My birthday is still about 2 weeks away but that didn't stop my lovely fiance from giving me an early birthday present. When I arrived home from work on Friday afternoon I found, to my delight, a Matthew Langley painting that I have coveted since his solo show at DCAC. The painting now hangs in the Living Room Gallery of KMoCA (Kirkland Museum of Contemporary Art, for those unfamiliar). Here's the painting:
Stylus Oil on Canvas 48" x 40" 2007
Friday turned out to be a great day. Although I was rejected from a long-shot group exhibition, I was accepted into another, more desirable show (details soon), and I received this great painting.
Kriston Capps wrote about the show for the Washington City Paper and used an image of Stylus in the online version of the story.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Lee Gainer's work, Holiday Tower, written by Jennifer Mawby. Lee provided the second jpeg, an image of Dark Chocolate Selection, as well as a brief response to Jennifer's "review."
Lee currently resides in Fairfax, VA, and Jennifer lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Holiday Tower Color Pencil on Pigment Print on Rag Paper 16" x 16" 2007
The "Review"
The artwork is enigmatic and immediately conjures up associations with both luxury product catalogs, packaging, and Asian restaurant photography where food is displayed as seemingly inedible decoration. However, the true subject of this work is not in the picture. The content of these decorative lacquer trays or glossy luxury boxes has been erased, cut out or even obliterated raising the questions, what was to be consumed, and why was it taken away? The obliteration of the precious cargo that would normally inhabit these elegant vehicles of consumption, turns both the containers themselves and the act of obliteration into the primary subject of the artwork. Therefore, both the act of consumption and the nature of consumption are under investigation.
The defaced 3-d containers seemingly float on top of the white studio seamless and flatten in space like scattered and lost jigsaw pieces. The boxes, devoid of their content, are overtly dis-functioned, fetishized, and totally useless objects of consumer presentation. The empty boxes are fodder for the growing garbage oceans and landfill mountains created through our need to package, brand and gloss.
The reference to the lacquered Japanese bento box relates the artwork further to the dangers of the climbing global price of rice and consumption of a different nature - necessity. The rice shortage is a substantial fear for many nations of the world where the lack of this basic necessity will result in a hungry population. Without vigilance, the lack of this basic staple, will turn a staple into a luxury for those that can still afford it, until even those consumers will have empty, albeit beautiful, lacquered bowls and trays.
Dark Chocolate Selection color pencil on unique pigment print on Hahnemuhle paper 12" x 18" 2007
The Response
I’d like to thank Jennifer for taking the time to write such a thoughtful review. Her impressions of Asian restaurant displays and ever-growing landfills are ones I hadn’t considered. Having other artists consider works without the luxury of a statement for guidance is producing some interesting results. This series is about the general pressures of gift giving and focuses on “the thought” behind the gift thus the missing visual imagery. I think Jennifer’s phrase, “totally useless objects of consumer presentation” is a wonderful description. Thank you again for your consideration.
If you’d like to see these and the other 44 works in this series in person, they will be on exhibit at the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) from Nov. 26th through Dec. 23rd.
Richard currently resides in Vancouver, WA, and Michael lives in Bronx, NY.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Flight mixed media, acrylic on paper on wood board 20" x 24" 2008
The "Review"
Flight is an acrylic painting on paper mounted on board -- an interesting choice of materials. I tend to associate works on paper with drawings or prints, or in the case of paintings, transparent washes of color. This painting, in contrast, appears to employ a painterly, abstract expressionist approach that I would normally expect to see on canvas. For that reason, it would be especially useful to see this painting in person; to see how it is constructed as an object, what kind of paper is used (there appears to be a horizontal seam across the midsection of the painting?) and how the paint is applied to the surface.
However, it is my task to review the artwork, and I must do so using the limited information available to me. Upon my first look at the painting, I was immediately reminded of the sculpture of Brancusi. The white, bird-like forms in the center of the picture not only reference the idea of flight through their aerodynamic shapes and upward trajectories, they also directly reference Brancusi’s Bird in Space series. I am less certain about the meaning behind the letter “B,” arranged throughout the picture in a stenciled font. My first response is to link the letter with Brancusi’s name, or the word “bird,” but that seems too obvious to be the artist’s sole intention. Or possibly it references B-52 or some kind of graphic associated with another type of aircraft. I am left wondering about the conceptual and compositional decisions behind this element.
If it were a type of music, there is no doubt in my mind that this would be Jazz. The painting’s structure feels pre-planned, but it appears to be executed quickly and with on-the-spot improvisation. The palette is limited, yet still results in a vibrant and celebratory color range. And the composition is complete and dense while alluding to airy and open concepts such as the feeling of flying.
The painting is part of a cyclus of 12 paintings called “ The five stages of being” and that’s what the B allures too ; to being and birth as in the birth of a soul, the soul taking flight/ lift off. It also is added as a mystery because it also represents in a faint way the number 13 the next number after a complete cycle of 12.
Thanks to Michael for his insight full observations which allowed me to see the work from an expanded perspective and appreciate it a new. Also thanks to J T to make this exchange possible.
Michael currently resides in Bronx, NY, and Richard lives in Vancouver, WA.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Untitled mixed media (collaged paper, gouache, ink, joint compound, & wood putty) on paper mounted on board 11" x 11" 2008
The "Review"
I am inspired to see with a poets eye to me the piece is a time machine it sucks me into its outline and leads me back to a world of the past I see elements, building blocks that create the back drop to my projected story as I step forward into white I carry the remands of memory with me and walk along the unpaved roads the walls that speak volumes the scribbles that captured a mood that has long past like the smoke of an old fire there is an imaginary window that opens my mind to follow the grids that recall the structure of my childhood there is a touch of gloom on the horizon but also a promise of peace it is the space before the decision is made the moment when harmony studies chaos before it has decided if its ready to dance
Twelve untitled drawings mixed media on paper mounted on panel 11" x 11" each 2008
The Response
Richard clearly picked up on the duality in the work, the harmony between tranquility and disturbance. I particularly like his description of the “space before the decision is made…when harmony studies chaos.”
This particular drawing is part of a series of 12 similar square-format panels. Although each panel is an individual work, I like the way they reinforce the architectural elements in the drawings when displayed as a grid.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Imants Ozers' work, Deluxe, written by Mary Klein. Imants provided the second jpeg, an image of Embrace, as well as a brief response to Mary's "review."
Imants currently resides in Chicago, IL, and Mary lives in Twin Cities, MN.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Deluxe Digital still derived from video frame Usually printed at 5" x 7" 2007
The "Review"
The medium of Deluxe, “digital still derived from a video frame,” was the first thing that struck me about this piece. It conjured up a series of one’s and zero’s whipping past and then suddenly, and by conscious-artistic intervention, brought to a halt. It was at this point when the momentum felt like it had been transferred to the viewer. The visual and textual stimuli had been launched to touch off circuits of memory and emotion.
Deluxe, from the French, in luxury, is a word rarely used in conversation. In this piece, however, it’s used twice – as the title and as text in the image. Suggestive of luxury, nostalgia (with the Vagabond font,) and crass consumerism (it’s a word most often used in marketing hype) – deluxe seems to take on the pejorative.
The symmetry of the under lying image is nearly perfect with the forms near the “center-fold” appearing somewhat human. It brought to my mind da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. It didn’t take me long, however, to give up searching for a real person. The severe symmetry, artificiality of color handling and absence of definite human features forced me to confront the possibility of a machine in human form – an android, perhaps.
Da Vinci sought to relate humankind to nature. He believed that the laws of the universe and the inner-workings of the human body were analogous. In Deluxe, perhaps the artist is asking us to relate the world of consumerism to the loss of our humanity. If the world of marketing and hype is our cosmos, will we eventually resemble its microcosm – will we tend to the artificial – to the manmade?
It has been a while since I last shared some of my newer work. Below are images of two new pieces. The pieces are roughly 2+ months old and it's only now that I am picking up on the synergies between the two.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Michael Paul Oman-Reagan's work, Original Concession of Non-Objective Art, written by M. Trigos. Michael provided the second jpeg, an image of Imageless Icon 32, as well as a brief response to M. Trigos' "review."
Michael currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, and M. Trigos lives in Northeast Louisiana.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Original Concession of Non-Objective Art Polyvinyl Chloride Film, Acrylic Paint, Wood, Adhesive Tape 10" x 6" x 5" 2008
The "Review"
If the name of a person says a lot, the title of an art piece tends to speak for itself. This is the case with Original Concession of Non-Objective Art. The title brings some sense of authenticity, and it takes place because the abstract form itself is giving in to movement as well as change. The traces of the light blue shadows against the whitish background of the well defined and centered object serve as the relation between time and space which comes from the sensation of a delicate rotation, until it achieves its own folding. Thus the mélange of this work transfixes the viewer’s eyes due to its complex simplicity. Everything about this piece seems quite easy to memorize: Shape, color, and background. This, of course, does not mean the style could get boring. On the contrary, there is room for anyone’s imagination thanks to its non-objective nature, i.e. a melting sheet of ice, a small boat, or a frozen hand about to snap fingers.
Furthermore, this piece sends out signals of absorbance and fragility like a connection among the outer and the inner, and yet there is a dark line dividing almost symmetrically the abstract figure. For the viewer it appears to be impossible to ignore the dark dividing line which draws the sight from left to right until its points meet in an almost mathematical fashion. This is why such an obscure line reminds me of Piet Mondrian’s neoplastic approach to his paintings—unambiguous lines separating primary colorations and shapes where spontaneity becomes efficient in its design and under genuine control of its location.
This mixed media piece leaves us with some sort of cubist awareness, which comes from the influence of cubism where volume plays an imperative role. The difference here is the artist gets out of the box, making the work a bit more adventurous, and yet quite relaxing. The freshness of this arty creation reflects unassuming plausibility with one color playing the greatest responsibility in how it has turned out. Conversely it may seem impractical to overlook the vigor of its dimensions, giving the appeal that springs from sculptures like the ones Richard Serra assembles, but at a lesser scale and without the usage of metal. Yet the common elements depicts from the transformation and manipulation of the objects in a single color and figure that keeps evolving right there in front of our eyes, even if we remain motionless. Thus the artist accomplished the task entirely well, with much sense and sensibility.
Imageless Icon 32 Mixed Media 4.5" x 8" x .5" 2008
The Response
1. I enjoyed the phrases “delicate rotation” and “complex simplicity,” and the careful attention of the reviewer to the act of seeing.
2. The ‘original concession of non-objective art’ was surrendering to the demand that artists provide qualifying descriptions ‘revealing’ what the art is ‘about’ and what it ‘represents.’ In other words: that we make the non-representational into the representational via (con)text.
3. I was recently standing inside one of Serra's Torqued Ellipse in a room full of them and I decided that being inside his work is an experience of fear. No, it’s more than that - absolute terror.
John currently resides in Washington, D.C., and Joseph lives in Potomac Falls, VA.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Drift Away cross-processed pinhole photograph 4" x 6" 2008
The "Review"
Review. A critical evaluation. To see over. What this means to me is a subsequent expression of my initial thoughts and emotions in a more rational way, in order to share them with others. Another question that “reviewing” brings up is how the viewing and reviewing of an art object changes or completes it. From my point of view I bring many associations to the image; some of which I’m sure the artist never intended. The meaning and value of an object changes according to the lens of the viewer’s experience and knowledge. This point would take much more space than allowed here, so let’s talk about his particular piece.
But first let me state that I haven’t seen the original photo. I’m reacting to a jpg on my computer screen. This would normally put me at a disadvantage; but since this review will be seen from a computer, I’m confident we’re all on the same page (pun intended).
This being said, all we know about the piece is that it measures 4” H x 6” W, was created this year, and that it’s a “cross-processed pinhole photograph.” Now, I must admit I had to look that up. Cross-processing, or Xpros, is the procedure of deliberately processing photographic film in a chemical solution intended for a different type of film. The resultant photos are often characterized by unnatural colors and high contrast; as in this photograph titled “Drift Away”. To assist me with envisioning the actual print I used a color ink jet printer to output to the stated dimensions and taped it to my studio wall. This method is visually a further step away from the original, but closer to how I might actually view the photo. The smallish size of the print forces me to poke my nose nearer to the image than I ordinarily would. (I must admit, I’m terribly near-sighted) This does two things. It creates an intimacy with the piece that, if I were to view the actual item, I’m sure would accentuate the materials. Alas, no materials, just pixels. Also, the immediacy, by putting me physically off balance (nose past toes), causes a slight unease which is apropos given the subject.
No matter. We’ve been down this road before. The sentiment is familiar. Quasi-abstract forms in perspective lead the eye down an unclean city alley to the light at the right, only to be stopped by a dead-end dark brick wall. It’s an often used metaphor for an urban area. Is the image slightly out of focus? Hard to tell in the jpg. Ghoulish green further alienates the scene. The gritty grain is a metaphor for the grime and grit found in many back alley lives.
Euclidean cross-processed pinhole photograph 4" x 6" 2008
The Response
I love the fact that Joseph used the word “escapist”. A few days after I first had “Drift Away” developed, I wrote a poem that accompanies the shot -
Drift Away
My reality slips into the divide, Somewhere between forgotten and recall Like electricity seeking ground. Pathways of thought are barren. The glyphs on the walls no longer recognizable Though the paint still drips. My unconsciousness wanders In anticipation of the dawn That promises to erase the details And awaken the eye of perception.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Lisa Klow's work, Selection from Journaling Project June 2008, written by Brent Hallard. Lisa provided the second jpeg, an image of Selections from Journaling Project June 2008, as well as a brief response to Brent's "review."
Lisa currently resides in Laurel, MD, and Brent lives in Tokyo, Japan.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Selection from Journaling Project June 2008 Ink pen on paper 3 3/4" x 2 7/8" 2008
The "Review"
A swatch of watercolor paper heads with a date and a time that runs 3/4 across the top. Under this the layout implies a two-page spread format. To the left is a squiggly drawing of a head with shoulders. The squiggles around the head area suggest hair, or could just as easily represent a scarf or turban, protection or turbulence. To the right (on the second page) is a text. It is in a hand and flair that agrees with the flurry of line in the drawing,
'Nothing happened today'. Instantly one is reminded of King George’s famous July 4th 1776 entry. This author adds a refrain, the parenthetical, ‘p/z remain calm’.
This, of course, suggests the opposite [is the] state of affairs. Beyond the page, beyond the abbreviated and the telling script, perhaps lurks restlessness, even a calamity.
The ordering of text and image, the classical layout, the poise and experience of the formal language as a notation, tend to, though, mellow out any sound or read of a foreboding. However, as a ‘diary’ notation, as an every day event, the hand and the script, the order it follows could suggest a type of struggle -- a ‘societal suffocation’, one the author is unable to dodge, despite the quick quill, quirk, and scholar of a rehearsed penmanship.
It was enjoyable reading this small piece. It could, after-all be just a personal note to self. When published, what part the self plays in the greater scheme of things is always up to another's beat.
Selections from Journaling Project 2008 Ink pen on paper 3 3/4" x 2 7/8" each sheet 2008
The Response
What a great review, thanks! I was concerned the reaction might be: What the heck is this? to a single piece. Your associations with the text were quite interesting. The source is not so literary, but more pop culture: a line from sci-fi series “Babylon 5” and a private joke. When I have a mundane day, I say, “Nothing happened today, please remain calm.” My work consists of writing and drawing daily, since 1997, so I have thousands of these little pieces with drawings, jottings, notes, description, pondering, etc. I’m pleased that a single piece could be so thought-provoking.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Joanna Knox's work, Glass Doors, Alma, Georgia, written by John Lucien Grillo. Joanna provided the second jpeg, an image of Trophy, Claxton, Georgia, as well as a brief response to John's "review."
Joanna currently resides in Burtonsville, MD, and John lives in Washington, D.C.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Glass Doors, Alma Georgia color photograph 16" x 20" 2005
The "Review"
Looking at this photograph, I feel as if I have discovered a gateway between our reality and an unknown universe. I want to reach out and open the doors to see what lies beyond them! The serenity of the scene and the minute details that come alive as the eye wanders the frame add to the other-worldliness of the photograph. I see the scissors, the calendar, the photo of Dr. King, the dress on the other side of the door, the crooked picture hung from the top of the door frame - all of these elements blend together like the ingredients of some kind of spell. A spell of silence perhaps, because I can't help but gaze in quiet admiration of this place, where shadows creep along the edges of the walls and glazed glass obstruct the view of the world that lies beyond those doors.
I realize that this critique overlooks the 'technical' aspects of the photograph, but I am of the opinion that good art should evoke feelings when looked upon, rather than stoic appreciation of technical prowess. Subjective opinion is the cornerstone of the artistic world, and the artist who took this, in my opinion, was able to capture the atmosphere of the moment, regardless of the tools at her/his disposal. It is a representation of the stillness and quiet which are so often overlooked in our busy lives. One would have to travel to the South to experience such a place, but this artist brought it home, feeling and all.
Trophy, Claxton GA color photograph 16" x 20" 2005
The Response
Thank you for your comments John! I enjoy how you described my photograph as a discovered “gateway between our reality and an unknown universe.” I strive to create a sense of mystery within my photographs. Often I will rearrange things in the rooms, interacting with the space and leaving my mark. In this case I closed the glass doors to leave parts of the house obscured. I like being one of the only people to know what is beyond those doors and to be one of the only ones to have experienced the true stillness of that room. I like to share these places and also keep a piece for myself.
Recent Comments