“Common Courtesy”

Patrick Griffin

July 9 – July 30 2011

The Journal Gallery is pleased to present “Common Courtesy,” an exhibition of paintings by Patrick Griffin.

For his second solo exhibition at The Journal Gallery, Griffin collected, categorized and scanned discarded “thank you” bags from bodegas, liquor stores, restaurants and trash cans, which he then meticulously rendered on canvas and wood panel. The resulting paintings form a series of subtle variations on a found lexicon of mass consumed images and designs.

The works in “Common Courtesy” transform the overlooked aesthetics of detritus—New York City’s grocery and take-out containers—into a carefully rendered taxonomy, an ode to the disposable. Bouquets of translucent red flowers fold in on themselves and distorted faces form twisted grins; expressions of common courtesy (Thank You! Come Again!) are barely recognizable in the folds of crumpled plastic bags. From plastic to canvas, cheaply printed signage to hand-painted figures, the mass produced decorative is made abstract, and ephemera becomes permanent.

Born in Houston, Texas, Patrick Griffin lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been included in group exhibitions nationally, including a two-person show, “Come on Vacation Leave on Probation,” at Space Gallery, San Francisco, CA, “Postermat,” at The Hole, New York City; “Cadaver Corpse” at Golden Age, Chicago. IL, and internationally, including “Off, Off Bowery,” at Colette, Paris, France, and “NY Minute,” curated by Kathy Grayson at Macro Future with the Depart Foundation, Rome, Italy. Griffin’s solo exhibitions include “Count Thy Buttons” at The Journal Gallery, and “Human Remains” at Hamburger Eyes Photo Center, San Francisco, CA. Patrick Griffin’s work was also included in the group exhibition “Salad Days,” at The Journal Gallery in Fall 2010.

Smiley faces- each piece , acrylic on wooden panel, 24×18 inches

“SAY IT WITH FLOWERS” -acrylic on wood panel, 34×40 inches

“A NICE DAY” – acrylic on wood panel, 34x 29 inches

“FLOWER BOUQUET” -acrylic on wood panel, 80×32 inches

“FLOWERS AND GRAPES” -acrylic on canvas, 8×16 inches

“BRONZE STRIPES” -acrylic on canvas, 8×16 inches

“GOLD STRIPES” -acrylic on canvas, 8×16 inches

“GOLD STRIPES”  -acrylic on canvas, 6×10 inches

“SILVER STRIPES” -acrylic on canvas, 20×16 inches

“CRUMPLED BRONZE STRIPES” -acrylic on canvas, 18×14 inches

“NEIGHBORHOOD STORE” – Gouache on wooden panel, 12×12 inches

1 1/4 inch soft enamel pin designed for the show.

Get a Rope
curated by Kathy Grayson

Terence Koh
Slava Mogutin
Aurel Schmidt
Dash Snow
Patrick Griffin
Aaron Bondaroff
Nico Dios
Ry Fyan

February 27 – April 18, 2009

“country music” acrylic on canvas with bull horns

“Unique New York” 3 paintings acrylic on canvas

for more info: www.CTRLGallery.com

Invite: I designed these 1 1/2 inch Soft enamel pins.

IT AIN’T FAIR
Art Basel 2008
December 2 – December 7, 2008
3100 NW 7 Avenue / Miami / Florida / 33127

Featuring Deitch Projects, Peres Projects, Nueva Galeria De La Barra, A.S.S. Gallery, A.M.P., Picturebox and TV Books with curators Tim Barber, Kathy Grayson, Andreas Melas, Dan Nadel, Pablo de la Barra, Nicola Vassell and Terence Koh.

Aaron Bondaroff, New York City’s “Downtown Don”, brings his expansive community of artists, musicians, and weirdos to IT AIN’T FAIR. The second exhibition in Bondaroff and Al Moran’s groundbreaking O.H.W.O.W. space in the “West of Wynwood” district, this watershed project gets celebrated curators Tim Barber, Kathy Grayson, Andreas Melas, Dan Nadel, Pablo de la Barra, Nicola Vassell and Terence Koh to activate their various teams of artists in a huge multimedia exhibition featuring painting, sculpture, video and performance from artists all over the world with a focus on downtown Manhattan.

Over thirty artists contributed to this exhibition which included a curated warehouse film series and a nightclub in the adjoining space that featured performances by The Gossip, A.R.E. Weapons, and Spankrock, just to name a few. Some of the featured artists at IT AIN’T FAIR included Tauba Auerbach, Stefan Bondell, Scott Campbell, Dan Colen, Phil Frost, Patrick Griffin, Evan Gruzis, Ben Jones, Terence Koh, Nate Lowman, Ryan McGinley, Slava Mogutin, Takeshi Murata, Jason Nocito, Ara Peterson, Aurel Schmidt, Shinique Smith, Agathe Snow, Dash Snow, Francine Spiegel, Kon Trubkovich, Solange

installation shot of my “no” paintings on imposter leather wall

Click here for

“Count Thy Buttons” August 14 2008 at the Journal Gallery Brooklyn, NY

custom hard enamel 1 inch pin made specifically for the show.

wood, acrylic, and resin

canvas and wood panels. mounted on fraudulent leather

opening performance by “TV Baby” members of A.R.E. Weapons

my photo of Matt performing

my mother

the following are images from ENTRY 24 of “the Journal magazine”.

this “leather jacket for your leather jacket” 1 inch hard enamel pin came to subscribers with “entry 24″

photo: Kathy Lo

collaged photos of painting on pictures of leather.

these are the ones that werent used.

heaven in a black leather jacket.