July Show at Arden

I had a wonderful time yesterday at Arden Gallery. A few artist friends and my always-supportive wife Bonnie were there celebrating my first appearance on Newbury Street with me, and I was available to meet some collectors that Arden had invited. Bonnie took all these photos - thanks for a great job!

Me with Brought to Tears, 24x24

First of all, the people of Arden are great - very welcoming, enthusiastic and warm. Everybody should be so lucky to be represented by such a terrific gallery!

Some Fell Among Thorns, 24x42, and Schematic, 30x40

This is the picture that was in the sneak peek, so you've seen this already, but I'm going to go around the gallery and show you how each piece relates to the other. There were just five pieces in the show, but they were beautifully displayed and lit. I thought they looked great in place (but then I'm prejudiced).

Some Fell Among Thorns

Schematic, 30x40, with Brought to Tears

The gallery where my work was exhibited is the middle room of three in the gallery. There is an opening into the third room between the picture above and the one below. On the other side of the opening, the walls are painted a lovely soft brown, which really complemented my work.

Passing Days, 24x24, and Cinch, 30x40

On the small wall between rooms, two amazing works in encaustic by Matt Duffin were hung

Here Greg Wright, Joanne Mattera and I (back to camera) are discussing Schematic

Lynette Haggard and Binnie Birstein examine my book about
the Running Stitch series (apparently a real sketch)

Joanne tells us what's what. Here we're in the third room of the gallery
where works from each of Arden's artists is shown.

Three works by Joanne Mattera along with those of other gallery artists

Andy Woodward, one of the Arden staff, with a large Joanne Mattera work

We resort to drink (spring water) in the front room of the gallery. 

The featured artist in the front room was Teri Malo. Here are three of her smaller works.

To get the color and image right, here is Teri Malo's A Deeper Measure from Arden's website

A nice shot of Lynette with Joanne. In the background,
one of Teri's works with a window onto Newbury Street.

A good time was had by all, as you can see.

This was a lovely introduction for me with a lot of laughs and much discussion of art, artists, shows and, of course, personalities. Not shown in these pictures were Linda Cordner, Philip Gerstein, Eleanor Steinadler, Cynthia and Richard Frost, and Chris Kyle and her husband (sorry, I don't have your name). There were others that I don't know, but thanks to everyone who came to take a look (and not just at my work).

Then today, back to the studio to finish a big piece. An artist's work is never done.

Out of the Studio

Between one thing and another, I don't get out much to look at art, but on Friday I went to Boston to deliver some work and made a long day of it by visiting a few galleries, stopping in at Greg Wright's opening at Galatea Fine Art and concluding the day at dinner with friends. (I know that Greg is going to blog about his own opening, so I'm leaving that to him.)

SOWA (South of Washington Street) Artists District in Boston's South End. This is an outdoor mall where galleries and other stores are located at street level. The entrance to a big artists' studio building, 450 Harrison Ave., is also located here.

Despite being a native of Boston, I don't get in there much since I'm about a two-hour drive away in western Massachusetts. When I visit now, it's always mind bending because I'm seeing the new/current along with the remembered. The South End has been mostly gentrified and revamped to the extent that I barely know where I am, although it's surprising how quickly the automatic mental GPS kicks in.

At Arden Gallery, Matt Duffin, Untitled (Tricycle), encaustic on panel

Earlier in the day I also went to a few galleries in the older district of Newbury Street, home of Arden Gallery, located in Boston's Back Bay near the Public Garden, Copley Square and other well-kown spots. Other than the work at Arden, where Matt Duffin was showing, I was not particularly bowled over by anything I saw.


Chase Young Gallery

Cynthia Packard , Blue Arrangement, 36"x36", oil and mixed media on panel

One South End gallery I did like was Chase Young Gallery, which had a show on of gallery artists entitled "Blue," that included the work above by Cynthia Packard, a Provincetown artist I wrote about in my Provincetown Art Context post. This had a great surface and an interesting darkness about it that may not be apparent here.

Kathryn Frund, Rapture, Rupture No. 6, 16"x16"

Kathryn Frund is an artist whose work in the show I particularly liked. Lynette Haggard had featured her previously in her blog here. I liked the work online but in person I really, really liked it. Note to self: Get out more.

Kathryn Frund, Intimate Alignments and Intimate Matters, each  16"x16", mixed media on panel

Detail of Intimate Alignments

Other work that interested me was ink on mylar by Katina Huston.

Katina Huston, Saxaphone Square, 24"x24"

Katina Huston, Blue French, 24"x24"

Last month I missed Elise Wagner's show at Chase Young, but there were still a couple of her pieces on display in the back gallery. They are powerful works with great surfaces.

Elise Wagner, Event Horizon, 36"24", encaustic, monoprint, oil on panel

Event Horizon detail

There was not enough room to really stand back from this piece, so I apologize for the bad photo framing.

Elise Wagner, Quantum Singularity II, 24"x70", encaustic and oil

Detail of Quantum Singularity

Then, since it was First Friday Open Studios, I went upstairs in 450 Harrison Avenue to visit a couple of friends.



Charyl Weissbach

Charyl Weissbach working in her studio 

Charyl's studio with comleted works - and visitors

Charyl will be teaching a post-conference workshop titled "Mainly Metals" at The Encaustic Conference next month.



Linda Cordner

Linda Cordner is another friend whose studio I visited.

Works displayed in Linda's studio

Closeup of a new work by Linda (much better in person)

Susan Still Scott

Finally, I went over to Kingston Gallery, where Susan Scott had a show in the back gallery. She has also been featured on Lynette Haggard's blog and I met her at the Danforth Museum in Framingham, where she had a solo show last fall..

The work below is all within 15"x15"x 8" size and is constructed of acrylic and flashe paint on canvas or cotton duck, wood, wire, string, polyfille and acrylic polymer. All dated 2011. This is provocative and surprising work that compels viewing from many angles to figure out what's going on.

Susan Scott, Turtle Shirt

Susan Scott with Turtle Shirt

Black Ecstatic, View 1

Black Ecstatic, View 2

Trophy Painting, View 1

Trophy Painting, View 2

Reach, View 1

Reach, View 2

Mugpee Mashpee

And a good time was had by all!

A Busy Day of Arting

I spent the day today on the other side of the brush - looking at art. For some reason I wasn't thinking about blogging as I usually do and taking pictures of everything in sight. Instead I was into either full-on looking or chatting up a storm with friends I ran into.

Gregory Wright: Tidal Dance, diptych, 36"H x 42"W, encaustic, oil, pigment and shellac on birch, 2009. This painting is one of my favorites in the show.

First stop was Greg Wright's opening at Regis College in Weston. His show, "Microcosm/Macrocosm? - a Fantastic Journey," will be up until December 12th.. Greg is giving an artist's talk in the gallery on December 4th, see the link for details.

Since I didn't take pictures at the show, I tried to take some from Greg's website but they came through as low-resolution - too blurry and pixilated to make a good representation of his work.. Instead I'm using some images that I had on file from a previous post about Greg. The actual paintings are mind-boggling and there were 25 to 30 pieces in the show - a lot of work. When you see how detailed each painting is, you will appreciate that the show represents a tremendous investment of time and energy.

Effervescent Ascension, 36"H x 30"W x 2.5"D, encaustic, oil, pigment, shellac on birch, 2010 

I have written about Greg's work here (and here) before and his true mastery of unusual effects with encaustic and added materials such as pigment and shellac. Greg says that Microcosm/Macrocosm is "inspired by topographical formations and movement" in which he seeks to "define the connectivity that exists between the cosmos, the terrestrial and the cellular from different points of view."

Refuge From Overcrowding, 48"H x 30" W, encaustic, oil, pigment and shellac on birch, 2010   

Reaching for a Certain Outcome, 36"H x 30"W x 2.5"D, encaustic, oil, pigment and shellac on birch, 2010

Several of us agreed that "Reaching for a Certain Outcome" was an outstanding painting that manages to offset the tendency of yellow/gold to come forward visually. Greg has been able to create the illusion of deep space despite the color. The contrast between the yellows and the darker edges that are achieved by burning shellac is really lovely in person.

Entwined by the Tempest Along the Way, 48"H x 30"W, encaustic, oil, pigment and shellac on birch, 2010

This one is an unusual painting for Greg, I think. It's darker and less complex than many of his works but I find it very intriguing because of the darkness. 

Congratulations to Greg for a great show!

Chatting, Always Chatting

It's so nice to run into friends at an opening and catch up with what they're doing. I had a great time talking with Lynette Haggard, Linda Cordner, Kathleen Austin and Jeanne Griffin at Greg's opening. I only intended to stay for a few minutes, but I was there a couple of hours hearing what was happening with their work and lives. I'm excited to hear that Lynette is now working more sculpturally and I'm looking forward to seeing what she's doing. We had a two-person show together last year and it was a good experience for us both. Going through all that work getting organized and then gallery sitting for hours at a time brought us closer together. It's nice to share that art connection.

Blossom, a piece by Lynette Haggard that was recently shown at the Danforth Museum

Ted Larsen at the Clark Gallery

When I finally dragged myself out of Greg's opening, I was headed off to Concord but stopped along the way to see Ted Larsen's work at the Clark Gallery. I had seen his work before online and in Lynette's blog but never in person. He is a Santa Fe artist who works with pieces of found automotive metal that he assembles into sculpture. His work is really lovely - very minimal but with the surface of found objects that have spent time in the world. I think it has a connection with my Running Stitch pieces but my work is softer and more intricate.

Ted Larsen: Eye Dazzler Variant I, automotive metal and annealed wire, 60" x 70", 2008. This piece was not at the Clark, but he had another Eye Dazzler that was a red and yellow quilt-type work around this same size. I loved it.

Rivet, automotive metal, 5.5" x 5", 2008

I tried to add another image but Blogger was just not cooperating. Anyway, most of the works in the show were of the small, sculptural type like the white piece above. There were only two of the larger quilt-type pieces to which I was drawn. Larsen seems to be working flatter now. His new work looks a bit different from either of the pieces pictured here. Check out his website and you'll see.

I really appreciated his statement:

The works I create supply commentary on minimalist belief systems and the ultimate importance of High Art practice. An artist's work usually adheres to the construct of a cohesive direction with the work illustrating a single theme or underscoring a didactic agenda. But such a logical order has no specific place in my studio practice. 

Introducing salvage materials to my own formally driven abstract sculpture, I hope to bring purist shapes and surfaces back down to earth. I quest for new materials, "non-art materials" to create my work. I am constructing assemblages of detritus in order to re-purpose the materials and re-identify their meanings: to re-contextualize and re-label the idea of Ready-mades. It is my on-going experimentation with contexts, hybrids, and scale.

The works keep possession of pleasing formality and visceral elegance while making fun of modernist purity. This is a tribute to anti-triumphalism, the spontaneous, non-hierarchical, un-monumental thematic artistic landscape which offers no specific resolution and no isolation of meaning.

I am not so sure that his work is making fun of modernist purity because it seems too carefully made to be constructed purely for irony. There is something humorous about them but they are beautiful, too, in the way that old things are, and they are pure in their intent. I like the "assemblages of detritus" since that is what I'm doing now only with a wider range of detritus.

Onward and Upward

From the Clark Gallery, I journyed on with my usual directionally-challenged driving to the Concord Art Association, where I saw a show of encaustic works by Kellie Weeks. Kellie had a large number of pieces displayed in a colonial-era house that unfortunately was not the most art-friendly space for an exhibition. Nevertheless, Kellie's brilliantly-colored work stood out prominently against the white walls and had the luminous sheen of glass. In fact, two people who were looking at the exhibition while I was there originally thought that the work was composed of glass until they read Kellie's statement. Here are a few images that I took from Kellie's website.

Kellie Weeks: The Bridge, encaustic on panel, 30"H x 24"W

The Eternal Ascent, encaustic on panel, 30" H x 24"W

Together We Travel, encaustic on panel, 30"H x 24"W

Kellie says that her paintings relate to familial and social relationships where "objects are often seen yielding to one another and/or competing for space. Shapes are at times incomplete, interrupted or overlapping." The saturated colors in her work "can also indicate bold intentions versus subdued reactions. All of these elements speak of relationships, journeys and transformations."

The show of Kellie's colorful, gleaming paintings is up at the Concord Art Association until November 29th. Congratulations, Kellie!

Home Again, Home Again

It was a lovely day for driving today, bright sunshine, clear blue sky and a mere hour and a half or so for me to get to all this great art and artist friends. Driving west into the setting sun on the Mass Pike on my way home was a bit difficult and nearly migraine inducing, but I managed to struggle through until that great ball of light descended far enough not to blind me. It did look like a great round disc through the trees on the western hills as I made my way home, singing along to the nasty sentiments expressed by Bob Dylan in Positively 4th Street and other geezer faves on my radio.