Work samples
-
. It opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to fleeIt opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to flee, 2018 72x120x54 inches, Vintage, 1940’s General GG tractor, Red Bird Peppermint Puffs
About Jim
Originally from Long Island, NY and Connecticut, Jim Condron lives and works in Baltimore, MD. Condron earned his MFA at the Leroy E. Hofffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art (2004) and a BA in Art and English from Colby College, Waterville, ME (1992). He also studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture (1993-'95). His work appears nationally and internationally in galleries and museums as well as in corporate, university, public… more
Recent Works
-
I've been noticing more people wearing pajamas in publicI've been noticing more people wearing pajamas in public, oil, acrylic, rubber, fur, steel, glass, 5x13x4 inches
-
He's impossible not to hateHe's impossible not to hate, oil, wood, plaster, metal, plastic, 28x11x7 inches, 2022
-
The rest was a long novel so like your lifeThe rest was a long novel so like your life, oil, wool, steel, wood, 30x17x17 inches
-
He came like a drinking horseHe came like a drinking horse, oil, ceramic, rubber, plastic, wood, 7x9x5 inches, 2021
-
He's such an eccentric he doesn't even like Peter GabrielHe's such an eccentric he doesn't even like Peter Gabriel, oil, plaster, acrylic, wood, wax, fur, 36x8x7 inches, 2020-2021
-
What's not to love; it's like pig parts and lardWhat's not to love; it's like pig parts and lard, plastic, copper, foam, 4x6x4 inches, 2019
-
Too slow for the bigsToo slow for the bigs, oil, wool, seeds, plastic, 8x10x8 inches
-
My dad texted me "e coli" today and I asked if he was ok. He said it was a mistake, oil, wood, foam screws, 36x14x10 inchesMy dad texted me "e coli" today and I asked if he was ok. He said it was a mistake
-
By the time you listen to this I'll no longer remember what you saidBy the time you listen to this I'll no longer remember what you said, oil, foam, wood, rubber, vintage ping pong paddles, lucite, steel, 9x20x7 inches, 2022
-
Your empty hand shows me offYour empty hand shows me off, oil, acrylic, cotton, wood, steel, wax, 40x12x6 inches, 2020, 2021
You never wash it off completely at Wilson College's Cooley Gallery, 2019
-
You never wash it off completely installation viewYou never wash it off completely installation view
-
I was outside the subject, almost always, whatever the subject wasI was outside the subject, almost always, whatever the subject was, 2018, 2019 Acrylic, wool, vintage bricks, lathing, Sculpey 10x12x6 inches
-
I mean you have been disappointed in love, but don't you know how many things there are t be disappointed in besides love? You are lucky to be still disappionted in love. Later it may be even more terribleI mean you have been disappointed in love, but don't you know how many things there are to be disappointed in besides love? You are lucky to be still disappointed in love. Later it may be even more terrible, 2019 Vintage toy bowling ball, vintage toy bowling pins, vintage buttons, vintage mixer, glass, oil, acrylic, wool, paper, collage, fur, Solo cup 7x8x5 inches
-
Wilson install.jpgWe can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. We can’t get outside the aura. We’re part of the aura. We’re here, we’re now, 2019 Vintage and contemporary bed frames, vintage graduation sash, vintage graduation hood 96x84x64 inches
-
We can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. We can’t get outside the aura. We’re part of the aura. We’re here, we’re nowWe can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. We can’t get outside the aura. We’re part of the aura. We’re here, we’re now, 2019 Vintage and contemporary bed frames, vintage graduation sash, vintage graduation hood 96x84x64 inches
-
You never wash it off completelyYou never wash it off completely, 2019 Vintage canoe, vintage bowling pins, steel, pump 96x204x36 inches
-
No gasp at a miracle that is truly miraculous because the magic lies in the fact that you knew it was there for you all along copyWe can’t answer these questions because we’ve read the signs, seen the people snapping the pictures. We can’t get outside the aura. We’re part of the aura. We’re here, we’re now, 2019 Vintage and contemporary bed frames, vintage graduation sash, vintage graduation hood 96x84x64 inches
-
No gasp at a miracle that is truly miraculous because the magic lies in the fact that you knew it was there for you all alongYou never wash it off completely installation view
-
I mean you have been disappointed in love, but don't you know how many things there are t be disappointed in besides love? You are lucky to be still disappionted in love. Later it may be even more terribleI mean you have been disappointed in love, but don't you know how many things there are to be disappointed in besides love? You are lucky to be still disappointed in love. Later it may be even more terrible, 2019 Vintage toy bowling ball, vintage toy bowling pin, steel, paper 7x8x5 inches
-
On the surface my days were the same as everLike the sudden pang of an old scar, 2019 Cement, wool, oil 6x5x4 inches
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage at The Delaware Contemporary Museum, 2019
Over 40 sculptures and paintings by contemporary artist Jim Condron explore the ephemeral materials of life one chooses to collect. Nostalgia, remorse, repression, stamina, chance and vitality intermingle with paint, thickening mediums, solvents, adhesives, remnants, wood, foam, cement, scrap metal, plastic, repurposed animal fur, clothing, mannequins and trash cans through these operatic paintings and assemblage constructions.
Condron’s pieces are titled with a textual story fragment intended to add to each work’s rhetoric, rather than naming or defining it. Titles are applied to the pieces with the same method that Condron assembles materials. Phrases from literature that resonate with the artist are appropriated from an array of great authors such as Don DeLillo, James Salter, Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, Oscar Wilde, Hunter Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut, Ernest Hemmingway, Henry Miller, Anais Nin. These works are paired with quotations by famous historical artists and authors “talking trash” about the work of other famous historical artists and authors. These humorous pairings affirm Condron’s view that someone’s meaningless trash is someone else’s art and history.
Highly conversant and tactile works such as Conscience and cowardice are really the same thing combine epoxy, oil paint, wood, animal fur, and ceramic tile configured to reference both Phillip Guston’s figures and heraldic shields from Condron’s childhood fascination with coats of arms.
The sculpture I never take any notice of what common people say, and I never interfere with what charming people say is made with a section of a lobster trap, lacrosse mesh, and diamond plate steel. The work encompasses motifs of protection and entrapment and alludes to Matisse’s Piano Lesson (1916).
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage is an exhibition about art’s act of preserving. Through nostalgia the artist transforms the ephemeral, what could have been trash, into something meaningful and more permanent, imbuing objects with purpose.
In 2017, Jim Condron was a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. He earned his MFA at the Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and holds a BA in Art and English from Colby College. In addition, he studied at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. He has exhibited in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally, and his works are held in corporate, university, and public and private collections around the world.
-
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage installation viewTrash Talk: History in Assemblage, installation view
-
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage installation viewTrash Talk: History in Assemblage installation view
-
Conscience and cowardice are really the same thingConscience and cowardice are the same thing, oil, wood, fur, plaster
-
I mean you have been disappointed in loveI mean you have been disappointed in love, but don't you know how many things there are to be disappointed in besides love? You are lucky to be still disappointed in love. Later it may be even more terrible, 12x5x5 inches, plastic, oil, metal, cotton, wool plaster, 2018
-
Memory can make a thing seem to have been much more than it wasMemory can make a thing seem to have been much more than it was, oil, paper, wood, rubber, plastic, wax, 8x20x8 inches, 2018
-
I have saved all my ribbons for theeI have saved all my ribbons for thee, 74x64x12 inches, oil, spray paint on linen, vintage bowling pins, 2015, 2019
-
If everyone’s to start biting, life won’t be worth livingIf everyone's to start biting, life won't be worth living, oil, leather, paper, fur, wood, 2017, 2019
-
The trouble with postcultThe trouble with postcult is you lose your link to the fate of mankind, 17x17x5 inches, acrylic, spray paint, oil, cement, plastic, foam, wood, felt, fur on wood, 2014
-
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage installation viewTrash Talk: History in Assemblage installation view
-
Trash Talk: History in Assemblage installation viewTrash Talk: History in Assemblage installation view
Close to you, An exhibition at Wings Over Wall Street, MDA, New York, 2019
To make the sculptural works, Jim Condron combines his mother’s clothing and shoes with materials such as a bicycle, a crib, mannequin arms, yarrow and straw to create intangible forms that express his mother’s ebullience throughout her life and the challenges of the disease. Each piece expresses the complexities of nostalgia and deep grief. The exhibition will also include personal photographs and ephemera that openly depict his mother’s joys, and her losses as ALS progressed through her body.
Jim Condron’s works of art honor Karen’s life and were created to raise awareness of the life-threatening effects of muscular dystrophy and muscle-debilitating diseases, such as ALS, and of MDA’s important mission to find a cure.
About the Artist
Jim Condron has exhibited extensively for over two decades, and his work is collected by museums and institutions nationally and internationally.
About MDA
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is committed to transforming the lives of people affected by muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases.
Gala / Exhibit Location: Building – 555 West 18th Street, New York City (at 11th Avenue) NY, NY. Registration Required.
-
My mother was my first countryMy mother was my first country, wool, acrylic, straw, yarrow, steel, 30x96x30 inches, 2018
-
Close to youClose to you, vintage folding chaise lounge chairs, 68x24x14 inches, 2019
-
(They) long to be(They) long to be, Karen Condron’s shoes straw, yarrow, 10x11x4 inches, 2019
-
The angels got togetherThe angels got together, Karen Condron’s clothing straw, yarrow, 44x22x22 inches, 2019
-
Just like meJust like me, vintage bicycle, Karen Condron’s clothing, 72x65x10 inches, 2019
-
Moondust in your hair of goldMoondust in your hair of gold, vintage crib, Karen Condron’s clothing, 20x34x16 inches, 2019
-
Birds suddenly appearBirds suddenly appear, Karen Condron’s purses, plastic, steel, 96x48x40 inches, 2019
-
Every time you walk byEvery time you walk by, Karen Condron’s shoes, straw, yarrow, 64x70x18 inches, 2019
-
All the girls in townAll the girls in town, Karen Condron’s clothes, straw, yarrow, 17x16x16 inches 2019
-
Karen CondronKaren Condron modelling
Diminishing Returns at Goucher College, 2018
This exhibition incites viewers to examine the application of the economic principle of the law of diminishing returns to painting and art making in the 21st century. The paintings in the show range in size from 5x6 inches to 90x144 inches. Each painting gradually increases in size while maintaining the project’s foundational proportion. The sculptural works in the show reference farming practices and consider the framework by which the economic concept of the law of diminishing returns was founded and explained. The agriculturally based sculptures and abstract paintings also investigate the law of diminishing marginal utility. A highlight of the show is a sculpture made from a vintage 1940’s General GG tractor in a bed of Red Bird Peppermint Puffs. Visitors are invited to experience the principle of diminishing marginal utility by eating as many of the candies as they like.
Through his paintings, Condron presents a haptic convergence of scale, size, color, texture, and dimensionality. The works explore how the physical size of a painting impacts the meaning and power of a work of art for both the artist and the viewer. The paintings in the show are hung in succession vertically and horizontally from the largest works to the smallest works. It is the artist’s hope that as the viewer confronts the exhibition and then each painted canvas, the importance of the scale and size of the work diminishes and the viewer is absorbed in the experience of each individual work of art.
The sculptural works in the exhibition, constructed from vintage farm equipment, are poignant reminders of America’s rich, though tainted, agricultural past and the economic challenges American farmers face in the year 2018 at a moment in history when the commodification of art is unregulated.
-
It opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to fleeIt opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to flee, 2018 72x120x54 inches, Vintage, 1940’s General GG tractor, Red Bird Peppermint Puffs
-
It opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to fleeIt opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to flee, 2018 72x120x54 inches, Vintage, 1940’s General GG tractor, Red Bird Peppermint Puffs
-
Diminishing Returns, Goucher College, installation viewIt opened with the melancholy reflection that, in the lives of mortals, the best days are the first to flee, 2018 72x120x54 inches, Vintage, 1940’s General GG tractor, Red Bird Peppermint Puffs
-
On the edge of the prairie, where the sun had gone down, the sky was turquoise blue, like a lake, with a gold light throbbing in itOn the edge of the prairie, where the sun had gone down, the sky was turquoise blue, like a lake, with a gold light throbbing in it, 2017/2018 98 x 144 inches, Acrylic, spray paint, oil, plaster, wool, silk, plastic, paper, vinyl, on canvas
-
Diminishing Returns at Goucher College Installation viewDiminishing Returns at Goucher College installation view
-
I had the sense of coming home to myself, and of having found out what a little circle man’s experience isI had the sense of coming home to myself, and of having found out what a little circle man’s experience is, 2018 35x48x30 inches, Vintage tractor parts, fur
-
Their beauty shown out too boldly against a conventional backgroundTheir beauty shown out too boldly against a conventional background, vintage tractor parts, 2018 30x30x34 inches, Vintage tractor parts, fur
-
Between the acts, we had no time to forgetBetween the acts, we had no time to forget, 2018 28x65x22 inches, Vintage plow, acrylic, oil, wax, leather, wool, foam, paper, fur
-
Mental excitement was apt to send me with a rush back to my own naked land and the figures scattered upon itMental excitement was apt to send me with a rush back to my own naked land and the figures scattered upon it, 2018 34x72x22 inches, Vintage plow, felt, paper, wool, plastic, foam, fur
-
Our instructors were oddly assorted; wandering pioneer school-teachers, stranded ministers of the Gospels, a few enthusiastic young men out of graduate schoolsOur instructors were oddly assorted; wandering pioneer school-teachers, stranded ministers of the Gospels, a few enthusiastic young men out of graduate schools, 2017 37 x 42 inches, Oil and spray paint on linen
Picking Up the Pieces at Loyola College, Baltimore, MD 2017
“Like a contemporary Dada master, Jim Condron finds wit and beauty in unexpected collisions between the mundane and the artful. His works are edgy and provocative, and delivered with more calculation than may at first meet the eye. He tests the limits of his materials, while simultaneously assuring us that it's perfectly okay to smile” -Ann Landi, Art Critic & Journalist, Vasari21, Wall Street Journal, ARTnews
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces,Loyola College, installation view
-
Picking up the pieces, Loyola College, installation viewPicking up the pieces, Loyola College, installation view
-
The loneliness of my predicament was harrowingThe loneliness of my predicament was harrowing, wool, oil, acrylic, aluminum, steel, plaster, plastic, 16x10x10 inches, 2017
-
Satan owns the fallen worldSatan owns the fallen world, oil, acrylic, spray paint, cotton, charcoal, wood, plastic, fur, 10x8x7 inches, 2015, 2017
Works, 2017-2018
-
So I went to New York to be born againSo I went to New York to be born again 2015 28x10x13 inches oil, acrylic, spray paint, plastic, foam, collage, wood
-
RED SAMMY'S FAMOUS BARBECUERed Sammy’s Famous Barbecue 2015-16 9x9x10 inches oil, spray paint, paper, metal, plastic
-
Scott had never seen work that was so indifferent to the effect it had on those who came to see it.jpgScott had never seen work that was so indifferent to the effect it had on those who can see it, 12x12x7 inches, oil, plastic, rubber, fur and wood, 2014
-
A great man’s face shows the beauty of his workA great man’s face shows the beauty of his work, 10x18x12 inches, oil, acrylic, plastic, coffee grinds, wood, 2015, 2019
-
The loneliness of my predicament was harrowingThe loneliness of my predicament was harrowing, wool, oil, acrylic, aluminum, steel, plaster, plastic, 16x10x10 inches, 2017
-
The average man don't like trouble and dangerThe average man don't like trouble and danger, oil, spray, rubber, steel, plaster, 11x12x5 inches, 2016
-
Trust me it mattersTrust me it matters, 12x12x7 inches, oil, cement, nylon, metal, wood, fur, 2014
-
Picasso and the loavesPicasso and the loaves, 15x18x7 inches, oil, spray paint, acrylic, plastic, cloth, plaster, 2016, 2018
-
The decorations committe job was the kind of thing Maria did bestThe decorations committee job was the kind of thing Maria did best 2016 14x15x6 inches oil, acrylic, spray paint, caulk, rubber, plastic, fur, wood, metal
-
The fresh air seemed to help but only temporarilyThe fresh air seemed to help but only temporarily 2015 10x12x12 inches oil, acrylic, spray paint, paper, fur, linen, metal, stuffed animal, wood
Works, 2015-2016
-
All those lost landscapesAll those lost landscapes, 6x6x5 inches, oil, marble, paper, wood, wire, 2014
-
He's a bloody four-letter manHe’s a bloody four letter man, 6x10x3 inches, oil, cloth, plaster, wood, acrylic, rubber, plastic, 2014
-
How nice to feel nothing and still get credit for livingHow nice to feel nothing and still get credit for living, oil, cement, fur, wood, plastic12x4x5 inches, 2015
-
The more books they publish the weaker we becomeThe more books they publish the weaker we become, 5x5x5 inches, wood, cement, acrylic, oil, fur, 2014
-
He wanted to sin with another of his kindHe wanted to sin with another of his kind, 9x7x3 inches, wood, fur, leather, mesh, plaster, cotton, 2014
-
Eating his meals standing up at narrow counters set along streetside windowsEating his meals standing up at narrow counters set along streetside windows, oil, porcelain, wood, plastic, 16x12x5 inches, 2016
-
Now we'll try it again. I am seriousNow we'll try it again. I am serious, oil, wood, Velcro, 20x5x4 inches, 2015
-
Somewhere between Lincoln's birthday and the Chinese New YearSomewhere between Lincoln's birthday and the Chinese New Year
-
The landlady made hysterical outcries but neither of them listenedThe landlady made hysterical outcries but neither of them listened, 15x5x6 inches, oil, arylic, cement, rubber, wood, fur, 2015, 2019
-
I never take any notice of what common people say, and I never interfere with what charming people sayI never take any notice of what common people say, and I never interfere with what charming people say, steel, 15x8x5 inches, nylon, oil, fur, cotton, 2015, 2019
Works, 2013-2014
-
In the sadness of bourgeois surroundingsIn the sadness of bourgeois surroundings, 8x12x3 inches, oil, spray paint, wood, linen, paper, 2013
-
At first an occasion rather than a friendAt first an occasion rather than a friend, 6x6x3 inches, oil, fur, wood
-
Her skin is creased from the grassHer skin is creased from the grass, 5x7x3 inches, oil, spray paint, paper, wood
-
Easygoing in manner, sentimental but shrewdEasygoing in manner, sentimental but shrewd, 4x6.5x3 inches, oil, wood
-
Life and a pretend lifeLife and a pretend life, 5x9x3 inches, oil, bamboo, wood, 2012
-
He made of it a noble lamentHe made of it a noble lament, 5x3x3 inches, oil, paper, wood, 2012
-
I cannot feel this tragedy as much as I want toI cannot feel this tragedy as much as I want to, 7x3x3 inches, oil, cotton, wood, 2013
-
Like most busy people he did not know one piece of poetry by heartLike most busy people he did not know one piece of poetry by heart, 5x9 inches, oil, paper, sponge, 2013
-
Sudden unhappiness was hurt vanitySudden unhappiness was hurt vanity, 6x6x4 inches, oil, felt, wood, 2013
-
Beautiful sins like beautiful things are a privilege of the richBeautiful sins like beautiful things are a privilege of the rich, oil, spray paint, paper, wood, 6x5x4 inches, 2012
Paintings, 2015-present
-
You like things which are not what other people likeYou like things which are not what other people like, 40x36 inches, 2022
-
2.Consider myself your right hand man.jpgConsider myself your right hand man, oil on linen, 30x34 inches, 2021
-
8.We no longer take homeland security alerts as seriously as we once did.jpgWe no longer take homeland security alerts as seriously as we once did, oil on linen, 36x31 inches, 2021
-
7.Adolescents with 2.slivers of ice in their hearts.jpgAdolescents with slivers of ice in their hearts, 36x31 inches, 2020
-
Anybody doesn't like these pitchers don't like poetry, see?Anybody doesn't like these pitchers don't like poetry, see?, oil no canvas, 60x52 inches, 2018
-
I have tried in my way to be freeI have tried in my way to be free, 66x74 inches, oil on linen, 2015
-
For SaturdayFor Saturday, 72x78 inches, oil on canvas, 2015
-
I have saved all my ribbons for theeI have saved all my ribbons for thee, oil on linen, 72x70 inches, 2015
-
His personality seemed rather a mental thingHis personality was a rather mental thing, 66x74 inches, oil on canvas, 2015
-
There is a fatalty to good resolutionsThere is a fatality about good resolutions, 86x82.5 inches, oil on linen, 2015