Sunday, September 7, 2008

Without Words - Paper Artworks by Kyoko Ibe

I often find it difficult to come up with the right words in a statement about my work that really gets to the sensibility of the visual image. As John Tallman said in his July 10th post on Color Chunks, musicians are not asked to paint a picture to go along with the musical composition...nor writers, or poets. But for visual artists today, it seems essential, required.

Below is Kyoko Ibe whose exhibition, The World of Yugen: Japanese Paper Artworks, is on display at Krannert Art Museum located at University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign through Jan. 4, 2009. "The Japanese concept 'yugen' is used to describe the profound, the remote, and the mysterious. Yugen is that which cannot be easily grasped or expressed in words, but rather revealed through spiritual strength and grace." Click on the title of the exhibition above to read more.
Kyoko Ibe - At work installing his Japanese Paper Art
This concept speaks to me. Without Words!
But at Color Chunks, John Tallman offers artists an opportunity or perhaps a challenge, to write about a word not your art.
He says: "
Below you’ll see a list of words in no particular order. Read over the list. If a word jumps out at you, if you feel there is a word that might relate somehow with the art you do, please write a few sentences on it(maybe a paragraph or two—more?), send it to me with a jpg of your work and I’ll post it on “Color Chunks.” (July 10th post)

As I see it, this offer is to relate a word to some part of your creative process, not use it to explain your painting. I see this as a creative opportunity to be playful with words, to make a creative "word document" that perhaps parallels your working process in some way.
I'm thinking about taking up the challenge. Artist Pam Farrell is one artist who has taken this challenge. And Joanne Mattera. Check out these and more at Color Chunks.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

One of My Favorites-Louise Bourgeois-Thanks Joanne!

"In the classic Mapplethorpe image of Louise Bourgeois, the artist is holding a giant plaster-and-latex penis under her arm like a brobdingnagian baguette. The irony is that if she had an actual penis, if she were Louis Bourgeois, she’d be bigger than Picasso. Bourgeois is an immense talent who has been making art for over 70 years. Her arc spans Surrealism, Modernism, Post-Minimalism, Feminism and Installation Art, and her oeuvre—essentially organic and increasingly narrative—includes work in wood, stone, metal, wax, resin, fabric and found (or chosen) objects." This is from the most recent post from Joanne Mattera's blog. Read the rest along with great images at Joanne's blog. I just wish I were in New York to see the exhibition.

I do love Louise Bourgeios's work and mind. It isn't just her ability to continue to work into late age that impresses me so. It is the strength of the work in her late years that is so amazing.

I am not sure Louise Bourgeios thinks of herself as a feminist as the rest of us do but she sure sets a good example of how to do it.

How appropriate to have this post snuggled right next to Joanne's sidebar post "OXYMORON OF THE DAY: . . . . . ANTI-CHOICE FEMINIST", her reaction to John McCain's VP pick. I love it!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Summer Exhibitions in Texas

I didn't get pictures Saturday night at the events in the Heights...White Linen Night Heights
Most shops and galleries were open and lots of people were enjoying the night out in spite of the heat and humidity, and some...yes....dressed in their whites. Read more about it here. We arrived late and didn't linger but did visit galleries on 11th....G Gallery, Red Bud Gallery, and The Texas Collaborative plus we stopped by Koelsch Gallery on Yale before we gave in and went to dinner.

At G Gallery artist Todd Allison was showing work and at
Naü-haus Gallery artist Lydia Balahutrak had two paintings in that group exhibition (that gallery's one year anniversary.) We had a yummy frozen mojito at Koelsch but didn't stick around to listen to the band.

Earlier in the day some friends and I had driven to Galveston to visit the exhibition at Buchanan Gallery and lunch. (See Below)

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C. Ellen Hart and Sandra York - Two Solo Exhibitions at Buchanan Gallery
220 26th St., Galveston Island, Texas
Exhibition continues through August 16, 2008

C. Ellen Hart , L.Shadow Study #62 (ShootingStar) 30"x 24"; R. Seafarer 30"x 24" both oil on canvas

C.Ellen Hart, Botany Bay, 54"x72, oil on canvas

C. Ellen Hart, Sea Shadow#106, 30" x 24" oil on canvas

Sandra York, from left to right: Sea Glass (30"x24"), Meditation (24"x24"), Chinati Marfa (24"x24"), Saint of the Animals (24"x30") all oil on canvas.


Sandra York, Ama de Casa, 45"x 76.5", oil on canvas

Sandra York, Meditation, 24"sq, oil on canvas
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Craighead-Green New Texas Talent Dallas
Juror: Julie Kronick, Corporate Art Curator for Neiman Marcus
Exhibition runs through August 30th

The recepetion for this event was Saturday, July 26th. It was hot, hot, hot, in Dallas but the art patrons were not deterred. Unlike Houston where the humidity equals the temperature sometimes, it was relatively dry and speaking from that perspective, not so unbearable.
Most of the artists selected had two or three images presented.
Below are some of the paintings in the New Texas Talent at Craighead-Green Gallery that impressed me.

Mel Hombre, Sea of Cortez series, acrylic on paper.

Roma Misra, ....shifting...., Mixed Media on canvas, 36" x 48"

Janet Wayte, works on paper

Lee Ken Tan, Rorschach Humor No. 1, China ink on rice paper, 40" x 78"

Shelly Porter, The Smallest thing Will Not Be Forgotten, watercolor on paper, 27" x 24.5"

These three pieces very coated with a smooth glossy resin. Very nice. Apologies to the artist for no name or title.

Donna Perkins-Graphite on paper, Detritus Aggressor, Detritus Aquatic, Detritus Amuse, 14"x 11" each

Nathaniel Glaspie, Aspen Lane, Ink on Wood and Plexi, 20" x 30"

Julia Kiovumaa, Diptych, Encaustic on panel

Gwendolyn Plunkett, L. Garden/Red; R.Garden/Intruder; both oil on canvas, 36"x 36"

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Red, White and Blue at Darke Gallery July and August
It was a hot and humid night in Houston but the band played on. Unfortunately, not long enough for me to get pictures. I only got shots of the band as they were leaving. (My camera came late!) It was a well attended event and the band was great!

L. Linda Darke Swaynos (wax and oil on canvas) & R. Julia Koivumaa (Encaustic on panel)

Gwendolyn Plunkett: Ritual Series, Encaustic Collage, 12" x 12" all

Detail : Joseph Cohen, Proposition 22

L. Joseph Cohen, Proposition 22 R. Linda Darke Swaynos