Mother Russia Meltdown i.e. The Greatest Hit

" an unmistakable, no-holds-barred masterpiece."

1-20-2010 Arts writer Doug Utter, writing for CLEVELAND SCENE



The latest revision of Mother Russia Meltdown. 2012



Mother Russia Meltdown 12'x6' oil painting
1-20-2010 Arts writer Doug Utter, writing for CLEVELAND SCENE ,
describes my Mother Russia Meltdown painting as follows:

Wince's most ambitious painting, in process since 1994, is the 12-foot-by-six-foot "Mother Russia Meltdown. The work is a fantasia on the theme of the former Soviet Union's collapse and an unmistakable, no-holds-barred masterpiece. Designed something like folding money from another planet, it blends hundreds of images in a punkadelic Sistine vision of imploding one-world culture, hovering around a central image of a baby with Medusa hair.
Thanks Mr. Utter





Another detail shot...Yes that is me...my head going through a nut bar , naturally...poor baby !

2011 painting based on a character in the painting Mother Russia Meltdown : "Uncle Sam Jesus"
Now you can have two icons in one ! Saves valuable worship time !

2011 painting based on a character in the painting Mother Russia Meltdown: "The Insanity Clause." No, sorry kids, I don't have any candy to give you...but if you want to buy some armaments..."
2011 painting based on a character in the painting Mother Russia Meltdown: Monkey See, Monkey Doo"

Photos of me, of openings and yes, the sexy stuff.

The Glamor Shots and more...

I must confess, I sometimes use my natural good looks to gain attention toward my artworks. This is my latest "publicity shot". What's that? Yeah, I guess so ..."Pretty is as pretty does"... or something like that.

2009 Infected... Here I am with my infected cyst...a visitor that clearly over stayed his welcome. Yes surgery was required.




1960 Myself with Mr. Pumpkin...I really don't know if it was Mr. Pumpkin that was making me hear the voices but if it wasn't, I 'm firmly convinced he knew who was.

1961: My first date. Her name was Karen Kaylor and her father was a truck driver that lived up the road. In a rather weird coincidence, a few years later my best friend and I were happily engaged in throwing apples at trucks who sped by (back when the speed limit was 75 mph). With impeccable timing and practiced skill, I threw the apple 15 feet ahead of a speeding, targeted truck, knowing that by the time my projectile reached the roadway it would be a dead-eye shot across the truck's windshield. My friend and I squealed with delight...but then the truck began to screech to a halt- so quickly that it nearly jack-knifed- and with a shock of recognition Mr. Kaylor came storming out of his cab. He chased me through 3 backyards and a field before my apprehension, and delivered my first real ass whoppin'. It was the first time I heard a man utter "YOU LITTLE MOTHERFUCKERS !"


1969 14...NOT a good time, lost my ability to speak in class, my face looked like a peperoni pizza, I shook all the time not knowing that the adult prescription that my mother's psychiatrist gave me might be contributing to my general teenage mental meltdown. It didn't stop me from eating however.

1969 Age 14, 200 pounds and very unhappy...at this point I could not even accept the love of a warm dog.

1973 age 17 A year of transition, still awkward and s-s-stuttering shy but my love of artwork , books and music was beginning help me form a new identity form a new identity. I also had a best friend Danny whose big brother, an enlisted Army guy stationed in Germany had brought back reel to reel tapes of The Rolling Stones, Hendrix and Cream. He also brought back "pot" which I tried one afternoon with my friend. We snuck out to his brother's car to listen to an 8-track tape [ask your parents] of Led Zepplin since his brother did not have their music on reel to reel tape. We sat in his car overwhelmed buy the rolling music we heard and my first "buzz" until the car battery ran out making for a rather displeased older brother.

1973: Hippie boy Wince. I was still in high school and inseparable from my drawing tablet.


1974 Same year as Homer Simpson graduated High School in Springfield I was getting the hell out of High School. Quite a senior year, suddenly I had girlfriends, 3 at a time...I even dabbled in shooting up and the like. I was" busted" for Marijuana possession, early on in the year and lead out in handcuffs, my act of a stupid miscalculation made me truly "Heavy". I gained the nickname "Head" because I was the guy who obsessively kept up on "Counter Culture" as well as movies, art and all things music, not just rock but jazz and the blues and even classical, although nobody seemed to ask me about the latter. Yes, the a-1 certified cool guy in a back-asswards hick high school in rural Ohio. A self satisfied smirk on my face, me not knowing I was actually a medium sized fish in a very small wading pool.

1984 The last date...Leah and I looked great together, but...

1985 Photo 30 years old, taken above in my apartment above The Garden Burlesque, a strip bar on North High Street.

1985 The "Butt Shot", as it became to be known. I was just coming into my own as a "known artist" in Columbus when this was snapped. I knew it was a good one, and used it in quite a few announcements for my shows and the like. Shameless, I know, but secure in the knowledge that I possessed real artistic talent while lacking any degrees or connections to institutes of higher learning (I was a hick from rural Ohio who never even got enough credits to graduate High School), I figured "What the Hell? I may as well use some pretty boy shots if it will get me noticed." Men's butts...I have never understood the appeal myself, but I guess that's another strange quirk in the fascinating female psyche.
photo: Greg Anderson


1983 An altered picture of me when I was newly arrived from rural Ohio to the big city lights of Columbus.
 


1987 Photo with my girlfriend of 3 years, the witty, sarcastic, let's drink too much, have sex in public, talented, red hot partner in "grime"[ combination of the words "crime" and "glamor" ] writer /photographer , did I already say "smart" ? "K". We archived a great balance of "loose" but "tight" that I've never been able to replicate in a relationship since.[ I'm wearing cuffs but they're broken"] She sort of drifted into darker waters for a few years and our relationship came to and end. I have to add that because of her intelligence and strength of character she has reemerged as a caring and responsible mother and a great friend.

Yes I'm casting a shadow...Hey, what can I say ? Photo: Chas Ray Krider

1989 For the photo shoot I thought, for a switch, I'D put on the handcuffs. I was never a slave for my girlfriend at the time...but taking an overall view I've always been a slave to women in general...not necessarily singular however and this has lead to some disturbing/exciting problems/intrigues.
Photo: Chas Ray Krider

1993: Publicity shot by the amazing Chas ray Krider

1994 New Orleans vacationing with Columbus artist Melissa Vogley Woods.

2001 With writer Nancy Patzer back when she was drinking. I remember a wild u-turn in the center of Broad Street and a confrontation in the beer line, due to the fact that Nancy had literally shoved her way to the head of said line at The Palace Theater. Then we saw a great show by Jr. Brown and the evening was topped off with more drinks at Little Brother's on High Street...We were both flashing some sass

2007 Standing in my garden...photo by Ken Geiger.

2007 I'll have you know I put up this sign BEFORE the midterm elections and expected at least a tomato or two to splash across my front window...but the tide had turned Bush's Iraqi excursion was no longer as popular among most Americans. And the only reaction I ever witnessed where some "thumbs up" from people walking by...of course this was in a liberal neighborhood in Franklin County.

2008: My art opening at Monkey's Retreat Magazine and Book Store

2008 Opening at The Doubting Thomas Gallery, Cleveland Ohio.



2009 New Year's Eve with guitarist Paul Brown of Paul Brown's Science Gravy Orchestra. It was a Burning Mickey themed party...Something to do with the fact that Micky Mouse is an American icon and this country's economy is going up in flames ! Let's all pray together that we don't get what we deserve and end up in "The ash heap of history" [from a quote by another American icon, Ronald Reagan] Can anyone say Mother American Meltdown...the tittle of my next major painting.

2009 age 54. Dealing with the gaping hole left behind by my infected cyst "Buddy". I think about him every time I look at the scar left on my neck...but I can't really say I miss the motha' fucka'.
2009 At the opening of Juctionveiw Studio's Por Vida ,curated by artist Kat Moya, a show that my work was included in. Here Posing with my good friend, Miss. Sarah Selhorst, Photographed by Chas Ray Krider,

New Year's Eve 2010 Here I am with the ghost of Edie Sedgwick, looking like we're trying to escape the flash bulbs of the paparazzi...the glamor of being a "known" artist...never mind the smell of turpentine, the paint all over the furniture from when your dog sat on the oil pallet and and then spread it around, the hours in the basement making your own frames to save money, the cursing that ensues when you realize that because you were drunk the night before, you forgot to clean out your brushes and now 3 expensive sable brushes are "toast". Oh shut up ! I really do love it. Plus, I'm really not very good at anything else.

2003 This shot was taken in my dinning room and ran in People Magazine for their article on author Julie Gregory who wrote the international best selling book Sickened. 
 In the background is the sculpture The Thorned Woman, a work I commissioned from sculptor Mary Beth Stickler. The original image this sculptured work was based upon, was taken from a painting I bought from artist Melissa Vogley Woods back in '92. 

 2012  Hollywood BLVD I'm looking very L.A. here I must say. Like some aging lounge lizard...Spent the entire February out there while enjoying my Featured Artist status at L.A.'s fabulous Hive Gallery and Studios. So much better than being in Ohio in this month of winter.Why doesn't EVERYBODY move out here ! ? but then there's the traffic problems, the high rent, the high cost of EVERYTHING, as well as the "Crazies", I've never seen so many people urinate in public, on the sidewalks, broad daylight...I think I'll stay put in Ohio.

Artwork 2000- Present

Are We Knot the Same ? 6F'x2f' 2010

eXXon,2007 I've never considered myself a knee jerk liberal, HOWEVER, some of the shenanigans by our government/BIG ass business [ seems like the same entity any more] have put my teeth on edge and motivated me to change a lot of my subject matter from naval gazing personal oddities to "What th' f^%ks going on here ! ?" National and world politics.

I Have Sent You Three Messages 2006  6 ft x2 ft

America Terrorizes Itself 2004 Oil on wood with darts

I mean how can you defeat terror? Kill every person on the planet that doesn't like us ? The Dalai Lama had it right when he said that America was reacting out of fear not out of strength. And fear will destroy you.









The Holy Ghost & Two Friends  

2007 6f x 2f




Crop Circles Explained 2009

Not that the painting lives up to its name, nor do I believe that aliens are actually producing these. However, after looking at some examples of this phenomena...some images like this came to mind.



Crop Circles Explained in the Hurricane Mode [work in progress]




Crop Circles: Who's Shouting At Who?

Artist Statement and Updates

Self taught non-academic artist Charles Wince migrated to the Columbus New Wave music/art scene from rural Ohio in 1983. He began to hang his artwork in bars, trendy clothing stores as well as write and illustrate articles in local music fanzines. This led to his participation in the small number of independent galleries around the Ohio Sate Campus area. In '85 he was "discovered by N.Y.C.'s Whitney Of Modern Art curator Barbara Haskel who had come to Columbus to curate an art exhibit for O.S.U. From then on he was acknowledged by the Academic art scene as well as the local media and many articles and interest followed him and his work. However, despite high expectations, career wise, things did not develop as hoped. It was unfortunate for him that the underling dark themes of his work, were much more personal than he cared to admit even to himself and a crippling depression set in that sabotaged not only his production of new artwork but on his person as well. The next 10 years saw him produce some interesting artwork but only in periodic bursts. During that time he was labeled an "Outsider Artist" by some critics and in '91 was included in the Museum Of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, an extensive authoritative book of such artwork.

It was not till '94 that Wince "straightened out some things in my head" and embarked on a gigantic 12 ft x 6 ft painting, Mother Russia Meltdown. It's subject matter having to do with the collapse of The Soviet Union "by the forces of Capitalism and internal greed". The painting it's self is finely detailed to an almost masochistic degree, containing hundreds of characters and objects. It debuted in '96 to unanimous praise as the central piece of his one man show Attack of the 50 ft. Non Sequiturs at The Acme Art Company in Columbus. Recently he has reworked this gonzo painting adding extra figures, objects and "fine tuning" existing elements.

Recently there seems to be renewed interest in the artist and his work, it's as if he's gone from being the "hot young artist" in the 80's to "What ever happened to...?" in the 90's , to "sort of a legend" in 2010. The present time finds the artist surprisingly well adjusted and down right happy with his lot in life. Dogs no longer growl when he enters a room and he's" safe" around small children.

The present time, at age 56, finds him remarkably good spirits.

Flickr gallery

I've posted a portfolio of my Artwork on Flickr

Profile picture

Me in my Garden. Photo: Ken Gieger 2007

Quotes

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It's unusual, an artist that hasn't been to art school, in his case I think quite refreshing that the work he produces come so much out of his own experiences and his own life that it's a very powerful, very authentic statement.

- Barbara Haskell, Curator, Whitney Museum of Art, New York, WOSU Radio, 1984

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DESPITE HIS lack of formal artistic education, Wince gives his imagery a power that better- trained painters will never achieve. There is a cartoon like directness in his treatment of subjects. This sharpens the feelings of anger, threat and persecution pervading most of them.

- Jacqueline Hall. Columbus Dispatch Aug. 19, 1984

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In most neo-expressionism I miss the authentic edge of early twentieth-century German Expressionism... Wince keeps that edge or, more precisely, re-invents it out of his own experience. He poignantly characterizes his work as "as the scar tissue left over from more difficult times," and he's been through alot: childhood hyperactivity, a devastating fire that burned 80% of his body at age ten, adolescent suicide attempts, problems with drugs and alcohol. In this he fits the bill of the romantic artist - suffering, even self-obsessed. Wince is a committed, talented artist who has created his own vocabulary to capture his own vision.

- Ann Bremner, Associate Editor, Dialogue Magazine March/April '85

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Wince is a gifted and original painter and can take his place solidly among the best this city has produced

- Lesely Constable, The Columbus Dispatch, July 1992

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Wince's vivid expressionistic style has the look of illustrated popular fantasy or science fiction. It is used to depict forcefully a circumstance in which the line between irresponsible behavior and the mind run amok is unclear.

- From his book, Interface, Gary Schwindler, Ph.D. Professor of Art, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 1986

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Charles Wince's art is born out of a passion of exposing secret manias - his own and society's. What you see when you view a painting by Wince is a manic encapsulation of late twentieth-century popular culture-panoramic, condensed, and slightly askew.

- Lesley Constable, New Art Examiner, September 1988

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Wince's paintings are overfilled with great themes, grand narratives and beautiful images portraying the humor, joy and love of existence contrasted with the horror and pain we must all endure.

- Breck J. Hapner, Now It's Dark Magazine Sept.2002

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Art resume of Charles Wince

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2012
Featured artist , Hive Gallery & Studios Los Angeles California for the month of February.
2010
'One - Two Punch, The work of Charles Wince and Paul Volker, Astrisk Gallery, Cleveland Ohio
2002
'Flower Arrangements for the Apocalypse', Lindsay Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1996
'The Attack of the 50 Foot Non Sequiturs', Acme Art Company, Columbus, Ohio
1993
'Major Head Boogie', Doo Wac Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1992
'Wild, Wild Life', ROY G BIV, Columbus, Ohio
1988
'Glamorized Psychosis', Geoffrey Taber Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1985
'The Creative Arts Program Presents the Paintings of Charles Wince', Ohio Union, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

1983
The Holy Transfiguration of Dorothy Stratten, Ti Ro - Jo Gallery

Selected Group Exhibitions
2011 Ohio Art League's 100th annual spring juried exhibition, curated by Todd Slaughter
Columbus Metropolitan Library , Columbus Ohio
2o10 Por Vida ! 3rd annual Day of the Dead show, Juntionview Studios, Columbus, Ohio
2009 Por Vida ! A Day of the Dead Celebration, a show of remembrance, curated by Kat Moya, Juntionview Studios, Columbus Ohio
2008 Dark Arts, Doubting Thomas Gallery, Cleveland Ohio
2001
'Mannequin Makeovers' (collaboration with Aaron Schroder), Columbus College of Art and Design and The Ohio State University Fashion and Textile Department, Columbus, Ohio
2000
'April Exhibition', 2Co's Cabaret, Columbus, Ohio
1998
'Paul Brown and Charles Wince Assault the public', with artist Derek Hess, ROY G BIV, Columbus, Ohio
1997
'The Ohio Outsiders Show of Independents', Nestor's Universe, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1994
'Inside Out', group exhibition, It's An Art Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1993
'A Show of Independents: Ohio Artists (featuring Smoky Brown, Marge Bender, James Beoddy and Levent Isik)', Bricker Hall, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
'Eye Candy It's An Art Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1992
'Heroes and Victims: An Artists' Responses to War', Katz and Dawgs Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
1991
'Scream of Consciousness', Founders' Hall, The Ohio State University, Newark Branch, Newark, Ohio
1987
'Urgent Messages' curated by Don Baum, Cultural Center, Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois
'The Trouble is in Your Set with Paul Volker', United Christian
Center, Columbus, Ohio
1987 - 86
'Interface: Outsiders and Insiders', curated by Dr. Gary Schwindler,Trisolini Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, traveled to Emily Davis Gallery, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio and Lancaster Gallery for the Visual Arts, Ohio University, Lancaster Branch, Lancaster, Ohio
1985'7 from Columbus:Critics Choice, Ohio State University, Hoyt L. Sherman Gallery. Curated by Barbara Haskel of N.Y.C's Whitney Museum of American Art

Contemporary Artist Series- two person show w/ ceramicist Julie Ellen Byrne, Artreach Gallery, Columbus Ohio
1982 Grand opening, Red Kat Art Gallery, Columbus Ohio
1979 An Exhibit of the Work of Charles Wince, Black Cat Art Gallery, Columbus Ohio

Books,National Publications :

Raw Vision, an international journal of intuitive art /visionary art Spring 1997 [vol 18] [illustration]

Art? Alternatives Magazine 1996, issue 8, pp. 17-19 interview and illustration

20th Century American Folk,Self Taught and Outsider Art 1993, book

Interface:Outsiders and Insiders 1986 [catalog] curated by Professor Gary Schwindler, p. 4, 34, back cover [ illustrations and text]

Columbus Monthly Magazine : January cover story. An Artist's Home as Canvas
5 pages, interview by Rhonda Koulermous Photos : Micheal A. Foley

Artworks

Bottles Don't Kill People, People Kill People
1986 8'x2.5' Marker on poster board






People tell me, "You seem like a pretty nice guy...why is your art so dark? " Good question. Much of my art work, ESPECIALLY the early stuff, frightens the mice, causes my dog to lose her appetite and I myself, regard as " disturbing". However even my darkest works usually contain a smidge of humor and along with accompaniment of originality, make them "intriguing" if not likable. Certain social/ political issues are brought up in the painting's themes as well. The defense rests.



Jamaican Woman
1986



Fighting Fatigues
1987

Here a prostitute determinedly dresses for her job. Her nameless, headless and well-heeled John awaits in the background. I have always been drawn to what our society deems "bad girls". I think the conditions of class and socio-economics are what distinguish between the"bad girls" and those women who marry for money. I somewhat admire the former.



The Rape, Pillage and Subsequent Yardsale of a Primitive Society



The Rape, Pillage and Subsequent Yardsale of a Primitive Society [detail]

Never Love Without The Thorn, Nor Love Without The Prick
1987

My parents fought...a lot


The Judge
1976

Painting based on a photograph I found in a book. I still like it after all these years.


The Very Last Supper
1976

One of my very first original paintings. Yes, I admit, my mother was a Sunday school teacher.


Blackjack Solitaire, 3am
1990 6'x3.5'
There was this girlfriend...she began to act very strange. I couldn't figure it out but then I didn't know about crack cocaine.


Scars In Bars
1985

Four individuals, alone together. Contemplating the sad circumstances that has brought them together in this seedy bar.


Scars In Bars [detail]

"Mac" sits contemplating a dull, but nonetheless tragic fate...stuck with a blue-collar fate and, seemingly, no escape.

Scars In Bars [detail]

Woman contemplates the circumstances that have brought her to this seedy bar.



The Walls Inside My Mind are Very Thin and I Can Hear the Neighbors Beat their Children and Starve their Dog
1985

I had moved from living in a hick-town above a bible bookstore to a gritty section of Columbus, Ohio. More specifically, above a burlesque/strip theater. Hookers, panhandlers and a struggling working class called it home. I was both taken aback and inspired by my new surroundings.



The Purge
1978

The old Good vs. Evil storyline...the duality of the self. The superhero good-guy type is destroying Evil, but in doing so he's ripping his own guts out. I guess that's what's considered a problem.



Soft Revenge
1976

One of my very first original paintings. As rabidly weird as certain elements in this painting are, there's no real violence. Man smooches young Woman with custard pie. Yes, I was having a falling out with my girlfriend at the time.



Prostitute In a Poison Green Room
1977

I've always had a fascination and a certain sympathy for the "Working Girls". A handgun rests on the far left table.


Mother Russia Meltdown
1996 12'x6'

If I do have a "greatest hit" I guess it would have to be this. A mammoth painting who's subject matter seems to be about the collapse of the Soviet Union. Having grown up in America during the cold war I was of the majority of children who were taught that the Soviet Union was not just an oppositioning system of government but a dangerous enemy tied to the Devil and all other sources of "darkness".

I began this painting in 1993. and even though at times I've declared it "finished", I find myself back at it, fine-tuning it, year after year.

View this image on Flickr.



Every Fish Baits It's Own Hook
1993 4'x3'

This painting of fish-like creatures flipping about has some vague reference to the way some people fall into patterns or "traps" of self-destructive behavior. At least that's my take on it. The purple strap-on butt on the yellow fish earns an extra 10 points.