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Apparently I have been very, very good this year. How do I know? Because on Christmas morning I unwrapped this from my wife:
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Timothy Buckwalter's work, Devotion is a thing that demands motives., written by Carolina Mayorga. Timothy provided the second jpeg, an image of Because grief unites us, like the locked antlers of moose who die on their knees in pairs., as well as a brief response to Carolina's "review."
Timothy currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area, and Carolina lives in Washington, D.C.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Devotion is a thing that demands motives.
acrylic on canvas
48" x 52"
2007
The "Review"
An art review as I understand it, is a critical analysis and an attempt to interpret a work of art based solely on the visual, audible, and/or any other tangible information provided by the work regardless of the author’s intentions.
Having stated my perspective on the subject of art review I will identify the different visual elements of the piece that linked together will offer an interpretation of the work which, just a reminder to the reader, is unavoidably charged with subjectivity and personal baggage.
I read the bright blue background as a vacuum, a still setting rather than what would possibly come first to mind, a blue sky. The cartoon-like characters in the scene seem trapped in the space and in some way asphyxiated by the overwhelming flatness of the blue. The treatment of the subjects is very aesthetically pleasing; simple shapes, simple lines, and quick brushstrokes, qualities not often attributed to acrylic paint. These contrasting techniques between background and foreground as well as the composition add to the tension of the scene that comments on issues of isolation, acceptance, protection and vulnerability.
Previously, I referred to the birds in the scene as cartoon-like characters due to the human-like expressions attributed to the subjects, a quality often related to cartoon media. This turns out to be a key element for the meaning of the piece in which a group of birds, humorous and appalling at the same time become a powerful statement about social relations.
I'd also like to comment on the title Devotion is a Thing that Demands Motives, which I tried to digest and ended up only swallowing. It seems constraining, somewhat pretentious and almost irrelevant. I find the image sufficiently compelling, as it offers the amount of information needed to convey a powerful message, and is manipulated with a degree of control and spontaneity that transcends the pictorial. Perhaps the title actually intends to cause indigestion because there are things in life that can never be digested only swallowed.
Because grief unites us, like the locked antlers of moose who die on their knees in pairs.
acrylic on canvas
30" x 37"
2007
The Response
The images I use are cribbed from other sources. The titles are also.
The titles are certainly awkward, they're intention is to redirect your initial idea about the painting. The bird, at first, seems to be the outcast. But what if, like the title says, he brought it on himself by some kind of unreasonable demand or wish?
Thanks for the astute reading of my work, and your kind words.
Previous "Reviews":
Pam Farrell on Ken Weathersby
Paula McCullough on Aric Calfee
Lee Gainer on Leigh Waldron-Taylor
Aric Calfee on Paula McCullough
Matthew Ballou on Heather Levy
Giovanni Garcia-Fenech on TJ Norris
TJ Norris on Giovanni Garcia-Fenech
Susan Tolbert on Mary Klein
Heather Levy on Gail Vollrath
Sharon Butler on Matthew Ballou
Mark L. Power on Steven Alexander
Steven Alexander on Mark L. Power
Molly Norris on M. Trigos
Ken Weathersby on Joseph Barbaccia
Sondra Arkin on Susan Tolbert
John M. Adams on Sharon Butler
Michael Paul Oman-Reagan on Brent Hallard
Daniel Mafe on Pam Farrell
Joanna Knox on John M. Adams
John Lucien Grillo on Joanna Knox
Brent Hallard on Lisa Klow
Joseph Barbaccia on John Lucien Grillo
M. Trigos on Michael Paul Oman-Reagan
Mary Klein on Imants Ozers
Richard Schemmerer on Michael Konrad
Michael Konrad on Richard Schemmerer
Jennifer Mawby on Lee Gainer
Lisa Klow on Molly Norris
Bob Barbera on Jenn Figg
Tom Wagner on Kimberley L. Lindsley
Michelle Hunter on Aaron McMasters
Gail Vollrath on Daniel Mafe
Aaron McMasters on Michelle Hunter
Demetrius Romanos on Chris Rywalt
Chris Rywalt on Demetrius Romanos
Imants Ozers on Sondra Arkin
Timothy Buckwalter on Rob Hitzig
Rob Hitzig on Susan Constanse
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Susan Constanse's work, Untitled (Unreal Spaces series), written by Rob Hitzig. Susan provided the second jpeg, an image of Untitled (Unreal Spaces series), as well as a brief response to Rob's "review."
Susan currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA, and Rob lives in Montpelier, VT.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Untitled (Unreal Spaces series)
Oil on canvas
24" x 18"
2008
The "Review"
One of the most interesting aspects of art, for me, is seeing the artist through their work. In getting to know artists, I am always amazed at how perfectly the art matches the person. Their work is always a clear, direct, window into their inner being. It lets you see what is going on beneath the surface and should/does make artists feel very vulnerable as the world looks into their soul. In being given just one painting -- no history, no background -- giving a critic is a very interesting and difficult task. What does one piece in isolation say about an artist or about what they are trying to accomplish? It is like drawing a trend line with one data point. Can someone look into your eyes and see your soul? Perhaps, but I think George Bush would have had better luck if he asked Putin to paint him a picture instead.
This painting is interesting and scary. These ribbons are floating in deep space or deep in the ocean, in a very dark place. One light source projects out. Oddly, the light source is blue and it enlightens both the white and the red. Does the blue symbolize peace? Personal, political, or both? Is this an overtly political piece? Is the artist saying something about the USA, either consciously or unconsciously? I don’t know but I believe that this is both a political and a spiritual person and that they have these issues on the forefront of their mind. Is this person a light in what they perceive to be a dark place? Or, are they in a dark place, looking, searching, or hoping to find the light?
The initial feeling is that the ribbons are isolated, but closer examination reveals that there is more around the ribbons. If only more light were projected or created in the space, the ribbons would not be so alone. I believe the painter is calling for more light. I believe the artist believes it would be a much more interesting and beautiful world with more light, unfortunately, in painting the way the world exists through the artists eyes, there wasn’t enough light at the time. We should all hope for more light in the future.
The only thing that concerns me about the painting is the two brown ribbons projecting on the lower section. I feel there is a disconnect there. What does it have to do with the rest of the painting? It feels to me to be a distraction that doesn’t relate to the rest. What does it mean and why is it there? Hope reaching out? Is this person a great fan of Barack Obama? I don’t know whether this is intentionally or unintentionally a political statement but it seems forced. Regardless, I think it is interesting and I would like to see more. There is a subtle depth to the work that draws you in and calls for closer examination.
By Rob Hitzig
Untitled (Unreal Spaces series)
Oil on canvas
30" x 25"
2008
The Response
It has always been my opinion that it is the viewer that completes a work. This completion, as Mr. Hertzig points out, is difficult when based on one work. It is doubly so when the work is non-narrative.
Previous "Reviews":
Pam Farrell on Ken Weathersby
Paula McCullough on Aric Calfee
Lee Gainer on Leigh Waldron-Taylor
Aric Calfee on Paula McCullough
Matthew Ballou on Heather Levy
Giovanni Garcia-Fenech on TJ Norris
TJ Norris on Giovanni Garcia-Fenech
Susan Tolbert on Mary Klein
Heather Levy on Gail Vollrath
Sharon Butler on Matthew Ballou
Mark L. Power on Steven Alexander
Steven Alexander on Mark L. Power
Molly Norris on M. Trigos
Ken Weathersby on Joseph Barbaccia
Sondra Arkin on Susan Tolbert
John M. Adams on Sharon Butler
Michael Paul Oman-Reagan on Brent Hallard
Daniel Mafe on Pam Farrell
Joanna Knox on John M. Adams
John Lucien Grillo on Joanna Knox
Brent Hallard on Lisa Klow
Joseph Barbaccia on John Lucien Grillo
M. Trigos on Michael Paul Oman-Reagan
Mary Klein on Imants Ozers
Richard Schemmerer on Michael Konrad
Michael Konrad on Richard Schemmerer
Jennifer Mawby on Lee Gainer
Lisa Klow on Molly Norris
Bob Barbera on Jenn Figg
Tom Wagner on Kimberley L. Lindsley
Michelle Hunter on Aaron McMasters
Gail Vollrath on Daniel Mafe
Aaron McMasters on Michelle Hunter
Demetrius Romanos on Chris Rywalt
Chris Rywalt on Demetrius Romanos
Imants Ozers on Sondra Arkin
Timothy Buckwalter on Rob Hitzig
Below are images of more recent pieces. As always, any comments and feedback are appreciated.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Rob Hitzig's work, 126, written by Timothy Buckwalter. Rob provided the second jpeg, an image of Castleris vermontensis, as well as a brief response to Timothy's "review."
Rob currently resides in Montpelier, VT, and Timothy lives in the San Francisco Bay area, CA.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
126
bird's-eye maple, cherry, tinted shellac
25" x 23" x 3/4"
2008
The "Review"
You want a cheap date? Mix me a cocktail of some gestural abstration. Follow that up with jello-shot of hard-edge. And I'm yours for the evening.
I'm a huge fan of hard-edge painting. Karl Benjamin. Gene Davis. John McLaughlin. Helen Lundeberg,
There is something absolute, something sure-handed, about hard-edge that gets me pretty much every time.
The evolution of hard-edge in the last two and a half decades also rocks my boat (how could it not be? When I fall head-over-heels for a band, I fall in love with everything that sounds like it, hoping to recapture that same feeling). Peter Halley's references to the now of computers and networking make me go gah-gah. Olivier Mosset's continued radical-ness is mind-numbing.
So, when I initially opened the file, it was easy for me to like 126.
A connection could be made between hard-edge and craft by the artist's use of the stolid woods as strips of color. The tinted shellac tosses a sleazy element of fetish into the mix.
With dimensions that mimic a larger cutting board, the piece can also slide you into the arena of consumer commentary. There's a certain Williams Sonoma-ish feel to it.
The problem is my positive glow ends right there.
Because I don't know what goes on with the sides of the piece the original intention is hidden from view. Is the wood a laminate that is laid on a panel, mounted on stables – a kind of ironic comment on painting, that mimics some of paintings effort will upping certain accepted falsehoods of the art. Or is merely slabs of hard wood glued together into a square, mounted on the wall – a more earnest bit that nods toward the world of craft.
Castleris vermontensis
maple, epoxy, metal, shellac
32" x 12" x 9"
2007
The Response
By Rob Hitzig
Previous "Reviews":
Pam Farrell on Ken Weathersby
Paula McCullough on Aric Calfee
Lee Gainer on Leigh Waldron-Taylor
Aric Calfee on Paula McCullough
Matthew Ballou on Heather Levy
Giovanni Garcia-Fenech on TJ Norris
TJ Norris on Giovanni Garcia-Fenech
Susan Tolbert on Mary Klein
Heather Levy on Gail Vollrath
Sharon Butler on Matthew Ballou
Mark L. Power on Steven Alexander
Steven Alexander on Mark L. Power
Molly Norris on M. Trigos
Ken Weathersby on Joseph Barbaccia
Sondra Arkin on Susan Tolbert
John M. Adams on Sharon Butler
Michael Paul Oman-Reagan on Brent Hallard
Daniel Mafe on Pam Farrell
Joanna Knox on John M. Adams
John Lucien Grillo on Joanna Knox
Brent Hallard on Lisa Klow
Joseph Barbaccia on John Lucien Grillo
M. Trigos on Michael Paul Oman-Reagan
Mary Klein on Imants Ozers
Richard Schemmerer on Michael Konrad
Michael Konrad on Richard Schemmerer
Jennifer Mawby on Lee Gainer
Lisa Klow on Molly Norris
Bob Barbera on Jenn Figg
Tom Wagner on Kimberley L. Lindsley
Michelle Hunter on Aaron McMasters
Gail Vollrath on Daniel Mafe
Aaron McMasters on Michelle Hunter
Demetrius Romanos on Chris Rywalt
Chris Rywalt on Demetrius Romanos
Imants Ozers on Sondra Arkin
I've recently completed a new batch of work and below are images of three pieces. I will share more as I get the photos.
The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008. Below is a "review" of Sondra Arkin's work, Observatory, written by Imants Ozers. Sondra provided the second jpeg, an image of Edge of Spring, as well as a brief response to Imants' "review."
Sondra currently resides in Washington, D.C., and Imants lives in Chicago, IL.
If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.
Observatory
Encaustic on canvas on aluminum composite panel
48” x 48”
2008
The "Review"
Like a window of cool blue framed by rippling speckled patterns, Observatory is a solid, centered composition reminiscent of sky, clouds, water and waves. A certain minimalism of design offers an invitation to meditate on the piece and let the hues and textures wash over you. The square solidity of the image confronts you as the title incites one to consider our role as the viewer of art, the world, and things in general.
What is our frame of reference? The minimal view at the center of the image is well dressed by the ornate framework surrounding it. Does that mean the way we frame something can be used to change our perception of what we observe? Is it possible to enjoy abstract modern art without falling into psycho-babble? At what point are we over-analyzing? What does this image do to the observer? It evokes questions about the way we observe, and makes us consider the reasons behind the gamut of framework we use in viewing art, ranging from, “It’s pretty” or “I like it”, to wordy, intellectual interpretations of our perception. It’s really up to the individual to make the viewing of an image their own personal experience. As for me, I’ll just say… I like it!
By Imants Ozers
Edge of Spring
encaustic on canvas on aluminum composite panel
48” x 48”
2008
The Response
By Sondra Arkin
Previous "Reviews":
Pam Farrell on Ken Weathersby
Paula McCullough on Aric Calfee
Lee Gainer on Leigh Waldron-Taylor
Aric Calfee on Paula McCullough
Matthew Ballou on Heather Levy
Giovanni Garcia-Fenech on TJ Norris
TJ Norris on Giovanni Garcia-Fenech
Susan Tolbert on Mary Klein
Heather Levy on Gail Vollrath
Sharon Butler on Matthew Ballou
Mark L. Power on Steven Alexander
Steven Alexander on Mark L. Power
Molly Norris on M. Trigos
Ken Weathersby on Joseph Barbaccia
Sondra Arkin on Susan Tolbert
John M. Adams on Sharon Butler
Michael Paul Oman-Reagan on Brent Hallard
Daniel Mafe on Pam Farrell
Joanna Knox on John M. Adams
John Lucien Grillo on Joanna Knox
Brent Hallard on Lisa Klow
Joseph Barbaccia on John Lucien Grillo
M. Trigos on Michael Paul Oman-Reagan
Mary Klein on Imants Ozers
Richard Schemmerer on Michael Konrad
Michael Konrad on Richard Schemmerer
Jennifer Mawby on Lee Gainer
Lisa Klow on Molly Norris
Bob Barbera on Jenn Figg
Tom Wagner on Kimberley L. Lindsley
Michelle Hunter on Aaron McMasters
Gail Vollrath on Daniel Mafe
Aaron McMasters on Michelle Hunter
Demetrius Romanos on Chris Rywalt
Chris Rywalt on Demetrius Romanos
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