Artma 2006 update

Several weeks ago I received the recap of the Artma auction held in Denver in February. The event raised over $100,000 with $80,000 directly coming from the sale of artwork.

More images of Garden Variety

A few images of Garden Variety in situ at Maxwell Fine Arts

Garden Variety in 9 Parts

This is an image of Garden Variety in my studio. This is the piece that I have installed in the sculpture garden at Maxwell Fine Arts in Peekskill NY for the "Unexpected Visitors" group exhibit. The piece consists of 9 16x16" cement pavers with plaster and latex paint elements imbedded.

Unexpected Visitors at Maxwell Fine Arts in Peekskill NY

I have a sculpture in a group show at Maxwell Fine Arts in Peekskill NY. The show is called "Unexpected Visitors" and features work from many artists from around the Hudson Valley. My piece is in the sculpture garden of the gallery.

The show runs from April 21 - July 2.

The opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 3-6pm.

Reception at OII Restaurant

Thanks to everyone that came out last night to have some drinks and share some tapas. And thanks to OII for providing the great food and atmosphere.

I appreciate it.

The good the great and the utterly imbecilic

There is an ever growing population of public throughout the Denver metro area. It can be hit and miss, but I think the overall direction of the quality of the work is improving. The one major exception to this trend is Jonathan Borofsky's "Let's Dance." The approximately $1.5M sculpture stands at about 60 feet high, has an audio component of music composed by the artist emanating from its base, and represents part of the legacy of Denver's previous bloated mayor and his wife.

Borofsky's Let's Dance

The parcel of land was intended to a garden for permanent and temporary installations of sculpture. Unfortunately, the self-indulgent scale and lack of nuance of the Borofsky piece precludes the ability to effectively share the grounds with any other sculpture. Lest anyone believe that bad art is a wholly benign phenomenon, a traveling group of Bernar Venet sculptures were place in the garden along with the Borofsky dancers with unfortunate results for the distinct, graceful Venet forms. The difference in scale, and the insipid silliness of the Borofsky undercut the integrity of the Venets, making them feel like the detritus of party favors strewn underfoot of the goofy dancers. (I wish I had taken an image of this)
Certainly, Borofsky's work doesn't hold much interest for me, save for his series of sketched records of his dreams. I can certainly understand the potential mass appeal of his work, however, to say that Borofsky mailed it in when he developed this piece would overstate the level of creative investment the artist made in the conception of the project. In a radio interview in 2003, Borofsky cited the white snow capped Rockies and the white roof of Denver International Airport as having an impact on him and alluded to a linkage with the white of the sculpture. Perhaps he couldn't be bothered to mail it in himself, and got a neighborhood kid to do it.
As much as I disliked the sculpture when it first went up, I allowed for the possibility that it would at some point grow on me. It hasn't.

Bernar Venet's Indeterminate line

Half a block away, and a bargain at $600,000 is a large Bernar Venet titled "Indeterminate line" that is a solid, elegant demonstration of public sculpture.

Two Venet sculptures that were a part of a traveling exhibit in the yard at Ironton Studios where they came for repair after falling off a truck.

Let it not be said that I prefer my public sculpture without humor. My favorite piece is by Lawrence Argent (I can't find the title) sited on a median of South Broadway.

Lawrence Argent sculpture

The intense color and weirdness of this piece struck me immediately, and positively so. This sculpture is the greenest bit of landscaping you'll see anywhere in Denver, as natural grasses planted around it's base shows. The sculpture relates to the madness for the green carpet of lawn that obsesses so many and stands as a testament to the fact that no amount of water or effort can really turn this semi arid desert into a lush oasis. I feel this piece is also riffing on the rise of the formal aesthetic that is architecturalizing the landscape of such medians, gated communities and city boundaries that has been a trend here for several years. Another Argent piece was recently erected in Downtown Denver last fall, and I saw it for the first time on this trip. "I see what you mean" is a 40-foot tall blue bear that is peeking into the glass atrium of the Convention Center. Here's a picture. This sculpture seems very popular with folks, and it is entertaining. I don't know exactly how I feel about it. Certainly it is big, and fun. (as opposed to big and stupid; see Borofsky above.) I like the way the piece interacts with the building, and engages the audience. I just wonder if we are stepping into the realm of theme park art with giant infantalized sculptures that tickle everyone pink. An initial thought I had when I first saw the sculpture was that the blue bear reminded me strongly to the logo of the SCFD (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District) which is the public funding organization for cultural events, and has a bear as its mascot.

I expect there will be future public projects by Argent, and I'm looking forward to seeing whatever he comes up with next.

DAM addition, and the Clyfford Still Museum site

On Sunday March 19, I headed down to my old neighborhood to photograph the current state of the Daniel Libeskind addition to the Denver Art Museum. As I stated in the previous post, over the past couple of years, I managed not to have my camera on hand to photograph. Seeing the progress of this building as I've returned periodically has been fascinating. The time when the skeletal structure was being constructed was the most striking period, and one when I wish I had snapped some images. The array girders and beams, each one unique and set on extreme on an extreme angle looked like the giant spawn of the smaller DiSuvero piece in the adjacent plaza. Such is the nature of the bones of this building, that at the time I felt disapointmented that the structure would need to be sheathed. The building is dramatic as it reaches over 13th, toward the exsisiting DAM tower designed by Gio Ponti. I was sceptical of this plan when the drawings were first released, but upon seeing a model of the building at a presentation Libeskind held for neighborhood residents, I saw that, in relation to the exsisting museum, and the Micheal Graves designed Library, the new addition could create a dynamic, and surpising presence that would further unite the other two structures.

Michael Paglia of Westword has written extensively and insightfully on the progress of the building over the years. If you're interested, I suggest doing a search in his archived articles for more on the development of the building. I understand the Fredric C.Hamilton building is scheduled for completion in the coming fall.

View from the North. Denver Public Library on the left, the Museum Cafe and entrance in foreground right.

Close up view with Mark DiSuvero's Lao Tzu.

View from East on 13th Ave


View from East

View from South. Though less dramatic than the north elevation, I think this is my favorite viewpoint of the museum.

Two Views of the location chosen for the Clyfford Still Museum:

The Gio Ponti designed portion of the DAM is on the far left side, with the new Libeskind addition in the background and right. In the Foreground are (I believe) the three parcels that are to be claimed for the Still Museum. On the left is a parking lot currently being used for DAM construction. In the center, an office building, and on the right, set back from the street is a minisitry organization.

Third Friday in Denver

I have made a point of making sure I have my camera with me as I head around Denver. On several occasions over the past couple of years, I have wanted to photograph the various stages of progress on the new wing of the Denver Art Museum, but simply never did. Alas, I did manage to head downtown last Sunday morning, camera in hand and took several images of the addition, which is set to officially open in the fall. I will be posting those images as soon as possible.

Photographs, video by Emily Von Swearingen

Narrative projection by Emily Von Swearingen

Poetry, photo installation by Jake Adam York

On the previous Friday, March 17, I went over to an opening for "Between Words" an exhibit of photographs, and projections by Emily Von Swearingen and poetry by Jake Adam York at Ironton Studios. Ironton is located north and east of downtown, and it is a part of the newly branded arts district called RiNo. Still predominantly an industrial area, there have been various studios, and galleries migrating here for a couple of years.



I left Ironton, to catch an event at El Museo de Las Americas on Santa Fe. On the third Friday of each month during the current exhibit, "Never Leaving Aztlan," the museum hosts Lucha Libre. Meant to be a debate between two artists in a cage match atmosphere, the evening is divided into five "rounds" that allow the participants to discuss and show their own work, and field questions from the emcee and the audience on topics related to art, culture, and ethnicity. The concept of the series is good, and could prove to be entertaining and engaging. In practice, however, the participants of this evening were neither entertaining, engaging, or enlightening. This is really a performance, and for it to work, the participants must be prepared to perform. Instead they were a bit awkward, which could be understandable, but they could not stay on topic or keep their orations short. The evening was a bit painful, and even more boring. I was intrigued by the event, as it sounded somewhat similar to an idea I have been mulling over for a while back in Beacon. Sort of a friday night fights, pitting artists against one another with the prize being an exhibit of some form. Kind of like a match of creative King of the Hill. I left at the beginning of the fifth and final round, and headed up to the Highlands to check out the offerings at EDGE, and Pirate.

EDGE benefit exhibit

EDGE was presenting expressionistic abstract collage paintings by Susan Berkley in the first room, a benefit auction in the second room, and an airy installation of eggshells labled with text relating to entities of main stream culture by Hans Wolfe in the back room.



Sometime last fall, Pirate had contracted spatially, and donned a new store front entrance. Since then, an new coop called Next has opened on the corner, occupying space relinquished by Pirate. The face lift of the building lacks the edgy character it once had, and though not fully gentrified in appearance, it feels a bit tamed now. Pirate seemed to be having an opening that night, although it was somewhat quiet compared to past openings. Next door at Next, it seemed there was an open entry, or juried show that felt completely random. My impression was that this was their first or second show, and in the spirit of a housewarming they opened the door for participation to anyone who chose to do so. Fortunately, EDGE still carries its perpetual solid look of an indifferent fortress across the street from its neutered neighbors. The drawback to EDGE's appearance is that to the untrained eye, it can be difficult to discern whether it is open or not.

The first Friday of the month is the night that carries the most punch, currently, with crowded openings in the galleries lining Santa Fe Blvd. The crowd here is large, and young, and it's a definite scene. The Santa Fe district has been in assention since the late 90's whenI had my studio in the neighboring Golden Triangle district and they were just beginning to get organized. Since then a number of galleries and some studios have moved in, including Core and Spark, two long running co-ops that have moved in together in the space vacated some two years ago by Fresh Art. Being that it was not the first, but the third friday, there was not much going on save the match of wills over at the museo. The Santa Fe scene is definitely a big draw and it has diverted some attention from the likes of EDGE and Pirate which have been in their present location for a very long time now and are a bit like the old men on the hill. The challenge for Pirate, EDGE, along with Next, Zip 37, and the neighboring Bug theater is to convey a fresh currency when other young trendy scenes continue popping up in different parts of town.

There were snakes on the plains before the plane was even invented

Early last week, Monkey Angel Studios' film, Hannah House was released on DVD in the UK. It's available for sale or rent at retailers and online. Information on the UK release can be found at Hannahhousethemovie.co.uk

This image above is the cover for the DVD. The tagline the distrubutor (MAAD UK) came up with is excellent.... "They came for the prairie life... The got the afterlife."

So far, I have only seen 2 reviews. One really good, the other really bad. I have to say that the bad review mentioned the image quality of the film was bad. I think he missed the point altogether as the look of the film was intentional.

Anyway, since I've been in Denver, we've been getting together, making plans for the next MA film, Red Raccoon. Hannah House was altogether cooky, but Red Raccoon will be down right and singularly unique. (Unique=Bizarre) My role here is dealing with the art direction, working with folks from the Monkey Angel Collective and beyond, shaping the look of this film by merging the signature visions of all involved. I'll be posting info in the coming months on some of the progress, and info on the artists involved with the production.

Strange Turns

At the end of last year, I posted a remembrance of Chris Whitley. He has been a favorite musician of mine since I first heard "Living with the Law." Since his death, I have thought often of his progression as an artist, and that arc of exploration cut short too quickly, and it has resonated inside my head, urging me to be sure to be engaged in the present, and while striving and sacrificing for some distant goal to respect, and relish where I am currently.

Life is full of those uncanny occurrences that knock you on your butt and the only way to explain it is to say "that's life." One such occurrence is that fact that one of Angelika's photographs is on the cover of the North American version of Whitley's last CD, "Reiter In." There are a couple of other images by Angelika in the CD packaging as well as a cool photo of Chris on stage by Bill Ellison. It's just so odd. Every so often, as I'm listening to his music, it just strikes me-the shame of such a unique talent now gone..

We went to a tribute to Whitley in NYC several weeks back, and it was wonderful to see and hear from folks whom Chris Whitley had influenced, and impacted. We unfortunately had to leave early before hearing his brother Dan's band, but I was able to see Chris' dad take the stage to speak a bit, and play a song. That was one very affecting moment, and one filled with a dignified and graceful poignancy.

HVCCA

At the end of last year, I was invited to join the Board of Advisors for The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill NY. The advisory board is made up of 24 people of from various disciplines from law, business, and art, with various skill sets and spheres of influence. These people will be working in different capacities to help grow the museum, and further its mission.

I'm gratified to have been considered for participation, and I am excited to be working with such a dynamic group of people for an institution that is bringing exciting, relevant, world class contemporary art of a to the Hudson Valley.

Peekskill is 20 miles south of Beacon. 20 miles that at on point felt like a two hour trek in the shifting perception I felt when we first moved to Beacon. I have on several occasions driven 6 hours from Denver to Santa Fe and back in the same day to visit Site Santa Fe. But there is something of the compression of time distance and effort that makes comparatively much shorter journeys feel equally long. Much of it has to do with the terrain, and the more circuitous routes of the roads. There is a funny isolation that occurs among art communities within the various cities and towns of the Hudson Valley. It's akin, I imagine to the historically long isolation of villages of the Swiss Alps divided by mountains and valleys, but very near to one another in proximity, each on developing its own special dialect of the language. I am trying to make a point to get out to other communities and see what's going on.

The truth is that Peekskill is less than a half hour from Beacon, and it is an hour from NYC on the train, so it is accessible, and there are some great exhibitions, and programs being offered at HVCCA that can benefit the entire regional creative community. ...And at a price that is really affordable. Admission is $5 and a membership is only $25, which I didn't realize when we started going otherwise I would have joined much sooner, and it would have already paid for itself.

On the road, and the last 2 weeks in review

I'm currently in Denver, working on some decorative projects, and making plans for an exchange exhibit in June between artists working in Beacon NY, and the artists of Edge Gallery here in Denver.

The past two weeks had me running. I was involved with an installation of an exhibition at the International Center of Photography, that felt like a marathon. We finally finished at 4 am last Thursday morning. Just in time to give me a little rest and prepare for the open studio at Spire on Saturday. I managed to take a few photos, and i will try to post them tonight.

On March 3, we held a reception hosted by CPA, Deborah Bailey Browne at her office. This is an ongoing partnership I'm calling the "Curated Office" that presents contemporary artwork in a setting, and before an audience that allows an opportunity to access, and relate to the work in a way that the rarified environment of the gallery doesn't necessarily allow.
The response to the work was very receptive. Each time I organize these mini exhibits allows me to change up the way that people interact in the space given the influence of the artwork present. I want to gently push the envelope with the type of work that can function, and seemlessly exsist with such a particular setting.
This current installation features a few of my pieces along with the work of Simon Draper, Marnie Hillsley, Matt Kinney and Alexis Elton.Most of the work represented a personal relationship with material. Simon and Marnie both create wall hung constructions of wood. Matt's pieces represent his working with acrylic paint on paper in a way that ceases to be acrylic paint and could easily be something else. Alexis' work with bubble wrap, and oil stained cardboard represents the the greatest leap of material in the show, but I think I was able to show the beauty, and grace of her choices. This is an editorial view on my part, but I think it helps add a potential new context to her work. Alexis did say that it took some getting used to seeing her own work in this environment, and it was freaking her out a little --but I think it was in a good way. The work I put in was the most traditional in a sense that it was straight oil or acrylic on canvas, and although it might be abstract, it was the most conventionally made work.

I think this a great opportunity for members of the artistic and business communities to mix and find commonalities, and I'm grateful to DBB for supporting this effort with as much of her own effort as she does.

Curling in the morning

Curling has injected itself into my morning routine. For most of this week, as I'm eating breakfast, and getting ready for work, I have become entranced by the olympic curling matches broadcast on the USA netowork. Would that this could continue after the winter games are gone. I find it a much need source of calm, and a good way to start the day.

Jan, Feb

On my trip to MOMA in January, we also went to the Met to see the Fra Angelico show, and Rauschenburg's Combines.

Raushenburg's ealry pieces from '55 to '57 really had the most impact. There was so much to enjoy and discover in this show. Of the 6-8 rooms of the exhibit, I found the first half to be the more adventurous and ingenious. I feel the paintings from the sixties lost their edge, and tended to be boring without the inclusion of other combined materials. Some of the better of these pieces felt like rehashing of Schwitter's work, but the large scale of the work at that point felt unnecessary beyond the chest beating they provided.

I enjoyed the Fra Angelico show, but he doesn't do it for me like Fra Filippo Lippi does. It is a little apples and oranges, but there you have it.

In Early February, I caught the Richard Tuttle show before it closed. I had not been familiar with his work. As I was reading various blog conversations at the beginning of the year stating that Tuttle was one of the two most influential artist on the present generation, I had to gauge whether I should be embarrased or not that I had not remembered seeing his work. I didn't reach a conclusion as to my level of embarrasment.
I am grateful that I did see the show. Not knowing what to expect entirely, I was surprised to see truly exquisite pieces that in there "lowliness" of materiality were quite elegant. My favorite pieces were a series of styrofoam fragments, each with a piece of red paper coming out of them.

This work feels like a virile heir to Rauschenberg's combines.

There were a series of works consisting of cardboard, and plastic that to me seem a very lyrical response to.... combines. And once again these pieces transended their lowly materials and to provide a transcendant art viewing experience.

Artma auction - Denver Feb 25

The Artma auction to benefit the Morgan Adams Memorial Neuro-Oncology Fund will be happening on Saturday, Feb 25 from 6-10p. Tickets are $50. Above is an image of the piece that I am donating, Strange and Early Autumn IV.

January at MOMA

I had not laid down the thoughts I had from a visit I made to MOMA several weeks ago as soon as I was planning- so I'm doing that now.
There is something about seeing Cy Twombly's work that always fills me with a sense of abundant joy for painting, and mark making - and makes me want to get busy doing so immediately. Twombly's Four Seasons are on display in MOMA's atrium in place of Monet's Waterlilies to much better effect. The Monet has been moved upstairs into a more contained room of its own that somewhat harkens back to its home in the pre-renovated museum. The thing that distracted me with the current hanging is that the two end panels are hanging at an angle slightly away from the wall (imagine a three fold card or a shallow bay window) This positioning casts two triangular shadows that are queer, and add an undesireable element.
The current installation of the contemporary galleries felt like a rabbit warren of rooms with are scattered among them. I found it a little disorienting, and difficult to maneuver with a lot of visitors.
My main objective was to see Janet Cardiff's 40 Part Motet. Arrayed in an elipse, are 40 speakers on stands facing the center of the room. I entered the space just before the piece ended and was able to experience the intense surround sound effect. After it ended, I stayed and waited to hear it in its entirety. The magic of the piece for me was created in the moments before the music began. For several moments, the room was silent, but here and there, one could hear individuals talking, perhaps a cough or such. I attributed these sounds to other visitors in the gallery initially, but I realized that they were, in fact, part of the piece. Once the music began, the space was entirely engaged as an organ of sound. As I sat with my eyes closed, vocals would rush out from one area or another. In elementary school we had this activity where all the kids in the class would each take hold of an enormous round parachute. We would raise or lower our portion creating waves in the material. A ball would be placed on the material, and jump around guided by the movement of the waves generated. This is the vision I was sitting with in my head as my eyes were closed - giant layers of sound fabric undulating, waving independantly, but in relation to the others. This was an experience I enjoyed. It could be categorized as an enhanced entertainment, and not art, but I guess it depends on where you draw the line.

Speaking of lines being crossed. I wandered into a portion of the contemporary galleries and saw this amusing, ingenious sort of stroboscope using Pixar figurines. The figurines were arranged on a wedding cake tiered turntable, and when spun in coordination with a strobe light, the effect was a three dimensional animation. It was inventive, entertaining, and a great appropriation of cultural paraphenalia.......Then I realized I had walked into a portion of the auxiliary exhibits supporting the Pixar series of films at MOMA. For an instant I felt scammed. The demonstration was no less inventive, but as it was essentially an advertising expo for a film studio, it should be treated as such, and presented in a manner that asserts the border between this activity, and that of the work that was exhibited in the adjacent galleries. There was wall text that described the details about the presentation, but the placement of this demonstration seems like a calculated aggrandizement of Pixar as a cultural treasure and an encroachment upon the terrain of contemporary art. There has been much written about this particular nod to Pixar by MOMA, but I had not really paid attention to it. Now, I can't quite shake off the taint of the pay to play implication of this particular endeavor

Also on view at MOMA that day:
The various states of Picasso's etchings of a bull, which have always stood as an important lesson for me on the topic of the search of the essential. Picasso starts at a finished product, and labors his way to the beginning.

Odilon Redon exhibit -Wonderfully weird imagery at times. Alway have loved his drawings. Lush blacks. There were many lithographs, and book illustrations which are great, but I find them flat and static in comparison to the drawings. It had been over ten years since I had seen several grouped together.

Elizabeth Murray - I'd only ever seen one or two examples of her work before. Not terribly interested in the content and color of the work, but I think they play a role to counterpoint the elements that are more interesting for me; the shape and compositions of multilple canvases. Certain of the shaped canvases, and grouping of others really cut through space, and created "real" presence.

Paintings at O II Restaurant.

These are images of a few of the paintings that I currently have on view at O II in Beacon. A reception will be scheduled in the near future. There are a total of five paintings in the restaurant, and all but one are at least 5 ft in dimension. The two pieces above are almost 6 ft high, and 8 ft long. I think the scale of the paintings in relation to the space works well, and as I stated before, I'm really pleased with how they look in this place.

Admissions and Resolutions

Ok, the only admission that I have is the my web site is sorely in need of an update. I have plenty of new work that can, and should be put on the site in the near future. I'm trying to coach myself into the position of being able to manage the site on my own....that will be a longer term project.

On the side of resolutions, I have resolved to simply be more organized in how I deal with all of the stuff that is apart from picking up a paintbrush. That means documenting work more consistently, and any number of things. I think I'm off to a good start. I'm currently shooting slides of a group of drawings that I had been doing at the end of 2004. I think I posted a couple images here on the blog....I'll try to find them.
Another resolution is to make this blog still more fluid, and immediate with items and new work as it comes up.

We made a trip down to NYC last week, and there are some thoughts on that I'll post this week. Also, the bau 12 exhibit is over and I removed by pieces, and returned my key to the space yesterday. I'll be posting some thoughts on the forming, and leaving bau, perhaps in the week's end.

Also yesterday, thanks to Todd Spire, I installed some pieces over at OII restaurant, and they look pretty damn good there. They seem as if they really belong there.

Finally, Tyler Green at MAN gave a plug, yesterday, for my maykr blog, and that gave me a thrill.

Chris Whitley 1960-2005

Last week, I learned of the death of the musician Chris Whitley. It was one of those moments shocked me out of my tasks. Whitley died on Nov 20 of Lung Cancer at the age of 45. He was a favorite of mine. Many people have that one band or musician that they champion and generally swear by vocally, and continuously to the annoyance of anyone in earshot.
"Dude, this guy is like, SO AMAZING," Whitley is pretty much such a one for me, although I don't think I geeked out to such a level that folks would avoid me (at least not for that reason.)
In his work, I found a quality of expression that resonated with certain intents that I had with own artwork. The turn of his lyrics and his gritty low down manner of playing the National Guitar, banjo, or acoustic created produced the sense of this one guy working through his vision in an earnest, vulnerable, and occassionally kitschy way.
His first album was his most polished, and well known, and I liked it, but it soon seemed a bit refined and flat in relation to his later albums. His second album, at first, seemed a drastic departure from the first album, with a lot of reverb and louder rock sensibility. But just under the surface you could easily hear the strain of his signature that would run through all of the albums regardless of their variations. This second album turned off many fans of the first, and this has served to be another point of appreciation, for me, as he would continue to make work that seemed most true to him, willing to experiment and play regardless of the sound that originally gained him attention.
I saw him perform live 3 or 4 times. Each time, he smoked incessantly on stage, and he was always so lean he looked nearly skeletal. But a really ripped skeleton. He had a very personable presence on stage, occasionally he would screw up, laugh at himself, and say that he needed to start that one over again. In the couple of time I saw him in Boulder, CO, his sets would focus on new work, and unreleased work. There would be constant shouts for songs from the first album, and he would oblige with a tweak version of the request. Once he performed "Phone call from Leavenworth" with such a feverish tempo which seemed at once a fuck you, and an exhilirating rush to perform.
It's just another one of those damn shames.

Recent work

These are a couple of images taken during our auction and open studio held on Dec 12.

I am currently working on a variety of small paintings that refer to the sculpture I have been doing over the past several months, as well as the multitude of objects and castoff pieces that I have collected in the studio.