Art as Authority

You are invited,

To the first public preview of Jim Bliesner and Paul Vauchelet's monolithic 90' sculpture "FRATERNITY" at the Gustaf Rooth's Planet Rooth Gallery.

This sculpture has been accepted as a finalist by the Shanghai City Planing Administration and the Office of SHANGHAI URBAN SCULPTURE COMMITTEE for consideration as a commissioned work for the SHANGHAI 2010 WORLD EXPO.

There will be Paintings, Drawings, Photos and Models of this monumental work on display at the Planet Rooth Gallery during the Saturday, June 9th Ray at Night Celebration. Festivities begin at 7:00pm.

Planet Rooth Gallery
3811 Ray St.
San Diego, CA 92104
619.297.9663

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to RG for the inspiration.

"Jane Birkin" - Julien Schnabel

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If the traditional avant-garde suffered a fatal commoditization from the one-two-three punch of a taboo-free liberalized society, a cultural fetish for novelty, and advanced real-time marketing, then the neo-avant-garde thrives by simply flouting the law: specifically the victimless laws of defacement and theft: aka graffiti and copyright infringement.

The irony here is that the same radical advances in information technology that are rendering tagging an ever more problematic practice (due to the remote monitoring of private and public space) are simultaneously creating a golden age of infringement (due to the ready availability of technology for capturing, manipulating, and distributing digital information).

Expect these two neo-avant-garde practices to merge in the future, as taggers discover the virtual new worlds. And expect the most skilled and visionary practitioners to display legal virtuosity in skirting not flouting the law:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

Spun by Richard Gleaves at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Make Money B 4 I Die" - Monica Hoover


THERE are very few times (lately) that I’ve walked into an exhibition and have been captivated by what I saw.

“A Fine Line” by Monica Hoover at the Rubber Rose gallery is (thankfully) one of those rare moments that I have. Hoover walks a fine line in this exhibit that she could have easily crossed over or fallen into the abyss of kitschy commercialized imagery, satisfied with the highly charged and iconic voir patriotic and sometimes religious overtones her work sometimes conveys. But she doesn’t. The show is sublime, smart and woven together by a master storyteller who takes us on a voyage of urban legends and worldly aspirations.

Hoover has made her career as a freelance action sport industry photographer – or as she coined the phrase, a lifestyle photographer that might be to some the antithesis to high fashion glamour shoots. Fresh out of college several years back, she was hired to work for BLK/MRKT then run by Shepherd Fairey, Dave Kinsey and Phillip De Wolff. “They liked my work,” Hoover says unabashedly. Trust me, you’ll get used to Hoover’s honesty and clear thinking if you have the opportunity to talk with her, it’s rather infectious. More recently, she co-founded Voice 1156 gallery with fellow director Justin Ternes in San Diego in 2004. Hoover has also been part of Collabro, organized and curated by Poor Al, most notably in last year’s Collabro at the Anno Domini gallery in San Jose, California.

It is through these skills and experiences that Hoover I feel uses to orchestrate a wide range of imagery from the very sophisticated to the very banal through association, with the medium of photography as its base and all of its derivatives including serigraphy. It is interesting to note that serigraphy by today’s standards, is a rather old-school reproduction technique that has found a new life amongst a whole generation of underground and graffiti artists. It is also necessary for the rapid production of low-cost paraphernalia obligatory for any exposition these days - Marshall McLuhan was right, “the medium is the message".

So what is that message Hoover conveys in her work? It is as formal as it is random, it is as visceral as it is sensual, it is as innocent as it is brutal, and it is life as we experience it everyday and the fine line that separates us from one another and our chosen “lifestyle(s).” A choice obviously plays a role in anyone’s destiny (if you believe in such things), some have the luxury of making them – work, family, success, marriage, money et al – and others not so lucky as poverty, war, famine, religious zealots rain down upon their heads. What about those who make the choice to become a musician, a punk rocker, an artist, or those who choose to live an alternate lifestyle? And then just can’t quite “make it,” as they struggle to make ends meet as they watch their colleagues pass them by on to the road to fame and name recognition for no apparent reason other than they were “chosen.” What about those who live in La Jolla, Beverly Hills, Malibu or any number of posh enclaves of power, money and comfort? And what about Lt. Kinard who chose to go to Iraq but came back home without any legs; given the choice, would he not have preferred that the Hummer he was riding in avoid hitting the IED that took his legs?







Fate, chance, opportunity, networking - the power and strength in Hoover’s work resides in this seemingly opposing contrast of choices and circumstances and the dichotomies they impose. You might say we are a lot closer to one another than you might think; not exactly six degrees of separation, but more like parallel worlds co-existing that rub up against one another and jockey for position, surfacing into public view and/or dominance for brief moments like dolphins coming up for air. Just because we don’t see them, doesn’t mean that they don’t exist.



And so the adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and indeed it does. This is exactly why it is so difficult for this viewer to adequately express the depth and range in Hoover’s photographs, and the level of sophistication and keyed in perception she brings to their presentation both formally and intuitively. She knows this and uses it to her advantage. She knows how to capture the viewer’s attention, entertain them and then send them out the door with an altered sense of themselves and the world around them. She knows what buttons to push but uses that power selectively and intelligently – never too little and never too much, just enough pressure on the viewer’s psyche and “visual cortex” to coin fellow artist Yuransky’s call to activate it - and smart enough to let them decide for themselves what they’ve just witnessed. No brow beatings here. Impossible you say, tall order for any artist to do successfully, stuff of geniuses – perhaps. Or not, it’s a fine line. And this is the point of the show; take any one of Hoover’s photographs out of the context of its current placement, while quite remarkable they begin to lose the intent and reading they set out to convey. Does this mean that they’re not any good or that they can’t stand alone? – of course not. What it means is that these are individual word pictures that form sentences that create larger paragraphs that tell an even bigger story. Hoover is simply saying, “look what happens when I string all these words together.”

Never reactionary never sensationalist Hoover asks us what we think or feel when she does tell us the story. Do we cringe when we see an image of a young girl holding an M-16 in her hands, do we rejoice when we see a US soldier kneeling on one knee, praying, an M-16 pointed toward the heavens. How about a barrel of a .38 pointed directly at us – does it bring back the horrific video image of the VT gunman brandishing his? How about those lovely yin-yang gold shoes photographed on a beautifully upholstered tabouret? And how about that serigraph of a Hummer on a doily background or a portrait of a woman nude except for the suit jacket and tie she’s wearing? Or two women carrying suitcases down some lonely deserted highway? Or the tattooed knuckles that read UNARMED or that fistful of dollars – full of crisp Benjamins and plenty of them. Make money before I die. Or or or … this is the theatre in which Hoover operates. Can we be against something morally and ethically but sympathetic to the individuals involved in the struggle? Against a war but for its soldiers? Against drugs, sex and rock n’ roll, against rap music and the lyrics, but can still listen to the music? Real people in real situations – it’s a fine line. It could be about power as a friend of mine pointed out, in all its splendid glory or abuse, or it could be about a lot of things. I get what it means to me. You decide for yourself. Hoover is confident enough in her work to let us do so.







La pièce de résistance in Hoover’s exhibit however, is two photographs. The first, a cropped image of a Marine from the waist up to just below his lower lip, we see all of his torso in full military garb, medals and leather except for his right shoulder, standing at attention the American flag draped behind him – the image is framed. It is placed to the left of a second framed photograph, of a woman with only a suit jacket and a tie on with nothing underneath that is cropped similarly – except we see her full lips and head slightly cocked to the right towards the Marine. Her tie looking more like a noose lies flat and straight across her right breast. And voila! suddenly my interpretations start running wild – a model military, a military model, a model for the military, WMD’s, IED’s, IUD’s… this is the strength and beauty in Hoover’s work. Go experience it for yourself.

Kevin Freitas







A Fine Line
Documentary and lifestyle photography by: Monica Hoover

The Rubber Rose Gallery
3812 Ray Street
San Diego, CA 92104
619.296.7673

Exhibit runs through June 1st, 2007

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Jeremy Wright - "Gruffy Jack Ball"

"This is where the rubber meets the road" I was once told by a gallery owner that I worked for in sales, believing he did that most successes in life and the negotiations necessary to achieve them came not by chance but by persistence and a call to the client. You don’t buy a ticket you can’t win the Lottery and if you don’t call the client you can’t make a sale. Sound advice but does it always work? Well of course not but at least you know where you stand. Persistence, tenacity, hard work all respectable values, some would even call them character traits but do they pay off in achieving your goals? How about in the art world?

I personally believe that they do and while these traits are not always a barometer of quality in the work produced, they do help clarify the artist’s vision and direction. Even art you need to take out for a spin from time to time before it becomes too precious and stale to do anything with.




Saratoga Sake - "Shanghai Actress"



Bill Pierce from Radioactive Future probably knows this better than anyone by digging his heels into San Diego turf with tenacity and a mission to bring the best of the best art world denizens to our attention. Pierce with co-curatorial help from Jim Yuran, assembles an all-star (his word) group show of 17 artists under the Radioactive Future banner in the Zedism Gallery on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights. The current exhibit is an improvement over Pierce’s solo attempt several months earlier in the same space. Entitled “Tenacious,” Pierce and Yuran have kept some of the original artists from the first show like Mary Fleener, Dave Miles, Tonya Van Parys and Yuransky (Jim Yuran) himself – all with newer works thank you – and have introduced other works by local San Diego artists such as Scott Saw, Abe Aguilar, Ed Won (L.A.) and Saratoga Sake amongst others.

If you read my last review of Pierce’s curatorial effort in the gallery, you’ll believe me when I say how enjoyable and harmonious this current exhibit is. And if you know how democratic and eclectic Pierce can be in his choices, you’ll recognize a body of work that hangs well together, looks good and does not fight each other for wall space. I found myself looking harder and longer at individual works of art instead of glossing over and trying to get to the end and out of the gallery. Has Yuran brought another dimension to Pierce’s already finely tuned curatorial eye? It is hard to say at this point, but rumour has it that the two will be teaming up for future shows. At any rate, there are some nice surprises to be discovered and experienced here.




Amy Hyde - "Monkey"



Saratoga Sake’s “Shanghai Actress” is one of those surprises. An anaemic looking nude woman faces us, hands nervously fidgeting; perhaps she is slightly annoyed by our regard or impatient with our demand to stand still. Either way, her absent stare tells us she is not concerned with our presence. The eyes, the physical and emotional distance, the heightened palette of cold fluorescent colors lends Shanghai Actress an eerie yet sensual attraction that leaves the viewer transfixed. Amy Hyde exhibits one painting titled “Monkey” that leaves this viewer a bit perplexed as to the meaning of the references she uses: a spider monkey, a Spanish mission, portrait of a Nun and a Spanish stamp with an image of a crown on it. Thrown together in a very loose cartoon-like outline on the support in wood, the images float harmlessly on the surface energized by a quick brush and a sombre/bright contrast of light and color.




Ed Won - "Bushbrained"




Jason Sherry - "In the Third Age of Zarkorr There Will Come a Child to Irritate All the People of the New Known World"



When George Bush quits the Oval Office for good in 2008, a massive and infinite source of artistic and political satire, imagery and outcry will suddenly evaporate leaving many artists with nothing good to paint. Until then, we can enjoy amongst many other politically charged art, the work of Ed Won. You might have heard the expression he’s got “shit for brains” well Won has contemporized that saying using current world affairs as a backdrop, and has shown us that it isn’t just that that the President has on his mind, but Nukes instead. “Bushbrained” is a clever little wall sculpture of Bush’s skull popped open like a can of tomato soup revealing protruding nuclear warheads. Bombs away!

Jason Sherry, member of one of Pierce’s earlier artistic groups Funerals of Distinction, comes up with an intimate and precious little work entitled “In the Third Age of Zarkorr There Will Come a Child to Irritate All the People of the New Known World.” Nothing irritating about this delicate VanDyke brown print and collage on a French Parchment from 1636. And then there’s Dave Miles; I like Dave Miles’ work because it makes you think. The work is smart, full of enigmas and allegorical and cultural references that titillate the viewer’s sensibilities and “connaissances.” “Reaching Obscurity through Reverse Emergence” is no less of a puzzle to be solved by conspiracy theorists and others who try to tackle the Single Bullet Theory which is as you surely remember is as follows:

According to the single bullet theory, a one-inch long, copper jacketed, lead core 6.5 millimeter rifle bullet fired from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository passed through President Kennedy’s neck, Governor Connally’s chest and wrist and embedded itself in the Governor’s thigh. In doing so, the bullet traversed 15 layers of clothing, 7 layers of skin, approximately 15 inches of tissue, struck a tie knot, removed 4 inches of rib and shattered a radius bone. The bullet that is supposed to have done all this damage was found on Governor Connally’s stretcher in the corridor at the Parkland Hospital in Dallas. It became a key Commission exhibit, identified as CE399. Its copper jacket was completely intact.(Wikipedia)

Dave Miles - "Reaching Obscurity Through Reverse Emergence"




Dave Miles



Bret J. Barrett exhibits three Surrealist inspired paintings, beautifully executed, colorful, humourous and rich in imagery. Wafts of Roberto Matta weave their way through Barrett’s canvases – we bathe in the results. Melissa Inez Walker, owner of Distiction Gallery in Escondido, offers up a macabre image of a masked woman firmly invested in the task at hand of sawing or as the title of the work implies, “Trimming” a mannequin’s arm to be fitted to the model standing next to her. A new Mary Shelley in the making? Perhaps, but I wonder, are mannequins making a comeback into the ring of artistic imagery?




Bret J. Barrett - "Rare Hare Experiment"



And finally, Jeremy Wright, Scott Saw, John Grow and Abe Aguilar round out the show with work ranging from Wright’s “Jack Ball” doodles of a puppet-like head on a stick expressing various states of euphoria and anguish, Scott Saw’s exquisite oil on wood “High Spirits,” John Grow’s animated characters on canvas that seem to be more surprised to see us than we are them – I love the look of acceptance of their fate(s) in their eyes and on their faces. And Abe Aguilar finishes off with a series of serigraphs on paper and cut-out wood entitled “Blue Demon,” a portrait perhaps of a masked gunman? terrorist? or Lucha Libre comprised of little screen dots a la Lichtenstein but if you look closer, the dots are actually different colored heads of the same woman. Simple but effective.




Melissa Inez Walker - "Trimming"




Scott Saw - "High Spirits"



Will Tenacious be a memorable show? Probably not for this viewer, but is it a good show? – most definitely. Now that Pierce seems to be confortable at the helm and has teamed up with Yuran to pursue a vision as one, I would now like to see them push the proverbial enveloppe a bit further with work that relies a little less on its decorativeness and a little more on its content.

Kevin Freitas




John Grow



TENACIOUS
Featuring: Mary Fleener, Yuransky, Scott Saw, Bill Pierce, Dave Miles, Saratoga Sake, Tonya Van Parys, James Chen, Melissa Inez Walker, Jason Sherry, Tanya Januzko, John Grow, Ed Won, Abe Aguilar, Jeremy Wright, Pamela Jaeger, Bret Barrett, and Amy Hyde.

Zedism Gallery
3540 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
619.283.1210
Art on display during the whole month of May
Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM

Curated by Bill Pierce & Yuransky

Jim Yuran
www.zedism.com

Bill Pierce
http://www.radioactivefuture.com
http://www.funeralsofdistinction.com

Abe Aguilar - "Blue Demon" (click for larger image)

Spun by Art as Authority at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Art as Authority is proud to present RECON - A column by “Poor Al” Barasch with its first installment covering the opening of the new Grace Lane Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA. Poor Al, who doesn't know Poor Al? with major shows of his work in LA, San Diego and all across this beautiful nation, Poor Al has earned the respect of many street and graffiti artists and has influenced a whole generation of younger underground upstarts. Poor Al is also the man behind the highly successful Collabro exhibition series. Art as Authority is pleased to welcome him into our ranks. Thanks and enjoy!




RECON
A column by “Poor Al” Barasch

Grace Lane Gallery and Warren Heard

Once in a while a gallery is opened by someone who really understands the art business more than your average Joe. With galleries popping up in Southern California at a rate faster than ever before, many owners are anxious to have success but really fail to understand what it takes to throw shows month after month relentlessly, just to establish a working business. Many people don’t consider that they might have to have a “real” job while running a gallery. The art business can often be more glamorous than it is in reality, and having the right plan, clientele, and artists lined-up can make the world of difference.

One wall of Grace Lane Gallery

Grace Lane Gallery, in Costa Mesa, is one of those galleries with the perfect mix to succeed. Fred Page, owner of Grace Lane, is an art appraiser with decades of experience evaluating art for high profile clients. Page started his art collection in college, and has never stopped being involved with art ever since. As a Navy photographer stationed in Newport, R.I., he bought his first Picasso print, and with that purchase sealed his commitment to a life long love of art.

Fred Page and “Poor Al” Barasch

As an appraiser, Page’s job involves digging into the history of the work, artist, time period, and researching what exactly a piece of art is worth. He’s researched countless genres of art, so his curatorial decisions are likely to be a combination of well informed data and gut feeling about the art he’d like to show. Page’s inaugural show, a solo show of work by Warren Heard, illustrates how he can be expected to pick excellent artists with depth and rich history.

Opening Night




Warren Heard



Heard’s work embodies the urban folk styling of a man with texture. There are so many ideas and thoughts on one of his paintings that you need to take a few looks at it before gathering in the parts to assemble a whole feeling about it. He’s got deep color contrasts, excellent black-line images peeking from the backgrounds, and words that stand out and add exclamation to the image they are nestled against.

The Couple



The figures in Heard’s paintings look stripped of skin, leaving a window straight into their colorful muscle mass and tissue. They are often in very intimate positions, for example the couple sitting in bed holding one another, or the portrait of Jesus, stripped down to the vibrant humanity below the man’s skin.

Jesus



Intimacy is more than just a concept in the paintings Heard creates; it’s actually his modus operandi. Many of the paintings in his collection have three and four paintings beneath them, and in some cases, they’ve taken seven and eight years to complete. The paintings and Heard have a relationship sometimes characterized by late night visits involving minor updates and occasionally whole scale “breakups” where Heard will go over a painting to begin another.

One of Heard’s paintings




Close Up (click on image for larger view)



What is brilliant about the work is that it doesn’t feel forced and contrived. So much art these days looks like a product, slightly altered facsimiles of other people’s work. Like John Michael Gill, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Chris Yormick, Phil Frost, and other urban folk artists, Heard’s work just seems authentic, and for that alone he deserves praise. Warren Heard couldn’t be anybody else and that’s really what being an artist is about.


¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤


Warren’s show will be running for a while, so please take the time to go and check out his work.

Grace Lane Gallery is located at:
2930 Grace Lane, Suite F
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Call for an appointment: 714-545-1773
www.gracelanegallery.com

Spun by Art as Authority at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 18th, 2007, Friday 7pm-9pm: Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock is proud to present Something Good To Look At, curated by Michael Arata. The opening reception will be on May 18th, 6pm-9pm. This exhibition features two-dimensional works of art that incorporate collage, painting, and drawing. In Something Good to Look At Mr. Arata has gathered a broad collection of artists selected from the local art scene and internet relationships. The artwork includes personal narrative drawings by Johnny Lieberman and Fort Guerin; documentations of physical events by artist Michael Decker and Christian Cummings (Mr. Cummings and Mr. Decker spiritually conjure images from weegie boards); structured drawings which catalog art in the context of yearbooks by Jeff Zenick; and Joey Burns' work which utilize found images in seemingly random couplings. In addition, Michael Sholer, director of High Energy Constructs Gallery in Chinatown, contributes contextual and compositional collages. The work of Maura Vazakas stylizes state birds on linens with nail polish and glitter. This exhibition is an exploration of innovative art forms that engage in the whimsical, fantastic, and brutally realistic.

At the opening reception The Drawing Club (whose primary members include Michael Arata, Penelope Jones, Johnny Lieberman, Kevin and Luna Freitas) will work on a collaborative DUI (drawing under the influence of creativity). This is an open forum, all members of the public are invited to participate and add to the drawings, which are a synthesis of collective consciousness channeled through collaborative activity and cocktails.

Information and address

Spun by Art as Authority at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Rothko in room 623 of the La Jolla Sheraton Hotel is in fact a second-order derivative: an oversized giclée print of a Rothko knockoff. Oversized here refers not to the knockoff - Rothko's paintings being even bigger - but rather to the size of the print in the hotel room: the effect being more Magritte than Ab-Ex.

The image is printed on an inkjet-friendly canvas which in turn is mounted on a stretcher bar to simulate the object-like quality of an actual painting. The canvas on the sides of the object is printed in black. The object is securely fastened to the wall - it cannot be moved or removed without the use of tools.

In the photo above, the color on the right side of the object is washed out by reflected light. While this is partly a result of the camera flash, the effect is also distinctly visible in normal room lighting. This reflectivity is a product of the glossy ink and canvas used in the giclée process: it creates a subtle glass-like sheen on the surface of the image, effectively eliminating the illusion of atmospheric depth that is key to the visual power of a Rothko. The object thus fails as a Rothko imitation.

Careful study of the photo - in particular, of the gap between the ceiling molding and the top of the object - reveals that the object has been hung at a slight angle, with the left side being lower than the right. This is not a photographic artifact - it is distinctly visible to viewers in the room. Though not obvious in the photo, there is an apparent logic to this noncanonical orientation: the two horizontal bars in the image tilt slightly to the right, so by hanging the object itself to tilt slightly to the left, the bars achieve true horizontality relative to the room.

Rothko-esque imagery is a visual motif in the hotel: the second photograph is a detail of the paper card that guests leave on their bed to request new sheets.

Careful study of this photo reveals a decidedly nonRothko-esque pattern of spirals in the blue area of the image. Possible interpretations of this pattern include (but should not be limited to) allusions to textiles, or perhaps to the maritime component of the signature La Jolla sublime.

Spun by Richard Gleaves at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

From the Guardian Unlimited and arts correspondent Charlotte Higgins:

An original work by artists and national treasures Gilbert and George would normally set you back many thousands of pounds. But from 11.30pm tonight a piece is being made available to anyone who wants it - for free.

more...

Thanks to Mid Atlantic Art News for the heads up.

Enjoy!

Spun by Art as Authority at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you are thinking the answer is the back lot of Paramount studios, you're "half" correct! The "half" that I am talking about is LA. This blog is about an action-packed, visually-stimulating, art trip to LA, the art capitol of this wonderful US of A (sorry NYC)!

I started our "art runs" back in 2003, when I realized the art scene here in S.D. was beginning to fade and I desperately needed some visual stimulation to inspire me to paint! So, I called on a couple of friends and asked them what they thought about day trips to LA to visit galleries and art museums. The vote was unanimous! And so, about every couple of months, we planned our trips according to the LA weekly art calendar. This most recent art run happened to be on Cinco de Mayo (so who needs mariachis and tacos anyways)!Unfortunately, I was so excited, as usual, to get the hell out of my house, that I forgot to bring my camera. So instead, I will list the gallery websites so you can see some of the shows that we (meaning Richard Gleaves and myself) saw.

First stop was Bergamot station ( no, we didn't get there by train!). We usually select just a few of the many galleries in this massive art gallery drive-in. I saw to really amazing shows. The first, was at Patrick Painter www.patrickpainter.com. The artist was Marnie Weber and her show was titled "Sing Me A Western Song". I loved her large-scale color photos of the artist herself juxtaposed with scenes of western images. She looked sort of scary with her face powdered a pale white, spooky-looking eyes and an ultra-long dark wig. In the large center area of the gallery were superbly crafted circus animals and ghost-like clowns draped in white cotton sitting atop bales of hay. A few galleries away was yet another photographic show at Robert Berman www.robertbermangallery.com. New photographs by artist Alex Prager, show titled, "Polyester". This was one of my favorite shows of the art run. To quote Robert Berman,"Prager's cinematic approach is reminiscent of the mid 20th century angst and naivety that Hitchcock, John Waters, and David Lynch portrayed. Wish I could have afforded one entitled "Alexandra". Enough said.

Next stop was GR2 gallery ("G" for Giant "R" for Robot--www.gr2.net). This cute little gallery/goodies from Japan store had artist Deth P. Sun ( from Oakland) with his great installation called "Crowd Of Drifters". I saw his previous shows and ,with the exception of a handful of "new" works on board, they looked very similar to works in his previous shows. I was hoping to see something a little different. So although I like his work, I was a lttle dissapointed. To fuel ourselves for the rest of the art day, we stopped next door and had a quick japanese-ish lunch at GR Eats--yummy, and really cool funky decor.

On our way over to the Culver City galleries, we decided to take the surface street of Olympic Boulevard. Our eyes literally popped out of our heads at 2 far-out sights--one was a silver gas station that looked very Gehry/Walt Disney Hall inspired, and the other was a disguised oil well covered in a floral pattern canvas looking material--could that have been a Christo wrap??? Stopping quickly at Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery (a transplant from SF-www.lizabetholiveria.com) we saw the wonderful and talented wizardry of bay area artist Clare E. Rojas ( Is there another artist with the same name--hence the middle initial, I wonder?) transforming images that are reminiscent of Americana needlepoint patterns and Amish Hex signs into scenes filled with weasel-looking animals, asian/eskimo looking people and yes, walking penises! A very large installation, indeed.

Moving on over to West HOLLLLLLYWOOOOOOOOOOD , we stopped at Merry Karnowsky gallery, www.mkgallery.com to catch the Richard Colman show. A former New York artist who now makes LA his home, had a very inspiring show of paintings and drawings ( I am fortunate to own one of his earlier drawings) that mixed renaissance-style images, illuminated manuscript-like gold leafing, rainbows, people, animals in very detailed scenes. It was a great end to the art gallery part of our art run. It didn't take much to twist Richard's arm into catching the LA Modernism Show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. What luck that the show happened to fall on the same weekend. We had loads of fun walking through dealers of very cool mid-century furniture and art. And, we made it home by 8:30 PM. to boot!

Another successful art run in the city of art angels.
Can't wait to go into my studio tomorrow and PAINT!!

Spun by Maura Vazakas at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicolas Sarkozy - Ségoulène Royal (defeated)

more...

It was recently brought to my attention that anyone involved in Arts & Culture, at least where the French are concerned, should be reading Libération, a well known Socialist and anti-American (to my point of view) news journal. If as a person involved in the arts such as I, were to quote or even link to what some might consider to be a rather fascist-like political point of view found in such journals as Le Figaro or even Le Monde (as I've done above), it could be construed as "sleeping with the enemy" in an exagerated sort of way.

While I find this bit of information somewhat amusing, I do understand it in an odd sort of way having lived in France for many many years but not paying any particular attention to what journal I was reading. Faux pas perhaps, but I do find myself in a bit of a dilemma - not wanting to "offend" my French lecteurs but at the same time, not wanting to read a ... well, propagandish journal such as Libération. What to do? I guess nothing for the time being, now that Sarkozy has expressed re-kindling an old flame called America.

Spun by Art as Authority at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Clair de lune"




"La fiancée du pirate"

"Poisson"




Vue atelier - Studio view

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Uncle Freddy's Gallery

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"I remember way back in the days on my block... "

Bill Boyce - downtown Hammond, Indiana (courtesy Uncle Freddy's Gallery)



Couldn't have been any better, good friends, great art, 4 days of vacation in the artropolis of the Midwest - Chicago. And thanks to Tom Torluemke and Linda Dorman of Uncle Freddy's Gallery, you can add Hammond to the list thank you very much.

Tom Torluemke & Linda Dorman outside Uncle Freddy's former gallery space



One of Chicago's hardest working sculptors, Bill Boyce was commissioned to install several large scale pieces in one of Hammond's public parks.




Bill Boyce - downtown Hammond, Indiana (courtesy Uncle Freddy's Gallery)




Bill Boyce - downtown Hammond, Indiana (courtesy Uncle Freddy's Gallery)




Bill Boyce - downtown Hammond, Indiana (courtesy Uncle Freddy's Gallery)







En route for Chi-Town and Millennium Park (the Park formally known as Grant Park) where Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" swept even the most jaded art in the park connoisseur away. "Cloud Gate" is spectacular weighing in at 110 tons and measuring 66' long by 33' high. However, not to be topped was Jaume Plensa's "The Crown Fountain" featuring two 50' high towers and simultaneous video projections - simply stunning. For more information on these sculptures and others, please go to the Millennium Park's website here. I know I know, but I have to ask, "What the hell are you doing San Diego?" It's embarassing to say the least. Oh did I mention the new Frank Gehry Pritzker Bandshell or the new MCA designed by Josef Paul Kleihues?




Anish Kapoor - "Cloud Gate"




Anish Kapoor - "Cloud Gate"




Me & Linda - who looks more like the sculpture?




Looking into the eye of the storm - underneath "Cloud Gate"




Jaume Plensa - "The Crown Fountain"




Jaume Plensa - "The Crown Fountain"




Frank Gehry - Pritzker Bandshell




Frank Gehry - Pritzker Bandshell




Frank Gehry - Pritzker Bandshell




View of downtown Chicago



Tom having fun with Mark DiSuvero







Art Chicago, The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair, The Artist Project, Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, and Bridge Art Fair all rolled into one huge Artropolis at the Merchandise Mart. A little something for everyone. I was able to visit with some old friends from back in the days, Willie Kohler, Barbara Koenen, David Russick, Paul Klein but to name a few and met some new friends like Jason Lahr, Marty Garcia and Scott Grow from Recent Projects. I finally had the chance to meet Mark Staff Brandl too, all the way in from Switzerland and in the flesh from his Internet presence on Sharkforum.org. Art was everywhere. And how about a fair in San Diego - is it possible?




View from the 7th floor window of the Merchandise Mart overlooking the Chicago River.



Just like old times but not really, Wicker Park renovated but not lost, a visit to the gallery (space). The Flat Iron building across the street still standing - but not for long so we heard.




The 12 story Tower Building towering proud over the corner of Damen, North and Milwaukee Avenues.




Looking straight up.



Wes Andrews former owner of the Tower Building and the Flat Iron Building as well as being a patron of the arts, provided affordable studio space for Chicago artists for many years. Had I never met Wes, the Abel Joseph Gallery would not have existed. In 1989, Around the Coyote was born to showcase and promote Wicker Park and Bucktown artists living and working there through an annual arts festival. I was fortunate enough along with many others including its brainchild Jim Happy-Delpech, to be part of its beginnings. There were two things Wes said to describe the energy and passion in Wicker Park's creative community that I'll never forget: one, Milwaukee Avenue was the river of life that flowed from downtown and ended on the footsteps of the Tower Building and two, the Tower Building was like a lone coyote - always searching, always hungry. The name stuck.




1600 N. Milwaukee Avenue - home sweet home




Inside the gallery now Sprint store. You can't stop progress.

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