artPark

MICHAEL JANIS - April Spotlight artist of the month

Out of the collection of artists Laura and I represent and follow, I can't think of any who have been busier than Washington, DC glass artist, Michael Janis.  In addition to him co-directing and teaching at the wildly successful Washington Glass School, Michael has hit the Spring exhibition season in full stride.

 

Earlier this year, Michael was included in the Corning Glass Museum's New Glass Review - arguably one of the most prestigious and important glass competitions.  Also earlier this year, Michael was nominated as a finalist for the annual Washington, DC Mayor's Art Award.  Michael is currently participating in a group show titled "Dialogues in Glass" at the Mayer Fine Art Gallery in Norfolk, Virginia (runs through May 14). Then, on May 15, Michael opens a two man show at the famed Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri (runs through June 13).  And, finally, Migration will feature his work at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City in May (May 6 through May 10).  Whew!  I'm thinking, at this point, there might be a few artists out there who are a bit jealous.

 

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For the AAF, we anticipate this primarily painting, photography, drawing and printmaking fair to get turned upside down by Michael's glass powder drawn images on fused glass panels.  Michael's melancholic imagery combines the allegorical and the urban, but his materials and process are so elemental.  All of this is brought together by his highly refined technical skills which uniquely bring forth these deeply beautiful and animalian pieces of art.  For more on Michael's process, take a look at this video interview created by the Verizon FiOs creative film production team.

 

From Michael's artist statement:

Inspired by ways we transform ourselves, Michael Janis creates glass pieces that have both visual and spatial depth.  By layering and fusing sheets of glass with overlapping elements, Michael creates an interactive commentary using simple forms with intricate glass powder drawings. 

 

Seamless construction and simplicity of form contrasts with the intricacy of his imagery.  Objects from his “Tarot” series are based on the symbols and forms used in Tarot playing cards. Traditional Tarot cards incorporate icons based on everyday life, religions, astrology and also numbers. The Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, saw all of the Tarot symbols as "descended from the archetypes of transformation", and used the Tarot imagery in his therapy.

 

Michael’s kilnformed work takes scenes and suspends them within layers of fused, formed and coldworked sheet glass. Using crushed glass powder to create drawings, Michael plays on the elements of light, color and also sequence.  The glass powder is sifted onto glass sheets, and by scraping and scratching the sifted black glass dust he crafts his artwork. The glass panel is then fired in an electric kiln at temperatures up to 1600°F. This time consuming process facilitates drawn out contemplation of often overlooked imagery. 

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We will be featuring all the pieces pictured on this page at the Affordable Art Fair (May 6 through May 10).  For more information on Michael and the availability of these pieces and others, please contact us.

 

[Images include: 1)  Full of Uncertainties and Reasons.  Cast glass, steel, glass powder imagery.  18"x36"x2".  $6,000.  2) The Moon - from the Tarot Card Series.  Cast glass, steel, glass powder imagery.  18"x36"x2".  $6,800.  3) The Sun - from the Tarot Card Series.  Cast glass, steel, glass powder imagery.  18"x36"x2".  $6,800.  4)  Seeking Shelter 1.  Cast glass, steel, glass powder imagery.  20"x20"x2".  $3,000.  5) Seeking Shelter 2.  Cast glass, steel, glass powder imagery.  20"x20"x2".  $3,000.]

Busy season for art

Spring is getting off to a roaring start in the art world. Here are some shows featuring artists near and dear to our heart:

RANDALL STOLTZFUS

at Limn Art Gallery (San Francisco, CA)

April 18 through May 30

[Image: "Late" – oil on linen]

 

 

MICHAEL JANIS

and Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers

"Dialogues in Glass"

at Mayer Fine Art Gallery (Norfolk, VA)

March 28 through May 14

[Image" "The Moon" by Michael Janis – Cast glass with sgraffitto glass powder imagery]

 

 

  ASHLEY WILLIAMS

At Ruffin Hall Gallery on the Univ. of Virginia Campus (Charlottesville, VA)

April 10 through April 17

[Image: "Goddess Knut" – multimedia on paper]

 

 

In addition to these exhibits, we will be featuring Randall's, Michael's and Ashley's work at the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, May 6 through May 10. These artists have kept their respective noses to the grindstone throughout the winter and created some fantastic art in anticipation for these shows. The next couple of months will be a great time to buy their newest creations.

Also, these other Migration favorites are exhibiting this Spring. Check theem out:

 

  ROB TARBELL

"Smokes"

at Krausse Gallery (Atlanta, GA)

March 27 through April 22

* Rob will also be showing at AAFNYC in May

[Image: "Follies of the Wise" – smoke on paper]

 

 

 

 

  SUSAN JAMISON

"Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists"

at Dabora Gallery (Brooklyn, NY)

Through April 12

[Image: "Tating Tales" - egg tempera on panel]

 

 

 

 

  STEVE GRIFFIN

"Art About Color"

at Nichols Gallery Annex (Barboursville, VA)

Through May 17

[Image: "Strata #5" - acrylic on canvas]

Opportunities

ArtInfo, the website for all things Art, has launched a new Art Jobs Board for jobs, internships, residencies, and artist calls for entry. There are categories for nonprofits, museums, artist's assistants and arts administration, as well as consulting, editorial, and curatorial. There also are sections specifically for artist submissions and artist's residencies.

Although a majority of the listings are based out of New York, there were plenty of opportunities from the other corners of the country (Texas, Utah, California, Arizona, Florida, DC, etc.) and a notable number from abroad.

I'd say it's worth staying tuned into this site.

ArtistADay.com

There's a nice and simple website that promotes artists and their work. It's called ArtistADay.com. Today, the site is featuring the work of Migration artist Randall Stoltzfus. Give it a look. Rate the work (give it a 5). Read the Comments. Leave a Comment.

Interested in seeing the real thing? Migration will be featuring Randall's work at the Affordable Art Fair in NYC from May 6 through May 10. Last year, Randall stole the show at AAF.

Randall is also having a solo exhibition at the Limn Art Gallery in San Francisco from April 18 through May 30.

Hitting both coasts simultaneously means these are busy days for Mr. Stoltzfus – but that's appropriate for an artist of his caliber.

[Image:  "Late" by Randall Stoltzfus.  48"x60", Oil on linen.  $7,000]

The aesthetics of the Nano

Tata Motors is launching its ultra-cheap Nano car in Mumbai, India on Monday - a vehicle meant to herald a revolution by making it possible for the world's poor to purchase their first car. (Read about it here).  Quite democratic, eh.

The Nano, which is priced starting at about $2,050, is a stripped-down car for stripped-down times: It is 10.2 feet (3.1 meters) long, has one windshield wiper, a 623cc rear engine, and a diminutive trunk.

The rollout of this little, populist car has created quite a stir. With 100,000 expected to eventually hit the streets, people are debating the impact this number of new vehicles will have on the environment let alone the economy.

My question, however, is what about the aesthetics of this jellybean of a car? If there are going to be tens of thousands of these pocket vehicles hitting the streets, will we find them repulsive or pleasing to the eye?

Personally, I find the far forward and rear placed wheels a bit disturbing, unbalanced and cartoonish. I also struggle with the proportional relationship it has to human beings - Picturing a person (or two... or four) inside already makes me snicker. It looks silly. Doesn’t work. I also fear how the Nano will age. Maybe a new shiny one can be considered visually "interesting," but a dirty, beaten up old model will look terrible in four or five years. Skillfully designed for the eye it is not.

Opening tonight

Tonight, Laura and I will be headed to Piedmont Virginia Community College to enjoy the opening of Vessels featuring the pottery Tom Clarkson, Kars Marshall and Kevin Crowe (in the North Gallery). The show will run through April 23.

Tom Clarkson has been a long time friend of ours, and we have been proud to exhibit his pottery at Migration. Tom's work expresses all that is artistic in functional pottery - marrying form and function in vessels whose beauty simply needs no function.

Also opening at PVCC (in the South Gallery) is Automatic Artifacts featuring Tracy Davis, Kathleen Free, Judith Minter, Virginia Rice Thompson, Laurie Thurneck, Christine McDowell Tucker, Brigitte Turquois, Staiger White and Susan von Hemert.

Opening reception starts at 5:00pm. Don't miss it.

Seattle, Washington

Laura and I have returned from a week in Seattle. We covered a lot of ground, saw a lot of beautiful things (landscape and art), ate a lot of food, drank gallons of coffee, and had a terrific time with my brother and his wife – thanks, Ted and Cheri for making the trip happen.

On the art scene, Laura and I made a bee-line to the William Traver Gallery. As Seattle is something of a Mecca for art glass, and Traver is the gallery, we had to stop and see the beautiful things on display. Ben Rosenblatt, the gallery manager, gave us a first class tour, and we had a good time sharing gallery fair war-stories. Laura and I were wowed by the sand cast glass pieces by Bertil Vallien, Ethen Stern's blown and carved minimalist work, and Davide Salvatore's "instruments". It was also nice to reconnect with the work of one of my long-time favorite glass artists, Hiroshi Yamono.

   

[Images include: Left, Moro 1 by Bertil Vallien; Middle, Caotica by Bertil Vallien; Right, Russett Islet by Ethan Stern]

   

[Images include: Left, Springarpa by Davide Salvadore; Middle, Fish Hanger #136 by Hiroshi Yamano; Right, From East to West-Nagare #39 by Hiroshi Yamano]

Laura and I also paid the $15 each for admission to the Seattle Art Museum and spent a half day touring the newly re-designed galleries. I have always considered SAM a particularly excellent and well thought of mid-sized museum. But, after this visit, I have to bump it up to one of my absolute favorite art museums – period. As I said, the size of the museum is modest and the collections, although diverse, will not set the world on fire. But it is the curation and impeccable display of the collections that made me see and appreciate things at a much greater level than I have in any other museum I've visited in the last 20 years.

SAM's mid-century modern work was perfectly displayed – not too much, not too little. Standing in the large gallery populated with both sculpture and paintings was thoroughly fulfilling. It wasn't much, but it covered it all. Strolling through the Australian Aboriginal galleries, however, is where it hit me... Here, displayed side-by-side with the traditional and historic pieces were contemporary pieces. I now have a brand new appreciation for the beauty of this genre. Another touching exhibit was in the African Art galleries – 18th and 19th century work surrounded by a William Kentridge film titled "Shadow Procession" (1999). It was an incredible experience. Oh... and, I'll never look at a porcelain display again without comparing it to the outrageous and dazzling display in SAM's Porcelain Room – it's a must see for every visitor. This is what a museum experience is all about.

[Image above: Inopportune-Stage One by Cai Guo-Qiang]

Another museum that we visited was the Woodland Park Zoo – yes, zoos are museums too. My brother, a Zoo docent par excellence, gave us the grand tour. We were able to see the real thing and learn far more than from your standard National Geographic special or text books. Woodland Park Zoo has made it their mission to save animals and their habitats through conservation leadership and engaging experiences, inspiring people to learn, care and act. It was particularly gratifying to have such up-close experiences with the monkeys, apes and the raptors.

Other "flavors" of Seattle we enjoyed were found at Freemont Coffee (our best coffee experience while in Seattle), Nana's Soup House (rocking soup menu), and Capitol Hill artist Jesse Edwards is one to keep an eye on.

[Image: Tyrone Biggums-Dave Chapelle Show by Jesse Edwards]

 

Impera et Divide

The art scene in Charlottesville is suddenly looking up… or should I say it is looking overseas. Currently on exhibit at Second Street Gallery is a show of six internationally renowned artists curated by our own Warren Craghead (and co-curated by Pedro Moura) called Impera et Divide. The exhibit focuses on contemporary international comics and sequential art The six featured artists come at comics from a different angle - combining sequences of images and words to create graphic poems rather than graphic novels. Relying on destabilizing and decentering strategies, this work is rich and multivalent. The featured artists include Frederic Coche, Ae-rim Lee, Andre Lemos, Ilan Manouach, Andrei Molotiu and Fabio Zimbres. It's a divergent and beautiful show. The exhibit runs through April 25. Don't miss it.

 

In addition to Pedro Moura, artist Andre Lemos made the journey across the Atlantic for the opening. This is where things get interesting. It's one thing to import beautiful and important work from outside the area, but it becomes much more substantial when the artists make the trip too.

 

Laura and I were fortunate enough to get some quality time with both Pedro and Andre. Not only did we share the varying points of view and perspectives we each bring to the visual arts, we were all exposed to a variety of new names, styles and forms of art that we each consider excellent. One in particular we gleaned from Andre was Jan Svankmajer from (formerly) Czechoslovakia. Jan is true master of the stop motion film making. It was great to be introduced to his work by a true fan. I would never have gotten that without meeting Andre.

 

Now here is where things get doubly interesting… André Lemos, from Lisbon, Portugal, has been active in the European comics world since the late 80s and has become one of the most published Portuguese authors abroad. Andre is also an accomplished mural painter, participating in many group and solo exhibitions as well as receiving many commissions for the decoration of public and private spaces. While in town for the opening of the exhibit, Andre agreed to paint a mural (in one day) on the outside wall of The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative. We stopped by to see the artist in action. Here are some photos of the process:

     

   

So this little show of works on paper has given Charlottesville a piece of art that virtually no one living here would ever have the opportunity to see and enjoy. I can't stress the importance of looking outside our local boundaries for high quality and important works of art. Work from outside the Virginia Piedmont can look entirely different and give us something we don't usually get. Now that's what I call the spice of life.

Thanks Pedro, Andre and Warren. Charlottesville owes you one.

 

Image at top:  by Frederic Coche

The Arts and Innards of Russell U. Richards!

Friday, Laura and I spent a fantastic night out on the town soaking up some art.  Our first stop of the evening was to see Russell U. Richard's exhibit at the McGuffey Art Center titled "The Arts and Innards of Russell U. Richards!"  This was a long awaited for show for Russell.  Simply put, this show made McGuffey look better than I have ever seen it.  Russell provided the full package.  His artwork electrified the space (more on that in a sec.), but what also shined was the execution of the entire concept.  It's the little things.  Russell clearly put a lot of thought, time and effort into the organization and hanging of the show.  Each piece was beautifully framed, hung precisely and lit perfectly.  Too often I have been to McGuffey (and a variety of other galleries) and seen lighting for crap and hanging so poor that I couldn't bear to look at the work on the walls.  Note to all artists:  Presentation is a significant part of your work.  Put some forethought into it as you create your work.  It can make or break an otherwise excellent piece of artwork.

Back to Russell...  I have been aware of his work since first arriving in Charlottesville 8+ years ago and visiting McGuffey where he has his studio.  I liked it then.  I love it now.  Initially, I found myself confused by his frenetic assemblage of lines and flat shapes and colors.  But now I see the importance of the overlapping outlines of his comic-style people and creatures as a process of weaving and layering that ties them all together and tells a multi-faceted graphic tale captured in one frame.

This work is comic book-like, but it is not for children... or the faint of heart.  From afar, the images and concepts are apparent - colorful people, gardens, paths, rooms, monsters, buildings, machines, games, etc.  But closer inspection reveals the real Russell.  He is telling a graphic and often mystical tale.  Much of it is related to his own trying times, but there is plenty about the varied and twisted world he sees around him.  It is a fantastical journey and a beautiful visual story.

 

Russell has the heart and style of the greatest folk artists past and present (think Howard Finster), but he also exhibits the skills of the most refined MFA graduates.  Russell executes his complex ideas with a precise and beautiful craft, and it speaks in a clear and creative visual language.  I am a fan.

 

In addition to the exhibit of his original artwork, Russell has created a book of his life, journey and art.  This is the description:

Russell Richards is an artist known for his fantastical and imaginative imagery. "The Arts and Innards of Russell U. Richards!" is both an art book and memoir tracing his struggles with a devastating chronic illness, and how art helped him live through it, with beautiful full-color reproductions throughout. “Russell Richards’ work is electrifying- sometimes brutal, and always uncompromising. Yet his violent and erotically charged world is tempered with a wry sense of humor (served black.) His complex and original visions have left me gasping for breath and lusting for more for almost 20 years.” -- Daniel Zimmer

See the exhibit.  But Russell's art.  If you can't get to Charlottesville, buy the book here.  $35.00

Images include:  Top, Halloween; Middle, Nude Pool; Bottom, The Arts and Innards of Russell U. Richards (book cover)

Buy this book now

Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before

By Michael Fried

$34.65

 

I think the title of this book speaks for itself. Buy it. Read it. Believe it.

Description: From the late 1970s onward, serious art photography began to be made at large scale and for the wall. Michael Fried argues that this immediately compelled photographers to grapple with issues centering on the relationship between the photograph and the viewer standing before it that until then had been the province only of painting. Fried further demonstrates that certain philosophically deep problems—associated with notions of theatricality, literalness, and objecthood, and touching on the role of original intention in artistic production, first discussed in his contro­versial essay "Art and Objecthood" (1967)—have come to the fore once again in recent photography. This means that the photo­graphic "ghetto" no longer exists; instead photography is at the cutting edge of contemporary art as never before.

More proof Jindal drank the Kool-Aid

Hot on the heels of his new found fame as the Republican great off-white hope, Bobby Jindal took a critical jab at President Obama's $50 million of federal stimulus money dedicated the National Endowment of the Arts. During an interview on Larry King Live, among other things Jindal said, "Fundamentally, I don't think... $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts is going to get the economy moving again as quickly as allowing the private sector to create jobs."

Of all the governors in the country, I would think Bobby Jindal has a grasp of the importance and the power the arts have on rebuilding a community. Some time ago, I reported on how the emergence of art programs in post-Katrina New Orleans has been a huge catalyst in the resurrection of some of those devastated communities (read my articles here and here).

Jindal publically voicing that kind of short-sighted concept is another example of him drinking from the right-wing fountain of Kool-Aid.

Spotlight Artist of the month: ALAN DEHMER

As part of the recent artPark re-design, I will be shining a spotlight on a single artist each month.  For regular artPark-ers, you will recognize some of these artists but others will be completely new to you.  Consider it a virtual exhibition of sorts.  As always, the work we show here is for sale and worth every penny.

For March, the artPark spotlight shines on Alan Dehmer, a photographer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Laura and I bought our first piece by Alan a number of years ago.  It hangs prominently in our living room.  Alan was also one of the first artists we contacted and invited to be represented by Migration.  Since then, we have consistently shown Alan's one-of-a-kind photos in the Gallery, and we have exhibited his work successfully in DC and NYC.

 

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Other than the timeless beauty of the sites, subjects and designs of Alan's pictures (caught on 35mm or 120mm black/white film), what makes his art stand out is that he creates the prints the really old fashioned way.  This makes them more personal than your regular photo. Alan uses the age old gum bichromate printing process where each step is an intuitive, creative decision performed in partnership with the elements. By veiling each image with brushed on pigments, Alan manages to strip away artifice and reveal a clearer, more beautiful truth. Equally important is the technical skill demanded by the gum bichromate process.

 

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A thoughtful and committed artist who has taken a circuitous route to the life of a professional fine art photographer, Alan is capturing and indeed creating images of exquisite truth and beauty.  In Alan’s words: "By nature I'm inclined to alchemy, whether mixing pigments with sensitizer in the photo lab, making herbal medicines, or preparing food in the kitchen. Mixing, stirring and altering matter. Creating something from something else. I don't think there's a higher purpose in life than to create."

 

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What makes Alan's photos so special is that each one is entirely unique.  You will not see his work appear as a numbered series.  Each is one of a kind.  Although he reuses a "negative", the labor intensive gum bichromate printing process requires the layering of pigments by hand to each print.  Ultimately, each finished piece is different from all others.  In essence, Alan is blending photography with painting.

 

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Sizes of Alan's work can be as small as 12" to as big as 36".  Prices for these photos range from $350 to $1,500.  They can be purchased unframed or framed (frames handmade by Alan himself).  Please contact me for additional information.

 

Images above include: 1) Inis Mor, 2) Around Newgrange, 3) Hand of Man, 4) Vanishing, 5) Donagh Patrick, 6) Open Gate, 7) Homage, and 8) Leaving Nantucket.

 

For more images, go to Alan's photo album found on the right-hand sidebar.

The importance of creativity in our diet

     Let's try this correlation on for size:  I'm thinking that fostering the discipline of creative thinking could lead to a thinner and healthier population.  As funding shrinks and schools balance their tightening budgets by cutting art classes and art related resources for our children, I see the obesity epidemic increasing. Of course, most of the reasoning behind the need for creative thinking is for it to apply to problem solving skills in today's business sector and government - much needed in these troubling times.  But I say being able to tap into one's creative abilities would lead to better choices in diet and cooking abilities.

 

     Think about it.  Ever watch those cooking competition shows on the Food Network (note: the Food Network is our TV's default setting).  Contestants are generally judged on taste (duh), originality and presentation.  Countless times, I have seen victories go to the chef who scores highest on originality.  These are the foods we really want to eat.

 

     Without an ability to think creatively, despite the plethora of "good" food choices and combinations, it is extremely difficult to make smart, tasty and healthy choices for our daily meals.  Instead, default systems kick in and we resort to easily grab-able simple foods - usually from the white flour, sugar and fatty variety.  This is why systems like Jenny Craig© and Lean Cuisine© are successful (I mean the marketing of these systems are successful).  Customers don't have to make any choices or create anything in the kitchen.  Instead, they receive their meals already prepared and frozen in boxes.  A variety of menus and flavors are available.  Sounds better than stuff we would come up with on our own.

 

     My point is planning a variety of meals and a healthy diet that tastes good is not easy.  It requires a high degree of creativity.  This is why it is much easier to go to a restaurant and order off a menu of 15 options than it is to come up with a yummy, nutritious meal straight out of your head and prepare it at home.

 

     As our education system pulls back on the opportunities for our children to learn the discipline of creative thinking in art classes, I believe it hinders the efforts of people to keep their weight down.  Instead it will lead to the continued proliferation of poor eating habits and the reliance on prepackaged and/or prepared foods full of unhealthy and fattening stuff.  Yuk.

 

     So an education that includes a ciriculum in the arts has the ability to not only increase the number of talented artists in the world, but it might also make us healthier and ultimately happier.  Sounds like a nice place to live.

 

     Now I'm hungry.  Looking forward to tonight's shrimp, black bean, fresh tomatoes and tomatillo salsa corn tortilla soft tacos - created and made by Laura, of course.  Yum.