Max Kauffman’s name invokes brilliant social commentators. His demeanor is dryly biting comedy, and his artwork, especially his paintings, serve as other-dimensional windows, as if they are personalized Rorschach tests for each individual viewer. Nary a human presence exists. Of his artistic space he says, “I think of it as a world where people aren’t around.” Inside this world—the soft, colorful swirls of greens, pinks and blues—the post apocalyptic and the hope of salvation reside.

The present (society, culture, art) has become synonymous with technology, brevity, convenience, precision, cruelty: an exponentially increasing madness with a seemingly inevitable grim date with destiny…but, as Kauffman sees it, merely energy transfer. People may not exist traditionally in his visions, but their remnants and pollution certainly do. In Let’s Try This Again, an iris-less, round faced caricature occupies the foreground among billowing smoke generated by abstract factories, yet in “his” hand, a glowing tree reminiscent of a certain burning bush. Destruction, but as the forest burns to allow new growth, so Kauffman sees our future. It will burn, as all things eventually do, but what comes after, beauty…hope.

Perhaps this is why in our current recession, Kauffman finds he is more successful than he was before. He describes his experience at shows when people see his work, where they either glance and move on or get caught and spend a while staring. “It calms people, puts them in that ‘good place.’” He mimes one of them taking a breath, “I’m okay, you’re okay, the world’s okay. You don’t stop worrying, but it takes the weight off.”

Kauffman is a clinic in presence awareness and ego dissolution. He is the maestro, the conduit of the eternal, the mediator pulling “concrete” emotions and putting them into wispy, even ghostly semi-focus…and where some will use the severe clarity of a pencil or fine bristle acrylics, Kauffman prefers water colors. “I get more control with them than anything else.” This seems anathema to the idea of control when we think back to the sloppy adventures of being kids in grade school, but as Kauffman will be the first to explain, his visions are dreamlike, flowing, where things fade in and out with an almost teasing refusal to take form. Wholly, they nearly defy description, nouns dance on the mind’s edge while gazing upon them…except for birds. When asked, Max laughs at the cheesiness of his own response, “I get my point across best with them. They represent nature, pure spirits.”

In Blinding Clarity, a brilliantly bright owl floats in the center, its body and wings painted with clear definition, but its head, exploding with color and gazing at you with three eyes (one at the pineal “third eye” location) holds the attention with striking rapture. It serves as the central theme in Kauffman’s work, the moment of clarity, bliss, the magic moment, when the newness of dawn washes the darkness away—coming back to his most poignant question… “How much can you do with hope?”

Cactus' bird themed show also opened this past weekend, I have some smallish pieces there as well.
Cactus Gallery

Big things on the horizon. LARGE. Stay tuned!

dude assistance

My first show of 2012 is a group deal at Slingluff. I'll have ~10 small pieces in this benefit show, with 20% going to save Penn Treaty Park in Philly. Over 30 artists from across the country will be participating(like oh, Jim Houser). Opens Saturday!

Slingluff Gallery
11 W. Girard Ave
Philadelphia PA 19123

Show runs till the 29th

Leave a comment below with your favorite memory
Share on twitter with me @wittybanterism using #hashtag #nyeartgiveaway
Do the same on either my Facebook or phanarts
Or email me at mhkauffm (at) gmail.com

The winner will be chosen New Years Day with a runner up getting a recent print (Various Metal God Substrates)

Contest starts now, good luck and Happy New Year!!

Update- Winner is Nicholas Stock!
Runner up goes to Bryan Wooten.

Thanks for playing!

'Various Metal Gods Substrates'
run of 20
kauff shoppe

One remaining 'Innervisions' print
(9x9 in giclee print, run of 10) $30

SOLD

One remaining 'Holding on to the Before Time' print
(8.5x11 giclee print, run of 20) $25 SOLD
I also have one resin cast print left, $65 for that.

New Dresses based on a drawing from earlier this year
$40 American Apparel 100% combed cotton with 2 color silkscreen.
Available in seafoam(pictured), coral, and white/grey striped.
dress
the drawing

Bike prints are marked down to $25, both drawings in the store are $60, and the original currently in the shoppe is $40 off. More popping up soon perhaps.

drawing timelapse from Max Kauffman on Vimeo.

Thanks Speck!

I have another painting in Modern Eden this month for 'Genus Species'- a terrific group show alongside Sandra Yagi's solo show. A pal I used to show with back in the day Mike Gallegos has a nice piece in there also.

I've got some small works around Denver at Blackbook, Illiterate, Fashion Denver, and the I heart Denver Store right meow.

Did some muraling w Chicago artist Nice-One, see the results here.

and a lil more work with Hi Fructose- an interview w Dennis Hayes for his first solo show in several years. Look for more soon-got some good pals Im really excited to feature on there in the near future.

On the horizon- a new print perhaps, and some gear for the ladies.

bad on the posts as of late. Been working on several illustration gigs/commissions whilst plotting out next year.

I have three new pieces at Modern Eden for the show Bite Sized Monsters. All are 6x6 in mounted to panel and resin cast. (Ill have another new piece there next month as well)

I'm having a small show in town next week at Fashion Denver- pretty excited.
It will feature small drawings and paintings, some experimental cutout pieces, and new clothing. Opening is 11-04-11, and there will be a drawing for a large painting from 2009.
22x22 in, watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper(apologies for the turbs photo).

You can enter by retweeting/sharing on facebook- the only catch is you must be present at the opening to win(8pm that Friday)!

Gearing up for another big contest shortly that will be open to everyone else(and of course Denver too)- MORE DEETS SOON!