Miscellaneous

I need to do more frequent miscellaneous posts so that I can share some brief things with you as I come across them. Here are a few:

1) When I posted recently about George Morrison's show at NMAI, I received a pleasant email from Philly-based artist, Vincent Romaniello. Vince shared with me the surprise he got (similar to mine) when he saw Morrison's wooden pieces. Vince shared an image of a piece he made some time ago that was quite similar:

Construction
Wood assemblage, collage
74” x 64”
2005

Though I haven't seen this assemblage in person, I am immediately much more drawn to it than Morrison's work. Here there is clearly much more space. The individual pieces of wood are allowed to stand on their own and shine. The differences and similarities between the woods can be appreciated. The piece is also much more ambiguous I think. Further, I see a lot of Sean Scully in this piece and I like that. Though both Romaniello and Morrison make wood assemblages, they come to it from very different points of view and ultimately create distinct art.

After receiving Vince's email I browsed his art blog. What I found was a pleasant surprise. Vince doesn't write much about art but instead posts videos and slideshows. Sometimes these are artist interviews, or video from an opening or a slideshow of a show he visited. He even includes music for each piece. I think this is an interesting new format for art blogs and I think you should check it out. It'll help you (non-Philly readers that is) to get a better sense of what is going on there.

2) It had slipped my mind (or did I intentionally block it out?) that Options 2005 is finally here. On Thursday night, the show opens in Georgetown. On Saturday, Dr. Libby Lumpkin gives a curator's talk. I will absolutely be at the opening and more than likely will attend the talk on Saturday as well. I am very eager to see what made the cut and what our emerging artists have to offer. I'm also anxious to get a sense of how this show differs from what I imagine what a Philip Barlow curated show would have looked like.

Because I'm probably more honest and forthright than I should be, I'll admit that I'm expecting very little from this show. In fact, I can already imagine what the first sentence of my review will say, "Well, this show was very contemporary." Though I'm going into this not expecting much (admittedly I've only seen the work of a few of the 20 artists included) I assure you I will quickly admit I was wrong if the show is surprisingly impressive.

One other thing I'm eager to see is how an art show like this works in a former Staples store. Will it be good for the art? Will it be a distraction? We'll see. I hope lots of people make it out for the opening. Let me know what you think about the show after you see it.

3) Prescott Moore Lassman, a friend of mine and frequent commenter here, recently received a great honor:

Prescott Moore Lassman's photograph "White Horse" received the Gold Award in Black & White Magazine's prestigious first annual Single Image Contest. Black & White Magazine is a nationally distributed art magazine that specializes in black & white photography. The magazine received over 5,000 entries from over 900 individual photographers, and the editors chose 16 photographs in different categories to receive a Gold Award. The winning images (about 200 overall) are reproduced in B&W's Contest Annual, which became available in bookstores and newsstands nationwide on October 3, 2005.

While I hope to be able to share an image with you (update: image is above) of the winning piece, I think it goes without saying that this is a tremendous honor. Of course, I've told you he was deserving before (here for example). I hope we're able to see more of his work in the D.C. area. He's quite the talent, if you ask me.

(Disclaimer: I own one of Lassman's photographs.)

4) Another friend of mine, John M. Adams, is participating in what is certain to be a fantastic group show in Richmond, VA, at Gallery 5. The Web site states:

As a departure from previous shows, Gallery5 is showcasing the following select artists, curated to the theme "Surface Tension". All works are exceptional examples of contemporary art from across Virginia. All six artists showcased in Octobers' "Surface Tension" have been highly credited in the arts, with extensive professional experience; whether it be numerous prestigious exhibitions across the country or teaching their love of painting and sculpture to the local community.

Other participating artists include: Christopher Carroll, Terry Wolfe, David Moore, Paul Guion, and Torbjorn Dougherty. I believe John will be showing approximately 20 of his elegant oil paintings. If you are in the Richmond area on Friday, swing by the opening reception. Otherwise, catch it before it closes on October 25.

5) Most of you are familiar with Joseph Barbaccia and Alexandra Silverthorne. Along with Pat Dunning, these three artists will be having solo shows at Warehouse Gallery in D.C. The show runs from October 5-23 and the opening is on the 13th. I'm not familiar with Dunning's work but I am very excited to see so many Silverthornes and Barbaccias in one place. I hope many of you can come out to support these artists.

Insider tip to collectors: I understand that Silverthorne's photographs will be very affordably priced and they are one-of-a-kind prints (i.e. edition of one). Furthermore, I think you'll like the way they are presented. Also, I believe a portion of the proceeds of her sales will go to charity.

(Disclaimer: I own several of Silverthorne's pieces.)

6) I'm so glad the fall art season is here!!

Comments

[AAS]

Hey JT,

Thanks for posting the info on our upcoming shows. You can check out Pat Dunning's work online at www.patdunningart.com.

Also, yes, half of the proceeds from my work will be donated to local groups that provide services to low-income & homeless residents in DC.

Hope to see you soon,
Alexandra

p.s. the wood is awesome!

[Tim Quinn]

When I saw your post yesterday I was going to write to you about the show now at the Hammer here in Los Angeles by Phoebe Washburn. It is a huge wall that wraps around two sides of the lobby and is made of wood scraps. Not so great really but your post and my weekend went together so well that I thought it deserved comment.

Problem, The pictures on their site are terrible. I was so disappointed that I lost interest in telling you about it. Now today you relate about another wood scrap artist so I thought I should go ahead and send the link;

http://www.hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/88/

The bad documentation is not my fault! The pics show the back of the wall or the wall in very early stage of installation, the front looks alot like the work you show today.

[Scott]

JT, Thanks for the plug. If you're in a bookstore with photography magazines in the next month or so, you should definitely check out the Annual. It's very classy -- much classier than I'm used to! They did a great job on the reproduction. It's actually got me thinking about moving into the digital realm.
Scott

[AAS]

"got me thinking about moving into the digital realm"

Scott- say it ain't so!

[Scott]

Alexandra,

I'm sorry to say that it's true. I've even been pricing film scanners and looking for Photoshop classes! I don't think I'll take the plunge all the way into digital capture, but I certainly need to learn alot more about scanning and editing, since it seems that everybody is moving to digital.

My interest also stems from debates I've had with myself over the best presentation of my work -- on the wall or on the page. And after seeing my photo in B&W, I'm leaning heavily toward on the page. I think my photos look good in a gallery setting, but I think they really are better suited for publication. And to do that, you need to know something about digital. So I think that's probably going to be the next step in my photographic evolution.

By the way, I'm looking forward to seeing your show at Warehouse. I'll be out of town for the opening, but will definitely check it out during its run. Congrats!

Scott

[Joseph Barbaccia]

Thanks JT.
Finished setting up the final pieces last night. (Missed the OPTIONS 5 Opening; Damn!) I'm not very good at this part of the art business. I find that at this point I'm rushing things and they aren't quite the way I wanted them to be. A word to the wise for setting up your own show. Figure out the time you will need, exactly. Then double it.