New Image Painters challenge Zombie Formalists
Galleries are trying to spread the news: dour Zombie Formalism is out; pop-inflected, often casualist, representational imagery is in. This summer Jesse Greenberg and MacGregor Harp of Brooklyn's 247365 organized "Don't Look Now" at Zach Feuer, a group show suggesting that a renewed interest in traditional genres–portrait, still life, landscape–is thriving within the painting community. Later this month a similar exhibition titled "New Image Painting" opens at Shane Campbell in Chicago.
Click for full story / links
SOURCE: Two Coats of Paint – Read entire story here.
Charles R. Wolfe: Looking Behind the Common Sense Elements of City Life
Last month, in Moustiers Sainte Marie, France, I watched several shopkeepers return a lost young bird to a part of town closer to its natural habitat. This small drama was a play of few acts, but reflected a pattern of human conduct embedded in urban life.
Read more: Photography, Island Press, Downtown, Placemaking, Juxtaposition, Everyday-Urbanism, Urban Policy, Urban Planning, Architecture, Tactical Urbanism, Community, Real Estate, urban_progress, Urbanism, World News, Culture, France, Seattle, Travel News, Starbucks, Urbanism Without Effort, Sustainability, Livable Cities, Moustiers Sainte Marie, Grasse, Cities, Downtown Seattle Association, Arts News
SOURCE: Architecture on Huffington Post – Read entire story here.
Brewer Witches plan race with zombies to benefit youth theater group trip to … – Bangor Daily News
Bangor Daily News |
Brewer Witches plan race with zombies to benefit youth theater group trip to …
Bangor Daily News Brewer High School youth theatre actors Cassie Roberts, left, a sophomore this fall, Reed Davis, a junior, and Sarah Maxsimic, a sophomore, pretend to be zombies to advertise for the Witches and Zombie 5K run Sept. 6 to raise money to 19 youth actors … |
SOURCE: theater – Google News – Read entire story here.
Open thread: Reissues – what do you want from yours?
Portishead have stuck to their word and will release Dummy without the frills that come with an expensive deluxe edition. But is it what the fans want?
SOURCE: Music | The Guardian – Read entire story here.
Success Has Issues, and I’ve Listed 5 of Them!
Note: This is a guest post by Dreama.
Oh you’ll lose. Cash, respect, credibility and perhaps even your sanity – because success isn’t easy, nor is it meant to be.
Sure there are stories about how luck drastically changed a person’s life, that striking it rich, or famous was the result of a conversation that happened to fall on the right ears.
Of course these stories are never spoken from people we actually know, because seldom do they ring true. Often, such stories are formed from carefully crafted ideas channelled through media machines to keep aspiring artists frothing at the mouth.
Truth is, any successful book, article or conference boasting some “sure-fire” path to greatness, has a very real story of how hard work is the only real secret.
Thinking of some of today’s creative geniuses has taught me some worthwhile things about success – here are some of them:
Success relies on passion to survive
Success thrives on passion and without passion there is nothing.
Face it, no-one needs or wants your great skill until you prove to them they can’t live without it. Remember using candles and burners to lights a room? Of course not!
Electricity is essential to everyday yet so many countries in the developing world get on just fine without it. To you, it is an absolute necessity because it’s all you know.
Did you know?: Thomas Edison (the bloke who invented the bulb) made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing said bulb before he got it right? That’s 1,000 wrong attempts before the jackpot!
Success is absolutely terrible with money
If you want to be buddies with success you had better get used to being broke.
Money will be spent on things like, buying things for passion, losing things because of passion, being tricked by passion into investing in bad ideas, and many other passion-based expenses.
And remember, there is no way around this because success needs passion (see first point).
Did you know?: Walt Disney (the movie and media legend) was once fired from a job at a newspaper because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas” after which he bankrupt himself with several failed businesses… I bet that newspaper have since changed their tune huh?
Success is a members-only club, with harsh prejudices
Want acceptance? Fancy yourself as the “in-crowd”? Well success doesn’t let people in all that easy.
You’ll be judged and probably told you suck. You might even be encouraged to give up after being ignored by your peers, people you admire or even your loved ones. See, success likes to watch you suffer, kind of like an initiation – then, and only then, once you have gone on to show just how wrong everyone is about your undeniable genius, will success gain a little respect for you.
Did you know?: Oscar winning actor Sidney Poitier was told after his first audition that he should “stop wasting people’s time and […] become a dishwasher or something” – I bet he has his own dishwashers doing the chores for him now!
Success is shy, you need to make the first move
Let’s be clear. You won’t wake up one morning with a sweet note on your pillow about all the things success will bring you if you just wait around. Even if some Samaritan with good (if not slightly bizarre) intentions does happen to leave you a lovely note saying exactly that, it still won’t get you want you want.
Success requires you to introduce yourself first. To be determined and sure that it’s what you want. You won’t always know your calling right away and you can’t rely on someone to tell you what it is you’ll go on to do. You need to pursue your craft wholeheartedly before you see any gains…
Did you know?: Mastermind author J.K. Rowling (the lady behind the Harry Potter franchise) was once depressed, struggling financially and coping as a single parent whilst attending school and composing a novel. She had no clue as to the future success of her works, but kept on at it – the rest is
Hagridhistory.
Success will taunt you, often
Success will tease you into thinking you’ve got a hold of it and then will disappear into the distance. Sure, you’ll get a little taster of it, kind of like food tasters being handed out beside the main cart to lure you in. Well success is like walking up to that cart to buy something and then seeing it vanish into thin air!
Perhaps this is a way of teaching you it’s value. You know how worthwhile your hard work was to get that little sample of greatness, and you have to keep working as hard to keep the samples coming.
Eventually, you’ll have built up enough brownie points through effort, for success to let up and stop with the taunting, but it won’t happen overnight.
Did you know?: Philanthropic legend and billionaire Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a television reporter and once deemed “unfit for TV” – Not sure what individual made that decision, but I’m pretty sure they were wrong…awkward.
Dr. Laurence J. Peter once said: “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” I think he was right. – I guess success wants us to know what we want, and what it takes to get it…
SOURCE: Right Brain Rockstar – Read entire story here.
Announcing TAA July Featured Artists
Video with Michelle, Belinda, and our curator, Jolyn.
View the Artists’ work below
Thanks to all of the artists who submitted for this round of featured artists here at TAA, and congratulations to Michelle and Belinda. I’m happy for the chance to get to know them a little bit better.
Be sure to join us on July 8 for a live artist talk and Q&A. You can catch it at TheAbundantArtist.com/Hangouts
Michelle Leivan
You can find out more about Michelle at MichelleLeivan.com
Belinda Fireman
Find out more about Belinda at BelindaFireman.Wordpress.com
AND of course you can learn more about Jolyn, our fabulous curator at 31at31.com
The post Announcing TAA July Featured Artists appeared first on The Abundant Artist.
SOURCE: The Abundant Artist – Read entire story here.
Update: Jonas Lund and Flip City
UPDATE: Steve Turner Gallery responds–> https://www.twocoatsofpaint.com/2014/08/steve-turner-gallery-responds-to-post.html
Remember "Flip City," Jonas Lund's June solo exhibition at Steve Turner in LA that featured a series of process-based abstract paintings created as flip bait for speculator-collectors?
[Image at top: Flip City 18, 2014, digital painting on canvas, gel medium and GPS tracker, 50 x 40 inches.]
Click for full story / links
SOURCE: Two Coats of Paint – Read entire story here.
The Chamber of Curiosity: Apartment Design and the New Elegance
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The Chamber of Curiosity by Gestalten is more than a collection of some of the best interiors from around the world. With its added strong focus on the occupants as well as their very essence, the publication also manages to unlock the individual character of the incredible interiors showcased. |
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SOURCE: Feed – Yatzer.com – Read entire story here.
Here’s What a $650 Knockoff Koons Balloon Dog Looks Like
Photo: Courtesy VLA Sculpture.
Beijing-based company VLA Sculpture is selling stainless steel and resin balloon dog sculptures that look a lot like those of a certain art world star (hint: his name rhymes with “balloons”) now having a retrospective at the Whitney Museum. The works were for sale on China’s largest e-commerce site, Alibaba.com, though the original link does not appear to be active anymore and a search of the VLA Sculpture site turns up no balloon dogs.
Two weeks ago artnet News received a detailed brochure notifying us that the Jeff Koons balloon dog lookalikes, which come in a variety of colors and sizes, are now being offered in resin as well as stainless steel. Some clients had complained that stainless steel versions are too expensive, a VLA rep named Rebecca informed us.
On the morning of August 12, another email arrived asking whether we are still interested in purchasing one of the pups, with an attached photo showing an example of our potential acquisition (see above). “How many pieces do you need and what’s the nearest port?”
This one, presumably the smallest sized example, measuring 19.7 inches high by 19.7 inches long and 7.88 inches wide, is priced at $650 for the stainless steel version and $780 for the resin variety. The larger resin pieces are cheaper than the stainless steel. While we don’t profess to be Koons or canine balloon sculpture experts in general, we immediately noticed that this puppy is not quite as perky as the real thing; note the lack of detailing where the legs meet the body as well as the shape of the tail (especially at the very end), and the fact that the angle of the back legs appears to be quite wide. But hey, can you really complain when you may be able to impress your friends by passing off this faux Koons pooch as the real deal, and save a few million dollars in the process?
Each of the four color options—orange, yellow, red, and blue—in the PDF is illustrated with an image of a Jeff Koons balloon dog sculpture in situ. The picture of Balloon Dog (Blue) is of an edition of the work owned by Eli Broad that was shown at LACMA; the picture of Balloon Dog (Red) is the example of the work owned by Dakis Joannou, photographed while on display at Christie’s last year. Balloon Dog (Orange) is illustrated by an image of the artist’s MCA Chicago retrospective (the same image had been used to illustrate the original Alibaba listing, though the background been stripped out even before the link became inactive).
The post Here’s What a $650 Knockoff Koons Balloon Dog Looks Like appeared first on artnet News.
SOURCE: artnet News – Read entire story here.
George Tooker: 1920 – 2011
Born on August 5, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, George Clair Tooker Jr. grew up in suburban Bellport, Long Island and took painting lessons from a family friend as a child. Tooker graduated from Harvard University in 1942 where he studied English Literature and continued to pursue his interest in art.
Tooker was discharged from officer training school in the U.S. Marines during World War II due to illness brought on by stress. In 1943, he enrolled in the Art Students League in New York and studied under leading social realist painters Reginald Marsh and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Tooker was introduced to the medium of egg tempera by painter Paul Cadmus, with whom he spent six months together traveling and studying art in Italy and France in 1949. In 1949, Tooker also met painter William Christopher, who became his lifelong companion.
In 1950, Tooker began to earn both recognition and income from his art and in 1953, the Whitney Museum bought his best-known painting, The Subway. Further recognition followed, beginning with a solo exhibition at a New York gallery in 1951; followed by four more solo shows and numerous group exhibitions.
“Working on wood panels or Masonite board, Tooker painstakingly built luminous matte surfaces, inch by square inch; soft, powdery colors complemented the rounded forms and fabrics of the paintings.” His early work depicted social and public issues, and stresses the loneliness and alienation of modern urban existence. In the 1970s, the Tooker began to explore more personal states of being expressed in symbolic imagery, often drawn from the bible, mythology, and classic literature.
Tooker’s works have been associated with the Magic Realism and Social Realism movements but he resisted attempts to define his works as such. “I am after reality — painting impressed on the mind so hard that it recurs as a dream,” he said, “but I am not after dreams as such, or fantasy.”
In 1960, Tooker and Christopher moved to Vermont, where they had a weekend home. Tooker taught at the Art Students League between 1965 and 1968, and they spent winters on the Mediterranean coast of Spain as Christopher’s health declined. Tooker returned to Vermont, in 1973 after Christopher’s death.
“In the 1970s, the Tooker began to explore more personal states of being expressed in symbolic imagery, often drawn from the bible, mythology, and classic literature. Tooker, though greatly respected, remained apart from the modernist trends that dominated American art for much of the second half of the twentieth century.”
In 2007, Tooker was awarded the National Medal of Arts – the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States Government.
George Tooker died on March 27, 2011 at his home in Hartland, Vermont. He was 90 years old.
Sources: New York Times, Terra Foundation
Post inspired by David Platt
SOURCE: Daily Art Fixx – Art Blog: Modern Art, Art History, Painting, Illustration, Photography, Sculpture – Read entire story here.
Meet Me at the McMichael
From Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, to Mary Pratt and the Painters Eleven, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is a who’s who of Canadian Art.
ABOVE: Lawren Harris, Ellesmere Island, 1930, oil on wood panel, 12 x 15 inches
BELOW: The gravestone of Lawren Harris and his wife Bess in the McMichael Cemetary
If you grew up in or around Toronto, chances are you went on a school field trip to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario. I recently (re)visited for the first time since childhood.
Established in 1969, the McMichael has an extensive collection that includes some of Canada’s most renowned artists. Whether you’re a fan of Emily Carr or Norval Morrisseau, all the stars are here, and then some.
As outstanding as the art is, so too is the building it is housed, and the grounds on which it is set. You really couldn’t ask for a better spot – it is distinctly Canadian.
Six members of the Group of Seven are buried at the McMichael, among them, my favorites A.J. Casson and Lawren Harris. Visiting their graves was a unique and humbling experience I will not soon forget.
Although the collections most iconic piece – Casson’s White Pine – was inexplicably absent, there wasn’t much else to complain about. Save for the weather, the whole experience was near perfect.
If you’re a fan of Canadian art, or looking to learn more about it, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is a must-visit.
This coming fall, I will be exhibiting my work in the 24th Annual Autumn Art Sale at the McMichael. The exhibition runs from Friday, October 24 to Sunday, October 26, 2014.
SOURCE: David McDonough’s Art Blog – Read entire story here.
Inside Theme Park Musical Theater
“Theme park shows have a reputation like cotton candy’s: They’re sweet and they go down easy, but they’re not much to write home about. Part of that comes from how much they stick to a formula. Run times rarely exceed 30 minutes, the faster to get people dried off or cooled down and back to the rides. … But streamlined doesn’t mean substandard. Though the shows’ content may be lighthearted, the talent is often Broadway caliber.”
SOURCE: ArtsJournal» THEATRE – Read entire story here.
One-woman show on ‘human connection’ to debut in Jersey City
“So What If I Loved You,” a one-woman show that delves into the life of a young girl marred by nightmares of her “lost lover” will debut in Jersey City on Aug. 21. The show, also known as “SWIILY,” will feature producer, writer, and actress Summer Dawn Hortillosa in a unique multimedia performance consisting of video, original music and modern … (more)
SOURCE: Modern Dance News – Read entire story here.