Mother Russia Meltdown i.e. The Greatest Hit

Mother Russia Meltdown 12'x6' oil painting
1-20-2010 This just in, 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." When it's not being toted around to galleries, the huge oil on canvas is housed in Wince's bedroom ("It's the only room large enough to hold it"), where the temptation to fine-tune its tangled web of images is ever present. 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


Detail shot...The Southern Pentecostal Preacher...so fiery he's close to the other side.


Christmas card based on a detail in Mother Russia Meltdown.

WINCE ON HUMOR, ANGST AND EYE CANDY by Karen Simonian

Article in The Other Paper Oct. 31 1996

Charles Wince has a lot on his mind. His latest painting, the large scale Mother Russia Meltdown which he's been working on for two years and which will be unveiled at Acme Art Co. this weekend - touches on communism, capitalism, pop culture, TV, religion, Disney, pride, vanity and his own personal demons.

"I do get carried away," Wince says.
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The collapse of the Russian empire was a "jumping-off point" for the rest of the painting, he says.

But it's not all heavy. In art, Wince says, "Humor is as important as anger and angst and all that stuff. Some of it is just painful navel-gazing type of introspection. Part of it is parody of navel-gazing obsessive behavior."

There's also lots of eye candy. Some of the objects, such as pizza slices, are in there because they're "entertaining to look at."

His work can be surreal and cartoonish; he says he read underground comics (the likes of R. Crumb) growing up. The pop elements in his paintings are "a reflection of my environment."

A Columbus native, Wince , 41, has been a presence in the Columbus art world for years. ("My resume reads "North High, North High, North High.") He's had some recognition and shows outside the state; the current issue of Art? Alternatives includes a four-page piece on Wince. His works have titles like Scars in Bars, Flight of the Christ Brothers (Wilbur and Jesus) and The Rape, Pillage and Subsequent Yard Sale of Primitive Society, (about Operation Desert Storm).

A self-taught artist, Wince falls in to the outsider artist camp. His work is mostly representational, although he does do some "abstract depression" (his term). He talks openly about his personal problems in the past with depression; he's been on prescription drugs for it. "It depends on which level of depression I was in - whether I was painting like a maniac, or whether I'd lose all interest."

Wince, a part-time mailman, lives in a house that's filled with his artwork (including furniture that he's designed) and the work of other local artists, including Paul Volker and Jim Beoddy. With its angular, surreal furniture, his bedroom is a cross between "Dr. Caligari and Pee Wee's Playhouse," he says.

His bathroom walls and ceiling are like a big scrapbook, filled with tidbits from the Columbus music and art scene, and from Wince's life.

Wince was in a gasoline explosion when he was 11; fire in some form shows up in much of his work. "It's only in the past year that I've realized that in a lot of my paintings, it's like I'm trying to harness the explosion. Everything's flying apart."

Maybe it's like the cave paintings or something, when primitive man would draw animals that they feared, or were trying to capture. Maybe it's just a primitive urge to harness the explosion."

The 6 by 12 foot Mother Russia Meltdown- his last big painting for awhile- has a little of that explosion feel to it.

"I first got the idea when the Soviet Union was breaking up, and everyone was dancing in the streets and everything," he says, "but I thought, there's going to be big problems here."

Also, he says, "It was a way to show off my painterly chops, to show how good I can be technically."

The Holy Transfiguration of Dorothy Stratten

Saints on the Streets

The Holy Transfiguration of Dorothy Stratten 1983

A show of collages and two paintings held at the Tjrojo Studio, Columbus. Opening night included a performance of Blood Strip. All attendance records were broken. The audience reacted with a combination of shock and awe. I was thinking it had gone well. However, later, an OSU professor approached and told me that even while he thought it was not cheap exploitation and, in fact, a valid artistic expression, he added "This is Columbus Ohio, and I'll be surprised if you ever get to put on another art show again in this city!". He was obviously wrong.

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

2009 New Year's Eve, with Guitarist Philip Park and my long suffering pooch Boo-Dah- Bear. Yes I know there are laws in this state...but "Hey" it was New Year's Eve. [Special offer: I'll delete this posting if you send me 50 bucks- Charles Wince, 507 W.2nd Ave. Columbus Ohio, 43201...If not for yourself, then for potential viewers.] Gawd bless you.
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 At the opening of Juctionveiw Studio's Por Vida ,curated by artist Kat Moya, a show that my work was included in, curated by artist Kat Moya. Posing with my good friend, Miss. Sarah Selhorst, Photographed by Chas Ray Krider, "Erotic Photographer" based in Columbus Ohio but known throughout the world.
2003 The shot that People Magazine used for their article on author Julie Gregory. In the background is the sculpture Thorned Woman, a work I commissioned from sculptor Mary Beth Stickler which was based on a painting by artist Melissa Vogely Woods.
1994 New Orleans vacationing with artist Melissa Vogely Woods.


2003 Author Julie Gregory , Who wrote the best selling book Sickened in my hallway, posing as part of a photo shoot for People magazine. Mural in background is a collaborative effort by myself [design] and the amazing brush work of Columbus artist Melissa Vogely Woods.
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.
2009 Infected...

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 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'.

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 posession, 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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


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


The "Butt Shot", as it became to be known. I was just coming into my own as a "known artist" in Columbus in '85 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, the study of which has always been my number one interest, even more so than art.
photo: Greg Anderson
1973: Hippie boy Wince. I was still in high school and inseparable from my drawing tablet.


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 !"


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

1985

1993: Publicity shot by the amazing Chas ray Krider

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

Miss "O" was just checking me for weapons...that's all !

2008 Opening at The Doubting Thomas Gallery, Cleveland Ohio.

Artwork 2000- Present

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.
The Wheel Turns This Way 2007

I Have Sent You Three Messages 2006 [work in progress] 6 ft x2 ft [detail]



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.



Equation and the Answer 2007



Equation and the Answer [detail]



Equation and the Answer [detail]



The Holy Ghost & Two Friends




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? [work in progress]

Artist Statement and Updates

Asterisk Gallery Proudly Presents
Charles Wince and Paul Volker
Opening Reception
Friday Jan 8, 6 – 11pm
Show runs through Feb 6
Hours by appointment
330-304-8528
www.asteriskgallery.com

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. This "New improved" version is now on display at the Asterisk* Gallery in Cleveland. Closing reception :Sat. Feb.6th [6-11:00 PM.

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.

Preasent time, at age 54, finds him remarkably good spirits

Asterisk* Gallery , Closing Reception,Sat. Feb.6th

Please note : The opening Jan. 7th was marred by bad weather even by Cleveland standards, so I think it is a good idea to add this Closing Reception Feb. 6th [6-11:00]

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