Mako Sica Update

Photo by Brent Fuscaldo of Mako Sica.

Mako Sica are a great band from Chicago featuring members of the groups Rope and Matnia. Mako Sica played at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue, STL, on Monday, November 3.

In my guise as Tony Renner, experimental electric guitarist, I opened the show.

To hear a couple tracks from Mako Sica click here.

To hear a recording of my performance click here.


T. Renner, "Improvisation for Mako Sica," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".

2 Memento Mori and 2 Memento Mori Prints

T. Renner, "Memento Mori #1," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".


T. Renner, "Print from Memento Mori #1," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".


T. Renner, "Memento Mori #2," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".


T. Renner, "Print from Memento Mori #2," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".

These four pieces will be on display as part of the exhibition "Works on Paper (Chance)" on display from January 16 through March 15 at Subterranean Books, 6275 Delmar in the heart of the Loop in University City, Missouri.

Improvisation for Elvin Jones

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Elvin Jones," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".

Improvisation for Ornette Coleman

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Ornette Coleman," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".

Improvisation for Sun Ra

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Sun Ra," 2008, acrylic on canvas, 10" x 8">

Composition for Cecil Taylor

T. Renner, "Composition for Cecil Taylor (Small)," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".

Composition for Keith Jarrett

T. Renner, "Composition for Keith Jarrett," 2008, acrylic on masking tape on paper, 8" x 10".

Improvisations in Brown: For Leroy Jenkins and Luther Thomas

T. Renner, Improvisation for Leroy Jenkins," (detail), 2008, acrylic on paper, 18" x 24".


T. Renner, "Improvisation for Luther Thomas," (detail), 2008, acrylic on paper, 23" x 33.5".

Interior

T. Renner, "Photograph of Jill Viney's 'Dwelling' (Interior)", 2008.

In the News

From the Hillsboro, Illinois, Journal-News, Thursday, October 23, 2008. Photo by John Montre.

Kinda weird that I've suddenly been painting for "several years." By the way, "HHS" means Hillsboro High School.

"The Scientific Method": A Radio Show

Photograph by Tiffany Sutton, 2008.

Since I'm wearing a t-shirt promoting a jazz record label in the above photo, this is a good time to mention that I am the host of a show on 90.3 FM KWUR.com. "The Scientific Method" is the name of the show and I play jazz music from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. every Thursday morning.

This past Thursday, I deviated a bit from my semester-long focus on "cool" jazz to feature an hour of music by the Dave Holland Quintet, who will be appearing at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday, January 24. I was enjoying myself so much that I decided to stick around for another hour during which I played the music of Anthony Braxton, some of which also included Dave Holland.

Next week's show will feature more music from Braxton but beyond that I'm not sure what's going to happen. My most enjoyable shows to do are the one's where I just hit the stacks at the radio station and just play whatever strikes my fancy.

Experiment with Pink

T. Renner, "For Anthony Braxton," 2008, acrylic on canvas, 10" x 8".

My first painting since the completion of "The Birth of the Cool" series. Really just an excuse to use one of the canvas panels that a fellow worker gave me and to experiment with some pink paint.

"This Beat Thing Is A Problem"

 

Michael Rothenberg and David Meltzer. Photo by T. Renner. 

The editor Michael Rothenberg and the poet David Meltzer gave a rambling but entertaining presentation called "The Beat Thing and Unhurried Visions: Encounters with the Beat Generation" at the University of Missouri as part of the Center for Humanities Monday Noon Series yesterday afternoon.

The highlight of the presentation was the way that Rothenberg and Meltzer moved from a discussion of television's Maynard G. Krebs -- a character created to diminish the dissent of the Beats -- to a discussion of Sarah Palin.

Rothenberg and Meltzer also appeared Monday evening at the River Styx at Duff's Reading Series, 392 North Euclid, in the Central West End. Meltzer's most recent book is David's Copy: The Selected Poems of David Meltzer, edited by Rothenberg.

My First Painting, Three Days in June 2007

June 20, 2007


June 21, 2007


June 22, 2007: T. Renner, "For Joseph Albers #1," acrylic, watercolor on board, 8" x 10".

For Robert Rauschenberg

T. Renner, "For Robert Rauschenberg," 2008, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".

St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction at Left Bank Books

Photo by John Montre.

"St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction: 12 Paintings (The Birth of the Cool)" opened on Friday night at Left Bank Books, 399 North Euclid, St. Louis, Missouri, 63108. The show will remain on exhibit through November 30.

In this show, my work is very influenced by the hard-edged abstract painters of mid-century such as Helen Lundberg, Lorser Feitelson, John McLaughlin, and Barnett Newman. Each of the pieces in the show has been named after a track on Miles Davis' album "Birth of the Cool." The pieces are composed of red, black, or white vertical stripes of various widths arranged as a series of pairs. "St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction: 12 Paintings (The Birth of the Cool)" explores both repetition and self-imposed limitations.

Please note that the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on the campus of Washington University has recently opened a fabulous exhibition called "Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury."

According to the Kemper website:

"Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture At Midcentury" takes a look at the broad cultural zeitgeist of "cool" that influenced the visual, graphic, and decorative arts, furniture, architecture, music, and film produced in California in the 1950s and early 1960s. The exhibition, organized by the Orange County Museum of Art, includes a jazz lounge; a media bar with film, animation, and television programming; a period art gallery of hard-edge abstract paintings; selections of art, architectural, and documentary photography; and an interactive timeline that highlights examples of California, national, and international culture and history in the 1950s.

Drawing in the Galleries: Into Abstraction Class #2

Two Photos: Light in the Attic

Drawing in the Galleries: Into Abstraction Class #1

Acrylic & Masking Tape

T. Renner, "For Dave Holland," 2008, acrylic and masking tape on paper, 18" x 14".


T. Renner, "For Charlie Haden," 2008, acrylic and masking tape, on paper, 17" x 20".

Action Painting!

On Saturday night (October 4, 2008), I got up on stage with Bunnygrunt at the Strolling Cones Cock & Bull Sonic Circus at Off Broadway and painted a large 80" x 60" sheet of cardboard as the band played their set.

St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction

I'm happy to report that all twelve of the pieces for my show "St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction: 12 Paintings (The Birth of the Cool)" are now completed.



Don't be confused, though. These photos are photographic distortions.



"St. Louis Hard-Edged Abstraction" opens at Left Bank Books in the Central West End on Friday, October 17.



Don't miss the Kemper Art Museum at Washington University's "Birth of the Cool" exhibition. It's a knock-out!