artPark

Diving Into the Jury Pool

Last summer, I had the pleasure of being a member of the ArtInPlace panel of jurors. As a reminder: ArtInPlace is an annual selection of sculptures presented in public spaces (mainly along roadways) throughout the city of Charlottesville.  Read my 2008 review here.  The deadline for submitting applications is upon us – so interested artists should hurry.

Last year's panel was a large (eight members) and diverse group which made the selection process very dynamic. In the end, I thought the pieces selected satisfied the tastes and needs of the panel members and, most importantly, the public who got to view the sculptures on a daily basis.

This year, Laura has been asked to be on the juror panel. She jumped at the opportunity. This is one of the best ways to have a direct impact on what art people get to see and determine how Charlottesville gets to present itself as an art loving community to the gazillions of people who drive through our streets.

Selections won’t be finalized until September, and the work won’t be placed until October. I'll keep you posted on the developments.

Wordless Wednesday

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Art? Not Art?

I'm often asked where I get the abundance of content to write about. Sometimes I wonder myself – especially now as we enter art's summer doldrums. But having done this for a number of years, I know there is always a story just around the corner. It happened today.

While walking down the historic downtown pedestrian mall here in Charlottesville, I spotted a famed artist with his easel up and brush in motion. People were gathering. Snapshots were being taken. Not often does this happen even in this self-proclaimed culturally endowed enclave of a town. I went to check it out. Low and behold, it was Smithfield (yes, all the great ones go by only one name). A rare sighting indeed. Outside his Virginia farm, sightings of Smithfield have been relegated to large scale media programs like The Ellen Show, Regis & Kelly, and America’s Got Talent. Smithfield has also been known to show up at the local county fair kissing booth (good marketing for any artist).

For the record... Smithfield is a painting pig. A popular artist. A famous one at that. Just the kind of artist people really can identify with. Although he specializes in the challenging genre of abstraction, he does the occasional narrative and representational piece. People eat it up. And at $50 a piece, he is on the cutting edge of making fine art accessible to the public. Gotta love old Smithfield.

   

Even his website is professional. I can't tell you how many artist's websites I've seen that open with an introduction just like Smithfield's:

Welcome! My name is Smithfield and here you can get more information on me and my art. This site includes my portfolio and the services that I offer. As an enthusiastic artist I am always looking to be part of a new and exciting project.

I provide creative, reliable, and timely service with professionalism and care. Please take a look around to see examples of distinctive style and let me know if you are interested in hiring me or purchasing my work.

Thanks for dropping through Charlottesville, Smithfield... and giving me something to shake my head at.

[Images include: Left, Unicorn; Center, Duck Reflection In Water; and Right, George Washington (man on horse).]

McDonald's® is making art more accessible

I'm all for making art accessible to the most people, but I have to categorize this as "a sign the apocalypse is upon us"....

Today, I got myself a little over hungry. Desperate for a quick caloric fix, I jumped into a McDonald's®. As I sat down and unwrapped my burger, I noticed the paper placemat on my perma-greasy tray didn't have the usual word find, maze, tic-tac-toe or any other games on it. Instead, it was a big ad for the new McCafé® coffees. What I read puzzled me more than any game. I tore off the text part of the ad. Here’s what it said:

I don't know. My first instinct is to say WTF! It's a cheap coffee served in a plastic cup - not art. But then again, maybe I should be more aware that art really is all around us. And I should tip my hat to the excellent craftsmanship of the many proud artisans who live among us.

Nope. I'm going to stick with WTF.

Fraud alert!

Richmond based and legally bankrupt electronics merchant, Circuit City, recently announced it found an original Alexander Calder tucked away in one of its corporate office closets. It is now being sold on eBay and is listed as "Famous Artwork found at Circuit City." Go here for the listing.

It's being described as "Alexander Calder's 1970 Hand-Signed Lithograph 'Wave' (This is No.113 of 120 / Size: 44.5"x33.75")". At the current bid of $1,500+ this seems like a steal, right? But, hold on buckaroo. Think about it for a second and read between the lines. Here is the made up story description of the piece:

After Circuit City filed for bankruptcy, the bankruptcy judge appointed Liquid Asset Partners to handle the sale of all assets inside Circuit City's distribution centers and corporate offices. While clearing out the remaining rooms at Circuit City's corporate office in Richmond, VA, liquidators stumbled upon something special. Tucked away in one of the office closets, they found an assortment of paintings; one stood out above the others, an original Calder. The 1970 hand-signed lithograph titled "Wave" can be instantly recognized as a Calder by its abstract flow of bright contrasting colors and bold lines. Featuring his signature "Calder Red" and bright blue with black outlining, one could define Calder's work with this one piece. Liquidators set the "Wave" aside, until further decision could be made about the artwork's fate.

I smell a fake. Is eBay really the best way to sell this piece? My guess is Liquid Asset Partners did try to unload the piece in the traditional way though recognized art dealers but came up short because LAP couldn't provide an inkling of a reasonable provenience for the piece (no mention of when it was purchased, from whom it was purchased, how much it was purchased for, no invoice, no documentation – it was simply "found" in a closet). Without the proper paperwork, this thing is of virtually no value.

For me, the icing on the cake is that the folks at Liquid Asset Partners couldn't even take a half decent photograph of the piece. I believe someone is trying to pull a fast one to make an easy buck. Buyer beware.