Ravenna Taylor's Work Online @ Galerie Cerulean

By Other Means, 2005, 70x77 inches, mixed media collage- ©Ravenna Taylor

Please take a second to view my friend Ravenna's incredible collages at the online space: Galerie Cerulean.

Ravenna is doing some very elegant and complex work that deserves a look!

Get Ready For Some Smooth Sounds!

I just traded in my bass guitar for an Alto Sax!

"Can you play the sax?" you may well ask.

No, but I'm confident I'll master it soon.

Besides it's much cooler for an artist to play the saxaphone---Think Larry Rivers!

Studio Shots: 03-12-08

Chelsea Billboard

Freud's Etchings @ MOMA, Juan Usle @ Cheim & Read, and Missing Cai Guo-Qiang @ the Guggenheim

Lucian Freud, Ill in Paris, 1948

Lucian Freud, Girl with Leaves, 1948

Lucian Freud, Double Portrait, 1985-86

Juan Usle, Cada Vez Mas Cerca, 2006-07

Juan Usle, Sin Desenlace, 2007

Juan Usle, Books and Dreams, 2007

Yesterday Robin took the day off and we went into Manhattan to see some art.

First we took a long cab ride from Penn Station to the Guggenheim only to find out that it is closed on Thursdays! This was disappointing because I really wanted to see the Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe* exhibition. I'm going to have to go back this coming week while Robin is in Phoenix.

Next we shared a $10 sandwich at the Guggenheim cafe (which was open) before heading over to MOMA to see the Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings show.

This was an incredible show! I'm not sure that an image printed in a book has ever done the original work as much a disservice as is done to Freud's work.

The images were so subtle and strong that it's sometimes hard to believe they were done by human hand. There were a good number of paintings represented as well to illustrate the relationship between the two mediums. And a few of the actual plates were exhibited alongside the final prints. Some of the work that stood out to me were Ill in Paris, 1948 (I was also able to see this one at the I.M.M.A), Benefits Supervisor Resting, 1994, the triptych of etchings: Head, Torso, and Thighs, 2001, Pluto Aged Twelve, 2000, and Double Portrait, 1985-86.

Freud is a hard act to follow but I really wanted to see The Juan Usle show Brezales at Cheim and Read so we hopped in a cab and went to Chelsea.

Usle is a painter from Spain who has lived in New York since the late 1980's. He is often grouped with artists like Raoul de Keyser, Thomas Nozkowski, and Bill Jensen because of his refusal to settle into a confining style and because their is influenced by their life and surroundings as well as their openness to subjectivity.

Usle's show consisted of mostly small easel size paintings---beautifully layered and colorful patterns with small, deft and unexpected, intensely hued touches.

I've wanted to see some of his paintings in person since I missed a big show of large work at the I.M.M.A in Dublin by one day!

Standouts here were, Cada Vez Mas Cerca, 2006-07, Sin Desenlace, 2007, Rebanadas de Cielo, 2007, and La Camara Oculta, 2007.

After this all we could do was go to a diner and have some great rice pudding before heading back to a bar near Penn Station ---had a couple of beers-and Robin had her Jameson neat---and waited for rush hour to end before taking the train back home.

*Cai Guo-Qiang Review in the New York Times

Artist's Studios

Picasso

Matisse

Freud

De Kooning

Brancusi

Ayres

Studio Views: 2/27/08

Computer Generated Statement

Here's an example of what I was referring to in the last post...The Mark-O-Matic 1.0 (fine arts version)

Statement generated courtesy of playdamage.org...

Paul Behnke's work investigates the nuances of modulations through the use of jumpcut motion and close-ups which emphasize the Generative nature of digital media. Behnke explores abstract and convoluted scenery as motifs to describe the idea of infinite artifice. Using brisk loops, non-linear narratives, and allegorical images as patterns, Behnke creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of art...

As promised the website does indeed, crank out the crap! Which could be good if you're thinking of applying to grad school.

Memphis Artist: J Â H N G Å R L A N Ð

Preface: an Existential Play 2007, © Jahn Garland

Check out this Memphis artist's website.

If you can get past the incomprehensible artist's statement (it seems to have been written by one of those websites that generates a statement complete w/Artforum style mumbo-jumbo) you'll see that the work is ambitious.

J Â H N G Å R L A N Ð

Lunar Eclipse and Snow Day!!!

Lunar Eclipse, 2/21/08

We had to walk a long way in the snow to find this bar. But, it has the best burgers since Old Zinnie's!

Here are some pictures from our first real snow of the season. We got about 4-5".

Robin worked from home and took a break to play with Joe! I got a lot of gessoing done in the studio...

New Painting: Astir Already

Astir Already, 2008 , latex and acrylic on canvas, 42x42 inches.©

Eureka Springs, AR

Robin, Himself, my Dad, my sister Erin and her daughter Caroline at my Mom's house.

Jason Playing at the New Deli Cafe in Eureka.

Rob in my Mom and Dad's yard, Eureka Springs, AR

This past week we took a trip down to Eureka Springs to visit family and to hear my brother Jason and his friend Emil Friis play a show.

We also got to see B.B. King at the auditorium there.

It has been about two years since I'd seen my family.

My dad and sister, Erin and my niece Caroline met us at my parent's house. I also got to see my sister Debbie, Jason and Erin and got to meet Emil and his girlfriend, Julie.

We had a really fantastic time even if our luggage got lost! Lot's of catching up, great food, a little bowling and two great music shows!

I wish I could do it again next weekend.

Joyce Pensato @ Friedrich Petzel Gallery

© image form joycepensato.com

This video tour of Joyce Pensato show is courtesy of James Kalm. You can see more of his video tours of art shows in and around Manhattan on YouTube. He's really a great resource if you can't see the show in person.

Joyce Pensato at Friedrich Petzel

Joyce Pensato website

New Tattoos

Nothing going on here at the moment so I got a couple of new tattoos on Monday.

Rough Day for Joe

Joe was worn out and sore today after his visit to the Vet's office.

He had to get his shots for the year---and was happy to find out that the rabies shot is given every three years up here.

He also had an i.d. micro-chip implanted, so he's all squared away!

New Painting

After-While, 2007, 42x42 inches, acrylic on canvas

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great holiday this year. It was our first Thanksgiving in NJ and Robin's Dad and step-mom, Dee came up from Port Charlotte, FL.

Our friend Emily, from Memphis, also flew up!

On Thanksgiving day we took a 6 mile walk along the canal then headed home for a great dinner prepared by Robin.

Afterwards we sat around an outdoor fire and drank hot apple cider and Jameson. (Bob quickly tired of the cider part and stuck to just Jameson!)

On Friday Emily and I went into NYC and saw Su-en Wong's new show of drawings at Danese in Chelsea before heading over to MOMA for the Martin Puryear retrospective and the Seurat drawing show.

We then had a good dinner at Indian Taj in the East Village before catching a cab back to Penn Station.

Everyone had to go back home too soon for our taste but we'll get down to Port Charlotte again soon and we'll, hopefully, be in Memphis for Easter.

My Incredible Wife!

13 mile mark (half way there)

Nearing the finish line!

Robin's official time.

Robin ran 26.2!!! Miles!!! yesterday in the Suntrust Marathon in Richmond, VA, and finished her first marathon with an official time of 6:29:44!

I'm so proud of her. She put a lot of sweat and pain into this and achieved her goal through plain hard work and discipline.

I'm married to an incredible woman!