Washington Post's Weekend Express

I found out that one of my new paintings, She Loves Me (she loves me not), got printed in the Washington Post's Weekend Express's gallery section yesterday.

There's a pretty nice blurb about my show "La Vida Intensa" at Hillyer Art Space (running through April 24th): "Not Half-hearted - From the vivid colors and exaggerated posturing, the characters and canvasses of Gregory Ferrand tell vibrant and emotional stories from the fully-lived side of life."

I'm not sure if you can still pick up copies, but if not, you can go here and then click to page 21 to see the full page.

Antony and the Johnsons in DC

Back in February, I had the good fortune to see Antony and the Johnsons promoting their new album (The Crying Light) at the I St. Synagogue; if you've never heard Antony then you are missing out on something incredibly unique), it was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. I recently became aware of a brief video NPR put out of the show. Check it out here.

WAMU 88.5's Art Beat

I'm happy to say that Hillyer Art Space has done a tremendous job in promoting my solo show "La Vida Intensa."
Last Friday I got a call from someone who heard a little plug for the show on DC's public radio station! If you're interested in reading the transcript or hearing it yourself click here and scroll down to the section titled Art Beat" with Stephanie Kaye - Weekend Events, March 6-8, 2009. (WAMU is my favorite radio station hence the excitement!)

Tired, tired and tired...... but extremely happy!

I am happy to announce that on March 2, 2009 at 9:11 pm, my amazing and beautiful son, Luca Bautista Ferrand was born, weighing in at 6.11 lbs and measuring 20.5 inches long (a string bean for sure)!

He was a week early but kind enough to wait for me to finish the last painting for my show at Hillyer Art Space the morning he was born.

The labor and birth were really incredible to witness and I was left with a deep sense of awe and respect for the strength and self-sacrificing nature my wife possesses, she was incredible that day. Staying calm and focused, she worked hard and was able to deliver a healthy and strong Luca only 3 hours after we arrived at the hospital!

Now we're all home. Things have changed. We're sleeping less, but we're enjoying this new life we're living!

Welcome Luca!!!

New Work: La Vida Intensa

International Arts & Artists’ Hillyer Art Space presents La Vida Intensa featuring new paintings by Gregory Ferrand.

The exhibition opens Friday, March 6, 2009, with a reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibition closes Friday, April 24, 2009.

Hillyer Art Space is located at 9 Hillyer Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008

Paintings in Progress 2

Looks like I'll be painting up until the last minute (as usual) as I wrap things up for the Hillyer show, which has a title by the way: La Vida Intensa. wish me luck and enjoy a few details of paintings I'm working on!

at work in the studio

the work place

Obama's Inauguration

Living a couple of miles away from the National Mall, I couldn’t miss the chance to be a part of such a historic event. Sure, I didn’t have tickets, I wouldn’t be able to actually see anything other than a ton of people and a Jumbo-tron, and would be standing out in the freezing cold for hours…. It didn’t matter, I was going!

At about 9am I put on my layers, jumped on my bike and rode down Rock Creek Park past the Watergate, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Memorial to the south side of the mall where I was forced to abandon my ride when I ran into a huge crowd of people pushing their way over to the Washington Monument. It was intense, but people were friendly as they staked out their spots and asked strangers to take their pictures.

I found a spot below the Washington Monument on the hill between it and the Capitol.

It was packed! I grew up coming to the National Mall for special events including the 4th of July and other inaugurations, but I've never seen so many people gathered there.

And the crowd was definitely participating in the event. As well known politicians or celebrities were introduced they were greeted with cheers or boos. When Cheney rolled out in a wheelchair (to the surprise of most) my section spontaneously started singing The Imperial March!

Check out the response to George W's introduction below.

And then there was the swearing in.....

It was an amazing and emotional experience. I know I could have been warmer and seen more at home, but I'm proud to be counted in the almost 2 million that were there that day.

President Obama…. Sounds good doesn't it?