October 2008 Archive

Phillies Parade today–Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell…and Percheron horses!

We did a studio visit with Bruce Wilhelm today in South Philly and afterwards we headed to Broad St. where, after about an hour and a half, we got to see the team! Yeah, team! We’ve never seen so much red!

Reviewing American Art History: Aaron Douglas and Salvatore Meo

Aaron Douglas Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting (1934) oil on canvas, Schomberg Center for Research in Black CultureAaron Douglas; African American Modernist at the Schomberg Center, NYCAaron Douglas was the major painter of the Harlem Renaissance, yet most people who recognize his name probably only know his work in reproduction. Douglas’ first traveling retrospective, representing all of his mural projects as well as easel paintings and illustrations, is making its final stop at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New York Public Library branch at 135th St. through Nov. 30, 2008 (the ... More » »

Global Warming heats up the Ice Box

Ben Pinder, detail, Return to Symzonia The Ice Box at the Crane Art Center has warmed up since its days as a giant food freezer. Now it’s the venue for something warmer yet–a show about the planet’s impending meltdown. I suppose to Sarah Palin that’s still a gray area, but appropriately enough, the show also spills into the Gray Area next to the Ice Box! Enough with the word games! That the show, Global Warming, even happened is surely a sign that maybe we can work our way out of the disaster. Ben Pinder, detail, Return to Symzonia, real estate ... More » »

Interior beast–Kate Javens at Schmidt/Dean

Installation detail of Kate Javens’ exhibit, Father Ram and Green Darner at SchmidtDean Gallery. The large Father Ram on the right is 66 x 106 inches, oil on linen. In paintings of powerful, ruminating rams, artist Kate Javens creates portraits of humans. Javens has long been a painter of man as beast and beast as man, and in her wonderful 11-painting exhibit, Father Ram and Green Darner, at SchmidtDean Gallery, she takes this work in a new direction. The identity between humans and the rams is clear, even if Javens hadn’t inserted a portrait of her father as a young ... More » »

Ridiculous and sublime, have it all — David Graham and Paul Cava at Gallery 339

David GrahamGoodyear, Arizona, 2006photographic c-print, ed. 2520×24″30×40″ David Graham‘s Almost Paradise at Gallery 339 shows the Philadelphia photographer’s recent road trips all over the US. Almost Hell is more like it. Touching down everywhere from the post-Katrina south of New Orleans and Gulfport to places like Goodyear, Az, Omaha, NE, and Studio City CA, Graham trains his camera on the odd surreal moment and, especially, the odd bit of American advertising signage.  Graham’s deadpanning camera serves up the real world as one piece of Almost Fiction after another. It’s not really Ripley’s Believe it Or Not but sometimes it’s not too far ... More » »

Interior spaces–Moe Brooker at Sande Webster

Moe Brooker, For Trane & Parker, 72 x 60 inches, oil on canvas If you haven’t yet caught the Moe Brooker exhibit at Sande Webster, there’s still time–until Nov. 4. The chairman of the city’s Art Commission is no bureaucrat or pol. And judging by the red dots on the price list, he’s surely a collector’s artist. In this time of financial unrest, his work is selling like hotcakes. When I was there, six red dots and one green one bulleted the price list of 22 works, several of the sold ones with $18,000 price tags. Brooker’s color explosions of ... More » »

Shop! Vote! Play the Slots!

Photo by Isaac Brekken for The New York TimesA store in Las Vegas offers groceries, slot machines and voting terminals side by side. Early voting has proved popular in Nevada. Crazy picture! Wonderful idea!! Voting in a grocery store–Go, Nevada! Early voting–two thumbs up. Thanks to the NY Times for the great picture and story about early voting. More photos on the Times website. We got through the Phillies (see Zoe Strauss’s great photos of the fans celebrating at her flickr site). And we’ll get through the election. Only 5 more days til Nov. 4! Hang in there everybody.

Celebrate!

Ballseye, by Ron Klein–baseballs in art!!! See more of Klein’s work at his Howard Scott Gallery webpage. “With a 4-3 victory over the Rays in Game 5 on Wednesday, the Phils clinched their first Fall Classic title since 1980. Cole Hamels was named World Series MVP.” “Champs at Last!” “For Phillies and City, Title is Worth the Wait”

Weekly Update – Social commentary at Fleisher Challenge 1

This week’s Weekly has my review of Wind Fleisher Challenge 1 at Fleisher Art Memorial. Below is the copy with some pictures. More photos at flickr. And see our interview with Tim Belknap here. Tim Belknap’s hand-built ice cream truck with its pineapple greenhouse on wheels at the Fleisher Challenge. With the exception of shopping mall artist Thomas Kinkade, most contemporary artists have a complicated relationship with beauty. The artists of the first Wind Fleisher Challenge are no exception: None of their works could be considered beautiful by traditional standards. Solar panel on top of ice cream truck. The artist ... More » »

Bark and booze–Olaf Breuning’s lush puppy

Olaf Breuning, Champagne Dog. The kits are hand-signed and numbered. Feathered mats, brass, champagne bottles, gold embossed wood box. 16 3/4 x 16 3/4 inches photograph and graphic drawing, Archival pigment on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 100% cotton rag paper. Box – 18 x 18 x 3 1/8 inches / Assembled size variable. Champagne bottles not included. I know the crew at Cerealart didn’t know my daughter just got married at the Independence Seaport Museum on Saturday. But they announced this new, artist’s multiple last week that appropriately enough requires drinking multiple bottles of champagne! So I’m sending a toast their ... More » »