Thinking About Art

New to the Collection: Lisa McCarty

I recently had the great fortune to acquire a painting by Lisa McCarty, an artist living in Arlington, VA.  Take a look:

A history, no history
Mixed-media, photo transfer on canvas
43" x 53"

Lisa will be opening a solo show next month at the Arlington Art Center where she is a resident artist.

How to build a lightbox?

Does anyone out there have any experience building lightoxes for the illumination of transparencies?  I'm wondering if there are any guidelines for the best way to build one, or things to keep in mind when building one.  Any advice you have would be appreciated!

Reminder: "Pay What You Wish" - 2 Paintings Left

I'm imposing a deadline of Sunday at midnight EST for claiming one of the two remaining "pay what you wish" paintings.  Untitled 3 and Untitled 4 are still available.  Please email me if you would like one of them.

Artists "Review" Artists: Donna Dodson on Ryan Burkhart

The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008.  Below is a "review" of Ryan Burkhart's work, Untitled, written by Donna Dodson.  Ryan also provided a second image, Untitled, as well as a brief response to Donna's "review."

Ryan currently resides in Charlotte, NC, and Donna lives in Boston, MA.

If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.

 
Untitled
India Ink, watercolor and colored pencil
11" x 15"
2008

The "Review"

At first glance, when I saw this piece, I thought about flags flapping in the wind like the famous Childe Hassam painting in New York City and my second thought was on the Gates in Central Park that Christo and Jeanne Claude installed a few years ago.  The piece looks layered as if the water color was laid down and the ink applied on top of it however I am not sure what the center region adds to the piece, i.e. the colored pencil section, but the energy and movement of the piece is very wavelike and effective.  There seems to be a kind of schism between the almost pastel washes and bright colors of the water color sections and the dark, imposing, shadowy figures in the foreground.  However these two elements work together seamlessly, disguising the process of making the piece.  These elements work together to give the impression of kites playing in the wind.  Do they have a meaning or are they just playful, whimsical and full of movement?

By Donna Dodson

                  
Untitled
Acrylic, Watercolor, Pumice, and India Ink on Canvas on Panel
14" x 18"
2008

The Response

I have been thinking metaphorically about volume levels lately and attempting to use a variety of disparate media in one piece while achieving an adjusted "visual EQ level," so Donna's formal breakdown is apropos. Equating music and visual art is an old, but worthy problem to pursue, as is playful improvisation. My aim is to playfully balance and manipulate very different materials within the same image. If I can do this while simultaneously creating a static image that still looks fresh and improvisational, not overworked or labored, I feel like I am successful.

By Ryan Burkhart

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
Carolina Mayorga on Timothy Buckwalter
Leila Holtsman on Carolina Mayorga
Grant Dale on Matt Hollis
Matt Hollis on Mel Prest
Mel Prest on Marina Reiter
Susan Contanse on Alexandra Silverthorne
Ryan Burkhart on James Bills

Artists "Review" Artists: Ryan Burkhart on James Bills

The Artists "Review" Artists Project was launched on June 30, 2008.  Below is a "review" of James Bills' work, Kaleidoscope Cylinder, written by Ryan Burkhart.  James also provided a second image, 1d100 (Precious Metals), as well as a brief response to Ryan's "review."

James currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, and Ryan lives in Charlotte, NC.

If you would like to participate in this project, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.

Kaleidoscope Cylinder
Pencil and silver leaf on paper
19" x 24"
2008

The "Review"

At first, Kaleidoscope Cylinder seems to adopt the mechanical conventions of drafting more than it does the facture of traditional drawing. Initially, the image presents the viewer with a horizontally stacked series of segmented cross sections, centered on the page, which change in color from cool to warm as eye moves from the outer edges of the graph toward the center, radiating line. There is a subdued playfulness at work here, which aims to balance the work between implied form and some sort of graph. That playfulness is compelling too, forcing the viewer back and forth between two possibilities: Am I looking at an object rendered transparent or at some sort of diagram of a process yet to be named?

I opened the file and zoomed in as far as I could to examine the texture of the work as closely possible, a technique I would most certainly employ with my eyes if I could see the real thing. Even in the digital file, the contrast between colored pencil and the surface quality of silver leaf is apparent and inviting. I feel confident in saying that by contrasting the drafting approach with the hand applied silver leaf, the artist is asking us to look deeper into the work, but as to what I am searching for I cannot say.

The piece has placed me in an arena of process art, drafting, and materials but is there more?  At this point, it seems appropriate to look toward the title for a clue. Kaleidoscopes are wonderful toys, designed for visual pleasure and surprise, but this piece has no reference to the symmetrical Rorschach designs the object creates. In fact, the drawing seems to have no concern with the type of visual movement or frivolity the actual kaleidoscope provides.

It’s that damn silver appliqué…I know there must be something deeper here.

Perhaps the artist is making an allusion to Hyperbolic Geometry, a concept that grafts Euclidian geometry to curved space and allows parallel lines to intersect.  Is this another case of artist using math as a launch pad for creativity? Is it headed towards more esoteric territory?  Is it pseudo drafting plus alchemy?

There’s a pleasurable frustration at work here -Perhaps Art History might lend a hand. I see a possible affinity to the works of Duchamp and Picabia, who had a knack for blending machines, alchemy, and sexuality with graphic approaches, but I would need to see much more work to even begin to understand what is informing and guiding this particular piece and if those precedents have anything whatsoever to do with this artist’s concerns.  

I am left wondering where this drawing leads the artist next– is it a source for sculptural objects or even Rube Goldberg like contraptions that have fun with math, alchemy, materials, function, and form? For me, it’s all of these projections and possibilities that make Kaleidoscope Cylinder as successful as it can be in the Artist Review format … my curiosity has been sincerely stirred.

By Ryan Burkhart

                 
1d100 (Precious Metals)
white gold, gold, silver and copper leafing on cast aquaresin
36" x 43" x 42"
2006

The Response

Thank you for your thoughtful review.  A lot of your comments are accurate.  With this drawing I was fusing together architectural drafting with some ideas about graphs and randomness.  Each cross section’s shape is determined by dice rolls (the random element) and the color gradient maps out the overlapping depth of the stacked discs.  The silver leafing was to demarcate the edges of the discs, as well as add some glamour into the whole process.  The intent was to create something visually opulent as well as systematically pre-determined.

By James Bills

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
Carolina Mayorga on Timothy Buckwalter
Leila Holtsman on Carolina Mayorga
Grant Dale on Matt Hollis
Matt Hollis on Mel Prest
Mel Prest on Marina Reiter
Susan Contanse on Alexandra Silverthorne

"Pay What You Wish" - 5 Paintings

I've recently been inspired by an artist friend to consider the idea of artwork as a gift.  That is, the enjoyment/inspiration that comes with experiencing a work of art is a free gift passed from artist to viewer/owner.  The actual object you pay for.  But that something extra that comes with art, that's free.

Additionally, there's been a lot of talk about a gift society, and to put that idea in motion, artists in NYC have opened the "Free Store."  The Seattle Art Museum is advertising the fact that you can pay what you wish to visit the museum.

It is in this spirit of gift giving that I offer up the following five paintings for whatever you wish to pay (nothing, perhaps?).  I've been busy cleaning and organizing my studio and I have found that these paintings don't exactly fit in my body of work.  However, I'd hate to just dispose of these and thus I am looking for some good homes for the paintings.  If you'd like to have one, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.  If you do not live in the D.C. area, I will ask that you help with shipping costs.

Thanks so much for looking and please let me know if you'd like one.

Untitled 1 (TAKEN)
Enamel on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 2 (TAKEN)
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 3
Enamel, masking tape on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 4
Enamel on canvas
12" x 24"
2007

Untitled 5 (TAKEN)
Spray paint on canvas
12" x 12"
2007

New to the Collection: John M. Adams and Joseph Barbaccia

We added two more works to the KMoCA collection over the weekend by local artists you're likely familiar with, John M. Adams and Joseph Barbaccia.  Take a look:

John M. Adams
Sitting Still #72
Oil and Acrylic on Birch
10" x 8.5"
2009

Joseph Barbaccia
Felix Culpa
Polystyrene, sequins, stainless steel pins
11" x 22" x 11"
2007

Both artists have solo shows coming up in the near future.  Adams will be at the Greater Reston Arts Center in May and Barbaccia will show at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art and Gallery Neptune.

New to the Collection: Franklin Einspruch and Don Voisine

KMoCA is rapidly expanding and we couldn't be more pleased.  Shown below are two new paintings acquired in the past week.  Take a look:

Franklin Einspruch
Studio Self-Portrait with Skeleton
Oil on Linen
40" x 32"
2001

Don Voisine
Lucid
Oil on Panel
12" x 12"
2007

Thanks to Franklin and Valerie McKenzie for helping to make these happen.

Matisse Rocks, Duchamp Blows

What follows is another Facebook conversation that took place while I was doing a gallery crawl in NYC.  I had seen the Matisse room shortly before and initiated the following conversation after being in the Duchamp room.  Feel free to join in!

J.T. is Matisse rocks, Duchamp blows.

Mark Cameron Boyd - Open your eyes, my friend: "All art after Duchamp is conceptual!"

J.T. - Unfortunately the problem is my eyes are open. If they were closed I'd almost certainly like it more.

Jeffry Cudlin - Don't underrate D. as a painter...if he'd died immediately after doing the cubo-futurist-esque pieces, I think we'd still remember him for Nude Descending a Staircase and King & Queen Surrounded by Swift Nudes.

J.T. - You might be right there. I wonder how different (better?) things would be if he had died then.

JC - Better?? Good grief, man.

MCB - It's the "What if Marcel never went into that hardware store syndrome?"

J.T. - Well, things today would be better, worse, or about the same. I wonder about the better option

JC - Duchamp is just part of the trajectory of modernism--the confrontation and disjuncture part. Remove Duchamp and those old Dada ideas would've still found their way into American art...it just would've taken a little longer.

J.T. - I don't disagree at all. It was inevitable.

Warren Craghead - The problem isn't Duchamp, it's the piles and piles of crap made by those following him.

A Step Backward?

What follows is a long exchange that took place on Facebook during my NYC gallery/museum crawl.  It all started with my status: "J.T. is we clearly took a step backward with Johns and Rauschenburg."  It was posted as I was working my way through MoMA.  The participants here are Chris Rywalt, Mark Cameron Boyd, Jeffry Cudlin and me.  This transcript is posted with the authors' permission.  Feel free to join in!

J.T. is we clearly took a step backward with Johns and Rauschenburg.

Mark Cameron Boyd - This you are correct on: Pop, being anti-Greenbergian, is clearly suspect in the critical hierarchy...not that I believed everything Clem wrote.

Jeffry Cudlin - Wait...is today opposite day? ;)

J.T. - Not sure about opposite day, but going from the AbEx rooms to the Pop rooms certainly leaves me feeling deflated.

JC - Maybe it depends which abexers you're talking about...but I'll take a combine or a target over a zip painting any day.

J.T. - Not this guy! Give me Rothko, pollock, Newman, etc, any day of the week.

JC - I don't know...I guess I have a thing for anti-painterly painting.

J.T. - Wait a sec, what YOUR painting? :)

CR - MCB, I'm surprised at your misreading of the critical hierarchy. Hasn't Greenberg on the outs for forty years?

I felt exactly the way you did, JT, when I followed that same path. It's like watching the death of sincerity in painting.

JC - I would have to say I'm a recovering painter. And I'm not particularly interested in sincerity, either.

CR - Sincerity all by itself doesn't count for much. But it's better than irony, which I am sick to death of.

J.T. - Fair 'nuf

JC - Okay, as for irony, I definitely don't need art to wink at me knowingly, either. ;) I want art to create some kind of condition of transparency, which isn't the same thing as sincerity. If that makes any sense.

I think this conversation needs to happen somewhere other than a fb comment thread.