Summertime Shows

Lots to do for summer! The studio is full of works, casting materials, a vat of latex for mold-making, and all the works that will be in shows this summer. In June alone, there are 3: Velocity (in Minnesota), Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts (Michigan), and the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Exhibition(Saginaw, Michigan). Look on sculpturebyttj.com for all the info and links! There will be posts here as the shows and competitions go on, so you Tj-groupies can know which works are getting recognition. (0) Comments

Posted: 4/30/2008 2:15:11 PM

Latest Show

Just finished the showing of the OverHeads at the Methodist church in Grand Rapids. Went well, though not a huge following, of course. Now that it's spring, the sculpture garden is back on the grounds of my property, and the OverHeads are inside. (0) Comments

Posted: 4/7/2008 1:27:09 PM

in the paper again!

In the paper for the second weekend in a row, this time with other artists who helped kick-off a small collaborative gallery in Holland's Washington Square. See it at http://hollandsentinel.com/stories/022908/lifeandstyle_20080229073.shtml Oh, and I will auctioneering this weekend (March 15th) in Grand Rapids at the UICA, an art auction fundraiser for the community arts building. Come on out for the event! see more at their site http://www.uica.org/ (0) Comments

Posted: 3/11/2008 2:00:20 PM

thoughts: In the Press

Check out the article that featured in Local Holland Sentinel Saturday February 16th. Very nicely written article by Denise Galloway (writer for Holland Sentinel). Click here: http://hollandsentinel.com/stories/021608/lifeandstyle_20080216075.shtml (0) Comments

Posted: 2/18/2008 10:54:35 AM

thoughts: In the Press

Check out the article that featured in local Holland Sentinel Saturday February 16th. Very nicely written article by Denise Galloway (writer for Holland Sentinel). Click here: http://hollandsentinel.com/stories/021608/lifeandstyle_20080216075.shtml (0) Comments

Posted: 2/18/2008 10:54:26 AM

February

By the end of this month, there will be weekly, if not daily, postings about what's going on in the studio, projects coming out, and new works being released. Keep a sharp eye! (0) Comments

Posted: 2/12/2008 1:37:02 PM

thoughts: Into January now

So it's a new year, the month of January starts again. The December Gallery show was interesting, somewhat successful, and took a lot of time. No sales generated from it, but lots of ideas, such as publishing a coffee-table book of the works and their write-ups. I am pursuing this with local publishing company, Zondervan. Anywhere I can find a group of Christian artists of high quality original ideas that are a part of an online community would be great. I need to network with them to get this body of work out there. Sold a few pewter maquettes from the Nikes series from some magazine ads, but not worth the cost of advertising so far. Last one sold was a "Bug" in Norway on the website. I think I will focus on VW for a while and market to the enthusiasts, write about my "Bug" piece and the Beetle's design. After that, I'll focus on another piece for a while, blog about it, market it, etc. See where that goes. January. Hmmph. Never move fast enough to stay ahead of the game. -PR for Tj (0) Comments

Posted: 1/4/2008 1:39:26 PM

articles: On the Air

Tj was on the air! Hear his interview with local Morning Show host Shelley Irwin of WGVU radio 88.5 FM (1480 AM). The show aired Wednesday Dec. 5th. Go to http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/590307/fullsize/tj.mp3 to hear the 13-minute interview. Below is the press release on Tj's site about the radio interview, written by Victoria White, Tj's PR guru: ART ON THE AIR The Morning Show on WGVU public radio hosted Tj Aitken Wednesday to hear about his artwork. During the 2 hour show, host Shelley Irwin interviewed Aitken about his works, his current gallery exhibit and the nature of his pieces. Irwin’s show daily hosts local and national figures in the fine arts, performing arts, cooking, and many other vital elements of Culture in the community. In West Michigan this time of year faith and religion are frequent topics for the arts. Aitken’s works and the show he is currently presenting takes on this topic, but in a haunting, bold, sculptural fashion. The series called OverHeads carries the motto “What’s in your worship?” and each piece in the series embodies a different idol, or distraction from true worship. On the air, Irwin allowed Aitken to voice a little of the statement this series of work makes for him. Aitken was pleased to be a part of the show Wednesday morning as it is his mission to bring art to people, and people to art. On that note, Aitken offers an open invitation to the public to view his exhibit for the last time this year, this Friday and Saturday. The OverHeads exhibit is on display at the Holland Civic Theater Friday night, December 7th, 4-9 pm, and Saturday December 8th from 10 am to 9 pm. Aitken’s 13-minute interview with host Shelley Irwin from WGVU radio 88.5 FM, 1480 AM can be heard on his website, or at http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/590307/fullsize/tj.mp3. WGVU’s website lists the daily topics and guests at http://www.wgvu.org/radio/, where it is also possible to listen to live streaming radio. Tj Aitken’s website offers a photo tour of the OverHeads exhibit, as well as his other series of works, and even has a gift shop with great holiday gift ideas. For more see www.Sculpturebytj.com. (0) Comments

Posted: 12/6/2007 10:31:04 AM

gallery: Civic Center Show released!

The Holland Civic Center, Holland, MI. hosts my artwork. The assemblages representing spiritual concepts are very different than my modeled forms. Most of the pieces are accompanied by a plaque describing the spiritual phenomena being illustrated. Visitors to the gallery opening night were surprised to read my writings about each piece, and to find out that I authored the meditations on the spiritual topics. Concepts in the series include "Appetite", "High Flying Expectations", and "Shielded Heart". For me, the exhibit “What’s in your worship?” represents a challenge to the conservative religious community. The message is as much outreach as artwork for the Without Walls Vineyard, the church sponsoring this event. One member of pastoral staff commented “it is a very in-your-face message, and we’re fine with that.” Whether viewers find it convicting, intriguing, or merely outrageous, nearly all visitors will surely echo those passing through Tuesday night at the exhibit’s opening, heard saying “interesting!” and a handful actually identified the automotive components giving the series its name: Overheads. The show will be up Dec. 1st, and Dec. 7th & 8th only. Feedback on the works is most welcome! Either as comments here on the blog, or to my email: info@sculpturebytj.com. Thank you! -TJ Aitken Free Image Hosting by ImageCave.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/30/2007 10:04:38 AM

I'm excited about this exhibit

This exhibit will be great! I am excited to show this series of my artwork live, as well as using PowerPoint to help explain more about each piece. Free Image Hosting by ImageCave.com (2) Comments

Posted: 11/20/2007 9:52:32 AM

articles: Sculpture Exhibit

PARADE FLOAT MARCHES TO BEAT OF UNUSUAL SCULPTURE EXHIBIT From 2007 Eye on the Artist award winner Tj Aitken comes art that is not for the wimpy: “What’s in your Worship?” is the question asked by the OverHead series from Tj Aitken’s studio. This is a group of multi-media statements that have specific messages about spiritual conditions. They do include automotive parts like his other works but they resemble primitive tribal objects more closely than cars. This event is sponsored by Without Walls Vineyard, but, Tj says “it is definitely not your standard Christian symbolism.” Aitken’s work my challenge conservative Christians who view these objects as idolic icons that do not glorify God. But that is his point: “These are about the human condition that we bring with us to the task of worship, and some of us worship our cars.” From wall relief to mobile, to free standing, the haunting faces made from shredded tires and car overhead consoles are all similar in size but create a diverse collection. All contain interior parts from cars, many use tires, wires, and leather, even plastic and wood. The full standing pieces use a lot of natural wood. The “Imperfect Vessel” is a large wooden vase with oddly natural looking plant forms that are constructed from tires. Without Walls Vineyard has a float in the Holland Parade of Lights on Tuesday the 27th to introduce people to the sculpture show. Masked Characters will be handing out invitations to see the work. The Holland Civic Center hosts Tj’s exhibit and is at the end of the parade route, directly adjacent to the Kerstmarkt, where shoppers can find artistic gifts. The show includes multimedia projection, free-standing and wall relief OverHead sculptures, and posters will be available. Tj Aitken’s sculptures will be on display at the Holland Civic Center (in Downtown Holland, Michigan) Tues. Nov 27th 4-9 pm, Sat. Dec 1st 4-9 pm, Fri. Dec. 7th 4- 9 pm, Sat. Dec 8th 10am-9pm For more information, contact Sculpture By Tj Phone: 616/283-3193 E-mail: info@sculpturebytj.com Web: www.SculptureByTj.com Free Image Hosting by ImageCave.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/20/2007 9:11:52 AM

articles: Seductive Classics Embodied

Artist Defines Attraction The classic sexy eyelid of the headlamp bezel, the tail fin and rear bumper details, and the beautiful merger of fender to body side with trim pieces –a 1957 Chevrolet is unmistakable to anyone in the Baby Boomer generation, as would be a ‘57 Ford Thunderbird, a ‘58 Corvette, or a ‘59 Cadillac Eldorado. The reason these have become classics is buried in their design elements, says artist Tj Aitken. A new wave of automotive art is emerging from the former auto design sculptor in West Michigan. His piece titled Boomer’s Nike takes all the classic pieces of the ‘57 Chevy and compresses them into one winged form. Tj describes his composition, “This piece is not a car. It is a monument to the design that has won the hearts of several generations of car guys.” He has an entire Nikes series out to win the hearts of the car guys who grew up with their Chevy crushes and Thunderbird sweethearts. Classic Cars as Artistic Inspiration Aitken’s favorite cars evoke statements, he says, about their times and their themes. As icons for his generation, Aitken’s five Nikes sculptures are his expression of these statements. Bird uses the trim little fins of the ‘57 Thunderbird combined with the port hole hard top profile to create a powerful flying form tucked and diving on its prey. Isn’t that the power of the iconic Thunder Bird? Aitken’s Road Rocket piece takes the most powerful of the cold war ballistic car designs and condenses the fuselage and exhaust port ideas into a launching icon worthy of use at devcon 4! A ‘59Cadillac Eldoradoside panel would be right at home in the Air Force desert bone yard, but instead is seen slammed gracefully into this dynamic sculpture. Buzz Around, Aitken identifies “is what we all wanted to do in a little sports car.” The wonderful molded deck and side panels of an early Corvette were masterfully modeled “to excite our sense of freedom of movement in a cute sexy package” says Aitken about the car he based this work on, “that deck lid is full figured, and the coves in the side surely vent the heat of our passion”. Vette enthusiasts worldwide can identify with these emotions as they experience the sculpture. Aitken’s fifth piece in the Nikes series is less sleek and sexy, more organically cute: Bug is so insect-like that people may not even realize that its construction is all components from the old style VW Beetle. Tj explains “the reason this car was so popular for so long was the continuity of these design elements which all said ‘friendly cartoon insect,’ right down to the butterfly wing sections illustrated in relief on the hood and deck lid panels”. The piece in its 5 foot high, 10 foot wingspan form preys on Aitken’s lawn at his home in Holland, Michigan right beside the 7 foot high Boomer’s Nike Monumental. Tj Aitken has worked in automotive design locally and internationally. He now works full time on creating, producing and marketing his art when he is not consulting, speaking or performing his original musical compositions. http://www.sculpturebytj.com/ showcases his work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like more information about these pieces please call Tj: 616/283-3193 or e-mail: info@sculpturebytj.com or visit http://www.sculpturebytj.com/ . (1) Comments

Posted: 11/8/2007 3:55:49 PM

articles: Win This -The Trophy Goes to....the Best Trophy!

The Art of the Trophy: Little chromed figures with mold seams, atop an assembly of shiny stuff on faux stone. We now give out some cheesy version of this object like candy in our children’s programs. Or, antithetically, the crusty remnant of an event that has no aesthetic appeal apart from its direct connection to an event, such as the sentimental ancient battle artifact, or scrap of material[i]. Then there is taxidermy, the scalp, the precious piece of history[ii], and of course the “trophy wife”. Trophy Roots: The word trophy comes from the Latin word for “monument to victory”,[iii] indicating someone has achieved high status and bested others in competition. Homage to the winged goddess of victory: “Nike” survives in winged figures. Trophies Today: In today’s mass-produced, plastic world it is unusual to see a truly artistic trophy object. It is cheap and easy to obtain a bobble for those who just want to “bring home the chrome.” Artifacts are fine for, say, the 6 guys who pass around the 1972 Grumbousky shirt sleeve, torn off as he made the winning play, but they are not much to look at (or smell). If an organization wants something of more value, commissioning a craftsman to produce an object directly related to the event is a noble but expensive undertaking, and many are pretty awful, with bad art. The huge trophy industry has some new methods of making fine objects, but mostly feeds our need to promote physical competition. What of other forms of competition? Cars –Modern Trophies That Win Trophies: Car guys spend significant time, money and energy seeking, working on, restoring, sooping up, ogling, and being consumed with their prized rides, which are in themselves trophy objects. One artist has crafted a series specifically to capture this phenomenon. “The Nikes” By T.J. Aitken is a series of sculpture from severed and reassembled components of classic cars. These can be seen at www.SculptureByTJ.com. He plays on the idea of the goddess Nike, herself a trophy image, now a relic of the history books. The reassembled car parts form a winged shape, like the last scrap remaining of a war-torn Nike idol, these car-part idols commemorate the trophy-collecting, ride-pimping, Baby-Boomer car enthusiasts. The Best Trophy Concept: A Contest Who would you give the trophy to for best trophy? What wacky types of competitions are being held, and what is the trophy? If the “Best Trophy” competition were held what would be the criteria? Some possibilities: beauty, rarity, relevance, preciousness, design, unusual, unique, telling, lasting, and maybe heraldic and somehow spiritually symbolic and celebratory. Tj wants your stories and evidence of really cool trophies. Please post (especially pictures) to trophycontest@sculpturebytj.com. Tj will award a pewter Nike to the best submissions and post the entrants on the site. Tj Aitken has worked in automotive design locally and internationally. He now works full time on producing and marketing his art when he is not consulting, speaking or performing his original music. http://www.sculpturebytj.com/ showcases his work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like more information about these pieces please call Tj: 616/283-3193, email him: info@sculpturebytj.com or visit http://www.sculpturebytj.com/. [i]A piece of history from Scottish ancestry is a “Han Ba”. Many townspeople in Jedburgh, Scotland have a “Han Ba” on a shelf. This small lumpy hand-made leather orb was fought over by the town’s participants and thrown over a goal at one end of the city by an ancestor of its owner. This annual event has been held each year for centuries like the running of the bulls, and the “Han Ba” awarded to an individual who “hailed” the trophy itself (got it over the goal). The hailed object was originally an Englishman’s head from a battle in the Scottish border wars! [ii] Like the splinters of the cross at old churches around the world that, when added together, would weigh ten times what a single roman cross possibly could. Hmm…. But the event creating salvation from eternal hell (losing forever with great pain!) is worth commemorating! The Romans did line the victory parade with the crucified enemy. Imagine if they had injection molding machines! (Forgive a digression.) [iii] From http://www.info.com/ 10/19/07 http://reference.info.com/reference?qkw=trophies&source_id=2222&source_key=Trophy: tro·phy (trô 'fç) n., pl. -phies. [French trophée, from Old French trophee, from Latin trophaeum, monument to victory, variant of tropaeum, from Greek tropaion, from neuter of tropaios, of defeat, from tropç, a turning, rout.] Free Image Hosting by ImageCave.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/8/2007 3:44:23 PM

articles: Monuments to Design

Sculptures Compress Classic Cars into Winged Forms Chevy ignites, Bug fans flame Artist Tj Aitken designed a sculpture using components of a 57 Chevy years ago. Working with models and wax on a Maquette, he was doing a layout for a larger scale model of the piece when a friend asked this fateful question: Could you store this Chevy that I am going to restore next spring? Oh Baby! Full size at his disposal for 4 months! The project was now official. Tj pulled molds and the piece became a full sized work of art. Still considered a study, the “Boomer’s Nike” is a free standing 7 foot high monument to the design of the 57. Next came the Bug, which was done in Maquette, then in pedestal size, and Monumental. For the monument Tj used his own ragged 54 Beetle just prior to restoration body work by a friend he traded it to. He currently has a collector willing to loan his early Corvette parts car and is scheduling the construction of the “Buzz Around”. To complete the Nikes series, Tj will take molds from a 59 Cadillac and a 57 Thunderbird (so anyone who’d offer to loan theirs for this project could be famous!) Www.SculptureByTj.com showcases and offers opportunity to buy the works of Tj Aitken, and offers information about sculpture, creativity management, cars and car art. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like more information about these pieces to purchase or display them, please call 616/283-3193 or e-mail info@sculpturebytj.com. Visit www.SculptureByTj.com Free Image Hosting by ImageCave.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/8/2007 3:38:13 PM

articles: Classics Inspire

Sculptures Compress Classic Cars into Winged Forms Chevy ignites, Bug fans flame Artist Tj Aitken designed a sculpture using components of a 57 Chevy years ago. Working with models and wax on a Maquette, he was doing a layout for a larger scale model of the piece when a friend asked this fateful question: Could you store this Chevy that I am going to restore next spring? Oh Baby! Full size at his disposal for 4 months! The project was now official. Tj pulled molds and the piece became a full sized work of art. Still considered a study, the “Boomer’s Nike” is a free standing 7 foot high monument to the design of the 57. Next came the Bug, which was done in Maquette, then in pedestal size, and Monumental. For the monument Tj used his own ragged 54 Beetle just prior to restoration body work by a friend he traded it to. He currently has a collector willing to loan his early Corvette parts car and is scheduling the construction of the “Buzz Around”. To complete the Nikes series, Tj will take molds from a 59 Cadillac and a 57 Thunderbird (so anyone who’d offer to loan theirs for this project could be famous!) Www.SculptureByTj.com showcases and offers opportunity to buy the works of Tj Aitken, and offers information about sculpture, creativity management, cars and car art. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you would like more information about these pieces to purchase or display them, please call 616/283-3193 or e-mail info@sculpturebytj.com. Visit www.SculptureByTj.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/8/2007 3:28:00 PM

articles: Artist Emerges

Sculptor Publishes Hidden Works, Quits Auto design TjAitken grew up north of Detroit and came there to work in the seventies. He built Cadillacs and Mustangs, worked in die models and show prototypes and then went to Eastern Michigan Universityfor a BFA in sculpture cum laud. He founded his first studio business in Colorado doing museum replicas and his own sculpture, winning shows in Vail and Denver. However life turned him back to Michigan and automotive design. Tjmanaged 3D design for interiors for many years. This did not fulfill the creative need though, so he built his studio and began sculpting again. In the late 90s he took his family on assignment to Europe to set up studios and build design teams there. He developed Aesthetic analysis tools for both the auto industry and for abstract sculpture, and studied creativity management, inventing new tools for business He lectured at University of Hertfordshire School of Art and Design and worked with studios in Milan, Turin, Wolfsburg, Munich, and Coventry. This allowed him to study the art masters in Europe and gave him new perspective on Americans, and his generation’s view. Returning to the states, his studio work combined his portraiture and car sculpting interests into a single theme of work: “The Impact of the Auto on Human society”.. Though business trained his first love is sculpture. The hidden works from 2 decades are now coming out of his studio starting with the “Nikes”series, portraits of classic cars from the Boomer’s experience. Now Tom is sculpting full time, casting bronzes, and producing pieces in both large and small scales. More information can be found at www.sculpturebytj.com (0) Comments

Posted: 11/8/2007 3:20:07 PM