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!

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

Congratulations Are In Order

The images below were painted by artist John Schiro formerly from Houston. The two gallery shots are part of his thesis exhibition that took place earlier this year at Rutgers in New Jersey. I don't have titles or sizes. You can get a sense of the size in the gallery shots. This post is a personal congratulation to him on his completion of his graduate work there. It is also a nod to his conversation with color. While his work would not be considered geometric it certainly participates in the dialog about color that is an on-going part of Joanne Mattera's conversation with color in her own paintings as well as on her blog.