Thinking About Art

New Photograph

The following new photograph is part of the series that will be represented in the upcoming group exhibition "Once Again, Again" at the McLean Project for the Arts.  This specific photo won't be in the show, mind you, but this one instead.

The reception for the show will be on Thursday, June 19 from 7-9pm.

Here's the new work:

 
Untitled
Digital Photograph
16" x 23"
2008

I recommend clicking on the image for a larger, more detailed view.

Also of note... it looks like the MPA just launched a new Web site.  Be sure to click through to check it out.  It looks great... a huge improvement!

Stacey's Artomatic Notables

Going into our viewing of this year's Artomatic, we decided we would both come up with a list of Artomatic notables.  What follows is Stacey's list and commentary.

J.T. asked me if I would note my favorites from Artomatic and told me that my list may be posted on his blog (I think he wanted the ability to cut me if my findings were not up to par). You will definitely see that J.T. and I have overlapping lists. Could this be because his taste has rubbed off on me? Could it be that I want to impress my fiancé by liking what he likes? Definitely not the later as I’m way too opinionated for my own good. Other than just being asked to do this let me also list my credentials for you:

• My fiancé is an artist/curator
• I look at a lot of art
• I think my opinions tend to be good ones
• Did I mention that my fiancé is an artist/curator?

Needless to say I have no real expertise in this area but I like what I like. This was my second exposure to Artomatic, last year being my first, and I must say that I enjoyed this year much more. The large part of my enjoyment was due to the fact that we went on a weekend day where we practically had the entire building to ourselves.  It was nice to walk from place to place without having to elbow anybody just to get a closer look.  I expect I may have missed some fabulous art as we saw so much but these are the artists that jumped out to me.

Britishink

 

I realize that Britishink is a tattoo parlor but I found it fascinating. The details that went into the creation of the booth were fabulous from the Ouija Board to the tattoo artists, everything fit perfectly. I asked J.T. if he thought a Tinkerbell tattoo would be a good accessory to my wedding dress, as I think it would look fantastic. He disagreed.

 

Laura Peery

 

Laura Perry’s sculptures are unique and fun. The color and detail remind me of a Disney cartoon brought to life in a very professional manner.

 

Gregory Ferrand

I was first introduced to Ferrand’s work in “The One Word Project” show. I definitely liked his piece in that show but I loved the work in Artomatic. The intense colors and unique perspective totally captured my eye. I could look at each piece for hours and still find something new that I liked to keep my attention. 

Jennifer Murck

I felt very drawn to Murck’s pieces. There was something about the color and texture of the work that I really liked. The strokes seem random yet precisely placed at the same time which is always interesting to me. Plainly stated I found the work to be pretty.

Scott Speck

The first piece of art I ever purchased was a photograph by Phil Nesmith whose work I saw for the first time at last years Artomatic. Since that first purchase I am always looking for photography that stands out to me, and I rarely find it. When I came across Scott Speck’s work I said to J.T. “now this is kind of interesting.” Speck’s pinhole photography by far stood out more than any other photography I saw in the show.

Leigh Ruble

Leigh Ruble’s dress sculptures were my favorite find at Aromatic this year. I have been trying to put my finger on exactly what I loved about it and I’m still not positive. J.T. thought part of my interest could be my draw to unique fashion. And yes, if these were actual articles of clothing you would definitely see me wearing them. There is something playful yet a little haunting about these pieces and both keep me looking to figure out which I enjoy more.

My Artomatic Notables

On Saturday, my lovely fiance and I attended Artomatic.  We got to the building just a little after noon and we hoped to miss the crowds for an uninterrupted experience.  Our strategy worked and we got to see Artomatic with very few other people around.

Like others have said already, this year's Artomatic is the best one I've been to.  It's a little corporate, the artists' displays feel more self-promotional, the quality of work is higher and there's less wacky art to be seen.  Artists have really started to focus on presentation and that is a welcome advancement.  Bravo to those who use this opportunity to its fullest to make an impression on the thousands of people who see the show.

Stacey and I prepared for a long day after reading reports of people needing hours and hours, or multiple visits, to see the whole show.  Perhaps it was because we didn't have to battle the crowds, but we got through the show in right at two hours.  Of course, we chose not to spend time with any work that didn't immediately catch our eye.

Last year I published a Top 10 list that included only six or seven artists.  This year, I'm not going to publish a Top 10 list but instead a list of notable artists.  These nine artists had displays that caught my eye for one reason or another.  In no particular order, the notable nine are:

Gregory Ferrand



Gregory Ferrand makes a huge leap in his work as evidenced by the paintings shown here.  The paitnings are tighter, funnier, more polished and full of vibrant color.  As I walked around the corner I knew the work was familiar.  However, I was surprised by the artist's advancement.  If I gave a best in show award, it would go to Ferrand.  I think he's someone to keep an eye on.  Given that 4 of the 6 pieces have already sold, I think others would agree.


John M. Adams



Although I did not think that Adams' work this year is as strong as last year's wall drawing, I have to give props for the completely unique installation.  I'm not sure if it's a pedestal, a grave or a vitrine.  Regardless, it's an ingenious, if risky, installation.  I appreciate it when Artomatic artists push the envelope as Adams has done here.

[Disclosure: John is a good friend of mine and I own his work.]


Karen Butler



Yeah, I was shocked that I like it too!  This throw-back painting really caught my eye for the combination of beautiful color and texture.  It's an excellent painting that is not helped by flat jpg reproduction.  The painting literally stopped me in my tracks.


Laura Peery



Laura Peery's whimsical porcelain sculptures caught my eye for their humor and skill.  Sitting in front of a huge window, the sunlight brought the three pieces to life.  I think this one was my favorite.


Matthew Langley



Matthew Langley has been discussed on this blog before (i.e. his excellent recent solo show at DCAC) but his Artomatic installation keeps up with his high standards.  The two large paintings not shown above are from his DCAC solo show, but the small red/white painting above is new to me.  It continues with his excellent use of color and texture, getting the most from minimal forms.  The sign on the left is a full resume/statement mounted on board.  It's a very professional touch that caught my eye.


Paul Walters



Walters' bleak photos didn't reproduce very well at all here.  The actual work is quite strong and looks great on the distressed plywood walls.  You may have to just take my word on this one unless you get to see them in person.


Sarah Demas



Sarah Demas could be the sleeper from Artomatic this year.  Her work demonstrates a subtle touch and a slightly skewed view of her subject.  This haphazard installation of seemingly traditional work got my attention.  Demas' affordable prices also got my attention!  In her guestbook I noticed kind comments from Catriona Fraser, owner of Fraser Gallery in Bethesda.  Fraser focuses on representational work so I wouldn't at all be surprised to see some relationship form in the future.  This is just speculation, of course.


Scott Speck



Scott Speck's intense installation of pinhole photography stood out to me among an overall weak group of photographers in this year's Artomatic.  At one point, Stacey quoted me saying that she is beginning to see what I mean by, "Photography is the easiest medium to be good at, but by far the hardest to be great at."  While I'm not sure I would give any of Speck's photos the "great" label, they certainly stood out for their craftsmanship, drama and sense of movement.  I think I read somewhere that the image at top left was captured at the National Cathedral while holding the pinhole camera for 35 minutes.  It looks like 35 minutes well-spent to me.


Sigethy & Milani



This installation by Alison Sigethy and Tom Milani caught my eye for its ambition.  The Artomatic site states "This installation is about how changes in the Arctic are changing traditional ways of life forever."  That may be the case, but what appealed to me was the assemblage of so many disparate parts.  From a canoe frame, to kiln formed glass to painting, not to mention the booth's support structure, all of this came together to make for an impressive sight.  If you're going to do Artomatic, you might as well go all out!

That was my experience of this year's Artomatic.  I will post Stacey's notables soon.  We agreed on a couple of artists but she selected some others as well.  Check back to see who they are.

Once Again, Again

My apologies for the radio silence as of late.  I wanted to check in and let you know that I will be participating in what should be a great show at the McLean Project for the Arts next month.  The show is called "Once Again, Again: Rhythm and Repetition" and was jurored by Annie Gawlak, owner of G Fine Art in D.C.  The show runs from June 19 to July 26.  Participating artists include:

Jesse Lehson
Kyan Bishop
Mary Early
Suzi Fox
Pat Goslee
Jose Varea
Linn Meyers
Kay Hwang
Ryan Hill
J.T. Kirkland
Jay Lee
Joey Manlapaz
Cory Oberndorfer
Thom Sawyer
Linda Hesh

I will be showing one of my new manipulated digital photographs (their public debut).  I also hear that there will be a debut of video work by Pat Goslee.  The show should be interesting so please try to make it out.

Solo Shows at Arlington Arts Center

A couple of weekends ago we visited the AAC to see the current crop of solo shows. A mixed bag, perhaps, but some interesting work. I captured some images of things that caught my eye:

Erin Williams, a Philadelphia artist, creates faux museum displays for the fictitious creations of her great-grandmother, Minnie Eureka Young, who, according to Williams, invented large, fantastic Victorian-era medical devices made of brass, copper, and wood.

Williams' work interested me quite a bit. These sculptures were far more intriguing than the associated photographs and prints (I think there were prints), but I do like that she has contributed supplemental materials to the sculptures. It creates a more interesting "story."

The room in which the work was installed did little to help the sculptures (see the electrical outlets in the second image for an example) but there's not much to be done about that.

Jeremy Drummond, a Richmond-based, Canadian-born artist, illustrates the unlikely intersection of the dreams of developers and those of the people who eventually occupy their pre-planned communities through video portraits, lists of accepted and rejected street name proposals, and aluminum panels painted in colors from the Martha Stewart living collection.

This artist certainly made the most of being given the prime gallery at AAC. So much of this work seemed redundant, but I doubt it's a stretch to think that was at least partially the goal given the subject matter. For more on Drummond's body of work, read this essay. It appears that essentially the same group of work was exhibited at Drake University in 2006.

Jennifer Mattingly, a Kensington, Maryland artist, meticulously constructs tiny playful dioramas out of matchboxes often recalling early modernist work by Joseph Cornell, or collage novels by Max Ernst. Both the matchboxes themselves and large photographic prints of them will be on display.

These matchbook sculpture-meets-collage pieces were incredibly cute and playful, and I enjoyed them very much. Like Williams' installation, Mattingly included enlarged photos of the matchbooks in the show to supplement the real thing. Several works had sold for mid-three figures... quite good on a square (or cubic?) inch basis.

Laure Drogoul, a Sondheim Prize winner, orchestrates all sorts of curious happenings and installations - from performances with amplified knitting orchestras, to devices with which to sing to - and possibly charm vitrines full of earthworms, to a traveling museum of smells called The Olfactory Factory. For this show, the Baltimore artist conducts a video seance, calling out to the civil war dead in nearby Arlington Cemetery.

Drogoul has built a reputation of making art that freaks you the hell out. Knowing this, I was most interested in seeing the AAC installation. Sure enough, Drogoul delivers the freaky goods. Stacey had to leave the room due to the energy present and I just stood there with my jaw dropped. I'm not sure what Drogoul is getting at with this work, but the experience itself is memorable. I won't soon forget it. This is the solo show that makes a trip to the AAC worthwhile.

There are two other solo shows at AAC but I neglected to snap any pictures of them. Here are the summaries for them:

Jacklyn Brickman makes installations that resemble science museum displays and illustrate relationships between people, food, corporations, and chemistry. Here the Newark, Delaware-based artist focuses her attention on corn, a crop that's been redesigned by scientists into a super-starchy alien foodstuff.

Jennifer Fleming's Poems: Public Places series examines roadside developments along interstate highways. The Baltimore artist takes 4 X 6 photos of chain restaurants, convenience stores, and other signs of workaday ugliness along Route 1, then cuts these pictures and assembles them by hand into long, panoramic collages. These "poems" are also offered for sale as refrigerator magnets, postcards, and other ironic souvenirs commemorating sprawl.