suckers and biters

Krista Madsen & Jeff White have been busy since the last Suckers and Biters show. Pushed out his apartment by the Bed Bugs of Williamsburg, Jeff moved in with Krista under the shadow of the J train. They’ve gotten engaged (petrified bugs in amber is the ring) and impregnated and more shocking than that: bought a used car. When she isn’t teaching writing at Gotham and NYU, editing, and bartending at her bar Stain, and when he isn’t working as a print preparator at MoMA, they fantasize about their future house in the Hudson Valley.

Linda Hall & Bruce Boehrer have been married for five years and live in Tallahassee, FL. Linda teaches as an adjunct professor in the Art Department at Florida State University. She is currently serving as an Americorps member in Wakulla Springs State Park. She makes paintings and sculptures. Bruce is a named professor in the English Literature at FSU. His main subjects are Shakespeare and Milton. Currently his focus is on the History of Animal Rights in Early Modern Culture.

Marité Burwell works as a writer and editor for Fodor's Travel Publications. Marité has been engaged for over a year, and in June might finally stop getting questions about her dress. David Hart has a Masters in Art and Art Education from Teacher's College, which doesn't really mean much. He draws, paints, and makes prints, and otherwise is busy working on web projects for MoMA. To procrastinate, he writes, and his work is published in places like McSweeney's. David has yet to buy a suit for the wedding.

Friends first, the relationship between Andy Fish & Veronica Hebard grew despite the years and long distance between them, and they began to realize that they had more serious feelings for each other. Now both in Worcester, MA they live, work and play together everyday, the passion and excitement they felt has never waned, only intensified. Together and separately they produce a series of graphic novels, paintings and commercial artwork for very diverse clients. More of their work can be found on their new website, fishandhebs.com.

Diana Alutto & Gio Gaynor met while teaching children in an after-school program a year and a half ago. The kids still don't know! Diana attends Columbia University's Teachers College and has her own radio show on the Columbia radio station called The Pirate Venue, Thursdays from 10am-noon (www.wbar.org) and Gio writes songs for toddlers and sings them at a UWS preschool and gym and runs his own website for your one-stop-spot for awesome at www.thebigthings.com.

Linn Edwards & Brian Bell are in love and make art. They will soon take over the world and make it a better place. Linn can hardly believe she’s been a photographer for over ten years (www.linnedwards.com). Brian Bell works at the New York Public Library in the Fine Art Prints, Photographs, and Artist Book Collection. He likes to spend his free time making collages, working on his website (lefthandedloser.com) and taking photos.

Award winning and internationally published Illinois artist Aunia Kahn and husband, writer Russell Moon have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, most recently the “Silver Era Tarot” card deck being released in 2008. Since meeting in 2002, the two’s differing thought processes and creative pursuits have led them to mesh ideas, experience dreams both never knew existed and also enjoy mutual successes. As their family has grown to four German Shepard’s and two black cats, their bond has made a lasting impact not only on their lives but the ones touched by their creations.

Three and a half years ago, a random encounter brought James Vining & Alex Kogan together in Boston. After a year maintaining a long-distance relationship between Chicago and New York, they settled back into the apple’s core with related careers in social work. Their love has transposed Walden Pond and the Charles River, Millennium Park and Lake Michigan and most recently, Watkins Glen State Park and Woodstock. Together, they make strange songs and films, bizarre paintings and photographs. In the shadows of geography, they see each other as brotherly beacons tenderly mapping the topos. Their next stop might be Arcadia.

Michael Shores & Angela Mark met in 1981 while working as security guards at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. About 12 years ago they started to work on paintings together, the ultimate step in their progression as collaborators. The moniker SharkArt Studios, given to them by a friend combines their names SHores and mARK and encompasses their activities musically and artistically (www.sharkartstudios.com).

Frieda & Drew Block met on the side of a church on the Eve of Thanksgiving 1999 when Frieda believed she would become a spinster with three cats and Drew was on a blind date with a girl who was not really his type. She invited everyone over to her apartment because Drew was cute. They dated for two years and were married in 2002. Frieda is an art teacher and a painter. Drew is a photographer but his dream is to become a train conductor. They live in Valley Stream, NY with four cats, one of them being Drew’s.

Jenn DeWald & JEN/ed [Jennifer Edwards] have been partners in love and art for nearly seven years. They met at a dance concert and soon learned that they had grown up one town away from each other and never met. Jenn is a visual artist who has been shown all over the country (www.jenndewald.com) and JEN/ed is a writer, performing and visual artist who has done many fun and important things (www.jened.com). Their current collaboration is the book, Relaxation on the GO, written by Edwards and illustrated by DeWald, forthcoming from Plain White Press.

Mathew Snethen & Niki Kriese first met as roommates. They quickly overcame the "don't screw your roommate" taboo, and six short years later got married. For the last year Mathew has found himself the star of Niki's video work. Despite her attempts at provoking drama and tension on camera, he maintains his cool, patient self. This is great for their relationship but sometimes results in very boring videos."

Judi Muscara-Orfanos & Greg Orfanos would correspond through psychic automatism for two and a half years until finally joining one another in a small room in art school. Judi received her degree in art first and then spelunked in the cavernous craters of the moon. Many years later Greg finished his degree and raced in soapbox derbies through abandoned warrens. Due to the lack of oxygen and sunlight they returned to pursue painting. Now they live at home in Beverly, MA with their son Mars, a smiling space turtle and an undercover cat that speaks no English.

Melissa Murray & James Rodgers have been collaborating artistically and romantically for seven years. Melissa has been featured in Juxtapoz magazine and numerous group and solo shows, her most recent being the Censorship exhibition at the Brecht Forum. Her work consists mostly of paintings and drawings. James is a musician who has numerous releases. In his present musical endeavors, James is building electronic and circuit bent instruments and creating large-scale housings for his projects. Melissa and James live in Bushwick with their two dogs, Blue and Journey.

Caroline is an actor and musician who recently finished the run of the play "Fill Our Mouths" in Miami. Craig is a visual artist and musician currently exhibiting his paintings at A Forest Gallery in Manhattan. Together they play in the band Tin Veil and have recorded their first full-length album titled "hand in the dark" to be released in April. Craig and Caroline frequently play Stain bar in Brooklyn exploring the ever-expanding abstractness of their sound. Together they love to experience and explore all things art related, the smell of fresh cut wood, and a fine Bordeaux.

Jung Hsiang Ke & Hsiang Ju Hung have been a creative couple since five years ago when they were studying fine arts together in Taiwan. They did various collaborations before, such as photography, mixed media, video, and installation. With their friends, they set up IOST GALLERY (iostgallery.com) in 2006 to create an open space for artists and designers. Now Jung is in the army for duty in Taipei, and Hsiang is studying design in NYC. For Suckers and Biters, they did this blind collaboration through the web on one of their recent online dates.

Kirsten Rae Simonsen and Scott Groeniger met in 2003 while teaching in Florida. He really liked her warped drawings, and she really liked his sense of adventure. They were married in Santa Fe in 2006. They both enjoy travel, motels, truck stops, old signs and their pets (a dog and a bird). Honolulu is their home now, and they both like the way it is perfectly placed between East and West. She does painting, drawing, design, video and installation, and he does photography drawing, design, video and installation. The artists’ work can be seen at http://elasticlimit.com/artwork and http://elasticlimit.com/kirstenrae

Joleen & Mark Rumsey: It was their first drawing class, she wore skate shoes, he wore work boots; that was sixteen years ago. He does the grocery shopping and the cooking, she does the laundry and takes out the trash. He gardens, she sings. She designs and makes clothing (flutterfashion.com) and tours with her band (theicicles.com), he makes things (markrumsey.com).

Donise English & Robert Nilsson met over a beer at a bar in Poughkeepsie, NY and were married 15 years later. Donise graduated from Bard College with an MFA in painting and is on the faculty of Marist College teaching studio art. Robert graduated from Iowa State University and Cooper Union with degrees in Architecture and has his own architectural practice in Dutchess County, NY.

Lauren Was & Adam Eckstrom met at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. Since June 2006 they haven't spent more than a few moments apart. They got engaged on a cliff in Jamaica, married on a Midwestern farm, and live primarily in Brooklyn. Adam is a painter and Lauren is a sculptor, but their artistic concerns come from a shared place. Their first piece together was large public sculpture funded by the city that lived in DUMBO for the duration of last winter. Presently they are building a full scale Hummer H3 built from lottery scratch off tickets.

Stephanie Gerolimatos & Mark Bodah met in 1993 while earning art degrees at a small college in upstate NY. In 2000 they became a couple. Today, they share a home in Western Massachusetts. Stephanie spends most days in her home studio making art. Mark is preparator for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, drummer for several bands, has a home recording set-up and periodically ventures back into the visual arts. The couple has two exhibits scheduled -- one at Hosmer Gallery in Northampton, MA this fall, another at Bluseed Studios in Saranac Lake, NY in mid-summer (stephg.org).

Justin Clavadetscher & Jenny Salomon have been together for 12 years. He makes electronic music under the name mass_processor and is studying for a PhD in clinical psychology. She is an artist (oil painting/drawing) and works in her studio in Greenpoint. They eat a lot of pressed sandwiches and also use condoms. One day they hope to ride motorcycles in the desert.

Marie Rossettie is a medical illustrator and painter. BJ Warshaw is a Brooklyn based musician and web monkey. They don't like to get high but they do like to make bad art together.

Jason Lorne Drum & Katherine Ann Middleton, both born and raised just outside Chicago, somehow ended up in the same little town named after the sycamore trees that used to line the streets. Jason, both blessed with artistic and musical talents, spends his days moving around ductal pipe and calling people out on their bullshit, and his evenings blissfully resting his cheek on his guitar. Katherine has happily devoted her life to her artistic pursuits. By day she puts together outfits for snobby rich women, but prefers to spend most of her time daydreaming and painting.

Samanta Batra Mehta moved to the US from Bombay, India in 2003. Her art works center around the themes of the body, the environment, creation and identity. In the “real” world, she works full-time in marketing and holds degrees in economics and information systems. Karan Mehta is a boring Wall Street banker who pays their bills; he loves art and occasionally dabbles in it too. They live in NYC with their infant son, and her growing collection of books and his gadgets.

Kristin Reger & Tyson Thurston met the day he moved to Chicago in 2005. They shared a backyard and instantly developed the hots for each other, but didn’t admit it for another year and a half. Kristin is an accomplished visual artist specializing in embellished fibers and ink drawings. She shows in Chicago and will shortly begin an artist’s residency in La Plata, Argentina. This is her New York premier. Tyson self-produces psychedelic music under the name Magical, Beautiful. Spring will see his fifth release in just over one year. This is his first attempt at visual art.

Taryn McMahon & Keith Lemley met while studying art. They live in Madison, WI, where they enjoy encouraging and supporting each other as artists and as a couple. Taryn is a printmaker whose work ranges from woodcuts and etchings to intermedia installations and performances. She is currently working on a series of silkscreens while a resident artist at the Women's Studio Workshop. Keith is a sculptor and his work is usually interactive and kinetic. Found objects in disguise and lots of experimenting give his work a playful look at the human condition.

Sue-Yee Leung & Ian Henderson are children of the new global economy. Though US citizens, their identities are inextricably interwoven with the places and events that brought them to this country. Sue-Yee Leung is a second generation immigrant. Ian Henderson grew up on a series of military bases around Europe. As the millennium turned, fate conspired. Their paths became intertwined at the Massachusetts College of Art. Their relationship, like their lives, has been rife with chaos, misunderstanding, and celebration of the hidden beauty in small things.

Bob Capozzi & Ustya Tarnawsky: U - Wild green - don't lose sight. Sleep under the table after the sun comes up. On the bridge. B Ambidextrous somnambulist. Printmaking. Cooking. New Paltz, NY.

Meghan Keane & Simon Morr met on a rainy night in midtown, spilling their pasts over cups of coffee and soggy ambiance. Meghan, an artist, was instantly charmed and skeptical of their future together. Since when had doctors and artists made good partners? Never. But no one ever said a brilliant doctor and an insightful artist wouldn't make good lovers. Ask Simon. Mutual respect makes for great foreplay.

Jeannette DiCarolis: I saw this amazing painting by "My friend Kelly." To my surprise Kelly turned out to be a very handsome man! I ended up moving from San Francisco to go to grad school at Pratt to be closer to Kelly / Kelly McCormick: We considered things one way and then the other, only to find things subjective. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Now we want to establish deep roots... / Jeannette: in each other's lives. I am a K-5 art teacher. Kelly is a working (and sometimes non-working) artist. We live in Williamsburg together.

Jeremy Vaughn & Jennifer Renko have been together for just over eight years and can't exactly remember where their nickname Turkey for each other came from. They were surprised to learn that this is the nickname the old couple in On Golden Pond has for each other. After completing their Master’s degrees in art in Philadelphia, they moved into a house on a lake in the frozen wilderness of Northern Michigan where flocks of turkeys visit them almost everyday and dig what look like crop circles in the snow of their front yard.

Stacy Seiler is an artist and professor of drawing at Parsons The New School for Design in NYC. She received her BFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art, and her MFA from Parsons. Stacy’s drawings explore the decay of industrial architecture. Jason Brody is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he focuses on urban design. Stacy and Jason are leek-eating people. As a couple, they are shockingly good looking, and their witty banter puts at ease the angriest of bears.

Lisa Lipton & Joel Maillet met during their studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since then, they have been collaborating on projects from drawings to films. Joel now serves as a successful independent filmmaker, residing in Halifax. Lisa recently received her MFA with a focus on mixed media and installation. She has moved to the Maritime’s and is now working out of her studio in Halifax. Both artists have shown work nationally and internationally and will continue working together on projects: “Vive la collaboration!"

Jason Rosencrantz focuses on achieving authenticity while writing and teaching in Los Angeles. Justina Blakeney works on making good choices in NYC. While doing so she wanders, designs, authors, cooks, sings, babysits, messes around on the computer and makes pretty things. Justina and Jason had long been acquaintances when things took a turn for the physical after a New Year's Eve party. Now they regularly rendezvous in cities around the world to make art and make out.