Michael O'Keefe Art

John Rosa "Cubist Figure Lounging" 2000 Ink on paper 11"x8" unframed Signed and dated in ink lower left

Kristen Newell (American, b. 1989) Four Three Two One, 2015 Stoneware, porcelain and acrylic Signed and dated on bottom 16 x 15 x 14 inches Kristen Newell was born in a small town on the coast of Massachusetts, where from a very early age, she demonstrated a strong propensity for the arts. Important additional inspiration came from her family and from the family of a childhood friend, where Kristen found herself surrounded by the work of Paul Manship, her friend’s grandfather and one of America’s greatest sculptors. With increased focus on her art, along with winning numerous awards throughout high school, Newell eagerly enrolled in the arts program at University of Vermont and augmented her studies with a valuable year at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Upon graduation, Newell moved back to Cleveland to begin her art career and started participating in group shows, including River Gallery and the Ohio State...

This untitled work by Rick Sindt was inspired by the works of Paul Cadmus. It is a small graphite drawing of two male nude figures with both of their faces somewhat obscured during an intimate moment. The graph lines often used by artist are still visible to distinguish between the photographic elements of a Polaroid photo and this actual drawing. The piece is framed in a white float frame measuring 12.5h x 10.5w inches. Rick Sindt Untitled - After Cadmus graphite on panel 10h x 8w in 25.40h x 20.32w cm Shifting the historic male gaze into a male-on-male gaze, this body of work anchors its exploration of queer culture in relationships and introspection. Beginning with a survey of several photo archives, I overwhelmingly encountered pictures that fit into two distinct categories: spectacular demonstrations or public displays of sexuality. All of these images were overtly political. Then, I began to find a subset of more intimate images. Typically, these were images submitted by loved ones or donated to foundations after someone’s death. These images depicted common, tender scenes. Working my way through these images, I reflected on D. A. Miller’s assertion that gay identity, to which we have entrusted our politics and ethics, stands in an essentially reductive relation to the queer desires on which it is based. And David Halperin’s argument that, “identity has become the preferred category for thinking about homosexuality. Moreover, it has been promoted at the direct expense of pleasure or feelings or subjectivity.” This left me asking the questions: how is queer culture transmitted if not genealogically? Is there a universal queer experience? What is queer sensibility and subjectivity and can it be visually represented? In the body of work submitted here, black and white graphite drawings maintain a Polaroid scale referencing the found historical photographs on which they are based, oil paintings provide isolated moments of feeling as they investigate questions about queer dispositions in a contemporary setting, and a few key sketches provide insight into how a few individual inquiries began. Rick Sindt b. 1990, Hastings, MN, EDUCATION 2013 North Park University, Chicago, IL - BFA Magna Cum Laude SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2016 Two Countries, Rogue Philanthropy, Chicago, IL 2013 Tides, Erosion or Catch, Pull, Recover; The-One-Right-Now, North Park University; Chicago, IL GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2016 Are We Not of Interest to Each Other, Uptown Arts Center, Chicago, IL Reinventing Ourselves From Another Point-of-View, Contemporary Gallery at Zhou B. Arts Center, Chicago, IL Collective: Process, Beans and Bagels, Chicago, IL 2015 Collective: for(a)ging, Hammond Art Center; Hammond, IN How We Make It, The Arts of Life, Chicago, IL Collective: One, Albany Park...

Carved reclaimed wood bust sculpture exploring fractured identity, memory and the symbolic wound through expressive figurative portraiture. The Wound That Precedes Me (La Herida Que...

Figurative abstract cubist style drawing in an antique wood frame, inspired by artwork by Graham Sutherland “Sutherland Project VII” by Hudson Valley artist, David Dew Bruner, made ...

"Knit" by Rick Sindt is a small graphite drawing of two male nude figures. The faces are somewhat obscured as we view this intimate moment. The graph lines often used by artist are...

Tire d’aile (with Natacha) is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 115 × 43 × 30 cm (45.2 × 16.9 × 11.8 in). This scul...

"Daniel #1" is a graphite drawing by Rick Sindt. The two figures, one naked, one fully clothed, are standing in a doorway inviting the viewer in. The graphite is reminiscent of the...

This work encapsulates Zura's deep exploration of the human form, rendered with raw immediacy and emotional resonance. The sculpture’s sensuous curves and rough, tactile surface invi...

This untitled work by Rick Sindt is a small graphite drawing of two male figures with their backs to the viewer. Their focus is something out of our viewin...

Joel D. Sager (b. 1980) is a contemporary American painter of landscapes, still-life and portraiture. Often drawing on such standard subject matter with economy and singularity— a so...

Academic style life drawing of female nude with charcoal and graphite by Mark Beard, "MB 017" graphite, Conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 22 inches unframed Signed, lowe...