artPark

Award Winning Glass

Our good friends and superbly talented glass blowers Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciaciabelli sent this great notice:

Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciancibelli recently won the Award for Excellence in Glass at the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington DC. The Smithsonian Craft Show is the most prestigious event of its kind in the nation and winning the award is an honor for this young couple.

Jeremy and Allison exhibited their new sculptures created this through this winters studio session. The new tablet assemblies continue to evolve their sculptural creations that invoke peaceful imagery of a relationship with nature.

We have been in love with Jeremy and Allison’s beautiful work for quite a few years now.  I’m so happy they had a productive winter producing new work in their Twisp River, Washington studio.  I am especially thrilled with how they are getting even more detail out of the simple lines and colors they use.  Makes me warm inside.

 

Spend some time at their website (here) and enjoy their work.

Image:  White Birds on a Wire  16" x 22" x 7.5"

Ai Weiwei

After a succinct lesson on the art of Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei. I aspire to one day be referred to as Ai Robrob.

 

 

Life's little messages

Every day, we encounter many messages.  Some are clear.  Others are less clear.  Today, I ran across this one.  However, I don’t know if it is a declaration, hopeful, or an overstatement.  Or... maybe... it's not meant for me at all, and a guy named Art needs to turn left.

 

Fun with data

Below are 28 Vincent van Gogh paintings visualized as pie charts featuring the five most common colors as a percentage in each.  Can you pick out the individual paintings by its corresponding pie chart?  Thanks to FlowingData for this bit of fun.

 

Everyone knows Van Gogh was heavily into earthy tones.  But I have always thought he hit his stride when he broke out the more acrid hues.

What do you think?

Tornado Season

I am a Weather Channel junkie. Plain and simple. I watch it a lot. But, over the last few weeks, I've grown tired of all the talk of the Tor:Con Index, Vortex 2, Fujita Scale, and all those horrible home videos of tornadoes raging through Midwestern open fields. It's all gotten pretty gloomy and depressing. I simply can't imagine living in one of those states that have no natural boundaries to slow down the wind and storms. Ugly.

In particular, it seems Oklahoma has been hit particularly hard this spring. When I see the daily reports of hundreds of lightning strikes, dozens of storm chasers and funnel cloud touchdowns dotting the state, all I can think is what a terrible place to live. But just as I wrote off the state in its entirety, I received a nice little magazine produced by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition called Art Focus Oklahoma. It was filled with images and articles of some of the beautiful artwork coming out of the OK state. (Yes, I accept the bitch slapping the weather gods have given me – or is it the art gods?). Turns out Oklahoma is not just about funnel clouds, hail storms, tumbled mobile homes and treeless fields. Here is a little example of some of the best and brightest art being created in Oklahoma:

Grace Grothaus
"City of Light; Distopia Looming"
mylar, acetate, leaves and flowers, acrylic, india ink
12"x18"x4" wall-hanging lightbox

Grace Grothaus
"Systemic II"
mylar, acetate, acrylic, photograph, leaves, ink
30"x18"x8"

Marilyn Artus
"I Told You This One Meant Business"
Giclee printed collage on canvas with embroidery
29"x20"

Bryan Boone
"Down the Road"
Mixed Media on panel
10" x 20"

Debby Kaspari
"Nelson's Cascade"
Pastel and graphite on Rives BFK paper
15" x 10"

Kim Fonder
"and then it all became perfectly clear to me"
Venetian plaster on canvas, with organic pigment
60" x 60" x 2 1/2"

 

Paintings are amazing

Whenever Big Bird's gig on Sesame Street ends, I bet he could become an excellent Art History professor.

Artist interviews

I have read (and conducted) hundreds of interviews of artists. The common theme from each is that, more often than not, artists are terrible at talking about themselves and their art. (Sub-theme: interviewers ask some ridiculous questions.) Naturally, artists express themselves visually and not verbally, but there has to be some balance. Occasionally, however, I have read q&a sessions that stand out as insightful, entertaining, educational and sincere. In an interview of painter Randall David Tipton, Maureen Doallas has done just that: good questions by Maureen and flawless answers from Randall.

Maureen posted the interview in two parts on her blog Writing Without Paper. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Some of my favorite bits include Randall trying to characterize his style:

RDT: I still haven't figured out how [to describe my style]. I've used these at times: painterly realism, expressionist naturalism, abstract realism.

And what Randall hopes a critic would say about his work:

RDT: That [my paintings] were sincere, painted with conviction, complex in sensation, and an expression of human regard for nature.

Knowing Randall's work and him personally, I find the interview gives an extremely accurate picture of the painter and the paintings.

So... for all artists out there... practice your interviewing skills. Be able to talk about yourself in clear and concise terms. And, please please please never say that you paint "intuitively". Give a real answer. Or, at least make up a good one, memorize it, and regurgitate it with some sense of sincerity when asked about your creative process.

[Image: December Slough, oil on unstretched canvas, 12"x9". © Randall David Tipton. Image courtesy of artist. All rights reserved.]

First Friday

An ever increasing local art tradition spreading throughout towns across the country is the "First Friday Gallery Walk." In a word: on the first Friday evening of each month, art galleries hold opening receptions of their newest exhibits (or just keep their doors open later into the evening). With a number of galleries collectively doing this, it increases the general public turnout as people get to take in a number of exhibits in one fell swoop. Migration was a regular participant and always got sizeable crowds at its First Friday receptions.

Without actually exhibiting, I thought I would bring to you a First Friday reception here at artPark a la the web.

Recently, Arturo Mallmann (a Migration and personal favorite artist) opened a show of his newest paintings at Art Cube Gallery in Laguna Beach, California. The show is called "Contemplation" (those familiar with Arturo's meditative work can appreciate the title). Luckily for us, the opening reception was beautifully videoed by Andrew J. Whittaker. I hope you enjoy it.

Arturo also has an opening tomorrow night in New Orleans at Gallery Bienvenu. Here is a nicely done promo for it.

American Craft Council – Baltimore 2010

This winter has been a tough one for those of us living in the mid-Atlantic. The record snowfall and continued frigid temps have reinforced my wish that the month of February be carved off the calendar forever. But then, just as I am hitting the lowest of winter lows, the American Craft Council Show rolls into Baltimore, and my spirits are lifted. So, if you are like me and need a visual pick-me-up, get to Baltimore this weekend for the ACC Show – the largest juried craft show in the country where more than 700 of the country's leading craft artists will present their latest artwork.

Of particular note: Don't miss the newest blown glass pieces from Twisp River Glass (Twisp, Washington). Allison Ciancibelli and Jeremy Newman continue to capture the nuances of the environment surrounding them and their connection to it in their blown glass artwork. Their newest series is another homerun. And, during a long snowy winter, every east coaster will appreciate the quality and subtleties in Jeremy and Allison's white glass.

   
 

 In the past, I have praised Jeremy and Allison's masterful handling of black glass. Now I get to bookend my applause with their showcase of white glass. Spectacular work. Buy it!

100 Great Blogs for Art Students and Enthusiasts

The good folks at OnlineCollege.com have produced a list of "100 Great Blogs for Art Students and Enthusiasts". artPark is flattered to be on the list – at #21.

As they say on the site: "These blogs will give you insights to the art world that can help you refine your craft, inspire you to create new work, or just give you a little something pretty to look at."

Giving the list a good look proves they put together an excellent grouping of art blogs. The list also introduced me to some I was not aware of. Thanks OnlineCollege!

A new look for MigrationGallery.com

Over the years, Laura and I have received countless compliments regarding Migration's website design. These compliments have come from clients, gallery owners, other business owners, friends and total strangers. We always say "thank you." But, in all honesty, we can't take much credit for the website. Before opening the gallery, Laura and I were fortunate enough to hire Michaux Hood and Jen Fleisher at Charmed Designworks. Jen helped us with the creation of the gallery's various logos and color schemes, and Michaux has handled the design and implementation of the website.

Once again, we have turned to Michaux to update Migration's website. And... once again... she has done an excellent job.

Take a look at the updated website. It is has been streamlined and focuses on the artists that have generated the national attention and reputation Migration has received over the years.

Wordless Wednesday

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Keeping up with... RANDALL DAVID TIPTON

Maureen Doallas, a patron of Migration and a fellow blogger, has written a wonderful piece on one of my favorite artists, Randall David Tipton. I’ve reprinted the article below or you can read it here at Maureen’s blog, Writing Without Paper.

Landscape Become Image
By Maureen Doallas

Throughout my career the landscape has been my guiding orientation… My impulse comes from a simple belief in the restorative qualities of nature.
~ Randall David Tipton

His watercolors on yupo* and board were what first caught my eye. And I couldn't stop looking.

So I looked some more and found oils on canvas, paper, and board and felt a "WOW!" go through me.

I came across his work purely by chance, browsing the site of Laura and Rob Jones, owners of

Migration Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia, about two hours south of my home in Arlington. Rob had written that Randall David Tipton "made us fall completely in love with watercolor, never before a favorite medium..." I opened my e-mail, sent Laura a note asking about a few pieces, and then found myself the owner of a small Randall David Tipton.

Randall did something only a very few artists I know do: He sat down and hand-wrote me a personal note, saying of "Winter Wetlands" (the watercolor now in my collection), "I want you to know this was my third attempt to get it right. . . I'm crazy about wetlands, especially when they're dormant in winter; so much color!"

Get it right Randall did. The location is along a backwater of Lacamas Lake, where Randall loves to walk. It's a gorgeous place, a place where an inspired hand setting paint to canvas or watercolor to board can leave you breathless.

Randall lives in Portland, Oregon. He paints at night. His style is all his own, sometimes veering toward complete abstraction, often improvisational, always reveling in expression. He paints with vivid color, with a fluid but disciplined hand that also lets you see the sharp line and the shadow. He invests every piece he creates with a deep and intuitive understanding of the landscape on which he draws for inspiration. "In the American tradition of Thoreau to Frederick Edwin Church to Arthur Dove and others," Randall writes in his Artist's Statement, "I include myself among those trying to expose the transcendental relationship we have with the natural world."

Educated in California and later in New Mexico where he took a Master class with the great Richard Diebenkorn, Randall has shown his work since 1981 in group exhibitions in Oregon, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Texas and has enjoyed numerous one-person shows in Oregon and Colorado. He is in the corporate and public collections of US West Telecommunications, Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Newsweek, M.C. Editorial Inc., Eastern New Mexico University, and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador.

This terrific painter knows where his "commitment" lies: "to something more authentic." "[T]hrough the process of painting, alert to possibility," he writes, "my belief in the redemptive essence of the landscape becomes an image."

I hope to publish an in-depth interview with Randall sometime in the New Year. Until then, go here and here; also here and here. Sit a while with the images on your screen. Hold the stillness. Be moved.

* Yupo is a type of plastic, originally created for the printing industry and used for signs. It's smooth, bright, and highly durable. To read more about it, click here.

It's not who you know

In the art world, you'll often hear that the key to success is not what you know, but who you know.  Well...

Last night, Laura and I spent the evening touring a few artists' studios at McGuffey Art Center's Holiday Art Show.  Quite honestly, our main goal was to catch up with some of our artist friends (mission accomplished).  But it had been a while since we had been through McGuffey, so we were excited to see some of the new artists who had recently moved in.

One surprise was to stumble upon Michael Clark's studio.  Laura and I have seen Michael's work before and we both like it a lot.  It was nice to finally meet the artist and get some insight to his art directly from him.

Funny though... Michael, being a polite and gregarious guy, was quick to introduce himself.  Laura and I reciprocated.  He then asked, a little tongue in check, "So, should I know you?  Are you guys movers and shakers around here?"  Not being ones to toot our own horn, Laura and I simply said, "We used to be." (tongue in cheek back at 'cha)

In hindsight, it would have been easy to introduce ourselves as owners of Migration and artPark, but it seemed unnecessary.  And, it probably would have changed the conversation.  We were there to see the art.

My point:  It's not always who you know.  In the arts, I believe it's what you know; or, more specifically, it's about the quality of the art -- not the name game.  And, Michael's art is terrific.  That's all that matters to me.

Studio envy

As Black Friday approaches, I suggest every artist re-evaluate their holiday gift wish list and add this studio to it.

Last weekend, Laura and I received a wonderful invitation to visit Tom Clarkson's and Cindy Hammond's newly finished pottery studio. We knew they had been putting a lot of time into creating it and setting it up, but this was the first time we got to see it in action.

Wow!  What a beautiful studio.  I imagine any artist would give anything for space like Tom and Cindy's.  Not only is it brand-spanking-new and gorgeous, but every inch of it is perfectly thought out.  From the huge windows looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the skylights, to the custom and automated spray booth, to the dual kiln room (with attached sitting porch), to the (future) gallery space, and to the endless linear feet of work space... it is an artist's dream.

So if you think you've been good enough this year, go ahead and ask Santa to bring you a studio like Tom and Cindy's.  Who knows... you might get lucky.

Oh, you know Laura and I couldn't leave without buying a couple of wonderful pots.

Naoshima - art paradise

Naoshima is a small fishing island off the southern Japan coast on the Seto Inland Sea, between Honshu and Shikoku, and a short ferry ride from the city of Takamatsu.

During the 1990s, the Benesse Corporation, a Japanese textbook publisher, partnered with architect Tadao Ando to create the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, a complex of contemporary art museums designed based upon the concept of "Harmony between Nature, Architecture and Art." Read a nice summary here and a recent WaPo article here.

  
 
Shrewdly, Ando included hotel rooms within the museum complex in which visitors can stay. Brilliant! And (this is my favorite), in 1997, the museum initiated the Art House Project in the nearby village of Honmura. The Project restores old houses and turns them into permanent exhibitions for individual artists. A short walking tour takes in all of them.

I'm there.

[Images include: Left, from the Chichu Art Museum; Center, Ferry to Naoshima; Right, "The Oval"]

BRIAN MALLMAN at Long Beach Museum of Art

I am thrilled to announce that Brian Mallman, a Migration mainstay and close friend, is featured in the Long Beach Museum of Art's winter exhibit Sweet Subversives: Contemporary California Drawings. The show is currently up and runs through February 12, 2010. Especially exciting is that Brian's work is the cover piece for the show!

Those of you who follow artPark and have been a fan of Migration should be very familiar with Brian's graphite drawings on board. Laura and I have been featuring his work since the gallery's opening day -- it was a big part of our very first exhibit; we have had two subsequent exhibits of his newest work; and we have featured him at the 2007 artDC Gallery Fair in Washington and the 2008 and 2009 Affordable Art Fairs in NYC. Needless to say, we have sold this LA artist's artwork to clients up and down the east coast from New England to Florida.  Museums are now next in line to hang Brian's art on their walls.

Over and over, Laura and I have witnessed firsthand the quizzical and unrepressed reactions Brian's work generates in people. He is a true master of the pencil and has a complete grasp of all that a simple line can do. Through his additive and reductive methods, the layering creates a mystical depth with a little creepiness thrown in. His subject matter and methods may be mundane, but the results are truly superlative. Isn't that what great art is?

Street Art

Street artists add color to our life – and ask little in return. Here is a slideshow of photos of an artist (who goes by Cristophe) and his dog in Paris. He created a pastel self portrait with his dachshund in front of the Pompidou Center.

The photographer who took the shots says this:

he has no greed...doesn't know today's head-lines...has no idea about memory cards or computers....but,...he knows about life on the street, art, his accordion, a good calavados and to take good care of his dog...for some that does the trick...just look in his eyes...that's life!..

The world could use more street art.

Creature Comforts defines Art

I give thanks to my good friend and artist Michael Fitts for hooking me up with this video.

The folks at Creature Comforts have an incredible knack for expressing man-on-the-street opinions regarding challenging subjects. Here they tackle the question of "what is art?" The talking animals cover it all from Picasso to Van Gogh to Impressionism to Pop Art to Bob Ross to Zoo animal art to Performance Art to Dogs Playing Poker. Hilarious yet spot on.

And let's not forget the beautiful art of claymation. Fabulous.

Q and A with STACEY EVANS

The Piedmont Council of the Artssupports access to and awareness of the arts as an essential part of life in the Charlottesville area.  It is a membership based organization open to the general public and specifically to area artists.  PCA has begun a series of interviews to highlight certain of their individual artist members.  This month we get a q&a with photographer/printmaker Stacey Evans.

Personally, I like this for two reasons: 1) I think it is always good to get a little insight to artists’ backgrounds and motivations straight from the artist; and 2) Stacey is a dear friend who I think the world of.  Her story is engaging, and watching her share it through her art makes me feel very lucky.

 

Here is the interview (or read it directly from the PCA site here): 

 

Where are you from? I was born in Waynesboro, Virginia, my family moved there in the 70s. I grew up in Fishersville on a piece of property with a 180 degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and sky. I had a great view through my bedroom window of the seasons changing, the sun rising, the moon, cows and an occasional plane. I lived at the end of a small airport.

 

What brought you to (or back to, or kept you from leaving) Charlottesville?  I spent a few years in Georgia attending art school then working for a newspaper—the heat was too much. I returned to the area with the intention of only staying a summer. Next thing you know I was renting a house with an old friend. Friends, family, and love keep me in the area.

What are your favorite things to do around Charlottesville?  This is an interesting question; I’ve lived in Charlottesville for 14 years and my favorite things continue to change. One constant has been walking along the Rivanna River; I like the sound of flowing water, I’m especially glad the dam was removed. I enjoy teaching and taking courses through various continuing education programs. I like to go the Virginia Arts for the BookCenter and make prints. Another favorite is to hop on the train and leave town.

 

What inspires your creativity? Observation seems to inspire my creativity. Sounds, smells, insects, signs, clouds, humans, anything can send me into a zone and thoughts start processing. I have many ideas but have had to learn which ones to pursue. My current photographic project is Train-Scapes, landscapes from the Amtrak. I started photographing from moving vehicles in 2000 when I first purchased a digital camera. The train has been a natural progression— it catches everything that interests me; bits and pieces of our world passing by. A few prints are on display at the Transit Center downtown.

 

What do you love most about what you do? Tricky question, today I made a beautiful print so I love printing. Tomorrow the printer might act up and I’ll hate printing. I love to see new things. I love to be in motion if not physically then mentally. I love when the light is right the color is perfect and I am transcended to a new place. I love when it is a grey imperfect day and I capture that misty feeling. I love the combination of digital technology and printmaking. I try to love the emotional roller coaster of life. One day you can be on top of the world because you just had a great sale, the next you question every choice you’ve made.

 

What are your favorite ways to stay connected with the arts community in Charlottesville?  My favorite way is direct contact with artists. I collaborate, have critiques groups, and photograph for artists. The easiest way to stay connected is newsletter subscriptions and blogs, the PCA, VFH, and Hook blog are a few. I am a member of Second Street Gallery, the UVA Art Museum and the VABC. If I’m in town I attend first Fridays and PCA second Wednesday drinks.

 

Stacey is currently exhibiting her “Trainscapes” in Charlottesville's Downtown Transit Center – very appropriate.  For more information take a look at her website.

In the pages of a magazine

I subscribe to and read (more or less) a number of the "art" magazines – Art in America, ArtNews, Art & Antiques, Art Papers, Artforum, etc. It's always a thrill to see an artist you know personally (or their work) in those pages. I would consider it a career highlight for any contemporary artist. But I've always thought, as a visual artist, a bigger thrill would be to have your work in a non-art-centric magazine. Imagine your painting prominently displayed (with proper credits) on the wall of a building featured in Architectural Digest. That would be a real coup. Or maybe in Dwell. Or how about a feature in something like Conde Nast, Rolling Stone, or Cosmopolitan?

With that in mind, you can understand my excitement when I was leafing through the newest New Yorker and saw, at page 33, a huge image of one of Amy Stein's photographs from her hugely acclaimed "Domesticated" series. Over the last couple of years, Laura has had some fantastic conversations with Amy. She has always been very open and honest with us. We have wanted to showcase her art here in Charlottesville, but, alas, she's just too big for that – in a good way. Her artistic success has many, many people calling for her and her work. Appearing in The New Yorker (a paid circulation of over 1 million copies) simply proves it.

Congratulations to Amy – she has hit the cross-over market and continues to wow an even bigger audience.

Sneak Peeks - ROB TARBELL

Having good friends – who are talented artists – has some special rewards. Last weekend, Laura and I were invited by Rob Tarbell (and his wife Anna von Gehr) for dinner and a preview of his newest work which will be exhibited at Gallery Imperato. The show, "Smoke Rings" opens September 18, and runs through October 31. FYI: Gallery Imperato is in Baltimore.

Dinner, of course, was delicious and the conversation rousing; but, I can safely say, seeing Rob's new work was the highlight of the evening. Even better, he gave us a full explanation of his techniques and a little demo in his studio.

For those new to Rob's most recent body of work, his "Smokes", read his artist statement for an excellent introduction:

In my practice, making art is as much directing intent as it is about scientific tinkering. All of my diverse work is linked by the transformation and manipulation of traditional materials and the exploration of non-traditional ones. The loss of an original and the use of elaborate processes are inherent to the creation of each series. The work intends to both balance accident with control and give permanence to the ephemeral.

Smokes consist of images that are created by capturing smoke on paper as evidence of a transformation and preservation of the ephemeral. During the process, credit cards, grocery cards, gift cards, photos, and slides of my artwork are burned to remove their growing presence in daily life, an ironic nod to a self-help technique of burning sentimental things to remove their emotional burden.

The performing animal images in the Smokes parallel the drawing process. The trainer must recognize and respect the innate nature of an animal when trying to modify its behavior to achieve a desired outcome: e.g. training a bear to dance or training a horse to walk upright. The same is true in working with smoke. The inherent properties of smoke must be respected, then permitted to - and yet discouraged from - acting naturally.

There are other artists who dabble in "drawing" with smoke, but none do it like Rob. Rob’s work is precise, narrative and beautiful. Others are simply resigned to leaving the resulting image up to chance and dumb luck. It’s the thoughtfulness, skill and artistry that separate Rob’s work from others.

Laura and I give thanks to Rob and Anna for the preview (and dinner), and giving me the opportunity to encourage everyone to see the show and buy Rob's work.

[Images include – Top: Flying Alinga Flaming Ring, 60"x44"; Middle: Elephant Trick (1 Big Ball), 30"x22"; Bottom: Flying Alinga Jump, 44"x30"]

Arturo Mallmann on Arturo Mallmann

I will apologize (but only a little bit) for posting another video of Arturo Mallmann. But having Arturo sit down and talk about his work is fascinating and a must-see for both collectors and artists alike.

For the years we have represented Arturo's work, very little has needed to be said. His work always speaks strongly to each individual viewer. And for the many, many people who own one of Arturo's paintings and live with it in their home, they are able to enjoy this conversation every day. I know I do with ours.

Arturo is an artist's artist. He prefers to speak through his visual creations rather than his words. He is more comfortable painting than he is at talking. But, after many years, he now speaks; and we get an introspective glimpse of what drives him to create the beautiful and meaningful paintings he does.

In this video, we learn more about Arturo's background – how he has gone from hitchhiking from Buenos Aires to Alaska and back, to being a house painter in LA, to becoming an internationally acclaimed (yet extremely humble) artist.

When studying art history throughout college, I had a mental image of what the life of an artist would be like. Arturo is that perfect image.

The distant places of Arturo Mallmann

In a new video, we are treated to some insight on experiencing an Arturo Mallmann painting. Arturo, the ever quiet and modest artist, gives us another peak into the personal motivations and methods of his work. Enjoy.

Arturo will be opening an exhibition of his newest paintings at Craighead-Green Gallery in Dallas on September 12. Contact me for more information.

Visual Overture

I got a little treat in the mail today: the inaugural issue of a new magazine called Visual Overture. Some background info about the publication (pulled from its website and pages) is:

Visual Overture Magazine promotes and empowers the emerging artist, and connects that artist with galleries and collectors. Our aim is to introduce exceptional emerging artists to galleries, curators, and art collectors worldwide with an emphasis on the Southern Atlantic region (VA, NC, SC, GA, FL).

Visual Overture Magazine was created by artist Arlissa Vaughn to meet the needs of both the professional artist and the gallery or collector seeking new work.

Believe it or not, I get a lot of these kinds of mailings. Most are filled with kind of kitschy, low quality work. I flip through them but am usually disappointed. This one was much better than most.

Knowing that the initial call for submissions for any endeavor like this tends to attract a lower quality of entrants, I was very pleased to find an exceptional grouping of featured artists within the pages. Specifically, I am particularly like the portraits by Taiwan born (now attending school in Boston) artist, Kathy Liao. Take a look at these:

   

For artists, I would recommend considering submitting work - it has potential for some good exposure. But I think the real value in the magazine is for the new (or experienced) collector looking for some fresh work from some of the newest, talented artists out there. I always have my eye open for emerging artists, and now I have a new resource to find some.

[Above Images by Kathy Liao include: Left, De Mask (2008), 54"x54", oil on canvas; Middle, White Plaster (2008), 48"x62", oil on canvas; Right, Scream (2008), 30"x40", pencil on paper]

Wordless Wednesday

 

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Wordless Wednesday

 

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The expressive power of the arts

artPark is devoted to the exploration of the visual arts. It's what I know and am qualified to talk about. There are times, however, when I dip my toe into the various other forms of artistic expression. Indulge me as I do a bit of that now.

It's no secret that I do my fair share of watching television. And recently, I confessed to my enjoyment of certain reality shows. The ones I tend to follow are those that I learn a little something from. For a number of years, I have followed Fox's So You Think You Can Dance for that very reason. I enjoy it because I have learned so much about the art of dance in its many forms. Another reason I watch the show is that during each season there is at least one special dance that is either off-the-charts beautiful, creative, or emotionally moving. Last night, we got this season’s signature dance.

Below is the clip from the show. Contestants Melissa and Ade dance a routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio (music: "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell). It's a powerful routine that depicts the struggles of a woman (and her husband/partner) facing breast cancer. I was touched the moment the lights went up and the music started. I think you’ll see that the judges and the audience were moved as well.

I share it with you as an example of the power and importance of the arts as an expressive force in our lives.

Wordless Wednesday

  

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Wordless Wednesday

 

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The Garage

In this time of downsizing, becoming small is hip. But what does it mean when you are already working with something tiny? Are you uber-cool? That's the feeling I've been getting about Kate Daughdrill and Sam Bush who created, curate and maintain The Garage - the tiniest exhibition space I have ever seen.

The Garage (literally a stand alone one car garage) quietly opened about a year ago – at a time when other art spaces were thinking of closing or changing course. In a short time, this microscopic space has hosted a huge number of successful events and put itself solidly on the map as one of Charlottesville, Virginia's premier exhibition and entertainment spaces. It is also becoming one of the best commercial spaces for emerging artists who are lucky enough to exhibit there. So, keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming events and put The Garage on your must see calendar.

Recently, Kate was asked a series of questions about The Garage for an article in Proximity Magazine (in Chicago). Kate originally posted this Q&A in an art blog, The Art Klatch, but has been kind enough to allow me to reprint it. Here is what The Garage is all about... in Kate's own words:

1. Does the space have a particular feeling, philosophy, or attitude? What kinds of things happen there?

The Garage is an art space/concert venue/amateur film theater/impromptu studio/potluck dining hall that opens up to a public park in downtown Charlottesville. We host monthly art exhibitions by emerging artists, weekly concerts by local and regional bands, occasional film screenings, local potlucks, sing-a-longs, dance parties, artist talks, drawing nights, etc. Creative activities occur alongside the exhibitions, allowing people to connect, make, and question together after the initial presentation of the work. The Garage's strange publicness makes the tiny space wildly accessible and yet incredibly intimate.

2. What factors lead to choosing the physical space? How was it designed?

It actually feels like the space chose us. I just walked past it one day and realized it was an art space. It belongs to the church where some of us go, so we asked the pastor if we could use it; he gave the music minister who was parking there her two-weeks notice that day.

The physical format of the Garage is perfect for presenting artwork in a "public yet private" context. After chiseling up most of the tar from the black cement floor, we installed a new laminate wood floor, which allows us to appropriate a bit of the visual language of a traditional gallery. The square opening of the Garage serves as our "frame" while the amphitheatre-like seating on the hill across the street provides a "viewing platform" for shows, performances, and creative activities.

3. What sorts of projects are in store for the space?

Along with our ongoing exhibitions and concerts, we’re also looking forward to our upcoming ambient-music-and-pancakes sleepover, our first really free market, and an exciting, relational project by Grand Rapids-based artist Adam Wolpa. We try not to plan too far in advance since we constantly have community members coming to us with ideas for shows and projects. We hope to be an organic, relational space that says "yes" as much as possible.

4. What role does the space play in the community?

We provide an intimate setting for engagement with art (and each other) in the public realm. Since it's a fairly small town, most of our regulars are neighbors who walk or ride their bikes to the space. However, each time the Garage's door is open, a baffling number of people passing by stop to ask questions about the space or exhibition and then end up hanging around, experiencing the artwork, and getting to know us. Our shows and activities often feel like mini-block parties that create a temporary site for community, collaboration, and conversation.

5. With unlimited resources, what would you do with the space? What kind of infrastructural support would you want?

Although we like our industrial, clamp-on lights, we would purchase some type of track lighting to simply the installation and gallery sitting processes. We would also buy a few space heaters to keep the space cozy in the colder months and plant a garden in the little backyard behind the Garage. And of course, it would be nice to pay the artists and bands for their time and to have salaries so that facilitating the Garage could be our full time jobs!

6. What are other spaces or places that you like?

The Garage loves the Suburban, InCUBATE Chicago, the Nest of G-RAD.ORG, the Bridge, the Project Lodge, the Experimental Station, and the DAAC.

July Artist of the Month - RUSSELL U. RICHARDS

Okay, okay.  We've got it.  Times are tough.  We've all been suffering through this recession one way or another.  But as bad as you've got it, imagine being an artist.  Now imagine being an artist and suddenly losing the use of both your hands.  Yikes!  That's exactly what has happened to Charlottesville artist Russell U. Richards.

Not long after coming out of a long term illness that literally laid him up for months; back in March, Russell made a hugely successful return to creating and exhibiting some very strong work.  Read my review here.  Unfortunately, while enjoying his new found good health and energy, Russell - an experienced mountain biker - recently went for a trail ride.  This is where we all cringe… Yup, you guessed it: Russell took an awkward spill and freakishly broke both his arms.  He is now stuck in casts for a good number of weeks.  Could it be any worse?

 

Instead of lockering himself at home and simply riding out this bad time, Russell is making lemonade out of his crappy situation.  Throughout the summer, while he is stuck in his two casts and unable to create new work, Russell is focusing his energies on selling the inventory of his current artwork.  And to make it all particularly sweet, Russell is selling his lemonade… er… artwork at a discount!

 

    

 

This is an incredible opportunity for art buyers and collectors.  Russell has turned his misfortune into a gain for us, and I strongly recommend everyone take advantage of it.  Make it a gain for Russell too.

For those of you new to his work… Russell's quirky and electrifying art is uncompromising.  He draws in a frenetic style and captures fantastical worlds from the past and the future.  These worlds, born in Russell's head, are often brutal and sometimes erotic (or both!).  His work is the complete package: imagination, story telling, beautifully crafted, and, of course, unique and creative.

If you are new to Russell Richard's work (or even if you are a long time fan), do yourself a favor…  Take a look at his website.  Visit his studio.  Contact him.  Buy his work.  This is one of those special win/win situations.

 

Images include:

Top:  4th of July - oil and ink on paper, 21"x15".

Middle left:  Perilous Existence - four color etching (edition of 10), 6.25"x5.25".

Middle right:  Dinosaur Swamp - four color etching (edition of 10), 5.5"x4".

Bottom:  Robots (evolution) - four color etching (edition of 10), 4.5"x4.5".

Wordless Wednesday

>>>>

Fun with Architecture

Why the heck didn't they have this when I was a kid?

 

Brick by brick, Lego has been building its way out of the near bankruptcy it suffered around the turn of the century. It has done this by a seemingly simple strategy — making awesome product after awesome product. Now it is releasing the almost ridiculously fitting Architecture series, beginning with the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection.  First up is Fallingwater, the iconic cantilevered waterfall-house outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

  

 

All I had growing up was the Lego set that had a total of about 5 shapes - all rectangles.  I guess that's why I have such fond feelings for the American Foursquare.

 

 

 

["Agnes" by Tony Cochran.  Distributed by Creators Syndicate.  May 12, 2009]

Art related comics

As a fan of Chuck Close, I got a double chuckle out of this one.

 

["Get Fuzzy" by Darby Conley.  Distributed by UFS, Inc.]

The Affordable Art Fair New York City

The stock market is rising. Consumer confidence is up. And the art is hot! This promises to be a great week at the Affordable Art Fair. May 7-10.

AAF NYC is the place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition prints from distinguished galleries, all priced from $100 - $10,000. This year the Fair will host more than 60 galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, Canada and South America. AAF 2009 will debut at its new home at 7 West 34th Street.

Be sure to stop by Migration’s booth (C-204) and say Hi (mention artPark and we will be extra nice). And take a close look at these artists we will be exhibiting:

  TIM TAUNTON

 MICHAEL JANIS

 BRIAN MALLMAN

 ASHLEY WILLIAMS

 ARTURO MALLMANN

 RANDALL STOLTZFUS

WARREN CRAGHEAD

 

Ashley Williams

Do you ever wonder why people pan for gold? Seems like a lot of time and effort, right?  But when those few nuggets are found – eureka! - all that work pays off. This helps explain why I keep looking at students' artwork. So much of it isn't promising at all. But, once in a blue moon, a discovery is made. This past Fall, Laura and I made one of those rare finds at Univ of Virginia... Ashley Williams is a  rare gem.

Hanging in the hallways outside the artists' studios, two large works on paper caught our attention. We were floored. Craftsmanship, detail, layered imagery, provocative subject, and very very fresh. Ashley's work had it all. Luckily she was in her studio and we were able to introduce ourselves.

  

From there, Laura and I have been working to get Ashley's work out to the public. An obvious decision for us was to take her work to the Affordable Art Fair in NYC. She agreed. We’re psyched. This is the kind of stuff New York needs. And we can't wait to get the reactions.

On a local level, Ashley is currently participating in a student show at the UVa's Ruffin Hall. A reception is being held this evening. I strongly recommend you find the time to attend. See firsthand what has us all aflutter.

A little about Ashley: She is from Roanoke, Virginia and will receive her Studio Art and Art History degrees this spring from UVa. She has already been awarded the prestigious Aunspaugh Fellowship and will continue her studio work at UVa next year. She has studied classical drawing in Italy and has exhibited in various artist shows around Virginia. Ashley is also a gifted creative writer (not hard to imagine based on her painting).

About her work, Ashley says this:

Like the city streets, the modern world floods our bodies with information.  Scientific advancements and improvements in communication technology mean that it has become increasingly difficult to extract the useful from the extraneous.  In response to this, our bodies function as a system that both absorbs and discards sounds, statistics and images.  However, this internal system is inefficient.  We cannot contain everything and the process of filtering out information can cause us to overlook what is most important.  Stillness is sometimes necessary.  My art, in some ways, is about reclaiming what has been filtered out by embracing the confusion, diagramming and displaying it.   It is a process, I think, similar to long-exposure photography.  Like the earliest Daguerreotypes, the lens is left open long enough for images to crowd the picture plane, overlapping each other until, like the famous shoe shiner in "Boulevard du Temple", something important begins to surface.  It is only through observing and accepting the whole, that we eventually find our focus.

JOACHIM KNILL is today's ArtistADay

If one is fun, and twice is nice, then three must be the charm.

First, Randall Stoltzfus was the featured artist on ArtistADay.com. Then, a Migration fav, Susan Jamison, was featured. And now, Joachim Knill, Migration's Polaroid photographer extraordinaire, is today's ArtistADay. We have reason to be excited about this: The attention for each of these artists explodes from this exposure (Randall has received over 13,000 visits and is currently ranked #3 in votes). ArtistADay.com has a very large following, and, more importantly, it is a discriminating following. So, today, go to Joachim's page, take a look, vote, comment, and contact me if you need any more information about his work.

1  2

I find the timeliness of Joachim's selection to be exceptionally appropriate. For starters, the demise of Polaroid has been a hot topic recently. This month's Art and Antiques cover story is titled "Polaroid's Last Shot" (by Sheila Gibson Stoodley). It is filled with great perspectives from some notable artists like Chuck Close, Elsa Dorfman and David Hockney about the importance and uniqueness of Polaroid images. Chuck Close says, "There's so much more information embedded in it than can be seen with the naked eye – unbelievable detail and real physicality."

For those of you who have followed artPark, you are already familiar with Joachim's utterly unique and masterful work (read my early review here). Although many artists rent Polaroid's large format 20"x24" camera to capture their work, Joachim took the extra step and built his own camera. His, however takes 20"x30" photographs. You may read that as a minor difference, but, in reality, it is a monumental. The hoops he had to jump through to convince Polaroid to allow him to use their film in his camera rather than theirs would deter virtually every other artist. Not Joachim. And his persistence has paid off.

Creating his handmade surreal worlds, adding the drama of stage lighting, and capturing them on large format Polaroid film with his one-of-a-kind camera has drawn rave reviews. Laura Parsons of The Hook said, "Say 'Polaroid' and most people envision waving a hand-sized snapshot in the air, drying it as the image emerges... But what Knill's 20x30 single-exposure photographs have in common with those pics is what the Grand Canyon shares with a creek bed – i.e. they're technically created the same way, but the former is, how shall we say, considerably more eye-popping."

See more of Joachim's work here and here.

[Images include:  1) Circus; 2) Armor]

Feeling the love from ArtistADay.com

Some of Migration's favorite artists are feeling the love from ArtistADay.com.  Last week, the site featured the work of Randall Stoltzfus. Today's artist is Susan Jamison. Take a look at both. Vote. Comment.

Based on reports from Randy, this one day exposure gave him a huge bump; and we are still fielding inquires about his work. I assume the same will be true for Susan.

Wonder who will be featured tomorrow? Or next week?