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Bubble Dots

2013-05-16T19:38:00.000-04:00

Who knew bubble-wrap could look so luscious ?

Quite an attractive painting by Matteo Callegari: it draws you in because you're curious - "is that texture ?" When you look at the installation shots of his show at Ramiken Crucible, you really don't have a clue; but visit the artist's Website where the backgrounds are close-ups and you suddenly "get it". They are amazing.

Dot Sampler

2013-04-07T20:10:00.000-04:00

A while back when Gagosian was doing the Damien Hirst Dot Extravaganza, a Blog named All About Art decided to do a Sampler, of sorts. There's more than a few pleasant surprises here and once again we're reminded of how so many different artists have their own take on any given genre.

If this has whet your appetite for all things, dots, you'll get some real satisfaction from checking out the artists in the far right column under the headings of - Paintings With Dots, Post Modern Pointillism, and Dottillism.

The image above is Joanne Mattera's "Cera 34", 2000 encaustic on panel, 24X24 inches; courtesy of Arden gallery via All About Art.

Man Of Few Words

2013-04-01T20:31:00.001-04:00

. . . or not.
Marcus may or may not be saying anything in his paintings - but he's not saying. By that I mean that he doesn't explain what the words say or do, other than to mention that his works incorporate "graffiti-esque" elements. Either way, I really like what's going on here and the way he treats language in his compositions.

The image is from Craighead Green Galley, but you'll find more images and more info at Markowicz Fine Art.

To The Bitter End

2013-03-24T19:47:00.000-04:00

I experienced a lot of different emotions while watching this video of Jean-Jacques Pigeon painting in his studio. It starts out interestingly enough with this artist working on a good sized canvas in a small studio space. But just when you think he's about finished with it, things take a dramatic turn and slowly I felt saddened by the waste of a good painting and paint. Thankfully I hung in there. The result is surprising. In the end the look on his face is worth the price of admission. And as for the painting - BRAVO !

You can come to your own conclusions.
Oh, and the music's really cool.

Dizzy Dots

2013-03-05T19:49:00.001-05:00

Michiko Itatani is yet another artist who uses dots to anchor their compositions. This simple rendition might bring a smile to your face, but study her other works and series and you start to get a sense of how seriously she takes these geometrical marks and how they play such an important role.

The above painting is from her Website, and in the Cosmic Theater Series.

Dot Your i's

2013-02-14T19:18:00.006-05:00

"Roman", 2013

What's different about this, my latest painting is that I formed the word Roman by putting blue masking tape on the under painting and then cutting to-shape with a razor blade. When the surrounding dots were finished I removed the blue tape to reveal the markings underneath. So far, the reactions have been favorable.

Pause or Finish

2013-01-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

Each artist tackles their paintings differently. Some have a master plan and work on sections at a time, others, like myself advance the piece in a general overall manner. And in doing so, there are "pause points' - times when one can sit back and thoroughly enjoy the visuals as they are and take one's time considering the next move.

At the moment, this particular painting with the working title of "run" is giving me great pleasure; so much so that I'm tempted to pronounce it "done". But there have been times in the past when I've been too anxious, and later regretted varnishing a work when further changes could have been made.

So I think I'll just take my time and enjoy this little number while it cures.

Martian Venus

2013-01-12T23:06:00.002-05:00

"Martian Venus"

Sometimes a little glare goes a long way.
In my rush to tweak this painting for a Show, I had it photographed before it was varnished. The lovely blue-glitter effect that you see is glare on the gloss medium from the extra lighting for the photo shoot. And I must say IMO, that it adds a lot to the painting.

Welcoming A New Year

2012-12-31T20:02:00.002-05:00

Wishing all of us a wonderful, Happy New Year !

Enjoy the peaceful fireworks in my painting titled "The Really Truth".

(click to enlarge)

Curing A Painting

2012-12-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

Something amazing happens to paintings over time; they actually seem to cure. At least it would seem that way and I'm not completely convinced that it's all mental. While sorting through the images of all my paintings, I came across this picture of "Dream Canon" (the painting above), done in Georgia in the late 80's. Newly created works are always more harshly critiqued by the artist. But let a good bit of time go by and the emotional connection with it changes and it becomes easier to see and appreciate it in a new way.

The original under-painting was some sort of landscape with collage that I had circled areas of particular interest and then turned on it's right side and proceeded to cover with dots. I put the effort into building and painting a frame for it and remember thoroughly enjoying what I had accomplished. But seeing it now in this new context - well, I'm rather amazed by my own style and content.

Cacophonous Collage

2012-12-26T18:45:00.002-05:00

Does this look like "yelling' to you? This sure is some loud painting and collage by Despina Stokou and it gets your attention. Yet another example of words being the sole subject matter in a contemporary composition.

Image from Elemeno P Blog.

Merry Christmas 2012

2012-12-24T21:52:00.001-05:00

The end of the year goes so quickly; so many things that need to be done. The title of this painting is "Donny Bonn Donny Johnny" and the look on his face closely portrays my current attitude of trying to stay focused in the final surge in the year.

Wishing each of you a wonderful Christmas.

Connecting The Dots

2012-11-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

Presenting us with thoughts, topics, names, etc and their connections is not new, but it's one more way that Paule Hammer gets his point across. Visit his page at the Galerie Jette Rudolph to see his word painting, paintings with words, installations and some just plain weird stuff too.

Image is from Galerie Jette Rudolph.

Beautiful Graffiti

2012-11-20T10:31:00.002-05:00

JonOne is another graffiti artist who's came in from the cold to work on canvas and exhibit in galleries. It's been a real pleasure to follow him; watching as his oeuvre matures. The current Show at Fabien Castanier Gallery is an example of just how beautiful graffiti can be. He still produces pieces with writing and writing gestures and the new abstracts are truly sweet.

This image is from Graffuturism, where you'll find more images of the A Beautiful Madness Exhibition.

Arrested Motion has an even more thorough visual coverage of the show.

Painting Math

2012-10-25T20:05:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, the name Bernar Venet brings to mind some fantastic sculpture (including a recent show at Versailles). So it was interesting to find out that he did these paintings of mathematical equations. This image is from LuxArtAsia where you'll find more images and an interview.

Visit his Website and you'll be well rewarded for snooping around.

Aboriginal Infinity Nets

2012-10-16T21:23:00.000-04:00

There's an interesting Post over at Hyperallergic about Aboriginal abstract art not being Modernistic. It's a very good read and might also help to expand your visual vocabulary. Visit Gallery Savah to see more Aboriginal Art and you'll also notice that a couple of the Pwerle girls use a technique similar to Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Nets. At any rate, isn't there such a thing as intellectual representation and wouldn't that void the thought that Modernist Art and Aboriginal Art are different ?

Image is from Gallery Savah.

Good Ride

2012-10-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

I've seen my share of "trick" skateboard videos and they're all nice enough, but this particular film really caught my eye. It's what you might call a "slow" burner. If you'll just relax for a minute (actually a bit over 5 minutes) and let this video take you, it won't be long till you're really appreciating this young man's skills. This has a very authentic feel to it.

Found this on Freunde von Freunden.

Scribbled Paintings

2012-10-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

James Hoff is not the first and certainly not the last artist to scribble "like a child", with oil paint on canvas. There's a grand tradition of "letting loose", all in the pursuit of abstraction. Whether you like or appreciate this genre or not, this is something that a lot of artists try their hand at on the journey towards their own personal style.

Image is from VI, VII.

New Painting Techniques

2012-09-20T20:42:00.001-04:00

This short Video of Shepard Fairey doing his thing, is a wonderful "how to" of an urban art process that is simple, complicated and really cool. From the early collage layer through the negative and positive stenciling, it's a pretty neat style that he's developed into a sophisticated look, all his own.

Homage To Writing

2012-09-16T13:13:00.001-04:00

Writing and Painting are both vehicles for expressing ourselves and telling stories. Or not! Friederike Feldmann makes a point of writing in a certain way so we'll never understand it. His paintings become a stage where we see calligraphy as a player and not as an informant. Our only choice is to see the designs that lettering makes in these works: to appreciate the gestures only. Most, are simple exclamations of nothing and yet we're drawn to them because they seem to have meaning.

The image is from his Website.

Dots Or Spots

2012-09-09T20:17:00.001-04:00

I suppose when a dot gets to be a certain size it's called a spot. Either way, they're great compositional tools. Roman Palau uses bold spots to anchor and accentuate the subject matter in his paintings to great effect.

This image is from his Website.

He's also represented by the Timothy Tew Gallery.

Painting Masterpiece

2012-09-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

For the longest time I thought I was the only one who knew about Yayoi Kusama. But in the last couple of years she seems to be everywhere. The Show at the Whitney was disappointing because it just didn't do her justice. But there's been enough shows in prestigious places that more than picked up the pieces. And they just keep coming.

This image is from D'Amelio Gallery where they're showing works from the 50's. Is this painting just too amazing or what ? I'm absolutely dumbfounded.! It's been wonderful to see more and more and more of her work. She's been prolific and if she's ever stumbled here or there, she's more than made up for it with gorgeous masterpieces like this one.

From Graffiti To Gallery

2012-08-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

If the only thing you know about graffiti is what you see scrawled on walls and trains, you need to hit the Internet and get introduced to this parallel universe in the art world. Many an urban artist has made the cross-over to the gallery and for many, that transition has matured their style and sharpened their skills. HENSE is a young writer from Atlanta and his story is an easy one. Visit his Website, click on Video and get to know him.

And you're sure to enjoy this interview (with studio pics) at PURGE.

This image is from KNOWN Gallery.

New Interpretations of Pointillism

2012-08-21T20:33:00.001-04:00

You'll notice two things, right off, about Mellissa Read-Devine's paintings. The brush strokes tend to be big and she's not a slave to the pointillism; painting whatever area needs to be painted in whatever way necessary. The results are refreshing and her views tend to be intimate, quiet and simple.

This image is from her Blog and you can also visit her Website.

Gettin' Jiggy

2012-08-16T20:58:00.001-04:00

There's no doubt that Karl Hyde pretty much lets loose when he paints using calligraphic gestures and graffiti stylings. Sometimes he uses normal supports, like this piece on watercolor paper, but he's been known to just grab pieces of cardboard or whatever else catches his fancy. As for mediums, he stretches things a bit and shows us the possibilities of unusual products and procedures.

This image (and more) is from an interview at abstract critical.

You'll see some interesting works on his page at Bernard Jacobson Gallery and installation shots from his Exhibition. (be sure to click on the e-catalogue at the top of the page)

You'll find a very interesting work at White Hot Magazine.

But the best overview of his oeuvre is his Flickr stream with 84 pics.