www.wwwLen Upin

Biography

Len Upin Mr. Upin is a graduate of Niles East High School in Skokie. He studied art at the University of Illinois and earned a Bachelor's of Fine Art degree in 1978 and received a Master's of Art in painting from Northern Illinois University 1987.In 1998 Mr. Upin earned an Administrative Certificate from NIU and was our former department chair. After joining the Fremd Art department in 1979, Mr.Upin has coached football and wrestling and sponsored art club for twenty one years. He has had a number of commissioned portraits, one most notably by the Dr. Scholl's School of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago. Mr. Upin, along with his students, is responsible for all of the wall murals, MSL teams names in the main gym and most of the special wall signs visible throughout the building. Mr. Upin is the creator of the DINE ART Gallery and Permanent Art Collection ideas. He is especially proud of the work his staff has done to raise the awareness, participation in and appreciation of at Fremd.  Mr. Upin lives with his "childhood sweetheart" wife and their children in Buffalo Grove.  

Images

  2008-2010        
   
Chuck 2 2010 (30X40) Ball Pen Jim 2010 (30 X 40) Ball Pen Marge 2010 (30X40) Ball Pen Margoe 2010 (30X40) Ball Pen
Renee 2010 (30X40) Ball Pen Self Portrait 8 2010 (30 X 40) Ball Pen
   
  Aishet Chayil 2008 (30X40) Ball pen Chuck 2008 (22X33) Ball Pen Chuck & Liz 2008 (12 X 18 1_2) Ball Pen Helen 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen  
   
   Jonah 2008 (22X30) Ball Pen Laur 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen Ma 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen Millenium Park Millie 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen  
   
  Noah 1 2008 (22X30) Ball pen Noah 2 2008 (22X30) Ball pen Olive 2008 (22X30) Ball pen Ricky 2009 (22X30) Ball pen  
   
  Self Portrait 1 2006 (22X30) Ball pen Self portrait 2 2007 (22X30) Ball pen Self Portrait 4 2007 (22X30) Ball pen Self Portrait 7 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen  
   
  Self Portrtait 6 2008 (30X40) Ball pen Self-Portrait 3 2007 (22X30) Ball pen Stroke and Beyond 2009 (30 X 40) Ball Pen Tess 2009 (22x30) Ball Pen  
     
  Zack & Noah 2008 (22X30) Ball Pen Stroke and Beyond 2  2009 (30" X 40")  Ball Pen Noah 3 2009 (30 X 40) Ball Pen Tyrus 2009 (30 X 40) Ball Pen   
           
  I Do Susan & David got Married 2009 (20 12 X 20 12) Ball Pen  Jim 2009 (30 X 40) Ball Pen  Carl 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen  Dick 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen   
     
  Jim 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen  Chediak 2010 (30 X 40) Ball Pen Doc 2010 (30 X 40) Ball pen Joan 2010 (30 X 40) Ball Pen  
   
  Jon 2009 (30X40) Ball pen Latika 2009 (30X40) Ball Pen Laur 2 2010 (30X40) Ball Pen Lester 2010 (30X40) Ball pen  
     
  Mindy 1 2009 (22X30) Ball pen Mindy 2 2009 (30X40) Ball pen Self Portrait 5 2007 (22X30) Ball pen    
           
           
           
   
  1983-1986        
   
 
Tough Guy. Watercolor, 1983.
 0-3 Months. Watercolor, 1983. Family Portrait. Acrylic and Oil, 1983. Eighty Ties, Plus A Dozen or so More Acrylic, 1987.  
   
  My Hats and Eighty Ties. Acrylic and Oil, 1987.

Wiebolt Hat Boxes. Acrylic and Oil, 1986.

 Fine Line in Grey. Acrylic and Oil, 1987. Fine Line in Brown. Acrylic and Oil, 1987.  
     
  Terra Cotta on 2nd Street. Acrylic and Oil, 1986. Sara X Fourteen. Acrylic and Oil, 1986. My Grandma's Got That Floor. Acrylic and Oil, 1986    
  2000-2003        
   
  Self Portrait. Graphite. 1999. Self Portrait. Graphite. 2001. Self Portrait, Watercolor. 2002 Self Portrait, Oil. (In progress)2002  
     
  Self Portrait. Craypa. 2000 Self-Portrait. Ceramic. 2001. Self-Portrait. Ceramic. 2002.    

Artist's Statements

Artist Statement #1 (from One-Man Masters Degree Exhibit in '87)      
The underlying concept of my work was based on pattern--planned and regulated through the development of repetition. There existed a sense of disorientation and ambiguity mainly due to the intentional absence of cast shadowing. Yet even though there may have been a type of chaotic imbalance to the paintings, there remained an underlying connection with reality and order. Moving away from the earlier, single item, centralized garment, I began to think more about multi-item, patterned ground images. Influence by Wayne Thiebaud's paintings of pies, cakes, ties and shoes, I began to emphasize the items by means of repetition, size, and vantage point.      

Artist Statement #2 (2000-2003)

     
My personal focus has dramatically changed due mainly to a recent chronic illness which has uprooted the regularity and continuity of mine and my family's lives. I've always been in turn with myself, but of as a result of all of the personal chaos, my introspection has intensified. With the push from colleagues and my wife, the return to making artwork has once again become a joyous and challenging activity. The age process combined with self imagery has lent itself as measurement of the a reality of time and the wear & tear caused by my current medical situation. My interest in the surface qualities of my work has become much more of a consideration over my earlier paintings of the late 80's. Textural, hatched and more painterly mark making appeal to much more to me now.      
Artist Statement #3 (2006-2010)      
Portraiture and self-imagery remain my focus. I crop my images and look at the sculptural qualities of the features of the faces. My drawing style changed after my stroke in 2003. Because of my brain event my artistic perspective is askew plus my patience is off. I’m not interested in creating the tight marks and details I made before. My fields of value became scribble marks and it gives me great satisfaction using my now loose style.

 

 

      

Email: mactavish5@gmail.com

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