org

Presale $10: Make sure to select the artist you are supporting from the drop down menu! That's Jonathan Blackburn / Stylus - $15 at the door. THIS IS MY FIRST BIG ARTIST SHOWCASE!!! Please come out & Support!

For tickets direct:
Click on "Buy Tickets"
Don't forget to pick the artist you are supporting
(Jonathan Blackburn/Stylus) from the dropdown list or I won't get credit!

www.RAWartists.org/ventura/theblend

DETAILS:

RAW:natural born artists is an independent arts organization that hand-selects and spotlights independent creatives in visual art, film, fashion, music, hair & makeup artistry, photography, models and performing art.

RAW events are multi-faceted artistic showcases. Each event features a musical performance, fashion show, art gallery, performance art and a featured hairstylist and makeup artist. These artists are all local, hand-picked talent who have been chosen to feature at RAW.

HOSTED BY BONNIE MCINTOSH
DJ: PZOI

::::FEATURED ARTISTS::::

::MUSIC::
-BLACK PARTY POLITICS (www.blackpartypolitics.com)
-SMALL TOWN ZEROS (http://www.facebook.com/smalltownzeros)

::FILM::
-JOEL PERKINS (http://www.youtube.com/saintshifty)

::SPOKEN WORD::
-GILL SOTU (www.gillsotu.com)

::MAKEUP::
-ST Makeup Designs (http://stmakeup.weebly.com/

::HAIR::
-LISA GRAY (http://www.rawartists.org/hooliganlu)

::FASHION::
-GIRLIE GIRL (http://www.etsy.com/shop/GirlieGirlbySLS)

::ACCESSORIES::
-ELEVEN 13 (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ELEVEN13)
-SANDRO SANCHEZ (http://www.etsy.com/shop/suhbounaturals)

::VISUAL ARTS::
-ARNOLD ANTHONY OROSCO (http://aaorosco805.tumblr.com/)
-ERICA BINNS (http://www.rawartists.org/woodlover1516)
-IN A TRANCE STUDIOS (http://www.inatrancestudios.com/)
-JONATHAN BLACKBURN (http://jonblackburn.sqsp.com/)
-JORDAN POE (http://www.rawartists.org/jordanpoe)
-KNIGHT OWLS (www.flickr.com/thecoldworld)
-MANUEL ANTONIO ZAVALA (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manuel-Antonio-Zavala-Visual-Artist-Photographer/209213699110059)
-MEG HOLLAND (http://www.rawartists.org/meganholland)
-RACHELLE BALL (www.rachelleball.com)
-NEENA (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=661419913)
_TRAVIS SHOREY (http://www.Janketyarts.com/)
-VINCE SIERRA/OPEN IRIS PHOTO (www.openirisphoto.com)

Tickets available at www.RAWartists.org/ventura/theblend

Presale $10: Make sure to select the artist you are supporting from the drop down menu. $15 at the door.

RAW events feature a bar for cocktails while you enjoy the night. Dress code is fashionable attire, so dress the occasion and get ready for an artistic circus of creativity!

RAW's mission is to provide up-and-coming artists of all creative realms with the tools, resources and exposure needed to inspire and cultivate creativity so that they might be seen, heard and loved. RAW educates, connects and exposes emerging artists in artistic communities nationwide through monthly showcase events. Join us in celebrating the work of these artists.

Bombay Bar and Grill
143 S. California St
Ventura CA 93001

Darkline INK Takes On - Art Takes Miami Contest!

This portfolio is part of Art Takes Miami, an art open call awarding $25,000 in Prizes and Exposure, including a Feature Booth at this year's SCOPE Art Show in Miami.

VOTE FOR MY ENTRY!!

The portfolio with the highest of the number of votes and star rating will win the People's Choice Award and receive a $2,500 cash grant and an online feature of my work! The number of votes and star rating will have no affect on the formal judging. The Grand Prize is awarded purely on the merits of the images submitted as decided by our judging panel.

Ventura County Fair - Professional Arts Juried Show

Just got back from dropping of my submission to the Ventura County Fair's - Professional Arts Juried Show. Whew!

As I approached the last week deadline for artwork submissions, I was still in need of custom framing the final Lustre Print from the local print shop, so I started making a few phone calls around the area only to find that "Gallery" framing is way too expensive. In the relm of $260-300. Insane. After running around to a few places with time being the matter at hand (already paid my entry fees online) I had to get my entry framed for the physical delivery to the fair by today. Last week I dropped by a huge corporate outlet for crafts... heh.. won't mention any names for the time being other than the name Starts with a big "M", because of some 60% off custom framing. I though it would be a great idea to take them up on the offer, so I popped in just to find out that "Gallery Framing", once again, was way too overpriced. This must be some sort of monopoly or consripacy in the framing world because nobody in they're right mind would pay over $300 for framing a 18x24" print. Nobody. Luckily I found a VERY nice ready-made frame: deep red mahagony/glass/custom matted... yep all the good stuff I needed. I dropped of the piece and surprisingly recieved a call the next day that it was complete and ready to pick up! Now mind you I have 4-5 days until final submissions. This was cutting it short. Way too short I might add. To make a long story short, I picked up the framed piece just to find the matting was off-center as well as the mounted print! Good thing they ate the cost of re-framing it within 1 day of dropping of the final gallery hung piece.