Searching for good Art...and actually finding it

Scorched Earth By Mark Bradford

As the new Gallery Education Intern at the ICA....(yes devoted bloggers I did indeed get my internship!) I feel that is my civic duty to introduce to you Mark Bradford. If you don't know Mark Bradford think of an Urban Joan Mitchell meets Robert Rauschenberg meets a guy who really has his art shit together. If anyone hasn't noticed the ICA really hasn't had much in the way of painters this past uhh century? Thank goodness a great artist found his way to Boston!

My dear fellow artists Leigh Champagne who has a solo show entitled "fingered" coming as soon as she manages to graduate from the Art Ed Program @ MassArt (soon to become a household name to be sure), nearly fainted on the train the other day seeing the advertisements. Leigh muses on the event by stating "I amused myself the whole ride in... I didn't need my Ipod OR my girlie book, just Mark" (can we think of another art museum putting a lot of advertisements on the train that I am NOT going to talk about... if you want to know why I think that "American Art" is boring...shhh). But this is all besides the point... Let's go over these brief points of why he is awesome and you should check him out.. but i refuse to tell you more than a little because then you are just going to have to visit me and make the final decision on your own (or with my help).

Okay so number 1: Let's talk about Texture (baby let's talk about string and wa-ax)... this guy started off as a sign maker in his sister's hair salon and knows about noise and MATERIALS... in his paintings you do not find just paint... he is a collagist at heart and works with found objects, posters, wax and yes... String.

Number 2: As I was discussing with the head of the gallery education department (yeah we are likethis) I think a good piece of artwork has both the universal appeal, the personal aspect and the right execution... this guy definitely has that. He is not only inspird by maps (maps are becoming so badass that even I'm getting into them!) but also the urban landscape of LA and his own personal identity of the way he grew up. Combining all that with his art looking cool and we do have a winner!

Number 3: He actually uses paint... I just always feel like that's a plus when a modern artist doesn't feel the need to do something different but does something unique in a world where people are convinced to doodle on whales and commit all sorts of ridiculous things I think it's awesome and pretty brave that a guy like this is willing to do something awesome and actually get recognized.

Okay so if I haven't won you over yet come and I'll talk you into it by showing his works in person.. I believe the show opens on Friday!

and... I'm back! Brian Jungen- I wish I met you in Form Study

Brian Jungen: Prototypes for New Understanding

I would like to apologize to my readers for my temporary hiatus (so many devoted fans.. I know!). As promised I'm talking about Brian Jungen today! Before that, I hate it to dwell on this as I'm sure any other ridiculous art blog these days but I just have to talk about Bravo's new train wreck of a reality show "Work of Art". Artists get an awful rap already and this is just making me cringe. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically trying to be like Project Runway but for artists... but promising these people a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum (who I have lost all respect for in agreeing to giving these hooligans a solo show). WOW what artist doesn't want that? Unfortunately the creator of this TV show is Sarah Jessica Parker and you'd think it would be like "Sex and the Paintbrush" or "Sex On the Easel Near the Paintbrush Competition" or some other ridiculous spin off. Sarah Jessica Parker was picked because she "appreciates art". I'd really like to see an Art History degree or an MFA on the show. One of the "artists" on it reminds me of my friend who takes pictures of herself for her myspace profile. Basically her idea of great art is taking scandal

is taking pictures of herself in the bathroom. This woman for the record is also Jeff Koons studio assistant. All I can make of it is that Jeff Koons must really appreciate a nice rack. To add to it the older artist on the show decided to do a book cover by spelling the title BACKWARDS.... is this art? Would any normal non artistically inclined person do this? I don't even believe a non artist would appreciate any of the work on this show. While sometimes I see some marginal talent on the show, the judges don't seem to appreciate it most of the time! This show definitely has the art scene in an uproar and hopefully next year they cast actual artists (one guy on it has no formal art experience and another supposedly went to art school but didn't know what "Piss Christ" was. I'm surprised he knows who Jeff Koons is). What does it take for us to be respected? I'd go out on a limb and say that almost none of the big names out there deserve any respect. They are all just rich people who make crap that sells for a lot of money! It's the almost well known ones you have to look for for talent (but seriously, what regular person knows that!) I hope making this blog will show some people what REAL art is and what it is NOT.

breathe!

Okay let's talk about Brian. Any art student that has struggled through their freshman sculpture requirement will wish they had this guy as a teacher.

We all know why I put up this whale. Instead of being a sacreligious paleantologist who decides to unearth a whale skeleton and doodle all over it Brian is an ARTIST who creates this work with his own hands (and possibly a few helpers). I urge you to check out more of his work because I am not adept at uploading pictures (nor do I have the attention span after attempting to write a flirtatious email). He is quite wonderful at making native american garb out of Nike shoes and sports Jersies. This guy can take just about anything and make it talk. His pieces are not only deeply complex and visually beautiful, but talk on so many different levels. You can look at it and think about it at the same time. His work is also very visually fluid and reads like a book that isn't necessarily ever going to end but with a rich dialougue that begs you to stare at the spaces made between the words. Not only is he talking about his heritage but he's talking about pop culture and he's talking about sweatshops. I mean what a guy right? Yet Orozco gets to be in the MOMA? Perhaps the curators will understand that these artists are the artists that should be popular right now. Give artists some respect again (errr for the first time?)! We really are a heavily stereotyped and discriminated population. A population that thinks about beauty and an obsession with making work and hard work for that matter more mentally challenging than a business proposition or opening a door with an octopus puppet in your hand.... (that's my livelihood). Anyways /Rant. Anyways I like doing this so I'm going to keep posting... hopefully more frequently once I have to stop all this planning!

the woe of an emerging artist

So the way see is it is probably the way that everyone else who has just graduated sees it.
Here am I armed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and now I ask myself the biggest question I have ever asked myself... or perhaps the only big question I have ever asked myself... WHAT NOW?
All day life seems to be revolving around finding gigs or finding employment or working for free because eventually it will benefit you (because you have nothing better to do anyways?). Is there a job I'm qualified for other than the Paper Source, who never called me back so maybe, oh just maybe woeful art majors... maybe we're not even qualified for that? Oh and then of course I want to apply to shows and be a legit artist... what a struggle!
Good jobs, bad jobs, in between jobs. Coffee jobs and paper jobs and teaching jobs and gallery jobs OH MY! Suddenly art is no longer a paintbrush but a cover letter. Your back up job at Building 19 is actually a hard job to get.

I know this is probably the time in my life where I whine about having been a painting major, but I suppose it's only been a few weeks. I still don't regret it, I just miss painting and it's hard to paint when you should be looking for a job, but if you're looking for a job you should be painting?

Dearest artists... we have it worst than regular people. I don't know about you guys but when it says "knowledge of Microsoft Office" all i can think to myself is that I never could make those little cells look right in Microsoft Excel!

Let's toast to someday..... somehow... making our little cells look okay in Microsoft Office and finding a decent job so that when we are done with the Excel worksheet we can back home to our paintbrushes and become famous! You have a fan in me.

In other news I found the most amazing artist today! Brian Jungen- Who I will talk about next time... New hope for modern art!

I just needed to get this off my chest of course

Clown Art and Disco Sushi Gallery: Don't be fooled! Let's pretend we're a gallery but we're really mentally incompetent!

So I suppose art student life goes like this: Art Student gets into art school (yay), Goes to art school and paints a shit ton of paintings (or paints a ton of shit, whichever way you look at it). Said student (myself) graduates from said art school (yay!) and realizes they are pretty much only qualified to work at pizza hut (and I was really hoping to look good in that bikini by the end of the summer). So in the midst of deep post graduation depression one starts looking around at all the wonderful shows they can get into. Pretending in my mind that I was a hip NYC artist and wondering what my fellow imaginary (or real) NYC art friends were up to I decided to peruse CL while going on my typical hunt for jobs, cheap art supplies and mannequin bodies. So much to my initial surprise and glee they had a lot of ads up for shows, something you don't find too much in Boston so I figured that it seemed like a quick easy thing to try. So I applied to one show saying they did "pop up gallery" shows, which I read as "oh we go off and find really cool spaces to hang shows" , and they called themselves the "intermix" gallery. They are mixing taking your money, making your art look like crap so they can say they have hip "art" on the walls. I got accepted to this show and I thought to myself awesome how easy... but then I kept reading... and THEN I looked at pictures. This was a one night event "registration" cost 100$. For one night? What am I paying for again? Oh I get free cover! For a hundred dollars! My guest list is free too you say? So basically it's a deal if you want to 10 people to this thing but want to get in for cheap, but of course this is also a way to get 10 extra people into the club... and of course these 1o people will be getting drunk too. Seems like win win for them and lose lose for the artist. I googled the intermix gallery and couldn't even find anything, but just like the email said, Ashton Kutcher hangs out here... is my art paying for his VIP room. I'll have my blogging public know that I don't even like Ashton Kutcher. He's almost as obnoxious as this place is!

I don't know how I can even react to the pictures except that it looks garish at best. I mean bright yellow walls, I feel like someone is going to knock over somebody's artwork and the art looks like crap! Of course they want you to do this show! I saw in later posts that they were looking for "art and fashion" themed things... but they didn't say that in the post I responded to. So basically most of the time they are just too lazy to even tell you what they are ideally looking for because they want to make sure to get the most number of dumb artists they can rip off. NO one is going to buy from this "gallery".

And then we come to my next unfortunate email courting another "gallery". This place said that it was a "sushi bar", "gallery" and "lounge" and when a place says "gallery" I really like to think a great big white room with lots of wall space. Nope... I was wrong. Obviously I am mostly to blame you send someone a link to your work on CL and you can't expect any miracles, but I'm a common emerging artist letting my adoring public now that I may be a moron but these people are insane. Anyways, in my lovely email correspondance with "Mike A" from "Avenue A Art Gallery" he asks me simply "Will You be in NYC". Well dumbass I don't think I would have replied to the post if I had no intention of going to New York, he didn't tell me when, how many times or for how long. I must be psychic! I told him I could make it down there, to which he replies "OK your in 1 piece". Does anyone not his improper grammar usage as well? Of course now I get a link telling me what's going on! They don't charge anything and they don't take any part of your sales, which is nice, and I was thinking that it might be worth going down to NYC a few times this week if I could potentially sell a piece. Of course funny thing happened when I tried to google "Avenue A art gallery" nothing came up! WHY? because it's a sushi bar! He's having a "show" but hasn't given any consideration to what ar t is actually going to be there and plans on lighting my masterpiece with a disco ball. From what I could find from the sushi bar is that it used to be a nice joint (Maybe the art shows weren't shady, but they probably still were!). On yelp they talk about how the place has "a lot of random art on the walls, and you can buy it". Hmm sounds like the Boloco I went to the other day had art on the walls... and I could buy it... and it wasn't illuminated by a disco ball but they don't call themselves a "gallery". Well "Mike A" and his creepy illustrations that he so graciously linked me to, you can cross my name off of your "show" and I can save the 60 dollars worth of bus tickets I'd have to buy to participate in showing my art under disco light and coming home smelling of raw fish and NYU students vomit from too much cheap sake, I'll save that money and I'll put that towards a juried show like my Senior Seminar teacher told me to.

Disco Art Sushi Carnival!

Now I want to vomit... but we'll leave that to the NYU kids for the artists who are dumb enough to show in these shady establishments!

epic disappointment

figures for thought....

and then....


Dearest bloggers,

there are not many of you so suffice it to say I am not really that sorry that I didn't make it to any of the places I said I'd make it to and didn't. Life is insane and between my birthday, everyone else's birthday and graduating of course I am biting off more than I can chew! I have come back today to talk about a matter of proportion.. how do you feel about it? Personally I feel like figure drawing is a challenging math problem that you just want to get right. Sometimes I don't really care enough to get the proportions right because I'd rather show my style. I'd argue that none of them are succesful as finished figure drawings because personaly i find the selective nature of many figure drawings what makes them so compelling. however I find the styles of some of them very interesting. So I guess here starts the epic debate how important is proportion? Must you have an epic handle on the proportions of the body to make a beautiful human form? I keep getting arguments from both parties, and if you know what you want go for it! I think the best one I've heard so far goes like this... "Your drawing is the only way to communicate your style effectively". That said if you don't draw well no one will appreciate your style. If your composition sucks no one will appreciate either. Just for the record. I would also like to state for the record that part of the last figure is cut off, which is atrociously cropped to make it look like i cut off part of the breast.

does anyone have any arguments regarding the issue of proportion?

can we christen this blog?

Open Studio roundup

Dearest bloggers I have not forgotten you! Graduation, art and birthday shenanigans have been keeping me busy! I've been checking out open studios the past few weekends. Once I reconvene with my collection of postcards and art genius I'll post more specifics.... Being an art scenester I found a few things worth mentioning sooner than later though:
Lesley kids stuck to what they are good at and not trying to do the whole painting gig, but instead making a huge ass collaboration piece. For the record, Me, Reva Loudermilk, Steve Fraone (the great strong man arm candy of Ms Loudermilk), and Leigh Champagne contributed to the work, which will make it of incredible value one day (shame they are cutting it up to give to everyone). Must say that my small clique of talented artist types really enjoyed the mindless and therapeutic application of painting without purpose (isn't that what I do anyways? This is where I can piss off not only the art critic but also the collector and the fellow artist, whoops).
Most of the art I came accross (admittedly not much, once I attended my famed professor's shindig we found the big ass collaboration piece and refused to be pulled away from neon paint and a brush) was a disappointing turnout of weekend painters making predictable abstract and mastering sucking the soul out of the still life. However, my esteemed professor Kofi Kayiga participated, and if you made it to his home in the most desolate region of the open studio...he was probably on the phone with one of his colleagues and you may have ran away promptly. If you were so kind to digest in some good art while without being bothered while he was otherwise occupied you were in for some kind of treat. His complex abstractions are practically vibrating with feel- good vibes and abundant energy. With the way Kayiga moves the paintbrush you don't wonder why he has to be laid back in the classroom sometimes! Listening to the marketing guru- his wife, he created some of these awesome crazy painter abstract scarves. As a fellow crazy painter, I totally want a giant Kayiga Scrawled over my neck (with the way he signs his scarves and paintings I'm speaking quite literally! haha). He recounted the tale with us of how managed to go to a party and sell a grand worth of these beautiful hand made scarves in one sittings! Dearest Kayiga- we don't wonder why!

Next on the list I hung out at the Somerville Open Studios this weekend. Me and my art appreciating fellow tragic female groupie absolutely fell in love with the Mix it Print Studio. From Mathmetician turned artist to Egon Schiele and Victoria Secret mixed into a woodcut the Mix it Studio was like Disneyland for my eyes. The upstairs was just as lovely featuring some great watecolors and oils that I'll talk about next week when I redeem the postcards I hoarded and then forgot to grab back from my friend later (of course).
Another site worth mentioning is Outside the Lines Studio, just opened a retail store in Union Square. Jean Debuffet would have creamed his pants if he saw the awesomeness created by this art brut crowd. Perhaps I am biased because I'm a Saturday Studio volunteer, but this is raw art mecca. Originally opened as an alternative program for adults with developmental disabilities, this shindig tried countless ways to get these folks some meaning and happiness in their lives and guess what? Art did the trick! The real studio in Medford is giant car garage turned art camp. One look and instead of disabled, you long to say thisis no disability- this is some kind of gift. These people mean business, kid art without predictability, fine art without the fine or the pretentious pricetag to go with it. Art for the sake of art. Artist's get an 80% comission on work sold- these folks can make a living on their art! Saturday these folks are installing some large scale sculpture from the workshop in a Medford elementary school teacher's lounge. If we take pictures I'll post them, it's going to look tasty!

This weekend's itinerary also includes:
SOWA art walk- visiting Andy Woodward again, The crowned prince of 50 State Animals. Finally, a reason for the artist to learn some random facts!
BU Graphic Design Senior Show- Where my long lost love, Doria Nathanson is showcasing some of her work in hopes maybe she'll be able to laugh from her penthouse while I continue to cringe at the sight of a computer design program.
My Birthday Party- If scandal ensues and we all end up breaking open the edible body paint maybe we'll talk about it in the blog next week (just kidding!)
If you are unable to attend my birthday party but are looking for something art related to do other after SOWA 80 Border Ave in Boston- The Atlantic Works Gallery is having an opening- The Misplaced Bride... I urge you to check it out if you are feeling taking artsy to the next level after SOWA

The Whitney and couch art rebellion

Piotr Uklanski- The Year we made contact -2010

Ever meet a painting that makes your knees weak? If so, prepare to stumble into the Whitney.

After the slightly traumatic experience of yogurt lids and a beached whale of a museum I felt a little bit teased, used and disappointed (by the museum and my date ironically). Luckily I was in New York city and instead of chocolate I had really good... mind boggling...wait for it....ART!

I remember telling my MOMA buddy that I was expecting something else, to which he replies "this is modern art, I don't know why you expected anything different". When I make it to the Whitney somehow I can describe exactly what I was looking for. I'm looking for the rich variations in Rauschenberg and the ethereal staining of Rothko next to that most perfect line of Newman as soon as I open the elevator to the top floor (the Whitney was mostly closed because the biennial wasn't up yet the first time i graced the doors) there they are. That was quite an experience. Walking around made my pulse quicken and I didn't know whether I wanted to sit and stare at one painting forever or meander into every corner so I don't miss a single surprise! Like any good first date the Whitney teased me with so little open but made me desperate and anxious to meet with them yet again.

Oh and I was rewarded. The name even sends chills down my spine. This piece makes me want to throw everything out of my living room and create a shrine for it. This is art that is so good even if you COULD fit your sofa and that painting in it you would throw out the sofa before you ever thought about touching this piece. This is one of the pieces that makes you want to wander in with your sketchbook, get lost in it for hours on end and walk out in a dreary haze from trying to memorize every single passage in this piece. Not only is it tactile, but sensual, the hemp hangs like dripping paint. All at once it is organic, romantic and rich with vivid passages and lavish detail. The Year We Made Contact longs me to ask the Whitney if they accept MasterCard, Amex or would consider letting me taking out a private loan so I could have this piece all to myself.

While I decided to talk about my favorite piece at the Whitney, I urge you to pick your own because unlike the dating scene, this place keeps you A) coming back for more B) There are definitely a lot of sexy pieces, with the honesty, integrity and passion that will not leave you disappointed.

In other news today I hit up Blick Spin The Wheel Wednesdays. There's just something about spinning a wheel and getting something art related as a prize that makes it totally worth heading down there. Also I am hitting up Open Studios in Cambridge on Sunday to see my professor and favorite crazy Jamaican Man/ artistic guru Kofi Kayiga's work. His work is fantabulous! I'll talk about that next week!

how could i forget....

THE YOGURT.... The jury MAY be out on the whale, but am I really wasting my time to look at some clear Dannon yogurt tops on the wall? Some with the price tag for "variation".

Mr Orozco, what do I even SAY to modern artist's anymore?
Tune in next time when my face lights up and I remind myself of the visual feast that was the Whitney Biennial <3

Orozco @ the Moma

A few months ago I decided to check out the MOMA in NYC. I was completely convinced it would be the Mecca of all I consider to be amazing art. When I left I was just glad it was Target Free Fridays. Now before everyone goes screaming at me telling me I have no appreciation for modern art I must say that that is simply NOT the case. I understand that art is not necessarily a painting (even though I am partial to think that it is), and maybe I am partial to seeing an artist's hand in the work (think rauschenberg, Hesse, De Kooning). There is something about a stiff suit hanging on a wall that just refuses to grab my attention.
So when I saw that Gabriel Orozco retrospective at the MOMA i got a reaction other than exasperated sigh. The whale, oh the whale. The inscription wrote that when he saw the space he immediately thought of a giant whale skeleton (I mean doesn't everyone?). Any artist can relate to that. It felt like Damien Hirst, but instead of preserving, digging up the remains and then drawing all over it. I feel bad for all these animals who are being dug up and doodled all over to be called "art". I feel like if I saw this around the same time I started looking at Damien Hirst I would have dug it. I mean the scale is incredible and being able to look at a whale skeleton from all these angles at different places in the museum is pretty sweet. The shadows are also great and it's a nice use of space. However all I can take from it is another conceptual modernist with a lot of money to throw around trying to wow us with his "bling" art.

Recently I was looking in Art News and there the whale rears it's head at me again and as I read I see an article on this piece and Orozco says "I want to disappoint the expectations of someone who wants to be amazed" . That hit a chord with me because I feel like that's exactly what he did. I feel like it's amazing in a sense, but I also am completely disappointed at the same time.
I can't decide and this whale has been following me around for two months now. When I hear Orozco talk about though, it almost does make sense. However, rich guys playing with money stopped being cool when Damien Hirst made the skull with diamonds on it and then invested in his own piece of work. This guy sounds like he was a lot cooler in 1993.

I hope you got my good side?

Bridge: Oil on canvas, 45x35

This is the beginning of my current body of work. It was definitely the product of everything I had been thinking about. I find it funny when you take a break for awhile you start creating much better work than the kind that you began with. Reflection can be important in my process. Sometimes I find myself super stressed out because instead of general to specific I flourish much more on chaos, and then sorting everything out. Surprisingly I didn't have that same kind of battle with this one. It was like a painting on the tip of my tongue and i merely had to pick up a paintbrush and the image made itself. Got to love when that happens, however rare. I generally start with a mark and then see where it takes me, I make an abstract form from that, think of what I'm thinking about and then put it there. Sometimes it can become quite the debaucle.
I would also like to state for the record that I'm one of those person who likes staring at trees for long periods of time, because I don't think there is anything cooler than a tree for the most part, so sometimes there's an awful lot of trees and tree based elements in my work!

More to come! I highly suggest reading my artist statement if you're not familiar with my work. It took me forever to upload it correctly and it's pretty badass in my own imagination. I'll also confess that sometimes it's not about landscapes and memories and all that artistic bullshit that art school forces us to think about, battle with and come to terms with. Sometimes I'll just put something on canvas and think it looks pretty and I think I'll use this blog as a podium for confession when I just like how something looks. Dear bloggers, If I confess to you you CANNOT tell all the really snobby art critics that will obviously someday be judging me on the quality of my artistic integrity.